Why Self-Sufficient Green Living?

At the outset of this blog I must be honest and admit that I am not writing as an expert in either self-sufficiency or green living.  In fact I’m very much the opposite and am just starting out, but I thought it might be useful for others if I documented my successes and inevitable failures and what I have learned along the way.

I write this as a Christian Minister who serves in the British Methodist Church.  Immediately, at the outset, I have to address the question of whether self-sufficiency is compatible with Christian discipleship.  After all, Christianity is about community; it is about loving the Lord our God with all our mind, heart, soul and strength and loving our neighbour as ourselves.  In some ways the words self-sufficiency imply a withdrawal from society and self-isolation.  Actually, I believe that is a false impression.  Over the past few weeks I’ve read every book on self-sufficiency I could get my hands on and all have a great sense of community and involvement with others. 

Self-sufficiency is about growing your own fruit and vegetables, perhaps having livestock (I’m thinking about chickens and bees), making food from raw ingredients, brewing wine, beer and cider at home, perhaps providing your own energy, mending things rather than just replacing them and so on.  None of these things has to be done in isolation; indeed it is helpful and beneficial to involve others, perhaps by giving them a gift of your surplus produce or by sharing skills etc.

If there is a question mark about self-sufficient Christian living, which I hope I’ve briefly covered, then there should be no question mark over Christians living sustainably, living as ‘green’ a life as they can.  It is obvious from page after page of the Bible that our God cares very much about the earth he has created, about all the living animals, birds, fish, insects and plants; about a creation He pronounced to be ‘good’.  Walter Brueggemann commented “the central vision of world history in the Bible is that all creation is one, every creature in community with every other; living in harmony and security toward the joy and well-being of every other creature.” (Living Towards A Vision, page 15)  Our actions and choices about how we live our lives can potentially affect not only the other human beings we share this planet with, including future generations, but also the other living creatures God has made.

If I drive my car when I could have walked or used public transport I have added to the pollution that many scientists claim is causing global warming; and certainly to the pollution that makes it more difficult for people to breathe clean air.  If I use bleach to clean my toilet (as opposed to one of the plant based eco-alternatives) I am adding to the chemical pollution of precious water resources.  If I buy eggs from battery chickens I am contributing to the suffering of creatures created and given life by God.  If I buy food that has been grown using chemical fertilisers then I am contributing to the pollution of precious life giving soil.  I could go on, but I think you get the general picture and I’ll be writing much more about these things as the weeks go by.

It is one thing to have one’s conscious pricked by these things; it is another to do something about them.  I was captivated by a TV programme a few years ago. It Isn’t Easy Being Green, presented by Dick Strawbridge. This was a programme about both green living and self-sufficiency; the two often seem to go together.  After watching it I was inspired to live differently, but soon slipped back into old, bad habits.  This time it will be different, this time I have truly repented of the selfish consumerist lifestyle that seems to drive the vast majority of people in Britain today to the ultimate detriment of not only others and our environment, but themselves as well.