Introduction (Amoreena)

I'm Amoreena, homeschooling mama of 2. I've always been concerned with Environmental issues and was clued into a lot of them by taking Environmental Science in College (somewhere around my sophomore year). Unfortunately I was a busy college student, working full time (2 jobs in the summer) and I didn't do much in the way of sustainable living beyond recycling and reading up on the issues. I always felt a great deal of frustration at the disconnect between how I wanted to live and how I actually lived--felt like I wasn't really living my values. It seemed like we were so busy just trying to keep up with everyday life that it was hard to change,.

When my oldest was about 16 mos, I found myself taking the first real break I'd ever had. I was working inEducation (ESL teacher) and I was off for the summer--it was the first time in my adult life that I was able to slow down. It was pretty amazing. I began reading books again, I taught myself to knit and I really enjoyed spending time with my daughter. I even did a little gardening and started a compost bin.

Although I returned to work in the fall, it was only a part-time position and I started to seriously consider becoming a SAHM and homeschooling my daughter. That year was a very transformative time for us. I took the NWEI class "Healthy Children, Healthy Planet," and started learning about Simple Living. John and I read several books together (Living Simply with Children, The Adult Liberation Handbook, Your Money or Your Life, Radical Simplicity, etc.) and did a lot of talking about what we really wanted in life. We weren't sure that we could afford to be a one-income family, but we thought that simple living might help us move in that direction.

A year later, I was able to quit my job and devote myself to full-time Mommyhood. We had to make some tough choices. We've had only 1 car for most of our marriage (no car payment!) and I got used to using public transportation now and then. We don't have a home telephone line, we don't have cable (which is ok because we gave up the TV years ago), we rarely buy new clothes, we cut back our garbage pick up, we eat a lot of beans and I'm learning to garden and cook from scratch to save money on food, we're still renting but hoping to buy a house soon. We've had to give up a lot of things that most American's take for granted but in return I've been able to stay home with my kids and homeschool them. We have more family time and I feel like I'm finally "living my values" and that is worth more than any second income could ever be.


Along the way most of the "greening" we've done to our lives revolve around domestic issues. The gardening, preserving food, cooking from scratch, cleaning with homemade cleaners, etc. We've got chickens and a worm bin. I've started making all my own bread products and some cheese. We still have a long way to go. Some of my current goals include: avoiding the grocery store all together and any big-box stores for that matter (we try to buy second hand as much as possible), I'd like to learn to sew, weave, etc. and I'd like to cut back our garbage pick-up to once/month. I love to garden but need to get better at composting.

For me, Simple, Sustainable Living is about more than just choosing the "organic" or environmentally friendly alternative at the grocery store. It's about really thinking about how we operate in the world and which systems we choose to support. The excess that we use as Americans leads to shortages elsewhere in the world, many of our purchases support multi-national-coorpoations that continue to abuse the environment and undermine the human spirit at home and abroad. Even our income tax money goes to fund unjust wars and make weapons of mass destruction.

Simple, Sustainable Living is about choosing a lifestyle that is in keeping with all of my values. Living in a way that is fair and just and sustainable. A way that supports responsible Environmental Stewardship to protect the Earth and promotes Peace and Justice for all of her inahbitants.

I've got a long way to go before I feel like we're really "there" but projects like these help keep me focused and on-track! Thanks Amy :) I look forward to learning from all you wonderful ladies and offering any pearls of wisdom that I have uncovered on my journey.

~Amoreena