I just heard the interview “No Impact Man” on CBC radio.
I was insensed that people are making such a big deal about one family doing this “experiemnt” for one year.
For my family, it is a way of life out of necessitiy and have been making changes for years.
It started with my first pregnancy to give my baby the best during development and then my decision to become a stay at home mom.
( Somewhat forced upon me, as my boss at the time deemed me to not be a team player with the interests of the business at heart, if I would dare want a family, not a career. Can’t do both, apparently.)
So, my about-to-grow family was down to one income, living in an apt. with increasing monthly rent, utility expenses and having a new baby born with food allergies; I din’t have a choice but to change my mindset as to what was imortant and where the money would go.
I applied and was accepted to move into a new low income housing project, and I educated myself on healthier food sourcing, learning to grow my own, or make do with less. I always viewed the housing project as a stepping stone and now have a home of my own on a small city lot. I now have three sons to raise.
The cosmetics and hair care products are long gone, and I have learned that even the use of deodourant is not a daily need as the comercials would have us believe. Not every article of clothing MUST be washed after every wearing, with care and monitoring of the amont of time an item is worn. There are no commercial cleaning products in my house.
I rarely buy anything new, clothing, furniture or housewares are always second hand and I don’t buy things made overseas.
No plane, train trips. My world is my backyard.
No magazine subscriptions…There is always the library, for movies and music too. I didn’t have a car of my own until I was in my mid-forties. Bought used and only used for very pertinent needs. It is a small car, very gas efficient and no electronic gadgets. I walk where I need to go or I don’t go.
I have become a child of the Earth and have become as consciencious of my choices for the Earth’s sake as I was when making decisions for my unborn child.
I don’t have a throw away lifestyle. I consider how to get rid of a spent item before I take it into my life. I prefer to live without, not live with more. I am blessed with so much comfort and in no way feel I am going without or am deprived. It is a whole mental, spiritual shift that I evolved through and am at peace with.I mourned during the sheeding of things and am now filled with contentment and renewed purpose.
My garden is organic and uses only human power,animal additives and fresh rainwater. I am part of a special circle of life that taught me more than I learned in school. This whole journey is now my way of life and the way I raise my sons.
We do not need all the material and chemical junk the media/economy brainwashes the population to believe we can’t live without.
I am looking into ways to go off grid as much as possible and further reduce my eco footprint.
When I work for money, it has to be a green all the way job.
It is more physical and mind encompacing work, but I know I have EARNED a good home made meal and a good night sleep at the end of the day.
I joined FREECYCLE a few years back. I was able to send on goods to others as my boys grew out of them, and receive “new to us” items as we needed them. It feels so good to help others through this venture.
I don’t want to have so much stuff manufactured just because someone says an item is “out of fashion” or ” you must have the newer version or you are not Cool”.
The Earth’s resources will come to a end.
We must reduce, reuse and recycle and keep stuff out of the landfill.
We must change how we use and dispose of items and resources,
and stop polluting our environment.
So maybe a better project to experiment with is to go a year without disposing of ANYTHING.
See how fast you change what you do in a day and how you do it.
If you can’t get garbage pick up and can’t flush it away without a thought to where it is going…maybe you’ll think more about what is important to you and the Earth and what you truly need around you, where it is coming from and how to keep using it till it is all gone.
Finding new uses for things other than what they were designed for is fun.
If you lived in a third world country, you would even have to harvest your drinking water when it rains, and collect other’s thrown away items to make your home.
Money isn’t everything…I sure don’t have any and am just fine.
I have always had what I needed when I needed it. That is enough.
This post was submitted by Valerie.
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