I live without cash – and I manage just fine

Mark Boyle outside his off-grid caravan. Photograph: Mark Boyle

Armed with a caravan, solar laptop and toothpaste made from washed-up cuttlefish bones, Mark Boyle gave up using cash

In six years of studying economics, not once did I hear the word "ecology". So if it hadn't have been for the chance purchase of a video called Gandhi in the final term of my degree, I'd probably have ended up earning a fine living in a very respectable job persuading Indian farmers to go GM, or something useful like that. The little chap in the loincloth taught me one huge lesson – to be the change I wanted to see in the world. Trouble was, I had no idea back then what that change was.

After managing a couple of organic food companies made me realise that even "ethical business" would never be quite enough, an afternoon's philosophising with a mate changed everything. We were looking at the world's issues – environmental destruction, sweatshops, factory farms, wars over resources – and wondering which of them we should dedicate our lives to. But I realised that I was looking at the world in the same way a western medical practitioner looks at a patient, seeing symptoms and wondering how to firefight them, without any thought for their root cause. So I decided instead to become a social homeopath, a pro-activist, and to investigate the root cause of these symptoms.

One of the critical causes of those symptoms is the fact we no longer have to see the direct repercussions our purchases have on the people, environment and animals they affect. The degrees of separation between the consumer and the consumed have increased so much that we're completely unaware of the levels of destruction and suffering embodied in the stuff we buy. The tool that has enabled this separation is money.

If we grew our own food, we wouldn't waste a third of it as we do today. If we made our own tables and chairs, we wouldn't throw them out the moment we changed the interior decor. If we had to clean our own drinking water, we probably wouldn't contaminate it.

So to be the change I wanted to see in the world, it unfortunately meant I was going to have to give up cash, which I initially decided to do for a year. I got myself a caravan, parked it up on an organic farm where I was volunteering and kitted it out to be off-grid. Cooking would now be outside – rain or shine – on a rocket stove; mobile and laptop would be run off solar; I'd use wood I either coppiced or scavenged to heat my humble abode, and a compost loo for humanure.

Food was the next essential. There are four legs to the food-for-free table: foraging wild food, growing your own, bartering, and using waste grub, of which there is loads. On my first day, I fed 150 people a three-course meal with waste and foraged food. Most of the year, though, I ate my own crops.

To get around, I had a bike and trailer, and the 34-mile commute to the city doubled up as my gym subscription. For loo roll I'd relieve the local newsagents of its papers (I once wiped my arse with a story about myself); it's not double-quilted, but I quickly got used to it. For toothpaste I used washed-up cuttlefish bone with wild fennel seeds, an oddity for a vegan.

What have I learned? That friendship, not money, is real security. That most western poverty is of the spiritual kind. That independence is really interdependence. And that if you don't own a plasma screen TV, people think you're an extremist.

People often ask me what I miss about my old world of lucre and business. Stress. Traffic jams. Bank statements. Utility bills.

Well, there was the odd pint of organic ale with my mates down the local.

• Mark Boyle is the founder of The Freeconomy Community

Animal Cruelty - By Keith Jeffers

What do you think?

Animal cruelty has existed in the past, present and will continue in the future. 
Animals are no different than humans. They have senses and live the same as humans live. Animals have feelings, and should be treated in a more appropriate way than being portrayed. Animals are used for food, clothing and are held captive. Being held captive is being a prisoner or being confined under control. 

Animals are also used for science, and military research.  “The case against Meat” was an article used to educate reader that meat is bad for the environment, it increases global hunger, brutalizes, animals, and it’s bad for human health. This article was used to inform readers that meat destroys the life of animals and eventually will destroy the health of humans. In this article the author also tries to persuade the readers to become less involved in destroying animals and more involved in caring for them.

In comparison, the film” Earthlings” gives the viewer’s a much broader sense of what happens

to animals. They go into graphic visuals and clarify how humans are in control of the way we handle animals. As humans, we use animals as pets, for military research, and scientist use them as experiments. Testing animals can be very dangerous not only to humans, but animals are often the victims. Animal cruelty is common in an everyday part of the way we live our lives.

