Money is…

How would you complete that sentence?   If just contemplating that causes the hair on the back of your neck to stand up on end, then maybe it’s time to explore the wallet a little more deeply. Being ethical and authentic with money Somehow, I seemed to inherit a wariness of money. Yes, I know [...]

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The Good News about ‘Living Within Our Means’

There are a variety of different ways in which downshifters define their success. Here are 10 examples: 1. Plucking up the courage to leave a long-term career that didn’t suit. 2. Starting up a small business doing something that inspires . 3. Finding a new vocation in which to re-train that feels joyful and interesting. [...]

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Fancy a Swish?

“Save money, save the planet, have a party: swishing effortlessly touches all of these buttons. Swishing parties are for all those women who want to combine glamour, environmental protection and frugality.” Lucy Shea, founder of Swishing and Chief Executive of Futerra Sustainability Communications. Perhaps men can do this too, Lucy? To organise a Swishing party, [...]

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How to Avoid ‘Technology for Technology’s Sake’.

“I claim that in losing the spinning wheel we lost our left lung. We are, therefore, suffering from galloping consumption. The restoration of the wheel arrests the progress of the fell disease.” Mahatma Gandhi   One of the criticisms I hear of downshifting and living more sustainably is that a collective move in this direction [...]

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Why We Need Reminding: The Call to Recommit.

‘Love does not just sit there, like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new.’ Ursula K. Le Guin Have you noticed how many “days for this” and “weeks for that” there are these days? Just focussing on those related to sustainable living and downshifting, I can think [...]

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Experienced Downshifting or Flooding?: Your Stories Wanted

This guest post was sent to me by Ian Mowll of the Rising Water Project: “For years I have been trying to inspire change in our society on climate change. Surely, I thought, if I explained the science to people, they will see sense and change? But no, the more facts I explained to people, [...]

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How Do You Spot an Ethical, Sustainable Business?

“For many authentic businesses, their purpose is a direct challenge to a well-financed existing sector which will use all sorts of challenges and discrediting techniques to avoid being out-evolved by a newcomer with different ideas.” Neil Crofts. This article was sparked by a letter I received recently from an energy company. They are attempting to [...]

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Happy Birthday Transition Heathrow

Here’s a totally inspiring example of what’s possible when you combine activism with a Transition Town initiative. The activists in this case were responding to the threat of a third runway being built at Heathrow, just outside London. The runway construction would have threatened the community of Sipson. Transition Heathrow was formed as a radical [...]

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