Low Impact Living
This is a principle central to the concept of ecological footprint. In contemporary calculations of ecological footprint (see that section), account is taken of resources used from the biosphere, whatever their source. Low impact living incorporates that concept, but focuses on what can be done in the home holding (or eco-village) to provide for necessities without requiring dependence on outside sources.
1. The Low Impact Living Initiative
As I was starting work on the subject 'house holding', I was pondering the 'older' definitions and significance of that term, and that of 'holdings' as well. I went on a search, and was led to 'small holdings', and thence to the following website for the 'Low Impact Living Initiative'.
http://lowimpact.org/index.htm
This is the real deal. I have been learning, and continue to learn, everything I can for flexibility and and adaptability, for survival and sustainable living. When I found these website, I experienced that happiness that comes from understanding 'I am not alone'. If you look, you can find so much online for learning, what we need to learn.
I am not trying to 're-invent the wheel', or present myself as an expert, but rather participate in the sharing of resources. And this is a massive collection. The following is the topic list from the 'Low Impact Living Initiative';
'Big Picture' environment, politics, economics, development etc.
Shelter building, renovation, straw-bale, rammed earth, cob, timber, tipis,
yurts, earth ships, natural paints, lime, roofing etc.
Energy saving it, peak oil, solar, wind, wood, bio-gas, pedal-power, etc.
Food and Drink preparing, preserving, cooking, vegetarianism, veg boxes,
farmers' markets, home brewing, cheese making etc.
Land gardening, smallholding, planning, trees, hedges, livestock, poultry,
bees, compost, orchards etc.
Water saving it, moving it, rainwater harvesting, compost toilets,
waterless urinals, grey water, ponds, reed beds etc.
Transport getting about sustainably - public transport, car sharing, biodiesel,
veg oil, motoring, cycling etc.
Wild Things bush craft, wild food, camping, bow-making, wildlife, outdoor pursuits,
fishing, game, woodlands etc.
Home and Crafts furniture, fittings, crafts, DIY, waste & recycling, computing,
natural cleaners, green shopping etc.
People babies, body care, herbal remedies, natural soaps, essential oils,
green funerals, jewellery, clothes etc.
Society culture, communities, money & trade, LETS systems,
education, eco-holidays, local groups etc.
I have not yet (at the time of this writing) had time to look at all their topics; but am very glad to see the material on 'Yurts', as I hope to build one this summer.
This website is the work of the Redfield Community. To quote an excerpt from their website,
'...Redfield is an Intentional Community situated in North Buckinghamshire, England. The house is a large old mansion with 17 acres of gardens, woodland and pasture surrounded by farmland.' This community has been functioning and evolving since 1978.
The website for the community is;
http://www.redfieldcommunity.org.uk/
2. From the Lammas Ecovillage in Pembrokeshire, England
'...To live a low-impact lifestyle is to live lightly on the earth.
In essence, this means to intelligently and intensively manage our surrounding environment in order to maximise return (in the forms of energy, water, food, shelter and products) and minimise waste (through recycling, composting and energy efficient systems).
In practice, this means to adopt a land-based, simple, localised lifestyle that works with the land and natural cycles available to us.
In order to explore low-impact living, it is necessary to create an integrated system of dwellings and infrastructure able to support such a venture.'
http://www.lammas.org.uk/ (also discussed under 'intentional community'
In essence, this means to intelligently and intensively manage our surrounding environment in order to maximise return (in the forms of energy, water, food, shelter and products) and minimise waste (through recycling, composting and energy efficient systems).
In practice, this means to adopt a land-based, simple, localised lifestyle that works with the land and natural cycles available to us.
In order to explore low-impact living, it is necessary to create an integrated system of dwellings and infrastructure able to support such a venture.'
http://www.lammas.org.uk/ (also discussed under 'intentional community'
3. Smallholdings in Britain (from Wikipedia)
'...In British English usage, a smallholding is a piece of land and its adjacent living quarters for the smallholder and stabling for farm animals, on a smaller scale than that of a farm but larger than an allotment, usually under 50 acres (0.20 km2). It is often established for the breeding of farm animals on an organic basis on free-range pastures. Alternatively, the smallholder may concentrate on the growing of vegetables by various traditional methods or in a more modern way using plastic covers, 'poly tunnels' or cloches for quick growth.
