Holistic Changes
Posted by Ryan Woods
Contrary to what some of you may have thought after my previous blog concerning Global Warming, I do care about the environment. I may have no idea what I yet believe about gw, because I have not done enough research, but I do believe that either way I should be committed to taking care of what God has given me. In the last year Jess and I have been making subtle changes to how we live and take care of our home. I've always viewed my life as a spiritual journey, growing and changing and developing in my faith as I age. But I've often forgotten that I serve a holistic God who desires for the renovation of all of creation, not just my spiritual self. Here is a bit of our journey, and what has changed. It's a process and I'd love input and challenges. Give me good books to read and ideas to pursue.
- We've gone virtually chemical free in our house. Getting rid of all of the cleaning chemicals, the soaps that are filled with poison for our bodies, and the air fresheners that poison our air. Did you know that the air inside your home is extremely more toxic than that outside? We now use cheaper and cleaner Norwex products (check it out online) and lots of vinegar, baking soda, and all that natural crap. It's been great for our families health and budget.
- We live in an apartment which makes it a bit harder to live green (no solar power, rain catcher things, recycling pickup, etc.) but we visit our local recycling center every other week, we dry most loads on a clothes line, we use cloth diapers and wipes for Jones, we don't use paper products anymore (napkins, paper towels, etc.), we use rechargeable batteries, and all that fun stuff that helps to reduce waste in our world and even saves us money.
- We've been on a journey of simplifying, realizing that we don't need much of the crap that we own. Craigs list and used clothings stores have been an asset for getting rid of crap and getting money back.
- Riding the bus would be next on our agenda, but because of Jess' bed rest we've been forced to wait until it better fits our life. It's frustrating because siting on a bus reading a book while someone else drives for me sounds very appealing. Not to mention we get a discount for being poor so it will save us lots of money too (are you starting to notice a trend? Am I obsessed with money? Maybe...hopefully in a good healthy way though...but maybe not)
- We've smashed a handful of new plants into our house and balcony. They say that you should have one plant for every 100 square feet to clean your air. The fresh tomatoes will be nice in addition to the herbs and spices. And Jones really enjoys watering them.
- Instead of using air fresheners we've gotten a few essential oils to make our house smell better and more soothing. It kind of creeps us out though because there is extreme power in aromatherapy so we're very careful in this aspect because we still do not know a whole lot.
We would still like to purchase more local and organic foods, but cannot afford it just yet. We'd also like to change our eating habits. We're contemplating a vegetarian diet. Who knows, maybe we'll do a crazy raw food diet for a month and see what we think. (we do have to be careful when it comes to nursing and Jess' celiac disease-wheat allergy) It's not like we're just trying to be weird or like we're trying to fit in with Portland or something. We are just trying to make as many changes, one at a time, that might make our family more healthy, our world cleaner, and life more peaceful.
Got any input? Any ideas? Have you made any changes? Read any books?
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