Trading Riga Streets for the Sea
“Humanity prefers inventing more powerful air conditioning units to cool cars down to handle 35-degree heat rather than confronting whether future generations will have adequate planetary resources.”
Musician Edžus Kazāks is preparing to move his family from a Riga apartment to a newly purchased, older home in Zvejniekciems, as reported by Santa. While the property requires extensive renovation, the artist intends to preserve at least one original wall or brick to maintain a tangible link to the past rather than starting from scratch on a vacant plot. Countless individuals advised him to tear the structure down completely and build a new one, but he explained, Man vienkārši liekas, ka tas ir turpinājums… Es negribu nonākt tukšā vietā – es gribu būt kā turpinājums.
The property purchase and upcoming home improvements are explored further in the Santa.lv podcast series Zaļās sarunas
, a project produced with financial backing from the Latvian Environmental Protection Fund.
Rural Challenges and Invasive Species
The move to Zvejniekciems brings the family closer to nature, offering immediate access to walks along the sea. However, rural living also introduces unique household challenges driven by environmental shifts.
Broader Ecological Shifts in the Region
Commercial fishers experience the rising dominance of the round goby in the Baltic Sea ecosystem, while plant enthusiasts watch native wildflowers get choked out by invasive goldenrod. Kazāks questions society’s fixation on adapting to environmental consequences rather than addressing root causes, noting that people often simply adapt and carry on without truly registering climate changes.
Everyday Sustainability and Consumption
To curb personal resource consumption, Kazāks relies on second-hand markets for children’s clothing, noting the absurdity of buying brand-new items for kids who outgrow them within six months. He prefers wearing his own garments until they are completely worn out, donating poorly fitting shoes or wearable clothes to organizations like the Red Cross. At the same time, the musician acknowledges he does not follow a strictly zero-waste lifestyle, frequently purchasing discount clothing from standard retail stores.
Property Choice and Family Roots
The musician purchased the older home in Zvejniekciems to establish a permanent, nature-oriented family residence near the sea, choosing to renovate an existing structure rather than build on a completely empty plot.
Reflecting on Habits and Comfort
Kazāks also questions whether meticulously manicured lawns around private homes serve any real benefit for nature or living creatures, or if they simply fulfill a human desire for a neat appearance. Vissu pasauli mēs neizmainīsim, bet skaidrs, ka tiem sīkumiem ir nozīme,
the musician concluded.
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