Pam, living in Norway.
Married with four children. Registered general Nurse. We live in the country surrounded by forest and mountains.
Hello and good morning from a foggy, grey Norway G. Donna. A few notes on how I do my daily chores here. I used to hate housework, but after being bedridden with severe illness for years, being able to keep my own house in order feels like a big joy now. Firstly, collecting rainwater. We live beside a huge lake where we can drink the water and our pump costs very little to run, so we don't collect rainwater. As I have such a good water supply, I don't use a dishwasher anymore.
I have never met anyone in my generation who doesn't use one, but it is part of our quest to live more "unplugged" and be less dependant on gadgets. I have saved up and bought a Really good washing machine of the Swedish make ASKO which is meant to last 15 - 20 years. With four children and a husband bringing home a lot of work clothes, I also bought a dryer to use in Winter. I only use it for bedclothes and towels. Feel a little ashamed, but I really need it.
We really want to leave a lighter fooprint on earth. There is a lot to learn, but little by little, we get better. Learning every day. Please ask if there is anything else you would like to know. Blessings, Pam in Norway ( winkelscrazyideas blogspot)
I emailed Pamela back with question about do they filter the water? Do they have septic tanks? And Pamela replied,
Hello again from Norway. We don't need to filter our lake water. What is expensive is the heating of water. I never turn it off as there has been a few cases of legionella the past years due to older people turning the heat down in their boilers. I try to use as little hot water as possible. Our boiler is part of a system where the water is kept at 52 degrees C on a regular basis and then automatically boiled up at intervals to avoid dangerous bacteria such as legionella. Such systems are getting more and more common in Norway. I find it rather complicated and would be content with the wood burner and a regular hot water heater. We have our own well pumping directly from the lake and our own "green" Septiktank. It is emptied every 2 - 3 years. It filters and cleans on the premises and is one of the best environmentally on the market. Another thing I thought about is the wood burner. Found in most every Norwegian home. New of the last decades is that they are "clean burners" and pollute far far less than earlier. We have one and it is wonderful. We also cut our own wood. Pam in Norway. Looking forward to hear how things are around the world :)
Thank You Pamela for such good information as so many of us are trying to live a more simple life and as you say less unplugged.
I would never tire of your magnificent view! It is so beautiful where you live.
Anyone can send in photos and or emails about where you live in the world and the things you do at your home. See my post Grandma around the world to learn more.
Pamela has a blog, and to fine her go to http://winkelscrazyideas.blogspot.com/
