Sustainable, Eco, Earthship, etc.

[IndigoSalvia]

As I have mentioned before, I am very interested in transitioning to a home and lifestyle that is more harmonious with Mother Earth, critters, and nature. It seems like a next step in my journey because I have this inexplicable yearning that is not going away. 

I have been reading up on sustainable designs, net-zero, passive houses, earthships, etc. 

Have any of y'all done any of this (or considering doing this), whether it's a small project, a retrofit or a new build? I would love to hear about 'em.

[Quincunx]

-------

[IndigoSalvia]

Sounds expensive. 

Agree. Or to keep it inexpensive, you gotta DIY. I'm doing little projects, and a lot of research. 

I'm interested in a stand-alone green wall to shade the hottest side of my house -- not much expense if DIY and recycle/upcycle materials. But trying to start a plant in this heat/drought is not ideal. 

Just doing little things. Leaving water out for the critters, too.

[Diana]

Sounds expensive. 

Agree. Or to keep it inexpensive, you gotta DIY. I'm doing little projects, and a lot of research. 

I'm interested in a stand-alone green wall to shade the hottest side of my house -- not much expense if DIY and recycle/upcycle materials. But trying to start a plant in this heat/drought is not ideal. 

Just doing little things. Leaving water out for the critters, too.

It's true that a lot of building and upgrading to "green" is expensive. Eventually I would love to build a well-thought-out "green" dwelling.

In the meantime, yes, little things can be done on a house and property, and little-by-little upgrades such as buying solar panels one at a time and installing them yourself, sealing cracks around window frames to conserve energy, installing rain gutters funneled to a container(s) to capture rain water, planting trees (of course this would be on your own property unless the owner okayed it). There are many things that can be done by yourself without spending a lot of money. Buying products that are made of recycled materials is usually quite a bit more than regular products (such as toilet paper), but fitting this into a budget is easy as you make adjustments with other things, and maybe you don't need something else and that money goes to better products elsewhere.

Being ecologically aware is really a lifestyle. There are always choices, and whatever choices there are, you can choose the one least harmful to self and the environment as far as can be discerned. You can make things yourself—for example, I have made my own toothpaste (I just made it up with baking soda, coconut oil, and essential oils of peppermint and tea tree but there are probably better recipes on the internet). If you have a fireplace collect dead branches for fuel. Take advantage of indigenous wild foods such as berries in the summer, and in my case in the desert one can pick cactus fruits and there are tree pods such as mesquite. It's possible to grow vegetables in pots if you don't have a greenhouse or are in an area where an outdoor garden works. My friend is building a greenhouse right now, and this can be done even with scrap parts. 

Another thing I have always done is to maintain what I have instead of using it up and buying new often. It's not that I don't ever buy new things, but it is a habit to really care for what I have, with respect and attention. It does take more time than just using things up, but if one isn't watching TV and the like, that time is there. 

And the critters—thank you InigoSalvia for watering them. I do as well including my tiny pond which at the moment has hundreds of polliwogs in it , and I have other neighbors who do also. Living in harmony with the Earth and plants and animals is part of this whole idea. Not using pesticides on plants and not exterminating "pests" is a good start. For example, there are rattlesnakes where I live in the summer, and it is really useless to kill them as they are territorial and another one will come along if you get rid of one; in addition, because most people are distanced from nature, they fear rattlesnakes without really understanding them—they are poisonous of course but they are not aggressive and they always warn you with the rattle—unless you step on one or corner it they really are not dangerous. I don't have children to worry about, but if I did, I would not live in the desert—I would want a more conducive environment for them to play outdoors in. There are people in my area who hate scorpions with vehemence, and kill them with glee. This attitude derives from the separation humanity has created between themselves and the natural world. One can exist in harmony with the natural world without killing or harming other lifeforms. I have seen poisoned coyotes come to my property to die, and it is heartbreaking.

I don't mean to insult anyone with the above obvious suggestions as though you can't think of them yourself, I just wanted to point out that this is not a black-and-white issue, where either you can afford the whole shebang or you give it up due to lack of funds or time. Each little thing counts toward building a kinder and more accountable existence.

