lilv:living [Knowledge Commons]

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This topic is part of [[gt:learning|Learning & personal development]], [[gt:philosophy|Philosophy & politics]] and [[gt:wellbeing|Wellbeing, home & relationships]].
====== Low-impact living ======


![Living](https://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/wp-content/uploads/people600.jpg)

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> "If to change ourselves is to change our worlds, and the relation is reciprocal, then the project of history making is never a distant one but always right here, on the borders of our sensing, thinking, feeling, moving bodies." - J K Gibson-Graham



===== What is low-impact living? =====

In a world dominated by a corporate empire that makes huge profits from extraction and war, we’ve reached a point now where the concepts of ‘progress’ and ‘development’ are no longer valid. Life is likely to be very different for the next few generations, with broken supply chains, mass migrations, [resource depletion](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/posts/the-transition-to-renewable-energy-will-not-cannot-happen-within-the-current-economy), [destruction of the biosphere](https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1704949114) (our literal and only life-support system), destruction of community, and more power concentration and war. There has to be a new era, of strong communities, local provisioning and shorter supply chains. We can help reduce human impact on the biosphere by providing alternatives to empire, via self-provisioning and commons. Adopting any of our [topics](https://knowledge.growingthecommons.org/doku.php/start) is an act of rebellion against the current system.

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![](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/wp-content/uploads/lowimpact-interior.jpg)

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_Fancy a gorgeous (maybe self-built) home made from local, natural materials, instead of a bricks & mortar box? Low-impact living isn’t about making sacrifices - it's about improving the quality of your life._

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</WRAP>

There are those who advocate taking high-impact living further - accelerating growth and technology to colonise the universe, in case the Earth becomes uninhabitable. It might not be wise to destroy the biosphere of the only planet we know for sure has one, in an attempt to get to other planets. But we don't have to be anti-technology either. We can choose the [best of all ages](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/posts/wed-better-off-living-like-saxons-mod-cons) - natural homes, local organic food, internet and solar panels. But we don’t need corporate nuclear power, genetic modification, space travel and high-tech weaponry, which are not ‘[convivial](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tools_for_Conviviality)’, promote perpetual growth, only benefit the few and create more problems than they (are supposed to) solve.

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![](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/wp-content/uploads/lowimpact-hamster.jpg)

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_High-impact living: earn more, spend more, earn more, spend more…_

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It's not about 'prepping' either, which is individualistic, and usually includes hoarding weapons and ammunition to protect resources from others. Self-reliance - sure, but within a context of mutual aid and commons provisioning. Low-impact living will be more difficult for some than others - but there's something that everyone can do.



===== What are the benefits of low-impact living? =====

- Gain skills to provide for your family and community, that could lead to a more interesting and satisfying career.

- Physical and mental health, happiness and security.

- Contribute less to the destruction of the biosphere, by consuming fewer resources and creating less waste.

- Escape corporate tedium.

- Inspire and inform others.

- Make new friends and help build resilient, friendly and safe communities.

- Prepare for any kind of societal breakdown - yourself and with your community.

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![](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/wp-content/uploads/lowimpact-food.jpg)

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_Fresh, organic food straight from your garden or allotment? Not really 'hairshirt living'._

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===== What can I do? =====

We provide a knowledge bank of some 250 topics, [arranged into 14 categories](:start) - ‘sustainability on steroids’ as one commenter put it. Some topics are foundational, before you start re-skilling.

- [Personal development](/pers/personal_development): look after yourself physically and emotionally.

- [Philosophy](/phil/philosophy): think critically - don’t passively accept the corporate media.

- [Nature awareness](/ntaw/nature_awareness): get into nature regularly.

- [Community](/comy/community): build strong, supportive social relationships.

- [Downshifting](/down/downshifting): consume your fair share.

Then start gaining skills to provide things for your household and friends.

Topics range from easy things that you can start to do immediately, to [building your own home](https://knowledge.growingthecommons.org/doku.php/gt/buildings), [harvesting your own energy](https://knowledge.growingthecommons.org/doku.php/gt/power) or [running a smallholding](https://knowledge.growingthecommons.org/doku.php/gt/gardening).


