{"id":1227,"date":"2020-03-20T05:30:19","date_gmt":"2020-03-20T09:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluerockstation.com\/?page_id=1227"},"modified":"2024-04-07T11:59:49","modified_gmt":"2024-04-07T15:59:49","slug":"sustainable-living","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bluerockstation.com\/virtual-classroom\/sustainable-living\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainable Living"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are about as many definitions of sustainability as there are people who decide to try to define “sustainable.” Leave things as you found them (but what happens if you found a mess?). Pack out what you pack in (maybe). Leave the planet in better shape for the next generation… and so on. Some ideas to ponder.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Download book for free…<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We asked ourselves, what would happen if we went a whole month without spending money?  And what if we limited our consumption even further, reducing our use of energy down to almost nothing?  How would it affect us? What would we learn about ourselves and life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January, 2012 we embarked on this experiment.  The household at Blue Rock Station went cold turkey.  And it was amazing right from the start!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can follow the chronicle through words and pictures of that first year of our \u201cThanks for Nothing\u201d month (31 days of giving thanks for consuming as little as possible).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustainable Living Podcasts…<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Living in an Earthship<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n
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What is it like to live in an Earthship (a home made of tires, bottles, mud and assorted garbage)?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did we decide to move from a comfortable home in suburbia to build a house made of trash – and then move there permanently?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does it all work, harvesting its own water, composting its waste, heating itself naturally? And why is it so darn comfortable? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living in an Age of Instability (You Will be Green)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It feels like everything is out of control.  It is indeed the end of the world as we know it… and thank God.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understand why systems that we have relied upon for decades simply will not work in the current and coming reality. Get a glimpse as to why sustainable living will not only be the new normal – but you will love it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living with Zero Utilities<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Imagine no electric bill.  What if there was no gas, water, sewer, heating or cooling bills as well? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How much money do you need to live – if the cost of shelter is almost nothing? Is this a fantasy, or can it become your reality? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philosophy of Enough (Voluntary Simplicity)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It is the American Dream.  Accumulate more and more and die with the most toys.  We are told it is a problem if the stock market goes down. We are told that each year our household, our companies, our economy must produce and consume more and more. But why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you get off the merry-go-round of consumption and be happy with what you have. How can you embrace the philosophy of enough?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Politics of Sustainability<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can’t fix the system because it ain’t broken.  Sustainability is political. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are deeply ingrained systems in place designed to keep things just as they are. Unrestrained consumption makes a lot of money for a privileged few. When you decide to change your lifestyle – there will be push back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what are these politics and how can you navigate through them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is the World Sustainable?<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We are in a great hurry to go nowhere.  Shop til you drop and live your life staring at your phone.  Is this a sustainable way of life?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s step back for a moment and take a look at where we are, how we got here, and where we are going. Is our current path sustainable? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if not, just what will a sustainable world look like?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustainable Celebrations<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Formal celebrations are an important way to mark life’s milestones.  Each year we celebrate birthdays, seasonal holidays, religious holidays, anniversaries, commemorations, life milestones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet it seems that nearly every celebration has been hijacked by our consumer culture, turning a quiet time of reflection into a shopping spree – graded by how much you spend, eat or drink. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is this our only option, or are there better ways to celebrate milestones in life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why We Built an Earthship<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n
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What led to us to build an earthship in the hills of Appalachian Ohio? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What strange compulsion resulted in our quitting our jobs, chucking the goals and aspirations of middle-class American life and moving to the middle of nowhere to forge a new reality in a house made mostly of old tires?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what is stranger yet – why do we still have not a single regret after living this way for nearly 20 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conscious Consumption (Voluntary Simplicity)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For three months each year, Jay and Annie Warmke of Blue Rock Station<\/a> avoid spending any money for anything.  Their annual “Thanks for Nothing” season is a time to slow down and be aware. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As it turns out, this annual season of slowing down and not shopping has been good practice for the current situation we all face. Find out what lessons we learned in practicing voluntary simplicity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustaining Optimism<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How can you stay happy and optimistic in a world that seems bent on bringing you down?  We are all in this for the long haul (hopefully). And that means keeping a positive attitude in the middle of a negative downpour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Easier said than done. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you remain hopeful and happy when the media and those around you are providing a constant background noise of negative chatter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aging Sustainably<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We all age – at least the lucky among us.  Yet our society treats aging as a disease, and the systems created to “help” are for the most part insane.  How can we age gracefully and sustainably? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The art of aging successfully and sustainable involves a balanced mix of fun, work, purpose, emotional support – and most of all, shutting out the constant message that you are old and need to sit down and begin to die. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Future of Sustainability<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We all know the major systems in our society – communication, fuel, transportation, food, housing, economy – are dependent on unsustainable foundations.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How will these systems evolve to meet the challenges of a world with limited resources?  Join Annie and Jay Warmke from Blue Rock Station<\/a> for a discussion of sustainable living in the real world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustaining Diversity (in a world bent on sameness)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The corporate monoculture is reducing food options.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The media is bent on a steady diet to sameness – celebrity, scandal, and tragedy.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do we encourage, embrace and celebrate diversity in our homes, lives, culture and planet?  As the scholar said, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living a Net Zero Lifestyle<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We have heard of net zero energy.  Net zero construction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the heart of sustainability is seeking to live a net zero life.  How do you get through this life with as little adverse impact on the generations that follow?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is not just about the house you live in, or the car you drive, or the food you eat. Sustainability is a complete and total lifestyle choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning to Thrive<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With so many of us simply trying to figure out how to get by – how can you actually thrive in a society that seems bent on bringing you down?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n