The Simpler Way Pdf1

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THESIMPLERWAYAPRACTICALACTIONPLANFORLIVINGMOREONLESS

WWW.SIMPLERWAY.ORG

SAMUELALEXANDER,TEDTRAINER,ANDSIMONUSSHER

ASIMPLICITYINSTITUTEPUBLICATION


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COPYRIGHT

2012

SIMPLICITY

INSTITUTE

(NOT-FOR-PROFITDISTRIBUTIONPERMITTEDANDENCOURAGED)


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Gettingandspending,welaywasteourpowers.WilliamWordsworth

INTRODUCTIONSamuelAlexander

Beyond our basic material needs for food, clothing, and shelter, howmuch isenough?Inparticular,howmuchmoneyandhowmanypossessionsdowereallyneedto livewellandtobe free?Thesearenotquestionsthatmanypeopleaskthemselvesinconsumersocietiestoday,buttheyaresomeofthemostimportantquestionsofall.

Insteadofconfrontingthesequestions,toomanypeopletodayspendtheirentire lives desperately climbing the endless ladder of consumerism, seekingmoreandmoreincometospendonmoreandmorestuff.Butat theendoflifethese people inevitably discover that they had not really lived, that they hadwastedtheironlychanceatlifeinsideashoppingmall.Afreeandmeaningfullife,itturnsout,doesnotactuallydependonhavingallthelatestconsumerproductsorhavingthenicesthouseonthestreet.Onthecontrary,workinglonghoursjustto keep up with the Joneses leaves people with less time for the things thatreallymatter in life, like friends, family, community, and engaging inpeaceful,creativeactivity.Thisisthestuffthatmakeslifeworthliving,andtheinterestingthingiswedontneedtoberichtoenjoyitall.Thebestthingsinlifereallyarefree.Abundanceisastateofmind.

Moneyisimportant,ofcourse,butonlyuptoapoint,andthethresholdpointismuchlowerthanmostpeoplethink.Onceourbasicmaterialneedsaremet,the limitless pursuit of money and stuff merely distracts us from moremeaningful and inspiring things.Astheancientphilosophers toldus long ago,

thosewhoknowtheyhaveenougharerich,andthosewhohaveenoughbutdonot know it, are poor.Consumerism, it is clear, represents amistaken ideaofwealth,anditisbasedonamistakenideaoffreedom.

Notonlyaremanypeoplefindingconsumerlifestylesemptyandunfulfilling,anevengreaterproblemisthatconsumerlifestylesaredestroyingourbeautifulplanet Earth, jeopardising the future of life as we know it. Everything weconsume ultimately comes from nature and all our consumer wastes mustultimately be returned to nature. But nature has limits! Today our fragileecosystemsaretremblingundertheweightofdecadesofoverconsumption,andyetthepursuitofmoreeconomicgrowthandmoreconsumptioncontinuestodefinethecollectiveimagination,evenintherichestnations.Letuspausefora

momentandaskourselves:Isconsumerculturereallythebestwecancomeupwith?Istherenoalternative?

ThegoodnewsisthatthereisanalternativetheSimplerWay.Participantsinthisemergingsocialmovementarevoluntarilypassinguphighconsumption,energy-intensivelifestylesandcreatingforthemselvesalowerconsumptionbuthigher quality of life alternative. By limiting their working hours andconsumption,spendingtheirmoneythoughtfully,growingtheirownfood,ridingbikes,rejectinghighfashion,andgenerallycelebratinglifeoutsidetheshoppingmall,thesepeoplearethenewpioneerstransitioningtoasimplerformoflifebeyondconsumerculture.Furthermore,theyareshowingthatthisisthesurest

pathtoasustainable lifeoffreedom,happiness,anddeepcontentment.Pleasejoinuson thisGreatTransitionand togetherwecan ignitethemostimportant


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socialmovementofthe21stcentury.Thisisyourpersonalinvitation.Consumeless,livemore.Itswellworthconsidering.Theaimofthisdocumentissimple:toprovideapracticalactionplanforthosepeople whowish to livea simpler life of reduced consumption. The Simpler

Wayrepresentsalifewithlessclutter,lesswaste,andlessfossilfueluse,butalsoalifewithmoretimeforthethingsthattruly inspireandbringhappiness. Itishopedthatwhatfollowscanprovidecreativeindividualswithaguidebook forhowtoreimaginetheirlivestoachievetheseimportantgoals.Ifyoustartwiththestepsoutlinedbelowandenjoytheprocessoftransition,soonenoughanewwayoflifetheSimplerWaywillemerge.Onlyyourimaginationisneeded.

It is important to note, however, that although there are hundreds ofpractical ideas in the first part of this document, each idea requires creativeinterpretationandpersonalapplication.Thisdocument,besure,cannotreplacethinkingcreatively for yourself.Soconceive of this practical actionplanasanoutlineofthefirstphaseinthejourneythefoundation.Usethisinformationasthebasisforaction,butunderstandthateverybodyslifeandcircumstancesareunique.Wemusteachwriteourownstoryofsimplicity.

ThesecondpartofthisdocumentisanessaybyTedTrainerthatprovidesaninspiring vision of life beyond consumerism. With rigour and insight, Trainerattemptstoworkouthowcheaplywecouldlive,asindividualsandcommunities,ifwemade a commitment to livingmore on less.WhileTrainer is the first toadmithiscalculations are not exact heconceivesofhisessay asanongoingworkinprogressheneverthelessprovidesuswiththemostrigorousaccountoftheSimplerWaypresentlyavailable.And thenewsisgood!Bymeticulouslyworking hisway throughmany practical aspects of the SimplerWay, Trainer

showsthatwecouldliveflourishinglivesonaslittleas10%ofcurrentGDPpercapita in developed nations. This will strike many people as a ridiculousproposition,butreadonwithanopenmind!TrainerhasbeenlivingtheSimplerWayfordecadesandheisuniquelypositionedtodescribewhattheworldwouldlooklike,andhowitwouldfunction,ifitcametobeshapedbythisphilosophyofliving.Hisanalysisisradical,andyoumaynotagreewithitall.Buthegetsyouthinkingreallythinkingaboutthenatureofanalternativewayoflife.

Ifyoufindourdocumentuseful,orthinkothersmightfindituseful,pleaseshare it with others. By now we all understand the importance of reducingresourceandenergyconsumptionandsteppingmorelightlyontheplanet.Butfiguringoutexactlyhowtodothisinaconsumersocietycanbeverychallenging.Wehopethisdocumentcanhelpasmanypeopleaspossibletransitiontowardasimpler, greener, and happier life beyond consumer culture. The time toreimaginethegoodlifeisnow.

Onceyouhavereadthisdocument,pleasegoto www.simplerway.organdshareyourideas,perspectives,andstoriesonsimplelivingboththedifficultiesand the delights. It is our hope that this website becomes the mostcomprehensiveresourceforthepracticalaspectsofsimpleliving,butweneedyourhelpforitflourishandgrow.Nobodyhasalltheanswers,buteverybodyhasafew,andyourinputisvital.Togetherwecanbuildasustainable,just,andflourishinghumancommunity,whileenjoyingthetransition.

Theseedsofchangeareinourhands.


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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION iii

PARTONE

1. MINDFULNESSANDATTITUDE 1

2. MONEY 2

3. WORKANDTIME 3

4. FOOD 4

5. TRANSPORT 5

6. HOUSING 6

7. ENERGY 7

8. CLOTHING 8

9. STUFF 9

10.

WATER 1011. REDUCINGWASTE 11

12. APPROPRIATETECHNOLOGY 12

13. SOCIALISINGANDENTERTAINMENT 13

14. COMMUNITY 14

15. MISCELLANEOUS 15

16. ACTIVISM 16

17. THEPOLITICSOFSIMPLICITY 17

18. CONCLUSION 18

SELECTREADINGLIST 19

PARTTWO

TEDTRAINER,HOWCHEAPLYCOULDWELIVEANDSTILLFLOURISH? 20


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MINDFULLNESSANDATTITUDE

Itmayseemstrangetobeginadocumentonthepracticeofsimplicityby

talkingabout mindfulnessandattitude.Isntthis documentsupposed tobeaboutactuallydoingthingsdifferently,notjustthinkingdifferently?Yes

itis,butitisveryimportanttounderstandthattheSimplerWayisfirstandforemostaframeofmind,asetofattitudes.Ifourmindsarenotinorder,theSimplerWaywillnotmakesense.Belowaresomeimportantthingsto

thinkabout tothinkseriously about asyou undertake yourpractical

transitiontoasimplerlife.

AFFIRMLIFE:Everydaywearefacedwithafundamentalchoiceabouthowweapproachlife.Choosepositivity.Ifwedonotbegineachdaybysayingyestolifeeveninthefaceofadversitythenallelseislost.Attitudematters.

TAKE A SECOND LOOK:Dissatisfactionwithourmaterialorfinancialsituationscansometimesbetheresultoffailingtolookproperlyatourlives,ratherthantheresultofanygenuinelack.Takeasecondlook.Whenweunderstandthatgenuinewealthdoesnotdependonhavingthelatestconsumerproducts,wemightdiscoverthatwearemuchricherthanwesometimesthinkweare.

DO NOT CONFUSE STANDARD OF LIVING WITH QUALITY OF LIFE: There comes apointwhenpursuingahigherstandardofliving,intermsofmaterialwealth,adds absolutely nothing to quality of life, in terms of overall wellbeing.Pursuingmaterial wealth can evendetract from quality of life if we arentcareful.Ifyoufocusonqualityoflifeyouwilldiscoveritdoesntdependonbeingmateriallywealthy.So stepoutof therat race.SeektrueabundancesustainableabundanceintheSimplerWay.Thereisnowealthbutlife.

ASKYOURSELF:HOWMUCHISENOUGH?Consumersocietyisdefinedbytheethosthatmoreisalwaysbetter.TheSimplerWayisdefinedbytheethosthatJustenoughisplenty.AsHenryThoreauoncewrote:Superfluouswealthcanbuysuperfluities only. Dont waste life on superfluities. Know how much isenough.

OVERCOMESTATUSANXIETY:Manypeopletodayworkjobstheydontlike,tobuythingstheydontneed,sothattheycanimpresspeopletheydontlike.Butattheendoflifethesepeoplewilldeeplyregretspendingtheirlivestryingtoimpressotherpeople.Behumbleandseektoimpressyourselfonly.Letother

peopleworryaboutchasingstatus.Thisperspectiveisextremelyliberating. THE DEATHBED THOUGHT-EXPERIMENT: If you were lying on your deathbed,

reflectingonyourlife,howwouldyouwanttohavelived?Howimportantwillmaterial possessions seem toyou onyour deathbed? Youmightagree thatultimately its not the possessions that will matter. Its the people and theexperiences. So live life for the people and the experiences, not the stuff.Privilegebeingoverhaving.

BEGRATEFUL:Begratefulforwhatwehave.Donotalwaysdemandmore.Letusembracesufficiency,moderation,andfrugality.Lessreallycanbemore.

LIVEDELIBERATELY:Escapingthemindsetofconsumerculturetakeseffort.Re-readthesepointsslowlyeverydayuntiltheytakerootinpersonalexperience.


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MONEY

Practicingsimplicityismuchmorethanjustbeingfrugalwithmoneyand

consuming less as we have just seen, it is also a state of mind.

Nevertheless,inamarketeconomy,spendingwiselyplaysacentralrole.

VOTEWITHYOURMONEY:Itisoftensaidthathowwespendourmoneyishowwevoteonwhatexistsintheworld.Thisisanextremelyimportant insight.Purchasing something sends a message to the marketplace, affirming theproduct,itsecologicalimpact,itsprocessofmanufacture,etc.Moneyispower,andwiththispowercomesresponsibility.Ifwespendourmoneydifferently,we can change theworld. Be conscientious about how you vote with yourmoney.

BUY LOCAL, ORGANIC, FAIR-TRADE, GREEN, ETC. Voting with yourmoneymeanssupportingbusinessesthatdeservesupport,andnotsupportingbusinessthatdo not deserve support. Spending ethically is sometimes more expensive,which can be challenging. But it is important to do our very best. Beware,however,ofgreenwashing,andrememberthatGreenconsumerismisstillconsumerism.

