Produced by
Patti Moreno
Contributor to:
What is Urban Sustainable Living?
It dawned on me, that since we met, you have been hearing me use the term "urban sustainable living." I say it all the time because I really believe in it. Perhaps you don't yet know what it means. Let me explain. Urban Sustainable Living is simply a holistic approach to living "sustainably" in our fast-paced, often wasteful urban and suburban lifestyles. USL incorporates permaculture design principles to manage natural processes that can directly benefit our families and our larger community.
How can we practice USL?
You already do. Because you are a gardener, you are already managing waste and redirecting resources to places that need it. For example, my raised beds have multiple uses. Not only do they house my plants, they provide food for my family and the same structures also provide shelter for my livestock. Because the chicken tractors are built without floors, not only do they house my livestock which provide my family with fresh eggs, the chicken waste also tills my soil, making it completely unnecessary for me to have to clean up after them. We are all in place, doing what needs to be done.
Growing your own vegetables is taking the first step towards sustainable living. If you are able to provide just one fresh meal for your family per day for just six months out of the year, you are partially sustaining your own family. Imagine if everyone did that.
To live a sustainable life is critical for the planet. We have all read the accounts of the collapse of great civilizations. Why does that happen? These civilizations could not sustain themselves. We can. You are already making the right steps towards a brighter future for your children and their children. Bravo!
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