Thank you for sharing this, Anthony. I have always admired and envied homesteaders, although I know, realistically, that as a suburban-born retired academic who lives mostly in his head and has meager to nonexistent practical skills, I could never possibly manage such a lifestyle successfully. And given the cost of land these days, rural homesteading is not affordable for the vast majority of us, even in the suburban middle class. And, as you indicate, given the necessity for driving long distances frequently even for basic supplies, and the almost inevitable need for a pickup truck to haul tools and materials, a rural, homesteading lifestyle may have a much larger carbon footprint than living in a city or suburb!

There is, however, a "quasi-homesteading" alternative for suburbanites like me. And that is to form a Garden Guild with a group of simpatico nearby neighbors who share your passion for gardening and permaculture, and meet periodically, sharing ideas, tools, and skills for growing (and exchanging) your own food and creating renewable energy and water harvesting infrastructures. Such a lifestyle, once developed, combines the self-reliance of homesteading with relocalization of commerce, and with creating a more resilient, mutually supportive community--without leaving home. Hence the slogan I have coined: "Grow Gardens, Grow Community, Grow Awareness!"