Design Arno’s life

Ethics

• Earth care
  • Reduce
    • identified a problem? Instead of buying a solution, can I do without? If not, can I create the solution my myself?
    • shift from being a consumer to being a producer
    • short, low temperature showers, max twice or thrice per week
    • lower thermostat, only heat living room (see survey on energy usage)
    • buy fewer products and services (see survey on expenses)
    • buy only products with little or no packaging, prefer bulk
    • buy fewer items from the supermarket, where possible harvest from backyard, community garden, food forest or forage
    • buy food grown close by
    • make driving the car a special occasion
    • take a plane only in exceptional cases
    • divest from industrial society
    • reduce use of computers and internet
  • Reuse
    • reuse plastic containers, bags, bottles, jars
    • reuse glass bottles, jars
    • reuse rope and rubber bands
    • go to clothes swaps for new (to me) outfits
  • Repair
    • enhance soil with hugels, compost and biochar
    • ensure year round ground cover with mulch and/or plants
    • create niches and habitat for plants and animals
    • repair bicycles, clothes, computers and other tools and wearables
  • Recycle
    • food scraps in the compost bin
    • plastic and glass to recycle bin
    • paper and cardboard for mulch, compost bin or recycling
    • bring working items to collection points of second-hand shops
    • water garden with grey water from kitchen and shower
    • ! human waste in compost bin
  • Simplify
    • for writing prefer pen and paper over computer
    • for kneading prefer hands over mixer
    • for traveling prefer bicycle or foot over car or plane
    • for entertainment prefer a walk in nature, reading books or live performances over watching television or surfing the internet
• People care
  • create loving environment
  • build and nurture a community
  • grow good food and share it with others
  • make time to visit friends, neighbors, family
  • invite people over for coffee / lunch / dinner
  • approach random people and listen to them
  • celebrate successes and failures
  • practice compassion and loving-care
• Fair share / Future care
  • share knowledge
  • save and distribute seeds
  • multiply and distribute plants
  • plant seeds or seedlings in common areas (guerilla gardening)

Note: The item(s) marked with an exclamation mark (!) I am considering, I have not done them.

Attitudinal principles

• Multiple elements x multiple functions
  • livelihood / money
    • reduce expenses further to need less money
    • IT work
    • parents
    • partner
    • return on investments
    • sell stuff (books, computers, …)
    • barter / give away / sell food (jam, chutney, sauerkraut, …)
    • volunteer repair services (bicycles, clothes, …)
  • food / nutrients
    • buying in super market
    • buying in bulk from grain mills and other suppliers
    • harvesting in community garden
    • harvesting in backyard
    • harvesting in front yard
    • harvesting in food forest
    • foraging
  • water
    • drinking water from mains
    • rain water from catchment — ! needs treatment with filters and/or chemicals for human consumption
    • ! ground water via hand pump
  • heating energy
    • gas and electricity from mains
    • body heat from humans and animals, aided by hot water bottles and with insulation by clothes, blankets, drapes and floor mats
    • passive heating by sun
    • use hay box to better utilize heat
    • use heat from appliances
    • wood for burning — ! house lacks a wood-burning stove
    • ! solar heater
  • moving energy
    • electricity from mains for appliances
    • petrol for car
    • legs for walking and cycling
    • ! wind — still fuzzy on how to harvest and where to use
    • ! solar cells — needs supporting equipment and functioning supply chains for spare parts
  • tools
    • reduce specialized tools, use generic tools
    • learn how to make tools
• Everything gardens (everything has an effect on its environment)
  • Maximum Power Principle applies everywhere
  • plants in backyard grow
  • things happen where I direct my attention
  • I influence others, others influence me
  • my actions influence other people, the world around me
• The problem is the solution
  • land is expensive
    • → use property already in possession → urban homestead
    • → use communal spaces → guerrilla gardening
  • creating community is difficult
    • → make it a game to connect people and build relationships
    • → attend or organize small local events → build connections
    • → find people and groups with similar interests → build connections
    • → volunteer → build connections
    • → join a church → build connections
    • → celebrate small successes with loved ones
• Yield is theoretically unlimited
  • the work I do inspires and educates people
  • living a good, simple, grateful life
  • my Ikigai
• Work with nature
  • take into account how people instinctively react
  • practice meditation, mindfulness
  • learning is best done when combining learning styles: seeing, hearing, feeling, doing
• Minimum effort, maximum effect
  • make the iron triangle (shelter — transportation — livelihood) as tight as possible or break it altogether
  • celebrate and enjoy the little things, be grateful: it costs little to nothing and has a large effect on feelings of well-being
  • celebrate life: life is nature, nature is us, we are all in this together

Note: The item(s) marked with an exclamation mark (!) I am considering, I have not done them.

