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sustainable green living
In general, which is the greenest living choice? Urban, suburban, or rural?

Which is the most environmental choice and why is it sustainable?

That’s a very good and interesting question and I think there are valid arguments for each choice. We used to live in an urban area, then suburban and now rural so I’ve encountered the advantages and disadvantages in each situation.

When we lived in the city everything was much more to hand – schools, shops, work etc so there was much less travelling required. Resources such as street lighting, road and utility networks were shared by many more people so the environmental impact per person was comparatively small.

Now that we’re out in the country there’s a lot more travelling involved and given that there’s only one public bus service nearby means we’re much more reliant on private vehicles.

Compared to life in the city, we now buy much more food produce from local farms, which is not only fresher and tastier, but it hasn’t had to travel half way around the world before reaching the supermarket shelves.

I guess also, in the country there’s a far greater awareness of surroundings and the environment in general, people tend to be more aware of the consequences of their actions and more likely to take measures to reduce their impacts. I don’t have any specific figures, but from observations I would guess than 80% of household rubbish around here gets recycled against perhaps 30% in the city.

There’s far more people out here who grow their own food, although I suspect the larger garden sizes will have a significant role to play.

One drawback of being out in the country is that houses tend to be larger and the weather is generally cooler than in cities, the consequence of which is that significantly more energy is consumed to heat homes with.

There are other environmental considerations to take into account such as health and general well-being. Undoubtedly it is much better in the country and people live on average 7 years longer than city dwellers – there’s much less pollution, infections aren’t spread so easily, there’s less stress, people are infinitely friendlier etc.

From my own perspective, there’s no way I’d ever go back to living in a city. I lived in London for a few years and that was a horrible place (great to visit, awful to live there). We’re very fortunate to have other properties and one of them is an old farmhouse way out in the country, there’s no sign of other humans from there, no lights or other properties visible anywhere, just trees and hills.

It would be quite easy to live there almost entirely self-sufficiently. Lots of wild foods grow in the area, there’s sheep pens and a large byre for animals, an unlimited supply of firewood and the power is generated from water driven hydro-electrics and dynamos. If that type of lifestyle were to be adopted then it would take some beating in terms of minimal environmental impact.

sustainable green living

Going Green: Green Living Is Easier Than We Think

When we discuss the environment, as with any topic, there are as many opinions as people and some will take their points to the extreme- either extreme.

The true need is for each of us to understand that we are borrowing the space we have here on earth for but a short time. When we borrow something, should we not be responsible and do our best to return it in the same or better condition in which we received it? We would expect that of a neighbor who borrowed a tool would we not?

The solution is in learning how to coexist with and “re”learn how to take care of and respect the things of this earth. Let us find ways to teach each other alternative methods for working with nature.

My grandpa was a farmer and my grandma, being part American Indian, was inherently a naturalist. When I was a young girl it was their guidance that taught me things like; garlic and marigolds planted with the crops kept the bugs from “eatin’ everything ‘afore we get it to the kitchen”. And of course Grandma would insist that it was the peppermint she had planted ’round the outside that kept the bugs from goin’ in the house. There were no pesticides to be found on the farm but the vegetables and the flower gardens always produced in abundance.

She always said: God didn’t put anything here by accident. He gave us everything we need. My grandmother knew how to use almost every plant or weed that grew in the Midwest. It’s those little bits of knowledge that I treasure most, like; ‘If you find poison ivy you can also grab the cure right from the ground (Spotted forget-me-not) normally not too far off’, or that steaming your head in bayberry leaves will kick out the nastiest of colds, or that vanilla is a good insect repellent, and the list goes on. Today, I realize I should have paid much closer attention.

I am not an extremist and I am not the greenest. I do respect the land and space that I borrow and try to be conscious of my behavior. There are things I don’t do because of cost, there I things I don’t do because of necessity (like trying to earn a living) or because I do enjoy some of the little luxuries of modern day like watching a little TV before bed, but I am mindful of what I do.

We DO compost our kitchen scraps, we DO plan vehicle trips to make every trip as effective and efficient as possible, we DO turn off the water while we brush our teeth and lots of other little things. We look for ways to do a better job of living green because it is the right thing to do. Most often living greener does not require a lot of effort, and frequently it even saves us some money; like the rain barrels we have used for years to water our vegetable garden and flowers.

I know barely a tenth of what my Grandma knew and she always was trying to learn more. Perhaps what we all need is a good teacher…

About the Author

To get your free whitepaper with tips on going green and sustainable living, visit
www.GoingGreenExplained.com
. Kathleen Cagiati has been practicing a green lifestyle and implementing
sustainable living
strategies for the last 30 years and shares her simple tips with you.

In general, which is the greenest living choice? Urban, suburban, or rural?

Which is the most environmental choice and why is it sustainable?

That’s a very good and interesting question and I think there are valid arguments for each choice. We used to live in an urban area, then suburban and now rural so I’ve encountered the advantages and disadvantages in each situation.

When we lived in the city everything was much more to hand – schools, shops, work etc so there was much less travelling required. Resources such as street lighting, road and utility networks were shared by many more people so the environmental impact per person was comparatively small.

Now that we’re out in the country there’s a lot more travelling involved and given that there’s only one public bus service nearby means we’re much more reliant on private vehicles.

Compared to life in the city, we now buy much more food produce from local farms, which is not only fresher and tastier, but it hasn’t had to travel half way around the world before reaching the supermarket shelves.

I guess also, in the country there’s a far greater awareness of surroundings and the environment in general, people tend to be more aware of the consequences of their actions and more likely to take measures to reduce their impacts. I don’t have any specific figures, but from observations I would guess than 80% of household rubbish around here gets recycled against perhaps 30% in the city.

There’s far more people out here who grow their own food, although I suspect the larger garden sizes will have a significant role to play.

One drawback of being out in the country is that houses tend to be larger and the weather is generally cooler than in cities, the consequence of which is that significantly more energy is consumed to heat homes with.

There are other environmental considerations to take into account such as health and general well-being. Undoubtedly it is much better in the country and people live on average 7 years longer than city dwellers – there’s much less pollution, infections aren’t spread so easily, there’s less stress, people are infinitely friendlier etc.

From my own perspective, there’s no way I’d ever go back to living in a city. I lived in London for a few years and that was a horrible place (great to visit, awful to live there). We’re very fortunate to have other properties and one of them is an old farmhouse way out in the country, there’s no sign of other humans from there, no lights or other properties visible anywhere, just trees and hills.

It would be quite easy to live there almost entirely self-sufficiently. Lots of wild foods grow in the area, there’s sheep pens and a large byre for animals, an unlimited supply of firewood and the power is generated from water driven hydro-electrics and dynamos. If that type of lifestyle were to be adopted then it would take some beating in terms of minimal environmental impact.

Sustainable Green Buliding: Yurt in New Mexico

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