What does it mean? To sustain yourself. To take care of yourself. To produce what you need. What needs are we talking about?
Water, shelter, warmth, food? What more? Transport, sewage and garbage (waste) management? Is there more? Clothes, entertainment, energy, hygien products…
I guess you are thinking about mainly food. But let us describe the full spektrum of the associations changing ambitions.
Food?
Not so much. Not really anyone living here is interested enough to do the hard work. Still we produce maybe 600 kilos of food. Honey, meat, fruit, berries, vegetables.
So if your “values” include self sustainability in food – don´t bother to come…. or do…. if you intend to offer to grow 1000 kilos of vegetables next season: We have the soil, the tools, the manure, water. We can buy the produce from you.
Water
We have lots of it and a great interest in water management.
Shelter
Our specialty. We build with natural and local materials, all kinds of small simple budget houses.
Warmth
Yes we use regenerative fuel to heat houses: wood.
Energy
Apart from firewood, just some solar cells (2000W) that covers 10% of our need.
If you can create biogas?…. come and build a small system here.
Will most likely invest in some small wind turbine in the future… maybe even 12V and battery storage.
Transport
Nope… we use cars and oil. But lots of people share a car and we seldom need to leave the farm.
Sewage
One of our main interests. Taking care of our own humanure creating soil, and spreading urine on the fields. Circle of nutrition. One of the most important issues of modern life. Solved.
Grey water – conventional Swedish method. Hope to try more biological solutions in the future.
Garbage (waste) management?
Recycling, sorting – yes we do it. But we produce lots of waste (plastic and tetra pak) that we have to transport to state “recycling” facilities.
Clothes
We use a lot of recycled second hand stuff. People don´t really “dress up” at Hästekasen.
Entertainment
We are social and creative (often music jams), but still we are internet junkies.
Hygien products
We buy em´. Some people sometimes experiment with local natural washing up liquid.
(This is not really a place where people wear make up) (and showers are a bit scarce).
Medical
We once in a while need a hospital. Specially with tics and antibiotics against TBE / Borelia.