That is, the DVD, THE END OF SUBURBIA: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of The American Dream arrived yesterday. We haven’t had a chance to watch it yet but I hope to do so this week. Probably not today since I work late.
Biodiesel plans
Nothing much going on right now. The bell peppers are still developing out on the porch – the last remnant of the porch garden. We’re planning to get a biodiesel vehicle later this year or early next year. I’d like to get a VW Rabbit Pickup or a Toyota SR5 diesel pickup. The Toyota would be nice if I can find one (at a price I can afford). It’s possible we might end up getting a car instead of a pickup. We’ll have to wait and see. If we get a car first we’ll still probably get a pickup later on.
Voted!
I voted this morning. Our ballots are mailed and arrived on Saturday. It’s time for a change. I’ve been seeing people in large numbers at work coming in to register to vote. I hope we see Bush out of the White House. I’ll have to wait and see. Elections are different for us these days. We unplugged the cable years and years ago. Now we get our news from sources all around the world online. Not only the network opinions but all sorts of opinions. We’ve disconnected ourselves as much as possible from the culture of fear.
The End Of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of The American Dream
After reading at Path to Freedom about their screening of this documentary I knew I wanted to see it. There aren’t any screenings near us so I took the next step and ordered a copy of the DVD. Now I’m just waiting for it to arrive. Too bad it wasn’t available to view online. I wonder if the film makers even considered online viewing as an option? That would also eliminate the shipping requirements (just thinking of all of those UPS/Post service/FedEx, however they ship it, trucks driving around). Do any of the shipping companies use vehicles fueled by renewable resources?
Homesteading means many things to different people. I always liked the tagline for BackHome Magazine “Your hands-on guide to sustainable living”. To me that’s what is about, sustainable living. A way of life that we can sustain. When you start asking if something can be sustained then the answer often turns out to be “no”. Even something as simple as cooking/fixing meals at home continues to decline. In a study I read recently, but done in 2001, they said that only 32% of single-family households prepared two or more meals at home! There are tons and tons of statistics that can be looked at and they all say the same thing, this can’t go on. Despite that there is no national motivation to change the direction we’re going. People are in a speeding car heading at the cliff. They’re laughing, playing the music loud, but there are too many people in the car and some can hardly move. Those hanging out the sun roof are standing on the others and don’t see a problem. Once in awhile someone’s face gets pressed to the window and they see the cliff but no one seems to hear. After all there isn’t even really a driver. If they cooperated maybe they could turn off the engine, step on the brake and open the doors. Will they? Will we?
Sustainable living begins at home. We have to find ways to be as self-sustaining as possible and then help our neighbors.
End of Suburbia, I hope, will be an interested documentary we can share with others. In reading about the movie I noticed that they are speaking to a number of authors of books that I’m planning to read. The more I learn the better I can figure out what to do next.
For the record, I’m 33 years old this year and I have never owned a car. That wouldn’t be unusual in most of the world but in America it is not common. We do plan to get a vehicle later this year or early next but I also plan to convert the vehicle to electric. We may keep a combustion engine vehicle but plan to fuel it with renewable fuels like SVO or biodiesel. And, just like living off the electrical grid, we’ll conserve our use of the vehicles.
Thai Pink Egg tomatoes update
This morning I removed the Thai Pink Egg tomatoes. The plants had been infected by some sort of blight that had the stems and leaves withering up. I harvested the last of the ripe tomatoes or ones that looked like they would ripen. I haven’t weighed it yet, but probably another 4-6 pounds of tomatoes. With the boxes cleaned up the porch looks a lot more open now. I just have the bell peppers left from the 2004 Porch Garden.
Bell pepper, frog spotted
We spotted another small frog among the fading remains of our Thai Pink Egg Tomato plant. Sadly the plants will be removed soon and with them the shelter the frogs have been used too. But the worms in the worm bin will be happy to get some more tomato plants!
The bell peppers continue to develop although a couple have been nibbled on by something. Still, they seem to be doing well.
