And thank you for reminding us that a lot of people already live like this – but by necessity. It’s really easy to forget that the whole world is not just like the US. Heck, a lot of the US isn’t like the US.

It’s also important to remember, I think, that this can be a very expensive lifestyle to keep up. Solar energy may be efficient and clean, but who can afford the solar panels? Thank goodness for the early adopters, paving the way. Or, rather un-paving it.

We produce way too much junk, for which there is no need, and I have always wondered where it all winds up – because surely no one is going to buy and use 75% of it? So it seems we are looking at a situation which has grown out of control, where luxury unnecessary items are choking us, and now we must retrogress….

A large percentage of the world population does live as you propose, producing their own food, not driving a car, re-using every scrap of their possessions. But by necessity, of course, rather than choice.
And in this country there was a time where that was the norm. You saw the series of a return to life on the prairie, and how difficult, impossible, unsustainable an existence it was? And yet people did it, undoubtedly with a lower level of population growth than we currently have.

How long will it take for enough people to be concerned enough to effect a change in how this country interacts with our environment? Lots of talk and awareness, but how many people wash out their plastic bags and reuse them (or crochet them into carry bags)?

I choose to remain hopeful that this is a growing trend and even if we don’t do everything, doing something is important.