Ethic of Sufficiency

The key idea here is sufficiency, defined by Princen (2005) as a social organising principle that builds upon established notions such as restraint and moderation to provide rules for guiding collective behaviour. The primary objective is to respect ecological constraints, although most authors also emphasise the social and psychological benefits to be obtained from consuming less.

...‘downshifting’ can both lower environmental impacts and improve quality of life, notably by reducing stress and allowing more leisure time.

Part of a paper examining the link between energy consumption and economic growth. Point 3 at www.theoildrum.com/node/6386