Living The Good Life

For six months, Linda Cockburn and her family grew, made, or bartered for their food, generated their own power, collected their own rainwater, and aimed not to spend a single penny. All to discover one thing - is domestic sustainability really possible? This book presents an account of this family's quest to change their consumer-led lifestyle. Living The Good Life' is the day-to-day account of an inspirational family experiment - to see whether it is possible to live by the principles of domestic sustainability to their utmost degree. Already passionate about ways of minimising humanity's impact on the environment, author Linda Cockburn and her family decided to take a huge plunge. For a six-month period they grew, made or bartered for all their own food, generated all their power needs from the sun, collected their own rainwater, and aimed not to spend a single dollar.They put the car keys away and resorted to bikes, stopped eating all takeaway, and became utterly in tune with the seasons. Living on just an average-sized house block in Queensland, the Cockburns have put true power in the saying that change begins in your own backyard. Along the way there were failings and successes, and together they learnt a tremendous amount about themselves. Linda's diary entries take you with her on the journey. Alongside are fascinating facts and anecdotes on the environment, recipes, tips for people interested in changing their own way of life, and information that you won't find anywhere else.