Musician Edžus Vējiņš currently lives in an apartment in Riga but has purchased a small, old house in Zvejniekciems that will become his family’s primary residence in the future, as Santa reported.
The Bottom Line
- Vējiņš purchased an older home in Zvejniekciems to serve as his family’s future permanent base, opting to preserve historical elements rather than clear the site entirely.
- The musician points to localized environmental shifts—such as invasive plant species and aggressive slug populations—as tangible everyday examples of wider climate changes.
- In his personal habits, Vējiņš favors second-hand clothing markets for children and wears garments until they are completely worn out, though he acknowledges everyday consumer choices are rarely entirely green.
Restoring the Zvejniekciems Property
While Vējiņš currently resides in an apartment in Riga, he has acquired a small, older home in Zvejniekciems designated to become his family’s future permanent residence. Substantial renovation and furnishing work remain before the house is habitable.
Pressures from outside advisors to demolish the structure completely have met with resistance from the musician. “Countless people have told me: ‘Tear it down. Tear it down and build a new one!’ And I don’t know what it is in me that makes me want to keep at least one wall, at least one brick from what is there right now,” Vējiņš told Santa. “I just feel like it’s a continuation… I don’t want to end up in an empty space—I want to be like a continuation.”
Confronting Rural Climate Realities
Life in Zvejniekciems will provide proximity to nature, including walking paths near the sea, but it also introduces rural challenges driven by shifting weather patterns. Managing invasive Spanish slugs migrating from unpopulated neighboring plots ranks among these daily hurdles.
“I think we climate changes, even if we notice them at some point, we don’t fixate on them, but rather get used to them and just keep living,” Vējiņš stated, adding that this normalization applies across various sectors. Fishermen experience it through the round goby becoming a major part of the Baltic Sea ecosystem, while botany enthusiasts notice invasive goldenrods replacing native wildflowers in meadows.
The musician questions why society focuses on adapting to climate shifts rather than addressing their root causes. Instead of questioning long-term global resource limits for future generations, technological investments focus on immediate comfort, such as car air conditioning systems designed to combat 35-degree heat.
Everyday Consumption and Minimalist Choices
Vējiņš notes that while total global transformation remains out of reach, individual actions carry weight. For his children, he frequently shops at second-hand markets and secondhand stores.
“It’s an absurdity how much children’s clothes cost, and really—if we threw them all out, that wouldn’t be it… The child grows up in half a year, and that garment is redundant and no longer fits,” he explained to Santa. For himself, he wears items until they are entirely worn out, donating poorly fitting footwear or good-condition unneeded clothing to the Red Cross.
| Habit | Approach | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| Children’s Apparel | Second-hand purchasing | Second-hand markets |
| Personal Garments | Full wear-out cycle | Personal wardrobe |
| Ill-fitting Shoes | Early donation | Red Cross |
At the same time, Vējiņš does not claim to lead a faultless green lifestyle, noting that he does not deliberately seek out specialized stores for all purchases and frequently buys discounted items from standard retail outlets.
