{"id":3149,"date":"2008-06-30T16:51:21","date_gmt":"2008-06-30T22:51:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145705.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=3149"},"modified":"2008-06-30T16:51:21","modified_gmt":"2008-06-30T22:51:21","slug":"sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainable Living Rule #2: Have FUN"},"content":{"rendered":"

If the revolution isn’t fun, you’re doing it wrong.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I often wonder what people imagine when they hear I’m trying to live environmentally sustainably for three months<\/a>. \u00a0Do they picture me living in a tree, hunting rabbits and eating grass? \u00a0Do they think “oh, I could never do that for myself,” or do they think I’m lying?<\/p>\n

Sure, establishing and maintaining a sustainable lifestyle goes against the grain. \u00a0It can be draining, and it may not be possible to implement the chosen lifestyle modifications in your expected timeframe, which can be discouraging.<\/p>\n

\"\"But to innovate a way of living that is in keeping with your ideals can be the most empowering thing you ever do. \u00a0Sustainable living is creative–it will always require imagination and a good dose of gumption. \u00a0It gets you “out there,” doing new and radical things that you may have never thought you would do. \u00a0That, my friends, is living<\/em>!<\/p>\n

My two months of sustainable living so far have been rocky. \u00a0Sometimes I don’t eat as many calories as I should in one day. \u00a0I will skip meals–not because I’m trying to lose weight, but because the sustainable food choices aren’t accessible enough to me, either because I don’t feel like biking for an hour to get some produce, or I don’t have the time to cook, etc. \u00a0Sometimes it feels like a chore to live environmentally sustainably.<\/p>\n

But it always felt like a chore to go to work every morning, too. \u00a0It felt like a chore to pay bills, a chore to clean my house. \u00a0Overall, I feel significantly freer now than I ever have before. \u00a0And slowly but surely, I am replacing old unsustainable routines with new ones, and settling into them. \u00a0My life has frequently felt unstable over the past two months, due to many factors. \u00a0I dug up my old lifestyle and it’s been hard… until I am now beginning to lay the foundation for a new life.<\/p>\n

Here’s something I must stress about living sustainably: if you’re not having any fun, stop doing it!<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0(Don’t worry, I make this mistake all the time.) \u00a0Your health must absolutely come before some vague goal of environmental perfection. \u00a0You will never be perfect, but then again… that should never be a goal. \u00a0Resolve, instead, to be exactly you<\/em>.<\/p>\n

A truly sustainable lifestyle incorporates what is environmentally sustainable AND what is personally essential for you to be happy<\/a>. \u00a0A sustainable lifestyle means:<\/p>\n

You must get out of the house<\/strong>. \u00a0It’s easy to get stuck \u00a0in one mindset, or on one project, and feel it\"\"\u00a0impossible to see a solution. \u00a0Be careful not to hole up with your green project–include the community in designing it. \u00a0Trade skills–if you want help building a solar shower, ask your neighbors or friends in exchange for a favor to them. \u00a0Mutual aid<\/a> is more than just empowering–it is essential! \u00a0Connect, organize,\u00a0live<\/em>!<\/p>\n

You must spend time with your friends.<\/strong> \u00a0If they want to meet at a bar, go ahead–simply don’t drink (or ask for a local brew), and eat before you go. \u00a0A better option would be to stay in–so don’t be shy to suggest it. \u00a0Explain why you’d rather know where you food and liquor are coming from, and invite them to spend time at your place. \u00a0That way you can provide a smorgasbord of tasty local and organic treats, all while boozing it up with a locally or HOME brewed beer (in Pittsburgh, check out the East End Brewery<\/a> or the Church Brew Works<\/a>.) \u00a0Once your pals see what totally awesome green projects you are working on, they’ll likely be willing to help!<\/p>\n

You must include activities that enrich your life.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0This past weekend I spent hours exchanging songs with a new friend, then made a creative dinner with available ingredients. \u00a0The next day I went to a fundraiser brunch made from redeemed foods<\/a>, and after that I biked<\/a> to an activist organizing meeting. \u00a0Have you ever tried growing your own food<\/a> before? \u00a0Why not? \u00a0Try it! \u00a0Have you ever tried building your own solar cooker<\/a> before? \u00a0Give it a go! \u00a0Living is learning. \u00a0<\/p>\n

