studentofecology
12-4-11, 12:37am
I've been really yearning for a community to share with that has and lives the same values I do, and I think I've found one. So, first, thank you for being here.
Also, this is a bit more than a "Hello!" post; it's a statement of who and where I am; it is a bit long, but I felt like writing it out.
This is me:
I'm a 23 year old (married to the love of my life) who followed the normal path until I was almost graduated from college, at which point I realized I couldn't get a 'normal' job and follow the 'normal' life path- my health, the planet's health, my happiness, morals and ethics simply couldn't be satisfied by the typical American lifestyle. I did still graduate, I just didn't get a job in a lab fiddling around with DNA and viruses.
As my user name shows, I became fascinated with ecology while working on my biology major, particularly ecology as related to agriculture and people as a part of the world (unfortunately by then it was far too late to switch majors- and my college didn't even have an ecology major). I started reading about permaculture, over population, footprints, true sources of happiness, inequality, poverty, simplicity, and how we're destroying our world's capability of sustaining us in a healthy environment. I decided we, as a people, needed to change, and that the change would only happen if people like me decided that they would change.
I also decided that it was my job to start doing what seems radical and really weird to most Americans (i.e., actually acting upon what I believe). Things like growing my own food in the back yard, giving up the car, and line drying my clothes (not to mention basics like cooking your own food from scratch and mending clothing). If more people do it, and talk about doing it, it becomes more normal and acceptable to the mainstream, and eventually they'll start doing it, too. Or at least that's my thought and my hope. I really don't see how we can keep on going the way we have been.
I am definitely not very far on the path to simplicity, but this is where I'm at right now:
- We inherited a house when my husband's mother passed. It's a four bedroom manufactured home; we're renting out 3 of the rooms, which helps a lot with the mortgage and utilities.
- Our house sits on a quarter of an acre, which I'm working on converting to a bountiful edible wonderland. I have a garden, some berries, and a flock small flock of chickens.
- We're working on selling the car- it's insurance is due on the 18th, so we're trying to sell it before then. We've been biking everywhere, and are looking into building our own bike trailer to help with cargo hauling.
- We're also learning how to do our own house and bike maintenance, which I'm sure will save us a lot of money!
- Right now I'm really focused on making our food healthier and more frugal. I got a grain mill from my mom, and have been learning how to make sourdough bread myself; I'm working on increasing the garden's production, and I'm learning how to make more use of beans and whole grains. I already cook from scratch most of the time, but we still manage to spend an amazing amount on food (at least to me), so I'm trying to find ways to be more frugal there.
- I'm trying to develop income that I can create from home- right now I'm working on making wreaths out of ceder and fir trimmings from the yard, and potting up daffodils and crocuses to sell in spring. I would really like to be able to work from home and be as self-sufficient as I can.
Also, this is a bit more than a "Hello!" post; it's a statement of who and where I am; it is a bit long, but I felt like writing it out.
This is me:
I'm a 23 year old (married to the love of my life) who followed the normal path until I was almost graduated from college, at which point I realized I couldn't get a 'normal' job and follow the 'normal' life path- my health, the planet's health, my happiness, morals and ethics simply couldn't be satisfied by the typical American lifestyle. I did still graduate, I just didn't get a job in a lab fiddling around with DNA and viruses.
As my user name shows, I became fascinated with ecology while working on my biology major, particularly ecology as related to agriculture and people as a part of the world (unfortunately by then it was far too late to switch majors- and my college didn't even have an ecology major). I started reading about permaculture, over population, footprints, true sources of happiness, inequality, poverty, simplicity, and how we're destroying our world's capability of sustaining us in a healthy environment. I decided we, as a people, needed to change, and that the change would only happen if people like me decided that they would change.
I also decided that it was my job to start doing what seems radical and really weird to most Americans (i.e., actually acting upon what I believe). Things like growing my own food in the back yard, giving up the car, and line drying my clothes (not to mention basics like cooking your own food from scratch and mending clothing). If more people do it, and talk about doing it, it becomes more normal and acceptable to the mainstream, and eventually they'll start doing it, too. Or at least that's my thought and my hope. I really don't see how we can keep on going the way we have been.
I am definitely not very far on the path to simplicity, but this is where I'm at right now:
- We inherited a house when my husband's mother passed. It's a four bedroom manufactured home; we're renting out 3 of the rooms, which helps a lot with the mortgage and utilities.
- Our house sits on a quarter of an acre, which I'm working on converting to a bountiful edible wonderland. I have a garden, some berries, and a flock small flock of chickens.
- We're working on selling the car- it's insurance is due on the 18th, so we're trying to sell it before then. We've been biking everywhere, and are looking into building our own bike trailer to help with cargo hauling.
- We're also learning how to do our own house and bike maintenance, which I'm sure will save us a lot of money!
- Right now I'm really focused on making our food healthier and more frugal. I got a grain mill from my mom, and have been learning how to make sourdough bread myself; I'm working on increasing the garden's production, and I'm learning how to make more use of beans and whole grains. I already cook from scratch most of the time, but we still manage to spend an amazing amount on food (at least to me), so I'm trying to find ways to be more frugal there.
- I'm trying to develop income that I can create from home- right now I'm working on making wreaths out of ceder and fir trimmings from the yard, and potting up daffodils and crocuses to sell in spring. I would really like to be able to work from home and be as self-sufficient as I can.