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![](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/wp-content/uploads/low-impact-stove-solar-1.jpg)

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_We can have the best of all ages - you can't beat a wood stove for cosiness, but you can read this on your laptop, powered by pv panels._

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==== Scale ====

If you want to learn to install renewables, bake bread or make pottery (for example), don’t just do it for yourself, do it for your community. The same goes for the production of timber, firewood, meat, eggs, utensils, furniture, textiles, herbal remedies, honey, cheese, beer, cider or wine, baskets, clothes or textiles. Once you have the skills and equipment, it’s a waste of resources to use them just for yourself. A community needs a bread oven / pottery kiln / blacksmith’s forge etc., not each household. But the household scale is perfect for composting, veg, herb and fruit growing, cycling, recycling, a few chickens, DIY, making natural cleaning products etc.

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![](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/wp-content/uploads/low-impact-market-1.jpg)

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_Shopping at local shops and markets helps protect the green belt, spreads the money around instead of concentrating it in supermarkets and big chains, helps your local economy and local producers - and maybe allows you to walk to them instead of driving._

</caption>

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</WRAP>

==== Career ====

You don’t have to be a corporate drone. If you feel trapped in corporate employment, you could get out straight away by going [WWOOFing](/wwoo/wwoofing).

Reskill for a new career. After providing for yourself / friends, if you enjoy it and are good at it begin to provide for your community too. It could be the start of a new career, or a sideline to an existing one, contributing to the new commons economy. Where possible, consume from other local people doing the same, and hopefully, they’ll do the same for you.

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![](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/wp-content/uploads/lowimpact-cohousing.jpg)

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_[Cohousing](/coho/cohousing) projects of various kinds are becoming more popular. They make low-impact living easier, as they can allow sharing of facilities and equipment, give access to land for members to grow food, and reduce travel requirements._

</caption>

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==== Commons ====

Be a commoner — help build the [commons](/coec/commons_economy) in your community. At some point, you’ll be able to provide and obtain goods and services via [mutual credit](/mucr/mutual_credit). Local mutual credit clubs will have jobs boards for products and services that are required locally, but are not currently provided by members; local businesses or individuals can be invited into the club to provide them, with training provided if those skills aren’t available locally. Low-impact living and the commons economy complement each other – and actually, require each other. We can’t have a commons economy if high-impact living is the norm; and low-impact living is impossible in an economy that siphons wealth out of communities and has to constantly grow.

<WRAP center centeralign>
<figure>

![](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/wp-content/uploads/low-impact-smallholding-1.jpg)

<caption>
_Getting a smallholding, providing resources for yourself and your community, harvesting your own energy and building your own home is the ultimate dream for many. It's not easy, but we'd like to help [make it more achievable](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/how-to-get-planning-permission-for-a-rural-off-grid-self-build-home/)._

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[Contact us](https://growingthecommons.org/contact/) if you’re interested in becoming involved with any of the ideas outlined above; or if you’d like to volunteer, work or collaborate with us, become a curator, provide funding or help in any other way.

Subscribe to our [blog](https://growingcommons.substack.com/). And of course we’d love you to send people our way in any way that works for you. Do you have any other thoughts or comments? We’d love to hear from you.

===== Forum =====

This topic belongs to the section [[gt:learning|Learning & personal development]]. You can ask questions or add information on the corresponding [Forum section](https://forum.growingthecommons.org/t/learning).

It is also in the sections
  * [[gt:philosophy|Philosophy & politics]] (Forum: [Philosophy & politics](https://forum.growingthecommons.org/t/philosophy))
  * [[gt:wellbeing|Wellbeing, home & relationships]] (Forum: [Wellbeing, home & relationships](https://forum.growingthecommons.org/t/wellbeing))

===== Further resources =====

- [EcoDIY](https://www.ecodiy.info/) - the story of one family's attempts to green up their house & garden, Essex
- [Downsizer.net](https://forum.downsizer.net/) - forum
- [Schumacher Center for a New Economics](https://centerforneweconomics.org/) - US-based society promoting the ideas outlined in 'Small is Beautiful'
- [Gaia Foundation](https://gaiafoundation.org/) 
- [Global Stewards](https://www.globalstewards.org/index.htm) - green living hub
- [GoSelfSufficient](https://goselfsufficient.co.uk/) - help in being more self-sufficient
- [Local Futures](https://www.localfutures.org/) - promoting localisation globally
- [Low-tech Magazine](https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/) - free online magazine: 'we refuse to assume that every problem has a high-tech solution'
- [Practical Action](https://practicalaction.org/) - providing low-tech solutions to world poverty
- [Off-grid](https://off-grid.net/) - all you need to go off-grid 


===== Related topics =====

- [Downshifting](down:downshifting)
- [Eco & carbon footprints](ecoc:eco_carbon_footprints)
- [Personal development](pers:personal_development)

===== Specialist curators of this topic =====

* [[user:dave|Dave Darby]]