by Shelly Mcrae

Created on: July 22, 2010   Last Updated: May 06, 2012

Caught in the downward spiral of economic downturns and recessions, people turn to more frugal practices, such as skipping morning lattes at Starbucks and brown bagging it for their lunches. They trade in their SUVs for more fuel-efficient vehicles. They remember to turn off the lights when they leave the room.

For some people, though, living more frugally and leaving a smaller carbon footprint is more than just a way to save a few dollars. For some people, living a sustainable lifestyle, even in the urban environment of the big city, is a quest for a more grounded life, one in which they work the land, grow their food, make their own energy and depend not on government handouts or a corporate paycheck, but on themselves.

They are urban homesteaders, and they are living what may be referred to as the simple life, though there is irony in that description.

Urban homesteading is anything but easy living. Though the supermarket may be down the street, an urban homesteader depends on the land and her own ability to grow the fruits and vegetables that make up most of her diet. She, along with her husband or significant other or perhaps on her own, builds a garden, raises chickens for eggs and goats for milk, plants and tends fruit trees and installs solar panels and builds solar ovens. She creates an oasis of self-sustainability on a piece of property less than an acre in size.

Urban homesteading is the practice of creating a miniature farm in the middle of the urban landscape. Land is not devoted to growing green lawns and pretty flower beds, but to growing food. Sun and wind are the primary sources of power and rain is collected in barrels for later use. Though the homesteader's neighbors may not appreciate clucking chickens and bleating goats being in such proximity, they likely concede that the fresh eggs and milk are probably quite nice.

Urban homesteads may currently be an urban oddity, but the trend toward turning small properties into power independent, food generating, sustainable habitats is growing. These urban farms not only provide homegrown food and power for the homeowner, they may also provide income. A talented urban farmer may be able to sell her excess crop to local restaurants and food outlets, thereby generating income needed for clothing and other goods she's unable to build or grow on her own.

Urban homesteads are an outgrowth of the "Back to Nature" movement of the 1960s and the tangible result of the trend toward living "greener," a concept born of both economic and environmental necessity. The work required to maintain an urban homestead goes beyond the normal work day of most urban dwellers; it is a way of life.

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