This page will be more a series of thoughts or ideas rather than true guidelines.  They are here to teach you to stop and think or rethink every action you will take in the future. One of the biggest trends I have found in the incredibly busy people of today is that they are so involved in maintaining and/or surviving their lifestyle they have forgotten they live on planet earth amongst 7 billion other people.  I do believe that on the whole this is a newer trend.  At one time people were much more involved in the community and especially in their own families.  It was almost unheard of to put parents in a nursing home--parents unable to take care of themselves moved back in with their children.  It was a cycle of life, parents take care of their children until grown and later children give back by taking care of their parents.  Today everyone seems to want their 'independence'--even when they are no longer capable to taking proper care of themselves.   Yes, there are adults who have no children or family so they will need the care of a nursing home or private caretaker but most of us do have family.  This and many other things will be discussed.  I am not telling anyone what to do, I am only trying to get people to stop and think again about their decisions.  I believe there is a small population of people who are already aware and make decisions that benefit the largest number.  I also believe there is a small population of people who are aware and don't care--unfortunately.   But mostly I believe that the vast number of people out there do not think about the impact of their decisions at all.  They are just too busy surviving.  It is hoped that my suggestions will spur more awareness on their part.  After all they are still part of the human population of over 7 billion people today.

DRIVING
Driving is a sign of independence.  Most people LOVE their vehicles and that independence!  Few want to give it up and many have to be forced to give it up.  There are many different facets to think about.  What to drive, when to drive, how far to drive, and how to drive. 

WHAT TO DRIVE:  Before purchasing that next vehicle, please stop to think about what you REALLY need.   Remember we live on Planet Earth with 7 billion people and global warming.  Do you really need that SUV or do you just want it?  If you are single and not self-employed, maybe you don't need that SUV.  A family with 2 or more children may well need one.  A self-employed person may as well.  If you truly need an SUV, go ahead.  If you just want one, please rethink why.   Buying something less than an SUV will save money on the purchase price and save money on gas.  Using less gas will help our planet in many ways.  I can't tell you how many very young, single people and elderly people (who can barely get in and out of an SUV) I see driving a HUGE SUV.   For the life of me I don't know why they would purposely choose to spend more money on a vehicle and especially spend a lot more money on gasoline that just contributes to global warming.  If you have the extra money, why not spend it on something that helps Planet Earth and others?!  Giving and having a purpose is what gives us the most joy in life.  Again I am not telling you what to do, I am asking you to rethink your next purchase. Maybe you don't need an SUV but would like one.  If you really want one that badly, maybe scale back a little.  Instead of the Pilot or Highlander, get a CRV or RAV4.  If everyone learned to compromise--just a little--it would probably go a LONG way to improving Planet Earth.

HOW TO DRIVE:  I am no youngster seeing as I am in my 60s.   I have always been the type to be very aware of the impact my choices make on the world.  I love my vehicles.  For a long time I drove an SUV for my hobby and often topped 200,000 driving miles a year.  I truly needed the space.  I still do my hobby but have scaled way back so I sold the SUV and now drive a hatchback hybrid which still gives me enough room.  Most importantly I have always had a plan for when I retire and when I do not drive well.  I still work full-time and will do so until I am 70.  I drive in rush hour daily.  There is a lot of traffic on the roads during rush hour but as I look around (awareness), I know for certain a large percentage of people in those vehicles are NOT going to work.  I see many older couples going to their doctor's appointment or to breakfast.  I see people going to shop at the mall or grocery store.  I see a large number of people every day on the road during rush hour when they truly do not need to be there.  I can't help but wonder why?  Why would someone who can choose to drive at any hour they want, choose to drive during rush hour when the vast majority of people are trying to get to work.   In most cases it is likely lack of awareness.  They need to see the doctor, they make the appointment, they go--with no further thought.   Maybe it is time to be aware and stop and think.  Do I really need to go out on the road RIGHT NOW and contribute to rush hour?  Could I make my doctor appointments for a bit later in the day so that not only will the drive be easier for me, I won't contribute to rush hour either?   Could I meet my friends for brunch instead of breakfast for the same reasons?  Could I postpone my trip to the grocery store or mall until after 10 a.m.--also for the same reasons?   Most people on the road have no choice.  If you have a choice, maybe you should choose for the greater good of Planet Earth.  Remember there are 7 billion people on this planet--things are very different from 30-50 years ago.

Also please be aware that there is a point at which you should stop driving.  I am going to face that in the next 15 years or so--maybe earlier.  I am prepared.  As soon as I notice I am driving consistently 5 to 10 miles per hour below the speed limit, I will hang up my driving license.  I plan to sell my house and move somewhere right on a bus line.  I hope many others will become aware of their driving habits and think about whether they should be driving or not as well.  Next to being under the influence of drugs, alcohol or lack of sleep, a large cause of accidents is not going with the flow.  When everyone is driving 35 and you are driving 25, that is an accident waiting to happen.  If you watch a video from above, you can see how one person driving differently from the rest causes havoc with the flow of traffic.  I realize we have lived a long life and 'earned' our right to drive, but again, we live on a planet with 7 billion people now and we have to think not only of our own needs, we need to be aware of the needs of the other 7 billion people.  I cannot tell you how often I will be stuck in a long life of traffic with the first vehicle driving 10 or more miles per hour under the speed limit and wonder if one of the held up people is a doctor on call who is attempting to get to the hospital to do a life-saving operation on someone--maybe even one of your own family members.  Please re-think driving if you are consistently driving 5-10 miles under the speed limit.   Another thing that happens when you are driving out-of-the-flow of traffic is that spaces for people to pull out of drives are reduced because of that slow vehicle. This prevents many people from pulling out of a drive quickly. I often see people waiting to pull out of a gas station or coffee shop and that big gap is suddenly lost because one person is driving much slower and gets far behind the group.  They have to wait for the next gap and sometimes the next or the next after that!  A slow vehicle falls behind the group and the gap is lost. A lot of time is lost through people who are not going with the flow.

A LIST OF THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING OR BUILDING A HOME

The following 4 main areas will be addressed throughout these guidelines.  

1.  Reduce energy consumption and use renewable energy sources.
2.  Choose materials carefully.  Produce and store food.
3.  Conserve water and preserve it's quality.
4.  Minimize and reuse waste.

The idea is to live life so as to negatively impact the earth as little as possible in order to leave it in as good or a better shape for our future children, grandchildren and all future residents.  These guidelines will also enable each of us to lead a healthier, longer life and hopefully enable our earth to continue to be able to support all of us in a healthy manner.  It will address ideas that will not only improve physical health but will reduce stress.   These are mostly common sense but have been forgotten by many of us in the hustle-bustle of every day life.

MAKING YOUR RESIDENCE A HEALTHY, COMFORTING PLACE TO LIVE

Have access to water--

Pools and streams
Lakes

Check back October 2014