As a wood stove owner and user, I approve this message! We use our wood heat first, then back it up when it gets really cold (-40 °C) with propane. And wood conservation is a thing; the supply is limited by how industrious I was at gathering it, sawing it, chopping it, and stacking it.
But. Sustainability. This is about everything we use up on this earth.
What if we get a new cell phone just because we are bored with the old, fully functional one? Just 'cause we can? It's no skin off our backs if we use up those resources. We aren't out there chopping that wood (mining those heavy metals.)
I know exactly what you’re talking about. The rhythm of gathering, chopping, stacking… it changes your relationship with energy completely. You feel every calorie of heat you bring into the home. It’s the kind of work that teaches patience, respect, and also physical limits.
And your point about sustainability is spot on.
Most people never have to touch what they consume. Whether it’s wood or rare earth metals, when you don’t have to gather it yourself, it’s easy to forget the true cost.
Thanks for adding that deeper layer. I hope it helps reconnect the dots for some.
26C?! I can't sleep that warm. We let our winter temp get down as far as 16C here in the house (sometimes we have had it get to 10C just because we didn't get up soon enough or couldn't get the darn stove lit with the lesser quality firewood). We tend to only want it around 20C or so as an average. Now, our basement is darn cold, so we use a diesel truck cab heater when it gets down to those nasty cold temps. But it also allows us to store food that requires refrigeration in our cold room; that can get down to or even slightly below freezing. Great for aging meat before we package it up for the freezer!
Michael Easter wrote a great book about this: The Comfort Crisis. I’ve spent nearly sixteen years doing extreme adventure sports all over the world, from climbing very large mountains to kayaking the Arctic to riding very spicy horses for weeks on end. The lessons we learn from such experiences are transformative and life-affirming. Comfort kills growth. It’s lovely to have it every so often, but when we push, we truly grow.
As a wood stove owner and user, I approve this message! We use our wood heat first, then back it up when it gets really cold (-40 °C) with propane. And wood conservation is a thing; the supply is limited by how industrious I was at gathering it, sawing it, chopping it, and stacking it.
But. Sustainability. This is about everything we use up on this earth.
What if we get a new cell phone just because we are bored with the old, fully functional one? Just 'cause we can? It's no skin off our backs if we use up those resources. We aren't out there chopping that wood (mining those heavy metals.)
Tim, I appreciate you sharing this.
I know exactly what you’re talking about. The rhythm of gathering, chopping, stacking… it changes your relationship with energy completely. You feel every calorie of heat you bring into the home. It’s the kind of work that teaches patience, respect, and also physical limits.
And your point about sustainability is spot on.
Most people never have to touch what they consume. Whether it’s wood or rare earth metals, when you don’t have to gather it yourself, it’s easy to forget the true cost.
Thanks for adding that deeper layer. I hope it helps reconnect the dots for some.
26C?! I can't sleep that warm. We let our winter temp get down as far as 16C here in the house (sometimes we have had it get to 10C just because we didn't get up soon enough or couldn't get the darn stove lit with the lesser quality firewood). We tend to only want it around 20C or so as an average. Now, our basement is darn cold, so we use a diesel truck cab heater when it gets down to those nasty cold temps. But it also allows us to store food that requires refrigeration in our cold room; that can get down to or even slightly below freezing. Great for aging meat before we package it up for the freezer!
In the case of some Americans you may never be able to convince them to turn it down to 22 C. It's freezing to them 😸
Michael Easter wrote a great book about this: The Comfort Crisis. I’ve spent nearly sixteen years doing extreme adventure sports all over the world, from climbing very large mountains to kayaking the Arctic to riding very spicy horses for weeks on end. The lessons we learn from such experiences are transformative and life-affirming. Comfort kills growth. It’s lovely to have it every so often, but when we push, we truly grow.