Samuel Alexander | The Simplicity Collective

Apr 26, 2013 Posted by Samuel Alexander

How to Build a Cheap Raised Garden Bed

I’ve been advancing my guerilla gardening efforts recently, with a significant new raised bed now beautifying my nature strip, as seen in the featured picture. I thought in this post I could provide a brief overview of how to build a cheap raised bed, either for use on your nature strip or in your front or backyards. This overview might seem a bit basic for the handy builders among you, so I direct... read more

Apr 17, 2013 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Self-Sufficiency in a ‘Time of Plenty’

Today I’m happy to be posting two interesting and insightful essays by Dr Amanda McLeod: (1) “Self-Suffciency in a ‘Time of Plenty’: Mass Consumerism and Freedom in 1970s Australia”; and (2) “Consumer Choice: Another Case of Deceptive Advertising?” I’ve posted abstracts to both essays below, and the full essays are freely available from the links... read more

Mar 28, 2013 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Superannuation’s Carbon Footprint

Recently I posted an article called “Bursting the Carbon Bubble” by Michael Green. Below is Michael’s follow up article, which was published in The Age a couple of days ago. He raises the point that our superannuation could well be investing in the fossil fuel industry, suggesting that we should consider moving our superannuation into pension funds that do not support fossil fuels, if... read more

Mar 22, 2013 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Insight into the Politics of Climate Change: A Letter and Response

A friend of mine, Govind Maksay, who works at the Moreland Energy Foundation, recently wrote a letter to Martin Ferguson (Minister for Resources and Energy, Federal Government, Australia – who actually resigned as I was writing this post!). Govind asked questions about Australia’s position on fossil fuels in the face of climate science. With permission, I post Govind’s letter below,... read more

Mar 3, 2013 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Podcast: Stepping Lightly, with Mark A. Burch

Mark A. Burch, from the Simplicity Institute, has just been interviewed by Dr Randell Hardy about voluntary simplicity and mindfulness. The interview (38 mins long) is freely available online here. As always, Mark stands out as being an extremely eloquent and insightful advocate of simpler, more mindful living. It’s well worth a listen. (If you enjoy this interview, you might also like listening to... read more

Feb 20, 2013 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Bursting the Carbon Bubble

The following article was written by Michael Green and appeared in The Age a couple of days ago. Thanks to Michael for raising this important and fascinating issue concerning the ‘carbon bubble’ and for permission to repost the article. There are many links in the article for those who wish to explore this issue further. BURSTING THE CARBON BUBBLE Energy analysts and activists are... read more

Feb 13, 2013 Posted by Samuel Alexander

The Benefits of Life in The Simpler Way

After the last two posts being rather gloomy, I am happy today to bring your attention to Ted Trainer’s new Simplicity Institute Report, called ‘Your Delightful Day: The Benefits of Life in the The Simpler Way.’ In this report Trainer highlights the many benefits that would come – individually, socially, environmentally – if communities embraced a culture of simple living and... read more

Feb 1, 2013 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Ted Trainer’s new article on ‘The Conversation’

A couple of days ago Ted Trainer published an article on ‘The Conversation,’ which I’ve republished below. It’s called ‘Living off-the-grid is possible, but it’s not enough to fix climate change’ and it’s one hell of a read, despite being very short. LIVING OFF-THE-GRID IS POSSIBLE, BUT IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO FIX CLIMATE CHANGE by Ted Trainer, Visiting... read more

Jan 29, 2013 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Has Civilization a Future? Simplicity Institute Report by Paul Ehrlich and Anne Ehrlich

Can a collapse of civilization be avoided? This is the bold question Paul and Anne Ehrlich, from Stanford University, confront in their challenging new essay, published today by the Simplicity Institute. Paul Ehrlich has been amongst the most prominent figures in the Environmental Movement ever since his 1968 publication of The Population Bomb. I’ve posted the introduction below and the full... read more

Jan 27, 2013 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Grow Your Own Oyster Mushrooms on Straw

I’ve been experimenting recently with growing my own oyster mushrooms, and as you can see from the photos, I’ve met with some success. I was motivated to explore mushroom cultivation partly because I’m a vegetarian and want to produce my own high-protein alternatives to meat; but I was also interested in using so-called ‘dead space’ to grow food (either inside or down the shady side of the... read more

Invitation / Incitation

The Simplicity Collective is founded upon the idea that a 'simpler life' of reduced resource and energy consumption is a viable and desirable alternative to consumer culture.

Our position is that simple living will improve not only our own lives, but the lives of others, as well as help save our planet from the environmental catastrophe towards which we are so enthusiastically marching.

We must not just fall in line, then, and continue the march ‘business as usual.’ We must explore alternative ways to live. We must experiment creatively, like the artist. We must be the poets of our own lives and of a new generation.