Welcome to the August 2013 Natural Living Blog Carnival: Living Sustainably.
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Natural Living Blog Carnival hosted by Happy Mothering and The Pistachio Project through the Green Moms Network. This month, our members are talking about steps their families have taken, or hope to take, to live more sustainably. We hope you'll find inspiration for your family's journey towards sustainable living, and share your tips with us as well!
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Thus far I think we do well for ourselves, recycling and reusing whatever we can. Our container garden of herbs and vegetables is watered by rain that’s been collected in buckets. We shop local, which serves a two-fold purpose: helps our neighbors and lessens the distance our food has to travel. We cloth diaper our toddler to keep disposable diapers out of the landfill.
One area I wish we could improve on is transportation but our options are limited. We do not live a pedestrian-friendly town and there is no safe way to get around by foot or bicycle. I don’t dare even try, having known several people who have been hit in San Antonio while biking.
But I hope the next place we can move to will be different and maybe even have a decent public transportation system.
Altogether, I think we are moving in the right direction towards the goal of sustainability. And the funny thing of it is that as we work for it, the idea becomes less mythical and that dream actually appears quite tangible.
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Visit Happy Mothering and The Pistachio Project to learn more about participating in next month’s Natural Living Blog Carnival!
Please take some time to enjoy the posts our other carnival participants have contributed:
You are right that there are so many ways to live sustainably it is not just about growing all your own food. Good luck with your journey :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! Indeed there is a lot of "little things" I can do to make a difference.
DeleteEvery bit helps! We have an issue with transportation as well, living outside of the city in Canada means things are really spread out and public transportation is limited so we must drive!
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
~ joey ~
I can imagine, the parts of Canada I have visited were quite rural. Personally I don't think my city (San Antonio, Texas) can use that excuse. It's a very large city and that may be part of the problem since it is so sprawled out. I just wish there were more sidewalks, really. =/
DeleteYay for you and all your sustainable actions!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteGood luck in your journey! You're doing great as long as you are always striving for new ways to connect with the Earth.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely is a constant process and it has forced me to think about certain things in a new light (even if I don't want to, lol). But personal growth is a good thing! Thank you!
DeleteLots of small steps make for a lot of difference!
ReplyDeleteI agree whole-heartedly!
DeleteI think you are doing a great job! I would love to plant a garden. That sounds so awesome!
ReplyDeleteYou are definitely on the right path! When I start a garden I will be sure to use your rain bucket idea!
ReplyDeleteI really recommend it, especially if you aren't quite ready to invest in a proper rain barrel. I want to get one someday but it won't be until we have a much larger garden. =)
DeleteOne step at a time and you'll get there. You're doing great for living in a city!
ReplyDeleteYou're doing quite a bit already! One could move to a more transportation-friendly place - or you could work to make the place where you live now a better place. I've become more vocal locally about installing bicycle paths, instituting car-free Sundays: things that look like a pipe dream, but we have to start talking about those dreams. This is how I found that I wasn't the only one dreaming them. We'll get those bike paths yet.
ReplyDeleteOh if I had it my way we would definitely live in a different town but sometimes being in the military you don't get to make that kind of choice. Hopefully our next duty station will be better! But thank you for the suggestions, I do think there needs to be more effort made for installing bicycle paths and sidewalks. I think the movement is gaining momentum downtown but it hasn't quite reached the rest of the city. Maybe I should get the ball rolling!
DeleteVery cool. I know what you mean about San Antonio! I am also doing the things you listed and the coolest parts are that (for food) buying local seems to taste SO much better (duh, because it's super fresh)and its generally cheaper. Up here there are places you can coop farm I haven't done that yet but its on my list. Cloth diapering is great because 1) I don't have to worry about it being bedtime and realizing uh oh, we just used our last diaper, I can just throw a load in the wash. 2) I haven't had much issue with diaper rash. 3) It is cheaper in the long run. 4) it is friendly to our earth! This thing to remember when considering the importance of sustainable living is that the earth will go on, we on the other hand may not should we not start making changes.
ReplyDeleteHey Jennifer, thanks for sharing! I am really keeping my fingers crossed that our next duty station is on the west coast for exactly the same points you made. Local food is a lot easier to come by when pretty much EVERYTHING grows in Cali.
DeleteLucky you on the diaper rash. We have some of the hardest water in the country here in south Texas so I am constantly having to strip the diapers. It's super lame but still worth the extra effort.
Thanks for stopping by!
I, too, live in an area where walking and biking are not options, which really bothers me. But I'm not willing to give up my little piece of paradise to move into the city. So I drive a hybrid, combine errands, and work from home, so I'm doing my part.
ReplyDeleteOf course, using cloth diapers is huge, so I applaud you for that.
My husband and I are right there with ya in having dreams of living "off the grid." My husband fantasizes about living on a farm and having a sustainable homestead. In the meantime, we do have a garden growing all kinds of vegetables and herbs and we have chickens! 20 of them. Mmm fresh eggs. We didn't go the route of cloth diapers with our daughter, though. The thought of it freaked me out. There, I admit it. It was me who refused and my husband was all for it. I'm thinking of giving it the green light with our 2nd kid, though :) www.momistabeginnings.com
ReplyDelete