Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
Re-cycle ~ Re-make ~ Re-purpose ~ Re-craft~ Re-invent
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An interesting article , to start off :
*This is an article from the NON-TOXIC TIMES newsletter ,entitled " Required Reading: Environmentalism Isn’t So Dead after All" "Required reading..."
Even though the names and symbols are different , the ecology campaign is still alive and kicking .
Re-working your way of life through re-( doing-cycling-purposing etc. )is another way to embrace Abundance even when finances are low.
" WHERE THERE IS BEAUTY APPARENT,
WE ARE TO ENJOY IT,
WHERE THERE IS BEAUTY HIDDEN ,
WE ARE TO UNVEIL IT
WHERE THERE IS BEAUTY DEFACED
, WE ARE TO RESTORE IT
WHERE THERE IS NO BEAUTY AT ALL
WE ARE TO CREATE IT."
-ROBERT MCAFEE BROWN
How will this page approach the idea of living Abundantly ?
1. It will be from a Christian perspective .
How should a Christian approach the "green" way of living ? Should we just hop on the band wagon because it is" right" to do ?
" Do I become more self-sufficient rather than God-dependent when I obtain whatever I want, whenever I want it? Suddenly, conservation isn't solely about reducing carbon emissions or saving the planet. It's about God's supremacy, his benevolence to me. If I'm conserving merely as a matter of self-preservation or self-reliance, I've missed the point."
This timely quote is from an article called :
"It's Not Easy Being Green"
"How's a Christian to respond to the hot-button issue of the environment?"
2 .
It will be modified for those of us who are older/disabled/single moms/homeless and already living on a subsistance level , to illustrate that living on a low income can be Abundance Living.
It will include the cool 'faddish' type things that are part of the movement , but ...It will emphasize a total life change mentality.
4.
It will involve being intellegent. Being poor does not equal being of a low I.Q. !Sometimes we who are of low monetary resources are treated like we have no clue . In my experience , the people who treat us like this are the ones that need to work on their ignorance.
Here is a site that helps determine what "green" practices may not be safe (Plus those that are safe and the best of the bunch choices .)
By the way , here are all of the Mother Earth News issues , complete , online !
THE MOTHER EARTH NEWS ARTICLE SEARCH PAGE
In the States we have become greedy , wasteful , me-thinking people .
From this heap of garbage that we have thrown away , people from third world countries could build a house , find something to wear ,and start a business from selling junk to other people. Don't believe it ? Read on .
Roatan's Mud Hole dump
This article has a different spin on the local garbage dump. This dump is not just a dump , but the people here are helping the government with recycling !?
Wouldn't it be better to sort out the things that would be tossed out and then give them to people instead of making them compete with flies and stray dogs ?
Still , this illustrates that there are people in this world living off other peoples' garbage. Not unlike on other third world garbage dumps,
Roatan's Mud Hole dump supports many people that with dignity make a living and relieve the local and central government from their recycling responsibilities." Note the ad right next to this article about vacation villas.
LIVING OFF THE GARBAGE
Do you remember this symbol
for ecology in the 1970's ?
When I see this symbol , it brings back a flood of memories about my campaign to save the world through recycling.
Actually , I was a fraud . I really only wanted to recycle because I had a crush on a boy who was fanatical about the ecology movement.
I decided that on the way home from school everyday , I would pick up all the trash by the side of the street. Then I took it home in garbage bags and sorted everything into aluminum , paper ,and glass. I got friends to walk with me and do it too.
Well , the guy that I liked never even knew I was doing this because I was too shy to talk to him. Plus , I ended up walking home alone .
My friends were tired of taking so long to get home because they had to stop to pick up every little bit of trash that I saw .( When I think back , I must have been pretty convincing if I had my friends doing this with me )
Then winter came and I decided that I didn't want to bring home stuff that I had to thaw out before I sorted it. My hands were chapped and cut from picking up cold stuff , plus , I found out my "crush" had a girlfriend . OH WELL , so much for true love .
Now that I am older ,and so much more empowered than I was when I was when I was young , I have embraced the ecology movement again .The name of the cause itself has been recycled and I have no idea what happened to that boy from the '70s . Now the ecology cause has been repackaged as the simplicity movement , the save our world movement , subsistance living , and "being green"
* More about the ecology symbol in the right side bar .
GARDENS AND GARDENING
Here is a great idea ! Start a recycled garden ! You can recycle seeds from almost any fruit or vegetable . For flowers , you can also collect seeds and bulbs. Here are some ideas and books :
GARDENING WITH GARBAGE
Do you have a large group that you can share this with ? Check it out : all about seeds ! Be an ambassador !
EARTH SEEDS AMBASSADOR
Is this a Re ! page idea , or a frugal idea ? I guess it is both. Community Gardens :
The following is directly from the site . It explains the concept of community gardening . More churches should participate in this. Churches certainly have a lot of grassy space around them that could be used for gardening.
What is a Community Garden?
Very Simply, it is:
Any piece of land gardened by a group of people.
We at the ACGA have a broad definition of what a community garden entails. It can be urban, suburban, or rural. It can grow flowers, vegetables or community. It can be one community plot, or can be many individual plots. It can be at a school, hospital, or in a neighborhood. It can also be a series of plots dedicated to "urban agriculture" where the produce is grown for a market.
Benefits of Community Gardens:
- Improves the quality of life for people in the garden
- Provides a catalyst for neighborhood and community development
- Stimulates Social Interaction
- Encourages Self-Reliance
- Beautifies Neighborhoods
- Produces Nutritious Food
- Reduces Family Food Budgets
- Conserves Resources
- Creates opportunity for recreation, exercise, therapy, and education
- Reduces Crime
- Preserves Green Space
- Creates income opportunities and economic development
- Reduces city heat from streets and parking lots
- Provides opportunities for inter generational and cross-cultural connections
- Find a garden in your area :
- AMERICAN COMMUNITY GARDEN ASSOCIATION _________________________________________
