Self sufficiency can be kind of scary

Well over the weekend I have read a book and a half on alternative lifestyles.

Funnily enough the books have pretty much the same titles - The Good Life by Francesca Price and Living the Good Life by Linda Cockburn. Both ladies are kiwis however Linda lives in Queensland on the Gold Coast and Francesca returned from London and now lives in Auckland. So while one book is based in Oz they are both still very relevant.

The books however are different. The first is the ways an average person can work towards reducing their carbon footprint and work towards a self sufficient lifestyle. It's a real treasure trove of knowledge and inspiration and I enjoyed it so much I am looking at purchasing a copy to keep for reference. To put it honestly I love this book and read it cover to cover in the space of an evening.

The second book I am about halfway through. It is a tad extreme for my liking but very informative all the same. This family basically tries to take themselves off the grid for 6 months spending on essentials only. No food - they have to grow it and barter surplus for the things they cannot provide for themselves. I'm yet to know if they succeed but it is a very interesting concept. Now while I could never ever imagine going to the extremes like they do I have managed to pick up some very useful ideas that I can carry over to my current lifestyle.

Anyway you look at it small steps towards protecting our environment can only be a good thing. I may not be able to save the world but I can save my little corner of it.