SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

A few weeks ago we told you about the Waterpod, a sea-based experiment in sustainable living. Back then, the Waterpod had just sailed in to Sheepshead Bay. It was new – one of its first stops – and we were wide-eyed with excitement over a cool eco-project in our bay.

Well, it turns out living the green-life aquatic is harder than the four crew members imagined.

“It’s been a lot more work than any of us have expected,” Alison Ward, one of the crew who’s been on the boat about six weeks and plans to stay at sea until October, told the Daily News. “I kind of thought we’d just be able to float around.”

According to the article, the Waterpod has been beset by heavy downpours, algae explosions, bugs and – would you believe it? – waves.

To be honest, we’re not all that surprised. Living on the water is rough. And living sustainably is rough. So who woulda thunk putting those two together would’ve been a bitch?

The Daily News says the crew’s chief objective is to get New Yorkers thinking. Well, it’s got me thinking about how, when the destructive edge of climate change sets in, or when zombies take over our inner-cities, I’m not heading to the waves – I’m heading to the hills.

Thanks, Waterpod. In case I wasn’t sure about who to follow when the world begins to fall apart, I now know, I’ll follow the soldiers and the survivalists. Not the artists.

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

The 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.