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Brr! Chilly weather, even here in Florida. But have you ever noticed that sometimes after a few days of cold weather, there comes a sunny day and you suddenly notice that it’s warm out — that it’s actually warmer outside than it is in your house? It catches you off guard; it’s a nice surprise. That happened to me today.

If I were still in the habit of using a heater (which I haven’t been for some years), yesterday and last night would definitely have been a time I’d have cranked the heat up. And would have kept it cranked up this morning. Instead, after a couple of hours of work, huddled at my computer in my down vest, long knit skirt, and other layers that make up my wintertime home-office working attire, I walked outside around 10:00 and noticed it was really warm!

At noon I made my lunch and sat out on my little south-facing porch. As I sat in the sun, feeling the warm concrete against my back, a neighbor stopped by to chat. A butterfly came along to forage the flowers of the Spanish needle and aloe plants. Other neighbors passed by and browsed the Little Free Library.

Of course after lunch, I needed to get back into my office and do some more work. But even though it was still chilly indoors, the temperature felt warmer somehow, not so bottomlessly cold. I find that a lot of times, temperature is almost as much psychological as it is physical. And of course I’d just fueled my body and absorbed a bunch of sunlight, which surely helped.

If I had been one to just crank up the heat when I felt cold, I’d have missed a really nice part of the day! Feeling the sun kissing my head and shoulders, the warmth radiating from the concrete; visiting with my neighbors; enjoying nature.

So that’s one of my favorite tips for low-footprint living: Notice when it’s warmer outside than in. (Or in the case of hot summer weather, notice when it’s cooler outside than in.) And go outside, and enjoy!

Most of us are familiar with the saying, “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Can you imagine being able to take that approach to all of your problems, or even a sizable percentage of them? It would be a much-improved world! Fortunately this is a mind-set anyone can cultivate: the mind-set of turning problems into assets.

In my field, permaculture design, we express this mind-set as “Obtain a yield” or “Turn problems into solutions.” One of the best illustrations of this principle is the “snail problem” story that’s told in permaculture classes. As the story goes, a property owner was having a problem with snails, and consulted a permaculture designer for help. The permaculture designer told the property owner, “You don’t have a snail problem; you have a duck deficiency!” In other words, what seems like a “pest” is actually a resource (in this case, food for ducks). (Side note: The permaculture designer in this story was Bill Mollison, who founded the permaculture design movement back in the late 1970s together with fellow Australian David Holmgren.)

Once you start thinking along these lines, you start to see opportunities all around you for turning problems into assets. (Many of you already do this, either because you’re trained in permaculture design or because you’re just naturally smart and creative.) Food scraps become compost; a know-it-all student gets enlisted as an unofficial assistant teacher.

Here are just a few recent examples I’ve noticed around me:

• A neighboring city is considering discontinuing its recycling program, and there is talk that my city and others may follow. As an everyday person, I can obtain a yield by taking the opportunity to ruthlessly eliminate single-use-packaged foods from my diet (such products were costing me a lot of money, and also keeping excess weight on me, so my yield is a slimmer body and more money to spend on better things). I can also increase my repertoire of crafts that repurpose old packaging. Or, if I’m a local manufacturer, I can obtain a yield by developing a product made from throwaway cans or bottles. I’ve heard of textiles, decking materials, park benches and other products that were made of material from single-use containers. Or, as a community activist/neighborhood organizer, I can set up a “free store” in my garage. The empty jars and bottles can be used to hold items such as buttons, hardware, thread. The containers themselves would also be offered as a store item. (One person’s trash is another person’s just-right container!) The main yield from a “free store” is neighborhood friendship and community cohesion, as well as possibly cleaner sidwalks.

• A neighbor child is pulling out some plants along my fence. I can solve the problem by sternly telling him to stop. Or, I can obtain a yield by saying hi, introducing myself, asking his name, saying I’m happy to meet him, and explaining that the plants are food for bees and butterflies so they need to be left alone. The yield is multi-fold: increased community awareness, child nurturance (it takes a village!), and friendship ties. (And that neighbor kid has been a friend ever since! Always stops and says hi to me.)

• I wake up in an utterly desolate state of mind for no external reason. (I have a rather wide range of moods and feelings, so that is something that happens!) I can “solve” the problem (get myself out of the desolate mood at least temporarily) by distracting myself with some substance or recreational activity. Or, I can obtain a yield by utilizing these emotions as material in a novel I’m writing. “Hey! This is exactly the kind of feelings that my character would be having in her situation!” With the “obtain a yield” mindset, a dark mood is transformed into something of great value. Fiction gold! (And as I write, the feeling of desolation gives way to happier feelings, such as gratitude, joy for a new day, satisfaction of engaging in creative work.)

Permaculture design (like sustainability in general) is at least as much about the inner landscape as it is about the outer. As these examples illustrate! Can you think of some examples from your own life, of how you’ve obtained a yield (or could do so in future) rather than merely stopping a problem?

