15
Jul

Voluntary Simplicity: Good for You, Good for the Environment

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Mind you, living a simple life does not mean living a more godly life, but it might be a step into the right direction, even though you can do the right thing for the wrong reasons… So consider your motives !

Via: NaturalNews

Here in America, we live in a consumerist society that depends on people spending money to keep the economy going. And with a recession looming, it’s often portrayed as downright anti-American not to spend.

Yet, with concerns over global warming building, many Americans are calling for a new kind of patriotism: voluntary simplicity.

The movement for voluntary simplicity (or simple living) is still somewhat under the radar, but it is growing in strength. The basic philosophy is to “downshift” from a high-pressure, high-cost lifestyle to one that is more spiritual, humble, and less materialistic.

For example, a person who is practicing voluntary simplicity may give up a large, expensive “McMansion” to move into a smaller home that needs less energy to heat in the winter and cool down in the summer. Instead of driving a luxury car to work at a distant office requiring a long commute, a worker might take a cut in pay to work closer to home or telecommute. Then, instead of needing to spend large amounts of money on gas and car payments, public transportation or bicycling could be used for travel.

As you can see, voluntary simplicity is a wonderful way to help the environment while helping yourself. With the volumes of garbage we collectively create, any way that we can cut down on unnecessary “stuff” and energy usage is a positive for the planet.

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