Maddie Conley
Online Editor
If you think living in a dorm is compact, then the bus life probably isn’t for you. Eastern University Alum, Michael Fuehrer, parked his house on wheels next to Murray Library today to give students a tour and to discuss life on the road and sustainable living.
While pursuing his Masters in Cultural Anthropology, Fuehrer felt like something was missing from his life. He set out to the West and came back with a new sense of adventure. “I decided to use my education to go in a different direction,” said Fuehrer. This direction didn’t include rent, an office job, or even a traditional place of residence. What it did include was a search for used school buses on Craigslist.
“When I was growing up and riding school buses I never thought I’d be living in one,” said Fuehrer. After nine months of collecting scrap wood from Home Depot, rebuilding an engine, and decking out his new home Fuehrer could finally set out to begin his new way of life.
The bus is completely self-sustainable. There is a solar panel on top along with a compostable toilet inside. Fuehrer also plans on having the bus switched over to being run on vegetable oil instead of diesel. He explained that he could go off the grid for around a month and a half and be completely fine.
Not only is Fuehrer’s bus sustainable, but efficient. It can sleep up to eight people with fold out couches and beds. He also has a fully functioning kitchen to fulfill his passion for cooking.
“The tiny house and bus movements are about redefining what we call home,” said Fuehrer. He explained that home isn’t about having a big house and a lot of possessions. “I guess I’m kind of the opposite of claustrophobic,” said Fuehrer. He doesn’t like having wide open spaces and room to fill, the necessities are more important to him.
While to many people the bus life may seem lonely, Fuehrer would beg to differ. There are many communities of people that are living the bus life. He has met many people through these communities and now has friends all over the United States. “The whole globe shrinks down,” said Fuehrer. He has experienced, first-hand, the strong community that is out there.
Fuehrer’s bus is not only his home and transportation, but his office. He is able to work for his company from the computer onboard the bus. Fuehrer also uploads videos and blog posts to his website Navigation Nowhere.