Kelly talks about his involvement with music, painting and drawing, photography, film, animation, video production, writing and website development. These arts have been central to his being, his self-discovery and expression. He also writes about his personal relationship to love, nature, spirituality, science and technology.
Using his own "Hobbit hole" as an example, Kelly writes about sustainable architecture with reference to compact design, passive solar heating, advantages of earth-sheltering, forest conservation, use of local and natural materials, recycling, energy and water conservation, growing and storing food, and building for the long term. There is much specific guidance offered in these pages for those who would like to incorporate sustainable principles into their homes or house plans.
Kelly tells about why he designed and built the "Sunmobile," a two-person, four-wheeled solar vehicle that runs completely on solar or human power. The Sunmobile has gone hundreds of pollution-free miles; it is designed for utility, with lots of cargo space. This could be the basis for the next evolutionary stage in solar travel: the "SunVee," which stands for Solar Utility Neighborhood Vehicle.
In a series of essays, Hobbit Hart reflects on the nature of the culture of Men (especially Western culture) with incisive observation, criticism, and suggestions for improvement. The emphasis of this culture on competition, consumerism, capitalism, violence, patriotism, and militarism is evaluated for how it is dysfunctional. The way these traits combine with the popular media and the internalized stories that guide subconscious choice is shown to create an unhealthy political reality. He points out that if the direction of this culture is not fundamentally altered, the prognosis for a sustainable future is not good.
The final chapters examine the origins of Men and Hobbits, and speculate on our future. The messages left behind by previous...
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