My Coffee Hell

Saturday 25 November 2006 is Buy Nothing Day around the world (it's today, 24 November in North America). The annual event started small in 2001 as a reaction to the onward march of global consumerism. Today, it's celebrated worldwide and has grown in reputation and stature. It's a stunningly simple concept... for one day, buy nothing.

A noble idea, but not as simple as it may first appear - what about your daily newspaper, your morning espresso fix, or that half price book sale? Ultimately, it takes a change of mindset, asking each of us to reassess our purchasing habit and, for one day, free ourselves from the mass spend-frenzy.

It the idea intrigues you, the official website (http://adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/) is well worth visiting - it has some great ideas for a less-consumer-oriented Christmas (and tips on how to shirk the weighty expectations of relatives at this time of year).

The new energy efficient publicity programme encourages each of us to stop leaking energy and make one change - just one small change to help create a cultural change and incrementally improve our energy usage.

It's not difficult to embrace the Good Life in even small steps. As for my change? Well, my 1 change will be to reduce unnecessary car journeys. Need some milk or a newspaper? I'll walk (and get exercise) to the local shop instead of driving. Maybe I'll even start cycling to work or to visit friends and reduce my energy usage.

It takes 21 days for a change in attitude to become a habit; I'm hoping that after I develop this 1 new habit, I'll start on another.`

In the meantime, if you're interested in making 1 change... here's a good place to start: http://www.powerofone.ie/.

There are three ingredients in the good life: learning, earning and yearning.

(Christopher Morley, 1957)

Do you remember the classic 1970s British sitcom 'The Good Life'? It starred Richard Briars and Felicity Kendal as a radical couple who decide to live off the land - except in their case, their land was the back-garden of their suburban semi-detached house. The comedy was pretty exposition-type and often predictable, but there was a certain charm in the characters' perseverance to grow their own food, find fun and excitement in frugal means and shun the typical monetary trappings personified by their snobby next-door neighbours.

I've always been drawn to The Good Life - more so for its sentiment than it's comedy appeal - and have realised that it's because it demonstrated the values I'd like to aspire to (well, sort of): a comfortable life, eco-friendly without having to live in a mud-hut, eating good, unprocessed food and having a generally idealistic outlook on life. I've always struggled with the contradiction of enjoying a modern, progressive life yet being environmentally-friendly, but was sure there are ways to improve my own quality of life and equally the quality of the immediate environment around me.

The intention for this blog is to track my progress as I embark on my own baby-steps towards The Good Life. I won't be giving up my day job for the moment (unless my earning potential dramatically changes), but expect to be learning a lot and undoubtedly yearning for newer ideas and things to try out - hopefully to be assisted with comments from readers here. I expect it will be fun!