Further Exploration

If you liked this post, you might enjoy studying the permaculture design principles in depth. This page by Deep Green Permaculture offers a brief overview of some design principles. Also, you might consider taking a permaculture design class. It’s truly a life-enriching experience; it pays for itself quickly; and the benefits will ripple out into your community.

Permaculture Design Courses in central Texas: Austin Permaculture Guild

Permaculture Design Courses in Florida: Grow Permaculture

(The above links are where I have personal and professional ties. But regardless of where you live, do a search on “Permaculture Design Certificate Course” and you are likely to find something near you. If you don’t find anything in your area, contact me and I’ll do my best to help.)

Also, there are a number of permaculture design certificate courses offered online these days. The online course I recommend is the Permaculture Women’s Guild course, taught by a team of 40 instructors from around the world. In addition to the standard 72-hour Permaculture Design Certificate, you also earn an advanced certificate in Social Permaculture Design.

Sometimes with this blog I worry that my suggestions go too far to be appealing to most people (fridgeless experiments, doing without heat, etc.). Other times, I feel the suggestions might be too obvious and therefore not inspiring. The truth is, though, everything we do with the intention of living more gently and respectfully on the earth counts, even the things that seem small.

In that spirit, I would like to share a win with you. Over the past few months I’ve been making a point of buying packaged snacks less often. One thing I love is tortilla chips. Lately instead of buying them at the store and ending up with a (non-recyclable, non-compostable) bag, I’ll go to my favorite Mexican restaurant, where they make their chips in-house. That’s Part 1 of the win: cutting out the non-recyclable bag, plus supporting a local business and of course getting to eat tasty, warm, fresh-made chips.

Part 2 happened last night when I remembered in time that they always put the guacamole in a styrofoam container. (The chips are served in the restaurant’s reusable basket, which is lined with paper.) Last night I asked them to just put the scoop of guacamole in the middle of the basket, on top of the chips. Worked like a charm! I could grab a chip off the side of the basket and dip it into the scoop of guacamole. No separate styrofoam container needed. Then after enjoying my feast, I brought the paper basket-liner home to compost. Another great thing about eating chips at a restaurant is it becomes more of an occasional special treat, rather than a more frequent “run down to the convenience store” temptation.

Small things add up. Here’s another small thing: You know those mesh bags that produce sometimes comes in? Little plastic mesh bags of tangerines or potatoes or whatever. I don’t buy my produce in those bags but sometimes we get them at church, or a guest brings one to my house. Well, those plastic mesh bags make good pot-scrubbers and sink-scrubbers! And they last a long time. I just used one to scrub my kitchen sink today.

What “small things” have you been doing in your life? And what have the benefits been? Do you ever notice a burst of creative energy and inner satisfaction after doing one of these small things? I know I do! Not the kind of satisfaction that turns into complacency, but the kind of satisfaction that encourages me to keep going.

I started out washing dishes outdoors to make it easier to collect water for my yard rather than let water go down the drain. Then I noticed other benefits, including: 1) getting to be outside more, have more opportunities to observe plants & wildlife in my yard; and 2) the indoor environment stays drier (less humid, less prone to damp yucky smells, less attractive to critters) when I mimimize running water indoors.

Photos show two different version of my setup. One is more smooth and rectilinear; the other (my latest version) is more “rocky”-looking to go with the overall look of my shaded patio area. The “rocks” are chunks of concrete that I scavenged from curbside.

Concrete makes a great dish-drying surface. It wicks away moisture (which then evaporates); and it isn’t slippery, so dishes and plates stay put.

I have two water sources to choose from: well water (via the hand pump) or city water (via the faucet on the right). I also have rainbarrels but prefer to save that water for making coffee, for putting directly on the plants, for washing my skin, etc.

An outdoor dishwashing area can be set up with very little space. I even had one on my porch while I was living in an RV park. All in all, even on a cold day, I find dishwashing more pleasant if I can do it outdoors.

The dish liquid and washing-cloth are tucked into one of the niches in the cinder block beneath the dish-drying surface.

I wash dishes in the smallest container possible for the job (saves soap and water). Silverware gets washed in a mason jar if that’s all I’m washing. A full batch of dishes gets washed in a large oval-shaped pan that was originally designed as a baking dish (and can still be used for that purpose also).

My setup is a work in progress, not only in terms of functionality but also in terms of appearance. I’m a strong believer in PLAYING with the design of things. Having fun, trying various things, not getting uptight. Consumerist social norms put pressure on us to be perfect and get it magazine-pretty right off the bat. I’m unlearning that, having fun, and actually end up designing things that work better for me AND look great.

One of my favorite permaculture design principles is “Observe and interact.” In a nutshell, this means make your initial observations, try something, and then observe the feedback from your environment. Then make adjustments accordingly. It’s an iterative process that allows for much experimentation and fine-tuning. And it’s a very low-footprint approach, in contrast with the conventional approach of putting some huge change into place all at once. The latter approach is more vulnerable to failure, and when it fails, is likely to be more expensive.

