I use to think I can't change global warming. I am one person I can't make a difference. Some where along the way of reading and learning from permies It hit me that positive change is change. I may be only one person, but small things put together become big things. Share the small things, and it get even better. It is with out a doubt the most important lesson I have learned at Permies. The last few years I have really tried to make a lot of little changes to do my part to help repair some of the damage we have done to the earth. In the beginning I received resistance, and a good deal of eye rolling from my family. I didn't push the issue. I would explain why I was or was not doing what ever, and kept on my path of baby steps to being a better steward for our earth. Lately I have noticed it's starting to rub off, and it makes me so proud. One of my daughters works in the garden center at Walmart, and a lady was in the chemical aisle and asked my daughter what she would recommend. My daughter told her to use
diatomaceous earth and why. My sons asked me to repair some work jeans instead of just buying new ones. We had to replace my daughters bed, and my son and daughter kept the box spring. My daughter thought I could use it as a
raised bed. It didn't have that kind of frame, so the three of up salvaged the batting that looked brand new, because it was always covered by the
mattress, and all the
wood. The hard wood will come in handy. My other son helped me build a wing onto my
chicken coop for my chicks, and he built the frame out of used pipe he removed from past jobs. This is just a hand full of examples I have noticed. It's just so gratifyingly to see them stop and think about creative ways to
reuse and upcycle a lot of what not too long ago we all would have just tossed into the garbage with out a second thought. I have made lots of small changes, and have lots and lots of changes yet to make, but no change will ever top teaching my children to stop and think of the impact small changes can make.