Student Perspectives: Medical student Adrean Angles on sustainable housing
“Our health is deeply tied to our living situation,” said Adrean Angles, MPH’15, Medicine Class of 2023. “Sustainable housing means taking control of one’s own living situation and offers a sense of freedom.”
Angles converted a tobacco kiln into a 400-square-foot, off-grid home on Oneida Nation of the Thames. The home has two, 1,000-litre water storage tanks to collect rain and supply water. Power is provided via solar panels and a battery bank, with a generator available as back-up. A small wood stove is the main source of heat for the colder months and offers a place to cook as well.
The second-year medical student says he knows what it’s like to worry about paying rent and hydro and accessing food – one of the reasons he wanted to demonstrate the utility of a tiny home.
“I have the construction skills and just needed the opportunity,” said Angles. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”
He is now hoping to inspire others in his community to try the tiny home lifestyle as a way to access sustainable and low-cost housing.