Holmgren principles

• Observe and interact
  • happiness comes…
    • from within, NOT from outside
    • in relations with friends, family and neighbors
    • having a purpose in life
    • NOT from possessions or status symbols
    • What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness — Robert Waldinger (on YouTube)
  • dominant culture of consumption and debt feels alien
  • I live a blessed life
  • and yet I feel a sense of impending doom
• Catch and store energy
  • save 80% of income, after 5 years working for money becomes optional (see ERE and The Shockingly Simple Math Behind Early Retirement)
  • have a pantry with at least a month of supplies
  • design stores of water and energy in garden and house
  • conserve harvest
  • cook healthy, tasteful food from simple, locally sourced ingredients
• Obtain a yield
  • working for money
  • working on interesting projects
  • working with interesting people
  • learn about the natural world
  • eat good food from local sources
  • appreciate the time we have
  • enjoy life
• Apply self regulation and accept feedback
  • observe a regular schedule
  • take naps when necessary
  • exercise / work regularly outdoors
  • measure energy / water usage and act on the data
  • know own limits of knowledge and influence
  • no need to do everything at once
  • ask for help
• Use and value renewable resources and services
  • use collected water from shed to water the garden
  • trade plants and seeds with friends, family and permaculture projects
  • move plants from living room to attic in winter to take advantage of warmer microclimate there
  • use solar heat in the attic to start seedlings in spring
• Produce no waste
  • prefer getting food from own or community garden
  • kitchen vegetable cuttings go in compost bin
  • grey water from kitchen waters the back yard
  • buy products with little packaging or in bulk
  • reuse packaging otherwise
    • plastic yoghurt containers as planters and for storage
    • glass jam jars for jam and chutney
    • glass vegetable jars for kimchi, soup
    • bottles for homemade wine / syrup / lemonade
  • use discarded pallets / wood for constructions
  • use cardboard packaging as weed barrier
  • fly only when absolutely necessary, consider less energy intensive modes of transportation first
• Design from patterns to details
  • Web of Goals
    • work from or close to home
    • get food close to home (backyard, front yard, community garden, forage, supermarket at walking distance)
    • walk, cycle, use public transport (reduce need for car)
    • increase serendipity for opportunities
  • scatter
    • trying similar things at the same time
      • gardening / growing food in backyard, allotment and community garden
      • work on permaculture designs for backyard, life, food forest Weverkeshof
    • sow interest: try to get people interested and involved in doing the same
  • Seneca curve
    • idealized shape of the background process of humanity
    • actual shape may look more like a downward step pyramid: alternating periods of relative stability followed by rapid deterioration, each time ending in a lower level of complexity
• Integrate rather than segregate
  • our household = mini homestead with food growing, food preservation, food storage, workshop, storage for construction materials and tools
  • stack functions for machines and spaces
• Use small and slow solutions
  • walk to supermarket
  • cycle to most projects
  • think before buying: try to find an alternative to spending money
  • turn thermostat down in winter
  • hang thick curtains for windows and doors
  • caulk seams against air leaking
  • water garden with gray water from kitchen
    • dish-washing tub holds ~5 liter max per watering
    • could use output from laundry machine. This gives 90 liters of grey water when collected in a tub. This does require extra handling.
  • wash clothes by hand
  • use clothesline for drying
• Use and value diversity
  • make friends from different walks of life
  • make friends in different age groups
  • learn from many different areas of knowledge
  • learn many different skills
• Use edges and value the marginal
  • look in skips and second hand stores for usable materials
  • make friends from different walks of life
  • forage food from the side of the road, like blackberry, hazelnut, apple, walnut, plum, …
  • throw seeds (apple, plum, walnut, fennel, …) into wild patches
• Creatively use and respond to change
  • “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” — Alexander Graham Bell
  • remind myself to keep an open mind, especially in turbulent times when fear tends to narrow my view on what is unfolding
  • meditate to center myself and listen to what intuition is whispering to me

Web of Goals

See Web of Goals for what it is and how to use it.

For me, living a content life comes from having all these goals fulfilled:

• good food (physical food / mind food)
• good shelter (appropriate size / functional / beautiful)
• good friends (friendship / socializing / social network to fall back on)
• good finances (money / energy / for peace of mind)
• good mind (learning / ideas / projects / ability to solve problems)
• good body (physical fitness / health)
• good fun (soul / meaning / service / fascination)

To fulfill these goals, I use the following modules:

• Homesteading / Gardening
• Job / Business
• Dancing / Meditation
• Financial independence
• Simple living / Minimalism

For me each module associates with a set of actions. Homesteading includes gardening, plant recognition, food preservation, skill building, etc. Financial independence is grounded in actions related to Early Retirement Extreme: keeping good records, maintaining a healthy buffer, investing, keeping expenses down, expanding my skill set.

Module Homesteading and gardening (green) supports:

• good food
• good friends (friendship / social connections)
• good finances (frugality / savings)
• good body (physical fitness / health)
• good mind (relaxation / connection with nature)
• good fun (laughter)

Module Job (orange) supports:

• good finances (savings)
• good friends (socializing)
• good mind (fascination)
• good body (physical fitness / health)

Module Dancing and Meditation (purple) supports:

• good mind
• good body
• good friends (compassion)
• good fun

Module Financial independence (black) supports:

• good finances (frugality / savings)
• good shelter
• good mind (problem solving w/o using money)

And module Simple living (blue) supports:

• good finances (frugality)
• good food
• good shelter
• good fun (meaning)

The graph below summarizes how the different modules link to the goals they support.

As you can see, every goal is supported by at least two different modules: simply count the number of distinct colors for each label in the graph.