As a 23-year-old whose friends are getting married, working full-time jobs, and having kids, it can be difficult to plan time to see each other. So when my college roommate and best friend, Santina, said that her husband, Brendon was going out of town on an extended-weekend backpacking trip with his friends, we immediately planned a girls’ weekend of our own. When she came to visit, she mentioned that Brendon had been trying to convince her to go backpacking with him, but she wasn’t really sure she wanted to. I mean, I don’t blame her…the guys were roughing it out in the woods. My idea of spending time outdoors includes a hammock, a cozy blanket and several good books; their idea of spending time outdoors included a rainstorm, a soggy hammock and no running water for 4 days. However, during our conversation, I suddenly found myself saying “Well, if you do decide to go, I’ll go with you!” And from there, the adventure started taking shape. Continue reading
Backpacking for Beginners: Part One
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I just started my first year of college, and my new apartment space is very different than the bigger areas I’m used to living in. I didn’t know if leaving my parents’ house to live with a roommate in a one-bedroom apartment would mean sacrificing the things I love to do for a sustainable lifestyle, but luckily this hasn’t been the case! I have been pleasantly surprised at how many opportunities are around me to live in a way that’s consistent with my values, despite being limited in space. Here are some ways I have learned to live sustainably while in college. 
Do you dream of building your home off the grid, miles from power lines? Would you love to live off the land, 
Here at Lehman’s, we often hear from folks about their latest homesteading adventures, from raising chickens and bees to planting tomatoes for the first time. Recently, one of our own shared his story of how he went from an ordinary day at work of managing Lehman’s website and all things digital to going home and churning butter for the first time. 
Let’s face it. Most of us spend a portion of our day looking at a screen of some form – computers, tablets, the latest smartphone. Technologically speaking, we are more connected than we have ever been. We get news 24/7. We can watch videos on just about anything with a quick internet search. 
It’s an exercise which far too many people are finding themselves doing. Open the refrigerator, take out the bag of veggies or tray of meat, and check whether the contents are involved in the latest food recall.
As night fell, I realize how exhausted I was. Do you know what my family and I spent the last week doing? Packing, boxing, schlepping, unpacking and unboxing, more schlepping. Stuff. Just lots of stuff. We are downsizing and as we move from a larger home to a smaller one, we are going through all of our stuff. 
Has anyone ever measured the garbage output of the average Amish family? There’s no need. They already create far less trash than the average American family.