I guess the sustainability and simple living movements get quite entwined. But there are no doubt many people who try to reduce their impact on the environment who still work high-stress jobs, and don’t live what most would call a ’simple’ life.

I, for example, don’t make my own clothes, or bake my own bread. I try to cook fresh food, but as often as not I’ll just grab something that is pre-prepared in some way - especially while I’ve been on my own. I get home from work at about 9pm, and it can be hard to motivate myself to cook a proper meal for just one person! My fall-back is often some low-GI bread and tinned soup, or an omelette with some frozen vegies and left-over meat thrown in!

Perhaps I’m trying to do too much at once I really enjoy my online pursuits, and I am aiming to build a business of my own so that I can eventually work from home, support myself, and be able to devote more time to my home and garden. But it’s going to take a lot of work!

I’m thinking I need to conciously program some ‘relaxation’ time into my life - time where I just read a book, meditate, go for a walk, play with my cat. Because, while I’m trying to reduce my impact on the envrionment, I’m doing a pretty good job of heaping more and more upon myself!

So - what does sustainability mean to you? Do you come from a simple living perspective as well? And should we try to combine reducing our impact on the envrionment with a more relaxed and slower-paced life?