As much as I love Treehugger.com for all its bulleteins on all things crunchy, I have to admit that I really have a strong dislike for all the consumer-oriented content. To paraprhase a comment I saw posted on TH.com not too long ago -- "You mean there will still be Peak Oil if I drive my Prius to Ikea while eating my organic microwaveable burrito?" Yeah. That.
We are not going to solve our conspicuous consumption problems with more consumption, regardless of how green it is. I strongly advocate making green choices wherever one can, but if we keep consuming at the same rate we are now, not much will change.
I've been casting around for someone, some book, to put its finger on what I've been proseletyzing all this time. I think I may have just found it. It's called "Voluntary Simplicity", and it was first brought up as a concept by a guy named Duane Elgin in the 1970's. (Too bad we got the eighties, instead.) I've heard of this movement before, but had never read much about them. I already know the concept in my bones: reduce your intake so that you don't have to work so darn hard to increase your income. Get off the ratrace treadmill by shedding your belongings until you are down to a nice, spartan, minimum equilibrium.
I found this page of essays, and after reading many of them, I went to the library and checked out a half-dozen books on the subject. I'll write more after I've digested the info, but suffice it to say I galloped through a hundred pages of this book last night.
I have always wanted to concentrate more on my comics. Who knows? Maybe these will lead me towards that end.
The best book that I have found on the subject is, "The Simple Living Guide" by Janet Luhrs. If you are going to read one book on the suject, this is the one that I recommend. It includes the theory of simple living (the "recipe" if you will) - i.e. defining what your priorities are/what you want out of life and 'living at or below your means.' However, what I value most about the book is that a significant portion of it is devoted to the IMPLEMENTATION of this idea. It has real world examples of how people made changes in their lives - how they reached 'simplicity', in addition to packing simply for travel and how to have talk to your kids about why their family drives a beat-up old car when they don't 'have' to.
I bestow upon the book much praise.
Damn, Dagny beat me to it.
I, too, love Janet Luhrs' Simple Living Guide. It's a book that I read at least once a year. It's like sitting down with an old friend who's listened to your innermost wishes and speaks them aloud to you.
The other nice thing I like about it, in addition to what Dagny wrote, is that it emphasizes and re-emphasizes that you need to decide *for you* what Simple Living is, and means. It's different for everyone, and that's ok. I like that, because often I feel guilt for not measuring up to a standard of some sort, even when that particular standard just doesn't work for me and the life I share with Matt.
I found Duane Elgin's Voluntary Simplicity interesting, but not as easy to apply to normal everyday living. Much more philosophical than hands on. But then again, you know me. I tend to get bored after awhile with the philosophical and want to move on to the practical.
You may also want to check out Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin's book _Your Money or Your Life_.