Is Eco Living Affordable For Most People?

By Dan Clayto

There is a lot of talk these days about eco living, self sufficiency, and going 'off the grid.' It's an exciting prospect to think about living completely by your own resources and not depending on anyone else for your own survival. For most it is just a fantasy that seems so distant and even impossible. Yet, for many people it is something they actively work for every day of their lives.

Do you think you could be one of them in the future? Before you write it off as too difficult or expensive, let's consider exactly what it means to live a self-sufficient life.

First, what exactly does it mean to live 'off the grid'? The grid simply refers to the huge system that brings electricity and gas into your home everyday. This grid is a huge dependence for most people and being completely self sufficient requires getting off that grid. There is such thing as being partly on and off the grid.

There are people who have been trying to get off the grid for years on end but still have not completely made it. This is because it is not cheap to get the resources in the home to take care of all the basic needs, especially for larger homes. Once someone is completely off the grid it is definitely something they are very proud of.

It would take immense resources to immediately purchase what is required to go off the grid and live a 100% eco friendly life. That is why most people start small and aim for something bigger.

With time, each small step that you take to live more eco friendly will build up. Even if you never make it to complete self sufficiency, you will come a long way even in just a few years. Often, the first step is to start growing your own food. Vegetable seeds are not very expensive, so a large garden can be maintained for very little and will deliver enough food for the summer months plus much more to be canned and frozen for the winter.

Other people start by getting rid of their gas guzzlers and purchasing a hybrid to reduce their dependence on gasoline. This is really big right now and there are even government reward programs for those purchasing these vehicles in the near future.

Of course, the sun is our most powerful source of energy and it is a dream of many people to depend on it more than they do the public electricity. If you are one of these people, then check into the price of getting solar power in your home and start saving now.

If you can't afford to jump right in and bring your entire lifestyle into line with eco living principles that is no reason to sit back and do nothing at all. No one can afford to go all the way right away, so just commit today to your first small step. Even if you just change your light bulbs to a more energy conservative variety, it's a big start to your future.

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