Like a folk-song character, I've packed my bags and left my home in rural Missouri. Gone travellin' to the far side of the world, bout as different as a place can be: Detroit. Yet city-life is a world that many of our readers are more familiar with than our rural ecovillage. Often folks have suggested that it's easier to create an ecologically sustainable life in the country than in the city. Now I am here in the city and facing the challenge of how to continue my life of ecological demonstration. I figure this is the perfect opportunity to share with people ways to live more ecologically even if you're not living at Dancing Rabbit. So, for all the people who've said that they'd like to live more like we do at Dancing Rabbit, here's a little "eco to go"that you can take back to your own homes.
Community of Support
Probably the most difficult impediments to living a more eco-friendly life are not the practical details of creating devices and equipment, but the details of social culture. Before one is able to start implementing changes in one's lifestyle, most people need to feel like they won't be a total freak or weirdo in the eyes of everyone they know. Anyone who has tried to go without a car or do worm composting in-doors probably knows how people may criticize your decisions or treat you like you've gone crazy.
Finding people who share your ideals is an important early step in creating an atmosphere of support for the life you want to lead. Knowing people with similar motivations in their lives can be a source of ideas, inspiration, and encouragement for you. Also, many projects are easier to pursue if you don't have to do all the work on your own. Having a friend who has already created a water re-use system in their kitchen, for example, will make it much easier to create your own. Also, there are always more eco-projects than anyone can do in a given year. One approach is to simply work on whatever project already has people in the area working on that same project.
Finally, having community support can make a lot of projects feasible that simply aren't possible with just one person. In general, more people make it possible to combine resources to purchase supplies less expensively. If you're looking to build something, extra sets of hands are often necessary. Also, having more people working on a project makes it easier to share time responsibilities. For example, if you start a bicycle chaperoning program for kids to bike to school, it's much easier if each parent only has to be the chaperone one day of each week. Rotating compost piles, monitoring species populations, or cooking meals can all benefit from this time-sharing approach.
So, how do you find such social connections? One idea is to join some existing group in your area. Environmental action groups can be useful for this purpose, though some are focused more on specific political actions than making changes in one's own life. There are voluntary simplicity groups cropping up all over the country that are great resources for this kind of thing as well. If you can't find the group that you want in the area, you can always start one. A popular and successful way to do this is to start hosting a regular potluck. All you need to do is get the word out and have a regular time for people to show up.
Whether you join or start a group, or even just want a less formal approach to finding people, you still need to figure out how to locate such folks. In most cities, these days, you can find a food co-op or health food store that is a focal point for people with similar interests. Most of these stores have bulletin boards where you can put up a simple sign, looking for your new friends. Local churches are often a great source of finding people interested in simple living. You don't have to agree with the specific tenets of the church in order to find good like-minded people. Most colleges and universities have environmental groups of some kind (and usually at least one professor teaching environmental classes). While the university may not be the source of the group you might want, they often are great resources for knowing what other groups are in the area.
Coping with Social Integration
Obviously, you still have all your other friends, right? It's a good idea to prepare yourself so as not be worn down by reactions to your efforts. One tip that I've found useful is to consider yourself an educational resource. This is not to say that you should necessarily start proselytizing to all of your friends about how important it is that they live the way you do. There are legions of teenagers researching this approach daily and the results do not seem encouraging. Rather, take pride in your work and don't miss opportunities to explain what you're doing to other people. If you're not defensive, people will often respond with curiosity if you explain why you are doing something. This approach can help to avoid the trap of sneaking around your "strange" habits, and instead allow you to feel good about being upfront about them.
Another suggestion is to refuse to see your actions as anything but normal. People all over the country act as though such strange things as owning three cars and four televisions are a completely normal thingso what's the big deal about walking to the store? People have been doing that for centuries! Often, if you treat it as normal, then other people will too.
And if you're lucky, this may just not be an issue for you. Many people's friends and family respond more enthusiastically than you might expect. If so, be prepared for adulation as your friends admire your dedication to creating a better life for you and the world!
These social details can be an important foundation to making your life more ecologically sustainable. But, while this article has been focused on social issues, keep an eye out for future articles where I'll look into transportation, food, water use and all kinds of other things.
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