Marina R.
Being single and childfree is right for me. It allows me to follow my inner imperatives and create a wonderful life in a caring community. Since moving from a large city to a small town, I've rewilded my back yard and connected with the regenerative farmers who grow my food. I bought almost everything I need from the local thrift hub and reuse store. This simple lifestyle has enabled me to create a fulfilling art practice and live well on a modest income with my cat and rabbit companions. We're a joyful three-species family!
Renate
Although I am far from perfect, I have always wanted to live simply and tread lightly in order to lessen my impact on nonhuman animals and the Earth. I don't have children and hope this might give other species a little more breathing room. In addition, I try to eat a predominantly vegan/vegetarian diet and spend time advocating for other animals. These days, I buy very little and purchase almost all of my clothes second-hand. I am privileged enough to live without a mortgage and am attempting to opt out of our capitalist system as much as possible.
Kelly U.
I’ve found joy in living lightly and intentionally. Being vegan is the most meaningful choice I make—it cares for animals, people, and the planet. Additionally, I surround myself only with what I truly need; almost everything I own is secondhand, and when I do buy new, I choose the least harmful option I can afford. Part of this practice is keeping social media off my phone, limiting it to laptop use; creating distance from ads and messages that I need to buy and consume. Life feels fuller when I focus on connection and simplicity.
Mariko T.
Not by disaster but by choice, I am learning to live within limitations. I follow a vegan diet, try to limit my use of single-use plastics, mainly commute to work by public transportation and bicycle, prefer to buy locally-sourced food and products, and have started mending my own clothes. I’ve built up a routine over the years and own most of the things I need. A life of limitations is also allowing me to get to know myself better. Will I be unsatisfied? Will I be relieved? This is a journey for studying myself.
Stefanie and Luke
At the heart of our two-decade relationship is a commitment to living according to our ethical and ecological principles. Who we are as individuals, life partners, and members of families, communities, and society is deeply shaped by our deliberate, enthusiastic decisions to be vegan and minimalist, to be childfree and to share our lives daily with non-human companions (both indoors and outdoors). These aspects of our lives and identities fit together like pieces of a puzzle, reinforcing and energizing one another, and they provide us a sense of contentment and direction in even the hardest times.
Nathan P.
As much as possible and practicable, I buy used things. The first recourse is to buy as little as possible. But when acquiring something is necessary, I look for a used item first. Either through internet marketplaces or used item sites, garage sales, secondhand stores, or buying or receiving for free, or trading with a friend or family member. Reciprocally, I believe in offering items I don’t need anymore to others for free, either putting them out in the front yard, donating them, or giving them to people who could use them.
Juliana
Since I was little, I have been very sensitive to the suffering of others: humans, animals, trees, everyone. That's why I always try to minimize my negative impact: I'm vegan, I don't send trash to the landfill, I don't buy clothes, I don't have a car, I try not to travel, and I live a more frugal life. Many of these actions may seem isolated, but they are based on deep political and ethical convictions. Above all, I have decided that I will not bring more humans into a world that, in my opinion, is collapsing in every way. The experience of motherhood is not necessary, especially when someone else's life is at risk.
Pip B.
I am a single, childfree woman who has broken free from the mental shackles of conformity in a world that insists more is always better. In discovering the freedom of living without a partner or children, I began to uncover the many layers of who I am beneath a conditioned mind. I am now a single, childfree vegan, moving steadily toward a life rooted in minimalism, activism and solitude. Though I may be seen as an outcast in many areas of society, my life has never felt more aligned or more right.
Chetana M.
I try to practice a form of veganism that goes beyond just eschewing animal-sourced foods and towards examining the impacts of all my consumption choices on human and non-human animals. Do I really need to purchase this product, take this trip, or expend this resource given its impact on workers, human communities, wildlife, captive animals, or the environment? The answer is usually ‘no’ whether I heed it or not. I am fortunate to have “buy nothing” groups, dumpster diving “freegan” friends, clothing-swap hosts, and zero-waste influencers in my community motivating me to live this more conscious, values-aligned vegan life.
Elizabet
A lot of the green-washed minimalism marketed as a cure-all for the eco-ails of my generation & beyond is just monetized common sense. There’s no judgment because there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism. But I’ve lived without disposable income for over six years now, and even if I were avocado-toast-rich, why would I buy things like coffee to go? The whole point is to sit down and enjoy it. At home, in the train dining car, or in a café. Slowing down is my only weapon against the gimmicks of mandatory overconsumption.
Rebecca W.
The most impactful decision I made for myself - and our planet - was adopting a child-free-by-choice lifestyle, ensuring that my carbon legacy and ecological footprint end with me rather than extending into future generations. As I defy pronatalism and patriarchy, I find fulfillment by cohabitating with my sister whom I share a home with. My lifestyle has allowed me to continue my education and build a career that bridges social and environmental issues. And instead of investing my time into raising my own children, I invest my time into my friends, their children, and my community through extensive volunteerism.