[IndigoSalvia]

Yes, it is a lifestyle made of choices big and small. 

(Watering wild critters: found some cool info out there. I just have x large plant saucers with rocks in them.) 

For me, it's a physical expression of Law of One: walking harmoniously, physically, mentally and spiritually. And, I am indeed interested in hearing what we are doing and considering, in relation to our particular surroundings, etc.

I asked about physical actions, but I am also very much interested in the spiritual aspects. 

When I bring more awareness to life experiences, I notice more the essence of things about me. And that starts a relationship. And as more ties and relationships form to whatever life form (person, plant, animal, land, etc.), I find myself asking: how can we work together, how can we function as one? I find both physical and spiritual responses and clues. The physicality is an expression of the spiritual, and vice versa.

For me, it began months ago, walking in the 'quiet' of the pandemic. I began to take notice of things I hadn't slowed down enough to notice, both within and about me. I began to form ties and make connections that I had sensed before, but could now deepen. 

I walk around my own garden and notice : 

• ... what little insects are doing.
  
• I have seen several generations of praying mantis, dragon flies and many others. 
  
• We helped a butterfly with a deformed wing; we placed it on a flowering bush with all of the other monarchs and checked on it. 
  
• I notice the sun's movement across my yard and how the plants respond. 
  
• I notice the squirrels eat the food I am growing, and laugh. 
  
• I notice the seasons and what I can see of the stars.  
  

Deeper connection to these 'other' beings. Intuitively ask: how might we work together as one? In amongst all of this, I was also discovering Law of One.

This is how my interest in more sustainable living started.

[Diana]

(Watering wild critters: found some cool info out there. I just have x large plant saucers with rocks in them.) 

Very smart IS to have looked this up. I found out the hard way about the rocks. It's important to have the rocks so insects, lizards, baby birds and other small creatures can have something to grip to get out of the water, because the smooth inside of a saucer doesn't present a good surface. I found a drowned lizard in one plant saucer, and I picked out five tiny newly born quail out of another. They were huddling together in the water at the edge. The parents were nearby and as soon as I put them on the ground they ran to the parents, so that didn't end badly (and the good part of that was I got to hold baby quail in my hands). I learned this lesson fast and now put rocks in all my water sources.

For me, it began months ago, walking in the 'quiet' of the pandemic. I began to take notice of things I hadn't slowed down enough to notice, both within and about me. I began to form ties and make connections that I had sensed before, but could now deepen. 

I walk around my own garden and notice : 

• ... what little insects are doing.
  
• I have seen several generations of praying mantis, dragon flies and many others. 
  
• We helped a butterfly with a deformed wing; we placed it on a flowering bush with all of the other monarchs and checked on it. 
  
• I notice the sun's movement across my yard and how the plants respond. 
  
• I notice the squirrels eat the food I am growing, and laugh. 
  
• I notice the seasons and what I can see of the stars.  
  

Deeper connection to these 'other' beings. Intuitively ask: how might we work together as one? In amongst all of this, I was also discovering Law of One.

This is how my interest in more sustainable living started.

This is beautiful.

I think the idea of reconnecting with nature is a key factor in understanding the connectedness of all things. The world humanity has constructed has created much separation—from the natural world and in societal divisions. But just reconnecting to nature will open the heart and mind and physical senses to a much wider vista, and the wonder of it is such a juxtaposition to the manufactured (in many more ways than one), technocratic, and human-centered perspective. It is a great thing when people connect with people beyond tribalism, but in my opinion, the larger perspective is a connection to all living things.

I absolutely love to watch the squirrels eat and all the bunnies and birds when I put food out for them. When I feed the deer out of my hand there is nothing at all but joy—this connection to the natural world brings one into the present and is much like meditation in that way. In my previous house I noticed doodlebugs (cute little pill bugs) in a patch of grass in the backyard. So I put a piece of carrot down and later found that they were slowly eating it. I used to lay on my stomach at the edge of the patio and watch them lumbering around and having a feast on the carrot. To people who haven't done something like this, it probably sounds silly. But it is a pure simple pleasure, and resurrects the wonder of being a child which gets lost as we live adult lives full of human and societal complexity, much of which just creates busy-ness and anxiety.