Ozarkers work to shrink their carbon footprint

A visit to Richard Herman's home makes it immediately apparent that his lifestyle is different from most others.

Herman does not have a washing machine, TV or electric stove. There is no running water or plumbing in his home north of Springfield.

Herman, a self-described "drifter," chooses to cook and heat his home with a wood fire, dry his clothes on a line outdoors and clean using collected rainwater.

While acknowledging his self-sufficient lifestyle is unusual for this region, Herman said it's common in the majority of the world.

"The U.S. is only 5 percent of the world's population, and our lifestyle is not the norm," said Herman, who has traveled to and lived in numerous parts of the world, including Haiti, Africa and New Zealand, both on his own and with various charitable groups. "I got an eye-opener as to what the norm really is: Most people have to walk to get their water; they live with dirt floors; they cook with live fire. It changes your perception."

Herman's example may seem extreme, but some of the ideas he espouses, along with the ideas of other groups, can be put to use in homes and businesses to reduce carbon footprints - the environmental impact of one's daily life.

Feeding ourselves

The most basic human need is food - and a local alliance says the Ozarks, like most other parts of the country, has become unable to feed itself without significant outside help.

The Well-Fed Neighbor Alliance was formed in October to work toward "a vision of a peaceful, inclusive and sustainable future." Galen Chadwick, a 40-year veteran gardener and alliance member, said the Ozarks' dependence on others for sustenance means most food has to be trucked in, enlarging the area's carbon footprint.

"The decline can be seen in the huge empty wheat silos standing not just on Chestnut but in every small town across the state," Chadwick said. "Those were once filled with the grains that we consumed and produced here with such abundance that we were a major exporter."

He points to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair as an example of Missouri reaping the benefits of its agricultural prowess - and, he adds, only a concerted and coordinated effort would return the state to those times.

"It takes, on average, 1.2 acres of land to feed each person. Multiply that by the 500,000 people in our five-county area and you get some idea of the food-shed we're dealing from," he said.

"The people of Missouri need to realize ... that we are now dependent on these long, international food chains and energy sources that are not only tenuous but are complex and themselves vulnerable from many directions."

To that end, programs such as the Well-Fed Neighbor Alliance's 1,000 Gardens Project are helping the area strive for "sustainable abundance." The project is a collaborative effort among several groups including Students for a Sustainable Future at Missouri State University and the Springfield-Greene County Park Board; its goal is to inspire community gardens in every area neighborhood, with the goal of 1,000 gardens before Earth Day on April 22.

Chadwick said despite the daunting task ahead, self-reliance is an attainable goal.

"We once grew an astounding variety of fruits and vegetables here, including grapes, apricots, peaches - about 35 major and secondary food and agricultural crops," he said. "We once had a very short carbon footprint here."

Getting off the grid

The carbon footprint goes well beyond food, however.

Electricity and water usage also can be reduced, according to Herman, if people and businesses make themselves more aware of how and when they use energy. He said the way he lives forces his awareness.

"I touch all my energy. When I need to cook something, I gather that wood. Each time I strike a match, and I do it every day, that makes me conscious of what I'm using. Since I catch water off my roof, I need to know how much water is in that tank," Herman said. "I carry all my energy."

While going without electricity and running water may not be for everyone, Cara Shaefer, director of energy management and conservation at City Utilities, said personal awareness can help even the most voracious utility users curb their appetite.

"There are so many things people can do that are just related to behavior: what you're setting the thermostat at, deciding between plugging in an electric space heater and putting on another layer of clothing, simple things," Shaefer said.

According to Herman, the easiest thing any person can do to reduce their consumption is drying their clothes on a line whenever possible; that way, he said, people are harnessing the power of Earth's biggest energy source: the sun.

"I try to make the sun the largest energy input on my land," Herman said. "When I feed my sheep, I feed them very little grain - just enough to coerce them into different pens, where they feed off the land. I grow a fair amount of food, and I have a solar-powered radio and flashlight."

The key, Shaefer added, is realizing that there is no one simple answer that will reduce energy or water usage.

"The biggest misconception is that there's a silver bullet out there, thinking that we'll be able to come in and identify that one thing that's going to help a customer cut their utility usage in half," she said.

"It's more of a buckshot approach - there are going to be all of these little things ... that will then add up."