"It is better to sustain a small population indefinitely than to build up a large artificial population on an agricultural system of which the basic principle is its willingness to destroy itself."
-Wendell Berry
Showing posts with label giy-grow it yourself - organic lifestyle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label giy-grow it yourself - organic lifestyle. Show all posts
Monday, December 29, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
"Non-negotiable" by Heather Havey, M.A.
"Non-Negotiable" by Heather Havey, M.A.
Our bodies and our planet are filled with poisons, so I teach my clients to live by "The Nature Way." What that means is ORGANIC, NATURAL, WHOLE, RAW, LOCAL, and SEASONAL. It means keep life simple and close to nature. Grow your own food if you feel so inclined. Make your home a sacred space of natural beauty. Allow all the elements of Earth to heal and nourish you: sunlight, fresh air, fresh water, earth and her incredible plants, and God.
This is serious, people. What I hear from most people is endless, endless excuses. "I can't afford to be healthy...I don't have enough time...It's too hard..." Endless excuses and complaints.
But I have a lesson that has helped me so much in my own life. No more excuses. Create a list of non-negotiables for your life. For example, here are some non-negotiables that I have established for my own life:
So, grab a pen and paper and list for yourself those things you are deeply passionate about that you would like to consider "non-negotiables" in your life. Again, not to be a militant or rigid extremist. I do not mean this at all. Be fluid, be flexible, but be strong and passionate in your choices and actions - not wimpy.
In my opinion, the choice to eat only organic food is the most important choice for your diet. Pesticide is designed to kill, and it just keeps on killing. And killing. And killing. For generations.
© 2008 Heather Havey
To copy this article, please also copy this link with the article: "Non-Negotiable" by Heather Havey, M.A. or direct people to http://ourbelovedearth.blogspot.com or http://the-nature-way.blogspot.com. Aloha.
Our bodies and our planet are filled with poisons, so I teach my clients to live by "The Nature Way." What that means is ORGANIC, NATURAL, WHOLE, RAW, LOCAL, and SEASONAL. It means keep life simple and close to nature. Grow your own food if you feel so inclined. Make your home a sacred space of natural beauty. Allow all the elements of Earth to heal and nourish you: sunlight, fresh air, fresh water, earth and her incredible plants, and God.
This is serious, people. What I hear from most people is endless, endless excuses. "I can't afford to be healthy...I don't have enough time...It's too hard..." Endless excuses and complaints.
But I have a lesson that has helped me so much in my own life. No more excuses. Create a list of non-negotiables for your life. For example, here are some non-negotiables that I have established for my own life:
- I only eat organic food. I do not want to eat poison, have poison in my body, or support a way of farming that poisons the land, animals, plants, insects, and kills most life that ingests or touches it.
- I only eat vegan food. I do not want to support torture of animals.
- I eat 90% raw food. Some people would accuse me of making excuses for not being 100% raw, but I have found over the years that I prefer a diet that is 90-100% raw. In winter months, I drink warm teas and love warm broths. Other than that, I am raw.
- I deserve health and my choices will reflect that.
So, grab a pen and paper and list for yourself those things you are deeply passionate about that you would like to consider "non-negotiables" in your life. Again, not to be a militant or rigid extremist. I do not mean this at all. Be fluid, be flexible, but be strong and passionate in your choices and actions - not wimpy.
In my opinion, the choice to eat only organic food is the most important choice for your diet. Pesticide is designed to kill, and it just keeps on killing. And killing. And killing. For generations.
© 2008 Heather Havey
To copy this article, please also copy this link with the article: "Non-Negotiable" by Heather Havey, M.A. or direct people to http://ourbelovedearth.blogspot.com or http://the-nature-way.blogspot.com. Aloha.
Friday, November 21, 2008
FOOD NOT LAWNS: A Better Way to Live - by Heather Havey M.A.
FOOD NOT LAWNS: A better Way to Live by Heather Havey, M.A.
The idea of the neatly-manicured, grass-dominated "lawn" was popularized by wealthy families in 18th century Europe. Most people could not imagine wasting so much space. While a lawn looks sparce, neat, or elegant, it is quite harmful for the environment in multiple ways:
(1) Destroys habitat for birds, animals, bees, beneficial insects, etc
(2) Contributes to global warming because people cut down most or all of the trees
(3) Wipes out such a wonderful opportunity to grow your own organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, or any food-bearing, beautiful plants.
(4) Lawn care maintenance is time-consuming and also pollutes via lawnmower fumes, leafblower fumes, and the application of deadly poisons (pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc) which kill not only weeds but also bees, insects, butterflies, birds, animals, and eventually humans.
(5) Is visually boring compared to the endless beauty of growing a diverse yard filled with food-bearing plants, shrubs, trees, flowers, and so on that COULD fill your yard.
