I love this idea: the plentitude economy
Posted on January 5th, 2012
This video from the Center for the New American Dream paints a picture of how I think we all want to live.
Everyone talks about green economies, decluttering, recycling…which are good. To a point. But they’re still focused on consuming and growth. Right?
The. Only. Way. To. Be. Sustainable. Which at the same time is The. Best. Way. To. Live. Happily and Purely is…
To consume and do less.
The video suggests:
- Reducing work hours – a 4 day work week. The Dutch have done this. It works. My God we need to do the same.
- DIYing our lives a lot more. This makes us happy, I’ve written about this in Sunday Life.
- Building communities. I want to investigate this further myself. Which is why I’m thinking of going to Scandinavia this year – to check out how it’s being done over there.
I truly try to live this way.
- I have a car and it’s not a new “green” one. But I drive it less. I move less. When I do move, I ride. I read a report that says walking to the shops once a week instead of driving reduces one’s footprint more than owning a green car for a year (don’t quote me on the specifics…it was something to this effect…and if anyone knows the study, please share!).
- I don’t buy more food until my fridge is pretty much empty. This way I get inventive and cook what I’ve got – no wastage, less trips to the shops, less things to store.
- I replace my undies when I’m down to 5-6 pairs. Not going to the shops makes us happier.
- I don’t buy beverages in bottles. You can read my thoughts on bottled water before.
- I replace something only when it’s broken – I don’t keep spares or just-in-cases. Less clutter makes us happier. Less things to sort and tidy.
What do you do to consume and do less?
Also, anyone have thoughts on great places to explore in Scandinavia? Any Scandi readers out there with tips on great towns/projects to see, people to meet?
I have started this year by sending unwanted, but still useful items, to charity. I am determined to shop my wardrobe before buying new clothes and creatively use all foodstuffs I seem to accumulate in my pantry.
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Oh my gosh, YES! I hope everyone in power watches this and decides to make some changes.
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I am totally into ‘mindful consuming’ and it’s always possible to consume less. I never use plastic bags and minimise all packaging, I don’t have take away beverages or food, and I don’t buy anything new unless I really need it.
Now, Scandinavia! Yes! Stockholm is a must, but if you do have the time please make sure to visit the beautiful Lapland (especially Finland and Norway). Depending on what time of the year you are going, the Aland Islands are also a great place to visit (especially summer). The fjords in Norway are breath-taking, too.
Let me know if you have any questions or want more in-detail tips!
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January 5th, 2012 at 12:41 pm
Thanks Maria, I’ll be in touch when /if I decide to go. I just want to be around folk with like-minded thinking (minus the right-wing weirdos that seem to be emerging in Europe right now).
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January 9th, 2012 at 9:49 pm
Hey Sarah, I’m sure you’ve already heard of couchsurfing.org – it’s full of like-minded people, and if you haven’t already, I’d recommend you to check it out!
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Sarah, in your Failures & Healings blog you said your sold your car. Today you say you have a car. Do you, or do you not, own a car?
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January 5th, 2012 at 12:43 pm
Well, this is the slightly fascinating thing. I sold my car. In part because I needed a 4WD where I live. And Jeep contacted me days later and have loaned me a car. I ride most places. And use a car when I have to for trips and surfing and getting about on these country roads up here.
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January 5th, 2012 at 1:00 pm
Sorry, but this seems quite contradictory to your ‘way of living’. Even if it’s a loan car, it’s still a 4WD. Surely you could have asked for a small car with a roof rack to get your surfboard around? And the last time I was up in Byron, I don’t remember the roads being that unmade. But good attempt at justifying!
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January 5th, 2012 at 1:10 pm
Oh, & you ride a single speed bike most places yet you need a 4WD on the same roads? So doesn’t make sense.
January 5th, 2012 at 1:30 pm
Dear God you’re right! I demand answers!!! lol…not really.
January 6th, 2012 at 3:04 pm
sarah did say that she only uses it when she needs to, presumably not a lot.
it is pretty difficult living in rural/semi-rural areas completely without a car, unless you really want to do it hard. i have lived in those places in the past, and there were a people who espoused the ‘pure’ ideas, but had a blind spot about using other people’s stuff, or relying on other people to run errands etc when they felt like it and not admitting that they did.
so don’t be so picky, people…
January 6th, 2012 at 3:59 pm
Well, if you like in somewhere trendy like Byron Bay a 4WD is the only type of car to drive!
