Samuel Alexander | The Simplicity Collective

May 30, 2012 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Voluntary Simplicity, Degrowth, and Peak Oil

Over the last few years I’ve written a bunch of papers and articles focusing on voluntary simplicity, degrowth, and peak oil. With the new university semester fast approaching, my time available to write long papers is going to diminish, so I thought I’d list my publications to date, with links to most of the full working papers, excluding book chapters. (N.B. The working papers linked below... read more

May 19, 2012 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Transition 2.0: A Story of Hope and Resilience in Extraordinary Times

Sorry about the late notice, but Transition Coburg, in association with Sharing Abundance and the Moreland Energy Foundation, is screening a film on Sunday 20 May (i.e. tomorrow or perhaps today, depending on when you get this email) at the Coburg library at 3.45 pm. We are showing the new film, Transition 2.0: A Story of Hope and Resilience in Extraordinary Times. If you are in Melbourne and would like to... read more

May 9, 2012 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Transition Towns as Resilience Pioneers

Dr. John Barry has just published an original and challenging new book called The Politics of Actually Existing Unsustainability: Human Flourishing in a Climate-Changed, Carbon-Contrained World. John was leader of the Green Party in Northern Ireland for six years, and now is a Reader in Politics at Queen’s University, Belfast, Ireland. Here’s the blurb of his new book: Going against both the... read more

Apr 29, 2012 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Can Renewable Energy Sustain Consumer Societies?

Ted Trainer has just published a new report with the Simplicity Institute, which explores the question of whether renewable energy could ever sustain consumer societies. My summary of Trainer’s report (see below) has just appeared on the Post Carbon Institute’s Energy Bulletin, which is available here. The full 22-page report is available here. A new report has just been published... read more

Apr 25, 2012 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Envisioning a Sustainable Urban Landscape

In my last post, “Urban Food Forests: A Policy Proposal,” I began by noting that relocalising food production – especially in urban centres – is absolutely critical to decarbonising our economies and making our communities more resilient. I stated that my vision of a sustainable urban landscape (a vision you might share?) is one where the streets are lined with fruit and nut trees,... read more

Apr 23, 2012 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Urban Food Forests: A Policy Proposal

Relocalising food production – especially in urban centres – is absolutely critical to decarbonising our economies and making our communities more resilient. My vision of a sustainable urban landscape is one where the streets are lined with fruit and nut trees, supplying the community with a greater portion of its own food. The City of Moreland (my local Council in Melbourne) is in the process... read more

Apr 9, 2012 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Ted Trainer and The Simpler Way (Review Essay)

I’m very pleased to announce that Ted Trainer has joined the Simplicity Institute, and in recognition of this important event I’ve spent the last week writing a review essay of his work, which I’ve posted below. Ted has been writing about The Simpler Way for many years, and in coming weeks and months he will be publishing a series of essays on the Simplicity Institute website (which I... read more

Mar 28, 2012 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Post Carbon Pathways

This month the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute and the Centre for Policy Development, at Melbourne University, released a major report, entitled “Post Carbon Pathways: Reviewing Post Carbon Economy Transition Strategies.” Authored by John Wiseman and Taegen Edwards, this report provides an overview of the key goals and priorities of 18 of the most ambitious, promising and innovative... read more

Mar 18, 2012 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Living Better on Less? Toward an Economics of Sufficiency

My last article summarised a longer paper I have just finished called “Living Better on Less? Toward an Economics of Sufficiency.” This paper reviews the social research that examines the relationship between income and happiness. The central question I ask is: How important is money to happiness? The weight of evidence suggests that income growth tends to contribute positively to human... read more

Mar 16, 2012 Posted by Samuel Alexander

The Simple Life has Benefits for All of Us

The following article was published in The Age today (16 March). The online newspaper version is available here. Increasing material wealth has been, and remains, one of the dominant goals of humankind – perhaps the dominant goal. This is hardly surprising, of course, given the extremely low material living standards endured by most people throughout history, and indeed, by great multitudes around 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.