Natural Living Tips

To make your home into a green friendly house one of the major areas that you can begin with, is energy efficiency, with the added benefit of savings in the form of lower utility bills.

• Energy Efficiency - Use Energy Star appliances. Energy Star is a government-backed program helping businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency.

Products and appliances that have the energy star logo are allowed to be classified as energy efficient.

Home appliances in this program, range from refrigerators (perhaps the highest consume or electricity in the home), stoves, dishwaters, microwave ovens, washers and driers, as well as music delivery systems.

Some models may cost a little more, but the day to day savings will definitely be worthwhile.

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Natural living has a very nice sound to it, especially now that more and more people are aware and even concerned about the environment.

But what exactly do we mean when we say “natural living”?

For most people the issue will revolve around recycling, use of renewable and clean energy, organic food production and consumption, as well lowering our carbon footprint.

It also relates to health. Health as in the individual, the family, a group, society, nature and the world at large.

A natural living choice should also include quality of life, and quality of life implies much more than the material side of things.

A lot of the information on natural living is based on recycling, energy, organic food and environment, and so it should. If we don’t solve these issues, the consequences will probably be catastrophic.

But sticking to the quality of life side of things, I suggest that a natural living choice should include more:

• the psychological aspects of the individual and the community,
• the family,
• the spiritual,
• the physical,
• the environment,

A slogan could be “healthy minds with healthy bodies”.

All life should strive for harmony and balance. A simple equation would be:

Body(Harmony+Balance)= Health

Simplistic perhaps, but with more than a germ of truth.

The US constitution states: “The pursuit of happiness”. It doesn’t guarantee happiness, but the freedom to pursue it.

So, my definition of Natural Living is.

“Pursuing a positive and satisfying existence, in a style that respects and seeks to achieve harmony and balance with nature, ourselves, and the future”.

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No, I am not referring to the bible, but a story in the newspaper warning that English honey will run out by Christmas.

In the US, 35 states have also been hit by dwindling bees. For some time bees have been in decline due to what has been called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCP). The suspect is a parasitic mite.

Israel (the land of milk and honey) has also been hard hit - with a 60% decline in honey production.

But the culprit is not only CCP, but a mix of phenomena. Viruses, pesticides, shortage of nectar caused by changes in farming practices and even stress.

And guess what else. Rain fall. Too much at the wrong time is affecting bees pollination.

Are we seeing more results of global warming?

Simple little things these insects. They cause phobias and their sting isn’t very nice. They have millions of other cousins, and though some are beautiful to look at, for most people they are usually ignored.

But, and this is a huge but (not butt!), they have an enormous impact on the environment. Not only honey, but pollination and they are perhaps the most important link in the food chain, as well as in cleaning up.

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The best natural living example is bound to be … Cave Men. From the environment point of view, they didn’t have a choice.

But what about natural living from the psychological side?

Cave men sat around a fire and shared their meals. That is about as natural as can be. These were great forming moments - a time for education, for passing on traditions, for community and family bonding.

We have always liked to share our meals. We don’t really think that they are moments to strengthen ties, to learn and to teach, to share, to bond but there isn’t much difference with the cave man. Sure the noises and way of eating will be different, but the interaction will serve the same purpose.

We like to share meals, to eat together and exchange news and simply to have a good conversation.

I learned a lot from my great grand mother who was born in the 19th century; a bit of history, ethics, hard work. I learned to respect and admire others.

Have you noticed when you have friends over for dinner everybody begins to gravitate to the kitchen? Perhaps we are just doing what the cave man did.

The point is that this near unconscious behavior is as natural as they come.

The benefits are easily seen, especially for a family with children, more so with teenagers.

These are rare, and natural, moments that allow for:

• bonding
• problem solving
• passing traditions
• educating (about life, how to conduct oneself, ethics, etc.)
• humor and fun
• helping each other

And all these give a sense of security, of well being and family pride. It helps you and your family know you are loved and that you love others.

Above all it boosts your emotional health and that strengthens your body’s immune system, so overall you are healthier.

Learn from the cave man for healthy and natural living.

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