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Lasse Nordlund (1965) is a Finnish social thinker who is known for his experiment of living completely self-sufficiently in the Finnish countryside, producing his clothes and tools and cultivating his food from his small farm and what he gathered from the surrounding country.
Born in Helsinki to a Finnish father and a German mother, [1] Nordlund spent a typical youth in Germany and was interested in studying physics. However, he began to doubt the viability and meaning of conventional living and decided to try and live a self-sufficient lifestyle.
The background to Nordlund's experiment is his conviction that only subsistence living is materially sustainable on a long-term basis.
Nordlund could not, by his own admission, distinguish between a pine or a fir tree when he started his project, but started by studying books and experimenting to produce goods and obtain food. Eventually, he was able to live in Valtimo, in Finnish North Karelia, for the years between 1992 and 2004 in complete self-sufficiency.
According to Nordlund, one person needs about five ares (500m²) of farmland to live on without buying any additional food. The most important food crop for him is the rutabaga, a common Finnish staple. In his self-sufficient economy, Nordlund consumes 200 kg of mushrooms per year and about the same in berries preserved without additives or sugar. He forsook livestock because he projected the maintenance (for example, animal feed) to be too time-consuming to make sense. Though he does accept the value of animal husbandry as wool and leather are handy clothing materials able to outlast cotton cloth. Nordlund became accustomed to life without salt, though many believe it to be life-threatening. He argues that he has been able to live without salt for years, although initially leaving out salt caused him some health issues. Instead of toilet paper, he uses dried sphagnum moss. In the early years of self-reliance, Nordlund's days were full of work, but eventually he was able to relax and take up hobbies from his youth, such as flute playing and working on equations.
He is an author and a speaker on sustainability topics.
Today, he lives with his family, still mostly self-sufficiently.
In 2008, Palladium books published a work written by Lasse Nordlund and Maria Dorff "The Foundations of Our Life, Reflections about Human labour, Money and Energy from Self-sufficiency Standpoint".
Inedia or breatharianism is the claimed ability for a person to live without consuming food, and in some cases water. It is a deadly pseudoscience and several adherents of these practices have died from starvation or dehydration. Multiple cases where this practice was attempted have resulted in failure or death.
Fruitarianism is a diet that consists primarily of consuming fruits and possibly nuts and seeds, but without any animal products. Fruitarian diets are subject to criticism and health concerns.
Simple living refers to practices that promote simplicity in one's lifestyle. Common practices of simple living include reducing the number of possessions one owns, depending less on technology and services, and spending less money. Not only is simple living focused on external changes such as minimalism through fewer commitments or possessions but it also connects to the human's mindset and set of beliefs. These practices can be seen throughout history, religion, art, and economics.
Sustainable living describes a lifestyle that attempts to reduce the use of Earth's natural resources by an individual or society. It is referred to as "zero wastage living" or "net zero living". Its practitioners often attempt to reduce their ecological footprint by altering their home designs and methods of transportation, energy consumption and diet. Its proponents aim to conduct their lives in ways that are consistent with sustainability, naturally balanced, and respectful of humanity's symbiotic relationship with the Earth's natural ecology. The practice and general philosophy of ecological living closely follows the overall principles of sustainable development.
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The Progressive utilization theory (PROUT) is a socioeconomic and political philosophy created by the Indian philosopher and spiritual leader Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar. He first conceived of PROUT in 1959. Its proponents (Proutists) claim that it exposes and overcomes the limitations of capitalism, communism and mixed economy. Since its genesis, PROUT has had an economically progressive approach, aiming improve social development in the world. It is in line with Sarkar's Neohumanist values which aim to provide "proper care" to every being on the planet, including humans, animals and plants.
Service and supports for people with disabilities are those government or other institutional services and supports specifically provided to enable people who have disabilities to participate in society and community life. Some such services and supports are mandated or required by law, some are assisted by technologies that have made it easier to provide the service or support while others are commercially available not only to persons with disabilities, but to everyone who might make use of them.
Fruitlands was a utopian agrarian commune established in Harvard, Massachusetts, by Amos Bronson Alcott and Charles Lane in the 1840s, based on transcendentalist principles. An account of its less-than-successful activities can be found in Transcendental Wild Oats by Alcott's daughter Louisa May Alcott.
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Catholic Community Services is a ministry of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City that operates various programs in Salt Lake City and Ogden designed to provide help and create hope for those impacted by homelessness as food insecurity. CCS' Migration and Refugee Services department also equips and empower immigrants and refugees settling into the life in the United States. Its mission is to practice gospel values of love, compassion, and hope through service, support, and collaboration. It is a member of the National organization Catholic Charities. Its Main Office is located at 224 North 2200 West Salt Lake City, Utah.
This is a glossary of environmental science.
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Jules C. Dervaes, Jr. was an urban farmer and a proponent of the urban homesteading movement. Dervaes and his three adult children operated an urban market garden in Pasadena, California, as well as other websites and online stores related to self-sufficiency and "adapting in place."
Aftermath is a 2010 Canadian-American documentary television series created by History Canada and produced by Cream Productions. It aired on National Geographic in the United States.
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