Live Lightly

 “To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.
What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.
And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.” (Howard Zinn)

To us living lightly is simply taking the opportunity to live in the present, live in the community and live with the minimum of impact on the planet by:

• Live local. Humans are social beings and yet so many things from our housing to our transport seems to be designed to minimise interactions. Being part of the community is not only a great insurance when things go wrong but also builds efficiency and fun so during our year will be going out of our way to talk our neighbours and those around us, to organise and participate in opportunities to interact and to share what we have and what we know gladly

• Live selflessly. Altruism, so they say, is one of the true keys to happiness. Our aim will be to become more selfless through volunteering and sharing.

• Live with the season. I will admit that I don’t handle the heat very well, but one thing I’ve never really understood is why our first response to being uncomfortable is to try and change the environment that we live in, and the last resort is to change our behaviour. Living with the season will involve using miminal and efficient heating and cooling, it will involve modifying our house with passive design principles, it will involve decreasing energy usage and most of all it will involve looking at what behavior we can change to use less and enjoy more.

• Live outside. Like it says, if we can be out of our box, we will be out of our box.

• Live socially. Move it or lose it! It appears that this applies not only to your body but also to your mind. So our shrine to television has been removed and our aim will be to discover other interests particularly ones that involve interaction. 500 anyone?