A Sense of Urgency

I recently went to go see HomeGrown a movie put together on the Durveas family who have an urban homestead in Pasadena California (in the heart of the city on 1/8 acre of land). I didn't really learn much from the movie, although I did learn tidbits that I wouldn't have known without watching it, but I loved the panel discussion held after the movie screening.

The movie was hosted by Slow Foods Boston, but also co-hosted by the Urban Homesteader's League, which I hadn't heard of before but now love. What was so nice to me was to find a room of about 100 people who all seemed to be on the same page. We live in a time when resources are becoming more limited, little action seems to be made to reduce our need for non-renewable resources, and we're facing an environmental crisis of unknown proportion. Everyone who was in that room, pretty much, knows that we need to act in some way.

We know all of the pieces of intelligence. We know what's causing damage (some natural, some not). We know what damages will be done. We know what we can do to prevent catastrophe (80% reduction in CO2 output) and we know how to set up a system that can operate even if catastrophe occurs (rainwater harvesting, permaculture, local food distribution, reduced energy consumption and alternative energy sources).

So why isn't the government acting? Why aren't worldwide organizations able to coordinate environmental initiatives to prevent future problems?

I have to remember that our government isn't doing a great job of piecing intelligence together. A guy gets on a plane with suicide pants and the warning signs were already there. Intelligence agencies either weren't taking reports seriously or weren't sharing information right? Coordination didn't occur (unless of course it's a conspiracy, in which case we're far worse off than I would have thought).

And that's dealing with "intelligence". Climate change isn't being treated as a security issue. We don't have investigators out there sniffing out the facts. Instead we have advisory positions that are vulnerable to "special interest" groups. We think terrorism is the worst threat to our way of life, but in reality WE are our worst threat.

So that's why I'm so thankful to find organizations who are trying to do something. We might not have it all right, and sometimes our efforts to improve matters actually make things worse (don't throw away those compact florescent lightbulbs they pollute) but overall, trial and error there are people moving down the road to a more considerate, earth friendly way of life. So even if the worst of the worst happens, there are going to be people who know how to built a sustainable society. The structure is already in place.

And if you don't already know the structure, here are my thoughts on building a sustainable household. I believe that if everyone changes the way they look at our basic necessities change sponsored by our government isn't necessary. We, as a community, will have corrected our own mistakes.

#1: Food/Water/Shelter are the basic needs of humankind. They should, therefore, remain your priority. Forget about the increased cost of food, it is a basic necessity of life. I'm not ignoring the importance of energy consumption, transportation, health care, or human rights, etc., just focusing on what we physically need in order to survive. Everything else is important too, but not the focus of this post.

#2: Food should be local and organic. At times local food that isn't labeled as organic is organic enough to count (sometimes cost prohibits them from getting certified or nearby neighbors cause problems). Get to know your local farmers and their food practices. Ideally all food would be local and organic. If you have to choose, ORGANIC comes first. Don't let local farmers throw chemicals on your food.

#3: Know your food. Best if you grow your own, but if you can't, find a CSA. This is often a radical change for people because it means you don't just get to go to the grocery store. It means you aren't eating conventional food. This is way harder than it seems and due to our current food set up, at times impossible. I mean, have you ever thought about where baking powder comes from?

#4: Eat in season. Sure, Julie (from Julie and Julia) says there's beauty in creating gourmet dishes and that the wealthy have always eaten out of season. But I think it's a bit of a generalization to say that gourmet dishes need out of season foods to be good. And, sometimes we can splurge (I know I'll never willingly eliminate chocolate from my diet) but overall in season foods mean we reduce transportation costs of foods and eliminate shady farming techniques.

#5: Respect water. Water is becoming scarce. It doesn't seem like it when it rains all the time but we're depleting our aquifers. I could probably write 10 rules for water alone but the key is simply to use less. Before indoor plumbing households used what, maybe 10 gallons of water a day? We use that much just flushing our toilets. Keep track of how much you use and try to reduce the number of gallons each month/year/etc.

#6: Own your house (shelter) free and clear. If you don't own it ensure that a local bank holds your mortgage. Um, so, buying a house with a huge mortgage right now, so I'm a bit of a hypocrite on this one. In our case we went with USAA and a VA loan because we could get a low fixed rate and local banks could only offer us a variable rate loan. I hope that we can refinance in a few years and get a fixed rate with our credit union. Local loans helps with #7, being part of a community.

#7: Community is a form of shelter. It doesn't matter if it's a religious group or a group of friends, your community provides shelter in times of need. Who would help you in a time of need? Who would you be willing to help? Ensure that your nourish these relationships because they make us human.