So over the past few years I've become more interested on the topics of sustainable living (yes I know I'm ravaging this poor forum with post after post,,,,,I'm bored)

How do you guys feel about the topic and how have you implemented it?
For years I thought of it as a hippie topic but I see it a bit differently now, I mean honestly if you could eliminate all or some of your dependence on a failing political and consumerism based market wouldnt it make sense?

From my research here's what we know to be true

Food isnt as healthy and more expensive, and we all depend on the major grocery stores, yet most folks 18 and under have no clue that they could grow their own veggies.

Power is becoming more expensive and while some conspiracy people think it will all be shut off might go to far, the system is old, and cost millions to upgrade and at some point will become less reliable.

Schools are MUST be so careful to avoid conflict yet our children are not learning our beliefs or the American way for that matter.

Wouldnt it just be better if we could implement small changes in our lives to make us more dependent on self, and less dependent on big industry? I mean if you buy a pack of lettuce at walmart that money goes elsewhere, not back to our home towns. Dont get me wrong i'm not talking about saving the environment or any of that..I'm talking about saving money and loosing the worry over what "might" happen .

I've looked into hydroponics, gardening techniques, micro hydro electric, wind power, solar and some other various ideas. some can be implemented without major cost and using the skills most of us already have and some are very expensive... How do you guys feel about it?

 

its in our very best interest to be or become as independent as we possibly can from the food we eat to the power we use and everything between

the world today is scarry when you think of it and how dependent we are on someone else, years ago I was in a bad position in life where I had no control whatsoever, my life and future was hinged on someone else and what was best for them may or maynot have been whats best for ol Whit, once I got myself outa that jam I made a commitment to myself to adjust my life and lifestyle so I had control of my destination as well as my livelyhood and my whole support system...........I am still working on it but in much better spot now

 

I agree,
I've got a couple hydroponic systems up and going as a teaching resource in our other business.
I've also got a wind mill (not producing power yet)
And I'm considering building a micro hydroelectric system

It's all very simple once you look at it, and it really makes alot of sense. If we all did it, maybe the folks in washington would change their tone with us. So many people complain but dont make changes, they expect everyone else too.
It's not like we're doing something new, we would be doing what we've always done and dropping "the new system" if you will. It's a much healthier lifestyle as well.

I think society has gotten into the "gimme" mindset and thats a horrible thing.

In reality we fuss about our leaders, but look at the mess their in. Their trying to "lead" a country full of folks who all think it should be done differently and no one agrees, So they started thinking of their selves, just like everyone else.
For instance look at WI, I can see both sides of the debate, but some folks want one thing, others want another and in the end it's gotten so bad that there appears to be very few options left.

With that said,
I think I'll go back to the old ways as much as possible. You know Alabama said "someone told us wall street fell, but we were so broke that we couldnt tell"
The time they were referring to, folks weren't broke, but depended less on "the system" and more on the community, and them selves. You know we've been around thousands of years...it's not like we HAVE to wait for their change, we can have our own.

 

There are two things that need to be held in balance.

Our civilization works on trading specializations; I do something better than you, you do something better than me, so we do things for each other much more efficiently than we do them for ourselves. Nobody by themselves could fabricate from nature the wood, graphite, metal, paint and rubber that is required to make a single 5 cent pencil. The only way 6 billion people can live in the world is through specialization.

On the other side, the the best investment that you can make is owning the things that you need to live.


Today, you need to be specialized at something (have a job) in order to make the money to afford the things you'd need to live without the job. But it's your responsibility to invest that money into yourself. I know one 70-year-old lady who was a high-priced real-estate agent with two master's degrees, married to a surgeon, between the two of them they had millions of dollars, Rolex's, Ferrari's, boats and who know what go through their hands... But he retired, her industry imploded and now they're broke and nearly homeless.

The best investment you can make is to own your place of residence, followed by a method of transportation and whatever you'll need to keep both running.

 

As a young person, I've always kinda been like "eh, screw politics, I'll just stay out of it and live my life as a simple country boy." But I've "grown up" so much in the past couple years its scary to look back and see how naive I really was. Just recently I started to pay more attention to what's going on in the country and world. I still don't follow every little thing but I don't think I really need to because, in the end, for the most part, it leads back to some decision made in Washington. I can see what you are wanting to do, I would like to do it too, but being young(lack of skills and knowledge), and in this crappy economy(that's supposedly getting better), I just don't really have the means to go "off grid" like I'd like to. I can't afford solar panels and battery banks, and all that fancy stuff, nor do I have the capabilities to do them where I currently live.

So since I'm in the position that I am, I've decided that I'll get some extra of this or that while I'm out and put it back for when the "system" does go down for whatever reason. Extra food, water, medical stuff, and ammo is my starting point. As I get that rounded out and to where I feel "comfortable", I'll start trying to work on the "off grid" or self-sustainable living part of the whole thing. I'd like to have some land that's semi-remotely located with my house and whole spread on it with its own power source(whether its solar, wind, or hydro) and growing my food(at lest some). That's my thoughts.

 

I think we could all learn a thing or two from our fore fathers.
Like mentioned. We're steadily become too dependent on others.
Why grow it when you can buy it? Why build it when when it's
available pre-made? Look it back in the days of "little outhouse
on the prairie". People raised it, grew it and shared it.

(sorry for the crappy cell phone pic)
It's not a huge garden, but it sure offers a lot of veggies for my
small family of three every year. And what doesn't get eaten fresh
gets canned. Electric power is a different story. We're working
on that and hopefully we're gonna make a bit of progress this year.
Solar is so freaking expensive.

 

Thanks for the replies guys! My major concern is the fact the younger generation for the most part has lost the "knack" if you will to support ones self.
Ya'll might check out Custom micro-hydro systems. And of course look into hydroponics, It's probably the easiest way for folks in the city to provide some home grown food.
I'll be honest politics scare me right now, between the "news" media and people unable to make educated decisions on their own I think we're on a slippery slope. Who knows the truth about all this mess going on? I mean we all have our opinions and theories but how can we come upon a reasonable theory or opinion if no one knows the truth?

 

worth watching - Les Stroud - Off the Grid | Watch Free Documentary Online