Monday, March 24, 2008

Inspiration: Little House on the Prairie

I've always been frugal, but a number of things seemed to converge at about the same time that made me more interested in the environment. I mentioned the class I took "Living Sustainably", but what really got me thinking was Little House on the Prairie.

No, not Michael Landon on tv (although I loved that show as a kid), but the series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Far less drama, more real life. It was amazing how much work those people did! No prepackaged in plastic products, no spray cleaners, no food with preservatives...I could go on and on. They used what they had and didn't waste a thing.

But they knew how to work in conjunction with the earth. They respected it and were really at its mercy. Drought? No wheat. For us, we can have what we want, when we want. Just go to the grocery store.

And have you ever watched the PBS's 1900 House or Frontier House? Modern people living in 1900 or the 1800s. Amazing shows, but enough "reality tv" drama to keep it interesting. I'd highly recommend watching them on dvd. Like the Little House books, they make you think about all the conveniences we have (and that people did, at one time, live without them).

Food for thought.

1 comment:

Nancy said...

I often think about how Grandma (actually both Grandmas) lived. How they cleaned, cooked, etc. How did we get to a point where we started using so many chemicals to clean our house? And what about all the modern conveniences? Things like disposable or prepacked items? So much waste. I wonder what Grandma would think if she were alive.