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Growing up, my parents had friends who were Amish. They met them at an auction one Saturday afternoon. My mom bought a really nice oak sewing machine setup from the family and took it home. When she got home, she felt bad about buying it for some reason.
She decided to polish up the set and return it to the family. The friendship between my parents and that Amish family was made immediately. I spent at least one Saturday on their farm a month from that point on. Our lifestyles were drastically different, but my brother and sister and I still had a blast with their kids...all 13 of them.
Now that I'm older and more aware of how to be green in my life, I've realized that there are a lot of green things that we can learn from the Amish lifestyle.
Green Habits You Can Steal from the Amish
Say No To Power-line Electricity
Most of us aren't ready to wipe out our power line electricity use completely, and some of us never will be ready. The Amish, however, manage to wipe out this kind of electricity completely. They live 100% off of the grid. If they can do that, don't you think you can all at least use a bit less electricity? Turn off the lights during the day, limit the use of tvs, etc.
Grow Your Own Food
It's not as hard as it seems. Grow the vegetables and fruits you can grow at home. Take pride and what you can bring out of the earth and use it to nourish your body.
Don't Be Lazy
Do your own chores by hand! It's gratifying and green. Imagine if you just picked up dirt from carpet when you see it instead of using the vacuum. What if you used an open flame instead of a microwave? What if you focused more on learning an instrument than playing the radio? Putting elbow grease into daily activities tends to not only be green and more gratifying, but it tends to save you money, too.
Taking some tips from the Amish can make us all a little greener...and a little more happy...simply.
