Session led by Allie Callow

How can we apply self sustainability and self-reliance to benefit the homeless? What lessons can we learn from the homeless, who live fugal, minimalist, survival-based lives, to apply minimalism to our own lives? Then teach it back to them, if necessary?

Many topics we associate with sustainability are tools the homeless already use

• Public transportation
• Biking
• Reuse
• Local food
• Co-housing

The homeless live with a small footprint. The rest of society aims to improve the homeless population's condition, which ultimately increases their footprint.

What sustainability principles can improve quality of life without increasing the footprint?

• Water collection for washing
• Community gardens where people share excess food from gardens and fruit producing trees
• Preventive medicine controlled through diet and fitness
• Building community - social media for communication, wikis as a possible best practice for the homeless
• Insulation and heat sources - recycled cardboard, candles, solar
• Change mindset from 24-hour/day-to-day continuum to long-term planning to increase freedom

Some potential solutions to assist the homeless while minimizing their footprint:

• Free bus pass to homeless individuals with repeat attendance to social services like Sisters of the Road
• Create a community garden dedicated to and maintained by the homeless
• Use existing abandoned buildings for temporary shelter
• Provide computer access for job searches, social networking
• Enable a location address for use as a mailing address
• Community camping drives donating sleeping bags, propane tanks, tents

Addressing basic needs:

• Public restrooms with lights inside, like in Sweden, that prevents them from being used for drug use
• Laundry - touring trucks with mobile laundry services

Lessons from the homeless we can apply in our own lives

• Living within our means so we don't end up in tent cities
• Learn how to trade skills vs money to achieve end results
• Determine the difference between wants and necessities
• Go camping - identify with minimalism and compare to our current lives