Urban Self Sufficiency

Urban self sufficiency takes a little more effort and imagination than rural or suburban self sufficiency, but it is very possible.

The Basics of Self Sufficiency

Self-sufficiency is a way of life in which you depend on less on outside resources to provide you with things like food, shelter and clothing. Those aiming for a self-sufficient lifestyle often do the following:

Grow their own food such as fruits, vegetables and herbs.
Raise their own livestock - This may not be possible for most, but some people aiming for self sufficiency raise their own chickens and cattle.
Make their own clothes - Instead of buying new clothes, self sufficiency people make their own clothes. When an item of clothing is torn, they repair them instead of buying new items.
Cut their own wood for heat - Again, not always possible, especially in the cold winter months or in homes or apartments that don't have wood burning stoves or fireplaces.
Canning and preserving fruits and vegetables - This reduces the dependency on having to buy frozen or canned fruits and vegetables during the winter months.

About Urban Self Sufficiency

Obviously, it's much easier for non-city dwellers to grow their own fruits and vegetables and even raise livestock if they wanted to because most non-urban homes have a nice little (or big) yards to do so. In an urban setting though, city dwellers have to be a little more creative on the road to self-sufficiency. Since most people living in the city do so because they like it and do not want to move out to a rural area, here are some things that people to in an effort to obtain urban self-sufficiency:

Grow herbs in the house - Herbs grow very easily in potted plants inside any home.
Plant vegetables and fruits among the flowers and shrubbery - If you live in an apartment building that doesn't have a community garden or a home that doesn't have much of a yard, try planting a few fruit and vegetable plants among the existing foliage.
Try your hand at home brewing - Whether it's beer or wine, home brewing can be done no matter the size of your urban dwelling.
Make your own soap and shampoo - This reduces waste from commercially made and packaged shampoos and soaps. When you make your own, you can reuse the shampoo bottle and as for soap, there is no excess packaging.
Make your own bread - You don't need a bread machine to make your own bread. Also consider making other items from scratch like pasta, pastries and cakes.
Conserve water - Take fewer showers, wash dishes by hand, don't run the water when you brush your teeth and install a low flush toilet in your home. If you don't want to install a low flush toilet, simply flush the toilet less. This lessens your dependency on public water and sewer services.
Make your own household cleansers - Vinegar and water will clean just about anything. Again, by making your own earth friendly household cleansers, you reduce waste and you aren't using any harsh chemicals.
Install solar panels - This is a big and costly project, but what you save in energy costs will more then make up for the initial cash outlay.
Hang clothes to dry whenever possible - This reduces your dependency on public utility companies.

Begin with Small Steps

Urban self-sufficiency takes a big commitment of time and energy, so it's best to start with small steps like growing your own fruits and vegetables before taking large steps like installing solar panels. If you think it's simply not worth the effort, here are the positive benefits of self-sufficiency, urban or otherwise:

Reduced energy use - Remember that natural gas is a non-renewable resource. Reducing your energy usage not only helps to conserve this resource, but also reduces your monthly utility bills.
Less waste - Recycling is great, but using plastic and glass bottles (even better because plastic is a petroleum by product) is even better because you aren't generating any new waste by buying new products.

If you begin your journey to self-sufficiency with small steps, by the time you get to larger steps, it won't seem like much of an effort at all.