The use of animals plays an enormous role in the entertainment world. After watching “Earthlings” I realize that that we use animals for terrible purposes. As humans we clothe ourselves in animals, eat animals, and worst of all annihilate animals. Most animals have sense just like humans. Animals want to be loved, cared about, and should be recognized for something other than mutilation. Watching this film made open my heart for animals. I now understand how much we as humans control and determine the lives of so many creatures known to mankind.

From reading this article and from watching the film I’ve also noticed how animal cruelty can wreck human life.  Eating a lot of beef and pork can cause arteries to malfunction, and cause heart problems for humans in the long run. It can also lead to an early departure in human life. Now I want cut back on eating meat, and learn how we as humans can be able to survive without meat. 

There’s plenty of ways we can still eat healthy without the usage of meat. Animal cruelty existed before my generation and will continue to progress after my generation. As a species we must realize the energy we put into destroying animals, and come to a resolution on how to prevent animal cruelty.

The Most Important Person in My Life - by Christopher Johnson

 Naming a particular individual as the most important person in one’s life can be difficult for many, yet for me this is a simple task. Jessie May Johnson, my grandmother wins the award in my mind. Born in Piza, Italy in 1946, my grandmother traveled here on a ship with her parents and small siblings decades ago in an attempt to secure a life in America that would afford them and continued generations a chance at a great life. As a person my grandmother is the essence of kindness, strength, love, and devotion, mixed with stubbornness, an opinionated mind, and a lack of adventure. She enjoys the feeling of comfort and usually relaxes with a pony tail, equipped with a book to fill the time. Grandma, as she’s affectionately known to her grandkids is selfless with a big heart.

            What makes my grandmother the woman she is, is her devotion to her family. She worked in a factory for a short period of time to later stop working in order to take care of her siblings, children, and grandchildren. She’s always willing to give everything she has to ensure others are okay. For example, if one of her siblings, kids, or grandkids are in need of a place to stay, a small amount of money, or just some advice, she is there, although it kills her inside sometime to do so. She has the heart of a thousand people.

             My grandmother is strong a woman. You can call her a superhero, because she takes on that role as a grandparent, mother, and sister. She Sets guidelines like there’s nothing she can’t do, like batman, the superhero with no powers, as if she is untouchable and can’t be harmed. She is loving at all time regardless of the situation, she is devoted, devoted to a life of kindness, understanding, and selflessness. Because of all her great characteristics, she took my siblings and I in order to keep us from going into foster care and looked after us as we turned into young adults. She is what keeps me going when all else fails.

            Although she can very much be stubborn, and set in her old ways, she is the light in our lives. She is also the type of person who limits herself. She lacks a sense of self adventure and goes nowhere. She stays in the house all day, everyday unless she needs to go to the doctor. Her adventures are usually to the window to look and see what’s going on outside on our block. She is also very opinionated, and goes with whatever someone tells her. For example, you can tell her the world is going to blow up, and she’ll call everyone and let them know what she has just found out. She’ll argue you down and stick with her story, then she’ll tell you off and apologize for it later. She gets on your nerve’s, but you got to love her for that.

            My grandmother, is a 5ft. 4in. woman who is the light in the family, the glue of all of our needs, the hope, and love that guides us along the way. She is important to me because she did a lot to make sure we lived the best life we can. She gave up a lot to take on the responsibility of an adult at the age of 15. My grandmother is the essence of kindness, strength, love, and devotion with all hands down.


Immigrants Arriving at Ellis Island

The following is a descriptive essay by Kimberly Cardenas.  May it serve as yet another reminder of the fleeting nature of life.  Leave your comments for Kimberly...

The day I felt that everything fell apart right before my eyes, and there was nothing I could do was on August 4, 2007. It was the day the most important person in my life passed away, my mother.   Never did I think this day would come as soon as it did.  As I walked away from the hospital that afternoon, I felt like a new person with no direction.  I felt empty as if someone had taken a piece of my heart and broke it into a thousand pieces.  I  didn’t know what to feel at that moment, I couldn’t cry, I couldn’t smile, I couldn’t  really process what was going on . I was numb.  I had many mixed feelings, emotions, and thoughts going on about where I should go from there. 

I remember this day like it was yesterday and I hate looking back at this day because it reminds me of the worst day of my life.  Remembering the horrible feeling I felt in my stomach, the loneliness I felt in my heart, and the desire to pour my eyes out.  It was the day I felt I got robbed from life and, from the most important person that existed in my life.  From my mom’s brown Shirley Temple curls to her sweet smell, and her beautiful pearly white teeth that could light up any room, I miss her and her genuine sweet personality.  She filled my days with happiness and love.  Her presence made my day.  She treasured me because I was her baby but, I treasured her as if she was my baby.  

