Complete Self Sufficiency?

I was explaining some of my ideas to "more normal" (mainstream) people. They all thought it was a bit strange, how I wanted to live in a hut in the middle of nowhere, and generate my own electricity, and have an eco-toliet!

However, the conversation later moved onto "where you would get food from?" and "what about the rubbish?". They seemed to assume that just because I wanted to live a partial eco existance in the mountains that I would be going the whole hog. I told them I would get food from the nearest shop, and rubbish would either be recycled or taken to the collection points used by the farmers and other rural inhabitants anyway. They seemed a little disappointed or in the very least confused by this!

Now, I know that a lot of peeps on here ultimatly strive to aim for total self sufficiency - but how obtainable is this? I can't say I've looked into it greatly myself, it seems that it would occupy a huge amount of time, as well as require more land to harvest your own food - and it also tends to restrict the sites you can use. For instance, I would be looking to buy or rent some farmland for cattle and crops/growing tents?? By contrast, my current vision is for a much smaller land need, in a woodland area - overall a much lower impact because the only real space you need is that of your dwelling(s).

Of course, you can still use the local water supply, and maybe gather eddible foods or make use of the local rabbit population if that's okay with your ethics. But you would still need a local shop for the bulk of your food!

It would be nice to aim to be entirely self sufficient at a later date, but I don't think it's something that can be done overnight. There is also the question of time - I realise a lot of people are quite content to spend much of their life committed to a full self sustained existance, but my vision is to spend a lot of my time helping other people for one thing... This would be a lot more difficult with a true self sustained existance.

 

Hmmmm, did I write too many words - or have I gone too philosopical again?

 

close to impossible to be truly selfsufficaint key word "self" would be a very hard and lonley life!!!

 

Hmmm - self sufficient group then... you know what I mean!

 

you want to be self sufficient?? the first thing to do is to forget electricity ..you don't need it

 

Can you expand on this Bilby - what do you mean exactly? Why is this being selfish? Just to underline what I said in the initial post, it's not a great aim of mine personally, but am curious as to why so many communes but it towards the top end of their objectives list... (it kind of made me guilty for not being so "religious" about it).

tuatara - why no electricity?

 

Ive always thought it would be a great idea but doubt it is anything i could accomplish

And not to sound harsh but your version of self sufficiency is very different to mine, your version seems to be about living in a rural area, away from towns and motorways, and going to the shops to get food
now if youre honest with yourself that is not self sufficiency, you are depending on other people and the food market to help you survive, i totaly get what you mean about having to take things slowly to adjust but isnt being self sufficient living from nature and only what you can obtain yourself, without mass marketing etc? (think the good life)
not sure if im making sense here its just the way ive always thought

 

That's not what I was trying to say at all... my aim is for *partial* self-sufficiency, in the way you have described. My question was how really obtainable was a higher level of self-sufficiency, and the time and effort required to achieve this, etc.

I'm sorry I think my initial post was a bit of a ramble! :&

 

Riiight get ya, really need someone who has achieved that to reply, i think it would be hard (urban life is all about conveinience) and would have to find some sort of income but would imagine it eventually would be a satisfying way to live
Like i said its something i admire but doubt i would ever be able to manage the process

 

Yup. Also, regarding your comments about self sufficiency and obtaining everything you need from nature, I think it is inspiring to see the likes of Ray Mears doing just that and so apparantly effortlessly - particulary in his recent programme on bush craft in the UK. I could still see it requiring a fair devotion of ones daylight hours though, just to "exist" IYSWIM. Needless to say I find the whole community living and self sufficiency thing a fascinating set of topics!

 

I thought the same less than a couple of years ago, but the more I find out the more I realise what it possible and how wasteful and in many ways inefficient mainstream society is!

 

I dunno that self-sufficiency is all that unattainable, I guess it comes down to where you're willing to live and what compromises you're prepared to make in your lifestyle. I'm sure there are many people who live in remote areas, wear pelts for clothes, and live off the land hunting/gathering, and it wouldn't surprise me if they're happier than most of us in the simplicity of their lives.

Rather than being self-sufficient (isolated from others), you might choose to be co-existent within a small community, then you'd have the advantage of division of labor and resources. I suppose you could initiate the process using modern tools and materials, but to be truly self-sufficient, in the long run you would need to be prepared to cut yourself off from all amenities of modern society, including stores, etc. (how would you pay for goods if you had no means for producing income, or if you did, you would, by definitinion, no longer be self sufficient, would you?). THAT would be the hard part.

 

never seen your rick mears prrogram but if like most programs they have on the likes here these people have researchers showing them what to say and look for and they just happen to fall upon food ripe for the picking .....watch the survivor programs to see how much weight they lose trying to forage for themselves ...and they get food supplements from the show producers ...even the natives here in canada bartered with other tribes for things

 

your idea is noble - self sufficiency, open space sounds great. to achieve your objectives you need to start somewhere.


1 get educated - if you don't have a trade try and get one, i know in the uk this will be tough. if you've gone throught the uk school system there's a good chance that you haven't been taught much. have a look at the online courses offered by TAFE NSW in subjects like maths, physics and chemistry. the way the world works is crucial in helping you co-ordinate thoughts. if the uk can't offer a trade (i'm talking plumbing, electrical, mechanics and any skill that isn't easily replaced or out moded and pays good wages) then consider looking elsewhere. the arts and the humanties are nice but unless they put food on the table they are essentially useless to you.

2 try and meet like minded people - this will be tough too, it might years or even decades. try to meet with groups of people who are already living in the way you have described, you will learn from them - the pitfalls and the positives.

 

The Ray Mears programs normally go around looking at how nomads or tribes live and the techniques they use, rather than say - Ray just showing how he might live off the land in a particulary country. That said, he is a survivalist first and presenter second - he has allegedly lived alone for many months in a simple Tipi type structure at temperatures of up to minus 20, which convinces me if nobody else!

 

Guy - not sure what you're on about re: educational qualifications and income - I think the issue of money is perhaps worthy of a separate topic. Money is kind of important with partial self sufficiency as one needs to buy food for one thing, but it may become less and less relevant with increased self sufficiency. Indeed, if the true absolute self sufficiency which some members have mentioned is obtainable at all - surely the concept of money become completly irrelevant as you no longer need any "outsiders" for anything?!

BTW - the UK education system is excellent IMO, the only black mark is when the government axed free university education.

 

not necessarily. one can be "alone" and not be "lonely", no?

but cymru_jules:
why do you want to be "self-sufficient"? i'm just wondering. i am interested in something called "deliberate living" which is along the lines of what you're talking about...

 

I'm not sure I want to be 100% self sufficient - as my first post suggested. Certainly where I am I'm never more than a few miles from civilization - so it's much easier to just pop to the shops! It depends what you're trying to achieve, I want to do more than just "exist", I want to achieve other things in life and as far as I can see the closer you get to true self sufficiency the more "existing" takes up more of your time. In contrast, other people seem quite content simply to enjoy the time devoted to practicing self sufficiency.