Self Sufficient Living

Recent projections made by the GEAB (Global Europe Anticipation Bulletin)point to March 2009 as the tipping point which will have consequences of similar magnitude to the systemic crisis of last fall. Their headline reads: “Global systemic crisis – new tipping-point in March 2009: ‘When the world becomes aware that this crisis is worse than the 1930′s crisis’”. Is GEAB a source worth listening to? Well, they correctly projected the financial crisis of the fall of 2008 many months in advance. You can examine their track record on their website by CLICKING HERE.

Could GEAB be wrong? Yes, inspite of the fact that their economic projections have been extremely accurate in the past, they could be wrong. If that is the case, it doesn’t change that fact that even if things don’t get worse than they are right now, we are currently in the worst economic crisis of recent history. It also brings into sharp focus that those who start growing their own food, learning and developing alternative energy systems for their homes, and simplifying their lives, will be at a great advantage. In other words, there’s no better time than now to learn about and start practicing self sufficient living.

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A new movie called “America’s Cities: The Coming Crisis” reminds us why self sufficient living is a better way of life. The film is a documentary featuring interviews with top experts from leading universities, Washington, D.C., and the military which point to a looming crisis headed for America’s metropolitan centers.

While the potential of disaster is certainly a good argument for moving to the country, learning to grow your own food and setting up an alternative energy system, there’s an even better reason for self sufficient living – it’s just a healthier, more sane way to live. CLICK HERE to see the first movie trailer at www.thecitymovie.com.

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It’s that time of year to get seeds if you haven’t already done so. For self sufficient gardeners there are several important points to keep in mind.  First, the issue of GMO vs. Non GMO.  While some are singing the praises of GMO, even from an environmental point of view – others are raising a warning as to some potentially serious problems. These include health hazards.  Even though some think GMOs are great because in some cases, they preclude the need for pesticides (because they have pesticides “built in”), there have been reports of adverse skin reactions to handling some GMO corn. While this is only one example, many, including this author, believe that there are numerous health problems related to this technology.                                                                                                              

Unfortunately, this subject has been presented in an “either – or” way. In other words, it is made to appear that we have a choice to either use pesticides, or go GMO. This approach falls short as there is another alternative – namely the use of harmless yet effective methods of pest control. We’ll look more at that in a future post.  For now, let’s look at another important factor when considering seed selection.

While many popular garden varieties come from hybridized seeds, benefits of hybridization must be weighed against the disadvantages in terms of self sufficient farming. The seeds of hybridized varities are, of course, not viable for reproduction, which for practical purposes makes the farmer dependent upon a seed supplier.

So if we’re looking for non-hybridized and non-GMO seeds, where do we turn? A great source book to find such seeds is the Garden Seed Inventory. This volume also helps the gardener identify seeds which are especially suited for specific climate zones. The Garden Seed Inventory is put out by Seed Savers Exchange, a nonprofit organization committed to saving heirloom garden seeds from extinction. The organization was founded in 1975 by Kent and Diane Whealy, and now has nearly 8,000 members around the world. Its headquarters are at Heritage Farm in Decorah, Iowa.

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Several years ago I made a decision that has changed my life forever.  I was living the typical rat race: commuting to work, sleeping in a townhouse, and working hard to pay the power, water and food bills.  Then one day a dream was born.  Wouldn’t it be great to break out of this, move to the country, grow our own food and adopt a self sufficient lifestyle?  It took two years, but we did it.  We left our townhouse and moved into a rustic home on twenty acres in the mountains. We learned how to prune fruit trees and grow a garden.  We started drinking water from our own well and heating our home with wood we cut and split ourselves. Now we spend more time out doors and enjoy getting close to nature.

Self sufficient living involves many facets including: alternative energy, gardening, food storage and preservation, natural and herbal remedies, and learning to live more efficiently and in harmony with nature. On the self sufficient blog, we’ll be sharing the best resources including books, videos, and other helpful resources. One great place to start is The New Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency. This classic includes 312 pages of helpful information written by a veteran who runs a school of self-sufficiency.

Self sufficient living has had an amazing impact on our family. It’s a very different way of life, but I can honestly say, it’s the most important move we ever made. If all of this sounds good to you but you don’t know how to achieve it, stick around.  If we could do it, so can you!

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