How can modern technology help us back to living sustainably?
First of all let’s define ‘sustainable.’ When you look up the word it has many different meanings and, indeed, in the modern sense can be rather vague. So let me define it for the purposes of this project.
My greatest wish is to have the abilities and skills to live a life independent of large grocery bills, utility bills, and fuel expenditures. I’d rather walk out to the garden, pick some tomatoes, cilantro, onions and garlic and make my supper than take a trip to the grocery store. I’d rather stoke the wood stove at night than turn up the heat. I’d rather work with my hands in the earth than at the keyboard. And if the truth were really known I’d prefer to saddle my horse to go to the post office than get in my vehicle. But on the flip side of that I enjoy my computer, cell phone (when it works), dishwasher and modern medicine. When you think about it, simply turning on a light switch is a miracle. You want light when you walk into a room, and there it is. Modern technology has become passé, expected, indeed we all feel entitled to every little thing man can invent. We have so much in this world, but do we really need to use so much?
I will admit that my quest to be self-sufficient is selfish. I don’t want to have to rely upon others for what I need, but out of this quest I’ve developed a real concern for the resources we American’s consume without thought as to what it takes to manufacture all that we use. So how can I bring some traditional skills into play to save as much of our natural resources as I possibly can? I’m not a fan of the buzz phrase ‘carbon footprint.’ In my opinion it’s flung about by politicians who neither really care about our natural resources nor abide by their own preaching.
I’m not an advocate for giving up the scientific technology we have, my goal is to blend modern technology with traditional skills. I like to turn on my television, so how can I keep that convenience without receiving an electric bill? I like to eat; most of us do, so how do I grow enough to support myself? How do I store and preserve my food so I’m not reliant upon the energy it takes to run a freezer? How do I build my house to take advantage of the natural energy from the sun? Is there a way to cut back on the paper products I use? How do I cook on a wood stove? Can I live without the six-thousand plastic containers that now fill my kitchen cabinets? What can I make from scratch rather than running to a big box store to replace? How do I live simply yet effectively in today’s world? How do I bring back some of the homestead heritage inherent in our very history?
But aside from all of the above, how do I recon
nect with the spiritual aspects of feeling a connection with the earth? I’ve been an avid gardener all my adult life, and I’m never happier than when my hands are dirty. I enjoy mucking out stalls in a horse barn. I relish getting up early when the hay is just cut and the entire valley smells of alfalfa and dew. I like going to bed after taking the time to enjoy a lovely sunset. When was the last time I got out from behind this computer and enjoyed the very simple things in life?
We all know we should live more sustainably, somehow though, it always seems like such a daunting task that it’s difficult to know where to begin. The articles in this blog are my ‘how-to’ in my quest for a life of deliberate action, independence, joy and hope. Hopefully they will help others toward being as independent as can be – one step at a time.
I intend to begin to live with outward simplicity with the hope that it will bring richness within.