Living in a small town in El Salvador and growing up in a household with only one parent, my mom was forced to get a job at the age of fourteen.  She worked very hard, trying to help my grandmother while struggling to go to school and then going to work, which meant there was no time to play or hang out with friends.   My mom lived no childhood fantasy she grew up without a father who neglected her as his daughter and who refused to ever give her anything.  She was forced to grow up quickly and deal with responsibilities that normal children and teenagers don’t ever have to deal with till later on.  My mother knew how to cook, clean and how to maintain a household by the time she was fifteen.  My mother was known to be very pretty, possibly one of the prettiest girls in their town.  She always carried herself with respect and was always a very responsible hard working woman, and many idolized her because of that.

My mom was the first person from her side of the family to make the decision to leave El Salvador and to come to the U.S.   She knew it was time for change in her life and she knew that she could not progress if she didn’t do this.   At age twenty-three, she came to this country not knowing one single soul and without knowing the language fluently.  She lived in a small apartment in Queens, N.Y. while working in a wealthy area in Long Island cleaning houses.  She struggled to make a living, but eventually she made it so she could live comfortably alongside my father who she ended up marrying four years later.

My mother was the sweetest, and most kind hearted, hard working woman that I have ever known.  From cleaning the house spotless, to cooking mouth watering meals, she tried to do it all while being sick. I could not imagine being sick, working, cleaning, coming home to my husband and then having to deal with my children.  It honestly seems like a job for superwoman to me, but that’s what my mother is to me she's my superwoman. She managed to do everything and most of all have time for her children.  I knew I could always go to my mom for anything. She was an amazing person with a heart of gold.

Ever since I could remember my mom has been sick. She felt that she never had the opportunity to live life with me like she did with my two older siblings.  She felt guilty and thought I would resent her for that, and I hope she knows that I would never.  After my mom found out she had leukemia her life felt like a ticking clock.  My mother valued everyday that was given to her and she prayed and thanked god for granting her another day, to spend with her children and family.  My mom always said her children were the most important and valuable things in her life.  She said she always wanted to have a family and if she was granted with a family one day, she wanted the best for them so they wouldn’t ever have to suffer and go through what she did.  She also told us that everything she did, coming to this country and working hard was for us.  So we could one day have the opportunity to go to college, earn our degrees and become successful in life and have a loving family of our own.

I love my mother more than words can express and I know no one is perfect, but in my eyes my mother was perfect in every single way.  I could be having the worst day of my life but I knew she would be there with open arms and ready to tell me the three words that I must have heard everyday till the last that she spent on this earth. - "I love you".  This, along with a kiss on the forehead that always made everything better.  I can't remember one day ever passing by that she didn’t say I love you. Her hellos were more like I love you's and my mother never liked the term goodbye.  She always told me that that goodbye is forever.  So from this day on I always say, see you later to everyone.

The hardest thing to accept is the fact that she isn’t here anymore.  Two years have gone by and I still think of her every single day. I miss her, and her endless loving hugs, and that smile that brightened my day but, what I do miss most of all is yelling out, "mommy.” The love and words my mom instilled in me can never be forgotten.  She dedicated her whole life trying to give me the best that she could and always encouraged me in every possible way.  Sometimes I do get scared that I will forget about her thirty or forty years from now. Then I sit back and think, she's my mom and there is no way you can forget your mother.  She taught me things that I will not ever forget, especially how to love someone and to always be ready to face any challenge thrown at me. She is the best person I have ever met in my life, my inspiration to succeed, and I cannot her compare to anyone.  I am more sure now, than ever that I will always remember my mom, my best friend, my guardian angel and that, she will always live on with me forever.

The following is a descriptive essay by Jasmine Johnson.  Leave your comments for Jasmine...

She was just another aunt to me. I hadn’t realized how important she was until the day a selfish individual took her life. Her name was Marcie Johnson, and she was 26 years old when her death changed my life for the better. I had never imagined my aunt would be murdered; I never pictured anyone so close in my family being killed. The day the blued uniformed Union City police officers rang my doorbell, will never leave my memory bank. 

