Moving into a third-world nation can be daunting and sometimes, downright discouraging. It can be hard to let go of some of those modern conveniences that we once took for granted. BUT! Have no fear, with a lot of creativity, some flexibility, and the help of experienced people, you can still have most of those amenities in an even more productive environment. You may even find yourself living a healthier lifestyle than you could have imagined or planned on. It is our hopes, that what you accomplish with the joy of your new found lifestyle, will set examples for the indigenous of your area that they too may take some of this knowledge and technology into practice and cause less harm to the local environment.
Basic needs usually refer to food, water and shelter. For the food, please look at the edible landscape portion. Sometimes a need can simply be a state of mind, function over esthetics in a garden can be mixed to just please the eye. Ornamental gardening can mix various elements that calm the soul. Perhaps a butterfly garden would be pleasing mixed in with an edible garden laced with exotic plants and various sitting areas to sit and meditate.
Electricity isn't really considered a need unless you are like me and were raised in a technologically dependent society where there are certain electronic things you just can't (or don't want to live without) So there is a section on alternatives for this as well. This section will introduce you to different practiced and proven environmentally friendly technologies that can save you money, provide you with the means to live the lifestyle you are used to possibly where there is no other way at the present time, and still give you a dream home you have possibly always wanted.
We will briefly explain about composting toilets, with the benefits, ease of installation and use, as well as the minimal cost for installation. There are costly composting toilets and even composters for reclaiming the natural gases, but for our purpose here all the things we have are made with materials that can be purchased locally and we hope will set examples to be applied by locals as well.
The cooking section pertains to solar cookers, rocket stoves that cook cleaner, hotter and more efficiently and alternative charcoals that can be made using waste products like coconut husks, corn cobs, sugar cane hulls and any organic waste material. I know I will always prefer a charcoal barbecue over a gas grill. For that and for possibly learning another way we can share a recycling principle that can cut down on cutting down the rainforest for firewood.
So whether or not you choose to use these basic methods or prefer to incorporate the more expensive versions, our blessings to you for your efforts on any level. In combination, these are all elements that can easily be incorporated to make a self sustaining piece of land, catered to your personal likes and dislikes in a beautiful way that will complete your tropical paradise. More importantly, a place that contributes the longevity of the planet.
