Voluntary simplicity
"Voluntary simplicity is not about living in poverty; it is about living with balance. [...] By embracing a lifeway of simplicity - characterized by a compassionate and ecological consciousness, frugal consumption, and inner development - people can change their lives and, in the process, move the world toward sustainable prosperity." (Elgin, 2013, p. 69)
The values of voluntary simplicity: material simplicity, human scale, self-determination, ecological awareness, and personal growth (Elgin and Mitchell, 1977a).
Or elsewhere (Elgin and Mitchell, 1977b, p. 13; Elgin and Mitchell, 1978):
"the drive toward simplification of the external/material aspects of living, coupled with self sufficiency and the sharing of ideas and goods
insistence on living as naturally as possible with all that implies for pollution, use of raw materials, industrial processes, recycling, and preference for "intermediate" or "appropriate" technology
smallness of scale in the Schumacher sense of "small is beautiful"; associated with this is the inclination toward decentralization of institutions, jobs in which individual contributions are apparent, and the need to participate in the decisions that mold one's life.
the quest for inner exploration and self-fulfillment with its attendant concern with creativity, openness, the desire for direct experience, and often a sense of the mystic and transcendental."
References
Elgin, D. (2013) Voluntary simplicity - a path to sustainable prosperity. Social Change Review, 11(1), pp. 69-84.
Elgin, D.S. and Mitchell, A. (1977a) Voluntary simplicity - life-style of the future. The Futurist, 11(4), pp. 200-261.
Elgin, D.S. and Mitchell, A. (1977b) Voluntary simplicity. Planning Review, 5(6), pp. 13-15.
Elgin, D. S. and Mitchell, A. (1978) Voluntary simplicity: life-style of the future? Ekistics, 45 (269), pp. 207-212.
