Quick Good Read

[xrated]

Read this yesterday in Minneapolis paper. I tend to agree with the guy. It's well written, makes sense and he has some good zingers as well.

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/...?location_refer=Commentary:highlightModules:4

 

[ruffryder]

Good article,

There was a larger article in National Geographic about it. Very interesting read. Funny how he was labeled a crank, as so many people with different ideas are these days.

Kudo's to you.

 

[ruffryder]

More from National Geographic

Prince Charles - Not your Typical Radical

 

[ruffryder]

So, anyone care to comment what the major hurdles are to implementing this type of sustainable living? It a good goal to try and reach but there are some hurdles.

Anybody?

 

[XC700116]

Actually that is pretty much how I was raised. We were not anything remotely close to wealthy, actually quite the opposite. My summers as a kid were spent helping care for the nearly 3/4 acre garden that provided all our vegetables for the year. We hunted deer in the fall not just for sport but mainly for a years supply of meat. Beef was a rare luxury, we raised chickens. Heck we didn't hardly get anything from the grocery store besides powdered milk, cheese, peanut butter, butter, and the other essentials that we couldn't produce on our own.

Looking back now I would almost consider trading my overly busy life and horrible diet (due to almost constant travel for work) for that life again. But then again growing up like that I think also created the addiction to toys that I have now. However if I were to settle down and have kids that type of living would be at least a part of my life.

 

[ruffryder]

Actually that is pretty much how I was raised. We were not anything remotely close to wealthy, actually quite the opposite. My summers as a kid were spent helping care for the nearly 3/4 acre garden that provided all our vegetables for the year. We hunted deer in the fall not just for sport but mainly for a years supply of meat. Beef was a rare luxury, we raised chickens. Heck we didn't hardly get anything from the grocery store besides powdered milk, cheese, peanut butter, butter, and the other essentials that we couldn't produce on our own.

Looking back now I would almost consider trading my overly busy life and horrible diet (due to almost constant travel for work) for that life again. But then again growing up like that I think also created the addiction to toys that I have now. However if I were to settle down and have kids that type of living would be at least a part of my life.

Good points... The simple things in life, there is nothing bigger. I was raised similar as well. Moving to a more suburban life leaves me wanting to go back and live out in the country. I think something happens to people when they are caught in the busy rat race that has become life, and it isn't a good change. I don't think we were meant to live like that.. in the city that is.

 

[xrated]

XC, man I'm with ya, but we had cheap ace peanut butter that is still stuck in my mouth and government cheese. Lot's of powdered milk as well.

I'd say some major hurdles are that farming is big business now and the farmers aren't willing to take the hit in work or cost to make this work. Kinda odd when farmers always talk about how close and how much they care for the environment...I'm gonna get flamed now if anyone reads this.

Also our more urban lifestyle is to blame, hell I'd rather go to the store then spend hours getting a pump to run to water the garden, spend more hours weeding and hoeing in the sun and keeping critters out. Course when I retire I'll be planting a nice garden among other things.

 

[ruffryder]

The one issue with this style of economic/social life style is that it is steady state. To be sustainable requires steady state conditions. Our current economic model is based upon growth. We need growth to solve the economic problems of this country... moving to a non growth model will require a change in economic policy.

The good thing about this lifestyle is that it seems to be very human intensive, utilizing more manual labor, which is good. But with the shift to a less consumption based lifestyle, I think the net will be negative with respect to manual labor needs.

 

[xrated]

The one issue with this style of economic/social life style is that it is steady state. To be sustainable requires steady state conditions. Our current economic model is based upon growth. We need growth to solve the economic problems of this country... moving to a non growth model will require a change in economic policy.

The good thing about this lifestyle is that it seems to be very human intensive, utilizing more manual labor, which is good. But with the shift to a less consumption based lifestyle, I think the net will be negative with respect to manual labor needs.

But everyone wants to deport the illegals.