Srila Prabhupada: “Now, this place I see, although I have not seen all, is a nice place. And the grhasthas may come here, have some small cottage, and grow your own food grains, vegetables, and have your cow's milk. Get nice foodstuff, save time. Why should you go in the city, hundred miles in car and again hundred miles come back and take unnecessary trouble? Stick to this spot and grow your own food, your own cloth, and live peacefully, save time, chant Hare Krsna. Very nice program. This is actual life. What is this nonsense life, big, big cities and always people busy? If he wants to see one friend, he has to go thirty miles. If he has to see a physician, he has to go fifty miles. If he has to go to work, another hundred miles. So what is this life? This is not life. Be satisfied. The devotee's life should be yavad artha-prayojanam. We require material necessities as much as it is required, no artificial life. That is spiritual life. Simply increasing artificial life, even for shaving, a big machine is required. What is this? Simply wasting time. Devil's workshop. Make life very simple. And simple living, high thinking, and always conscious to go back to home, back to Krsna. That is life. Not this life, that simply machine, machine, machine, machine. So if you show practical example that how you are living simple life and how you are advanced in Krsna consciousness, then people will learn from you. You American people, if you show example, people will try to follow you, and they will be happy. So I am very glad to see this farm. Develop it nicely, live peacefully, and chant Hare Krsna. Thank you very much.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam Lecture, New Talavan, August 1, 1975)

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Teaching sustainable lifestyles is very simple. In Srila Prabhupada own words, teach by example.  

The environmental movement is huge, and will continue to grow.  This movement is finally being promoted by large corporations because they have figured out how to profit from it, and it is has become politically important to do something. But practically no one is providing real solutions. Most of what is described in the press and done in the business world are only stop-gap measures. And aside from those who are vegetarian, none of them address the environmentally destructive role of the meat industry.

The rural self-sufficient communities Srila Prabhupada describes are the only answer.  No other model has any real sustainability. Such communities cannot be farming operations that produce food and ship it to the cities for the rest of society. Any community that does not produce the majority of it’s own needs, obtain the bulk of it’s raw materials from the local land, or is totally dependant upon the modern transportation industry is opposed to the principles of sustainability.

Combining such communities with basic principles of tourism is the best model for spreading the real concepts of “simple living and high thinking.”  It must be done in a mood of sharing, not with a desire for profit.

Communities that are designed with specific purposes are called intentional communities. There are many now, and more are constantly being developed. They fall into two broad categories: communities marketed to the wealthy with little intention of sustainability, and communities for the ecologically or spiritually minded that attempt some degree of sustainable living. 

Communities for the wealthy have all facilities for creating a healthy and upscale lifestyle, but are hardly sustainable.  They usually have multiple facilities for exercise, yoga, massage, recreation, and everything imaginable. A typical example can be found in one three-tower complex built right on the beach in Miami, which has a 70,000 square foot spa, 23 treatment rooms, 3 swimming pools, medical services, a restaurant and a concierge.  This is only one example out of more than 200 similar communities that are popping up all over the country. The number of them has doubled in the last two years. Some of them offer a wide range of outdoor activities due to their proximity to mountains, lakes, and forests.

Communities for the ecologically or spiritually minded have been around much longer. They are generally communities of like-minded people who want a different lifestyle than the mode of passion in the cities. Most of them are centered on a common interest, such as a particular religion or a desire for living more simply. The Intentional Communities web site has a directory of several hundred such communities. Many are still in the forming stage because they are more difficult to develop.

We could easily have communities that far surpass the sustainability of most similar projects.  The most vital needs are food, water, clothing and shelter. Most communities do not even grow their own food, although a number of them use sustainable building construction. 

One of the principles of the grhastha ashram is to open one’s home to others, and indeed, to provide for the other ashrams.  The expectation of visitors is an extra incentive for keeping a nice, clean home. We can expand this principle. We want our communities and villages to be showcases, and people can even experience a weekend of living and interacting with us and learning the real principles of what it means to live off the land and have a more sustainable and satisfying lifestyle.

More people volunteer time on an organic farm than ever before.  All around us there are many people willing to take up various degrees of sustainable lifestyles. Considering everything Srila Prabhupada said on these subjects, how can we refuse to help? This period in history may be one of the very best opportunities, and we should be leading this environmental movement by showing practical and real alternatives.

In addition to this, we have a wealth of spiritual knowledge and activity to offer the general public.  We can make communities that are places of healing, education, and spiritual development, with summer camps and hands-on activities. One focus is on spiritual life, such as spiritual retreats, workshops, classes on philosophy, reincarnation, the three modes of nature, setting up a home altar, cooking and offering food, and so forth. The other focus is on teaching about rural life, organic gardening, vegetarianism, rainwater harvesting, sustainable building construction and even various arts, crafts and cottage industries, many of which we need to develop for our own use. The culmination of this will be the establishment of a Varnashram College, which Srila Prabhupada wanted.

By teaching these things it will help us to practice them as well. We can become absorbed in Krsna consciousness, become healthy by living simply and close to the earth and teach others how to do this rather than trying to make a lot of money.

If this process of teaching others generates money then that is a bonus, and not the real reason for doing it.  Each community will have a need for some amount of incoming cash flow. Property or other taxes must be paid in US dollars, and some amount of ongoing funds will be needed for certain commodities or equipment. In the short term, such funds may come from personal savings. In the long term the need for such funds should be minimal, but will have to come from exchange with those living outside the community.

Much more information on this subject can be found in other sections of the website. 

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