Biofuels can be an important part of the solution to the energy crisis we face, but even biofuels can be produced destructively. I co-founded the U.S. Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance to help people differentiate sustainable biodies- el from other, “bad news,” biofuels. In addition, I now own the Trans- Am car featured in the Kill Bill movie series. The car has been converted to run on 100 percent alcohol fuel, which can also be made from waste.
Which other issues are impor- tant to you?
In these times of environmental and economic crises, there are many things that call for our attention: I’m very concerned that global popula- tion has grown from about 3 billion people when I was born to nearly 7 billion now; we are also witnessing mass extinction of species worldwide; there are more enslaved human beings today than at any other time in human history. It can be overwhelming, but I try to do what I can and when I can, whenever I’m moved.
Who typically visits your web- site, and how do others use it to make their lives better? I started
dhLoveLife.com when I de- cided it was time to try to live by my beliefs—it’s an ongoing process. The site curates information on truly sustain- able solutions, based on my discovery that reliable information and resources for efficient and functional goods and services were not readily available. There was a bit of trial and er- ror in my own learning process, so I wanted to share what has worked for me. With today’s glut of green mar- keting, we may have lots of “green” options available, but now there’s a lot of greenwashing and the whole arena can be challenging to understand. People from all walks of life seem to be interested in commonsense solu- tions. So, whenever I learn something fascinating and helpful and catch myself saying, “Wow, I wish someone had told me that before,” I like to share it with others.
S. Alison Chabonais is an editor of Natural Awakenings.
natural awakenings October 2011 31
LESSONS LEARNED BY LIVING OFF THE GRID by Priscilla Short
W
hen I take stock of my life these days—married, with one child and another on the way, living in a conventional house in Colorado—it seems improbable that I spent a year living alone in an off-the- grid, self-sustaining desert house in New Mexico. It was a time of solitude, characterized by cold winter nights, power outages and water rationing, during which I championed manual labor and practiced self-reliance. Back in the mainstream today, I too often find myself compromising my conservation habits for convenience. Yet, I’ve been able to happily apply some off-grid lessons for a more con- ventional, yet still eco-friendly, life.
n Eat your leftovers. It doesn’t matter whether they come from a restaurant or your own kitchen: If you fully consume every piece of food you buy, you will buy less food overall and consume fewer of the planet’s resources.
n Drink only tap water, filtered onsite. If you stop drinking soda, juice, milk, coffee, tea, alcohol and energy drinks, you will consume fewer calories, avoid
potentially addictive habits, spend less money and conserve resources.
n Keep the lights off as long as pos- sible, saving both energy and money. At sunset, go outside and turn on all of your senses. Let your eyes adjust to the fading light as a new world unfolds. Listen to the birds settling down for the night as the insect chorus begins and inhale the fresh evening air, feeling its delicious coolness on your skin. By eliminating an artificial evening environment lit with electric bulbs, you are better able to tune in to the natural world that has been present all along.
n Turn off the TV and anything else in- volving a screen and advertisements. Your purchases will cease to be influenced by the ads—as will the pressure to live beyond your means—and instead be mo- tivated more by simple need. When you spend less, you use less of everything.
Priscilla Short is the author of Thrifty Green, journaling on how to ease up on energy, food, water, trash, transit and other stuff. Find more at
ThriftyGreenBook.blogspot.com.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64