IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
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IPC COMMUNITY 50 FALL 2024 At the time of our conversation, his friends are visiting, sleeping in tents at his campsite. He's chosen a wooded location that positions him close to hiking and biking trails but not too far from town so he can get his daily supplies. He uses this spot as his home base, but often hooks up the trailer to his truck and visits other parts of California. His favorites are the mountains near Tahoe, the coast near Big Sur, the Redwoods on the northern coast, and of course the Yosemite Valley. One of the important shifts he made in his sus- tainable lifestyle was to pare down everything he owned and only buy what he needs daily. "When I had a house, I wouldn't think twice about going to the bulk store and buying the 72-pack of toilet paper and 48 rolls of paper towels," Kris says. "So, when I first got the trailer, I looked at all my stuff. I had to ask myself how often I really would use things I had. What would I keep and give away? Did I need 20 pots and pans? Did I need all these cheap clothes?" He now buys fewer but higher-quality cloth- ing items. He owns a pair of sandals and hiking boots. He's learned that he likes cast iron cook- ware, so he bought a skillet, a Dutch oven, and a small pot for boiling water. Instead of buying bulk supplies, he frequently visits local farmers' markets and selects what he needs for a day or two. "First, I don't have room for those bulk items," Kris says. "But it also creates more mindful shop- ping. Before, I would almost run on autopilot when I got home from work: dinners from the freezer and into the microwave. Now, I'm no lon- ger buying processed, prepackaged foods. I'm much more mindful of being in the moment and buying locally sourced items for what I want to eat that day or the next. That was a big, big para- digm shift for me." Has it made a difference in his life? Kris has an emphatic, but practical yes. He's lost weight, rarely gets sick, has more energy and clearer thinking, and doesn't carry stress like he used to.