| Many people in today's time are under the impression | | | | We installed potato bins in the basement and we |
| that "going green" and "sustainability" are new | | | | typically canned most of our food to get us through |
| developments brought on by the need to stop global | | | | the winter. Doing this saved on food cost and also |
| warming. When in fact many methods of sustainability | | | | saved us several un-needed trips to town. |
| were around long before AL Gore and his | | | | When the fall season started we quickly found out |
| "Inconvenient Truth." | | | | that our new country home was in severe need of |
| When I was in middle school my family moved from a | | | | insulation updates, it was very drafty to say the least. |
| modern, well built apartment to a rural country setting 6 | | | | To solve this insulation problem we went to work |
| miles outside of town. My Step-Father loved country | | | | installing the best insulation product of that time...plastic. |
| living. We went from having central heat and running | | | | We covered all storm windows including their outside |
| water to well water and gravity-air coal supplied heat. | | | | trim and we also installed plastic kits on all of the storm |
| You can imagine our surprise when my folks | | | | doors. We then insulated the floor joist at the |
| welcomed us home to this "new" style of living. | | | | foundation in the basement and caulked and sealed |
| To say I was unhappy would've been the | | | | any holes we could find. We also cleaned all the |
| understatement of the century! Our new home was | | | | furnace ducts to insure the house was heated as |
| more like a new nightmare, but regardless of my | | | | efficiently and evenly as possible. Now all we had to |
| feelings, this was our home and we had to adapt. To | | | | do was wait for the winter and hope for the best. |
| make our lifestyle a little easier we made some | | | | That year was 1959, the year we were all shocked |
| changes that would ease the pain of living in this | | | | into relying on ourselves for the most efficient way to |
| country hell. | | | | survive in the country. It's a good thing none of us |
| For starters we cleaned the well and installed an | | | | were lazy because we got the biggest snow storm in |
| electric pump and pipe system that would feed the | | | | history that winter. The snow fell fast and hard and the |
| washrooms and the kitchen. This simple low voltage | | | | wind blew like I have never seen before. Typically a |
| system would provide running water to the house | | | | country home during that time period would've been |
| without shooting our utility bill through the roof. | | | | just a little bit warmer than the outside air but our |
| After that we started on our home garden which | | | | insulated masterpiece stayed warm and cozy all |
| raised the majority of our fruits and vegetables. We | | | | winter long. Thanks to our insulating efforts in the fall of |
| had several fruit trees including, peach, apple and pear | | | | course. |
| trees. We also grew carrots, tomatoes, and potatoes. | | | | |