KNOWYOURFINANCESPRECISELY:Itisextremelyimportanttohaveaveryclearunderstandingofyourincomeandexpenses.Ittakestimetomakemoney,sodont waste it. Read Your Money or Your Life, by Joe Dominguez and VickiRobin.

THE30-DAYMONEYEXPERIMENT:Spendonemonthtakingnoteofeverythingyoupurchase. At the end of the month, categorise your expenses into

rent/mortgage, food, electricity, wine, coffees, lunches, etc. then multiplythosecategoriesbytwelvetogetaroughideaoftheyearlycostofeachofthecategories. Small things add uptosignificantsumsoverayear.Thismeansthatsmallchangesinspendinghabitscanproducesignificantsavings.

BUDGET: Set yourself financial goals. Startby trying tosave a smallamounteachweek.Thisisanimportantexerciseinself-discipline.Enjoythechallenge.

LIVEBENEATHYOURMEANS: Itprovidesasenseofsecuritytoliveonlessthanyouearn.Italsoprovesthatyouarenotaninsatiableconsumer.Freeyourself.

SAVEYOURRAISE:Whenmostpeoplegetapayrisetheyimmediatelyraisetheir

material standard of living and start spending more. But there is analternative. When you get a raise, consider immediately putting that extraincomeintoasavingsaccount.Again,thisprovesyourwantsarenotinfinite.

AVOIDDEBTBEWAREOFCREDITCARDS:Banksaregenerallyveryeagertoofferus credit, because it is a good way to chainus to them. Beware of debt.Ausefulruleofthumbis:IfIdonthavethemoney,dontbuyit.

RETHINK YOUR SPENDING: Consider whether you are spending your moneywisely.We all assume we are rational spenders, but we might be able toredirectourexpenditureinwaysthatbetter fulfil our lifegoals. Perhapsbyspendinglessormorecarefullyyouwillbeabletoworkless?


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WORKANDTIME

Rethinking attitudes toward work and working hours is central to the

SimplerWay.Mostofthethingsweconsumehavetobepurchased,andthis

meansthatthemoreweconsume,themoretimewehavetospendworking

topayforourlifestyles. CONSIDER REDUCING WORKING HOURS: Everybodys situation is different, so

reducingworkinghoursmaynotbefeasible.But ifyouandyourhouseholdfindwaystosignificantlyreduceyouroverallconsumptionexpenditure,youmay find that you dont have to work so many hours a week in paidemployment.Thiswillfreeupmoretimetopursueyourprivatepassionsandengage with your community in meaningful and fulfilling ways. This mayreduceyourmaterialwealth,butitislikelytoincreaseyourqualityoflife.

BUTHOW?Ifyouthinkitmaybefeasibletofundasimplerlifestylebyworkingless,thequestionishowtomakethisa reality.Therearetwomainpathstoreducedworkinghours:Oneoptionistofindanewjobthatofferspart-timework. The second option is to approach your current employer and askwhether it would be possible to work fewer hours per week on pro ratareducedwages /salary.Your employermightbemore opento it than youthink.Afterall,itmeansreducedcostsforthem.Itmayalsoincreaseyourownproductivity.

WHATTODOWITHAPAYRISE?Therewillprobablycomeatimeinyourworkinglifewhen youareofferedapayrise.Oneoption,as notedabove, is to saveyour raise.But thereisanotheroption, too.Rather thanaccepting theextramoneyand spendingmore,askwhetheryoucan stayon the samewages/

salary butwork less.For example,youmightask for oneafternoonoff perweek. Again, your employer might be quite happy to accept such anarrangement.

WORKFROMHOMEONEDAYPERWEEK:Anotherwaytorethinkyourworklifeisto consider whether it would be possible to work one or more days fromhome.Thiswillnotbepossibleforalljobs,butitwillbeforsome.Thismayanicewaytospendoneofyourworkingdays.Itwillalsoreducetheamountoftravellingyoudotoandfromwork,andthatmeanslessoil-dependency.

SEE IF YOU CAN TELECOMMUTE INSTEAD OF TRAVELING:Many jobs todayrequiretravelinbetweensuburbs,cities,orevencountries.Usingvideo-conferencingtechnologycangreatlyreducetheneedtotravelforwork.Lookintoit.Youremployermightbehappyforyoutodothistoo,asitwillreducetheircosts(anditwillalsosignificantlyreducecarbonemissions).

IF YOU NEED LESS, YOU HAVE LESS PRESSURE TO WORK FOR DODGY BUSINESSES:Sometimespeoplefindthemselvespressuredorseducedforfinancialreasonstoworkforbusinessesthatdontreallycontributetothecommongood.Ifyoudont needmuchmoney, however, youmay find that you can chooseworkthatpayslessbutwhichmightbemorefulfillingandsociallyworthwhile.

VOTEWITHYOURTIME:Onthepreviouspageitwasnotedthathowwespendourmoneyishowwevoteonwhatexistsintheworld.Thesamegoesforhowwespendourtime.Timeislife-dontwasteit.Wehaveonlythismoment.


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FOOD

Foodisoneoflifesmostbasicmaterialneeds.Notsolongagopeoplegrew

all or most of the food they ate. Today, we have outsourced most food

production to global corporations that are more interested in making

profits than providing us with nutritious food or producing food in asustainablemanner.Relocalisingfoodproductionisextremelyimportant.

GROWASMUCHOFYOUROWNFOODASPOSSIBLE:Noteveryonecangrowalltheirownfood,buteveryonecangrowsomeofit,evenifitisaherbandlettucegardenonthewindowsill.Gardeningisanimportantrevolutionaryact.

WHOWANTSALAWNWHENYOUCANHAVEAVEGETABLEGARDEN!Ifwearegoingtotransitiontomorelocalisedandsustainablefoodproduction,manylawns(orparts of lawns) are going to have to turn into beautiful, thriving vegetablegardens. Expand your garden as much as possible. Perhaps there is thereroomforchickens?Perhapsacoupleofcarefullyplacedfruittrees?

THINKABOUTPLANTINGSOMEVEGES/FRUITTREESINYOURNATURESTRIP:Lookintoyourcouncilregulationsaboutplantingupyournaturestrip.Orjustdoit.Notonlydoesthisprovideyouwithmorespacetogrowyourownfood,italsosendsamessagetoyourcommunitythatyoucareaboutfoodproduction.

IFYOUNEEDMORESPACETOGROWFOOD,LOOKINTOWHETHERTHEREISACOMMUNITYGARDEN:Communitygardensarespringingupallovertheplace,andthetrendis likely to continue. Do some research and see if there is one in yourneighbourhood.

NOCOMMUNITYGARDEN?Ifthereisnocommunitygardeninyourareathengetasmallgroup togetherandmakeithappen.Thereisnogreatergiftyoucangiveyourcommunity.Surveyyourneighbourhoodthengetplanning.

SUPPORTYOURLOCALFARMERSMARKETS:Mostpeoplewillnotbeabletogrowalltheir own fruit and vegetables. Supplement your own food production bysupportinglocalfarmersmarkets.Avoidsupermarketsasmuchaspossible.

THINKABOUTWHAT YOU ARE PUTTINGIN YOURBODY:Eathealthy,organic food,andeatmoderately.Avoidfatty,artificial,andprocessedfoods.

REDUCEMEAT,DAIRY,ANDFISHCONSUMPTION:Thefactisthatthehighlevelsofmeat,diary,andfishconsumptionisimpactingverynegativelyonourplanet.Try toreduce howmuchmeat,diary, and fish you consume.Startbygoingwithoutfortwodaysperweek.Thiswillsavemoneyandlightenyourimpact.

CONSIDERVEGETARIANISM:Thiswontbeforeveryone,butitmightbeforsomeofyou.Whenitisapproachedthoughtfullyandcreatively,avegetariandietishealthyanddelicious.Andthetransitionmightbeeasierthanyouthink.

LEARNHOWTOBAKEYOUROWNBREADANDPRESERVEFOOD :Nothingsmellsbetterthanfreshlybakedbread!Andpreservingfoodisanimportantwaytoreduceyourfoodmiles(i.e.thedistanceyourfoodtravelstogettoyourtable).Youcangroworpurchaseyourfoodinseason,thenpreserveitandeatitlater.


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TRANSPORT

Living simply involves rethinking how we transport ourselves. There is

now more than one billion cars and light vehicles on the road and

counting! Our car culture is causing great environmental damage and it

reliesonacheapandabundantsupplyofoil.Wemustfindawaytoescapecarculture,fast.

GETONYOURBIKE:Themajorityofall car tripsare shortdistances.Manyofthosejourneysdonotrequireacar.Getonyourbikeasoftenaspossible.

BIKELIGHTS:Makesureyouhavelightsonthefrontandbackofyourbikeforcyclingatnight.Abright reflector jacket isalsoa good ideaforextrasafety.Theseareworthwhilepurchases,andtheywillsoonpayforthemselves.

GETAGOODBASKETAND/ORSOMEPANNIERSFORYOURBIKE:Manycarjourneyscanbeavoidedifyouhavesomecarryingcapacityonyourbike.Agoodbasket

and/orsomepanniersareindispensible.Abackpackcanalsobeuseful. GET A CHILD-SEAT OR A TRAILER FOR TRANSPORTING CHILDREN:Abike can carry

morethanoneperson.Ifyouneedtotransportyourchildrentoschoolorday-care, a child-seat or a trailer canbeeasily attached to your bike. Andyourchildrenwillprobablyfinditanadventure!

GETSOMEWETWEATHERGEAR:Dontpresumethatjustbecauseitisrainingorcoldyoucannotgetonyourbike.Getyouandyourfamilysomewetweathergear and some woollen gloves. Riding in the rain can be a beautifulexperience.

CYCLINGKEEPSYOUFITANDHEALTHY:Aswellasalltheenvironmentalbenefitstodrivingless,gettingonyourbikealsokeepsyoufitandhealthyatnoextracost. Sinceit alsomeansyoudonthaveto sit in slow traffic, it isalso verygood for mental health! Lets face it, commuting isnt fun. Driving less alsosavesmoney.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT:Wheneverpossible, usepublic transport when distancesaretoolongtotravelbybike,orwhentheweatherisjusttoowetorcold.

CONSIDERSELLINGONEOFYOURCARS:Sometimeswedrivejustbecausewecan,notbecauseweneedto.Perhapsifyouselloneofyourcars,youwontmissit.Anditwillgiveyousomemoneytospendonotherthingslikeabike!

CONSIDERGOINGCARFREE:Perhapsthereisacarsharearrangementoperatinginyourlocality?Dosomeresearch.Youmightbeabletodowithoutowning.

DRIVETHOUGHTFULLY:Inthosetimeswhendrivingisunavoidable,thinkaboutwhetheryourtripcanservevariouspurposes:Canyoudoseveralerrandsatonce?Canyougivesomeoneelsealiftsomewhere?

AIR TRAVEL: Travelling by plane puts huge amounts of carbon into theatmosphere, and is a significant contributor to climate change. It can be achallengetosayno,buttrytoavoidairtravelatallcosts.Ifyoudohavetotravel,payalittleextratooffsetyourcarbonemissions.Isthetrainanoption?


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ENERGY

Energy, especiallyoil, is the lifeblood of industrial civilisation. It iswhat

makesourcurrentlifestylesandeconomicactivitypossible.Buttherearetwomain reasons why we must urgently reduce our use of energy: (1)

Burningmassivequantitiesoffossilfuels(coal,oil,gas)dumpsmillionsoftonsofcarbonintotheatmosphereandthisiscausingclimatechange;(2)Peakoilandotherenergysupplyproblemsmeansthatenergyisgoingto

get scarcer andmuch more expensive in coming years. We need to use

energymuchmoreefficientlyandtransitiontorenewableenergies.

