Sustainability

As the winter months creep in upon us and the cooler weather sets in, especially up here in Southern Ontario, a sign of the winter months; global warming takes on a different persona.

The nights are longer. The air is drier. And yes the cold is biting. It's the first week in December and the temperature has remained a few degree's above seasonal norms throughout the fall. So what does this mean for me and my notions of sustainability? Well to be perfectly honest it doesn't have much of a direct effect on me personally.

In my current urban living situation; I rent which includes utilities and I utilize public transportation.

But I realize that I don't live on a planet all to myself nor do I inhabit a residential/ community all to myself. So sustainability takes on a different subtext in my life. It encompasses the broader community. For instance even though I don't pay for utilities I still use them. And since making any major modifications to my current living environment is not encouraged I am very conscious of my water usage as well as my energy consumption (I collect rain water for my garden, fish, indoor plants, and some washing). I still buy the majority of my food from local organic Farmers Markets. I use organic and environmentally friendly cleaners. And like I mentioned in the above paragraph I take public transport or ride my bike when I can.

Included in my rental property is a small plot of land. I am taking complete advantage of this "green" opportunity. I have constructed no less then 3 compost areas. Two of which I have almost completely filled with organic vegetable matter both from my kitchen and from that which I carry in from outside. In the 3rd area I have combined cow manure with leaves and last years dead growth. I I realize that by taking these small measures I'm also helping to heal my city and world.

Sustainability in my current world view also incorporates an organic feed back relationship one modality into another. These loops enable growth and abundance but at a rate helps both the producer and the consumer view production more responsibly. A "superior" product is worth waiting for. More to come...

I will cover areas of health, both human and planetary, in following entries.

HTP