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system that is being used to transform ourselves, homes, work, food , transportation,communities, government , spiritual institutions and economic systems must bebased on ecological principles of design. Ecological design principles include:1. Plan with an awareness of the endless connections of nature2. Work within natural boundaries3. Limit energy requirements to those renewable sources available from thesun, wind, and earth4. Connect your community to the local place in nature5. Use our broad historical knowledge of nature, place, and time6. Look to nature for guiding principles, patterns and processesThese design principles require a far deeper level of understanding of the systemsinherent in nature and humanity. Design manifests culture, and culture rests firmlyon the foundation of what we believe to be true about the world. Our present formsof agriculture, architecture, engineering, and industry are derived from designepistemologies incompatible with natures own. It is clear we have not given designa rich enough context. We have used design cleverly in the service of narrowlydefined human interests but neglected its relationship with our fellow creatures.(Van Der Ryn and Cowan, Ecological Design, pg. 9) Clearly something has gonewrong, as manifested in the terrible gap between rich and poor, the monstrousdestruction of the natural world that sustains us, and the thwarted initiatives of thebest among us. Still, this new design paradigm, the processes and principles ofNatural Living, offers hope as a new generation of creative people, including you andI reconnect with nature.The difficulty here seems to be that this type of design , which may be used in theprocesses of redesigning our lifestyles, requires us to take a path that may seem tobe more difficult, more complex, more costly, and more creative. All of this meansmore effort. Personally, I have long felt that one of my greatest weaknesses is mylaziness. In trying to achieve a Natural Living lifestyle, one in which I have developedand applied the eight steps, e ach day I confront my own lack of energy to getdown and do the hard work required to achieve these goals. Change is like that.Change is a form of creativity that requires more energy than might otherwise berequired.221