Sustainability

Sustainable living is the (re)new word that is taking over the web. Farmers, especially Yankee farmers have been living sustainable lives to some extent for hundreds of years. Some of the sustainable ideas used by our ancestors have been lost or forgotten and new ones have been created.

We all know that being a farmer or maintaining agriculture is hard work with little return. Yet, many families are returning to the small farm living and are working towards a better life on a smaller income while being conscious of their carbon footprint. I think that we see evidence of this in Loudon as well as other rural towns.

Once considered a “hippie” way of life, with hand sewing your own clothes and living off the grid, sustainable living has been adapted by those who still like their modern amenities or those who live in apartments or in suburban homes instead of on a farm.

Simple ideas, such looking for energy-efficient alternatives for you home, to growing your own food fall under the idea of sustainable living. These can be easy fixes such as caulking and weather stripping to updating old appliances or building a small greenhouse to start vegetable plants for your spring garden or to grow cool weather vegetables over the winter.

Other ideas include making your own cleaning detergents using all natural ingredients, raising a few chickens for eggs or using passive or active solar options.

In the extreme you can actually utilize two acres of land to provide enough food to feed a family of four, recycle your own water and use solar or wind power exclusively and even sell the excess back to the grid.

The nice thing about sustainable living is that you can tailor it to suit your wants and needs. For instance, my boyfriend is a bit squeamish about raising livestock for food. But we can raise chickens for eggs, and personally I wouldn’t have a problem with raising meat chickens, either.

Gardening is a great way for people to practice sustainability. Not only can you grow your own food, but you can also practice with organic pesticides and recycled rainwater to reduce your carbon footprint even more. Then try canning and freezing to keep that bounty all winter long.

There are lots of ideas out on the web to a myriad of different books to read to YouTube videos. I can’t wait to get started and try some of my own ideas. I love the idea of living simply and working smarter.

One of the first things I am going to try? Making my own laundry soap. I found this great “recipe” here . Check it out and follow my two new Pinterest boards Ways to Save  where I will copy cost savings ideas and The Farm cute anecdotes and farm ideas to help on your own sustainable journey.

Don’t forget that I love to share ideas so if you have something (constructive) you would like to share feel free to post in the comments.