I hope you allow yourself this kind of experimentation too, in creating and revising the systems that make up your everyday world. Let me know how it goes!

Nowadays, most people in the USA and other industrialized nations don’t know how to keep food cool without electricity. It’s a skill our grandparents had, and a skill that can be lifesaving in times of emergency.

One approach to reducing your dependence on electric refrigeration is to reduce or eliminate food that requires refrigeration. This is simpler for vegans than for people whose diet includes meat and dairy, but is also do-able for us omnivores.

Another approach is to explore low-tech food-cooling options including root cellars, evaporative cooling, and passively cooled cabinets.

Melliodora permaculture center in Australia has a “cool cupboard for storage of fruit, vegetables, eggs, cheese and flour. A vent at the bottom of the cupboard draws cool air in from under the floor into the insulated cupboard and a roof vent releases warm air. Wire baskets allow the air to flow through. This design feature means that only a small refrigerator is required, saving considerable energy.”

5 Forgotten Ways To Keep Food Cold Without Electricity (article from Off the Grid News) offers brief descriptions of a root cellar, running water, evaporative cooling, Zeer pot, and icebox.

Also, there are commercially produced low-tech products such as the Mitticool clay refrigerator, mentioned in this article by Inhabitat which also mentions some pretty futuristic, cutting-edge options including a gel-based cooling device and a futuristic-looking underground fridge designed to mimic a root cellar.

My current “outdoor non-fridge” pictured above, is viable for short periods in cool weather but is not practical in the long run. I’m working on a design for a storage closet made of concrete blocks. I’d put this on the north side of my house just under the drip line of the roof. In our coastal climate we get water dripping off the roof most nights. The evaporation of the water off the concrete would help keep things cool. Sort of an above-ground root cellar. It’s actually similar to the concept of the “Mitticool clay refrigerator” linked above.

Also, my refrigerator, even when it’s not plugged in, is significantly cooler than the surrounding environment. I’m currently storing condiments in there.

At one point I thought of buying a mini fridge, and may still do so, for the few things I ever would need to refrigerate. But if you go this route, you need to check the wattage carefully. I hear that mini fridges can consume almost as much electricity as a full-sized energy-efficient fridge, in which case you might as well stick with that if you have one. (My fridge is large and not energy-efficient.)

If you’d like to read more about my experiments with doing without a fridge, type “Fridgeless” in the search field (right sidebar).

In a future post I’ll be talking about simple, low-tech methods of food preservation. In the meantime, stay cool, everyone!

In previous posts, I’ve shared the link to the Riot for Austerity footprint calculator. This calculator makes it easy to compute your personal or household footprint in relation to the U.S. average in seven basic categories: transportation, electricity, heating & cooking fuel, garbage output, water, consumer goods, and food.

Now I’ve just stumbled on another really handy calculator for computing your carbon footprint. The carbon footprint calculator on Michael Bluejay’s website lets you compute your footprint in relation to the U.S. average in four categories: home energy use, driving, diet (vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore), and flying. Michael’s calculator additionally allows you to see where your total footprint stacks up in relation to the world average.

I find both of these calculators really useful, and will use them both on an ongoing basis. Both sites also offer a wealth of tips on the best ways to make major reductions in your footprint.

While it isn’t necessary to calculate your footprint, many of us have found it a very helpful or even essential step in making reductions. Plus, it’s really kind of fun to see where you stand in relation to the average, and to chart your progress in the different areas over time.

You can also create your own calculation by picking out some area of your life that’s costing you a lot of money, time, effort, or other resources, and aiming to cut that expenditure. For example, you could notice that you’re spending $100 a month on gasoline, and aim to cut that by 20% or 90% or whatever you feel is both worthwhile and doable. You could notice that you’re spending 10 hours a day online, and aim to cut that time, say, in half, by focusing more deliberately instead of noodling aimlessly.

What are some areas in your life where you see opportunities to cut your footprint? And how would you like to measure those, what targets would you like to set?

Interestingly, my experiment this time was initially motivated by my efforts to reduce my internet footprint. I noticed how much I value having internet access, even to the point where I would rather do without a fridge than do without internet. (Not that it’s likely I would ever have to make that choice, but it is interesting to take note of one’s personal priorities.)

In the course of investigating the footprint of my blog and other internet activities, I learned I’m currently using about 15kWh a year total, which is very little. Of that total, this blog uses about 10kWh per year.

If my blog were to suddenly start getting, say, 5,000 times as much traffic as it does now, there would be economies of scale, and the blog itself would consume about 550kWh per year. That 550kWh per year is about the same as what might be consumed by an Energy Star fridge from the early 2000s. (An old-school fridge from the 1980s might use 1,400kWh per year!)

Reassuring note from my webhosting service when I asked them for numbers: “As a rough point of reference, the busiest site on your shared web server, which is pushing about 5000 times more traffic than your site, is burning roughly 550kW a year.”

Further Reading:

My two previous posts on this subject are Electronic Decluttering: Online Footprint; and Electronic Decluttering: Online Footprint (Part 2).