Being eco-friendly from day-to-day is great, and it does help, but if you're like me, that isn't really enough. You want to live in a way that isn't just more sustainable; instead, you want to be absolutely sustainable. Although this is often mistaken for an extremist approach, think of it this way: "sustainable" means that we are only taking from the Earth that which the Earth can replenish. Being only a little more sustainable than we are now still puts us on the road to destroying the Earth's resources, thus hurting the animals and impoverished people first, but finally, ourselves.
Housing can often be a problem. In Canada, where I live, many people live in gargantuan houses complete with every appliance one could dream up-- not to mention at least two televisions and a couple computers to boot. Since land is relatively cheap here, people don't seem to even consider living small. However, there are so many options for a more environmentally-friendly housing option.- You could live in a small house (besides, the bigger the house, the bigger the chance of clutter-- and bills!).
- You could live in a storage container (Umm... this is a joke, right? Right??? Nope. Go to this link for details: http://ca.shine.yahoo.com/living-small--lulu-s-shipping-container-home.html ).
- You could share a house with a few friends.
- You could live in an eco-friendly house (this could include living in a "green community", building an advantageously energy-saving house, etc.) See http://sicarius.typepad.com/althouse/ecofriendly_homes/ and http://www.ehow.com/how_2146008_build-ecofriendly-house.html for some ideas.
- You could live in an apartment building or condo.
- You could live in a cat basket (Okay, this one is a joke!).
Next week, I'll be posting about let's-just-say-something-that-makes-me-tick, so come back next Friday for more details!
There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi
There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi
just one small correction. You say land is cheap in Canada but this is not true. It is true that there is a lot of land but that is different from "serviced land"; places where you can build a house.
ReplyDeleteServiced land is not cheap at all.
I believe that an important aspect of live is to aspire for a better way of life for yourself and your kids.
Your grandparents lived a very different life than you. Many people of that time lived is cold poorly insulated houses - sure it was more sustainable but it was not a great life.
Sure we could all live is a storage container - but is that what you aspire to achieve for yourself and your kids?
Hahaha, you got me on that one. I suppose I should have said, land is usually cheap compared to some other parts of the world?
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point by saying that we should try to have a good quality of life. But, if you saw the video about Lulu living in the storage container, you'll see that it actually looks pretty comfortable-- albeit a bit small.
I think that living in a small space can actually provide a better quality of life than having a large house. For one thing, it takes a lot more effort to upkeep a big space. Secondly, it costs a lot of money to live in a luxuriously large house. And third, big houses can sure seem lonely when there is a lot of empty space.
We should instead spend our money and efforts on upkeeping our houses in a comfortable yet environmentally-friendly way-- finding a balance on how to heat and bring water to your house while being sustainable, etc. I agree that it wouldn't be very nice to live in a cold, poor place, either.
Thanks for your opinion!