VSC closes after 6 years

The NYC VS circle that met on the 2d Thursday of the month (at Community Church) has discontinued meeting as of April 9, 2009.

Beginning in 2003, the voluntary simplicity circle that spawned this blog has been a reservoir of resources provided by all who joined in. My deepest thanks to all who made it possible. It was a place for personal transformation to begin again in matters that related to simplicity. There are many people in New York City that are interested and occasionally a circle opens up or seminars are held. If you hear of one, feel free to post info on it. We will keep this blog open. It has great resources for everyone.

We simplify our lives so that we can live more of the lives we want to live, deep down. That doesn’t end here; it is in constant renewal. We'll soon open a item on where we all go to continue to explore this vast topic. Please participate online.

Voluntary Simplicity Circle Thursday – Apr. 9, 2009 – Ecological Simplicity

When: April 9th, 2009 - 7 pm to 9 pm
Where: 28 East 35th Street (between Park and Madison Ave. - red door, ring the bell for the gallery) in Manhattan
Cost: Free
Who: open to all interested persons.

What is a voluntary simplicity circle? In our voluntary simplicity circle, we help each other work toward personal transformation and make better connections to community resources through this interactive dialog. The objective is to provide a supportive environment for individuals who are actively making changes in their lives, within the framework of voluntary simplicity.

This year, we are going to be going through Duane Elgin’s list of different types of simplicity.

On April 9th, we are going to talk about Ecological Simplicity:

Ecological Simplicity: Simplicity means to choose ways of living that touch the Earth more lightly and that reduce our ecological impact. This life-path remembers our deep roots in the natural world. It encourages us to connect with nature, the seasons, and the cosmos. A natural simplicity feels a deep reverence for the community of life on Earth and accepts that the non-human realms of plants and animals have their dignity and rights as well the human.

Voluntary Simplicity Circle Thursday - Mar. 12, 2009 – Compassionate Simplicity

When: Mar. 12th, 2009 - 7 pm to 9 pm
Where: 28 East 35th Street (between Park and Madison Ave. - red door, ring the bell for the gallery) in Manhattan
Cost: Free
Who: open to all interested persons.

What is a voluntary simplicity circle? In our voluntary simplicity circle, we help each other work toward personal transformation and make better connections to community resources through this interactive dialog. The objective is to provide a supportive environment for individuals who are actively making changes in their lives, within the framework of voluntary simplicity.

This year, we are going to be going through Duane Elgin’s list of different types of simplicity.

On Mar. 12th, we are going to talk about Compassionate Simplicity:

Compassionate Simplicity: Simplicity means to feel such a strong sense of kinship with others that, as Gandhi said, we “choose to live simply so that others may simply live.” A compassionate simplicity means feeling a bond with the community of life and being drawn toward a path of reconciliation—with other species and future generations as well as, for example, between those with great differences of wealth and opportunity. A compassionate simplicity is a path of cooperation and fairness that seeks a future of mutually assured development for all.

See here for more about the format of our Voluntary Simplicity Circle.

And join us on Facebook!

Hope to see you there!
Kirsten

Please Participate in a Survey on Plastic Bag/Reusable Bag Use

This isn't my research but I felt it is important so I am passing it along. It doesn't take very long to fill out, so I hope you can participate. Thanks ~Kirsten
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This is a research project being conducted by Monique Turner and Jennifer Kane at the University of Maryland, College Park. We are inviting you to participate because we want to understand why people do or do not use reusable shopping bags at grocery stores.

The procedures involve filling out a questionnaire (link below) about using reusable bags instead of plastic bags. Your total time investment in this study will be approximately 10 minutes.

Thank you in advance for your participation:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=F2q6tPSCNFg8oHz3T8Y2kg_3d_3d

Jennifer Kane
Master of Science/Master of Public Policy Candidate 2009
University of Maryland - College Park
United States
jkane@umd.edu

Voluntary Simplicity Circle Thursday - Feb. 12, 2009 – Choiceful Simplicity

When: Feb. 12th, 2009 - 7 pm to 9 pm
Where: 28 East 35th Street (between Park and Madison Ave. - red door, ring the bell for the gallery) in Manhattan
Cost: Free
Who: open to all interested persons.

What is a voluntary simplicity circle? In our voluntary simplicity circle, we help each other work toward personal transformation and make better connections to community resources through this interactive dialog. The objective is to provide a supportive environment for individuals who are actively making changes in their lives, within the framework of voluntary simplicity.

This year, we are going to be going through Duane Elgin’s list of different types of simplicity.

On Feb. 12th, we are going to start from the top with Choiceful Simplicity:

Choiceful Simplicity: Simplicity means choosing our unique path through life consciously, deliberately, and of our own accord. It means to live whole—to not live divided against ourselves. This path emphasizes the challenges of freedom over the comfort of consumerism. A choiceful simplicity means staying focused, diving deep, and not being distracted by consumer culture. It means consciously organizing our lives so that we give our “true gifts” to the world—which is to give the essence of ourselves. As Emerson said, “The only true gift is a portion of yourself.”

How do each of us interpret “choiceful simplicity” and Elgin’s definition? What are some examples of it that we see in the world? How does choiceful simplicity fit into how each of us practice voluntary simplicity in our lives? How do we currently enact choiceful simplicity? How do we wish to engage in choiceful simplicity moving forward?

