Category: low-footprint living

For people seeking to live more gently on the earth, carbon emissions provide a handy benchmark. Reducing one’s carbon footprint” gives us numbers to aim for. Carbon footprint is not everything, though.

Carbon emissions are just one of a whole constellation of factors jeopardizing the planetary biosphere that our life depends on. These other factors include overconsumption; inequity; broken water-cycles; eutrophication; biodiversity loss; soil degradation.

That said, carbon emissions are a decent metric if you only have one metric available. There’s significant overlap between carbon emissions and a lot of the other variables such as overconsumption; soil degradation; biodiversity loss.

By way of seeking to focus my efforts more directly on the root issue, one concept and movement I’ve stumbled on in the past couple of years is “de-growth.” (A group I’m finding very helpful is Degrowth – join the revolution. Also the Non-Consumer Advocate.)

The “forever growth” paradigm which defines society and economy in the USA and other wealthy industrial nations might just be the “umbrella problem” that covers all of the symptoms we are trying to address. Degrowth offers a way out of that death spiral. Note – degrowth is only for the rich consumerist nations; we recognize that in some parts of the world, large numbers of people still need some GROWTH in order to simply get their basic needs met such as safe cooking technology, safe drinking water, health care. Even here in the USA, there are many people who still need some of that basic growth in order to catch up to a humane standard of living.

This “Carbon Tunnel Vision” graphic (shared by Frenchie Powell; based on graphic by Jan Konietzka) is useful to keep in mind.

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, besides footprint there’s also your handprint to consider: the positive impact you have on people and the planet. If you’re having trouble making further reductions in your footprint, don’t beat yourself up. You can probably find ways of increasing your handprint.

Further Exploration:

• Another concept besides degrowth that I find helpful is the idea of a “steady-state economy” (Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy, CASSE, steadystate.org). “A steady state economy is an economy of stable or mildly fluctuating size. The term typically refers to a national economy, but it can also be applied to a local, regional, or global economy. An economy can reach a steady state after a period of growth or degrowth. To be sustainable, a steady state economy may not exceed ecological limits. A steady state economy entails stabilized population and per capita consumption. Birth rates equal death rates, and production rates equal depreciation rates. Minimizing waste allows for a steady state economy at higher levels of production and consumption.” (Visit the link to learn more.)

Sometimes I’ll find myself awake before dawn and it’s close enough to dawn that I could decide to go ahead and get up and start my day, but something makes me decide to stay in bed and try to grab some extra sleep. A lot of those times are when I end up having super crazy or vivid dreams.

Dream descriptions tend to be tedious so I’ll spare you details.

Just: In one of the dreams, some angry woman (who I didn’t know but who looked familiar) had bashed my door down because I owed her money. She was calling me names and carrying signs with my likeness on them. Turns out all I owed her was two dollars. I went and got it for her (actually had to borrow it from a friend because I didn’t have it on hand), handed it to her, and suddenly all was good. Her friend even wanted to take a picture of us to post on Facebook, standing with our arms around each other.

With all the horrors going on in the world, there seems little point in sharing such fragments. But you never know, they might help someone. Thought for the day: Share your fragments if you’ve got ’em. You never know who those little scraps might reach and help. Reuse, repurpose, recycle!

The other day, the mayor of my city shared on his Facebook page a quote I’ve heard before that always grabs me: “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.” (I really love our mayor, Derrick Henry; he puts himself out there; brings forth what is within him.)

This quote always grabs me because I have been and am a hoarder in many ways. Mainly a hoarder of experiences. I hoard them in little scraps, not sure where to put them. Finally it feels like maybe I just need to put them out there where they’ll at least stand a chance of reaching someone who might find them useful.

“These fragments I have shored against my ruins.” (From one of my favorite poems, The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot.) (Here’s an informative brief article about Eliot and the poem, on medium.com by Christopher P. Jones. It includes a link to the full text of the poem.)

Postcard from my neighborhood today:

There is a vacant lot near me where, at this time of year, I routinely find delicious & nutritious edible wild greens. At this time of year there are so many free wild vegetables growing that I could live off that lot for 100% of my greens if I had to. While still leaving the majority for the pollinators & other species.

The lot is pretty, like a meadow. The plants never get very tall, as the lot gets mowed periodically.

Whenever it gets mowed and edged (the latter a murderous noise as loud as a chainsaw), the scalped lot looks so sad. And it feels almost like watching a free health-food pantry get doused with gasoline!!

There is nothing INHERENTLY “nicer” about a buzzcut lawn than a wildflower meadow lawn. It’s all in our cultural definition. And given the amount of food & medicine, and pollinator bonanza, that gets shaved away with each mowing, it seems all the more warped! Plus, wildflowers are pretty — when did such a large swathe of the population stop noticing that?

Of course we live in a country where, despite reports of food shortages and more to come, homeowners are still cutting down fruit trees “because they’re messy,” so I guess it’s to be expected.

