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Are You Part of the Wake Up Crew?
Many people living on the planet right now have volunteered to accept the opportunity to play teaching, healing, inspirational and leadership roles during this current planetary transformation. These assignments have been accepted by the...
Camping on the Beach: Where to Go and How Not to Get Caught
Alas, ye old hippy ... endless sand, driftwood shacks and long
nights passed in a ganga haze are getting harder and harder to
source.
Once the defining notion of a life without strings, setting up
camp on a beach is no longer a simple...
Dear our beloved crying planet…
Dear our beloved crying planet… I read an article last week in “The Gazette”, a local English paper here in Montreal Canada. It was titled “Time is running out” and was written by Peter G. Brown. He is a professor in the school of the Environment...
Is Indoor Air Safe? 4 Simple Steps to Make It Safer
It is true that we spend most of our time, almost 80% of it, in indoor spaces. We're used to worrying about the air outdoors. We complain about pollution, gas emissions and smog. However, indoor air can be more hazardous than outdoor air. That is...
The Dangers of Pesticides
DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane) is one pesticide that
has been unquestionably labeled hazardous to our health. It has
been linked to cancer and is actually banned from all use in
America now.
DDT was widely used in the 1960's. It's...
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The Union of Self-Sufficiency and a Conventional Life
Most of the self-sufficiency articles, websites and books talk
about the need to reject all of conventional life and the
convenience that comes along with it. Unless you desire to drag
yourself out into the wilderness, eat berries all day, and waste
all of that college education you will forced to find an
alternative. There are lots of people, like me, who want to
simplify their lives and still enjoy some of the things that
made society so wonderful. The ultimate goal is to reduce your
expenses/increase profits, produce most of what you consume and
help to improve the environment.
Reducing expenses and increasing income is something that people
have strived for all of their lives. With self-sufficiency you
can do both although you probably wont get rich without years of
saving and investing. A traditional house typically costs the
owner more money than it will earn a person after appreciation.
When we compare the worth of having a roof over our head (true
worth)and the cost of a house in the city we have seriously
overpaid. However, houses in a rural setting are generally less
than their counterparts in the city. For example, I can buy a 3
bedroom house on a typical lot for the same price that I can buy
the same house with 20 acres out in the country. The benefit is
that the 20 acres can produce an income which I cannot get
inside the city.
Not only can you produce an income on the twenty acres but you
can reduce your grocery bill to almost nothing. The food will be
better for you and more fresh. From the seedling to the kitchen
pot you can be sure that nothing was added that is unhealthy for
your body. The satisfaction that comes from knowing you can
produce your own food and survive even during a great
depression
is a wonderful feeling. If a disaster is not in your future
there is a good possibility that your property will be worth
much more in the future than it is today. Everyday products like
cheese, milk, vegetables, bread, meat, etc. can all be made with
a small household farm.
One of the most important aspects of self-sufficiency is the
"connection" man makes with nature. Unlike the mono-crop farmers
who pour tons of fertilizer on the soil and reduce its lush
qualities to desert the self-sufficient farmer is likely to
engage in raised bed farming, organic farming, diversified crops
and experimentation as a means to increase his/her yield.
Scientists have come around in the past decade to agreeing that
organic farming is the only way to grow sustainable for years.
There is no contamination, little soil erosion, and no damage to
the soil in small organic operations.
Self-sufficiency can be a healthy balance to a busy city life.
It allows for a well-rounded perspective, protection from
poverty, returns on investment and in many cases a second
career. Many of us do not desire to give up all of the modern
conveniences yet and still enjoy the benefits of living in
modern society. By living simply and investing in land we are
often able to decrease our expenses and increase our
investments. This principle follows suit with widely available
financial advice and furthers a person's understanding of
his/her world.
About the author:
Murad Ali is the two-time author of "A Call to Greatness" and an
"American Mecca". He is developing an heirloom farm, is the
editor of the Muslim Times, and a doctoral student. For further
articles written by Murad Ali please visit
http://www.muradenterprises.org
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