I've mentioned Greenpa before -- his Little Blog in the Big Woods is a lovely example of 'you can do this too' at a very down-to-earth, practical level. Here's what he has to say about how he lives:
Basic Green Practices in the Little House
1) Off the grid. 30 years. Solar electricity .
2) Limited power- house electricity has 4 golf cart batteries.
3) Composting toilet. Outside. (eew, you do that indoors!?)
4) No road to house. You gotta walk.
5) No running water in house. Water pumped by wind.
6) Showers solar heated; outdoors.
7) Heat with wood. One stove in house.
8) Cook with wood 8 months, propane in summer
9) Most of our fuelwood now is from trees we planted
10) No refrigerator. 30 years. You don't need one either.
11) Big garden.
12) Eat locally when possible, not obsessive about it.
13) No pesticide use ever, gardens or crops; not even organic (ok, except a little in the outhouse and the greenhouse...)
14) Earth sheltered solar greenhouse (aren't they all solar??)
15) Shut up about it. Nobody likes preaching.
16. These are our choices- yours are yours.
Okay, he can be a little on the blunt side. Not in the scary way, though, and wow, does he know what he's doing.
Sharon over at Casaubon's Book isn't near as far along the path as Greenpa, but she's further along than anyone else I know. Her practical suggestions are interspersed with calls for justice in a way that makes me frankly uncomfortable at times -- but only because I know she's right and there is more that I can and should do. At the same time, she isn't perfect, admits it, and goes on with doing what she can.
Helwen is the lady who got me into this whole way of living in the first place. She's also someone I've known in Real Life for a lot of years. She's fairly new to the whole concept (a few years in, I think) and watching her progress has been fascinating.
And a couple of single posts that bear mention...
Rae's talking about sugar (and sugar-like substances) in our food. Good stuff.
Plain Fool has a scrap bag.
Oakmouse posts plans for a fireless cooker.
100 Things You Can Do for Peak Oil, Parts One and Two.
Enjoy!
3 comments:
Once again enjoying those posts.
And now here's Maggie with Chocolate's interview:
Hi Chocolate, I am honored to be interviewing my first Cat. I live with several and have great respect for your kind. I think you have the art of napping really down! I saw your picture and you look so much like my friend Spike that I live with (well except that he's like SIX of you!)You are a really pretty Cat. I liked reading your story, too! So, here are my questions for you:
1. I know that Cats are often pretty spiritual beings. How do you express that side of yourself?
2. What is your favorite part of the day?
3. It sounds like you have moved around a bit. What would be your best advice on settling into a new space?
4. Since you are letting me interview you, I assume you must be pretty open-minded. How do you feel about relating with critters of other kinds?
5. How have you found is the best way to get your human to pay attention to you when she thinks she has Better Things to Do?
So there are my questions for you, and now here are those rules my mom says I have to put down too. And I always do what my mom says. Tee-hee. At least when she is looking! I hope you have fun with these and then have some catnip and a nice nap in the sun!
1. If you are interested in being interviewed, leave a comment saying, 'interview me.'
2. I will respond by posting five questions for you. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with a post with your answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
Thanks for the questions! I'll get with Chocolate tomorrow and see what he has to say.
Bob and I kinda had this in our heads for years (for him it was "living off the grid" and for me it was "living in a house without an electric bill"), but it wasn't until we started reading Heather's LJ that we got seriously talking about it.
Now we have serious plans for the house we're going to build and the animals we're going to keep.
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