Growing as your garden grows

Living sustainably and taking the time to reflect on the natural environment around you is part and parcel of a new way of living. Picture: Juan Rojas/Unsplash

Living sustainably and taking the time to reflect on the natural environment around you is part and parcel of a new way of living. Picture: Juan Rojas/Unsplash

Published Oct 28, 2020

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Aiming for a zero waste lifestyle, growing your own food and being more in tune with nature is something more and more people are striving towards.

But living a sustainable life doesn't happen overnight and it takes lots of effort to set up your home to be as self-sufficient as you possibly can be.

That is the view of Tracey Michau, of Cradock in the Eastern Cape, who set up the Self-suffiency and Sustainable Living SA group on social media.

"I didn't wake up in this blissful life...it has taken a few years and work to create it....to create the space for my family to enjoy nature and to enjoy and create for ourselves a self-sufficient lifestyle. The most empowering thing is to know that I can sustain my own life with the knowledge that I have gained through the years...and I desire to pass this on to our daughter, Savannah and my son Connor," she said.

Connor, 19, is well-versed with the sustainable living ethos, and Savannah, who is not yet four, loves being in the garden.

The group is for gardeners, foragers and people wanting to find ways to reduce their impact on the environment.

"I created this group to inspire and create a network of like-minded people... to return to the old ways of doing things. It is a small effort to invest in raising and harvesting one's food.

"We teach our children to truly enjoy all kinds of foods, especially those just harvested from the garden! When children have indulged the opportunity of taking part in their sustenance they take the pleasure of enjoying it to the fullest!!"

Michau believes that the sharing of ideas, tips and resources on groups like hers, can play a role in building a better world.

"To liberate one's soul with dirt, creativeness, animals, sun, and rain. To immerse oneself in the simple pleasures of an Aga stove and to share a breakfast of homegrown eggs...this is what I live for! "

Check out the group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2285151878421593/?ref=share

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