by Jerri Akins

Created on: November 02, 2008

Perhaps the most overlooked environmental benefit of renewable energy is the immediate decrease in your stress level when you adopt the mind-set of conserving, or "living simply." It's a mindset that encompasses more than just energy; it flows into every aspect of your life, changing the way you live.

It would seem that the "green" movement is nothing more than reverting back to a time when people had fewer modern luxuries. Back then, living simply wasn't a choice. Folks had to repair, rather than replace things; grow their own food, walk where they wanted to go, and spend ungodly amounts of time on the basic concerns of food, clothing, and shelter.

We have come so far since those days. Right? Or have we? In the current "modern" economy, the focus for so many is still on the looming concern of food, clothing, and shelter; but our methods of achieving those life necessities are much more hectic, far-reaching, and, sometimes, borderline madness! Our ecological footprint has grown impossibly large, and we're dropping like flies due to stress.

Foreign oil? This is not something you can get for yourself. An automobile? This is not renewable. Your car does not produce a foal during the night. It is replaceable - but at great expense. Your food does not come from your back yard, your clothing is not made in your own community, and the timber from which your house was built was not harvested just outside of your town. Everything you need is created by somebody else a great distance away, and you can bet there's a ton of middle-men making tons of money off your simple, basic needs.

It's no wonder you're hectic and stressed, because everything is out of your control and out of your reach. Who are those people so far away who are creating those things you need? The jobs of creating those things you need are held by people far, far away. As a result of that, you have to travel a great distance to work at some other job that really means nothing to you. And to get to that meaningless job, you have to have an automobile, the use of which is causing a hole to be burned in the protective bubble around your earth.

Through technology, the world has come to seem so small, but the truth is it's not that small. As humans, we all have humanity in common, but we are not a "world community." Distance is a very efficient divider, in spite of technology. This is not to suggest that we go back to horse and buggy days, but without a doubt, there needs to be more focus on acquiring things locally. Consider, for a moment, the benefits of local supply and demand:

The rebirth of your local economy through creation of local jobs. The knowledge that your job is just a few minutes away from where you live, and that your job is meaningful, because you're providing useful things to your friends and neighbors. The money stays in your community.
Regaining local independence and, as a result, national independence
Regaining the tranquility and peace of mind that comes with knowing that your food is close at hand, that it's not contaminated, and that you can afford to buy it.
Realizing that your life is within your own reach and control.
It seems that countries and empires go through the same life cycles that we as humans go through. The simplicity of youth, the frenzy of knowledge and power, the regret of age when we realize that all our prowess and wealth have not made us happy, and finally..finally, the realization that simple was better after all.

Learn more about this author, Jerri Akins.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.