Am I an enviromentalist?

The other day my pastor, whose family socializes with my family all the time, called me an environmentalist. This kind of surprised me.

I went to a magnet "School for Humanistic Studies" when I was in the eighth grade, and the people who taught there were what I considered environmentalists. I still remembering taking an ecology class taught by a woman who was an active member of Greenpeace. Twice a week or so our small class would walk to a nearby park, sit in a circle, cross our legs, and meditated as we tried to "see the wind" as it blew across our faces.

I am busy mom of three, a part-time secretary, and an active member of our church. I drive a minivan to run my kids to places like youth group and scouts, and I sometimes even - horror of all horrors - shop at the dreaded Wal-Mart.

I guess because I don't chain myself to trees or eat a vegetarian diet, I never really called myself an environmentalist. But the did make me wonder, especially since the concept that my family is an "environmental" family is apparently a popular one among my friends and fellow worshipers.

If you've ever read my profile on my sidebar, you know that my family began trying to live more naturally a couple of years. That doesn't just mean going green, but living more simply, frugally, and naturally, as we feel led by God. But we still have so far to go, and sometimes I don't feel like we've accomplished anything - especially on those busy weeks when we succumb to the world of fast food restaurants and big box stores.

So I figured it was time to sit back and take stock. Have we accomplished any of our goals? Are we even on the right path? Here are some ways we have changed our lifestyle:

• Drastically stepped up our production of fresh garden veggies and fruits
• Learned to bake my own bread
• Started frequenting farmer's market and local produce stands
• Began raising chickens for fresh eggs
• Began homeschooling all three children
• Eliminated most disposable paper products (still using commercial toilet paper and feminine hygiene products)
• Learning to cook from scratch
• Making own laundry detergent
• Purchasing organic food and products whenever finances allow
• Recycling all paper, plastic, steel, tin, cardboard, etc.
• Started recycling "program" in church office
• Began learning organic gardening procedures, and use them 95% of the time
• Installed clothesline to reduce need to run dryer
• Began running all errands only one day a week to cut down on gasoline consumption (although I admit we have been slack with this in recent weeks)
• Purchased Energy Star certified refrigerator, range and deep freezer
• Rarely purchase beef anymore unless organic, after seeing results of an investigation by The Humane Society of the United States
• Use recycled leaves and trees from the city for fertilizer and mulch
• Took class on home canning and began learning how to freeze, can and dry our garden food for the winter
• Purchasing as much as the familiy's clothing as possible from second-hand stores (recycling!)
• Began making all of our own household cleaners using non-toxic or organic products
• Began using natural products such as organic, food grade diatomaceous earth to control insects in the yard and mites on the chickens
• Started food storage (just in case of emergencies where food might become hard to get, like hurricanes or refusing the mark of the beast)
• Began growing and using herbs in cooking
• Began learning how to use herbs for family health (as medications)
  

Webster's dictionary defines an environmentalist as "one concerned about enviornmental quality especially of the human environment with respect to the control of pollution."

Hmmm, maybe..... but our efforts are about so much more! I'm not going into the reasons for those efforts since they are all in my profile on my left sidebar.

So how does one begin on this journey to living naturally? There is so much to learn - it can become overwhelming. That's why I was happy to come across this post by Melissa over at Hidden Valley Simplicity. Melissa, who has also been "going natural" for the past year-and-a-half, is introducing a new, year-long blog series. The series will begin in January and will be called "52 Weeks to an All-Natural Lifestyle."

I know she will probably cover some things I am already familiar with, but she will also cover things that I have many questions about (like kefir!). Will you consider joining me as I follow along on a "natural" journey with Hidden Valley Simplicity? You can read more about it here!