January 7th, 2012 at 11:16 am
Practicality Jac, we are in a society of demand upon our time, time is money & we have all got to live, riding a bike to an appointment or job that would take you an hour in a vehicle is absurd. I’m sure Sarah is doing her best & her part.
January 5th, 2012 at 2:04 pm
Have to agree with this post. You have written before about giving away, selling or donating objects to avoid clutter and which no longer fit in with your way of living. I was most impressed when I read you had sold your car and hitched, cycled or used a car share system (Go Get??) as a means of getting around. But now your drive a 4WD?! What else do you sponsor which is in contractition to what you ‘appear’ to stand for?
As someone else said yesterday, ‘unsubbing’
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January 5th, 2012 at 8:45 pm
LOL! Goodness me.. it is not that serious, is it?
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January 5th, 2012 at 9:47 pm
Guess that depends on an individuals beliefs & values. What matters to them may seem insignificant/petty to another.
January 5th, 2012 at 9:54 pm
Ease up guys. Yaaaaawn. I know that the emissions on my new car are much better for the environment than my old car (I’m sure the two separate people driving behind me who thought it necessary to get out of their cars at busy city intersections to tell me how much smoke I was blowing would agree) plus its a great example of giving and getting back.
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January 5th, 2012 at 9:56 pm
PS – I no longer buy bottled water… Definitely not soft drink. x
Oh I loved this post! I feel like I need to reminded of this often. I think I’ll write down “to consume less and do less” as my moto for the new year. It seems every time I fantasize about having more money so I can purchase my dream wardrobe I then realize all the time and commitment I will inevitably be putting into that endeavor. Caring for everything- worrying about keeping expensive pieces nice. So more money, more freedom? Maybe not always true.
Also, the whole eating down your fridge is essential. I first was inspired to do this after reading about it here. Goodness, I waste much less food when I’m not overstocking. Of course the holidays had me slipping into over shopping for special foods and now I’m rushing to use everything before it rots.
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I agree. Paring down to what you need. Living close to your heart. It’s the single most awesome thing I’ve for myself (less labels, clutter, toxic people = more freedom), the people around me (I was happier and our relationships improved) and the environment. And it’s a journey, it never ends does it. I’m excited to see what this year will bring.
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January 5th, 2012 at 4:06 pm
I’m at the start of that journey, Christine, and I too am excited to see what this year will bring. Best wishes to you xx
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I plan to head to Sweden next year for my 40th and I’ve been researching. I love this road trip story in the Guardian, http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/sep/02/sweden-road-trip-islands, and will definitely include a trip to Smaland in the south east, which conjures everything Pippi Longstocking to me, no surprise as it’s Astrid Lindgren’s birthplace. I love your idea about connecting culturally, but it’s the landscape that draws me there.
A great friend of mine from university, a Swedish journalist living near Gothenburg, also recommends Falkenberg, about an hour south of Gothenburg, a seaside area with clapperboard houses and North Sea swimming. Gotta give that a go!
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January 13th, 2012 at 11:17 am
Hooked on pippi, I want my daughter to have her spirit! I’m going to research that area now.
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On your second point, about using only what you’ve got for cooking, I’m a bit believer in that… I realised how much I’d been throwing out just because of poor planning or a lack of inventiveness.
I discovered a great function on the recipe website taste.com.au, where you can type in what ingredients you’ve got, and it’ll pull up any recipes containing those ingredients. My Mum does this too, having a “$21 week” every so often where she commits herself to only spending $21 on groceries for the week in order to force herself into using up what’s in the pantry and freezer. Otherwise it all just sits there and you forget about it.
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January 5th, 2012 at 12:40 pm
That’s a really great idea (the $21 week)!
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January 5th, 2012 at 12:44 pm
I friggen love that idea. Sam, can I refer to it in a post? What’s your mum’s name? I’d like to attribute fully!
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January 5th, 2012 at 4:05 pm
It’s actually from Simple Savings – have a look as they’ve been doing $21 week challenges for a long time.
January 5th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
Oh, the computer ‘ate’ my second reply with the link to Simple Savings’ website. Anyway, just Google it and you’ll get it first go!
January 6th, 2012 at 8:47 pm
The founders of Simple Savings also wrote a book. In most bookshops and libraries. Some people include all their groceries (toiletries etc) in the $21, others make it just food.
January 5th, 2012 at 1:08 pm
Fabulous idea, your Mum is brilliant.
