Green/Self-Sustainable Lifestyle Forum Brainstorming thread

[Carmella]

Hey guys,

Some of you have expressed the interest in having a new section on self-sufficiency and that sort of thing. It's totally in the realm of possibilities, we just need your help as to how we could set it up. Any ideas about sub-sections this forum could be divided up into? Ex: Organic gardening, Alternative building technology, etc.

Just post them here...

[Raw Vegan Mama]

Just to clarify, before I post...

Will this be the "green" section? Self-Sustainable Lifestyles and a little bit of everything else "environmental"????

[Carmella]

You know, that's a great point!

They were gonna be different sections, but the thing of it is, we could team these up. WDYT?

[rothamerica]

I think it's a great idea. I know I've got lots of material in many different areas that I've built upon for years, but I am always looking for new info and experiences from others too. Why not add Green issues as well. Golly, if our self sufficiency isn't green, we're doing it all wrong. LOL!

[rothamerica]

Gosh...alot of topics we could start with:

Solar Energy
Wind Energy
Electric Cars
Herbs
Making Tinctures
First Aid
Culinary and Medicinal Gardens
Log Homes
Community Gatherings
Green Activism
Recycling

And the list can always grow. Any help you need, let me know. I'm just dying to help others be as self sufficient as possible.

[Raw Vegan Mama]

Originally Posted by rothamerica

Golly, if our self sufficiency isn't green, we're doing it all wrong. LOL!

Ain't that the truth! heehee!

[Raw Vegan Mama]

I had a whole brainstorm typed out (no backup) and my baby erased it in 2 seconds. Hmmmm...

I guess I will try again later! LOL!

[rothamerica]

You gotta love the little ones! The future of raw...

[Danny_banany]

How about something like:

Alternative Energy/power (home or general? not sure..)
-solar
-wind
-passive solar
-radient heat
-Pro's and con's of different methods

Alternative/Earth friendly transportation
-hybrids
-plug-in hybrids
-bio-diesel
-public transportation, buses, trolly's, sky trains, monorails
-electric vehicles; cars, trucks, personal vehicles (like golf-cart size stuff), mopeds, bicycles, public trans like monorails here?
-man power; walking, biking
-pro's and con's of different used and proposed methods (corn ethonal? is BAD news!!)

Natural medicine/healing and hygiene
-herbs
-homeopathy
-Traditional Chinese Medicine
-Massage
-Foods, supplements, "super foods"
-Fasting, cleansing
-Meditation
-natural body care; toothpaste, make-up, soaps, shampoo
-alternative practitioners (low chemical dentist's)
-personal stories of healing

Organic Gardening
-fertalizers
-pest control
-crop rotation
-plants that help/hinder each other (basil + tomatoes)
-what works best in what zone
-how to extend growing seasons
-composting
-where to get supplies, seeds etc

Environmental Homes
-earth friendly building supplies and sources (new homes, renovations)
-How to/do it yourself -clay paint, eg.
-energy efficient appliances
-how to reduce your energy consumption (from solar to thermal curtains)
-reduce your water consumption
-healthy home furnishings
-home health hazards to be aware of?
Building New
-straw bale
-reclaimed lumber
-adobe
-rammed earth
-cement
-post and beam (I don't think this is what it is called but I don't remember the real term )

All about Animals
-Raw Pets
-Inhumane treatment and how to help stop it
-I think Erica's input here would be best

Pollution and what you can do
-all about plastics
-paper
-buy second hand! (resources; freecycle etc)
-clean water
-clean air (minimize car trips to buying an air purifier)

Make your voice heard!
-Petitions/Activism about:
-Animal rights
-Pollution; air, water, earth,
-International practices; fair trade, child labor, pesticides/industrial pollution,
-FOOD!!
-Land; parks, mines, dams



And now my baby is awake and I have to go!!

[Raw Vegan Mama]

Danny -- What a fantastic brainstorm! Woohoo!

And your baby didn't erase yours! lol!

[Carmella]

Hey Danny!

So good to have you among us again!

And wow! What a come-back!

What an incredible job you've done! I've only looked at it briefly, and I'm not very knowledgeable about Environment, etc. but a couple of ideas came up for alternative building. We could add stackwood and fidobe (fibrous adobe) to your list. Don and I were gonna make a home using these techniques but the project got side-tracked...

Woo-Hoo, you guys! This sub-forum is starting to cook (or uncook rather! )

Keep the ideas coming!

[rothamerica]

Sounds awesome, Danny. Great thoughts.

[Raw Vegan Mama]

Alright folks, I put all of our ideas (rothamerica, danny-banany, Carmella & me) in an outline form, much like we did when creating the kids section. It is totally a work in progress, meant to be changed, moved around, added to, and deleted from! (This is why it is brainstorming! )

I tried to think of this in terms of a working board, and tried to think of where would I look to find certain topics. I also tried to condense into section as much as possible. Sometimes too many areas ends up being too confusing! Or, maybe I am just blonde! LOL!


Put your 2-cents in & let's make this section ROCK!!!!

The Green, Self Sustainable Lifestyle Forum

Sustainable Living
-The Trading Post (Including: DIY, Bartering, Trading, Freecycling, Foraging, Salvaging, Sharing Trades & Skills, Reclaimed Lumber)
-Growing Your Own Organic Food (Including: Composting, All things gardening, Etc.)

Green Energy: From Solar Energy to Radiant Heat, Discuss it Here (Including: Solar & Passive Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Radiant Heat, Hydro Electric)

Green Transportation: From Electric Cars to Biodiesel, Discuss it Here (Including: Electric Cars, Biodiesel/Clean Diesel, Hybrid & Plug-In Hybrids Cars, Man Power & Public Transit)

Green Dwellings: From Straw Bale to Envelope Homes, Discuss it Here (Including: Log Homes, Straw Bale Homes, Abode Homes, Rammed Earth Homes, Cement Homes, Post and Beam/Barn Homes, StackWood Homes, Fidobe (Fibrous Adobe) Homes, Envelope Homes)

Green Households: All things for Living a Greener Life (including: Energy Efficient Appliances, Green Cleaning Options, Healthy Home Furnishings, Home Health Hazards, Greening Your Home Resources, Recycling, Reusing & Reducing Your Footprint)

Green Activism: Being the Change in the World
-Human Rights (Including:Pollution, International Practices, FOOD, Land)
-Animal Rights (Including Intro to Veganism)
-Volunteering Your Time & Community Gatherings
-Green Activism Resources

Holistic Living: A Natural Approach
-Natural Medicine, Healing & Hygiene (Including: Herbs, Homeopathy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Massage, Etc.)
-Natural Living for Pets (Including: Food & Diet -Raw, BARF Diet, etc., Health & Grooming)

Green Forum Resources: Books, Magazines, Links, Forums and more

[Danny_banany]

Awsome job!
Thank you RVM!!

I wonder if Self-sufficiency and gardening will need to be joined or linked some how because a large part of our dependence/independece is our food.

My other thought is things like knitting, weaving, carding, sewing, looms etc. for clothes etc is part of self-sufficiency.

Maybe the categories will be like food, clothes, trades/skills, bartering/freecycling, medicine like you said already, foraging, salvaging?

[Raw Vegan Mama]

Ok -- I updated the outline to reflect the lastest thoughts.

Any thoughts on how it looks?

With having all the different categories in SS part, it almost looks like it needs to be its own forum....Hmmm.. Maybe we can separate and combine things better/differently.....

WDYT??? (Yes, you, even you lurkers out there!) heehee!