As I get older I need and want less "stuff". The child of an overworked single mother who disbursed plenty of love but struggled to feed her family I learned how to live on little. With adulthood came an extreme work ethic ingrained by my mother and with the fruits of my labour came the "stuff", all that I had missed out on (or so I thought). Now in my early forties things that are much more important to me are family, happiness and experiences, not the "stuff".
I avidly recycle, first forced to do so by my town but now by choice recycling approximately 80% of our household waste. Cooking is a hobby now, not so much a chore. I would like to work less and live more as have recently been diagnosed with a chronic fatigue disease that will not kill me but will be a factor every day for the rest of my life. Gardening interests me (when we get to a better climate with more than a 2 month growing season)as a means to sustainability. I like small living spaces but have yet to convince my hubby and stepchildren. People who throw away perfectly good "stuff" make me angry. I have a huge appreciation for nature now and wish to protect it.
Part of the reason I buy second hand, use coupons and live a frugal life is to get to the dream of living that life. Plus, I kind of like it. It makes me feel good. One day I will live in a smaller house paid for by cash with a little spot to grow tomatoes and herbs and I will take long walks on the ocean collecting seashells with my hubby.
Today is Earth Day and I would like to share some websites and blogs of people I follow and admire and who are making a difference and living the dream:
ClickClackGorilla: The blog of a girl who used to have a 9-5 job, and left to explore the world and get a life. She is now living in an extremely small trash picked trailer in Germany trying to live life to the fullest.
Love and Trash: Website collection of articles on recycling, buying used, sustainability, green living with sense of humour
Faircompanies.com: blogs, videos and articles on everything Earth Day is about: Simple living, small spaces, green, recycling and world politics. Multilingual website offering articles in English, French, Spanish, Dutch, Italian and Portuguese.
ncfreegan: A dumpster diver's tales of a trash rescuing to help feed his family in a tough American economy.
These Days in French Life: An American girl living with her husband and daughter in France cooking from scratch, dumpster diving, gardening, living on less. One of my favorite photo blogs (Flicker).
Foraged Food Flicker Stream: Photos of food foragers finds (retrieving Earth's bounty for free)
urbandumpsterdiver: Tales of a woman Dumpster Divers finds living through homelessness and back in the USA. A very strong woman who freely shares her finds with others including food banks.
Happy Earth Day!
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