See here for more about the format of our Voluntary Simplicity Circle.

And join us on Facebook!

Hope to see you there!
Kirsten

My post on OneCity - You are not your khakis

Every Wednesday morning, I post on the Interdependence Project's One City - Population: Everone blog. My post this week is also relevant to what we do in our Voluntary Simplicity Circle, so I thought I would invite you to join in the discussion. Here is a segment of the post:

While we may rail against consumerism, sometimes we are just pulled to certain material things. They bring us joy and excitement. Aaron C. Ahuvia argues in his article, Beyond the Extended Self: Loved Objects and Consumers’ Identity Narratives, that some “loved” objects that we own help us create a coherent story of ourselves. Loved objects and activities help to structure our social relationships and support our well-being.

Objects can tell stories. They can hold family histories. They can represent friendships and symbolize marriages. They recreate our culture. We pass them down from generation to generation.

I can find beauty and love embedded in objects – from amazing works of art to my father’s neckties. However I have a hard time putting my finger on the point when this craving for objects goes from meaningful storytelling, family heirlooms, or culture regeneration to excessive disposable waste. When do objects become disposable? When do they go from loved items to just the latest fashion trend?

Read the rest here: http://onecity.wordpress.com/2009/02/04/you-are-not-your-khakis/

Upcoming Events - Feb. 1st Screening of "What Would Jesus Buy?"

FEB. 1st screening of "WHAT WOULD JESUS BUY?"
with Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Gospel Choir, Werner Films, Directed by Rob VanAlkemade, featuring Reverend Billy, 2007, 90 minutes

WHEN: Sunday February 1, 2009 1:15pm

WHERE: Community Church NYC, Gallery Room 28 East 35th st. @Park ave.

ADMISSION: Free, donations appreciated

Getting creative

One of the things we ended up talking about in VS circle this month was how voluntary simplicity (and trying not to buy so many new things) led us to being more creative in order to fulfill our needs (and our free time).

I am more of a practical person so my creativity has just involved using strips of fabric from old tights and t-shirts to make hair ties, using my dad's old ties as belts, old calendars as wrapping paper and reusing a lot of food containers for storage. I have not yet gone to the next level - but it is something I really want to do. I want to learn to sew and create more of my own stuff from the things that I already have - let's call it in-house recycling.

I have to say that I was inspired when I ran across this (thanks to a posting on the freegan discussion board) :

Andy Gregg at Bike Furniture Design makes furniture out of old bicycle parts (up in Marquette, Michigan). This is way past my highest hopes of what I may do in the future, but I think it is really great to see the kinds of things that can be created when we try to find imaginative ways to reuse, reduce, and recycle.

For more inspiration, I recommend checking out: The Visible Trash Society and Michael Reynolds' Earthship Biotechure Sustainable Independent Buildings.

I would love to hear from others (in the comments section below) about how buying less has led them to being more creative to fulfill their needs.

Last but not least - I want to thank all the new people who came to January's Voluntary Simplicity Circle. It was really great and a lot of fun getting to hear new perspectives, ideas, thoughts, experiences, etc...

Join us on January 8th for the first VS Circle of 2009

Get the new year started focusing on simplifying your life in 2009. We will be having a circle this Thursday night if you would like to join us:

7 to 9 pm, 28 East 35th Street (between Park and Madison Ave. - red door, ring the bell for the gallery) in Manhattan and is open to all interested persons.

See here for more details.

You can now also join us on Facebook here!

Cleaning out your bookshelf

If you are like me, you may be a pack rat when it comes to books. One of the hardest things I had difficulty letting go of was my books. I have moved miles and miles from one state to another, hauling boxes of heavy books that I have been collecting over the course of my life. It really made no sense because I am not a person who rereads books very often. I think I just liked to look at my collection of books and think that they somehow represented me. I had them on display when others visited my apartment and people could browse my books to get a better sense of who I am. But when I started to get more into voluntary simplicity, and I started to think about how much unnecessary stuff I owned, all my books seemed like such a waste as they sat still and dusty in my bookcases. And even more, I began to see that I am not my books and my books are not me.

A lot of this started happening when I discovered Paperbackswap. It is a website that allows you to list the books you are ready to part with. When other people request them, you mail the books (via USPS media mail) and get credits in return. You can then use those credits to order books from other people. It has really allowed me to let go of my need to hang onto books because I get rewarded for letting them go - I get new books to read! I have to say I am reading a lot more since I started swapping. There is less risk then when I had spend money on books, so I am more open to exploring new authors or indulging in frivolous reading. I also get to send books (with my credits) to my friends and family. After getting a couple books from me, my sister started swapping as well.

With almost 2 years (and 107 books mailed), I am keen to get rid of even more of my books, just keeping the ones with true sentimental value (gifts from others) or those that I need for reference. In addition to paperbackswap, I recently found that Better World Books (my favorite book seller - If I can't find a book on Paperbackswap, I buy from Better World Books. They are a certified B corporation who supports literacy projects, and has free carbon-neutral shipping.) is buying back books - depending on the value of the book - they will either pay you for your book or they make a donation to one of their literacy causes for each book that you send to them. They even pay for shipping!

So instead of just admiring (or dusting) all the books on your bookshelf, think about what those books could be doing instead:
www.paperbackswap.com
http://www.housingworks.org/donate/
http://www.betterworld.com/
http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/new_homes/new_homes.shtml#books