"Food Not Lawns" is a movement that began in the northwest US by a group of dedicated, Earth-loving, caring people who realized that our popular notions of yard care simply do not support a healthy planet. Many people around the country are beginning to realize these lessons and making the change-0ver to sustainable, natural living.
What we have to realize is that our current way of living is destructive and not sustainable. We face limited and greatly diminishing natural resources on all levels of life, and if we do not change our ways, then we will lose more than half (or more) of species on this planet and we will also contribute to more human suffering, starvation, and disease through promoting and choosing destructive patterns.
Now that we know a better way, let us choose it.
Not only is it a better, healthier way, but it is also a more beautiful way.
And there is NOTHING so wonderful as watching your own plants grow from seed or from babies, taller and stronger into strong adult plants. Even more so, to walk out into your yard and pick your own organic vegetables or fruits, that you have nurtured with water and compost and sunlight and love, to eat at your table, fills your day and your whole meal with such gratitude and love.
So let us all begin to live closer to nature. If you have a lawn, you are so lucky! Because now you can convert it into a living, thriving, healthy, diverse and beautiful garden - a paradise right in your own yard.
Send your friends & loved ones earth-friendly ecards!
© 2008 Heather Havey
For more information, please see www.ourbelovedearth.com or www.peacethroughkindness.com.
Share this article: Food Not Lawns: A Better Way To Live by copying and pasting this link into your email or on your site.
The idea of the neatly-manicured, grass-dominated "lawn" was popularized by wealthy families in 18th century Europe. Most people could not imagine wasting so much space. While a lawn looks sparce, neat, or elegant, it is quite harmful for the environment in multiple ways:
(1) Destroys habitat for birds, animals, bees, beneficial insects, etc
(2) Contributes to global warming because people cut down most or all of the trees
(3) Wipes out such a wonderful opportunity to grow your own organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, or any food-bearing, beautiful plants.
(4) Lawn care maintenance is time-consuming and also pollutes via lawnmower fumes, leafblower fumes, and the application of deadly poisons (pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc) which kill not only weeds but also bees, insects, butterflies, birds, animals, and eventually humans.
(5) Is visually boring compared to the endless beauty of growing a diverse yard filled with food-bearing plants, shrubs, trees, flowers, and so on that COULD fill your yard.
"Food Not Lawns" is a movement that began in the northwest US by a group of dedicated, Earth-loving, caring people who realized that our popular notions of yard care simply do not support a healthy planet. Many people around the country are beginning to realize these lessons and making the change-0ver to sustainable, natural living.
What we have to realize is that our current way of living is destructive and not sustainable. We face limited and greatly diminishing natural resources on all levels of life, and if we do not change our ways, then we will lose more than half (or more) of species on this planet and we will also contribute to more human suffering, starvation, and disease through promoting and choosing destructive patterns.
Now that we know a better way, let us choose it.
Not only is it a better, healthier way, but it is also a more beautiful way.
And there is NOTHING so wonderful as watching your own plants grow from seed or from babies, taller and stronger into strong adult plants. Even more so, to walk out into your yard and pick your own organic vegetables or fruits, that you have nurtured with water and compost and sunlight and love, to eat at your table, fills your day and your whole meal with such gratitude and love.
So let us all begin to live closer to nature. If you have a lawn, you are so lucky! Because now you can convert it into a living, thriving, healthy, diverse and beautiful garden - a paradise right in your own yard.
Send your friends & loved ones earth-friendly ecards!
© 2008 Heather Havey
For more information, please see www.ourbelovedearth.com or www.peacethroughkindness.com.
Share this article: Food Not Lawns: A Better Way To Live by copying and pasting this link into your email or on your site.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Simple Ways To Afford Your Green Lifestyle! - by Heather Havey, M.A.
Simple Ways to Afford Your Green Lifestyle! - by Heather Havey, M.A.
The economy may be challenged, and our own wallets may also be challenged, during these times. However, we still would like to eat right. It is more important than simply a desire to eat well; it is a non-negotiable. It is your Life we are talking about!
That said, the NUMBER ONE excuse that I hear from people is that they "can't afford to eat healthy." I have a few responses to this that I hope will really help us all!
So you understand where I am coming from: We are all in this together, and I feel your pain. I live as a monk, a very simple lifestyle with very few possessions and low income, and I understand the challenges that can be presented for our wallets in this endeavor towards healthy, holy living. But, we can do it! Here are some helpful tips...
(1) Pay now, or pay later! You can pay a little more now for organic produce and natural foods lifestyle, or you will pay later in feeling tired, feeling bad, and having high medical bill potentials.
