Economic Benefits of Eco-social Co-Living
Thriving Together through adopting the collaborative Economy
In an age of increasing consumerism, the principles and practice of Living Simply offers an alternate path to a life of freedom from excessive strain that opens the way for alternative pursuits that provide deep and lasting satisfaction, both individually and collectively. From the “One Cloak” communitarian value of sharing and pooling resources to the broader global impact of adopting a minimalist lifestyle, living simply offers economic benefits that ripple across personal lives, local communal unions, and regional ‘common purse’ ‘common’ wealth, collaborative provisioning networks, providing practical demonstrations of the benefits of organised eco-social SHARE economies.
This article explores these benefits through the lens of the values of sharing that pave the way for integration into the lifestyle and love-style of Deep Union centred on communal living and liberated love – sharing all with all.
Personal Economic Benefits of Living Simply
Laying the foundations of Material security through Sharing Resources
Financial Freedom: Living simply involves reducing unnecessary expenses, focusing on needs over wants, and thereby reducing consumption. By limiting expenditures on non-essential goods, those aligning with the One Cloak eco-social lifestyle can gain financial freedom by reducing debt along with the hours of work needed to support themselves. Living simply within a collaborative provisioning union, also has the added benefit of creating a buffer against economic instability, while contributing to personal empowerment through providing “strength in numbers” foundations of financial security.
Time and Resource Optimization: Simple living often means focusing on experiences rather than material possessions. By reducing the time spent acquiring, maintaining, or worrying about material goods, those adopting a ‘common purse’ common wealth SHARE economy, free up time to engage in meaningful work, creative pursuits, and personal development. Time becomes a resource for personal and collective growth rather than consumption.
Mental Clarity: A cluttered life often leads to a cluttered mind. In contrast, reducing the things we have and hold for our exclusive use, reduces stress, promotes mindfulness, while enhancing decision-making. This mental clarity is itself an economic asset, as it fosters creativity, productivity, and the ability to focus on long-term goals.
Collective Local Co-living Economic Benefits
Establishing Economic Resilience Through Collaborative Provisioning
Shared Wealth and Resources: Within communal settings such as the collaborative-living unions, the principle of pooling resources has direct economic benefits. Sharing tools, vehicles, housing, and even food can drastically reduce individual expenses while ensuring that everyone’s needs are met. This collective economy reduces waste while also increasing the efficiency of resource use, as assets are shared among many rather than owned individually by a few.
Income and Expense Sharing: Preparing to become part of a “Deep Union” communal living arrangement involves embracing income and expense sharing as part of a unified approach to material security. Rather than each individual facing their own financial burdens, the network of communal unions pool income, reducing economic stress for those who contribute and thereby are entitled to have their life-support needs met by drawing from the ‘common pot’. This shared approach also opens up increased opportunities to collaboratively invest in communal infrastructure, such as renewable energy systems, collective communal living villages, or local organic food production initiatives.
Collective Investment: When communitarians adopt an eco-social lifestyle based on the principles and practices of responsible stewardship of the earth’s resources, and focus on sharing resources, they are more likely to reinvest their savings into the local community. This involves supporting local eco-social Right Livelihood production enterprises, or developing shared artisan workshop spaces such as Make HUBS. As local economies are made stronger, the communal unions become more resilient to external economic pressures, creating a sustainable cycle of reinvestment that enhances collaborative practical support facilities.
Regional Economic Impact of Eco-social Resource Sharing
Pooling resources for greener living & regional economic security
Sustainable Local Economies: At a regional level, the adoption of eco-social ethical consumption based on sharing resources, fosters economic sustainability. As the network of communal unions reduce their dependence on external goods and services, collectively these eco-social groups, develop self-reliance. This can lead to the creation of localized industries, from food production to artisanal crafts, supporting regional economies through sustainable, locally-sourced products.
Contributing to the ‘Common Good’: A culture of eco-social living based on the principles of striking a balance between accommodating individual needs and the ‘common good’ brings to fruition the organised production and distribution of the life-giving supports of healthy food, clean water, clothing, secure housing, energy, transport, health & dental care, along with access to income-generating ‘Right Livelihood’ engagement. Sharing resources demonstrates the positive impact on people, animals and the planet, of distribution (according to need), coupled to mutual aid provided by planned eco-socio SHARE economy communal support systems. This regional focus on resource security fosters social cohesion, improving the overall well-being of those living the collaborative lifestyle and love-style.
Environmental and Economic Symbiosis: Living simply also contributes to the preservation and extension of natural eco-systems that provide habitat for bio-diverse flora and fauna. By consuming less, generating less waste, and prioritizing sustainable practices, communal unions help protect the natural resources, such as permanent agriculture food forests and networks of organic kitchen gardens, along with MAKE HUBS that are the backbone of regional economies. In turn, a healthier environment sustains industries such as organic permanent agriculture food forests, tourism, and clean renewable energy generation, creating a positive feedback loop between the essential production and distribution of material life-supports and environmental preservation.
Global Benefits of Collaborative Living Resource Sharing
Ecologically-Aligned Prosperity - wider world Impacts of Resource Sharing Communal unions
Reduced Global Consumption: On a global scale, the adoption of LIVING SIMPLY coupled to common purse collaborative co-living and Right Livelihood cooperative endeavours, reduces the demand for resource-intensive goods. This alleviates pressure on global supply chains, lowering the need for excessive extraction of natural resources. A shift away from consumerism reduces the environmental degradation caused by overproduction helping to mitigate pollution of land, air and waterways including the sea; which has significant positive impacts on economies across the globe by reducing the long-term costs associated with environmental destruction.
Ethical Global Trade: Modest, simple living encourages communitarians to be mindful of the long-term impact of resource use, including the excessive and exploitative demands placed on others who ‘toil’ without fair remuneration or recognition of their right to life and liberty through ‘living wage’ compensation, ethical labor practices, and access to “Rich By Association” shared prosperity. Additionally, the call to ethical consumption translates to the support of fair trade, local artisans, and sustainable clean-green eco-friendly production methods. By aligning with the One Cloak tenet of ethical consumption, co-living communal unions coupled to social and ecologically-sound ‘Right Livelihood’ collaborative provisioning enterprises contribute to the active presentation of responsible stewardship of the earth’s life-giving resources. The demonstration of practical ways to reduce exploitation of people and land in poorer less-developed regions, leads to more balanced global economic relations.
Global Solidarity: The One Cloak principle of communal living based on resource sharing extends beyond the local and regional interests to promote global solidarity with the workers of the world. In a world where economic systems are interconnected, living simply and sharing wealth cultivates both social and economic responsibility on a global scale. This outlook encourages wealthier regions to engage in practices, such as reducing overconsumption and supporting global initiatives for poverty alleviation, resource conservation, and social equity.
The Economics of Togetherness
creating thriving Economically Sustainable Communal Unions
The economic benefits of living simply extend far beyond the personal sphere, influencing communities, regions, and the global economy. Through the lens of One Cloak communitarian values, eco-social co-living based on sharing resources sets the foundations for obtaining and sustaining life-supporting material security, while also curtailing, ‘wasting the world’. Collaborative ‘common purse’ communal unions contribute to demonstrating viable strategies for building resilient, equitable, and ethically ecologically and socially sustainable societies.
Whether through income sharing, collective resource use, or supporting local economies, living simply prepares communitarian associates for the deeper connections and shared responsibilities associated with entering “Deep Union.” By adopting a ‘common purse’ collaborative living way of life, communitarians contribute to a more harmonious and economically sustainable and just world.