READWIDELYABOUTCLIMATECHANGEANDPEAKOIL :Thesesubjectshavepoliticalimplications, and thismeanscertainpolitical parties andmedia institutionshavean incentive tomuddythewaters.But thesemattersaremuch,much,much too important to be determined by political power games. Let thescience determine your perspective, not the politics. Read widely and

critically.Askquestions.Doyourownresearch,andthinkforyourself.

BUY GREEN ENERGY: Many energy companies today have an option forpurchasing green energy (i.e. that is, energy produced from wind, solar,geothermal, hydro, etc, rather than from fossil fuels). Green energywill besomewhatmoreexpensive,butifyoutakeenergyefficiencyseriouslyyouwillprobablybeabletooffsetpriceincreasesbyreducingconsumption.Callyourenergycompanytoday.IftheydonotofferGreenEnergy,changecompanies.

TAKE ENERGY EFFICIENCY SERIOUSLY: This can take many forms, includinginsulatingyourhousewell;onlyheatingorcoolingtheroomsyouarein;using

energy efficient light bulbs; turning lights off when you leave the room;turningappliancesoffatthewall;onlyboilingthewateryouneed,etc.Manysmallstepsmakeabigdifference,bothintermsofconsumptionandcost.

USECOMMONSENSE:Ifyouarecold,putonasweaterratherthanalwaysturningon the heater.We are all hardier than we thinkwe are. If its hot outside,keepingthedoors,windows,andcurtainsclosedkeepsthehousecool.

SOLAR:Ifyoucanaffordtobuysolarpanelsand/orasolarhotwatersystem,doso.Notonlydomostsystemspayforthemselvesoveranumberofyears,but alsobyinvesting inrenewable energy youwillbeindirectly supporting

furtherresearchanddevelopmentofrenewableenergysystems. QUESTIONTHENEED:Undoubtedlysomemodernappliancesreducelabour.But

someappliancesaretotallyunnecessaryandothersarejustgimmicks.Avoidelectronicorpetrol-fuelledappliancesthatyoudonotreallyneed.Driveless.

WHEN PURCHASING AN APPLIANCE, CHOOSE THE MOST ENERGY EFFICIENT: Energyefficientappliancesareusuallymoreexpensive,butagain,theextrainitialcostisusuallyoffsetovertimebythereducedenergycosts.

SET UP A SOLAR-HEATED SHOWER BAG OUTSIDE: In the summer, a solar-heatedshowerbag(thekindoftenusedoncampingtrips)canprovideyouwithsolar

hotwater for free. This wontwork in thewinter, but it is likely to reduceenergybillsnoticeablyinthesummer.Anditsinvigorating.


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CLOTHING

The historic purpose of clothing was to keep us warm and to cover

nakedness. Today its primary purpose seems to be fashion and theconspicuous display of wealth and status. People can and do spend

thousands and thousands of dollars on clothing every year. But this istotallyunnecessary.Simplify.

DRESS DOWN: Wearing simple, humble, and functional clothing can be anoutward statement of simplicity, an expression of ones opposition toconsumerculture.Dontgetsuckedintohighfashion.

RETHINKYOURIMAGE:Ifyouaresomeonewhohastypicallydressedinnewandexpensiveclothing,considerreinventingyourimage.Thiscanbeanexcitingjourneyonthetransitiontoasimplerlife.

BUY SECOND-HAND CLOTHING: Vast quantities of clothing get dropped off atsecond-handclothingstoreseveryday.Second-handclothingischeap,cheap,cheap. There is absolutely no need to spend lots of money on clothing.Furthermore,searchingfortreasuresinsecond-handstoresisgreatfun.

DRESSING SIMPLY DOESNTMEAN GIVING UP STYLE:There isnothingwrongwithexpressingyourselfthroughwhatyouwear.Butyoudonthavetospendlotsof money on clothes if you dress creatively. Develop your own post-consumeriststyle.Whowantstolookbrandnewanyway?

LEARNHOWTOMEND:Thereisnoneedtothrowoutyourfavouritejeansort-shirtjustbecauseithasdevelopedatear.Learnhowtomendatearorsewa

patchonanelbow.Thiscangiveyourfavouriteitemscharacter.

MAKEYOUROWN:Ifyouaremoreambitious,youmightevenspendsometimelearninghowtosewyourownclothes.Thiscanbeanexcitingandcreativeexperience,aswellasonethatsavesmoney.

ARRANGE A CLOTHING SWAPWITH SOME FRIENDS: Sometimes its nice to have achangeofclothesinyourwardrobe.Butthisdoesntnecessarilyrequiregoingshopping. It canbe fun toarrange a clothing swapwith some friends.Onepersonsoldclothingisanotherpersonstreasure.

BEWAREOFCHEAPDEPARTMENT STORE CLOTHING: Itcanbetemptingtobuythecheapestclothingfromdepartmentstores,butoftenitischeapbecauseofitsexploitativemanufacturingprocesses.Whenindoubt,avoidthepurchase.

JUST IMAGINE: Hundreds of billions of dollars are spent every year in thefashion industry. Just imagine if even half of that money was redirectedtowardgreenenergyorhumanitarianinitiatives.Wewouldlosesolittleandgainsomuch.Again,wemustvotewithourmoney.

DRESSINGSIMPLYCANBELIBERATING:Wearingexpensiveclothingtendstolimitouractions,sincewedontwanttogetthemdirty.Whenyoudresssimply,however,youdonthavetothinktwiceaboutlyingdownonthegrassordoingaspotofgardening.Dresssimplyandbefree.


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STUFF

Weallwantthefood,clothing,andshelterneededtolivesafeandhealthy

lives.Andweallwantatleastabasiceducationandaccesstomedicalcare

should we fall ill. But beyond thesebasic needs, howmuchmore do we

actuallyneedtolivewelland tobefree?The SimplerWaydoesntmeanthatwecannothavepossessionsthatgobeyondourbasicneeds,butitdoesinvolvequestioningtheamountofstuffthatisinourlives.

AVOIDUNNECESSARYPOSSESSIONS:TheSimplerWayinvolvesembracingaformofminimalism.Again, thisdoesntmeannot having possessions,but itdoesinvolveonlyhavingthepossessionsthattrulycontributetoourqualityoflife.Often stuff is just stuff a waste of space, money, and resources. Avoidunnecessarypossessions.Livemorewithless.

DECLUTTER:Whenpeopledecidetheywanttotakestepstosimplifytheirlives,declutteringtheirhomesofsuperfluousstuffistheperfectwaytobegin.Thiscanbeextremelyliberating.Gofromroomtoroomandthinkveryseriouslyaboutwhetheryouneedallthestuffyouhave.Donateyoursuperfluousstufftocharity.

BEAWAREOFTHESTUFFNEEDEDFORSTUFF :Itseemsthatstuffbreedsmorestuff.Weoftenbuysomethingandthendiscoverthatitneedsextrastufftomakeitfunctional.Byreducing the stuff inour lives,weare also reducingthe stuffneededfor stuff.Stuffcanalsohavehidden timecosts.Therefore,when indoubt,dowithout.

BEAWAREOFTHEPSYCHOLOGYOFSTUFF:Weveprobablyallhadtheexperienceofmakingsomeexcitingconsumerpurchase,onlytodiscoverthattheinitialbuzzquicklywearsoff.Despitewhatadvertisementstellus,stuffjustdoesntsatisfyourdesireformeaning,anditisaverypoorsubstituteforanidentity.

BE AWARE OF THE DIDEROT EFFECT: Have you ever purchased something,somethingyoureallywanted,onlytodiscoverthatitmadetherestofyourstuff seem abit old and dated? Rather than accepting somedisunity in thestyleofyourpossessions,haveyouthenbeentemptedtoupgradeyouroldanddatedstuff?Thisiscalledthe DiderotEffect.Youbuysomenewpants,butthenrealiseyouneedanewshirttomatch.Youbuyanewsofa,butthenyou have the urge to upgrade your chairs too. The SimplerWay involves

resistingtheinitialupgrading.Getofftheconsumeristtreadmillandstoptheupwardcreepofmaterialdesire.Knowhowmuchisenough.

AVOIDALLGOODSYOUKNOWORSUSPECTWEREUNJUSTLYMANUFACTURED:Howcansome stuff be so cheap! At first this seems great, but amoments thoughtshouldtellusthatifsomestuffisunbelievablycheap,itisprobablybecauseithas been produced bywage-slaves in the developing world. Dont supportcorporationsthatarebasedonunjustmanufacturing.

QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY: When you decide you really need some newpossession,itisbettertobuyquality,sothatitdoesnthavetobereplaced.

This reduces waste. In this sense, the SimplerWay is about caring moreaboutourstuff.


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WATER

Water is life. It is arguably our most precious resource. As our climate

warmsandpopulationgrowsincomingdecades,waterwillbecomeevenmoreprecious.Wemustnotwasteit.Herearesomeconservationideas.

GETSOMEWATERTANKS:Asyourhomefoodproductiongrows,itislikelythat

youwillneedtoexpandyourwaterresources.Gettingsomewatertankswillgreatlyreduceornullifytheamountofwaterfromthegridthatyouuseonyourgarden.

HOME FOOD PRODUCTION USES LESS WATER THAN INDUSTRIAL FOOD PRODUCTION:Thisshouldprovideusallwithfurthermotivationforgrowingasmuchofourownfoodaspossible.

LEAVEABUCKETINTHESHOWER:Putabucketintheshower.Collectthewaterasthe shower heats up andkeep the bucket in the shower as youwash. Thewaterthatiscollectedcanbeusedtoflushthetoilet.Thiswillsavesignificantamountsofwatereveryday.Justimagineifeveryonedidthis!Millionsandmillionsoflitresofwaterwouldbesavedeveryday.

SET UP A GREYWATER SYSTEM:A greywater system is a system that uses thewater from the shower, bath, washing machine, or cooking, for otherpurposes. Some people use their greywater to flush their toilets. If it issufficientlyclean,somegreywatercanbeusedonthegarden.

FLUSHING: In the developedworld today, we flush the toilet with drinking-qualitywater.Greatamountscanbesavedbynotflushingifitsonlyurine.Keepingtheliddowncontrolsanyodour.

TAKESHORTERSHOWERS:Keepshowerstothreeorfourminutes,orless.

BATHING:Thereisnodoubtthattakingahotbathis sometimesanexquisiteluxury.Butbathingusesmuchmorewaterthanshowers,sotrytohaveasfewbathsaspossible.Whenyoudobath,considerwhetheryoucandirectsomeofthewaterintoyourgreywatersystem.

TURNTHETAPOFF:Itmaysoundlikeaminoractanditisbutdontleavethetap runningwhenyou are brushingyour teeth, shaving,washingyour face,

etc.Everythingcounts,anditisimportanttobuildconservationpracticesintoourlivesateveryopportunity.Soonenoughitwilljustbecomeinstinctive.

WATER INTENSIVE APPLIANCES: Appliances like dishwashers and washingmachinesusealotofwater.Bybeingthoughtfulabouthowmanydishesyouuse,andnotwashingclothesunnecessarily,waterusecanbegreatlyreduced.

UNFORESEEN IMPLICATIONS: Since developed societies are sowater intensive,governmentssometimesspendbillionsofdollarscreatingdesalinationplants,just to keep water supply up with demand. But if wewere allmore waterconscious,desalinationplantswouldbeunnecessary.Thiswouldbebetterfor

theplanetanditwouldsavetensofbillionsofdollarsthatcouldbespentonmoreimportantthings.Oursmallactscanhavehuge,unforeseenimplications.


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REDUCINGWASTE

One of themostworryingaspectsofconsumer lifestyles is the excessive

waste that results. Everyweek more than one billion consumers in the

developedworld leaveabagof trashon theside of theroadwhere it is

pickedup.Itseemstomagicallydisappearbutactuallymostofithastobedumpedintothenaturalenvironmentfromwhereitcame.Morethanonebillion bags of consumer trash, every week! Howmuch longer can this

continue?Livingsimplyinvolvestakingstepstoseriouslyreducewaste.

REFUSE: The first way to reduce waste is simply to refuse to consume inunnecessaryways.For example, instead ofpurchasingwater fromaplasticbottle,drinkwaterfromthetap;dontbuynewshoeswhenyouroldonesarefine;avoidthatunnecesaryairflight;andsoon.Thelistisendless.