'...Generally, a smallholding offers its owner a means of achieving self-sufficiency as to his and his family's own needs which he may be able to supplement by selling surplus produce at a farmer's market and/or temporary booths or more permanent shop facilities are often part of a smallholding.
'...In a separate development, so-called pick-your-own-fruit soft fruit (or vegetable) farms (farm being a convenient term rather than a reflection on its size) have appeared over the years in the vicinity of towns, which in type of management do belong to the category of smallholdings rather than farms. Pick your own Strawberries were pioneered in the UK by Ted Moult in 1961.
'...They usually consist of a large field which has been subdivided into strips of areas for fruit trees, shrubs or various types of vegetables, all the kinds of produce which come to ripen in their different seasons. In this type of establishment, once the initial layout and investment (in plants, trees, shrubs, etc.) has been completed, only the replanting of annual vegetables, the maintenance of perennials, the minimum weeding of the area needs to be undertaken, while the consumers themselves do their own harvesting. Additionally, of course, facilities have to be set up so that the customer may pay for the amount of produce they have been able to 'pick'.
You can see that the focus and the implication within this document is that production of food leads to an end product to be marketed to the public, not simply for personal needs. My experience in the US is that this immediately leads to the need to comply with regulations, licensure and inspection, all of which impose an incredible secondary burden on an operation. For me the shift of focus from production of food to satisfying the State is not acceptable, so I do not (at this time) sell what I produce.
'...Generally, a smallholding offers its owner a means of achieving self-sufficiency as to his and his family's own needs which he may be able to supplement by selling surplus produce at a farmer's market and/or temporary booths or more permanent shop facilities are often part of a smallholding.
'...In a separate development, so-called pick-your-own-fruit soft fruit (or vegetable) farms (farm being a convenient term rather than a reflection on its size) have appeared over the years in the vicinity of towns, which in type of management do belong to the category of smallholdings rather than farms. Pick your own Strawberries were pioneered in the UK by Ted Moult in 1961.
'...They usually consist of a large field which has been subdivided into strips of areas for fruit trees, shrubs or various types of vegetables, all the kinds of produce which come to ripen in their different seasons. In this type of establishment, once the initial layout and investment (in plants, trees, shrubs, etc.) has been completed, only the replanting of annual vegetables, the maintenance of perennials, the minimum weeding of the area needs to be undertaken, while the consumers themselves do their own harvesting. Additionally, of course, facilities have to be set up so that the customer may pay for the amount of produce they have been able to 'pick'.
You can see that the focus and the implication within this document is that production of food leads to an end product to be marketed to the public, not simply for personal needs. My experience in the US is that this immediately leads to the need to comply with regulations, licensure and inspection, all of which impose an incredible secondary burden on an operation. For me the shift of focus from production of food to satisfying the State is not acceptable, so I do not (at this time) sell what I produce.
4. Eco-Criteria
Proposed 'eco-criteria' from 'The Low Impact Living Initiative' (#1, above);
'...If LILI initiated a project, in partnership with a local authority somewhere in the country, to set up a land-based project consisting of small plots (5 acres or less), leased or sold to plot-holders, with planning permission to build a home, but with very strict eco-criteria regarding the building and the use of land - would you be interested?
If the project progressed, then there would be very strict legally-binding criteria attached to the plots, overseen by LILI and inspected by the local authority. We don't know exactly what these criteria would be yet, but here's a rough idea:
'...If LILI initiated a project, in partnership with a local authority somewhere in the country, to set up a land-based project consisting of small plots (5 acres or less), leased or sold to plot-holders, with planning permission to build a home, but with very strict eco-criteria regarding the building and the use of land - would you be interested?
If the project progressed, then there would be very strict legally-binding criteria attached to the plots, overseen by LILI and inspected by the local authority. We don't know exactly what these criteria would be yet, but here's a rough idea:
- land: must be used productively; organic; 20 trees planted per acre
- buildings: controls on size, height and appearance; local / natural materials; no cement
- electricity: off-grid - wind & solar
- heating: wood stoves, solar hot water, passive solar / thermal mass design, ground source heat pumps
- water: rainwater harvesting, springs
- sewage: compost toilets, reed beds, ponds, waste water for irrigation
- plus other conditions on waste, vehicles, and occupation of dwellings'