Fundamentals of Sustainable Living Series

Streaming video - 2015

If you bring your own reusable grocery bag to the supermarket, or buy “green” products, you’re already engaging in sustainable living practices. But you might not be aware of the other steps you could be taking, both small and large, to make an impact and save money wherever you live, whether it’s on acres of land or in a small city apartment. Every aspect of life can be reconsidered in terms of sustainability, from your choice of home and mode of transportation, to city design and the provenance of your produce—and you’ll learn about them all in Fundamentals of Sustainable Living.. Across 12 inspiring yet practical half-hour lectures, you’ll gain concrete strategies for providing for yourself and reducing your cost of living,... without compromising the resources of future generations. Your guide is an award-winning professor and pioneer of the discipline who is living proof of sustainability’s real-world applications—he hasn’t had to pay an electric bill in more than two decades. You’ll learn how sustainable living practices can help you do more with less, potentially allowing you to reduce your home’s energy consumption by 75 percent or more; heat your home without fossil fuels and produce enough clean energy to contribute back to the grid (or leave it altogether); reduce or eliminate your water bill; grow your own pesticide-free produce year round; and make safe, effective cleaning products at home.. Why do organics cost more? What style of washing machine uses half the energy and one-third less water? Which wild-growing plants are safe to eat? You’ll get answers to these and other practical questions throughout, as well as a big-picture view of sustainability and its underlying science, which cuts across a diverse swath of disciplines, including engineering, physics, biology, chemistry, agriculture, and economics.. more