REDUCE:Thesecondwaytoreducewasteistoreducetheamountofthethingsyou consume.We all have things we like to buy (music, books, wine, etc.).Living simply doesnt mean giving up all these things, but it does implyembracing moderation. Try to reduce your consumption. Often freealternativesexist.

REUSE:Thethirdwaytoreducewasteistoreusetheso-calledwasteofourpurchases.Useyourimagination.Thepossibilitiesareendless.

RECYCLE:Thefourthwaytoreducewasteistorecyclevigilantly.

COMPOST:Ratherthanusingnastychemicalstofertiliseyourgarden,compostall theorganicmatter from your household. Overtime thiswill enrichyour

gardengreatlyandproducehealthysoilforgrowingyourfood. USEITUP,WEARITOUT,MAKEITDO,ORDOWITHOUT:Thisisanoldsayingfrom

theGreatDepression years. Itmust become the commonsenseofourGreatTransition beyond consumer culture. Because thats what it is commonsense.

JUNK MAIL: Junk mail is surely one of the most perverse examples of thewastefulnessofconsumersociety.Hundredsofglossypagescanarriveinourletterboxes everyday, only to be thrown straight into the recycling bin (orworse, thewaste bin). Just think about howmany treeswould be saved ifevery household in the developed world put signs on their letterboxesrejectingjunkmail.Itstrulymind-boggling,andmorethanalittledepressing.

PACKAGING:Avoidasmuchpackagingaspossible.

ALWAYSCARRYACLOTHBAG:Plasticbagsareanenvironmentalhazard.Alwayscarryaclothbag(orseveral)sothatyouneverhavetoacceptaplasticbag.Butremember,clothbagsareabsolutelynousewhentheyareleftathome.

DONTWASTEENERGY:This isextremely important. Seethe section aboveonenergy.

READABOUT,ANDPRACTICE,PERMACULTURE:Permacultureisacomplexterm,butpartofwhatitmeansislearninghowtoliveonourplanetwithoutdegradingit;toworkwithnature,notagainstit.Ourfuturedependsonpermaculture.


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APPROPRIATETECHNOLOGY

Whatabouttechnology?Doeslivingsimplymeanthatwehavetogiveup

technology?AbsolutelyNot!Butitdoesinvolvethinkingcarefullyabouttheroletechnologyplaysinourlives,becauseitisnotalwayspositive.

SOCIALMEDIA:WeliveintheAgeofSocialMedia.Whilethereiscertainlygreatpotentialtosocialmedia,itcanalsoconsumeanalarmingamountofourtime,often inways that seem ratherwastefuland uninspired.For example, fromApril 2008 to April 2009, total time spent on Facebook in theUSwas 232millionhours,andtotaltimespentonMySpacewas83millionhours.Whatactivitiesarepeoplesubstitutingforthesehundredsofmillionsofhoursspentincyberspace?Whatwouldlifebelikewhatcouldlifebelikeifthevastamounts of time dedicated to social media were directed toward real lifeconversation with friends or family, or spent being engaged in practical,creativeactivity,orspentvolunteeringinsomeorganisationofinterest,etc.

NEVERTHELESS... Social media, as noted, does have the potential to impactpositively on our lives, if used with caution. Living simply in a consumersocietycanattimesbesociallyisolating,soconsiderjoiningaSimpleLivingsocialnetworkand connectwithotherswho are alsoexploring theSimplerWay.See,e.g.,www.SimplerWay.organdwww.SimplicityCollective.com.

IFANAPPLIANCESTOPSWORKING,TRYNOTTOREPLACEITFORONEMONTH :Itiseasyto think of appliances as necessary when in fact they are, at best,conveniencesonly.Ifanapplianceyoucurrentlyownstopsworking,trynottoreplaceit foronemonth.Seewhat life islikewithoutit.Perhapsyouwill

discoverthatyoudontactuallyneedtogooutandbuyanotheroneorpaytohaveitfixed.Thiswillsavemoneyandenergy.

THINKCAREFULLYABOUTWHATISAPPROPRIATETECHNOLOGY:Ifitturnsoutthatanappliancereallydoescontributepositivelytoyourlife,thenembraceit.LivingsimplyisnotaboutbeingaLuddite.Appropriatetechnologywillneedtoplayavitalroleinanytransitiontoajustandsustainableworld.Solarpanelsandwind turbines, for example, should not be rejected. Butwemust not thinktechnologyisgoingtosolveallourproblems.Itisjustaslikelytoexacerbatethem.

BEWARE OF THE REBOUND EFFECT: Technology can help us consume moreefficiently,butifwearenotcarefulsuchefficiencygainscanbelostthroughthereboundeffect.Forexample,amorefuel-efficientcarcanmeanthatwejustdrivefurtherormoreoften;insulatingourhousescansavemoneythatisthenspentonairtravel,etc.Efficiencyiswithoutsufficiencyiseasilylost.

KEEPTECHNOLOGYASSIMPLEASPOSSIBLE :Justperhapsourmoderntechnocraticsocieties will one day come to see that there is a sophistication and anelegancetotheclothesline,thebicycle,andthewatertank,thatthedryer,theautomobile, and the desalination plant, decidedly lack. On a similar note,perhaps it will one day be widely accepted that there is a certainprimitiveness to technological gimmicksor that a blind faith inscience canitself be anti-progress. In the words of the great Leonardo da Vinci,Simplicityistheultimatesophistication.


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SOCIALISINGANDENTERTAINMENT

Socialising and entertainment has become big business in consumer

societies. People oftenassume thatwhen theyhave some free time theyhave togoout and spendmoney tosocialise or toentertain themselves.

Thisjustisnttrue.Withalittleimagination,socialisingandentertainmentdoesnthavetocostmuch,oranythingatall.Thisdoesntmean,ofcourse,thatwe should neverspendmoneysocialisingorentertaining ourselves.

Thepointisthatitdoesnthavetocostmoney,ormuchmoney.Anditisnt

justaboutthemoney.Itisalsoabouthowwedirectourfreetimeandthewaywesocialise.Consumerculturehastakenusdownthewrongpath.

PURCHASINGFOOD,ALCOHOL,ANDENTERTAINMENT:Mostofusenjoygoingoutfortheoddmeal, relaxingwiththeoccasionalbeerorglassofwine,orseeingamovienowandthen,etc.Andfairenoughtoo.TheSimplerWaycertainlydoesnot imply giving up these things. It does, however, imply recognising the

importanceofmoderationinallwedo.Weshouldgratefullyabsorbthebestour culture has to offer, but we should not rely exclusively, or evenpredominately,onpurchasedgoodsorservicesforourentertainment.

TELEVISION: How a culture spends its leisure its freedom provides anextremely important insight into the nature of that culture. Aside fromworking and sleeping, most people in Western societies spend more timewatching television than doing anything else. Studies have shown, forexample,thattheaverageU.S.andBritishcitizenwatchroughly25hoursperweek,andothernationsarenttoofarbehind.Isthisreallythebestwaytobespending our freedom? It is likely that some of this time in front of the

television can be replacedwith more fulfilling activities. Put the TV in theclosetforonemonth.Seewhathappens.Reinventhowyoupracticefreedom.

LEARNANEW SKILL:Thedivisionoflabourthatliesattheheartofconsumersocietyhasresultedinuslosingmanybasiclifeskills.Re-skillingcanbeaveryfulfillingwaytospendsomeofourfreetime.Forexample,youmightwanttolearnhowtogardenorganically,cook,bakebread,laybricks,preservefood,sew, build things, bind books, paint, or learn how to play a musicalinstrument, etc. Unlike the passivityofTV, learninganew skill isanactivechallengeandcanprovideendlesshoursoffulfilment.

DECLUTTERYOURSOCIALCALENDAR:Spendingtimewithfriendsandfamilycanoftenbesomeofthemostfulfillingtimeofall.Butsometimesweatriskofover-scheduling social engagements and find that there is no time forourselves,notimetorelaxandjustbe.Whenyouthinkyouneedsomemoretimeforyourself,learntosaynotoinvitations.

VOLUNTEER:Whatareyoupassionateabout?Isthereawayforyoutosharethatpassionwiththeworld?Itcanbesurprisinghowfulfillingthiscanbe.

READING:Itiseasytothinkthatwestopbeingstudentswhenweleaveformaleducation. But theworld is an infinitely interesting place, full of endlesslyexciting things and inspiring people. Reading is a wonderful, enrichingpastime, and it doesnt have to cost a cent. Your local library can providebooksforfree.Cultivatealoveofreadingandyouwillberichforever.


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COMMUNITY

Community engagement isoftenpushed to the sidebythe demandsofahigh consumption life. A society or individual might be booming

economically, but dedicating toomuchattention toconsumptionand the

acquisitionofwealth, tothedetriment offamily and community life,canlead to an individualistic society of frantic, agitated, and alienated egos.

Manyaffluentsocieties todaywouldbebetteroff choosinglessstuff, andmore community. Furthermore, community is the driving forceof social

change.By living simply, there ismore time tocultivate community and

enjoyourcivicresponsibilities.

SHARINGYOURSTUFF:Whichcommunityisrichertheoneinwhicheveryonehastheirown?Ortheoneinwhichthereislessbutpeopleshare?Bysharingour resources, our communities get richer, without increasing overall

consumption.Forexample,noteveryoneinthestreetneedsalawnmower,sinceitsitsidlealmosteveryday.Whynothaveonelawnmowerforseveralhouses?Lendwhenaskandborrowwhennecessary.

SHARING YOUR SKILLS: Sharing our stuff promotes community, and so doessharingourskills.Chancesarethereisawealthofexpertiseofvariousformsinyourcommunity.Sharingskillsisagreatwaytohelpusescaperelianceonthe formal economy, and its also a great way to meet new people andinteractwithdifferentgenerations.

THESHAREHOOD:Thereisagreatwebsitethatisdesignedtomakesharingeasy. The Sharehood (www.thesharehood.org) aims to build joyful,sustainable,andresilientcommunitiesbyencouragingpeopletogettoknowtheirneighboursandsharewiththem.Thiswebsiteishelpingcreatevibrantcommunities where people share locally and meet their needs and helpothersdothesame.Checkitoutandsignup!Itmaybeworthwhiledoingamaildroparoundyourneighbourhood too, lettingpeople knowaboutthisamazingresourceandencouragingthemtosignup.

FILM NIGHTS: One great way to cultivate community and promote goodcauses is to organise film nights / afternoons in your community. Whodoesntloveagoodfilm?Mostcommunitieshaveavenuethatwillallowfree

accesstoaroom(e.g.alibrary,communityorganisation,etc.).Printoutsomeposters and stick them up around your neighbourhood inviting people toattend.Therearemanygreatfilmsfreelyavailableonyou-tubeorvimeo(e.g.Home, The Power of Community, The End of Suburbia, Life afterGrowth,etc.).Afterthefilm,haveacupofteaandadiscussion.

TRANSITIONTOWNS:TheTransitionTownMovementistakingholdacrosstheworld,anditisasourceofgreathope.Thismovementisacommunity-basedresponse to the dual crises of peak oil and climate change, and itsparticipants are notwaiting for governmentsto fix our problems. Instead,theyarejustgettingwork,buildinganewsocietyfromthegrassrootsup.Dosome reading on Transition Towns. Then get a few like-minded peopletogether,andstartyourown.Fromlittlethingsbigthingsgrow.


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MISCELANEOUSWearegettingtowardtheendourPracticalActionPlan.Itmaybehelpfulatthisstagetoaddressafewmiscellaneoussubjectsjusttointroduceafew

moreideasabouthowtocontinuesimplifyingyourlife.

MEDITATION/YOGA:Attainingpeaceofmindinahecticworldcanbeagreatchallenge.Considertakingacourseonmeditationoryoga.Alternatively,findfifteenuninterruptedminutesperdaytojustsitcomfortablywithyoureyesclosedandconcentrateonyourbreathing.Itsgoodforthesoul.

