Sustainability: Simplicity

This house embodies many of the ideas involved in the move to simplify our lives.

"The current pattern of building big to allow for quantities of furniture with still more room to spare is more akin to wearing a sack than a tailored suit. It may offer capacity, but at the cost of comfort and charm. Spaciousness, although it can look appealing in a photograph, just isn't conducive to comfort. Many of the huge rooms we see in magazines today are really only comfortable to be in when they are filled with people. For one or two, or for a family, they can be overwhelming. And when they feel overwhelming, they don't get used."

"How can we change our culture's perceptions about what constitutes a good house, and convince our friends and neighbors that we are not crazy for building smaller, more tailored homes, that in all likelihood will cost just as much as their larger ones? I believe that the more people who start to put their money where their hearts are, the more others will realize the validity of building for comfort, and not for prestige."

--from The Not So Big House by Sarah Susanka

With its emphasis on building and living in only what space you really need, the Not So Big philosophy has many things in common with the Simplicity Movement. The following links provide resources to live a more simple life, without all of the clutter and rush, and pare down to the essentials.

PostConsumers.com
Postconsumers is an educational company helping to move society beyond addictive consumerism, with an eye toward the satisfaction of enough.

www.nwei.org
Featured on the PBS documentaries "Affluenza" and "Escape From Affluenza," this organization offers community courses exploring lifestyle values through discussion of earth centered ethics.

www.newdream.org
A site filled with good ideas about how to reduce consumption, simplify, and improve quality of life.

Affluenza: PBS Program on the Epidemic of Overconsumption
An entertaining and informative website from PBS, based on their special.

Financial Integrity
The Financial Integrity Program is a "whole systems" approach to life that will take you back to the basics of making your spending, saving and investing into a clear mirror of your life values and purpose.

Frugal Village/Frugal Living by Sara Noel
Sara Noel writes the syndicated Frugal Living column emphasizing simplicity, family values and eco-frugality. Frugal Village is one of her many websites serving as guides to achieving balanced and gracious living.

Get Rich Slowly
Not one to dish out get-rich-quick schemes, blogger J.D. Roth provides good information about personal finance, including debt elimination, saving money, practical investing, and frugal living.

Simplicity Journey
Simplicity expert Janet Luhrs offers books, classes and resources for simplifying your life.