Someone in one of my favorite green groups asked how we each felt about voluntarily reducing our personal/household consumption activity by 90%. The questioner wondered: Has anyone already chosen to do this? Do you or don’t you consider it necessary? Does the prospect of such a dramatic loss of lifestyle seem too distressing?
Oh wow, I thought: An opportunity to bring up the Riot for Austerity to a new audience! And, an opportunity to make a quick “Riot re-introduction” for readers who may be new to this blog.
I answered: I am super into it!! — am actually a participant in a longtime grassroots movement focused on reducing per capita consumption by 90% of the USA average. (People in many countries are of course already living way way below that and do not need to make any reductions).
The movement is called the Riot for Austerity, it started sometime back around 2007(?), and its name was inspired by a term used by George Monbiot in his book HEAT.
The RIOT metrics are easy to understand, and do NOT require a person to be able to grow their own food! The emphasis in the food footprint category is on how local one’s food is, how much of it is fresh rather than processed etc.
Other categories include water, gasoline, electricity, consumer goods purchases.
The group has not been super active online lately but I’m pretty sure most of the people are still at it!! Feel free to ask me if you have any questions not answered in the group’s files. I’ll look for you in the group!!!
Other great groups, tho not specifically dedicated to reducing consumption by 90%, are very active and full of great conversations & practical tips about reduction in every imaginable facet of daily life. Check out: • Zero Waste, Zero Judgement; • The Non-Consumer Advocate; • Degrowth – join the revolution; • Deep Adaptation.
Here is Post on my Deep Green book page with screenshots of the Riot rules (the web link on the Riot page, which worked for years, is dead and I was not able to copy-paste the text).
You can also see the Riot rules by reading my book DEEP GREEN, which is available in print by ordering direct from me; or free to read online on this blog.