KEEPAJOURNAL:Itissurprisinghowuseful,enjoyable,andenlighteningitcanbetokeepajournal.Findsometimeeachdaytositdownandwriteaboutyourday,yourthoughts,yourstateofmind.Whatsituationswouldyoudealwithdifferentlyifyouhadyourtimeagain?Thisexerciseinself-reflectioncanclarifyourmindsandhelpusalllivemoreconsciouslyanddeliberately.Have

noexpectationsjustwrite.Seewhathappens.

READABOUTTHESIMPLERWAY:Borrowafewbooksonvoluntarysimplicityordownshiftingandreadthem.Thiscanbeveryaffirming.

GOOGLEIT:Ifyouhaveanyquestionsaboutanythinginthisdocument,Googleit.ThereisawealthofdetailedinformationontheInternetaboutthepracticeof living simply, but read broadly and critically (because there is lots ofrubbish).

CHRISTMAS: The materialistic orgy that is Christmas is but an exaggeratednormalityforWesternsocieties.ShowsomeenlightenedmaterialrestraintatChristmasandcelebratewithoutconsumingexcessively.Givethoughtfully.

EXERCISEFORFREE:Manyofuscanprobablyadmitthatwedontdoenoughexercise. But being physically healthy is an important part of beingpsychologically healthy. There is no need, however, to spend hundreds ofdollarsayearsubscribingtoanexpensivegym.Goforashortrunafewtimesaweek,anddoafewpress-upsandstarjumps.Itseasytoexerciseforfree.

CLEANING PRODUCTS: Television adverts selling cleaning products give theimpressionthatourhomesarecrawlingwithbugsthataregoingtomakeussickunlesswebuytheirproduct.Asarule,thisjustisntso.Itsgoodtobeclean,ofcourse,butgenerallyyoudontneedtobuyanycleaningproducts.Amixtureofbaking sodaand vinegarprovidesa substitute formostcleaningproducts.

RAISING CHILDREN: Be aware that you are an example for the youngergeneration.BeanexampleoftheSimplerWayandraisechildrenaccordingtopost-consumerist values. There ismuch more to life than possessions andstatus.

GIVESOMEMONEYAWAY:Ifyouarereadingthistext,thereisagoodchanceyouareintherichest10%oftheworldspopulation.Trytogivetocharityoften.

OTHERTHINGSTOTHINKABOUT:Slowdown;dream;beorganised;trustthyself.


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ACTIVISM

AswellastransitioningtotheSimplerWayourselves,it isalsoimportant

thatatleastsomeofushelpbringmoreattentiontotheSimplerWaybybecoming activists for the cause. In a world where we are constantly

bombarded with advertisements telling us that more is always better,morepeopleneedtoseethatthereisaviableanddesirablealternativetoconsumerlifestyles.Perhapsyoucanyouhelpspreadtheword?

EMAILTHISDOCUMENTTOEVERYONEONYOURMAILINGLIST:Thisisasimple,quick,and costless act, but it may resonate far wider that you would have everexpected,likeripplesinaculturalpond.Itmaywellhelpfreepeoplefromthechainsofconsumerculture.Livingsimplyinaconsumerculturecanbeverychallenging,butthisguidebookprovidesafreeandaccessibleintroductiontothepracticeoftheSimplerWay.Asyouhaveseen,therearehundredsofideasinthisdocumentabouthowtolivemoreonless.Pleaseshareitwithothers.

EMAILTHISDOCUMENTTOYOURLOCALSCHOOLS,CITYCOUNCILORS,ANDMEMBERSOFPARLIAMENT: Again, this is a simple and costless act with potentially hugeimplications.Imaginechildrenlearntaboutlivingsimplyinschools?Imagineourpoliticalrepresentativesstartedtalkingaboutsimpleliving?Soonenoughourworldwouldchange.

ABANDON ABOOK: Invest inabook onvoluntary simplicity,permaculture, orpeakoil,andleaveitinyourcommonroomatwork.Perhapsleaveanothercopy in the localcaf.This is a peaceful,non-confrontationway toeducatepeopleabouttheSimplerWay.Educationisthefirstphaseofactivism.

JOIN OR ESTABLISH A COMMITTEE TO CREATE A COMMUNITY GARDEN: Get a fewinterestedindividualstogetherandformaplan.Dosomeresearchonwherethe best place for a community garden would be; then contact your citycouncilandtrytogettheballrolling.Keepatit.

GUERRILLAGARDENING:Thistermreferstothecultivationoflandthatyoudontownbutwhichyouthinkyoucanenrichbycultivatingproductivelywithoutpermission, as such. Moderate Guerrilla Gardeners cultivate their naturestrips without seeking council approval. More serious practitioners surveytheir neighbourhoods for other suitable spots. Seek and ye shall find. It isimportanttobesensible,ofcourse.Oneshouldntplantanythingthatmight

blockvisionof traffic, for example.But after taking such precautionsandafter cultivatingyour own garden first one can then proceed confidently,knowing that Guerrilla Gardening is a peaceful and honourable act ofopposition.Suchactswillbejustifiedintheeyesofposterity.

ESTABLISHASIMPLICITYCIRCLE:Inviteagroupofinterestedindividualstoyourplace(orsomeothervenue)forthepurposeofdiscussingallaspectsoflivingsimply. This isawonderful opportunitytoshareinformationand ideasandthediscussionprocesscanbeveryaffirming.Youdonthavetobeanexpert.

CULTUREJAMMING:Thistermreferstotheworkofoppositionalartistswhousevariousformsofcreativeexpressiontochallengeandsubverttheentrenchednormsofcorporateconsumerism.Thinkcreatively.Actcreatively.Resist.


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THEPOLITICSOFSIMPLICITY

Personal and community action is the driving force of change. But our

decisions takeplacewithin legal,political, andeconomicstructuresthat

make some lifestyle choiceseasyand otherlifestyle choicesdifficult.We

liveinasocietythatisstructuredtopromoteconsumerlifestyles,andthismakeschoosingsimplerlifestylesmuchmoredifficultthanitneedstobe.

In many ways, the structure of consumer society is locking us into highconsumptionlifestyles.Tofreeusfromthosestructures,weneedthehelp

ofourgovernments.

RELOCALISE FOODPRODUCTION:Establish community gardens ineverysuburbandpermitpeopletocultivatetheirnaturestrips.Subsidiserelocalisation.

BIKE LANES AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT:This issue is a perfect example of why apoliticsof simplicity isneeded.Ourgovernmentsmustinvestmuchmore inbikelanes/publictransport,otherwisemanypeoplearelockedintodriving.

PRODUCTLABELLING:Ifwearegoingtovotewithourmoneyweneedtoknowabouttheproductswebuywhereandhowtheyweremade,andwhatisinthem.Governmentsshouldrequiresufficientlydetailedproductlabelling.

WORKING HOUR REDUCTIONS:Many people are locked into 40-hour-per-weekjobseventhoughtheywouldprefertoworkshorterhoursandreceivelessmoney.Thislockspeopleintoover-consuminglifestyles.InHollandthereisalaw that allows employees to reduce theirworkinghours simply byaskingtheiremployer.Theemployerisrequiredtoacceptthisrequestunlessthereisasufficientlygoodbusinessreasontodenyit(whichhappensinlessthan5%

of cases). By protecting part-time employment, Holland has produced thehighestratioofpart-timeworkersintheworld.

PRICECARBONANDINVESTINRENEWABLEENERGY:Weneedtobreakouraddictiontofossilfuels.Ourgovernmentsshouldbeginbypricingcarbonandinvestingheavilyinthemostsuitablerenewableenergy.Abolishfossilfuelsubsidies.

PROTECTNATURE:Governmentsmusthelpprotectnature;marketsarefailing.

POST-GROWTH ECONOMICS: Perhaps the most important overall goal in thepoliticsofsimplicityistoovercomethebeliefthatabiggereconomyisalwaysbetter.Thisisespeciallyimportantduetotheecologicallimitstogrowth.We

need our governments to focus on promoting quality of life, even if thisdoesnt produce the most economic growth. We should start measuringnationalprogressusingalternativeindicatorssuchastheGenuineProgressIndicator(GPI)andpaylessattentiontoGrossDomesticProduct(GDP).

REDUCE POVERTY AND ECONOMIC INEQUALITY: Poverty and economic inequalityare socially corrosive. If we are to eliminate poverty without relying onlimitless growth then it is necessary to distribute wealth more equitably.HighlyprogressivetaxratesandaBasicIncomeGuaranteewouldbeagoodstart.TheSimplerWayisaboutensuringthateveryonehasenoughtolivewell.

VOTE PROGRESSIVELY: All this depends on a citizenry that puts pressure onpoliticalpartiesfromthegrassrootsup.Wemustvoteandliveprogressively.


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CONCLUSION

The SimplerWay, as outlined in this booklet, presents itself as a remarkablycoherentphilosophyoflifewithwhichtoliveinresponsetomanyofthegreatestproblems of our age, including ecological degradation, global poverty,

uneconomicgrowth,peakoil,andconsumermalaise.Theprospectofninebillionpeople on the planet bymid-centurymakes it all the clearer that theSimplerWay is a living strategy whose time has come. In a world such as our own,focusedsointentlyonmaximisingmaterialwealth,itisimportantthatwetaketime to step back and ask ourselves: What is moneyfor? and What is oureconomyfor?Forwhenweask ourselves thesequestions, itquicklybecomesapparentthatthemeaningoflifedoesnotandcannotconsistintheconsumptionand accumulation of material things. There is more to life than desiring bighouses,newcarpet,fancyclothing,expensivecars,andluxuriousholidays,etc.Thereisfreedomfromsuchdesires.

Despite being burdened by a materialistic culture, we remain free torecompose our own fates, tomake thingsnew, tobe self-defining and world-creatingpioneersoncemore.ThatisthechallengethejoyfulchallengethatliesbeforethoseofuswhoexploretheSimplerWay.Nevertheless,whenawholesociety is geared toward producing and then consuming ever-more consumerproducts,itcanbeverydifficultforpeopletoliveandthinkdifferentlyevenforthoseofuswhowantto.Thereisnoeasy,silver-bulletsolutiontothisproblem.Butonestepthatcanbetakenistodedicatemoreofourattentiontoexploringalternativewaysoflivingandbeing,andthatexplorationhasbeenthefocusofthisPracticalActionPlan.

It is important tounderstand, however, that each element in this booklet

raisesanumberofcomplexissuesthatyouwillneedtoapproachfromyourownperspective. The Simpler Way is more about questions than answers, whichimpliesthatactuallypracticingtheSimplerWaycallsforcreativeinterpretationand personalised application. We each live unique lives, and we each findourselves in different situations, with different capabilities and differentresponsibilities.Whatthismeansisthatthepracticalapplicationof thisbookletwillverylikelyinvolvedifferentthingstodifferentpeople.Accordingly,anyonewhoseriouslywantstoembracetheSimplerWaymustbepreparedtothinkoverthe ideaforoneself,untilit takesrootinpersonalexperience.Startwithafewsmallsteps,enjoytheadventure,andsoonenoughyourlifewillhavechanged.

TheodoreRoszakhascapturedinafewwordsoursituationexactly:

There isoneway forward:The creationof fleshand bloodexamplesof low-consumption,high-quality alternativesto themainstreampatternof life. Thiswecanseehappeningalreadyonthecounterculturalfringes.Andnothingnoamountofargumentorresearchwilltaketheplaceofsuchlivingproof.Whatpeople must see is that ecologically sane, socially responsible living isgoodliving;thatsimplicity,thrift,andreciprocitymakeforanexistencethatisfree

ThisPracticalActionPlanwillhaveserved itspurpose ifthereadergoesawaywithanincreasedcuriosityaboutthelife-affirmingfreedomoftheSimplerWay,and anappreciationthatwitha little courageand some imaginativeeffort, thedoortotheSimplerWaywillswinggracefullyopen.

