Tag Archives: permaculture

Simply Homemade: Broth Powder and Face Wash

Last weekend, I was at the Chicago Bioneers conference.  It was extremely empowering to be in the presence of so many inspirational figures who are leading the way toward a new future  — one that is less dependent on oil, better at following the patterns found in nature, and is resilient to the inevitable fluctuations that happen in life. (My favorite presenters included Vandana Shiva, Richard Heinberg, and Starhawk.)

One of the themes that continually appeared was the need to focus on creating community and living simpler, more regionally-based lives.  However, people often asked, “How? What can I do to help us transition?”

I believe one of the primary answers is, in fact, embarrassingly simple: we need to consume less and produce more.  This cuts our carbon footprint, decreases our exposure to toxic chemicals, reduces the need to extract far away resources, supports local (and often home-based) economies, gives us meaning and purpose, reduces costs, produces less pollution, and on and on….

And so in case you haven’t noticed, that is one of the main things that I am attempting to do with this blog — get you excited about these simple-living changes!  It’s one of the easiest ways to walk the talk of being environmentally friendly, socially just, and a participant in a new Earth-centered way of life.

Today, I’m sharing two new homemade products that I’ve been meaning to write about (although on different ends of the homemade spectrum) — broth powder and face wash. I know…totally unrelated to one another, but they are both about producing more ourselves and consuming less!   Continue reading →

The Fall Garden and Her Vegetable Soup

The peak of gardening has passed, but there are still plenty of things to be seen, done, and harvested this time of year.

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Straw Bale House in the City

Humans have been creating homes out of the Earth for as long as we’ve existed.  It’s only recently that we’ve been building structures out of synthetic materials that may emit hazardous chemicals into our living spaces, and have consistently increased the size of the homes that we live in so that we must import materials from other regions and use massive amounts of fossil fuels in their construction. Continue reading →

Healing Plantain Salve

Awhile back, I posted about the medicinal benefits of the common “weed” plantain (Plantago spp.) and described the process of infusing it in olive oil.  (Read about it here!)  Continue reading →

Gardening for Wildlife

My aspirations for living life as sustainably as I can probably began when I was a young girl deeply concerned with the well-being of other creatures. Although my interests and understanding of life and nature have spiraled out a great deal since then to encompass many more concerns and observations that I’ve made, I remain fascinated and indebted to the teachings of wild animals.

So when we’re discussing designs for the future, to me, it’s important to incorporate wild animals into (or near) our spaces.  Nonhuman animals have many lessons to share with us and are also essential to properly functioning ecosystems. Landscapes designed for wildlife are also beautiful and life affirming.

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Permaculture Design Course Completion

As promised during my last post about the hands-on portion of my permaculture class taken through Midwest Permaculture, here’s an overview of what happened during the latter half of the course.  Much of the second week was spent working on designs and learning permaculture concepts in the classroom, but we did have quite a few unique experiences…

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Hands-On Permaculture

After almost two weeks of intensive living and learning, I have my Permaculture Design Certificate from Midwest Permaculture! It’s my first full day away from the course and I’m a bit sad that it’s all over.

During these past weeks, I learned that life can be full of community, of learning and working with others, of meals and conversations and a fullness that seems to be lacking so often in “the real world” (or is experienced fleetingly). I felt like less of an outsider on the planet and like I had found some place that I have always been looking for where people want to learn to live in harmony with the Earth. I felt connections and relationships blossoming in ways that I rarely do in my day to day life.  And I was learning a tremendous amount on a daily basis.  It’s hard to leave that behind.

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Who’s Considering Sustainability in Healthcare?

Recently, I invited my partner to consider writing a post (or posts) for These Light Footsteps.  We both share a common dream for the future, the center of which acknowledges that a cheap and abundant supply of oil will not continue forever, that our relationship with the natural world is broken and unsustainable, and that a better, healthier way of living is possible.

He recently completed his Master of Science in Nursing and as a healthcare practitioner, he has a very unique take on sustainability, especially as it relates to human health.  After he sent me his first draft of a post, I knew that others would be interested in what he had written and I encouraged him to submit it to a few other websites.  Soon thereafter, an edited version of the article appeared on Health After Oil, and it received subsequent attention from several other sites (see Energy Bulletin). Very exciting!

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Learning to Love Weeds – Plantain

You’ve probably seen it growing in lawns, along the sidewalk, and in vacant lots, but have you ever realized how beneficial plantain can be?  (And no, we’re not talking about the banana-like fruit.)

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