For the antidote, join forces with your local foragers and food-gardeners and native-plant advocates! We are numerous, and we are everywhere!! Don’t let the ubiquitous soul-sucking vacuum-cleaner whine of leafblowers trying to “clean up” the great outdoors lead you to believe you are alone. We who love nature, and love fresh wild edible & medicinal plants, are numerous! Reach out!!

Things to google: foraging; weed walks; wild edible plants; native plant society; permaculture guild; (+ name of your city/region)

Someone in my social mediaverse commented that the “Green Movement” is just a way to to weaken and undermine our country and its allies while our enemies continue full steam ahead.

But — who are the real “enemies”?

Arms dealers always only have one agenda: to sell arms. They thrive on the belief that there exist “enemies” who need to be shot and bombed into submission.

Corporations in general ultimately all have the twofold agenda of 1) selling their product; and 2) appeasing shareholders.

Governments tend to have the agenda of preserving the status quo, protecting powerful vested interests, and securing resources for their own nation-states (be it water, oil, or whatever).

There is, worldwide, a legitimate mass green movement of people who are looking for ways to live lighter on the earth, and consider the impact of their lifestyles on less-privileged people (garment sweatshop workers in faraway lands, etc.)

And yes, inevitably, some corporations might seek to capitalize on the legitimate green uprising by offering products that might turn out to be not all that good for the environment, or for people. (A prime example right now is electric cars, which are not the planet-saving panacea some people want to think they are.) It’s in our best interest, as individuals, to consider carefully before making some big expensive switch to a supposedly “green” alternative.

Most of the time, the greenest thing we can do is also the cheapest and simplest. And that is simply to reduce our spending on things that are not adding value to our lives (what those things are will differ from one person to another).

Many of us find that by planning carefully, we can radically reduce the amount of gasoline, electricity, consumer goods, and other “stuff” we have to purchase. Not only is that good for the planet, it also makes us less vulnerable, more resilient.

The real “enemy” isn’t some other country; it’s our own dependence on goods & commodities that are supplied by distant and monopolistic entities who have us in their power because they can cut off our “supply” at any time. This is no way to live.

If we can reduce our vulnerability even a little, it’ll go a long way to reduce the stranglehold of corporations and governments that really don’t have the everyday people’s best interest at heart.

Ideas (the same basic ones I’m always suggesting):

• Grow a bit of your own food
• If you have a yard and have manicured landscaping, consider taking things in a more natural direction: reduce frequency of mowing; allow shrubs to grow soft and bushy — this will save a lot of fuel (as well as money)
• Generate some of your own power and/or radically reduce your household energy needs
• Collect rainwater
• Devise backup plans for transportation so a rise in gas prices doesn’t make or break us. Car-sharing, carpooling, walking in some cases is feasible, as is bicycling … And just deciding to stay home and forgo a trip you weren’t really looking forward to … etc etc etc. Every little bit helps!!

A thought for those of you who are aspiring to find a community somewhere other than where you’re living — maybe some of your neighbors are thinking the same thing! Maybe your community is closer than you think, and just needs someone to get the conversation started. I’ve been surprised at what I’ve found out about my neighbors who I assumed had no interest in making our place a collapse-aware community.

BTW for those of you aspiring to live “off-grid”: Try it today! At my house I can experience off-grid life by camping out in my garage. No need to move out to the country or “somewhere else” other than RHRN (Right Here Right Now).

Not to be glib. People have valid reasons for wanting to move too. But on the whole, we in the USA are too quick to move. We’re also prone to harbor longtime aspirations of finding some mythical ideal “elsewhere.” This is not healthy for individuals, and also not conducive to building a healthy community.

What’s helped me most is to do errands on foot, and talk to my neighbors along the way. I really have been surprised to find out how many people are on the same page. And you really can’t tell by surface appearances or casual passing greetings. It’s the beyond-just-greeting conversations (5 minutes or more) where things start to come out.

I do understand the desire to live in a village consisting entirely of fellow members of one’s chosen “tribe” (be it permaculturists, preppers, adherents of a certain meditation practice or spiritual sect, or what have you). But peace, security, and peace of mind aren’t necessarily as easy to attain (and sustain) within such a village as one might think. Some people might find more of what they’re looking for by deciding to stay “out there in the world” and serve their “civilian” neighborhood or city. That has turned out to be the case for me.

“Food shortages.” A phrase no one likes to hear.

I have had forebodings my whole life that “something” was going to happen, and I feel like I’ve been mentally preparing for “it” my whole life.

Like a lot of you, I’m concerned that my local community is not well prepared physically (OR emotionally) for food shortages, water shortages, or whatever else. I speak at my neighborhood group, city meetings, churches, etc about various aspects of preparedness/resilience and of necessity, I try to do “triage” which right now for me is trying to get people to collect rainwater, turn their yards into “water sponge”, etc. If we can slow down/reverse the parching of our landscape we can grow food.

Also I’m trying to get people to see the connection between our landscaping practices and the health of our waterways. Since I live between the ocean and a major navigable river, fish can be a major food source here if we repair the damage we’ve done to the ecosystem.