(2) Buy local, from farmers...or grow your own organic vegetables/fruits. Local farmers are going to charge you significantly less for their products than you would pay in a grocery store, health food store, or coop. So seek out your local organic farmers, CSA farms (Community Supported Agriculture), and so on. Another option is to grow your own organic vegetable garden. Local foods do not have to be shipped cross country or around the world, so they can be sold to you much cheaper. It is okay to choose local produce that does not have organic certification, as long as they grew them "unsprayed" (without applying pesticides).
(3) Plant fruit and nut trees all over your property. Not only will this make the birds and squirrels happy, but trees protect smaller shrubs and crops from harsh weather conditions, and provide healthy habitat for many types of life. Also, you will get hundreds of fruits each year off of every single healthy tree. Planting trees helps not only your and your family, helps not only the animals and plants, but it also helps the world to combat greenhouse gases and global warming! Trees release more Oxygen into the atmosphere, and we are clear-cutting the entire planet right now. WE DESPERATELY NEED TREES! And they will lower your grocery bills! If you have enough trees, you could even sell your fruits and nuts locally, and MAKE money off your trees.
(4) Buy bulk! Bulk bins make items SO much more affordable, and they give us the double benefit of saving on packaging materials and plastic bags. Many, many items - ranging from cereals, beans, grains, chocolates and desserts, herbs, spices, honey, nut butters, and even household items like soaps, shampoos, and cleaning products are available at health food stores in bulk bins.
(5) Eat Natural Foods. Though organic foods may SEEM expensive, really they are a much better deal than conventional produce. The reason for this is that they are far higher in nutritional value than conventional produce, so you get far more nutrition for your penny. Also, they have no poisons within them, so they are not filling your muscle tissues with small amounts of poison that build up over time to break down your health. Also, the most expensive food choices out there tend to be the most highly processed, and least healthy, ones. So when you go shopping, simply choose the most natural, whole, raw, and organic choices that you can.
Some ideas include eating fruit salad, vegetable salads, smoothies, juices, and sandwiches or wraps that you make yourself at home. These options are endless, are all natural, support your own health and the health of the planet, and cost less overall. Meat and dairy are the most expensive choices out there that you can make.
(6) Adopt a vegetarian or vegan diet. Diet is a personal choice that everyone must make, but veg choices are the healthiest and the most afforable choices out there.
(7) Grow your own food. It is actually very easy to grow food. It does not take much time after you set things up. All you really need is a small pot or seed sprouting tray, some basic soil, a little soil nutrient (organic fertilizer or compost or manure compost), seeds, and love. You can grow quite a few things indoors. Pepper plants (bell, or jalapeno, or other types) grow very beautifully and well indoors. So do most herbs and many other plants. I am currently even growing starfruit trees all over my room because it is too cold at nights for baby trees where I live right now. Plants need sunlight, water every few days, nutrients occasionally, and love. With half an acre of land, you could grow enough food for six families or more. A little land, and a little love for it, can go a LONG way. To get started, get some organic or heirloom seeds from Seeds of Change.
(8) Prepare your food at home rather than eating out. You will save a lot of money doing this - on gas, on tips, on restaurant food costs, and so on. It is easy, it is fun, and it is a wonderful bonding experience to either cook for your family/friends or cook with your family/friends.
(9) Bring your lunch to work/school rather than eating out there. You can ensure that you eat much more healthy choices this way, and it will cost you far less than it would to eat out everyday at work or school.
(10) Live simply, and eat simply. The more simple the meals you make, the less they will cost. Also, simpler meals tend to be healthier meals. The simplest and easiest lifestyle, and one of the world's healthiest, is to be an organic raw foodist grazer. This means that you eat only raw, organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grains, and you simply snack on items whenever you feel like it. Your body will become cleaner and healthier, you will feel more energy, and you will lose weight if you need to. You will feel great. Simplicity and quality are the keys.
(11) Love, Love, Love. This is the answer for everything: for your own body and health, for the plants and trees and wildlife, for our friends and family, for the soil, for the entire world. The more we live with love and regard for others in our hearts, the happier and healthier our worlds will be. And best news yet! Love is totally free and an unlimited resource.
Aloha, have a blessed day, Heather Havey
© 2008 Heather Havey
For more information, please see www.ourbelovedearth.com or www.peacethroughkindness.com.
Please send ecards to your friends and family.
The economy may be challenged, and our own wallets may also be challenged, during these times. However, we still would like to eat right. It is more important than simply a desire to eat well; it is a non-negotiable. It is your Life we are talking about!
That said, the NUMBER ONE excuse that I hear from people is that they "can't afford to eat healthy." I have a few responses to this that I hope will really help us all!
