Downsizer is a virtual community

Virtual community

A virtual community is a social network of individuals who interact through specific media, potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals...

, run on a not-for-profit basis, which describes itself as "a resource for people who want to live more sustainably". Its website includes articles on sustainable living

Sustainable living

Sustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual's or society's use of the Earth's natural resources and his/her own resources. Practitioners of sustainable living often attempt to reduce their carbon footprint by altering methods of transportation, energy consumption and diet...

 and a popular forum with over 4,500 registered members.

History

The site was set up in October 2004 by the founder members. Its name came from a term used in present day English to describe a person, whose aim it is to cut down on consumer goods and live a more self-reliant and sustainable lifestyle. A year after Downsizer's establishment, the Essex Chronicle remarked on the site's growth, observing that it had "tapped into an increasing awareness and interest in the impact our lives have on the environment". It has continued to grow, and has over 4,500 users registered on its forum as of July 2011.

Content

Downsizer.net is a not-for-profit online community, a resource for people who want to live more sustainably. Like-minded individuals can visit the forums to discuss matters of self-sufficiency and sustainability amongst other things. The website also includes many articles related to downsizing issues including the following:

• Growing fruit and vegetables
• Raising livestock
• Recipes, Preserving, Homebrewing / Winemaking
• Foraging for wild foods
• Energy Efficiency & Construction
• Fishing Shooting & Trapping
• Recycling Conservation & Environment

Reviews

The website received a positive assessment from Alison Cork in The Observer

The Observer

The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...

, who commented on the variety of topics discussed by members and concluded, "Whether you're an individual wanting to live a more sustainable lifestyle or a small business trying to get an appreciative market for your ethical product or service, you'd be hard pushed not to find something of interest."

A more negative stance was taken by Steve Lowe and Alan McArthur, authors of Is It Just Me Or Is Everything Shit?

Is It Just Me Or Is Everything Shit

Is It Just Me or Is Everything Shit?: The Encyclopedia of Modern Life is a book by Steve Lowe and Alan McArthur. It was published in Britain in 2005. The authors give satirical criticisms of people, places, institutions and phenomena seen in modern British life. Subjects include Live 8, 50 Cent,...

(2005). In an article in The Sunday Times

The Sunday Times (UK)

The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...

to promote their book, they presented the interest of "burnt-out stockbrokers" in the advice provided by Downsizer as an instance of the "mediocrity" of contemporary British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

culture.