Sustainability, self-sufficiency, and environmental friendliness has recently hit the younger generations in a big way. All over the internet, thousands of young people are sharing their dreams of one day living a life filled with vegetable gardens, solar power, clotheslines, butter churns, bread baking, and farm animals. Continue reading
Tag Archives: sustainableliving
The Skills of the Past Will Help Us into the Future
Important household skills, and the amount of people concerned with learning them, have majorly declined over the past century. Skills such as cooking and baking from scratch, repairing things, growing food, sewing or knitting clothes, and creating goods like candles and soap don’t seem to be on the priority lists of many anymore.
It’s easy to see why – modern times have us distracted with other important things, and to give us more time to deal with these distractions, companies have made much quicker, easier, and more automated ways of getting things done. Continue reading
Our Top 5 Posts for Being Prepared
September is National Preparedness Month. So, in celebration, we’ve gathered up our top posts all about being prepared, from providing safe water to emergency lighting. Continue reading
When The Lights Go Out
Editor’s Note: Shorter days, longer nights? It’s that time of the year! With the time change happening this weekend, we’re sharing with you the importance of having reliable light – not only for the winter season, but for all year long.*
My first experience with an oil lamp was at my grandparents’ house several years ago. We were sitting in the basement playing Scrabble (my grandpa’s favorite game) when suddenly the lights went out. Poof.
Continue reading
Sustainable Living At College
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. Continue reading
Living a Zero-Waste Lifestyle
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.
Why? Because the Amish lifestyle is the ultimate in low-impact zero-waste living. Continue reading
A Primer for Extended Power Loss
It’s the emergency situation no one wants to think about: An extended power outage lasting two or more weeks. Continue reading
Why I’m Building a Yurt
Editor’s Note: Hannah started building her yurt last spring where she now lives. She recorded the beginning of her adventure during the process and is now sharing it with us. Enjoy!
These days are very exciting, because I’m starting to build a yurt to live in. I’ve never built a semi-permanent dwelling before, and to be totally honest I don’t have a lot of construction experience. For this project, I get to learn as I go, taking the advice of neighbors, and, luckily, there’s some room for fudging. Continue reading
Shopping, Done Fairly
What is “fair trade?”
Fair trade is a social movement whose goal is to help producers in developing nations achieve better trade conditions and promote sustainable farming. Continue reading