The Light Living Project
developing a sustainable style of being
Definition : ‘Light Living’ means living fully aware of how our individual choices and
actions impact on both our immediate and global environments. Living lightly
requires us to understand the interconnectedness and interdependency of all life,
and act accordingly.
Introduction
Light Living demands a radical overhaul of how we think and behave. The Light Living Project intends to deliver ways of achieving this.
Living lightly is no longer optional, it has become a necessity. Without it we are condemning our children and the generations beyond to a fraught and uncertain future. Light Living needs to be learnt; it demands new ways of doing.
The standard of living enjoyed by the industrialised nations, if extended to all, would require the resources of 5 1/2 planets. As almost all developing nations, and a growing global population, are aiming to reach these same standards, we are clearly heading for serious trouble. We therefore need to reshape our ways – fast.
Light Living does not assume scarcity, far from it, it assumes abundance, as yet simply poorly utilised and distributed. All we need to do is urgently to change our thinking, our way of being, sharing and collaborating, our use of available resources, and to develop creatively ways for recycling everything we use. How we live on this planet needs to be re-structured so that 7 billion of us can remain within the carrying capacity of 1-planet and we are able to accommodate the projected population peak of between 10 and 11 billion.
The best efforts to reduce resource consumption by some small intentional communities have so far achieved the equivalency of 2.7 planets. The mode and models for living that people will happily and voluntarily accept and adjust to have yet to be developed and delivered.
The non-profit Light Living Project is committed to creating the Light Living Laboratory, in the form of a cutting edge sustainable village, where, in living together, a group of individuals will dedicate themselves to developing ideas and translating them into working models conducive to a high quality and standard of life for all on this planet.
It is intended that, in time, a network of demonstration Light Living communities will spread across the globe, in both urban and rural settings. The Project is designed to be a world-project, one of global significance.
The First Light Living Community
The first Light Living Laboratory is envisaged as a purpose-built ‘eco-village-plus’ in South West England. It will act as a living laboratory in which all the elements defined as requisite for 1-planet living will be brought together from all corners of the globe, developed, tested, refined and then translated into practical models for living and being, adaptable to any part of the world.
Detailed research into the design criteria for this laboratory-village, including what recyclable building materials will be appropriate for use in SW England, is ongoing. The experiences of leading intentional communities across the globe, as well as practical examples of aligned projects, are being carefully studied and their lessons fully taken into account. The intention is to locate our eco-village-plus in the countryside in order practically to demonstrate that human settlement, sensitively planned and executed, can not only harmoniously integrate with nature, but even enhance and give back to it.
In parallel with developing the physical design criteria for the laboratory-village, issues such as community ethos; governance; legal structures; ownership; economy; self-sufficiency in energy and food production; waste minimisation and water management; appropriate technology; true low carbon development; education; health care and disease prevention; art, beauty and community activities; outreach facilities accommodated in a multi-use conference and media centre; and other key issues are being addressed. They are being written up and will collectively represent the framework within which the first members of the Light Living Laboratory will be invited to collaborate for the first 2 years, or until such time that practical experience demands adjustments.
Recruitment criteria for full-time residency in the first Light Living laboratory-village will be rigorous. The success of the Light Living Project will entirely depend on the active participation, commitment, and degree of awareness of those populating this first Light Living demonstration community. These first members are also expected to provide the founders and advisers for future Light Living communities.
The primary motivation of those joining this first Light Living community will be a desire to develop a more harmonious way of co-existing with all life forms on the planet, by harnessing the best aspects of science and technology while remaining mindful of our traditional knowledge and wisdom. They will already be, or want to be, using their intellect, skills and energies to make this planet a more equitable, rewarding, enjoyable and interesting place for all. These individuals and families will have arrived at the realisation that the quickest and most lasting contribution towards real change will only emerge in communities dedicated to rethinking, redefining and demonstrating Light Living principles.
Those attracted to the Light Living Laboratory will hold common, or at least share, views on – how we need to relate to nature, indeed that we are an integral part of nature; what the purpose and role of being a human is; what community represents; the interdependency and interconnectedness of all life; and the privilege of ‘service’. The required creativity will thrive on people bringing their different backgrounds and life-experiences into play. Diversity is the essential component in effective model-building for the future; heart-mind holistic thinking (‘holinking’) is its shaping tool. The first Light Living community is intended to be the crucible for the productivity and inventiveness possible when humans collaborate in recognition of their effects on, and responsibilities towards, our home planet.
To enable members of this laboratory-village to concentrate on the urgent and important tasks ahead, it is intended that all assets of the Light Living Laboratory will be owned in trust, so that distractions arising from ownership issues, and the need to generate daily incomes, are removed. To achieve this, the Project requires initial capital funding to acquire the land and build the laboratory-village. To cover operating costs and generate revenue streams it will create, or participate in, commercial activities. Suitable projects are under active exploration and development.
Planning for an eco-village-plus, to be built in partnership with nature, cannot truly begin until a site for the laboratory-village has been acquired, and many months have been spent on it in study of its current hydrology, wildlife, energetic flows and patterns of life.
The development timetable calls for this land to be identified and acquired during the last quarter of 2014 /early 2015. As the laboratory-village will inter alia be seeking to demonstrate the effects of healthy living on populations, it is essential that it be located at a height and in a location relatively untouched by man-made pollutants, be they carried by water, soil or in the air.
Sites meeting these criteria do occasionally become available in SW England. Current price indications for mixed use agricultural land, no less than 350 acres, or 140 ha, in total, is between £5 and £6.5 millions. A full project funding breakdown is available on request.
Project Coordination
The Project’s coordinator is Peter B Rae, an energetic 76 old (2018). He has carried the vision for this Project for over 45 years; for all his life he has been a keen student of initiatives and developments in this field, anywhere in the world.
His professional background includes the military, industry, international banking, and the non-profit sector. This experience, coupled with a life-long interest in change and innovation, personal experience of community building, and a deep study of the world’s belief and cultural systems, equips him well to be the coordinator of this Project.
The Project’s success will, however, ultimately depend solely on the active and full participation of all. The current team behind the project consists of 30+ individuals of different ages and genders, each representing a range of impressive skills and relevant experiences.
Details are available on request.
Further information
Please refer to the following websites to catch a glimpse of some of the elements that are being woven into the fabric of this Project –
http://lightlivingfoundation.com (parent charity)
https://lightlivinglaboratory.com (the laboratory-village)
In the event of interest in participating in this project or in supporting it in any manner, please write, e-mail or telephone –
The Director
The Light Living Foundation
Hallfield
Withypool
Minehead
Somerset
TA24 7QP
e-mail lightlivingfoundation@gmail.com
tel. +44 1643 831 241
mob. +44 7903 900 848
Corporate Details
The Project is being developed by The Light Living Foundation, a charity registered in England and Wales, in the form of a company limited by guarantee, company registration no. 03517342 and charity registration no. 1070097.
The Foundation’s address is as above.
Its banking details are –
Bankers Barclays Bank plc
Sort Code 20-65-82
Account No. 9064 1308
IBAN GB43 BARC 2065 8290 6413 08
SWIFTBIC BARCGB22
PayPal lightlivingfoundation@gmail.com
For UK tax payers all donations to this Foundation (whether in money or in kind) can be expected to be tax deductible; cash may be eligible for Gift Aid.