April 21-April 27 is National Downshifting Week, created by sustainable living writer and broadcaster Tracey Smith. During this week, citizens in the UK and US are asked to “Slow Down and Green Up!” Here are a few tips from the press release to help you downshift:
· Cut up a credit card – “Learning to live within our means is key to downshifting and positively embracing living with less is better still.”
· Plant something in the garden you can cultivate and eat – “Grow a few tomatoes or chillies on a windowsill if you have no garden; pesticide-free produce tastes amazing. It also breaks the myth that all food comes from the supermarkets!”
· Contact local food producers and re-think your vending machines at work – “Low mileage food and drinks and Fair Trade and Organic treats in the workplace…whatever next!”
· Book a half-day off work to spend with someone you love, no DIY allowed – “How can we have ‘quality time’ with great people, if we spend so much of it chasing the money? Money can’t buy you time.
For more information, visit www.downshiftingweek.com, where you can find suggestions for individuals, companies, and schools. Tracey also provides a great free ebook on the topic of downshifting.
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”-Leonardo Da Vinci.
Hi Jennifer!
Many thanks for highlighting NDW – it’s a great campaign for helping people to connect back with their kids.
Too many people get caught in the money trap, leaving the house early, coming home late, all to earn the money for their children.
In truth, the children (and the parents come to that) would benefit far more just sharing some fun time to walk in the park, cook some pizza, or simply have a giggle together!
Once again, many thanks for highlighting the campaign and I wish you and your readers good health and high spirits!
All the best from the slow, green chick across the water.
Tracey Smith
Thanks Tracey! Your message is very important. Although we advocate buying natural toys, we don’t support overconsumerism, which is so prevalent in the US. The credit card debt is huge for most Americans. Families do benefit from spending time with each other, and children benefit from having less toys. Natural toys are more expensive, but children don’t need as many open-ended toys as they do close-ended plastic ones to sustain their play.
Happy to have a new friend across the pond! We have a lot to learn from the EU!
Hi Jennifer – the uber-consumerism is here in the UK too, but I am seeing a remarkable kick back from it!
I just think, like all changes, it’s going to take time and for the likes of you and I to keep nibbling away at the nation’s psychie!
Today, my kids (6, 8, 9) had a fantastic time planting out tomatoes and brocolli in the garden. They love the upside down tomato plants we do, poking out of the spout of an upturned plastic milk carton – lol – you grow them against a nice warm sunny wall and they really do grow upside down!
No slugs and crawlie bugs and the water is well conserved too, pouring down right into the roots!
Give it a go! No batteries required! LOL…
All best wishes to you and your readers,
TS x
Yes, indeed. Upside down tomatoes, never heard of such a thing! We put our’s out in wall-o-waters. My daughter loved filling them up. I plan to post about Downshifing Week again next week.
It is hard to resist when you see something for sale insanely cheap. I recently read on another blog about high quality kid’s clothes for sale at extremely low prices. I was tempted to pass it on to my friends and to do a little shopping myself, then I took a step back, and reflected….Do we need more clothes? The answer is no. Like the typical American, I am suckered by a good deal. It takes will power not to succumb!