Michael and I are very grateful for the gifts God has given us and this world He created. We believe that, as stewards of His Creation, we should live a life that harms that Creation as little as possible. This lifestyle would be termed "Thrifty" by my Kentucky ancestors. We try to avoid the "throwaway, disposable" lifestyle for one that carefully conserves nature's resources.   To my mind, Americans (I'm including myself here) substitute human contact with objects and tv. Where we should be caring about our neighber, we're caring whether or not a character on tv gets the girl. When we feel lonely we buy something to fill that hole rather than reach out into our community. Wendell Berry in his book The Art of the Commonplace described it this way, "....an economy based on anxiety, fantasy, luxury, and idle wishing." Since I don't have Mr. Berry's way with words, I'll use one last quote, "This gluttonous enterprise of ugliness, waste, and fraud thrives in the disastrous breach it has helped to make between our bodies and our souls. As a people, we have lost sight of the profound communion - even union - of the inner and outer life." Think about it.  Are your possessions claiming more of your time than your family, than your friends, than God? Are you breaking your health in the race to have more? We, as a family, try as much as possible within our one-income budget to watch where our money goes.   We grow our own food. Safely and organically we raise food that we are sure doesn't contain chemicals that hurt us and the environment. We don't believe in paying money to chemical companies who endanger our health and our planet. We don't believe our money should go for nutritionally depleted food put out by corporations who with wild abandon deplete our world's resources.  Think about the packaging, the paper for advertising, the energy for production, the fuel for transportation. And please, consider the impact on your and your family's health by eating these foods. When we can't grow our own, we try to buy locally as much as possible. When you buy locally, you are supporting small family farms and businesses who are your neighbors. When you buy from retail giants you are supporting businesses who generally do not care about you, the environment, quality of life on earth and moral issues. We no longer eat beef. Cows use up much more space and energy to produce food than a pot of beans! We try to find and eat free range products produced by others who also understand that corporate food production is destroying our planet and our health.   We don't always buy new. Making "finds" at the thrift store for clothes and books is a monthly family outing. I 'm afraid we buy way too many books though! Speaking of books, we check out about 60 book a month from our library system. If we want something on a permanent basis, we look for it at the thrift store. If, after waiting a while, it doesn't appear at the thrift store we buy it. Below is a list of books worth reading and perhaps buying.    We encourage our children to work for what they want so that they learn the value of what they have.  Perhaps all of us should ponder what is of value in our lives and what is important.  Is it worth it to destroy what God has created so that we can have more and more and more and more.      What you don't understand you can't care about.  We have shared God's Creation with our children at every opportunity. We spend a good deal of time teaching our children the value of nature.  We hike, watch the stars, snap photos of wildlife, and simply enjoy God's abundance.  This has a secondary advantage in that our children love and understand science very well.                  You might like to view my page for sharing nature with children. Click HERE.   We're not perfect and we don't do everything "right". Sometimes we don't do ANYTHING right!  But we're trying.  We hope you are too!    BOOKS LINKS Here is a list of a few websites perhaps worth spending some time at. The Simple Living Network Mennonite Central Committee's site for sustainable living I've found this website MOST helpful. I wish all Christian denominations would recognize the need for simplicity and sustainability. Many of the books I value most were published by the MCC. Sierra Club:  I've found recently that this organization does much more than I thought in the way of education. I very much value the effort, time and heart that our state's organization puts into their work.  Thank you! The National Wildlife Federation has wonderful page to share with your children about the Wonders God has profided to us.  Our land is a certified Wildlife Habitat. Is yours?  Learning about Sustainability:  Are you ready to learn LOTS more? Are you wanting to know what more you can do?  This site will help you get started. My Hands For God Page on the Environment Go to the bottom for some interesting quotes. The Dollar Stretcher I love their newsletter. And their website has been a terrific help. The Nature Conservancy You'll find plenty of projects to be involved in at this site. Find your state, then find "volunteer opportunities".