Escapees July-August 2022

“Living simply is not about living in poverty or self-in fl icted deprivation. It’s about living an examined life where one has determined what is truly important and enough...and then just let go of all the rest.” Duane Elgin, Author and Speaker

S imply is, as simply does. Living life in an RV, van or converted school bus can be simpler and more sustainable; but, in our nearly 10 years on the road we’ve seen folks really struggle to leave their complicated lives behind. We’ve even struggled with this a bit ourselves. A former colleague told us that living sustainably involves a deep examination of wants vs. needs. That’s worth repeating at a cocktail party, but what does it mean exactly? My wants and my needs aren’t going to work for everyone else. These are deeply personal concepts that take a lot of hard work to sort out. In our former sticks-and-bricks home, we gave up the New Year’s Resolution nonsense and made a “green” goal for each year. By focusing on one thing, like composting all our food scraps, it became a habit by the next new year. We reduced our energy usage, downsized our needs, recycled, reused and repaired every chance we could. Unfortunately, it just never quite seemed like enough. The traditional lifestyle we worked so hard to create was not sustainable. The more stuff we owned, the more it owned us. We paid the price in lost sleep, stress, recur ring sickness and the unmistakable feeling that we were slipping away from each other. We needed a radical departure. We believed in a life that required less money, less work, more time outside, more time with friends and more time with each other. Our escape plan involved bringing new life to a worn-out, vintage trailer that had

been retired from “deer camp” service. For $900 on eBay we snagged this 1957 Sportcraft, canned-ham travel trailer we named “Hamlet,” and spent six months and around $2,000 bringing him back to life. What we saved in supplies, we more than made up for in labor—a labor of love, blood, sweat and a few tears. Seizing the opportunity to explore all 50 states, as well as much of Canada and nearly all of America’s national parks, we’ve come close to truly feeling like we’ve got it all. All that we need, that is. But we’ve also realized that “living sustainably” goes beyond a carbon footprint; it includes having time to do the things we love and spend time with the people we love. It means living a more healthy and curious life, pursuing interests for their own sake rather than monetary gain or career advancement. Environmental Sustainability How does a lifestyle which involves driving your house everywhere help lessen your carbon footprint? That’s a fair question, and one that we’ve frequently gotten from our

46

ESCAPEES Magazine July/August 2022