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Great Article Sarah,
I am studying Sustainability as a 2nd major at SCU and I am taking on Ecological and Environmental Economics for Sustainable Development next semester, I am really interested in what they propose as an alternative economic model. This alternative model is the only way forward to a sustainable future and I love this presentation. I have no recommendations re Scandanavia but a few urban sustainable housing developments exist in South Australia and Tasmania, the one in SA is called Christies Walk http://www.urbanecology.org.au/christiewalk/#main, it is a community based system, they link to other projects.
I thought I might suggest a beautiful book called “The Handbook of Sustainability Literacy skills for a changing world” Arran Stibbe (ed.), it is a beautiful collection of short steps one can take to make movements towards understanding the alternative to our consumer lifestyles and begin living a sustainable lifestyle. They have a website you can download the chapters but the book is really beautiful as it has illustrations etc… http://www.sustainability-literacy.org/. I will never be without it, such a great book. Heavier reading on economy and ecology you can’t go past “The ecology of commerce” by Paul Hawken.
Cheers Kaz
P.S I also suffer terrible endocrine problems which have sent me in the very direction you are taking, a simple lifestyle, living small, working less and participating as a citizen. I gave up work a few years back as I was so sick and took on university as an alternative so I could rest and still be doing something. I am grateful it has lead me to a passion in sustainability, I think health problems associated with autoimmune disease can quite often send people on a path of self-realisation, something greater than the materialistic lifestyles we all have been conditioned to think is normal and/or the only way.
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January 5th, 2012 at 7:18 pm
Hi Karen – I’m doing much the same thing here in London (MSc Program in Sustainable Development) and am currently writing my essay on growth economics. Have made a note of all the resources that you listed. Here are mine in case you are interested
Anything and everything written by Tim Jackson (am biased as he is part of of our faculty), but specifically Prosperity without Growth based on his work as part of the Sustainable Development Commission for the UK Gov.
He has a TED talk here but I would recommend the book:
http://www.ted.com/talks/tim_jackson_s_economic_reality_check.html
Bill McKibben: Deep Economy – The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future.
As far as food goes, if there is one specific thing that many people could think about that would seriously reduce the impact they have – go veggie. Eating meat uses up a lot more energy (and therefore puts carbon into the atmosphere) than growing vegetables. If you can’t go veggie then think about only eating meat a couple of times a week, or just using meat to flavour your meals rather than being the star.
Now, off to finish this essay!
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January 5th, 2012 at 7:40 pm
Thanks Tali, I will have a look at Tim Jacksons stuff and Bill McKibben it will be really helpful for next semester. Cradle to Cradle remaking the way we make things is another great book, as is Natural Capitalism but the latter is much along the same lines as The Ecology of Commerce, just a longer version. I just finished an essay today on Ethical Consumerism and Green citizenship and have another to start on Ecocultural Studies on Saturday, so much to read with such limited time.
As for going Vege, unfortunately with autoimmune issues it is not recommended but I do eat sustainably produced meat and eggs conservatively. I also grow lots of veges and eat heaps of them but no grains, legumes or diary except butter. I think the key is to add fat back into the diet, good fats like coconut oil, butter, ghee, avocado etc these are what fills us up and keeps leptin tamed the hormone that tells us we are full and insulin the one that makes us hungry. Fat has been demonised but if we all added some back to our diet and removed processed foods and sugar we would eat alot less, even in some cases can reduce food consumption to two meals a day instead of three, I try to do this every second day when hunger is low, great for the wallet, environment and helps reduce inflammation.
Good Luck with your essay. Cheers K
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The thing that gets me is that not only are economies built on consumerism, but on planned obsolescence. 80 years ago engineers had the freedom to make appliances last a lot longer than what they do now. But due to corporations and government policy limitations were put into place so that your products no longer work after a certain period of time, throw out the old and buy the new.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_obsolescence
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January 5th, 2012 at 2:36 pm
I think sustainability is a really tough one to unravel…. we have some of the best public schooling and health care in the world (anyone visited the states lately?!) that is essentially funded by digging up our country and exporting it to China where they turn around and make a lot of stuff for us nice and cheaply…
I think as Tod Sampson said on The Project last night (paraphrase!) if we took all the foreign investment out of Australia, there would not be much left and we would be in a lot of trouble… Whatever we can do in our own realms (like all of the suggestions above) are extremely important, but the big picture is an extremely complex puzzle to unravel in order to create a sustainable future… I dont think attacking Sarah for needing a car is productive (she effectivly lives in the middle of nowhere – life is not sustainable if you cannot make a living / get to your family / get out of trouble very quickly)
I take my hat off to those spending their lives trying to find the answers!