Olddeedsforoldpeople,andnewdeedsfornew.HenryThoreau


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SELECTREADINGLIST

Alexander,Samuel(ed).VoluntarySimplicity:ThePoeticAlternativetoConsumer

Culture(2009)

Alexander, Samuel, andUssher, Simon. TheVoluntarySimplicityMovement:AMulti-NationalSurveyAnalysis inTheoreticalContext (Simplicity InstituteReport,2011a)availableatwww.simplicityinstitute.org/publications

Burch,Mark.SteppingLightly:SimplicityforPeopleandthePlanet(2000)Callenbach,Ellen.LivingCheaplywithStyle(1992)Clark,Duncan.EthicalLiving(2006)

Durning,Alan.HowMuchisEnough?TheConsumerSocietyandtheFutureoftheEarth(1992)

Etzioni, Amitai, and Doherty, Daniel (ed). Voluntary Simplicity: Responding to

ConsumerCulture(2003)Goodall,Chris.HowtoLiveaLow-CarbonLife(2010,2nded.)Hamilton,Clive,andDenniss,Richard.Affluenza:WhenTooMuchisNeverEnough

(2005)

Holmgren, David. Permaculture: Principles and Pathways beyond Sustainability(2002)

Hopkins,Rob.TheTransitionHandbook:FromOilDependencytoLocalResilience

(2008)Jackson,Tim(ed).TheEarthscanReaderinSustainableConsumption(2006)Merkel,Jim.RadicalSimplicity:SmallFootprintsonaFiniteEarth(2003)

Segal, Jerome.GracefulSimplicity:ThePhilosophyandPoliticsoftheAlternativeAmericanDream(1999)

Shi,David.The Simple Life:Plain Living andHighThinkinginAmericanCulture

(2007,Reviseded.)Thoreau,Henry.Walden(1854)Trainer,Ted.TransitiontoaSustainableandJustWorld(2010)Vanenbroech,Goldian. LessisMore:AnAnthologyofAncientandModernVoices

RaisedinPraiseofSimplicity(1991)


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HOWCHEAPLYCOULDWELIVEANDSTILLFLOURISH?TedTrainer

Giventhattheessentialfactorinourglobalpredicamentisoverconsumption,themostobviousprincipleforasustainablesocietyisthatthosewhoareover-consumingmust

move to far more materially simple lifestyles. This does not mean deprivation orhardship. Itmeansfocusingon what issufficient forcomfort,hygiene,aesthetics,andefficiency.Mostofourbasicneedscanbemetinquitesimpleandresource-cheapways,comparedwiththosetakenforgrantedandidolisedinpresentconsumersocieties.

Livinginwaysthatminimiseresourceuseshouldnotbeseenasanirksomesacrificethatmustbeenduredinordertosavetheplanet.Thesewaysmustbecomeregardedasimportantsourcesoflifesatisfaction.Wehavetoseethejoythatcanbehadinlivingfrugally, recycling, growing food, husbanding resources, making rather than buying,

composting,repairing,bottlingfruit,givingsurplusesandoldthingsto others,makingthingslast,andrunningarelativelyself-sufficienthouseholdeconomy.

Thisessayisanattempttoindicatetheverylowdollar,footprintandenergycoststheSimpler Way might achieve. It is based on a combination of the way I live as ahomesteader and the literature on eco-villages, permaculture and other alternativewaysoflife.Itisaworkinprogress,andtheintentionistoimprovethenumbersover

time.However,itseemsfrommy analysisthatthedollar,energyandfootprintcostsofcurrent lifestyles could be cut dramatically. Very frugal ways are assumed, whileimprovingthequalityoflife.AstheanalysisunfoldsIdescribesomeaspectsofwhatasocietymightlooklikeifittransitionedawayfromconsumercapitalismandcametoembracetheSimplerWay.

Thecontext

Thelimitstogrowthanalysis(Meadowsetal,1972)showsthatwemustdevelopwaysoflifewherebywecanlivewellonfarlowerpercapitaresourceconsumptionratesthanwehavenow,inazero-growtheconomy.TheSimplerWayargumentisthatwecando

thiswhileimprovingthequalityoflife,butonlyifwemadeenormouschangefromthestructures,systemsandvaluesofconsumer-capitalistsociety.

ThelifestyleandwaysIwouldpreferwouldprobablybemuchmorefrugalthanthosewhichmostpeoplewouldbewillingtoaccept,andtheymightbemoreausterethanwewill need to accept in future. In otherwords, we might not have to go as far as thefollowingnotesindicate.

Theconclusionthepresentanalysisgenerallyindicatesisthatwecouldlivehappilyonsomething like 5 - 10% ofpresent Australian per capita dollar, energy and footprintcosts,andmaybe15%ofthepresentenergycost,whilegreatlyimprovingthequalityof

lifeandeliminatingmostglobalproblems.

This claimed reduction will probably seem quite implausible at first sight. It isimportant not to think in terms of simply reducing consumption ormaking systemsmoreefficient.TheSimplerWayisaboutnewmeanstonewgoalsinnewsystems,andtherefore about a quite different conception of the good society and ofdevelopment.For instance conventional thinking about ThirdWorld development islocked onto the conviction that developmenthas to involve increasing investmentof

capital,tobeabletosellmore,tobeabletobuymoreandtospendondevelopingmorecapacity to sell, buy and invest. Thus there is thought to be only one dimension


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underlyingdevelopment,essentiallytodowithincreasingbusinessturnoverorGDPand

livingstandards.HowevertheconceptofAppropriatedevelopmentscrapsthiswholeway of thinking and simply focuses on enabling people to use the resources aroundthemtoproduceforthemselvesthebasicthingsmostlikelytosolvetheirproblemsandraise their quality of life, mostly in cooperative ways, and as far as possible

independently of the nationalmonetary economy. Above all it rejects affluence as adevelopmentgoal.

This different approach immediately liberates communities to achieve miracles,especially inavoiding theastronomical levelsofwaste,work, insecurity,debt,interestpayments,worry,exploitationandoverheads(advertising,packaging,consultants,bankfees, insurance, rent, etc.) that the consumer-capitalist way inflicts. Consider the

example given by theUS healthsystem. In theconventional economy corporationsconstantly strive to increase the amount you must purchase from them, to add onservices, tomakeyoudependent,to thenraiseprices,tocommercialisethingsthatweoncedidforourselves,tocreateneedsyoudidntrealiseyouhad.

AttheendofeachsectionthereisanattempttoestimatethedollarandenergycostofahouseholdoftwoadultsandtwochildrenlivinginthestyleandcircumstancesIwould

choose. This yields the above estimate that a 90% reduction might be achievable.Severaloftheseestimatesarefirstestimatesandquiteuncertain.Theintentionistoimprovetheminlaterdraftsofthisdocument.Ibegintheanalysisbydiscussingfoodproduction according to the SimplerWayapproach, and proceed to discuss housing,

tools,clothing,work,energy,etc.

FOOD

Almost all food could come from home gardens, community gardens,neighbourhood

commons,andsmallfarmswithinandclosetosettlements,eveninthedensesuburbsoflargecities,ataverylowdollarcostandatalmostnoenergycost.

Homegardens

Output frombackyard gardens canbe surprisingly high. Blazey (1999)discusseshistrials indicating how a family could be fed from an intensively gardened 40 squaremetre patch, using high yieldingheirloom varieties, composting etc., and multiplecropping. Figures on the achievements of urban agriculture inHavana are similarlyinspiring.Koont(2009)reportsvegetableyieldsof21 tonnesperhaperyear,withoutuseofoil,machineryorartificialfertilisersorpesticides.

Such figures are partly due to intensive research into organic methods. We wouldalways be trying out new varieties and ways, coordinated by our local formal (but

voluntary)committees.Thetaskwouldbetofindthosevarietiesthatthrivedbestinour unique local conditions, yielding the tastiest, most pest-resistant, nutritious,drought-resistantfruit,withthebestshelflife.Myexperiencesuggeststhatitshouldnot

takemorethan10person-hoursaweektokeepa thrivinghomegardeningoodshape(andthiswouldbeseennotasworkbutastoppriorityleisureactivity.)Noteveryonewould need tobea keen gardener. The average per capita work timeput into foodproductionmightbe3hoursaweekwhenfarms,commons,etc.,aretakeintoaccount;

i.e.,under10%ofanormalworkweek.

Allhouseholdwastes,includingfromflushtoiletsandanimalpenswouldberecycled,eliminatinganyneedfor importation of fertilizers (whenuseof nitrogen fixing,deeprooted and mulchproducing plants are also assumed.) Some nutrients can serveas


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animalandfishfoods,ontheirwaytothesoils.Fishcanbeproducedinsmallcement

tanks and local ponds, linked to aquaculture, hydroponics and gardens taking thenutrientrichwastewater.Kitchenscrapsgotopoultryandrabbits.Chickensclearandfertilisegroundthatisthengardened.

Thecommons

Our settlements would be crammed with community owned and run orchards, nutgroves, olives, herb patches,bamboo clumps,woodlots and forests,ponds, dams andtanks.These commonswouldbeonmanyareasthatused toberoadsbeforewedugthemup.Committeeswouldorganisethemaintenanceofthecommons,andworkingbeeswoulddothework.Theproducefromtreesonprivateblockswouldbeincluded

when these produce too much for the family (i.e., it wouldbe gleaned byworkingbees).Atleast15usefultreesperhouseholdshouldbepossible,ontheblockandonthe(oldanddugup)roadspaceinfrontofit.Manymorewouldbeplantedonthecommons.Everyneighbourhoodwouldhavemanymini-forests, providingmulch,

fuelwood,timber,honey,nutsandfruits,andlandscape.

The commons would also producemany kinds of craftmaterials and inputs to local

firms,includingtimber,reeds,leafoils (e.g.,eucalyptus), vinesandrushesforbaskets,andclayandearthforpotteryandbuilding.Theywouldalsoprovidegrazingareas.Thecommunitywouldbuildandoperatefishtanks,ponds,andprocessingandstorageshedsand greenhouses to enable some production of bananas, winter tomatoes etc.

Greenhousescanincludewarmsheltersforpoultryandbiggeranimalsinwinter.TheCO2 they breathe out helps plant growth. Settlementswould be planted with manyedibleweedsthatwouldmaintainthemselveswithoutattention.

Farms

Many farms from smallto tinywouldproducewithin and closeto (within 2 km) thecentre of the town or suburb. Some would be little more than enthusiastic home

gardeners selling or swapping surpluses, including vegetables, fruit, eggs, preserves,jams, pickles, dried fruits, garlic, honey, and herbs. This produce would go throughkitchenswithalmostnopackaging,preserving,marketing,ortransportcost,orwaste

removal and treatment cost (and no advertising).Almost all transport would beviahand baskets, bicycles, and horse and cart. There would be little need for energyintensivestoragesuchasrefrigeration,becausefoodwouldmostlygostraightfromthegardens to the kitchen when needed. Neighbourhood freezers might be used,

eliminatingtheneedforafridgeineveryhouse.Thebiggestfarmswouldstillbeverysmallintodaysterms,mostlyhighlymixed(thesehavethehighestyieldsandthemost

efficientperformance).Theymightsharemachinery,suchasatractor.Somewouldbecommunity-ownedcooperatives,setuptoprovideusallwithanyimportantitemstheprivate firms have difficulty producing. These farms would include mini-dairies,aquaculture, and grain producers. Little food would be exported from the region orimportedintoit.

A significant amount of grainmighthave to be imported, but this isnot certain. Wewouldprobablyneed90+squaremetresperperson.(Theuncertainassumptionhereistheequivalentoftwoloavesofbreadperpersonperweek,Ikgofflour,producedat6

tonnes/ha/y.)Howeverflourcanbemadefromcornandtreessuchaschestnutsandacorns, and indeed potatoes. Very small-scale grain production is feasible, including

fromhomegardens.Ingeneralgrain,dairyandforestlandswouldbeontheedgeofthesettlement,within1kmofitscentre.


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Permacultureprinciples,suchasheavyuseofpermanentandtreecrops,wouldalmost

eliminate the need for ploughing, enabling horses to domost of the cultivating andcartingneeded(giventheveryshortdistances),aswellasperformingleisurefunctions.