It was the afternoon of New Year’s Eve 2004, when the doorbell had rung. Being an innocent 13 year old, I opened the white door and came face-to-face with two short police officers. When they questioned the whereabouts of my tall, brown-eyed father, I began to worry. “What was wrong?” “What did he do wrong?” immediately ran through my mind as I called up the brown squeaky stairs for him. “Sir, are your daughters Marcie Johnson, Kerina Johnson, and Jasmine Johnson?” was all I was able to hear before being sent up to my pink room.  

When my grandmother was called downstairs, I knew something had gone wrong with Marcie. The loud cry, “Just tell me she’s okay!” heard throughout the house confirmed my assumption. Peeking my head out the brown door to try to hear what actually was going on downstairs, I heard “death”, and I knew it was true. It seemed so surreal to me, so making up a story to tell my little cousin Christofer about his mother came easy. I will never forget how innocent and sweet he sounded when he said, “Jasmine, why are the cops here? We didn’t do anything wrong, everyone in our family is good.” It broke my heart to know he was right. No one in my family did anything wrong. In fact it was a guy, who had a relationship with my aunts best friend, who decided to shoot my aunt. 

It had taken me a while to come to reality and realize I will never see my aunt again. The closest thing I have to seeing her caramel long face is a picture of her smiling, showing off her two front gap teeth. It kills me to know I will never hear her singing loudly from the top floor of my house. To make things worse, as each day passes by I am beginning to forget her raspy but sweet voice.

I remember those cool summer nights she would sit in front of my house and tell me, “If you ever need anything I’ll be here. Any questions you might have about life, just ask me, I’ll be here.” It hurts me day in and day out to know, so many questions I have now she will never be able to answer for me. I cherish every moment I’ve had with her. She has shaped my life in so many ways in such a short amount of time. 

It is because my aunt didn’t get to do everything in her life she wanted to do, such as go back to school and make something of herself, I work extra hard in school to achieve my goals in life. It is because of my aunt, I no longer take family for granted. It amazes me, everyday that it is true; you never know what you have until it is gone. 

Although her flaws sometimes out weighted her strengths, Marcie was so loving in everything she did. Her only son, Christofer was definitely her greatest weakness. Everything she did, she did for him. She lived and breathed Christofer, and did her very best to give him all that he needed and wanted.  She made sure he enjoyed his Christmases and birthdays, even if it meant her working two long hour jobs.  

Everything I do, I do for her. She is truly the most important person I ever had in my life.

I would do anything to hear, see, and touch her just one more day.

The following is a response to the High Five Nation Article by Leonel Aguilar

Leave your comments for Leonel...

According to the author our society has become one that is accustomed to a routine. As a society we went from one that takes pride in its big achievements to one where self-admiration has taken over. People tend to pay more attention to little things such as what “celebrities” are doing and what they say, not worrying about what is really going on. Soldiers have died in war and most of us don’t have a good understanding as to why we are fighting a war. The title of this article High Five Nation is very ironic, everyone seems to think everything is good and perfect in our society when in reality is not.

According to David Brooks we must be a noble community like we were in 1945 after WWII. During that time the people came together because they were glad the war was over. Everyone forgot about what little problems they had and dealt with this big achievement in the most humble way. 


Now we have celebrities bragging about little things they achieve and people tend to cheer them on. What Kanye West did at the MTV Video Music Awards was not a noble action and it shows how much we have changed as a society. I agree with Brooks and I know we must change our ways as a society.  Also, I must say that while I agree I also disagree with this statement “The allies had completed one of the noblest military victories in history and with humility.” Dropping two atom bombs in one country, I don’t consider this a noble action. 

Hiroshima: aftermath of the atomic bomb

So we are finally up and running.  Here's the deal.  Each week we can feature up to 3 submissions of student work.  Your work will be posted just the way you send it to me.  If it is full of grammar and spelling issues, I can not post.  So your thorough presence in proofreading will be a requirement.

Once content is posted students will be required to log on and read the posts and leave comments for the writer.  Comments are to be constructive and thoughtful.  "This was good/bad" says nothing about what you read or what you thought.  I am looking for responses to be thoughtful.

Also, from time to time we will log on to view, art, brief video content and listen to music....

This should be fun....welcome to My Blog Ate My Homework - Ms. V.