Going Green -- Really?

I'm in the process of reading The Self-Sufficient Home, Going Green & Saving Money by Christoper Nyerges. The first chapter is utterly awe inspiring. In it, we read the story of a man named Dude McLean (I'm not making this up!) and how he found ways to become self-reliant. His efforts paid off in spades when, in 1971, his area was hit by an earthquake that registered 7.1 on the Richter scale. The story elaborates on how his family and a number of his neighbors were able to survive because he had gone to such measures to protect his family against exactly this type of event (he was preparing for a potential nuclear war between USA and USSR).

It's safe to say that climate and environmental impact have taken center stage on society's list of things to be aware of. I can see a clear connection between self-reliance and "green living". As a simple example, a person who rides their bicycle to work is neither relying on gasoline for their transportation, nor is s/he contributing unnecessary amounts of unhealthy gases to the pollution problem around them. However, if the person is having a hard time making ends meet, is it sensible for him to spend $5,000 on a brand new super bike to support the Green Cause? I say no. I believe there can and should be a balance.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that if I were independently wealthy today, there's a very strong chance that I would have at least one composting toilet in my house, as well as an elaborate rain water collection system, solar water heater, a wind turbine or two on my 50 acre homestead (all hypothetical, of course). Some of today's Green Gadgets are absolutely fantastic, and in terms of creating a more self-reliant lifestyle, these are on the list of things that I consider to be basic essentials. But, today, I am not independently wealthy, so I have to be realistic about what I can really afford to do. Baby steps, if you will.

I worked for a car dealership in recent years, and I can't tell you how many people came in when gas prices reached the four dollar per gallon mark -- bought a newer used car on credit (interest, payments, etc.) -- just to save a few dollars a week in gas. I hate to admit it, but after watching so many people do it, I too fell victim to my own lust for a cheaper ride to work and traded in a minivan that was getting around twelve miles per gallon for a compact station wagon that gets about twenty-eight. In a cruel twist of irony, my husband lost his job and suddenly we found our weekly commute miles down to zero! That's right. I was paying a longer loan for a car that wasn't saving me a dime -- unless you count my weekly trips to the grocery store which is about a mile from my house.

In a perfect world, I would have all sorts of Green Gadgets, including a whole house system designed to collect and store rainwater. Such a system can cost almost as much as my whole house! For now, I can collect rain (to water my garden) in an extra trash barrel that we already have. I can use an old garden hose to set up drip irrigation to get the most out of the collected rainwater.

In a perfect world, I would have a car that I can plug in at night (preferably to a huge elaborate panel of batteries that have been charging all day from a huge bank of solar panels on my roof). Instead, I must be strategic and look for ways to drive my vehicles less and keep them tuned so they have the least impact on the environment and on my budget as possible.

For me, there is a pull in both directions (not that they are always pulling against one another). The Green (the environment and self reliance) and The Green (cash flow -- savings -- getting out of debt). The two can coexist, but they can also be opposing forces at times. To put it another way, my quest for self-reliance is two fold -- less dependence on cash flow to survive and less dependence on others like utility companies and big grocery stores for energy and food. For now, I will seek to find the balance between the two perfect scenarios and enjoy the journey toward more self-reliant living. I want to be sure that on the road to Green, I don't end up deeper in the Red.

Happy (and Green) Homesteading!