All of the articles and news stories about being eco-friendly and living green make me laugh because most of the things that are suggested are things that poor people like me have been doing for years.  With that in mind, is living a spartan lifestyle considered green as well?

Living green is fashionable now with all the celebrities that are jumping on the band wagon but for individuals that never had a large disposable income saving and cutting down on waste is just a way of life that cannot be replaced by the next in thing.

A few things off the top of my head that that would be considered living green were a part of my childhood with some that are still a part of my life today are:

1. Re-purposing clothes – Since we did not have the money to shop every season clothes that were dress clothes became work clothes.
2. Preparing meals in advance – Buying in bulk, cooking it all up, portioning it out, and freezing it till later is something that I still do to this day.
3. Vehicles – I drive a 1999 Ford Explorer that is paid for and plan to keep driving it till it stops running all together.
4. No Lights in the summer – It is a tradition in the summer to turn off the lights and open the windows to allow natural light in.
5. Canning food – My grandmother spent all summer canning fruits and vegetables to last through the winter.  I have been thinking of reviving this tradition.
6. Food vs. Meal shopping – We always bought items that could make several types of meals instead of a lot of ingredients that could only make one or two things.  Rice, beans, and pasta are essential.
7. Shopping in friends closets – This is something ladies do more than men but with back to school there were many years that we would get clothes from relatives and friends to supplement our school clothes.

Basically the point that I am trying to make is that living green while it indeed helps the planet is also doing things that just make sense and are not based on being to prideful to reuse items or to accept second hand items.  If we made use of items that we purchased longer and purchased all natural products more then the cost would go down and not give the illusion that the only people that can live green are those that are wealthy.