On leaving a greener trail

Humans belong in nature. By exploring our relationship with the seasons, land, plants and animals during our daily lives, we can reconnect with our role in nature.

Here are some simple ideas that help us live in connection with our environment in a healthy and wholesome way. 

Step consciously. There are billions of humans and we have the largest potential on earth. When we acknowledge the impact of our lives we can plan to shift towards a positive impact; where our presence in a space promotes plant and animal life.

Move with the seasons. Mulberries in spring, peaches in mid summer, red tomatoes and bright green basil. The tastes that come with the seasons connect us to time and place. Moving with these in and out breaths of our planet aligns us to the timescale of nature.  

Create space by bringing nature in. A tree can change a place. Always consider how forces in nature are shaping the landscape around you. These building blocks: rock, soil, water, organic matter, wind and sun are elements to be considered and harnessed. 

Eat from the garden. Start right outside your kitchen door. The idea is to reduce your effort by putting your garden right outside your home. This applies to planting trees and taking care of animals, the closer they are to where you spend your time, the less effort it will be to tend to them on the move. 

Animals are better than us at cultivating the land. If animals have predator pressure in nature they move a lot. We can mimic this, for example, if you have a chicken tractor you can move it around to where you need the chickens to do their work. They never overwork an area and have access to insects and other natural sources of food.

Can I compost it? If it has lived, it can live again; meaning if it is made of organic matter it can be composted and feed new growth once again. Worm bins with composting worms can consume an immense amount of organic waste, create rich soil and liquid organic fertilizer. A compost heap can be used to heat water for your shower. We can create a situation with the effect leading back to cause if every object in our lives can feed back to the compost heap and we grow all we need.

Growing and saving seeds. The shade house is an optional addition to the tiny houses as a space for germinating. Plants need to be nurtured when they are young. We find all kinds of edible plants that come up in our garden or worm bins and put them into pots or straight into the garden. We also save seeds and share them with our friends.

Health is something that comes naturally when one lives a holistic lifestyle. We are built to be in relationship with plants and animals. We are host to many beneficial organisms that live in and on our bodies. The same creatures that live in our digestive tract live in healthy soil. We eat food that is not processed and is eaten as close to harvest as possible.

These are some of guiding principles that help us to gain a connection with nature no matter where we are.