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January 5th, 2012 at 7:27 pm
Totally agree with you! At the moment, there are plenty of people who are not able to reduce their impact due to being locked into a system, whether it be owning a car, being short of time as they have to work longer hours, or whether it is owning lots of hi tech gadgetry such as computers and mobile phones (which everyone needs in order to participate in this blog). The fact is that technology serves its purpose and is helping to dematerialise our economies by allowing us to experience a lot of entertainment with much less stuff being manufactured (ebooks, digital music, digital films, email, voip etc) as well as allowing a lot of people to move less as they can work from home. Electric cars are slowly being introduced, not fast enough and there are issues as to whether there are enough supplies of raw materials for everyone to have a car, but cars will always be essential for some parts of the population so there is little point in berating someone for their car usage if its essential and they are already making efforts to use it much less. Living sustainably right now means doing what you can until business and governments realise that they need to pull their collective fingers out, and it serves no one to admonish other people’s efforts, least of all those who are doing something positive.
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[...] for thought! (via Sarah Wilson) Share this: This entry was posted in Ideas by Kindra. Bookmark the [...]
I can highly recommend subscribing to http://www.eatyourbooks.com. This entails an annual fee however I’ve joined up with a friend who lives nearby and pooled our cookbook collection. You can type in the ISBN of all your cookbooks, and then run a search on ingredients. Suddenly you’re not only using up kooky leftover ingredients but also discovering amazing recipes which have been lurking on your shelves, neglected for eons.
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January 6th, 2012 at 2:20 pm
Thanks so much for this tip!
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January 8th, 2012 at 3:56 pm
Hi Rebecca this site looks great, thanks for the referral. I’ve signed up month to month to see if I can get a benefit from it.
Ele
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This is why I really enjoy reading this blog, issues like these have really stood out to me over the past couple of years and I feel like here I can find people on the same page. I really feel strongly about the fact that our society is way, way too focused on consumerism, and making money, and ‘having it all’ – and not on what really matters.
Especially after spending an extended time traveling in 2010 I realised how desperately I want to live a simpler life, and how much ‘society’ encourages us not to. I’m still getting there, it can be a slow process turning the tide however over the year I have slowly given away more and more of my belongings and have tried hard not to buy new things unless I need them. I try to only buy vintage or secondhand clothes, or to revamp old clothes on the sewing machine. Everything else I try and make sure I wear it out or use it all up before replacing it. In mindfully doing this I have realised how long some things actually last, there are items I wish would wear out but they just keep on going!
For example, I have a lot of my mother’s belongings and especially the kitchenware is still going strong after probably 30 years or more. It makes me wonder what happens to all the other items produced that people don’t want any more because they are not in style, or that they throw away because they see a new more exciting one in the shop. Yes I may have ugly seventies orange mixing bowls, but I’m proud of it.
I have a long way to go but watching videos like these strengthens my resolve to change my way of life to better suit my instincts.
PS I really wish we could have a four day work week, why is it that five (or more…) became the norm? Does anyone know?
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January 6th, 2012 at 12:23 pm
I really like the way you put this. My mom had a cross-stitch on the wall when I was growing up: “Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do. Do without.” Sort of strict but makes a lot of sense!
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January 6th, 2012 at 9:28 pm
I like that! Maybe I’ll have to make a cross stitch of my own.
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January 13th, 2012 at 11:21 am
That’s going on my wall, I love it. No bullshit there.
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I love the concept of the plenitude economy… What we’re doing now is collapsing under the weight of it’s own silliness. Time to abandon ship. I don’t have the solution, but I think eventually it will need to be a conglomeration of many theories plus a good dose of trial and error.
But I mostly wanted to talk about Scandinavia! I went to Iceland in 2010 on a bit of a whim and it enchanted me. It’s just so thoroughly foreign. I went in October so the light during the day was sort of a perpetually blue-hued twilight or very soft sun. It’s culturally rich with really unique folklore, and you can even do a course at the Icelandic Elf School in Reykjavik (only found out about this after my trip, but I’m determined to return). Reykjavik is a fascinating little city, plus there is the Blue Lagoon, boutique farm stays in Icelandic countryside, and mountain climbs or treks on Icelandic horses through volcanic terrain to see the Northern Lights. And it’s so sodden in natural beauty, you couldn’t take a bad photo in Iceland if you tried.
