Here’s how to thrive in the abundance of renewable energy, organic food and a more healthy and sustainable lifestyle. While not all frugality rules, this approach to living more sustainably does require some degree of curtailment, scaling down and living within our means.  It means using credit cards less and relying on community members or family more.  However, the result can be a rich life filled with health and well-being, friends and family, more time to do the things you love to do (imagine that!), a greater sense of purpose, and, my favorite, happiness.

Below are a few suggestions to get you started or continue your journey.  Please add some of your own in the comments.  Maybe some of the BIG banks or BIG government folks might take notice that a few ideas do not involve printing and spending trillions of dollars to “spur consumption.”

•  Powering the renewable energy revolution

Times couldn’t be better for installing your own renewable energy system or improving your energy efficiency of your home or business (or both!), depending on the state you live in.  The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 extended the Energy Policy Act of 2005. These new acts extend and expand the federal tax credits available for energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements made in 2009 and beyond.  There are numerous renewable energy cash-back incentives, tax credits and low interest loans that can help ease the transition from a fossil-fuel based economy to one that thrives on solar income.  Check out the Database for State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (www.dsireusa.org) to see what’s available in your state.

Read more of this story »

Simply put, you take that hideous gift Aunt Sally sent an item that you no longer want/need and put it up for trade. Then you search for another item that you actually need or want.

Read more of this story »

Not everyone can do as my family did and buy an old homestead, build your own house, and live-off-the-grid. Jobs and social ties keep families in suburbs and cities, and there is a good reason people tend to congregate together in living situations.  Being self-sustainable does not mean doing it all alone.  Community is vital to green living, and in fact, many aspects of city life are greener than living in the country (i.e. public transportation, walking to work/school, etc.).  The fact that many city dwellers want to get back to the land has sparked an “urban homesteading” movement.  Here are five tips to help your family become urban homesteaders:

1. Grow food and herbs in your yard or patio: If you have a yard, plant it with edibles!  An edible lawn will be the envy of the neighborhood.  My friend’s lawn in Eugene doesn’t contain any grass at all.  The Dervaes family of Pasadena grows 3 tons of food on only 1/10 acre! Even if you don’t have a yard, many herbs and vegetables can be grown in pots.  I have grown habenero peppers, basil, and lettuce in pots during my college apartment years.

Read more of this story »

Kids outgrow toys and clothes faster than the weeds in my garden (well, maybe not that fast). Beyond hosting your own kiddie swap, there are several sites now that make exchanging kids’ gear easier for families, who may not have local connections for such trades. Reusing and reducing the amount of your children’s paraphernalia will not only lessen your carbon footprint, but it will de-clutter your home!

• Zwaggle: Kristen Chase of Cool Mom Picks calls Zwaggle, “basically a more organized Freecycle“. Organization is good, especially since Zwaggle focuses on socially responsible parents. It is a simple concept: “You receive Zwaggle points (or Zoints) by giving your gently used things to other families, then use those Zoints to obtain “new” things for your family.” You can obtain Zoints just by signing up through Parent Bloggers Network.

Read more of this story »

Web sites and online tools for swapping used items seem to be springing up on a fairly regular basis, and that’s a good thing sustainability-wise: why throw out a used item if someone else can get some value out of it? The newest addition to this group is SwitchPlanet, and founder Chris Samarin has come up with a pretty unique model for facilitating the trade of items that current owners don’t want, and others do:

Use more…waste less! The idea is simple but the end result is amazing. Members save money by trading the things they already have but no longer use to get the things they need. One person gets rid of something taking up space in their home and another person benefits by filling a need…so everyone wins.

Most importantly SwitchPlanet was built to help an even greater need. Because SwitchPlanet is free to use members are given the option to donate any amount they choose every time they receive something for free on the SwitchPlanet Network. These donations are put into a SwitchFund that is then distributed among selected charities and non-profit organizations.

“I want this thing to be huge so the positive impact it has on society is also huge,” states Founder, Chris Samarin, “If we can get millions of people using the site and donating on average $1 per month, wow, we can sure help a lot of people if that happens.”

The donation idea is a new twist, at least to me. Users pay to ship items they’re giving away, but get items they request for free, so SwitchPlanet encourages them to contribute what they’d normally pay (even if it’s just shipping and handling) to one of the charities with which the company’s partnered. Think of it as “paying forward…”

Additionally, SwitchPlanet uses an internal currency: users “pay” for items with SwitchBucs. A user earns the credits for sending out items, and “pays” for things s/he wants with the currency. Users don’t have to trade actual items this way, and “refunds” can even be issued if a transaction doesn’t go as planned.

SwitchPlanet is currently in private beta, but Chris tells me it will be going public very soon. If you’d like to get in on the tail end of the private test, let me know, and I’ll pass your information along to Chris — he’s told me sustainablog readers are welcome to try out the system before launch. Right now, the system is only set up for CDs, DVDs and games, but other items will be added to the mix shortly.

This looks very cool! Guess I’ll need to dust off some of the things I don’t use…

Categories: swapping, trading, barter, switchplanet, web, donations