Chapter 1: FAQ
This first chapter of the manual details the basics of appropriate living. The introduction, shaped as a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) provides fast, clear insights into all aspects of appropriate living. What is appropriate living? Appropriate living means living in a way that shows special consideration for the environmental, ethical, cultural, social and economical impacts one makes on one's community.
Who lives appropriatly today ?
To answer this question, we can do an extrapolation of the national information available on ecologic footprints, Gini coefficients, sweet water transportation footprints, and cultural indexes. When we analyse the combined data, we can see that not a single country attains a score which falls into the margin of appropriately living. The margin of appropriatly living would be distingueshed by 0% greenhouse gas emissions, and an average score on the remaining indexes. However, we can see that some population groups are having the right mental orientation with examples as the concept of Ahimsa or Brahmacharya, but do not yet succeed fully in their practical execution.
How can we live appropriatly ?
Using a simple list, we can drasticly change the technologies we use commonly for our daily lives. This includes changes in food production, heating and cooling, transport, ... The list and measures are discussed in detail in chapter 2.
Why does it matter ?
The simple answer is that any lifestyle which does not take into account environmental, ethical, cultural, social and economical aspects creates problems for other people, fauna, flora and the ecosystem services which we need to survive. More precisely, global warming alone has killed over 150000 people (2000 est). Adding the fatalities of pollution, the killing of fauna/flora species (and the irrevocable destruction of certain ones), and other problems as resource stealing, we can thus easily state that, using a non-appropriate lifestyle, every time we buy/use a product (eg buying supermarket food, use the fossil-fuel car, buy electronics or clothing, ...), we use accessively high amount of resources and thus contribute to the killing. As no one wants to be or become such a person, it is clear that we must change our habits inmediatelly, with or without help (eg of the government).
What will it cost us financially ?
Nothing, instead when carefully put together, the change you introduce will actually gain you financial profits and/or reduce the daily amount of work. For some of us, it will also allow to change their profession to something they find more exciting or meaningful.
Can we do a payed job supplying services to others to allow them to live appropriatly ?Making a profession out of a specific skill to help others to live their life appropriatly is indeed a possibility. However, in order to do so, one must offcourse attain the required skills, experience and/or qualifications. As very little schooling regarding sustainable construction is already present in traditional schools, we may assume that anyone wanting to make his profession out of supplying a speciality service or product, will need to be schooled. Appropedia has herefore a list composed from the educations given in different subjects, tought at the appropriate technology villages. Another possible option is the taking of a volunteer work to become skilled in a profession. Appropedia. More in-depth information is mentioned at chapter 5. Depending on the profession, set up of a shop is also again possible trough these AT villages.