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Over the holidays, I figured out that I could afford to live on 27.5 hours per week… I’m swithering just now between working five shorter days or just doing four days a week… Decisions, decisions!
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This is really timely reminder. I intend to consume less this year. Thank you, Sarah.
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I came across this today which is kind of off-topic but also pertinent: The Information Diet. Read. Not too much. Mostly facts.
It’s essentially about decluttering what we read – switching off automatic pop up ads, turning off distracting notifications – so that we focus on the task at hand, and therefore do that task properly.
I find that often the reason we seem to need to work more is that we’re not actually working properly. We get distracted and don’t commit to what we’re doing. If we’re going to work towards a 4 day week (which I dream of doing), we need to work smartly.
Here’s the link for more info: http://lifehacker.com/5872436/how-to-start-your-information-diet
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I think the thing I’m most proud of in this area is that I’ve never owned a car. And not because I can’t afford one, or because one wouldn’t be useful – I have a serious, professional career. I walk or bike or use public transportation, even though I live in Canada and it’s cold and often very snowy and sometimes it’s a real pain the ass. When really pressed I rent a car, which is infrequent (last time was in October, 2010). I just don’t think it’s ethical in this day and age for a single person to own and use a car.
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January 6th, 2012 at 12:25 pm
In a city, that is!
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I’m hoping we all consume and do less by choice as opposed to being forced by nature, economic circumstance, etc. Seems a better way to live.
Love the video, keeps everything simple.
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I couldn’t agree more with your post – and I think we can all do our own little bits to make a start. Over the Xmas break I had some time at home. Rather than trying to pack too much in, instead I opted for some quiet time at home. I cleared all the cupboards out, and started a veggie patch, spent time enjoying what I already had at home. I put a cap on shopping to only the fresh essentials and started planning menus around what I already had in the cupboard. The result? I feel rested, at peace, and ready to start the year. The time I spend gardening, cooking, tidying or walking (rather than driving) help me feel more at peace with the less peaceful aspects of daily busy-ness. Sometimes we just have to stop doing so much all the time.
Sarah – I’m curious about ‘social capital’ ie tool libraries, car pooling et up in Byron. Have you had any experiences of this yet?
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I love these videos that are coming out about this sort of thing, thanks girl.
We have so much to learn from certain European countries in so many aspects, we are too dominated by American politics & life style including our consumerism.
If our government was serious about waste & carbon foot printing why allow so many throw away hard to recycle products to come into our country, it’s getting worse not better. How many products have you thrown away because you couldn’t get parts for them or the parts are as or more expensive than the full product was in the first place.
In my much younger days as a child we had to save up to buy things like TV’s & lawn mowers which were expensive compared to the average wage of the day but it lasted because it was quality.
I for one wouldn’t mind having to save up again to buy a better product that isn’t going to add to the carbon footprint & eventual ill health of us & our environment…..Love Mathew
PS I’ve got to stop abbreviating my name to Mat as I don’t really like being trod on.
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Charles Eisenstein has written two fantastic books on this; 1. Ascent Of Humanity and 2. Sacred Economics. You can read them online for free at his website http://www.ascentofhumanity.com.
Also available for free on that website is a talk on “The Gift Economy”.
He also wrote a book called “Transformative Weight Loss” which is a whole different approach to what you normally hear.
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VERY IMPORTANT: Consumerism haven’t just given us waste & carbon foot printing but what I call consumerist bad vibes, in other words everything we buy these days is made not just to fill a demand but most importantly to the importers & manufacturers there pockets. I am talking about vibrative greed & selfishness coming from the products we buy, we have filled our lives with this negative stuff & it is affecting us all.
You may laugh but everything vibrates & the stuff we buy resinates with bad vibes because it’s made for the wrong purpose as mentioned. It is important to surround ourselves with good vibes but how do we do this when we have so much neg vibrative stuff around us? Change its field of vibration by feeling a joyful true love & then touch & feel your product, give it this love & slowly it will change its vibrative field or if you live your life positively everything around you will change automatically in time anyway.
Another way is to light candles or incense that make you feel good or anything else you can come up with as long as it’s positive.
You’re saying he must be insane to think this; science is starting to catch up with spirituality & proving otherwise!!! ……..Love Mathew
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