Have you ever wanted to live in a tiny house? Some people do, and there”s a method to their madness.

There”s a growing movement in the United States called tiny living, where people are deliberately downsizing their living space. They”re choosing to live in a house or apartment of 400 square feet or less.

Contrast that with the typical American home, which is weighing in these days at around 2,600 square feet.

You might wonder why that”s pertinent to green living. People have many reasons for choosing a smaller living space, but a significant percentage of them are doing it for the environment.

When you live in a tiny house, you have less room for stuff, so you”re going to consume less. You”re not going to buy as much because there”s nowhere to keep it. In addition, tiny houses have a tiny carbon footprint — they are less expensive to heat and cool — and they have less square footage that has to be cleaned and maintained.

Tiny houses come in all shapes, sizes and forms, but they all focus on smaller spaces and simplified living. Some of the other reasons why people are joining this movement is to seek more time and freedom from household chores, to lead a simpler lifestyle, or to be able to buy a house that they can afford.

Consider the fact that most of us devote a third of our income to paying for a house, and the tiny house movement starts to have a certain appeal.

There”s no doubt that you have to readjust your expectations if you want to live in a tiny house. There”s not much room for excess in the way of possessions, accessories or extras. And for some people, that”s appealing.

The opportunity to accumulate less stuff, of course, is easier on the pocketbook and on the environment. And you”ll spend less on remodeling projects such as putting in new floors, just because you”ve got less square footage to cover.

But such a lifestyle isn”t for everyone. People who live in a tiny house have to maximize every bit of space, and have to make a deliberate decision to do without. Four hundred square feet really is pretty tiny.

However, the next time you”re house hunting, think about the advantages of a smaller living space. Even if you downsize a little bit — say, to 1,000 square feet — it”s still a less expensive proposition than a McMansion.

I read a recent survey done at the International Builders Show in Las Vegas that found that people in general are beginning to move toward smaller living spaces, finding that having more room didn”t necessarily translate into a better way of life.

The tiny house may seem extreme, but there”s something to be said for having a strong incentive to own less.

If you”re interested in finding out more, have a look at the website www.thetinylife.com for the inside scoop on the tiny house movement.

Send questions or comments about sustainable living in Monterey County to Kathryn McKenzie at pardonmygarden@att.net. Follow Living Green on Twitter for daily tips, twitter.com/livinggreen2.