The Simple Living Network works closely with and supports a number of key authors and organizations in the simplicity and sustainability movements. We are extremely proud of the coordinated work we do with these wonderful folks. We hope you will find their diverse offerings helpful as you travel the path to simplicity.
- Alternatives for Simple Living
- Cecile Andrews
- Duane Elgin
- Bruce Elkin
- Financial Integrity
- The Institute for Earth Education
- Postconsumers.com
- Radio Paradise
- Take Back Your Time
- Wanda Urbanska
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Alternatives is a non-profit organization that equips people of faith to challenge consumerism and live justly. Organized in 1973 to promote an alternative biblical vision of life based on voluntary simplicity, stewardship of creation, and to encourage meaningful celebrations reflecting conscientious, earth friendly ways of living. Alternatives has developed many different resources, publishes an annual Advent and Christmas magazine, Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?, led numerous workshops, and reached countless people with the message of simple living.
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Cecile author of and contributor to numerous books on simple living including Less is More, Slow is Beautiful, and The Circle of Simplicity. She is also the founder of the Phinney Ecovillage, a project to build Sustainability and Community in her North Seattle Neighborhood. The Ecovillage sponsers a monthly series on Slow Life in Seattle. Cecile has been a visiting scholar at Stanford University where she received her doctorate in education, and an affiliated scholar with Seattle University. A former community college administrator, she now works with community groups to explore the issue of living more simply: how to live lives that are sustainable, just and joyful.
Duane is an author, visionary and speaker, who looks beneath the surface for the deeper trends that are shaping our future. His seminal book Voluntary Simplicity, first published in 1981, revised and updated in 2010, has been described as "the bible of the simplicity movement. His other books include The Living Universe, Promise Ahead, and Awakening Earth. His article The Garden of Simplicity describe a range of approaches to green living that are thriving in the world. The article Voluntary Simplicity that he co-authored in 1977 helped launch the modern simplicity movement. (We thank Duane for allowing us to reprint those articles here on The Simple Living Network.)
Bruce is a personal life coach, personal success coach for individuals and couples, and life-design coach and trainer. He is also a writer, speaker, workshop leader, and business consultant. His books include Simplicity and Success, Creating Sustainable Success, Staying Up in Down Times, and Emotional Mastery.
The non-profit FinancialIntegrity.org is like a "wikipedia" for those seeking financial intelligence, integrity, and independence. Site host New Road Map Foundation (NRM), founded in 1984, supports people in transforming their relationship with money and aligning their economics with their values. Based on the groundbreaking 9-step approach to personal finance taught by the late Joe Dominguez, the Financial Integrity Program is a proven and practical method to live a more fulfilling life while minimizing environmental impact. Allied organizations and FI adherents can now freely access curricula and instructor guides to help teach all nine steps. Site members list public speaking and study group offerings and contribute resources, tips, and stories from their personal journeys to inspire others.
Related Resources:
- Resources for the 9-step program (Your Money or Your Life)
- The Financial Integrity Website
The Institute for Earth Education (I-E-E) is the world's alternative to agency- and industry-sponsored supplemental environmental education. Since 1974, I-E-E has been helping people of all ages view the earth as a wondrous oasis of life -- an oasis that we must learn to understand and appreciate if we are to assure its continued lushness and diversity. I-E-E is a non-profit, volunteer organization made up of an international network of individuals and member organizations.
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Postconsumers is an educational company helping to move society beyond addictive consumerism. Primary offerings include a "how-to" interactive web module called "Get Satisfied: How to Find the Satisfaction of Enough," a year in development and produced in cooperation with the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. Other offerings will include an ever-growing Get Satisfied Cartoon Gallery, a Community Blog and a unique Help Define Postconsumers public contest/vote.
Related Resources:
- Get Satisfied
How Twenty People Like You Found the Satisfaction of Enough - The Postconsumers Website
Although not specifically a "simple living" website, we like Radio Paradise. Their business model is similar to ours in that they do not accept corporate advertising. Rather, like The Simple Living Network, they have chosen to operate strictly through self-funding as a user supported service. In short, if you like what they do, they ask you to send a small contribution. For those who appreciate independently owned businesses and enjoy a creative mix of music, much of it by Indi artists, then you'll love Radio Paradise.
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Take Back Your Time is a major U.S./Canadian initiative to challenge the epidemic of overwork, over-scheduling and time famine that now threatens our health, our families and relationships, our communities and our environment. October 24th Is Take Back Your Time Day. National Coordinator, John de Graaf, the National Coordinator for Take Back Your Time is the author of The Take Back Your Time Handbook, Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidimic and producer of the PBS Specials Affluenza and Escape from Affluenza.
Wanda Urbanska moved from Los Angeles to a cherry orchard in Carroll County, VA back in 1986. Married at the time, she and her former husband were seeking a simpler life. As it turns out, they were not alone in their pursuit of simplicity. Wanda has authored or co-authored numerous books including Simple Living, Moving to a Small Town, Nothing's Too Small to Make a Difference, and Less is More. In 1998, Wanda hosted the hit PBS primetime special Escape from Affluenza, which followed on the heels of Affluenza, hosted by NPR’s Scott Simon. The success of the two Affluenza specials inspired Wanda to create the Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska television series.
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