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Oct 3, 2014 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Life in a ‘degrowth’ economy, and why you might actually enjoy it

Yesterday my article “Life in a ‘degrowth’ economy, and why you might actually like it” was published in The Conversation. I’ve reposted it below: What does genuine economic progress look like? The orthodox answer is that a bigger economy is always better, but this idea is increasingly strained by the knowledge that, on a finite planet, the economy can’t grow for ever. This... read more

Aug 30, 2014 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Simple Living in History: Pioneers of the Deep Future

Simple Living in History: Pioneers of the Deep Future, edited by Samuel Alexander and Amanda McLeod. Below I have posted the ‘Table of Contents’ and ‘Preface by the Editors’. The book is available here. Information on the launch is available here. Please share 🙂 ________________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface by the Editors, Samuel Alexander and Amanda... read more

Aug 29, 2014 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Book Launch: Simple Living in History

In a few weeks I’ll be launching my new book, Simple Living in History: Pioneers of the Deep Future, which I co-edited with Amanda McLeod. The book brings together 26 chapters, from different authors, discussing the most prominent individuals, cultures, and movements that have embraced forms of ‘simple living’ throughout history (see table of contents below). The book is being launched by... read more

Jul 22, 2014 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Composting Toilets made from Wheelie Bins

I just read a post on composting toilets on the Permaculture Research Institute and remembered that I never posted about the composting toilets I made last year (for various projects) based on a similar principles, but a distinct design. Below I offer a few words of introduction and then post photos of the building process with instructions. As part of various projects that I’ve helped organise over the... read more

Jul 8, 2014 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Earthbag Dome Building Workshop

In recent months I’ve posted a few times about the ‘simpler way’ demonstration site that I’m helping develop in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. In time we hope this property will become an education centre and hopefully a small ecovillage. Last December, we ran our first workshop and we built this beautiful Earthship. In February this year we ran a second workshop and built this... read more

May 1, 2014 Posted by Samuel Alexander

The Transition Movement: Questions of Diversity, Power, and Affluence

Esther Alloun and I have recently published a new Simplicity Institute Report, entitled ‘The Transition Movement: Questions of Diversity, Power, and Affluence’. This report presents an overview, literature review, and critical analysis of the Transition Movement. We’ve posted a section of the introduction below, and the full paper is freely available here. “A mood of defiant positivity is a... read more

Mar 17, 2014 Posted by Samuel Alexander

The New Economics of Oil

I’ve just published an “Issues” paper with the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, called “The New Economics of Oil”. I’ve posted an abstract below and the full paper is available here. “This paper seeks to show that oil issues remain at the centre of global challenges facing humanity, despite recent claims of oil abundance, and that the challenges are only... read more

Feb 25, 2014 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Our Beautiful Cob Cabin: Building with Mud

In recent months I’ve posted about the ‘simpler way’ demonstration project I’m helping develop out in Gippsland, Victoria. It continues to be an exciting, enriching, and evolving project. To complement the Earthship we built in December, we’ve just completed (almost) a beautiful new cob cabin – see pictures below. The foundations and walls of this natural building were... read more

Jan 16, 2014 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Natural Building Workshop – March 2014

There’s a two week natural building workshop coming up this March, an hour and a half out of Melbourne. For those interested, details below: Agari Farm and Mud Mob Natural Building Collective are running a 2 week natural building and healing workshop in March aiming to teach people to build low cost homes with natural and reclaimed materials (Earthbag, Cob, Wattle and Daub, Light Earth, Reciprocal... read more

Jan 6, 2014 Posted by Samuel Alexander

The Deep Green Alternative: Debating Strategies of Transition

I am pleased to begin this new year with the publication of a new Simplicity Institute Report, entitled ‘The Deep Green Alternative: Debating Strategies of Transition,’ co-written by myself (Samuel Alexander) and Jonathan Rutherford. This report is freely available here, and a brief overview of the report is posted below: In this paper we do not seek to defend, as such, the ‘deep green’... 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.