The Simplicity Collective | A Community of People Exploring a Life that is Materially Simple, Inwardly Rich.

Mar 26, 2022 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Video – Ecovillage Future: And How Access to Land is a Barrier (Ecological Civilisation Series)

What is an ‘ecovillage’ and how do practices and values different from ordinary life within consumer capitalist societies? And what would the world look like if there were millions of ecovillages emerging to replace industrial civilisation? In this presentation, I examine these question and draw on research which attempts to measure the energy and resource reductions of ecovillage living.... read more

Mar 17, 2022 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Video: Post-Capitalism by Design not Disaster – A Grassroots Theory of Change

Capitalism has various growth imperatives that are inconsistent with environmental limits. That is, capitalism must grow for stability but cannot grow limitlessly on a finite planet. It follows that the future will be post-capitalist – by design or disaster. In this presentation I explore a grassroots theory of change that I argue is the most coherent way to help drive a post-capitalist transition by... read more

Mar 6, 2022 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Life in a ‘Degrowth’ Economy: Envisioning a Prosperous Descent

What would daily life would be like in a ‘degrowth’ economy? That is, in an economy seeking planned contraction of energy and resource demands in order to achieve sustainability, equity, and social wellbeing. In this presentation, I explore theses issues by seeking to envision what such a ‘prosperous descent’ might look like. This is Part IV of the Ecological Civilisation... read more

Feb 23, 2022 Posted by Samuel Alexander

A ‘Real’ Green New Deal? Policies for a Post-Growth Economy (Video)

I’ve just released the next video presentation in the Ecological Civilisation series. Today’s topic is ‘Policies for a Post-Growth Economy‘ and my question is: What would a ‘real’ Green New Deal look like? In my next presentation I’m going to consider ‘Life in a Degrowth Economy: Envisioning a Prosperous Descent’. Watch this space! This series is free... read more

Feb 15, 2022 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Video: Thoreau’s Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy at Walden Pond (Ecological Civilisation Series)

I’ve released the next presentation in the Ecological Civilisation series. This talk provides an overview of Henry David Thoreau’s philosophy of sufficiency which he developed and practised while living in the woods near Walden Pond, over the years 1845-47. As a foundation, I review his critique of materialistic culture, then consider Thoreau’s ‘simple living’ approach to... read more

Feb 6, 2022 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Home Biogas Video: Renewable Energy from Food Waste (Ecological Civilisation Series)

This presentation is about making renewable energy in your backyard from food scraps. I provide an introduction to domestic-scale biogas production and provide an independent, four-year review of the Home Biogas system. This is Part I of the Ecological Civilisation series. The introduction is available here: This series will be grappling with the problems of consumerism and the growth economy;... read more

Jan 31, 2022 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Ecological Civilisation: Beyond Consumerism and the Growth Economy (Introduction to Video Series)

I have begun producing a free video series called “Ecological Civilisation: Beyond Consumerism and the Growth Economy.” The introduction is now available at the link below and more videos will be uploaded in coming weeks and months. You can support this new project by purchasing a Simplicity Institute e-book from the link below, available on a ‘pay what you can’ basis (the price... read more

Mar 8, 2021 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Disturbance and Enchantment in the Industrial City (National Radio Interview)

Last weekend I was interviewed on national radio with my colleague Professor Brendan Gleeson. We discuss our new book Urban Awakenings: Disturbance and Enchantment in the Industrial City. You can listen to the 25 minute interview here and read more about the book here. I’d also like to share a YouTube link to a talk given by my colleague Joshua Floyd, where he discusses our paper ‘The... read more

Feb 25, 2021 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Beyond Capitalist Realism: The Politics, Energetics, and Aesthetics of Degrowth

I’ve just published my fourth book of collected essays, Beyond Capitalist Realism: The Politics, Energetics, and Aesthetics of Degrowth. I’ve posted the introduction below, which includes overviews of each chapter. The paperback is available here and the ebook is available on a ‘pay what you want’ basis here (you can edit the price as you like). Introduction ‘Capitalist... read more

Feb 11, 2021 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Urban Awakenings: Disturbance and Enchantment in the Industrial City

I’ve recently published a new book with Professor Brendan Gleeson, Urban Awakenings: Disturbance and Enchantment in the Industrial City, published by Palgrave.It is based on ‘urban tramps’ that we undertook in Melbourne, before, during and after the COVID lockdown. It also has 71 colour images, including a bunch from the great Australian treasure – the poet, cartoonist, and artist... read more

Jul 4, 2020 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Extinction Rebellion: Insights from the Inside

I don’t believe Extinction Rebellion has all the answers but I do know that peaceful resistance has played an important role advancing human societies in the past and I believe it has a role to play advancing the state of our troubled world today. To participate in this movement during lockdown, while we’ve been unable to take to the streets en masse, I’ve edited a book of essays on... read more

May 12, 2020 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Death for Gaia: Ecocide and the Righteous Assassins

In the middle of last year I finished the manuscript of a book called Death for Gaia: Ecocide and the Righteous Assassins, co-authored with Associate Professor Peter Burdon, of Adelaide Law School, Australia. Believe it or not, the book is a work of philosophical fiction about a global pandemic, although given the timeline any similarities with the existing situation are obviously coincidental. With the... read more

Dec 20, 2019 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Low-impact Christmas present ideas

Are you in need of a low-impact Christmas present idea? I’ve made most of my e-books available on a ‘pay what you can’ basis (including paying nothing). You can download here. Easy, cheap, quick, and low-impact. Also, in recent months I’ve collaborated with a bunch of top notch musicians to create an unusual musical production called “Dreaming Backwards, Falling Awake”... read more

Sep 17, 2019 Posted by Samuel Alexander

The Rebellion Hypothesis: Crisis, Inaction, and the Question of Civil Disobedience

Many of you will have read about the Extinction Rebellion that has been hitting the streets around the world in recent months. I’ve participated in these non-violent demonstrations, not because I agree with every framing, demand, or detail of this movement, but because I worry that ordinary politics is functioning to sleepwalk us all toward catastrophe. Therefore, I feel we need to experiment with... read more

Jul 13, 2019 Posted by Samuel Alexander

Entropia Television Production

In a bizarre and unexpected twist of fate, I’ve recently received calls from TV executives in Los Angeles who have been wanting to purchase rights to my book, Entropia: Life Beyond Industrial Civilisation, to make a television production. That’s right, a TV show! It’s one of the major global players. A contract has been signed and now we are waiting (possibly 18 months or so) to see what... 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.