Locallymadebeverageswouldincludefruitjuicesandwines,beer,cider,teasandcoffee

substitutes(carob).Honeywouldreplacemostsugaruse,eliminatingitstransportandthe ecological impact of sugar plantations, and improving pollination. Hobbybeekeeperscouldeasilymeetallneeds.

We would eat far less meat and this would greatly reduce the volume of producenecessary.(Abouttwo-thirdsofthefoodproducedintheUSisnoteatenbyhumans;itisfedtoanimals.)Meatwouldmostlycomefromsmallanimalssuchasrabbits,fishand

poultry, living within our settlements and recycling food scraps to the soil. Poultrywould enjoy free-range conditions. One of their jobswould be toclear, cultivate andfertilisegardenbeds.

Nofoodwouldbeeatenoutofseason.Onlythosevarietiesyieldinglocallyatapointin

timewouldbeharvestedandused,eliminatingmuchofthefood-transportcost.Thisalsomeansyoulookforwardtoandenjoythenewseasonvarieties.

A committee would continually coordinate community research and trials of plantvarietiesfromotherpartsoftheworldtofindthosethatwillthrivewithaminimumofattentionwherewelive,andtheywoulddeveloprecipesfortheuseofthese,aswellasforcheapandnutritiousmealsfromlocalfoodsources(includingtheweedsgrowinglocally--NewZealandspinachisalmostapestwhereIlive.)Theworldcontainshugenumbersofvegetables,fruits,nutsandherbsthatwillgrowwellinyourneighbourhoodbutthatmostofushaveneverheardabout.

Wastes goingto soilsviagarbagegasdigesterswouldyieldmethanegason theway.Somewoodlandwouldbegiventoproductionofthesmallquantitiesofethanolneededfortransport.Woodwouldbeusedwhereverpossible,notaluminum,steelorplastic,

e.g.,fortoolhandles,furniture,building,wagons,barrows,boats,etc.Mostlyhandtoolsratherthanmachinerywouldbeusedinfoodproduction,mainlybecausethesmallscaleenabledhomegardeningandtinyfarmproduction.

Mulching,treecrops,dripirrigationandselectionoftherightvarietieswouldminimisewateruse.

Wastewater,kitchenscraps,cropwastesandanimalmanureswouldgotocompostheaps,methanedigestersandfishponds.Thepondswouldsustainafishingindustry,

alongwithducksandgeeseandwetlandplantproduction.Runningbamboowouldbeconfinedonislands.

Plants would also provide many craft and industrial materials, including inputs tochemicalprocessingofcellulose,replacingpetroleumsourcesofplastics.Manyoilsandwaxesforindustry,paintsandcookingcouldcomefromthelocality,includingpeanuts,olives,flax,beeswax,andfishoil.Herbcultivationwouldalsoprovidesourcesofvariousmedicines,suchasAloveraforointments,TeaTreeoilforantiseptics.Cheese,oliveoil,dyes and soap are among the other items easily made on a small scale from localingredients. Theseproductswouldmostly come from small locally owned firms andcooperativeswhichgaveworthwhileworktomanypeople.Whereproducewastobe

sold,much of this could be done without salespeople; just weigh your beans at theroadsidestallandleavethemoneyinthetin.Therewillbefamiliarityandtrustinthesecommunities.


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Manyshopswouldneedtoopenonlyoneortwodaysaweek.Ifyouwillwantanew

pairofshoessoonyoucangetthemonTuesdayswhentheshoeshopopens.Thatsavesalotoflabour.

Therewouldbenoneedforsyntheticpesticides,althoughnaturalvarietiescanbemade

fromplantinputssuchapyrethrumandtobacco,grownlocally.TherewouldbefewerpestsinthecomplexPermaculturelandscapes.(Monoculturesencouragepestbuildup.)

Relativelylittlestorage,packagingorfreezingwouldbeneededbecausefreshfoodcouldbetakenfromthegardensandfieldsjustbeforeuse.Rootcropscanbeleftinthegrounduntilneeded.Traditionalvarietieswhichcropoveranextendedperiodenablepickingofafewfruitwhentheyareneeded,whiletherestripenandstoreonthevine.Cellarsand

cool rooms can store fruit and vegetables, and therewould be extensive preserving,bottlinganddrying.

Therewouldbealmostnoneedforenergyinputsintothefood-producingsectorofthe

economy. In conventional agriculture these are enormous. Small farmers and home

gardenersarefarmoreenergy-efficientthanagribusiness.Almostallofthe17%ofUSenergyconsumptionnowgoingintofoodsupplycouldbesaved.Therewouldbelittle

ploughing, artificial fertilisers and pesticides, harvesting machinery, commercialprocessing and packaging, freezing, marketing, transport or waste collection anddisposal.Householdsandshopswouldmostlybuyfromthelocalfarmgate.Theaverageitemoffoodmighttravelonlyabout200metres,whereasatpresentintheUSthefigure

isaround2,000,000metres.Wewouldneedalmostnotrucks,tractors,harvesters,silos,cropdusters,ships,supermarkets,advertising,coldstores,plasticbags,homefreezersor garbage disposal. Because the food was produced close towhere it was eaten allwastescouldgobacktothesoils,servingasanimalfeedontheway.Wecouldsavevastamountsonfoodpreservation,packaging,tins,bottles,labels,andrefrigeration.Food

couldgo straightfromgardensandanimal pens tothekitchenas it was needed,andfrom kitchens to animal pens and compost heaps without trucks and sewer pipes.Surpluseswouldbepreservedinre-usablelocallymadeglassandcrockerycontainers(nottincans).Damagedfruitandvegetablescouldbeused,whereasatpresenttheyaredumpedbecausesupermarketswillnotbuythem.

Obviously thosewhodid not enjoy gardening would not need to engage in it. Theywouldbuywhatothersproducedandmaketheircontributioninotherspheres,asatpresent.Homegardensurpluseswouldmostlybeswapped,givenawayorleftatthecommunitycentre.Committeeswouldkeeprecordsandcoordinatesuburbanplanting

sothatallpeoplewouldmoreorlessknowhowmuchofwhatcropswouldbeneeded,whatvarietiesdidbestlastyear,etc.Manygardenerswouldbetryingoutnewvarieties

allthetime.

Incommunitiesconsciousoftheneedtomaketheirlocaleconomiesworkwellmucheffort would go into education, R and D, sharing expertise and mutual assistanceregardingfoodproductionandallotheractivities.Itwouldnotbeamatterof isolated

householdersstrugglingontheirowntogrowenoughintheirbackyardstosurvive. Itwould be in everyones interests to make sure that all were helped to run highlyproductivegardens,thatdiscoveriesandgoodideaswereshared,thatthewholelocalagricultural system was highly organised and productive, and that people found thecommunitygardenworkingbeesenjoyable.

Aswithmostoftheotherdomainsdiscussedbelowtherewouldbemanydesirablespin-offimplicationsforhealth,community,leisureandeducation.Gardeningkeepsyou fitandformanyitwouldbeamajorleisureactivity.Inadditionthefielddays,shows,talks


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and research activities would provide sources of learning, entertainment and

communitybonding.

Thesewaysindicatethatwecouldprovideourselveswithabundanthighqualityfoodandmanymaterials,beautifullandscapes,anysatisfyinglivelihoodsandagreatdealof

rewardingleisuretimeatalmostnoenergy,resourceorenvironmentalcost.Andwecould do it without suits! Most people in the food supply industry today sit at acomputerscreeninnewclothes,andneeddegreesinaccounting,companylaw,finance,truckinglogisticswewouldneedalmostnoneofthat.Worstofallthosepeopledonotenjoy farming,and the agribusiness system they staffdrive out ofbusiness themanypeoplewhodo.

Myprobablehouseholdbudget:

Home gardening sharing/bartering among neighbours, plus free food from thecommons,mightprovideallvegetables,fruit,nuts,poultryandfishatnodollarcost.

Localsmall farmsmight provide15%offoodvia cash sale,suchas some/most dairy

products,grains/flour,soymilk,cheeses,spreads,andjuices.

Weeklydollarcost,approximately$30i.e.,$1,500/y,or$375/person/y.

Weeklyenergycost.Forhomegardensandcommonsalmostnorunningcost,apartfrom12-voltirrigationpumpelectricity.Embodiedenergycostswouldincludeproductionofgarden tools,wirenetting, baskets, preserving containers andequipment, sheds from

mud, saplings and tin, cement tanks, earthen dam and pond construction, poly pipeirrigation plus taps, 12 volt pumps, most assumed to last 20-50 years on average -GJ/yeartobeestimated.

Farmenergycostsincludesharesinsmallcommunitytractors,electricirrigationpumps,fencing, tank and dam construction, sheds, simple processing machinery, almost notransportcost(horseandcart)orfertiliserorpesticidecost,(cartsandslurrypipestakenutrientwastesbacktothefarms).Therewouldbearunningcostforirrigation,tractorandprocessingmachinery.

BUILDINGS

Houses,sheds,smallbusinesspremises,communitycentres

Allnewbuildingswouldbemadeofearth,localstone,wood,strawbale,atnegligibledollarandresourcecost,andbuilttolasthundredsofyears.Floorscanbemadefrom

rammed earth surfaced, e.g., with turpentine and beeswax. . Some roofingwould beearth(sod)overtimbersupports,ordomesandvaultsfrommudbricks,surfacedbyathinlayerofcement.Mostroofingwouldeventuallybeceramictilesmadefromlocalclayandwood-fuelledkilns.Researchwouldgointotheproductionofdurablesealersandpaintsfromlocalplantandanimalsources.For instanceearthwallscanbesealedwithawhitewashmadefromlimeandmilk.

People would havemuchmore time for home making, and therefore for cooking onwood stoves, with hot water jackets and tanks. Amore vegetable based diet wouldreducetheamountofcookingneeded.Rugsmostlymadefromwoolwouldreplacemost

carpets,eliminatingtheneedforvacuumcleaning.(Taketherugsoutandshakethem,

and sweepandmop the floors.)Matting, seatingand screens,aswell asbasketsandhats,canbewovenfromlocalreeds,rushesandwillows.


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MyDreamHouse

ThefollowingisanindicationofthekindofhouseIwouldbedelightedtolivein.Mostpeoplewouldseeitasquiteunacceptable,buttheyshouldaskthemselveswhatkindofhousingcould10billionpeoplehave.Acoupleorsmallfamilymight

needahouseabout1.5timesasbiginfloorarea.

IdonotliveINthehouseallthetime;Iliveinmypatch,inandoutofthehouse,garden,workshop, animal pens, forest,wetland, all day long. Thus I dont havemuchneedforspaceinsidethehouse.

It would be a tiny house. This minimises space heating and lighting, and

housework, and big houses are morally ugly, wasteful, and take up resourcesothersneed.Thefloorareawouldbeonly8x3squaremetresforthesinglemainroom,plusa20squaremetreatticbedroom,plusa5squaremetretoilet+showerroom. Made from mud brick or rammed earth, including floor (surface

hardened.) Low ceilings, 2.10-2.20 m. Wood burning stove for cooking and

heating,withahotwaterjacket.Corrugatedironroof,tobereplacedbyhand-made clay tile someday. No fridge; (cold water and evaporative cooling). No

carpets;rugs.Mostspaceforworkshop,crafts,storageandclotheswashingwouldbeinsimpleshedscloseby.Aladderortinystairwaywouldleadtothesleepingareainthetriangularattic,whichwouldalsoprovidestoragespace.Therewouldbea smallveranda tocatchmorning sun inwinter.Watertanks.(Imaketanks

from cement plastered over chicken wire against a form, for about 1.5c/litre(excludinglabourcost.)Plastictankscostabout70c/litre.NotincludedinthisaccountingareaPVpanelplusbattery-$1000?

Walls:27cmthick,13cubicmetresofearth,=240barrowloads,i.e.,10adayover

24days.Formsborrowed.Earthpitbecomesafishpond.