I also try to show, to anyone who will listen, the wild edible plants growing all around here.

Lately to spread the message I’m starting to do humorous talks about the zombie apocalypse. Also I’m gatting back into arts & crafts, but I am setting out to use only “scavenged” ingredients. (Making bags out of canvas from discarded beach chairs etc). All of this is tiny but raises awareness in a fun way and helps people cultivate a more resilient, can-do attitude.

I also do mindfulness practices and spend time in nature and strengthen my spiritual faith — all of which helps me to focus, stay present & avoid going down rabbit-holes of despair which I am prone to do if not careful.

Here is a post I made to my neighborhood watch group’s Facebook page today:

Downtown Daytona Beach Farmers Market closed today due to forecast of severe weather … No problem! I can pick fresh greens & herbs from my little “freedom cube” garden, and also the neighborhood is filled with tasty wild spring edible greens (that some people dismiss as “weeds” but many of us know better)! I can also knock on the door of the house down the street with the really prolific loquat tree, introduce myself to the new owner and ask if they’ll let me pick some fruit (the previous owner was fine with it). And I can go visit my other friend/neighbor’s magnificent mulberry tree!

Downtown Daytona Beach Farmers Market closed today due to forecast of severe weather … No problem! I can pick fresh greens & herbs from my little “freedom cube” garden, and also the neighborhood is filled with tasty wild spring edible greens (that some people dismiss as “weeds” but many of us know better)! I can also knock on the door of the house down the street with the really prolific loquat tree, introduce myself to the new owner and ask if they’ll let me pick some fruit (the previous owner was fine with it). And I can go visit my other friend/neighbor’s magnificent mulberry tree!

Check out this mini vid & other snippets on my Tiktok video channel. (I show pics of my “freedom cube” garden and some foraged green booty (wild plantain – yum!.)

For anyone who might be interested in learning more about this topic: I offer talks & presentations in person and by Zoom, free to the community, to help boost our household & neighborhood food security, water security, and energy-independence!! Building a resilient community is a team effort and I am here to help.

A letter I wrote this morning:

Dear City Leaders & Fellow Citizens,

Although I spoke out last week against the idea of an ordinance that would impose restrictions on grassroots charity (specifically, handing out food to people in public spaces), I want to clarify that I am sympathetic with the businesses in the downtown area, and with their customers (of whom I am often one). And I wish to apologize to Commissioner ___, to the other business owners, and to anyone else who may have interpreted my comments as dismissing their concerns.

What I was trying to say is that there is an issue here that can’t be fixed by restricting grassroots acts of compassion. (In fact, such acts of compassion are a cohesive force in society that helps make communities more resilient against whatever disasters or hard times may come, which is why it’s not a good idea to try and restrict such acts — even if good works were not required under the religious and spiritual beliefs many of us live by).

The issue at hand: The presence of people sleeping in doorways, on sidewalks, and so on is sometimes creating extra work and expense for the business owners, and often creating an atmosphere that some people find threatening or just not conducive to spending time enjoying our beautiful downtown and patronizing businesses.
So how do we address this? Does anyone have any ideas? Should we have a workshop? Or should we encourage citizens to attend an upcoming Downtown Development Association meeting to brainstorm ideas?

In the meantime, I have a few thoughts, from the viewpoint of someone who mainly gets around by foot, and often spends extensive time in the public space.
It may seem counterintuitive, but I think a big part of the solution is to ADD amenities along Magnolia Ave that make it more inviting for MORE people to linger. Benches; maybe a fountain. Definitely a public toilet (even if it’s just a porta-potty). These things make a difference to elderly people; families with children … and even to relatively rugged individuals like myself who are willing to sit on the curb in order to eat and take a break. Without these amenities, people just jump in their cars and drive home.

When people linger in the public space, they create happy lasting memories and social connections, and it makes a multiplier effect. It also raises the general level of trust in a community. Oh and from a business standpoint — people who linger tend to spend more money!

Thinking about our unhoused population and other citizens who are down and out … reminded me of that old saying: “The poor will always be with us.” Maybe that is true. But I will say, in places where I’ve spent extended time hanging out in public spaces, from Orlando to Asheville to Amsterdam, Madrid, Tokyo, Washington DC etc etc etc, a common factor in “safe-feeling” public spaces has been BENCHES and public restrooms.

Additional amenities that attract people to linger include:

fountains

shade structures

vendors on a steady basis

In such settings, “the poor are still with us” — there are still “people who are down and out”; they might be lying on sidewalks and in doorways etc — but the overall atmosphere is still safe and welcoming because so many other people are around.

Thank you for reading to the end of this lengthy missive. Let’s create win-win solutions together; I know we can. We are a city with heart, and creativity.

All the best to you,

Jenny Nazak

PS. (Speaking of public restrooms, Daytona Beach Permaculture Guild would be delighted to sponsor an organic porta-potty, beautifully embellished by local artists.)