(Our monthly announcement for May 2012 is up!)

SMEI OPEN FORUM – MAY 6, 2012

Join us at an upcoming SMEI Open Forum!
Spring is a time of renewal and envisioning what we want to grow, in our gardens and in our lives -- and we want to hear about what matters to you!  Since you’re visiting this page, chances are you’ve been to a SMEI Discussion Circle, a Forum, a Common Security Club, and/or have a real interest in Sustainability issues.  We sincerely want your input about short and long term goals for SMEI to be of real service to this community.  Plus we want to meet up and have fun!  Please join us on April 29th or May 6th (from 4-6pm).  Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information. To make the travel distance easier for everyone, we are offering two locations:

May 6th: Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church - 9601 Cedar Lane, Bethesda, Maryland 20814-4099

A large, vibrant community of people in Maryland, northern Virginia and Washington D.C. is on a journey to live more lightly.

In a discussion circle you will enjoy the unique experience of having deep conversations with 8-12 adults for a predetermined number of meetings.

Learn more about discussion guides you can use to jump start these deep conversations.

Our monthly forums in Bethesda, Towson, and Columbia focus on living more lightly.

Check out our monthly announcement, which lists local events of interest to our community as well as potential discussion circles in our region. Sign up for the monthly announcement by emailing Lore at subscribe@simplicity-matters.org

Our lively online conversations will keep you connected when you don't have time to be in a circle or attend our forums.

We also offer a video lending library, which enables you to enjoy a different way to start deep conversations with others. Invite a group to watch a video at your home!

Finally, you can volunteer to help others embark on their journeys.

Let's ease our journeys, by whatever paths we have each chosen to take, by helping each other to live more simply for a sustainable future for Earth and all its inhabitants.

New Discussion Guides!

Newest: Hungry for Change: Food, Ethics and Sustainability (published October 2011)

Newer: New edition of Voluntary Simplicity (2011, link opens in new tab), which includes a revised version of SMEI's Simple Living Wheel!

New: 1-session discussion guide: Just Below the Surface: Perspectives on the Gulf Coast Oil Spill

Discussion guide by the Northwest Earth Institute (NWEI): "A World of Health: Connecting People, Place and Planet." Discussion guide sampler available here (PDF, 667 KB) and excerpts of included articles here

Visit NWEI's Earth Matters blog

Articles featuring members of our community:

~ Jennifer Robinson's Resiliency Circle in Greenbelt, YES Magazine
~ Kitchen Environmental, featuring Polly Bart
~ Not Buying for a Year, featuring Jim Dieter and Helene Shore of Vienna, VA (PDF, 92 KB)
~ Reducing your Kitchen 'Cookprint', featuring Lore Rosenthal (PDF, 31 KB)

Published about or by members of our community:

~ Is Economics a Green Issue?, by Susan Belchamber
~ Green Companies Save Money and Help the Planet with a Triple Bottom Line Approach, by Jeff Blankman
~ Eco-Friendly Renovations, by Polly Bart

If you want to start a circle check out our circle starter page