The End of Jive Plastic Homes

Released: March 11, 2010.

James Howard Kunstler believes that one way or another, we’re going to end up living in a very different daily environment than the one we’re used to. In this episode, he discusses the future of building materials. JHK doesn’t believe that we’ll continue to use the same “jive plastic” production home building materials and techniques in the future. He’s been thinking a lot about how we’re going to re-orient the building trades to use less exotic materials and fewer fabricated, mass-produced items. He describes the diminishing returns of fake cladding materials and snap-together home kits. He ponders the re-use of salvaged suburban building materials. Finally, he takes a moment to consider the re-use of abandoned shipping containers for human habitation.

[Note: This program contains explicit language.]

Program Sponsor:

PostPeakLiving.com, offering a new online course this April 24 led by psychologist Carolyn Baker who will teach students to deal with the emotional aspects of facing peak oil. Register today at: http://PostPeakLiving.com