Staying Alive; Survival, Adaption & "Going Green"

I was sitting here today looking for replacement water filters for a Brita pitcher, slightly irritated by how a plastic thing full of activated carbon could be so expensive. But the alternative wasn't pretty; you never know what microbes or strange metals are lurking in your water. This really got me thinking though. Survival, and the steps we take to implement it, have changed dramatically since we first roamed this earth. Adaption leads to very interesting courses of action, such as the current cry to "go green".

In a capitalist society, money supposedly equates to survival. But money isn't a guarantee. It can buy you the tools and resources that you need, sure. But only as long as the money has strong value, and the economy's good, and prices aren't force fed protein by inflation. If someone maintains all their basic needs with money, then they are vulnerable to the same highs and lows as the economy. But if a person were really smart, they would try to become as self sufficient as possible; to not be totally dependent on the grid. Take the Green Revolution for example; it doesn't only just aid the planet, but takes away some of your dependence on current utilities & energy sources. Using sunlight for power, collecting rainwater, growing veggies in the backyard; a few ways of increasing self sufficiency. In a way, green techniques reduce the use of money to buy your "needs", leaving more to fund your "wants".

The obvious fact is that survival is about adaption to any situation. The economy is in bad shape; money can't be used as a crutch as often. But what's this? BAM! I can cook pies with sunlight? Filter my own water? Buy local produce? Hell yeah mother nature! But going green has more ties to survival than meets the eye. In good times, like the nineties for instance, jobs were plentiful and people on Wall Street had goofy grins on their faces. Green technology would have been good in itself, but there was simply no perceived need. Everything was hunky dory. As soon as everything began to unravel, then a credible threat to people's standards of living came about. Suddenly, anything that could cut costs looked like it had a holy aura on it. Green tech is just another tool in this process.

So what's the one good tip on survival that could be timeless? Invest in the renewable, and beware of the unstable. What everyone else uses isn't always the best; most of the time there is a better way. What are your thoughts on this? Long, short, rambling; all comments are welcome.