Day 6 of National Downshifting Week: Reclaim Your Time

Day 6 of US National Downshifting Week is about enjoying life. Have you ever wanted to dabble in something, but never seem to make time for it? With so many great ways to unwind your mind and simply feel good, it's just a question of giving yourself permission to give something a try. Greeting card making, painting, gardening, music; whatever rings your bell, make some noise!

A new hobby doesn't require a ton of investment, either. Often you can go onto Freecycle or Craig's List and find just what you're looking for. You can also post a "Wanted" ad if you don't see what you're looking for. I have had nothing but good luck getting rid of things I no longer needed (and getting things I did) using both resources. Positive experiences on both sites also reinforce my sense that the world is a pretty cool place, and that the more connections we make with each other the better and better it gets.

Conclude your week with the Downshifting Pledge; you might even hang it up somewhere to remind you to live your life deliberately, each and every day:

"I hereby pledge to slow my life down a gear for the benefit of my health, my well being, my environment and for those around me whom I dearly love."

The US Downshifting Manifesto ©2008, Susan Donohoe and Tracey Smith

Day 5 of National Downshifting Week: Buy Local

Day 5 of National Downshifting Week is about supporting local food markets and independent businesses. If you are still looking for a compelling reason to do so, rent The End of Suburbia or borrow it from your local library system. Locally owned shops and vibrant markets form the backbone of our communities; they need our support more than ever before. By making one new purchasing decision each week that favors local seasonal produce or independently-owned business, you are helping to breathe new life into these precious resources.

If you are lucky enough to know a local artist or producer of just about anything (furniture, pottery, jams and jellies, music, etc.), please consider buying from these folks the next time you need something. Research shows that more money is circulated in the community when we support our local producers, rather than having profits go to some centralized corporate office far away. Plus these are the people that give our community it's unique flair and make it feel like home.

Day 4 of National Downshifting Week: Eat Local

Day 4 of our Downshifting Manifesto asks people to make a meal from scratch using fresh, local ingredients. And 'tis the season for reaping fresh fruits and vegetables, all over the U.S. Farmer's markets, community gardens, and CSAs are growing all over the country, thanks to the burgeoning interest in locally produced foods. If you haven't yet checked out Local Harvest and Eat Wild, today's the day to type in your zip code and find out about the local producers near you. So, celebrate the fantastic revival of simple, wholesome dishes. Consider organic, home-grown, and fair trade too. Cooking fresh food is cheaper and can often be quicker than the processed options, with taste and health benefits beyond anything in a box. Enjoy putting your meal together, and enlist the help of the eaters!

If you already eat locally, next time you're out at your favorite supermarket or restaurant be sure to ask what's local on the menu. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and we want those buyers to know that supporting local farmers is important to their customers.

For those of you who are ready to take on the next eating local challenge, try learning to preserve your local produce into the winter, by canning, fermenting, freezing, or dehydrating. You can find some food preservation resources on line, you can order the book Putting Food By, or you can try your local community resources to see if there are food preservation classes offered near you. In my area, Boulder County Going Local sponsored a class with Sandy Cruz, of High Altitude Permaculture, where I learned to dehydrate fruits and vegetables using nothing more than flat baskets and the sun. I also learned to make bread, meusli, saurkraut, kefir, and goat cheese, and now can make these locally all year long. Yum!

Day 3 of National Downshifting Week: Give Back

Day 3 of US National Downshifting Week asks you to donate time or items to a worthy cause. An incredible sense of contentment comes when you give something back to your community. Whether it's donating to your local secondhand store, doing a bit of gardening at your CSA, or volunteering at a hospice, you cannot imagine how much light you shine in the lives of those less fortunate. We've told you about resources like Volunteer Match, Boston Cares, Idealist, and Cool People Care before, but if you haven't done any volunteering since the last holiday season, it's time to step up your commitment.

If you are particularly interested in spreading the "Slow Down and Green Up" message, we have all the resources you need to start a Conscious Consuming Discussion Group in your community. You can also host a screening of The Story of Stuff, form a Simplicity Circle, or lead one of the fabulous Northwest Earth Institute Discussion Groups on Voluntary Simplicity.

Day 2 of National Downshifting Week: Compost and Recycle

Day 2 of our Downshifting Manifesto encourages people to start composting or recycling. I seriously doubt that anyone reading this isn't already recycling. While I could find no data on how many Americans compost, I am guessing it's far fewer than those that recycle. It REALLY isn't hard (it can be as simple as a pile in the corner of the yard, with a little leaves and dirt thrown over your kitchen scraps), but for some reason people find all sorts of excuses, from "I don't know how" to "I'm too lazy." This is the summer to get a compost heap going if you haven't already! There are plenty of on-line resources for backyard composting, or vermi-composting if you live in an apartment in the city (or in bear country). Composting is great; not only do you keep trash out of the waste stream, but you keep methane gas out of the atmosphere and have awesome organic fertilizer for your garden, trees, or house plants.

If you're already recycling and/or composting at home, try to bring these concepts into a local school, your place of work, or a local business in your neighborhood. Start from the premise that the people involved want to do the right thing, but aren't sure how to get started. See if you can help them come up with a plan for starting a compost or recycling project, and help implement the plan. Once people are introduced to the ideas of recycling and composting the seeds of change are planted, and habits begin to sprout (clever turn of phrase or overworked metaphor…I leave it to you to decide).

Day 1 of National Downshifting Week: Say NO to Debt

We're sponsoring US National Downshifting Week this week and we are really excited about the coverage it's received; we have gotten a mention on Cool People Care, Care2.com, Planet Green, Take Back Your Time, and Elephant, among others. We have a downloadable US Downshifting Manifesto on our website to help people Slow Down and Green Up. If you are just tuning in to US National Downshifting Week, which started Monday, no worries-- you can implement our ideas for downshifting any time of the year.

Today we are asking people to curb debt and prevent future overspending by cutting up a credit card. One of the central tenets of voluntary simplicity is to spend less, so that you can work less and enjoy your life more. I am down to one credit card that I pay off every month, so I'm hanging on to it, but I did go through the process of canceling several cards a few years back. I didn't actually use them, but for some reason I was hanging on to the accounts. After reading a bit about voluntary simplicity I decided to choose one card to keep and close all of the other accounts. I also got off credit card mailing lists by writing to several of the major companies, as well as other junk mail culprits, using the tools on the Center for a New American Dream's website.

I have found that the best way to spend less is to stop creating wants where none existed; stop going to the mall, stop getting catalogs, and mute ads when and if you watch TV. Recently on a vacation someone suggested going to a shopping mall "just to window shop." I declined, explaining that there was nothing I needed, and window shopping just makes me want things (I'm a sucker for art made from natural materials) that I don't need. Instead I sat in a rocking chair with my book, and played a board game with my kids. That's the stuff that vacations are made of!