“It’s been almost two years since Patagonia began urging its outdoorsy customers to buy less—to sit out “Cyber Monday” and ask themselves: Do I really need a new fleece jacket or, for that matter, a state-of-the-art, 1,000-fill, dry-clean-only $700 parka and all the carbon burning that comes with it?”

In an interesting article Bloomberg Online writes about Patagonia and their minimalist approach to marketing that is paying back positively for the company.

Check it out — here.

This isn’t a debate on global warming, instead it is a discussion about creating products that lead to more conscious, connected consumers.

“During the past 60 years, humans have stripped the world of a quarter of its topsoil and a third of its forest cover. In total, one third of the planet’s resources have been consumed within the past four decades.

Dr Jonathan Chapman’s research presents strategic counterpoints to ‘throwaway society’, by developing design tools that enhance the resilience of relationships between people and their products. These include practice-led studies into the way various material surfaces age and the development of theoretical frameworks to support not the design of durable ‘products’, but the design of durable ‘meaning’, and ‘value’, that the product delivers.”

Learn more here.

Meet Mackinac Island, where cars have been banned since 1898.

Located just offshore of mainland Michagan, in Lake Huron, Mackinac Island and its namesake city have long been a favorite spot for a relaxing getaway. So, when automobiles first began to arrive, loudly sputtering along the island’s once-quiet roadways, startling horses and spitting out smoke, it quickly became apparent to locals that this new invention was not for them.

Although the small island is home to only around 500 people, in the summer, that number swells to 15,000 during tourism season; aside from a couple of emergency vehicles, there’s nary a car to be seen. Transportation on Mackinac is limited to walking, horse-drawn carriages, and bicycling — a pleasant departure from the car-centric society that exists beyond its borders.

Check out more about Mackinac Island here…

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/02/us-singapore-water-idUSBRE9510EG20130602

“Water companies in Singapore are attracting big-name investors as they profit from exporting their expertise to China, which plans to spend $850 billion over the next decade to improve its scarce and polluted water supplies.”

Living green in small places seems to be a way of the future. “It is no longer a trend followed only by the tree huggers and the hippies – it is a fully fledged movement with C.E.O.’s and world leaders singing its anthems. Living an environmentally friendly, eco-conscious lifestyle is not just good for the planet; it is also good for your finances.”

A few months back a friend introduced me to tinyhouseblog.com a great daily read on tiny houses popping up across the globe. Tiny and sustainable house living seems like a very practical way to live. You are forced to live off the basic necessities. No hoarding or clutter. It also is a way to own multiple properties in different locations.

In addition to tiny houses it seems that “sustainable earthship” living has been getting more popular as well. Earthships are designed so that one can live a self-sufficient lifestyle. Earthships can produce all the energy one would need need and most have greenhouses so that people can grow their own food. They also provide a lot of financial security in uncertain economic times. Most importantly, eartships provide a venue so one can live off his labor.

Check out more on sustainable tiny house living below:

http://tinyhouseblog.com/

http://tinyhouseblog.com/tiny-house/living-green-in-small-spaces/

http://earthship.com/

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1672438/a-model-for-micro-scale-living-in-maximalist-la#-1

Image via Wikipedia