You must be willing to be patient<\/strong>. \u00a0Maybe your friend is having a difficult emotional time right now, and needs you more than your new water heater does. \u00a0Maybe you need to give yourself a day to just sit, and process some of the inner changes associated with reorganizing your life and priorities. \u00a0Don’t push yourself like I did to create a sustainable lifestyle within a strict deadline. \u00a0Simply commit to growing towards what you truly believe in, and away from participating in what you don’t. \u00a0Commit to learning and reading as much as you can. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite the tumult, I’d be lying if I said that these past two months haven’t been profoundly transforming. \u00a0My future possibilities are broader than ever before. \u00a0There is little left that I think I can’t do, and plenty more that I think I would like to do. \u00a0I feel… fulfilled.<\/p>\n

Join me!<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If the revolution isn’t fun, you’re doing it wrong. I often wonder what people imagine when they hear I’m trying to live environmentally sustainably for three months. \u00a0Do they picture [ … ]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":17552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,13],"tags":[919,920,921,735,922,446],"yoast_head":"\nSustainable Living Rule #2: Have FUN • Sustainablog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sustainable Living Rule #2: Have FUN • Sustainablog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If the revolution isn’t fun, you’re doing it wrong. I often wonder what people imagine when they hear I’m trying to live environmentally sustainably for three months. \u00a0Do they picture [ … ]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sustainablog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2008-06-30T22:51:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/ss-dancin.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"480\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"carolinesavery\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"carolinesavery\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"carolinesavery\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#\/schema\/person\/eb3dcd9732b074799d7247eb9af1bbf0\"},\"headline\":\"Sustainable Living Rule #2: Have FUN\",\"datePublished\":\"2008-06-30T22:51:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2008-06-30T22:51:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/\"},\"wordCount\":838,\"commentCount\":4,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"activity\",\"Community\",\"fun\",\"Lifestyle\",\"mutual aid\",\"sustainable\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Living\",\"Sustainability\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/\",\"name\":\"Sustainable Living Rule #2: Have FUN • Sustainablog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2008-06-30T22:51:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2008-06-30T22:51:21+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Sustainable Living Rule #2: Have FUN\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/\",\"name\":\"Sustainablog\",\"description\":\"Since 2003, Sustainablog has been one of the pioneers of sustainability news online.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Sustainablog\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/cropped-sblog-logo_3b.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/cropped-sblog-logo_3b.jpg\",\"width\":200,\"height\":142,\"caption\":\"Sustainablog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#\/schema\/person\/eb3dcd9732b074799d7247eb9af1bbf0\",\"name\":\"carolinesavery\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6f922bca3f75b533bc80c603f07e5107?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6f922bca3f75b533bc80c603f07e5107?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"carolinesavery\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/author\/carolinesavery\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Sustainable Living Rule #2: Have FUN • Sustainablog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sustainable Living Rule #2: Have FUN • Sustainablog","og_description":"If the revolution isn’t fun, you’re doing it wrong. I often wonder what people imagine when they hear I’m trying to live environmentally sustainably for three months. \u00a0Do they picture [ … ]","og_url":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/","og_site_name":"Sustainablog","article_published_time":"2008-06-30T22:51:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":720,"height":480,"url":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/ss-dancin.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"carolinesavery","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"carolinesavery","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/"},"author":{"name":"carolinesavery","@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#\/schema\/person\/eb3dcd9732b074799d7247eb9af1bbf0"},"headline":"Sustainable Living Rule #2: Have FUN","datePublished":"2008-06-30T22:51:21+00:00","dateModified":"2008-06-30T22:51:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/"},"wordCount":838,"commentCount":4,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#organization"},"keywords":["activity","Community","fun","Lifestyle","mutual aid","sustainable"],"articleSection":["Living","Sustainability"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/","url":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/","name":"Sustainable Living Rule #2: Have FUN • Sustainablog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2008-06-30T22:51:21+00:00","dateModified":"2008-06-30T22:51:21+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainable-living-rule-2-have-fun\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Sustainable Living Rule #2: Have FUN"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/","name":"Sustainablog","description":"Since 2003, Sustainablog has been one of the pioneers of sustainability news online.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#organization","name":"Sustainablog","url":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/cropped-sblog-logo_3b.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/cropped-sblog-logo_3b.jpg","width":200,"height":142,"caption":"Sustainablog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#\/schema\/person\/eb3dcd9732b074799d7247eb9af1bbf0","name":"carolinesavery","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6f922bca3f75b533bc80c603f07e5107?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6f922bca3f75b533bc80c603f07e5107?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"carolinesavery"},"url":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/author\/carolinesavery\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3149"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3149"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3149\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}