At Dickinson college, graduate apprentices of the Sustainability program have the opportunity to live on the school’s 50 acre organic farm in these off grid, solar-powered yurts for the duration of their apprenticeship. This yurt is currently inhabited by apprentice Ana Amberger, who gives a tour of her home and explains a bit about the yurts on the farm.
A yurt is a traditional Mongolian-style portable hut that has been a distinctive part of life in Asia for over three thousand years. You can think of a yurt like a glorified tent, most often constructed with an expanding circular wood frame and covered with wool, canvas, or other durable materials. Yurts were made to be portable for the nomadic people who traditionally used them.
The yurts on the Dickinson farm are hooked to solar panels and are completely off the grid. They do not have air conditioning, but are equipped with wood-fired stoves for heat during the winter months.
Take a peek into Ana’s yurt and you can see how adding some decor and creative storage can turn a yurt into quite a nice living space. It appears surprisingly larger on the inside than it would seem from the outside.
Living in an off grid home on an organic farm is sustainability at its best, and these yurts are a nice modern spin on ancient sustainable housing. Homes such as these bring people closer to nature and make minimalist living and using only the resources you have on hand and need a part of everyday life.
Could you live in a home like this? I sure could! And who wouldn’t love being surrounded by those beautiful flowers and the food you grow?
harald bohnert
February 5, 2015 at 3:09 pmhello, very interesting project.
what about the quality of the yurt? if i want to buy a yurt like yours, how much would it cost. and where to buy?
greetings from spain
harald bohnert