With all the hype generated by the latest advances in solar, wind and water being used for the generation of power, one tends to overlook the more down-to-earth and basic mainstays of energy conservation, and recycling.
With the current global concerns of another world depression, I can’t help but go back in time to my grandparent’s home.
These people survived not only two world wars, but a depression as well. True, they were in Canada at the time of the wars, but the call for raw materials and supplies meant a shortage of goods at home.
They were the ultimate conservationists and recyclers long before the terms were dreamed of or coined. Nothing was wasted. Grandma used flour sacks for tea towels and butcher paper and plastic were reused to the point of failure.
Organic food stuffs filled the cellar and with no refrigeration, canned and cured meats were the staple of the day.
Range cows provided milk, butter, and cream for both home use as well as a small cheque from the creamery in town to help pay for flour, salt and other staples.
A few pigs provided ham and bacon; chickens provided fresh meat at family gatherings.
Feeding these critters was supplemented with leftover vegetables and excess milk from the cows.
Wheat was grown on the farm, to feed both animal and human.
Barns and outbuildings were painstakingly built from finely-crafted logs, the lumber for the house was cut on Grandpa’s sawmill. Their home was small by today’s standards but adequate for their needs.
Transportation was team and wagon, horseback or foot, with “carpooling” being utilized for automobile travel.
In short, they made little impact on their environment; almost everything they consumed was raised at home, there was no need for foodstuffs to make journeys of thousands of kilometres on trucks from warm climates.
Today we have technology that can make our homes super efficient as far as heating and lighting requirements are concerned.
New insulation for the walls, and ceiling, low-e windows, LED lights — all these items would intrigue my maternal grandfather’s imagination, and they also aid in significantly reducing our demand on heating fuels.
The idea is that conservation does not require a large amount of investment; many of the things we do in life can be modified to lessen our impact on the environment.
Growing our own vegetables, raising a few chickens or a beef would eliminate the need of having these meals shipped in.
If you do not own land, buy locally from farmers’ markets, self-pick berry and vegetable farms, meat from you local butcher shops or organic farms.
Canning and preserving food stuffs are all efforts that are good for us, our local economy and our environment.
Conservation of resources and reducing our demands on energy supplies are necessary for sustaining any semblance of our modern lifestyle.
Unfortunately it will probably take another depression to drive the point home and compel our motivation.
Lorne Oja is an energy consultant, power engineer and a partner in a company that installs solar panels, wind turbines and energy control products in Central Alberta. He built his first off-grid home in 2003 and is in the planning stage for his second. His column appears every second Friday in the Advocate. Contact him at: lorne@solartechnical.ca.