Living
in a big city is exciting. There are a wide variety of things to do,
a diverse selection of restaurants, and a large group of people of
all types of backgrounds to meet. Yet, living in a big city comes
with its tradeoffs, as well. The price of real estate can be
astronomical, and the place you do end up living is likely to be a
small apartment not much bigger than a dorm room.
When you
live in a small apartment in a big city like New York or Chicago,
there’s not much room for practicing sustainability and
preparedness, such as gardening or storing food. However, that
doesn’t mean you can’t do these things. Here are a few tips for
how you can practice sustainability and preparedness even when you
live in a big city and a small apartment:
Grow
a Container Garden
You
don’t need a huge back yard in order to grow a garden. You can grow
just about anything you want to eat on the balcony of your apartment
(depending on the climate where you live). You can use pots, an old
dresser, or really any other container that you have on hand (and
that you can drill holes in for drainage). If space is really
limited, you can build
a vertical garden
so you can grow things up instead of out and get more space.
Set
Up Patio Rainwater Collection
Water is
one of the most important supplies you can have on hand, but it is
limited. Instead of letting valuable water go to waste by seeping
into the ground (or running off the concrete) when it rains, you can
set up a rainwater collection system on your patio. There are
different designs you can incorporate, depending on the layout of
your patio and how much space you have. Check out some ideas here.
You can use the rainwater for cleaning or for watering your container
garden. If you set up a filtering system, you can even use it to
drink or to cook.
Store
Food
When you
don’t have a big basement or pantry in which to store food, you may
think that your options are limited for emergency planning. However,
you can still store food even in a tiny apartment. You will just need
to change your strategy.
If you
can, set aside a whole closet for your food storage. If that’s not
possible, hang some additional shelves in your pantry or a big closet
(take advantage of that vertical space!). Then focus on foods that
won’t take up as much space. Instead off bulky boxes or plastic
containers, choose bags of dry rice, beans and other staples.
Concentrate on foods that give you the most bang for your buck
Create
Emergency Evacuation Plans
Perhaps
one of the most important tasks for emergency preparedness in a big
city is creating an evacuation plan. When you are in a city that is
packed with buildings and people, you’ll need to have a plan for a
quick and efficient exit in the case of a storm or another serious
emergency. Your safety and the safety of your family will depend upon
it. Create your plan, practice it, and keep a copy of it in a safe
place.
Plan
for Home Safety
Violence
and crime are even more prevalent in big cities than elsewhere. It’s
important to put a plan in place for your home safety, both for
everyday crime and for emergency situations. You can start by
installing a basic alarm system. Next, you can learn basic home
defense, including proper gun use and safety if you are comfortable
with it.
Living
in a big city does not preclude you from practice basic
sustainability and preparedness measures. You can follow these
strategies living in even the smallest apartment. Doing so will make
you prepared in most emergency situations so that you and your family
are safe.
About
the Author:
Bridget
Sandorford is a freelance food and culinary writer, where recently
she’s been researching NYC
culinary school.
In her spare time, she enjoys biking, painting and working on her
first cookbook.