So you understand where I am coming from: We are all in this together, and I feel your pain. I live as a monk, a very simple lifestyle with very few possessions and low income, and I understand the challenges that can be presented for our wallets in this endeavor towards healthy, holy living. But, we can do it! Here are some helpful tips...
(1) Pay now, or pay later! You can pay a little more now for organic produce and natural foods lifestyle, or you will pay later in feeling tired, feeling bad, and having high medical bill potentials.
(2) Buy local, from farmers...or grow your own organic vegetables/fruits. Local farmers are going to charge you significantly less for their products than you would pay in a grocery store, health food store, or coop. So seek out your local organic farmers, CSA farms (Community Supported Agriculture), and so on. Another option is to grow your own organic vegetable garden. Local foods do not have to be shipped cross country or around the world, so they can be sold to you much cheaper. It is okay to choose local produce that does not have organic certification, as long as they grew them "unsprayed" (without applying pesticides).
(3) Plant fruit and nut trees all over your property. Not only will this make the birds and squirrels happy, but trees protect smaller shrubs and crops from harsh weather conditions, and provide healthy habitat for many types of life. Also, you will get hundreds of fruits each year off of every single healthy tree. Planting trees helps not only your and your family, helps not only the animals and plants, but it also helps the world to combat greenhouse gases and global warming! Trees release more Oxygen into the atmosphere, and we are clear-cutting the entire planet right now. WE DESPERATELY NEED TREES! And they will lower your grocery bills! If you have enough trees, you could even sell your fruits and nuts locally, and MAKE money off your trees.
(4) Buy bulk! Bulk bins make items SO much more affordable, and they give us the double benefit of saving on packaging materials and plastic bags. Many, many items - ranging from cereals, beans, grains, chocolates and desserts, herbs, spices, honey, nut butters, and even household items like soaps, shampoos, and cleaning products are available at health food stores in bulk bins.
(5) Eat Natural Foods. Though organic foods may SEEM expensive, really they are a much better deal than conventional produce. The reason for this is that they are far higher in nutritional value than conventional produce, so you get far more nutrition for your penny. Also, they have no poisons within them, so they are not filling your muscle tissues with small amounts of poison that build up over time to break down your health. Also, the most expensive food choices out there tend to be the most highly processed, and least healthy, ones. So when you go shopping, simply choose the most natural, whole, raw, and organic choices that you can.
Some ideas include eating fruit salad, vegetable salads, smoothies, juices, and sandwiches or wraps that you make yourself at home. These options are endless, are all natural, support your own health and the health of the planet, and cost less overall. Meat and dairy are the most expensive choices out there that you can make.
(6) Adopt a vegetarian or vegan diet. Diet is a personal choice that everyone must make, but veg choices are the healthiest and the most afforable choices out there.
(7) Grow your own food. It is actually very easy to grow food. It does not take much time after you set things up. All you really need is a small pot or seed sprouting tray, some basic soil, a little soil nutrient (organic fertilizer or compost or manure compost), seeds, and love. You can grow quite a few things indoors. Pepper plants (bell, or jalapeno, or other types) grow very beautifully and well indoors. So do most herbs and many other plants. I am currently even growing starfruit trees all over my room because it is too cold at nights for baby trees where I live right now. Plants need sunlight, water every few days, nutrients occasionally, and love. With half an acre of land, you could grow enough food for six families or more. A little land, and a little love for it, can go a LONG way. To get started, get some organic or heirloom seeds from Seeds of Change.
(8) Prepare your food at home rather than eating out. You will save a lot of money doing this - on gas, on tips, on restaurant food costs, and so on. It is easy, it is fun, and it is a wonderful bonding experience to either cook for your family/friends or cook with your family/friends.
(9) Bring your lunch to work/school rather than eating out there. You can ensure that you eat much more healthy choices this way, and it will cost you far less than it would to eat out everyday at work or school.
(10) Live simply, and eat simply. The more simple the meals you make, the less they will cost. Also, simpler meals tend to be healthier meals. The simplest and easiest lifestyle, and one of the world's healthiest, is to be an organic raw foodist grazer. This means that you eat only raw, organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grains, and you simply snack on items whenever you feel like it. Your body will become cleaner and healthier, you will feel more energy, and you will lose weight if you need to. You will feel great. Simplicity and quality are the keys.
(11) Love, Love, Love. This is the answer for everything: for your own body and health, for the plants and trees and wildlife, for our friends and family, for the soil, for the entire world. The more we live with love and regard for others in our hearts, the happier and healthier our worlds will be. And best news yet! Love is totally free and an unlimited resource.
Aloha, have a blessed day, Heather Havey
© 2008 Heather Havey
For more information, please see www.ourbelovedearth.com or www.peacethroughkindness.com.
Please send ecards to your friends and family.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
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