The King's Bay YM-YWHA and Trump Village West - Community Carnival, May 19, 2013

Sustainable Living Floats Into Sheepshead Bay


by on Jun 29th, 2009

pod project 62709 greens 1a

You’d better hurry, though, because just as quickly as it sailed in, it will sail out.*

pod project jun 27 09 chickensThe Waterpod Project, based out of New York, is a self-sustaining floating home to four artists, a few chickens, and a large array of vegetables. The barge, made from recycled and reused materials found around New York, was built as a collaborative effort by a multinational team of very innovative people in an effort to transform the way we think about living “off the land”, so to speak.

And living “off” land is what this team of artists plans on doing when they are not visiting the shore. They have everything they need for survival on the barge: food, water, power, and waste treatment.

While the facilities are spartan, they meet the needs of the inhabitants sufficiently. When we visited them at their humble abode moored in Sheepshead Bay, they were quite content preparing a snack in the open air kitchen.

With the wide variety of fresh vegetables growing in their various tiers, as well as the eggs supplied by the chickens, the peas in the pod seem to be quite satisfied nutritionally.

They asked us for nothing other than we should let everyone know that their Waterpod will be at Pier 2 (Bedford Ave & Emmons Ave) in Sheepshead Bay until July 5, 2009. And oh, if you should have any extra eggshells that would be welcome, too. The chickens on board will thank you.

There is no admission price, but donations to support the project are welcomed. You can visit the self-sustaining home from Wednesdays to Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Check the Waterpod website for full details and open hours. Get to know three ofthe residents before you enter their living room garden, Mary Mattingly, Eve Tremblay, and Mira Hunter and their artistic expressions at the website.

*Technically, the barge doesn’t have any sails and was pulled in by a tugboat from the Weeks Marine Transportation, Inc. as a donated service.

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  • Anthony

    I think this is a great project. The website had some very informative information that would be appreciated by anybody concerned about this world we live in and the future of ecology. I love the idea of the Waterpod being a self-sustaining unit. The very concept forces the project participants to think outside of the box and find creative ways to utilize their resources. For example, I’m quite certain they won’t be using the craft to invade a small country of brown people just to steal their oil to keep afloat another day. It’s all about new ideas and adaptability. The very concept is visionary and it begs visitors to think in the same way.

  • bill W

    What’s so new? People have been living on boats for years. Most communities discurage this because they don’t “pay taxes”. How about Ried Stowe, living on a boat going around the world for 1000 days? Whats novel about this barge is that they are asking for donations. Imagine Sheesphead Bay filled with barges like this. What would the neighbors think?

  • Anonymous

    bill w., Your comments are heard, but my response was too long to put into the comments section. You can read my latest post at the following URL:
    http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/blog1.php/opinion/response-to-sustainable-living-on-the-wa

  • ugly chick

    If I have a barge, I would set up shop for casino.

  • Anthony

    I think this is a great project. The website had some very informative information that would be appreciated by anybody concerned about this world we live in and the future of ecology. I love the idea of the Waterpod being a self-sustaining unit. The very concept forces the project participants to think outside of the box and find creative ways to utilize their resources. For example, I’m quite certain they won’t be using the craft to invade a small country of brown people just to steal their oil to keep afloat another day. It’s all about new ideas and adaptability. The very concept is visionary and it begs visitors to think in the same way.

  • bill W

    What’s so new? People have been living on boats for years. Most communities discurage this because they don’t “pay taxes”. How about Ried Stowe, living on a boat going around the world for 1000 days? Whats novel about this barge is that they are asking for donations. Imagine Sheesphead Bay filled with barges like this. What would the neighbors think?

  • Anonymous

    bill w., Your comments are heard, but my response was too long to put into the comments section. You can read my latest post at the following URL:
    http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/blog1.php/opinion/response-to-sustainable-living-on-the-wa

  • ugly chick

    If I have a barge, I would set up shop for casino.

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