Dollarcostestimated2010:veryapproximately$5,500(notincludinglabouror

itemsbelow.)(ThebudgetisdetailedTedTrainer,TheTransitiontoaSustainableandJustWorld,2010).Inthenormaleconomythecostofasmallerthanaveragenormalhouse(muchbiggerofcourse)mightbe$150,000tobuild,but$400,000

whenbankinterestandtaxonincomeareadded.The2009costtobuildahouseinSydneyhasbeen reportedasc. $150,000,about27timesthecost ofmyidealhouse.TheaveragehousebeingbuiltinAustralianowisthebiggestintheworld,withanareaof220squaremetres,4.5timesthesizeofmyhouse.

Use ofrecycledmaterialswould lowerthe cost ofmy idealhouse considerably.

Labour cost? Zero. The house would be homemade using hand tools as anenjoyable creative activity, partly assisted by local friends and experiencedbuilders. These debts couldbe paid without money, by giving labour to theirventures.Somedollarcosts,e.g.,formaterials,couldbepaidbylabourgiventobuilderswhobuytheminbulk.Buildataleisurelypace;moveinwhentheroofis

onandfitoutslowly.

Premises for most local firms, shops and community facilities such as libraries andcommunity centres, couldbemuch the same;mostly tiny, simple, built frommud or

strawbaleorrammedearthetc.pluslocallygrownandmilledtimber.Buildingswouldbeonetothreestoriesinheight,eliminatingtheneedforlifts.Ingeneralfinisheswould

berough/rustic,notbeslick,e.g.,barkedsaplings,mudwalls,unpaintedwood,withfewmetalorplasticsurfaces.


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These structures can be beautiful, decorated in a wild variety of styles, making the

landscape unique and interesting. Ourmaincommunitybuildingscouldbe inspiring,ourhome-madecathedrals, tributesto thepower ofour imagination andcooperativepower, built by our own hands from our forests, clay pits and eager labour. Theseprojectsaremuchtooprecioustobegiventoacontractor.

Rememberthatwearetalkingaboutastablesituation,inwhichconstructiononlytakestheformofmaintenanceandreplacement,not increasingthehousing,officeor factorystock. In otherwordsmost of the present construction industrywould not exist andmostofthebuildingthatwasneededcouldbecarriedoutbyhandtools(becausethisismore enjoyable.) For many people, slowly designing and building their own home,helped by friends and with the advice of local experts, would be one of lifes most

satisfying adventures. No one would want a house and not beable tohave one. Atpresentmaybe100,000Australiansarewaitingtogetone,andlargenumbersneverwillbecausetheonlykindthemarketprovidesareabsurdlybig,expensiveandecologicallyunsatisfactory(noeaves,notsolarpassive,badlyinsulated,usingaluminumandplasticandbrick,andinmyviewoftenshoddilybuilt.)

Thesehavebeenconstructioncosts;runningcostsaredealtwithbelowunderenergy.

Myprobablehouseholdbudget:

Items not included in theabove accounting:Gutters,plumbing(steelpluspolypipes,taps),sink,toiletbowlandcistern,cabinetwood,table,chairs,electriclightswiresandswitches,insulationforroofonly(earthwalls),boltsetc.,12pump,drumhightankforshoweretc.pressure.

Dollarcost:Earthhousescanlasthundredsofyears.Ifweassume100yearstheper

capitadollar cost for ahousetwice the sizeabovewouldbe $11,000/(100yearsx 50weeksx4people)=$55c/week,or$28.60ayear.Manyhomebuyersarepayingmorethanone-thirdoftheirincomeforhousingrepayments,orrent.

Compareanormal house; if $150,000 tobuildbut 4 timesasbig asmine above, i.e.,$75,000forahousetwicemy idealsize,butdoublethisafterpayingbankinterestandtax,itwouldcost$150,000i.e.,13timesasmuchasahousetwiceasbigasmyideal.

Energycost:

Wood:(Atticflooring,20m2x2.5cmthick=.5m3)+

(roofframes80mx50mmx65mmhardwood=.3m3)

=.8M3.

Assume1m3wood=1tonne,andembodiedenergycostofwood=18GJ,/tonne.

So.8m3= 14.4GJ.

Rooftin:50m2=160KG,x44MJ/kg= 7.1GJ

Glass:18m2x200MJ/m2= 3.6GJ

Cement:Almostnocementinfoundations;lightstructuresetonbrokenconcretechunkssetintrench.


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Tank;8000litre,6m3concrete+reinforcingrods

andchickenwire= 2.1GJ______

27.2GJ

Itemsnotincluded,above;assumethesebringtheenergycostto: 50GJ

Thatwouldbe,for4people,anaverageof125MJ/y.

At2011retailelectricitypricethiswouldcost: $4.50p.a.

TOOLS,APPLIANCES,HARDWARE

Iwouldwanttoworkmostlywithhandtools,includingforhousebuilding,furnitureand

clothesmakingandfoodproduction(often/mostlyusingmachineproducedmaterials),but some use of power tools makes sense. (My workshop runs on 12-volt solarelectricity.) Local firms and farms would need some small engines, motors andmachinery such as saw benches. Regional factories would make simple robust,repairable, durable, mostly small stoves, fridges, radios, heaters, tanks, furniture(althoughmuchofthiswouldbehomemade)cutlery,crockery,pots,pans,brooms(Iwouldvotefornovacuumcleanerproduction),gardentools,aswellasbulkmaterials

suchascloth,timber,rooftiles.

The national steel works would supply mostly small strip, rod, tube and angle,galvanisedironandwirenetting,plusinputstohardwarestores(nails,bolts,etc.)and

tool factories. In other words there would be very little production of heavy steelbeams, pipes and plate, or castings, because therewould be little heavy industry orconstruction.

Largertools,suchaslathes,drillpresseswouldbeavailableforanyonetouseinregionalfactories,communityworkshopsandsmallfirms.

Thus the scale of manufacture and building would be enormously reduced, and

therefore the need for heavymachinerywould bemuch reduced.Wewould need toproduceveryfewifanyskyscrapers,bigbridges,tunnels,silos,freeways,aircraftandairports,trucks,cars,ships,cranes,forkliftsandbulldozers.Remembertherewouldbe

verylittleneedtotransportthingsintohighlyself-sufficienttownsandregions,andvery

littleneedtotravelfartoworkorleisure;seebelow.Wewouldhavesomebuses,agoodnationalandregionalrailsystem,andmanybikes(anduseofhorsesforcartage),butvery few cars. Because economies would be stable, construction would only be of

replacementbuildings,windmills,roadsetc.

Myhouseholdbudget

Dollarcosts:Assumetimberfromlocalhobbysawbenchesorsmallfirms,muchuseofsaplings and round wood, and stable settlements with no new construction, onlyreplacementandmaintenancebuilding.Artandcraftmaterials?Mosttoolscanlasta

lifetime,especiallyhand tools.An uncertainguessatan annualhouseholdsteel,glass,

cement,consumption30-50kg,costingperhaps$200500.Thiswouldnotincludeinfrequentmajorremakesafterstormorfiredamage.


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Energy costs: Appliances such as sinks, toilet bowls and cisterns, showers, (no bath

tubs),washtubs,stoves,andfridges(ifyouhaveone)wouldbemadetolast50+years,andtoberepaired.Artandcraftmaterials??Energycost40kgx30MJ/kg=1.2GJ/y,i.e.,.3GJ/person/year?

CLOTHING

Almostalltheclotheswewearcouldbesimple,tough,cheapanddurable,oldandmuchrepaired.Fewifanyofuswouldneedtoworkinasuitortie,letalonenewclothes.OneofmyhobbiesisdarningandrepairingtheoldclothesIwear.(Oneofmybestjumperslasted 35years,until abushfiregot it.)Wemight havea few nice things for specialoccasions,buttheseneednotbeexpensive.Ihaveonepairofgoodshoes,neverweara

tie,andhaven'twornasuitforaboutfourdecades.ThosewhoweremoreinterestedinniceclothesthanIamcouldofcoursemakeorbuythemastheywishbuthopefullywewouldhavethesensetoscrapanynotionoffashion.Somepeoplecouldspecialiseindressmakingandtailoringasasmallbusiness.

Oldandwornoutclothingitemswouldberecycled,soldviasecondhandshopsorgivenaway.Clothesmakingandrepairingwouldbemuch-enjoyedhobbies.Afewsmalllocal

firmsmightmass-producesomebasicclothingitems,mostlyfromlocallygrownfibres,and some basic footwear. Factories would supply local hardware shopsand clothingmakerswithrollsofclothofbasickinds.Somefootwearcanbemadeathomeviahobbyproduction,especiallyslippers,sandalsandwinterUghboots.Therewouldbe agreat

dealofthatmostmiraculousartformknitting,usingwoolspunfromthelocalsheep.

It ispossible thatmuchofthe bulkmaterialneeded couldbeproduced locally.Woolmighttake.025-.030haperperson,300squaremetres,assumingconsumptionof2

kg/person/y, 25 sheep/haand 3.2 kg cleanwool/sheep/year. Again this landwould

provideotherproductsandservices,e.g.,playareas,honey,watercatchment,timber,orchardsOtherfibresincludingflax,sisalandcottonwouldaddalittletothisarea,andsomeofthiswouldbeimported.

Myhouseholdbudget:

AtpresentIspendalmostnothingonclothing,duetoastockofolditemsthatcanberemade,apartfrom(cheap,light)workshoes/sandals.Anestimateforme(asdistinctfromgrowingchildrenetc.),$80/person/year.

WORK

Mostofuswouldgotoworkformoneyonlyoneortwodaysaweek,onfootorbicycletolocalfirmsorcooperatives.Wewouldenjoyworkingwithfriends,incontrolofourcontributiontomeetinglocalneeds,orrunningourownlittleshoporfarm,knowingweare helping to maintain a happy community. (This assumes considerable collectivecontrolovertheeconomytomakesurethereisnogrowth,nosignificantinequality,nounemployment, nopoverty, that all have aworthwhile and respected livelihood, andaboveallthatindividualandsocialneedsaremet.Theseconditionsarenotpossibleinconsumer-capitalistsociety.

Ontheotherfivedaysaweekwedbedoingalotofproducingof importantthings,for

ourselvesinourgardensandhobbies(e.g.,knitting,pottery)incraftgroups,andforthe

communityviatheworkingbees,committees,organisingconcerts,leisureactivitiesandfestivals.Inotherwordsmuchofourworktimewouldalsobeenjoyableleisuretime;

thework/leisuredistinctionwouldlargelydisappear.


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The(negligible)dollarandenergycostsoftravellingtoworkaredealtwithbelowunder

transport.Therewouldbelittleornocostinnewclothes.

FURNITURE

Furniture would be simple, cheap, robust and durable, made from local materials,mostly wood. It would be repairable, and most would be home-made by ordinarypeople. Some would come from local craft businesses in which people could enjoymakinggoodsolidfurniture.Thesepiecesmightberelativelyexpensive,buttheywouldlast for generations, and costwould not matter sincewe could ingeneral cover ourmonetaryneedswithtwodaysworkaweek.

Various other items, notably toys, baskets, garden and storage sheds, wheelbarrows,animal houses, carts, and boats would also be mostly made from wood, either viabackyardorsmallfirmproduction.Minimaluseofplastic.Matting,seatingandscreens,aswellasbasketsandhats,canbewovenfromlocalreeds,rushesandwillows.There

would be much use of hand tools because craft production is enjoyable, but light

machinerywouldalsobeused.

Myhouseholdbudget

Percapitalifetimedollarandenergycostswouldbenegligible,e.g.,bikeparts,tyres.

MANUFACTURING,FACTORIES

Mostmanufactureditemswouldbeproducedinhouseholds,neighbourhoodworkshopsand small local firms, and they would be produced in craft ways, not via industrialfactories.Crockeryprovidesagoodexample.Itshouldallbeproducedbyhandinyour

suburbortown,fromlocalclay,firedbywoodgrownthere,andmadebypeoplewholovemaking pottery. Howmany new plates do you need each year to replace thosebroken?Againwhenwe recognise thatweare talking abouta stable populationand

economywe realisethatmuchofourpresentproductionisaimedatincreasingstocksand consumption, so in a stable society relatively small volumes of replacementproductionwouldsuffice.Becausepeoplewillnot need togo out toworkformoneymore than two days a week there would be much time for interesting

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