{"id":3132,"date":"2008-06-25T06:00:10","date_gmt":"2008-06-25T12:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145705.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=3132"},"modified":"2008-06-25T06:00:10","modified_gmt":"2008-06-25T12:00:10","slug":"sustainable-by-necessity-traditional-lifestyles-in-the-modern-environmental-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-by-necessity-traditional-lifestyles-in-the-modern-environmental-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainable by Necessity: Traditional Lifestyles in the Modern Environmental Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Throughout my life, I have had the extreme good fortune of having a close relationship with my paternal grandmother. She is one of the kindest, most caring individuals I have ever known, and I owe her so much–for practically raising me, for helping me out in multiple ways, and for just being a guiding spirit by her simple presence in my life.<\/p>\n

But even more fortunate for me, my grandmother grew up on what you may as well call a “farm” in Waynesboro, Virginia, which is (well…”was” may be more accurate nowadays) a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She was born in the mid-1920s and lived at home with a big old Appalachian family until she married my grandfather in the ’40s.<\/p>\n

I mention all of these biographical tidbits (sorry to reveal your age, grandma!) to provide the context and background for my main point. Having grown up in this sort of an environment, my grandmother has enriched my life with countless stories of what life was like for her and her family in a time without the modern conveniences we rely on and take for granted–including electricity!!!<\/em> Yes, people actually survived<\/em>, even thrived without that wonderful force that magically comes out of the wall outlets when you plug something in, that brightens your room when you flick a switch, or that makes driving a little bit safer with traffic lights and so forth.<\/p>\n

But I digress. From my childhood up to my last visit, I frequently sit with her as she reminisces, for she has some outrageous and amazing stories to share. My interest has grown ever keener, though, as I have become more involved in environmentalism and have tried to live as sustainably as possible. So I have prodded her to open up her mental treasure trove of memories and dig out lovely items for me again and again…which always proves as enjoyable for her as it does for me.<\/p>\n

Why does any of this matter to you, dear (green) reader? Because many of those knee-slappin’ stories from the home-place contain absolute jewels of sustainability, things that glimmer like emeralds (you know, the green gems) waiting for us modern treasure hunters to pick up and put to use. Here are a few things I found most useful, hilarious, and\/or praiseworthy:<\/p>\n