Jane D.
While I am far from a perfect example of anything, I have tried to incorporate what I’ve learned about how capitalism, animal exploitation, and ecology shape the choices I make in my own small sphere of life. I have been a vegetarian for most of my life and continue moving toward veganism. For four years, I kept a no-fly pledge, though I broke it last year to visit my son in California, a reminder that love complicates principles. At home, I replaced fossil fuels with renewable electricity and geothermal. I volunteer at my local farmers’ market, serve on the board of a climate nonprofit, and post on social media about plastics, fossil fuels, and health.
Juan J.
The humble ways I have found to be most sensible to help, at the individual level, during our current eco-social crisis include mainly 4 aspects: diet, procreation (or lack thereof), mobility, and education. I decided a few years ago to become a vegetarian, and now a vegan. I do not eat animals or their secretions, and I do not participate in their exploitation. I also decided, since I was a young person, to remain childfree, and I currently do not possess a car. Finally, and I think this is perhaps my main contribution, I dedicate most of my time as a university teacher, educating about the convergence of crises.
Elisabeth D.
I lead a low waste, plant-based, flightfree and childfree life and my pets are also on a plant-based diet. For four years, I lived off the grid in an eco, custom made, tiny house on wheels installed in an olive grove, with energy coming from solar panels and rainwater -while I was growing food via vegan permaculture methods which helped the wild animals of the area. However, I was car dependent over there but since I moved to Sweden I have cut down my car use significantly, and my next goal is to be carfree, thanks to the great train connections in Northern Europe.
Tony P.
I was lucky to be born with biophilia—to love and defend nature. As a scientist, I assessed large landscapes for conservation, studied wildlife in five countries; as an activist launched campaigns for grizzly bears, jaguars, wolves, and coral reefs; as a teacher, taught environmental studies, entomology, and wildlife biology; and, after 50 years, continue working on behalf of my totem animal, the Andean deer. At “Scale Down” on Substack and Facebook, I explain why shrinking the human enterprise is key to saving the living world, including us. Except for pets, plants, and a few students, I’ve been childfree.
Sarah
Once we settle into the theater, but before the show begins; we are asked to silence or power down our phones. We want to be fully present for the performance. There is an exclusive, never-before-seen production being crafted. You are given the ticket for this once-in-a-lifetime show: your own life. <br>
Will you be fully present?<br>
Being phone-free has offered me reverence for the happenings extending themselves to my immediate senses. The people, events, and environment of my experiential realm desire attention. For me, having periods of being phone-free has provided intimacy and satisfaction of the everyday ordinary.
Joe G.
With a devotion to nature, and some fortuity in my circumstances, I live with ecocentrism as a guide. I am married and childfree, and, despite a feline fondness, have no pets. Our time is split between a tiny home (30x12 feet) and a spare room in a family member’s house. I tend towards organic veganism, with food-miles and zero-waste considerations. I get almost everywhere by bus and train and on foot, rejecting planes and rarely using cars. I work a 15-hour week and buy things through need much more than want, seeking pre-used items wherever possible.
Sneha
For me, “shrinking toward abundance” is a daily practice of conscious choices. It is a refusal: to reproduce, to consume non-human animals, to live as if the planet is expendable. I live as a childfree vegan, reducing my footprint where I can. I share my life with three adopted dogs and a cat—my chosen family, a small support circle of friends who make the world a little softer. In a world built on the extraction of bodies—human, non-human animal, and ecological - care becomes resistance. Not virtue, but responsibility. Through my work, I create space for intersectional animal rights, veganism, and procreation ethics.
Dusti B.
I am childfree. Being a teacher for decades filled that itch nicely. We have one car used mainly locally. We are vegan/vegetarian, and enjoy growing food and native plants on our half acre. I help my husband with online outreach at Scale Down, advocating for lowering human numbers and reducing consumption such that other species and ecosystems suffer less from human impacts. International flights are infrequent for recovery of endangered giraffe in Kenya and tropical forest conservation in Ecuador. I bring joy to my community and self through music, fiddling at old time and Celtic music jams.
Tonya S.
Like many who follow OVERSHOOT, I’m aware that the planetary health crisis touches every aspect of life today. Equally, I see the increasing difficulty of staying values-aligned when life pressures us to use the tools of the system, like AI, to stay current. I reduce my planetary impact by not owning a car, being childfree, eating lower on the food chain, buying less, sharing more, the list goes on. And I talk, with anyone who will listen and allow me to illuminate the ecological considerations in any topic of conversation. Normalising these conversations feels like a tiny buffer against despair.