Living Simply Doesn't Mean Living Poorly: Three Alumni Reveal Their Convictions and Experiences with Choosing to Scale Down
By Hannah Fischer

Early in their marriage, Becky Fishburn, '77, and her husband Stan, '75, committed to living with only basic necessities and not spending money on status symbols, such as new cars or trendy clothing.

Voluntary non-materialism was the name they gave their decision to live simply; it was an expression of faith they learned while attending Whitworth.

 "It's about understanding our human relationship to God's creation and how we respond with our lifestyle," Becky Fishburn said.

They began working at Tall Timber Ranch in the spring of 1980. The camp near Leavenworth, Wash., located six miles up an unpaved road, was accessible only by cross- country skis in winter. The young couple lived in a one-bedroom, 80-year-old log cabin without a telephone or running water.

Chasing the American dream has many Westerners caught up in materialism and losing time for relationships. Some Americans are trying to step back from this rush and embrace simplicity. The concept itself has infinite meanings and can range from extreme simplicity—living in a backwoods cabin without running water—to simply choosing to unclutter a schedule of excess commitments. Those practicing simple living, and their reasons for simplifying, are as diverse as the concept itself.

Living simply doesn't mean living poorly, but those who simplify may choose to do so from biblical convictions, ecological concerns, or a desire for time with family. A common thread is their confession that simple living is rarely ever simple, but takes effort and intentionality.

Living Simply Out of Debt
One of the key issues of living simply is living within your means, and not accumulating debt. Staying out of debt allows more freedom to maintain chosen priorities. Early in their marriage the Fishburns had committed to stay out of debt.

"We decided we're going to buy things because they function, not because they are status symbols," Becky Fishburn said. They didn't have a credit card. When they needed a car, they saved for it. If they could not save enough for something they needed, they picked up a short-term job. They even lived in a friend's basement for a short time to cut costs.

By staying out of debt, they kept themselves open to God's leading so that when the Presbyterian Church asked them to live at and establish Tall Timber Ranch, they were able to. A grant from the church provided them with a $500 a month for two years.

"We spent time focusing on the relationship rather than paying the bills," she said. Looking back on those years, Becky Fishburn said building their marriage in a small cabin six miles up an unpaved road helped them weather the storms that naturally arose later in their lives.

She hates seeing young couples deep in debt, trying desperately to pay the bills each month. Debt dictates their choices and limits their options, she said.

Living Simply in Community
Sheri Noah, '77, lives on a farm. She and her husband, David Hacker, are the directors of Campbell Farm, a Presbyterian mission station on the Yakima Indian Reservation. She will be the first to admit that living simply requires more work. She wakes up before 6 a.m. to teach teens how to care for chickens, pick raspberries and make apple pies from the small harvest in their orchard.

Their camp motto, "Caring for God's World from the Ground Up," hints at the work that goes into operating a farm, investing themselves in the surrounding community, and coordinating service projects for hundreds of youth.

Every summer more than 400 teens from youth groups around the nation come through the camp to work with low-income communities on the reservation, to help out on the farm, and to learn about poverty, faith and how the gospel relates to daily life.

Though Noah often has a lot on her plate, she has learned that for her, living simply means appreciating relationships and the people she meets.

"Living simply is trying not to buy into all the consumerism of America," Noah said. "It's not about having things, but about being with people. We have to learn to slow time."

Noah says she has learned more about living simply from the diverse families in the community. About 30 percent of the families on the reservation are Yakima Indian, with a similar number of Hispanic families and a small Asian population. Many of the communities around the farm are low-income, making Noah's choice to live simply easier. Noah said it's common to see a broken window go unfixed for years, simply because the family living there has more important things to invest their resources in.

For Noah, living among lower-income families and ministering to them on a regular basis reminds her that she really doesn't need all that much to live well. She has also learned how to live well from relationships she's built with people on the reservation.

"It's not so much giving as it is learning from and listening to them," Noah said.

Living Simply for Creation
For Whitworth senior Mary Eagle, '06, living simply includes carrying her own cloth shopping bags with her to the grocery store, baking her own bread, and bringing a travel coffee mug whenever she goes to Starbucks.

"It is about realizing that you can live with a lot less resources than you think you need," Eagle said, "I think simple and renewable can go hand in hand."

Eagle serves as the president of Whitworthians Acting to Sustain the Environment (WASTE), the college's environmental activism club.

She and a friend established the Environmental Action Theme House and have hosted campus events to increase awareness about recycling and other tips to living more eco-friendly. She said she enjoys the theme house because it is small enough for her to practice managing a household in keeping with simple principles.

Her latest project was to install a low-flow showerhead in her bathroom to reduce the gallons of water that the shower uses per minute: from five to 10 gallons per shower, down to two-and-a-half. The fixture combines water and pressurized air to achieve the same thick stream, but uses much less water than a normal head.

While her roommate was on a study program during January, Eagle turned the thermostat down to 64 degrees.

"I have five blankets on my bed," she said, "I like the weight so I don't mind it being a little colder in the house."

Eagle first began living simply when she realized the permanence of disposing of non-renewable waste. She wanted a more efficient way to live each day.

Everything in nature lives in cycles, Eagle said. Plastics and other products do not fit in renewable cycles, she said.

"We should follow the pattern that God created by recycling the things we've made," Eagle said.

Technology may be the answer to the problem of non-renewables, she said. Creating efficient renewable alternatives to plastics and Styrofoam means that consumers can stop relying on these products and cut down on waste. Restaurant take-out boxes could be made of plant fiber rather than Styrofoam.

Eagle wants to work with the State of Washington Department of Ecology or the Department of Health after graduation. She also wants to consult companies on resource management.

"It would be neat to eventually move the experience with the state to the business world as [businesses] have to meet more regulations and be more efficient with their resources," Eagle said.

For more information, visit The Simple Living Network at
www.simpleliving.net