Montreal Simple Living
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Montreal Simple Living |
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In The News |
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For many immigrants, will consumerism eclipse frugality?
by Andrew Lam, New American Media A Vietnamese immigrant reflects upon American consumerist culture and the loss of older values of conservation. |
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Living solo in Montreal (article in French) by Louise
Leduc, La Presse Le célibat de Martine Lacroix s'explique en partie, dit-elle, par sa simplicité volontaire. Pas question pour elle de travailler 40 heures par semaine. Un emploi à temps partiel lui suffit amplement. Elle préfère ses temps libres et son un et demi «plein de vieilles affaires». |
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SOS: We need a plan B by Lester Brown, Earth Policy
Institute The western economic model — the fossil-fuel-based, automobile-centered, throwaway economy — will not work for China’s 1.45 billion in 2031. Nor will it work for the other 3 billion people in developing countries who are also dreaming the "American dream." |
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Food and class by Tom Philpott, Gristmill The Slow Food movement has a class problem. Its U.S. branch tends to throw pricey events accessible only to an economic elite. |
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Never
Enough by Laura Barcella, Alternet In his book American Mania, a psychiatrist urges us to stop our endless quest of accumulation -- unless we want to witness a mass psychological and economic meltdown. |
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Life after the oil crash by Matt Savinar,
lifeaftertheoilcrash.net Civilization as we know it is coming to an end soon. This is not the wacky proclamation of a doomsday cult, apocalypse bible prophecy sect, or conspiracy theory society. Rather, it is the scientific conclusion of the best paid, most widely-respected geologists, physicists, and investment bankers in the world. These are rational, professional, conservative individuals who are absolutely terrified by a phenomenon known as global “Peak Oil.” The required alternative: the simpler way by Ted Trainer, University of New South Wales How do we prepare for the inevitable? The biggest and most difficult changes will have to be in values. The present desire for affluent consumer living standards must be replaced by a concern to live very simply, cooperatively and self-sufficiently. Living more simply does not mean deprivation or hardship. We do not have to get rid of consumer-capitalist society before we can begin to build the new way. The way to replace the old system is to ignore it to death, i.e. to start building its replacement and persuading people to come across. |
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New lessons
from the Old World by Jay Walljasper, E Magazine In place after place across North America, citizens are speaking out, holding meetings, and fighting city hall (and in some cases working with city hall) on the issue of slowing down traffic. They are fed up that the time-honored tradition of taking a walk has become a frustrating, unpleasant and dangerous pastime. They are tired of worrying about the safety of their children, their pets and their elderly and disabled friends. They are determined to restore a sense of peace and community to their neighborhoods by taking the streets back from the automobile. |
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Living simply, simply living: Thoreau's message in a century of
hyper-capitalism by Michael Brooks, Swans Are Henry David Thoreau's ideas passé? A strong case can be made for the argument that Walden's messages have even more relevance today than when Thoreau wrote the book; his advice of living simply -- and simply living -- takes on greater urgency in this era of fanatical consumption. |
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Simple, but smart by Isa Tousignant, Hour "Voluntary simplicity is defined as the deliberate organization of life for a purpose," explains Mark Burch, who will be visiting Montreal from April 4 to 6, in coincidence with the launch of the brand-new Montreal Simple Living website. |
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Living in the immaterial world by Kristian Gravenor,
Montreal Mirror It's time to reconsider your involvement in the consumerist mobocracy, according to author Mark Burch, who's rolling into town with his voluntary simplicity message. |
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The man who invented Ecotopia by Geov Parrish, Seattle
Weekly The idea of Ecotopia as a separate country, I wrote it as a metaphor so that people could think, "Well, supposing we were in charge of this area out here, what would we do to take care of it? How could we live decently, how could we help each other be happy?" Sooner or later, the American people are going to have to take responsibility into their own hands again of forming a government such as they would rather have. It's either that or take the punishment. |
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Quebecers: a pacifist people?
by Antoine Robitaille, Inroads There seems to be a deepening identity chasm between Quebec and the rest of Canada on the one hand and the United States on the other. Is there something in the Quebec soul that would predispose people to resist going to war? |
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Driving food home can cost the earth,
by
Andy Coghlan,
NewScientist.com |
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Bhutan's emphasis on expanding "Gross National Happiness"
by Thinley Choden, WorldandI.com |
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Free-Cyclin
by Holly Beck, WireTap |
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Frugal freedom
by Blythe Elspeth, SheKnows.com |
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What do children want? More time with family, friends
by Karen MacPherson, Post-Gazette
Washington Asked what they would change about their parents' jobs, only 13 percent said they wished their parents made more money. The majority -- 63 percent -- said they would arrange it so their parents could spend more time doing fun family activities. |
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