National Downshifting Week highlights many!

[Tracey Smith]

Hi - thank you for your comment on the thread.

The website as it stands is just a teaser, designed to provoke initial thoughts on the subject and make people bookmark it to come back after full launch.

All being well, the beginning of March will see http://www.DownshiftingWeek.com set sail in her full glory, with explanation galore.

[sunpuppy]

Judyofthewoods: I do of course agree that we have to recycle, reuse etc., but having observed people's behavior, and comments at the center and elsewhere, I wonder if recycling initiatives without a wider environmental awareness education is actually having a detrimental impact on the environment.

I agree that education is the key to this - and where better to start than within the existing education system? If councils employed a "Eco Teacher" to teach at schools in their area, tomorrow's adults would have grown up with a much healthier attitude towards looking after the environment - it would become second nature. Added to which, kids going home to their parents, full of what they did in their eco-class may perhaps influence their parents to think about environmental issues. If nothing else, getting told off by their youngster for not recycling would at least shame them into doing it!

Get 'em when they're young, that's what I say....

[Tracey Smith]

Hi Sunpuppy,

Thanks for your thoughts on the thread.

This is exactly why I have a separate section pegged for children and schools - I agree with you completely.

They hold the future for us all.

[diver]

tracy, congratulations on doing a little more than " your bit"....like many people on this site I recycle, use my bike etc..but during your week I shall try to do a bit more and encourage others to do so as well...well done you !!!

[Tracey Smith]

Morning Diver!

Thanks for your support with the project and I am delighted to hear you will spread the word.

If you know any Editors, journos or radio types, I will be back in the UK next week to start the promotion.

Interview anyone?

[Tracey Smith]

I have just returned from a week in the UK to start the promotion of National Downshifting Week.

I met a lovely journalist (yes, there are some ) in a nice organic café in Bath.

We were discussing the aims of the week and I said one of my greatest highs will come from people cutting up one of their credit cards (the intention being to make people live more within their means, ditch the credit, ditch the stress that comes with it).

He said, "A great idea"....

I said, "Come on then, get your wallet out, let's do one right now"....

He drew a deep breath, looked to the sky briefly and said...."Right - do this one, it gives me the most grief."

.....and with glee, I wibbly wobbled his credit card into several tiny segments!

One down, I wonder, how many more to go?

[Wombat]

Good stuff Tracey!

We cut ip ours many years ago because we couldn't trust ourselves! we moew have a couple to help us manage our money, they can be useful and have actually saved us money!

But yeah, cut most of 'em up!

Nev

[Tracey Smith]

Hi all,

Just a shortie to let you know the website is now full, up and live!

I invite your comments on it if you have a moment.

http://www.DownshiftingWeek.com

The reaction from the media and public so far, has been astounding. I always hoped it was going to be good, but it has been phenomenal.

...and there is still another fortnight to go....



If anybody would like to get involved with an interview or article for their website, please let me know and I will be happy to oblige.

See you around and have a lovely weekend.

[mountaingirl]

I think its great that people are in a position to downzize, cause if I downsized much more I'd be an amoeba! That is of course because fate has placed me in a position of poverty.

I live in the countryside always as remote as I can get and always until the landlord needs the house for son/daughter getting married.

What I see here in northern ireland which is a bigger problem than downsizing is probably up to a million people returning from US, Britain, Canada, NZ, Aussie, Hong Kong, Jeddah etc because of the 'peace process' with piles and piles of cash and building massive town houses all over the countryside.

And all this in a country the size of some English counties.

You may not believe this but if you demolish an old house or get permission to build on a site in ni you get 90 thousand from the government to build a new one: but it has to be gross and according to standards of grossness in the agreement.

People then borrow the extra in the form of a mortgage.

What they are doing is replicating the suburbs of Philadelphia or Melbourne by completely digging over all their land.....much of it untouched since the ice-age.....into big lawns or silage fields for cattle. All the wildlife are dying out, their habitats dug up and cut down on a massive scale.

In northern ireland when a farmer drains a beautiful peat bog and turns it into a silage field, or digs out all the ancient hedges on his land people say "Is'nt it great that he tidied up that dirty piece of ground?"

I try to escape it all but it aint easy and I'm lucky on my income that I have been somewhat successful in doing so.

The only hope my friends and this is the truth...is a massive recession to cool the rapid economic growth that is destroying the land.
mountaingirl

[PlayingWithFire]

Hi Tracey,
How is life in France at the mo?
Good to read all the comments here ~ I just arrived.

I like to think that Rachel and I are shifting laterally, walking away from the fight, but I have decided not to just turn my back on my fellow humans scrambling in the pile, stepping on one another to get higher and nearer fresh air (quality of life).

I thought I'd help anyone else who wants to learn the confidence and the way to step free. Like you do, I guess.

I am trying my best ~ and enjoying the process.

As we are about to move into a tent, I guess you could say we are down shifting - but we are not - we are free! Woo hoo!

[Guest]

Hi Tracey,

As we are about to move into a tent, I guess you could say we are down shifting - but we are not - we are free! Woo hoo!

Blimey Malcolm, I hope for your sake (and the sake of your wife) that its a very nice, very big tent !

In my lurks around the internet (yes, when i'm supposed to be working!), I see that you know of empty rural houses around and abouts scotland/highlands - would you not just consider moving into one of them - its gotta be more comfortable than a tent.

[PlayingWithFire]

Hi - We have lots of plans - but we are trying to keep it flexible!

Priority is being given to the best possible location - aspect, proximity, land, view, communications etc etc - if we find a ruin that fits and can be bought, sure ... but otherwise, we may just go for a cluster of yurts, for ever!!!

It depends largely upon what feels right and excites us - and is good for the planet and people we live amongst!

Personally, I am adventurous, and want to reconstruct a bronze age hut, in true Orcadian style ... but I am open to other ideas and needing to change as circumstances educate me!

Best wishes - Malcolm

[Wombat]

I think the bronze age hut idea is fascinating, but i'm not sure I could live in one. If I remember the script they tended to be dark and smokefilled. But I suppose that even if you lived in a bronze age hut you still wouldn't have to live like the bronze age people.

Nev

[PlayingWithFire]

Morning Nev
You are right - the old Bronze Age Houses (and much later Black Houses up to the 20th century AD) were dark and smoky.
Not the sort of environment I'd choose - I'm not a kipper!
My crazy dream is to have a site offering a variety of different buildings, each one a "room" of unique qualities.
I am influenced by earth ships, yurts, tipis, black houses, iron age round houses, bronze age huts, crannogs, my tents, even hobbit holes!
We also have the desire to breath life into an old ruined house (there are many in Scotland, abandoned - very sad).
Issues of heat and light will reflect our personal taste - but I love the idea of an "authentic" hut that peopple can "try out" - but it wouldn't be our home.
It is all just ideas!
The weather is less of a nuisance for you, I guess. We have to cope with heavy winds driving rain in horizontally! Testing conditions.
Watch this space.

[Wombat]

Mate!

Sounds great! Yeah I suppose that the weather is more fun for you guys, and that is one advantage of using architecture which developed in the area, it is adapted to fit.

I hope that you will be keeping a diary of your efforts, it will make a good book when you get done when you want to. Maybe I should make an offer on the movie rights now and get in on the ground floor .

Seriously though...............lots of luck, it sounds like a grand project.

Nev

"Not the sort of environment I'd choose - I'm not a kipper!" - love it!