Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the frequently asked questions. Some have come up time and again so this is our best attempt to answer them while also getting things straight in our heads! Some questions deserve a much more detailed response. For those ones we will slowly add links to blog posts with greater elaboration.

Live

What do you mean by “one planet living”?

This refers to living a lifestyle that would be sustainable if adopted by everyone in the world. In other words, using no more than our share of resources and producing little enough harm, that we could be supported idefinitely without degrading other living and non-living systems. It ties into the concepts of global footprints and planetary boundaries. Unfortunately the current Australian lifestyle would require about eight Earths if adopted by everyone, so the only fair way forward requires degrowth in some form or another.

What are planetary boundaries?

They are the limits to which we can consume and pollute without destabilizing earth’s life support systems. The concept was developed by the Stockholm Resilience Institute in 2009 and has been the subject of detailed investigations and refinement since then. As of 2025 we have breached 7 of the 9 categories, most by a substantial degree, which points to growing certainty about the end of the stable and mild conditions that have supported humans for the past 10,000 years.

What is degrowth?

It is an academic and social movement aimed at the planned reduction of production and consumption as a solution to the multiple environmental and social crises arising from the current economic model. Policy goals include reducing environmental impacts, redistributing income and wealth within and between countries, and encouraging a shift from materialistic and competitive values to a festive and participatory society. In this post I reviewed Less is More by Jason Hickel, which is an excellent introduction to the topic.

What do you do for work?

As at the end of 2025 Jon works a few hours per week as a mechatronic engineer, primarily in factory automation. He is also a qualified high-school teacher, but has not yet taught outside of the training program. Emelie is finishing her last term as a high school teacher. She has been teaching engineering and unmanned aviation to seniors four days per week. We will both likely work in relief / casual teaching for a day or so here and there in the new year to fit around other plans.

Surely you’re too young to retire. How is that possible?

We will be more or less retired at 41, at least that’s the plan. We are certainly lucky to have been born in Australia in the time we were and to have been given the opportunities we have. The main thing that makes this possible though is how modestly we live and have lived most of our lives. We have been very deliberate about keeping our expenses low and minimising interest payments and fees.

Do you have an inheritance or other large passive income?

We received some financial support from Emelie’s parents to contribute to our house deposit, but since then, the money and investments we now hold are thanks to our saving habits and the behaviour of the property and share markets. Our total net worth now allows us to live the lifestyle we have chosen from a modest rate of return and continue to give away a substantial amount each year.

Wouldn’t you like to be able to “live it up”?

We feel like we have a very luxurious lifestyle the way we live now. A holiday in Europe was our reward for paying off our mortgage and surving 10 years of marriage. But we just coudn’t enjoy the experience while concious of our privilege in being able to make that trip, the unfair burden our travel and spending was putting on our natural systems. We were also conscious of how many extra months we would have to work to recover the costs and how much good our money could have done if given to effective charities rather than airlines and hotel chains.

How do you spend your time?

There are parts of the year where it feels like there is hardly any free time at all. Parents of school-age will know what I’m talking about. Our kids both play soccer and participate in scouts with their associated training, games and camps. Jon enjoys a game of squash and an online zoom discussion about the future once a fortnight. Emelie joins zumba and Brazilian zouk classes every week. We have community meetings and boardgame events once a month. Every second month we join the repair cafe and also host a themed party or festival at home. We help out neighbours, divert food waste and replenish the local hole-in-wall foodbank.

The vast majority of our travel is by bike or train, so it generally takes longer to get to and from activities and shops. The cool of the afternoon is sometimes spent in the veggie garden or scratch cooking. Jon spends a large portion of his time, reading, writing, recording and editing for this website and our YouTube channel. Everyone in the house reads voraciously and we play games together once or twice a week. On Sunday afternoons we cook together, often veganish pizza and rearrange our furniture to watch a movie.

Wait, you don’t have a TV or streaming?

That’s right. We have never owned a television. We did share a streaming service for a couple of years, but it was only used for our family movie night. It is our view that large scale consumption of mainstream media is a highly destructive practice that eats away at confidence, creates unnecessary comparisons and envy and twists our view of reality. Yes, the internet and social media has become much the same and we are looking for balance in how much exposure we all have to it.

Why do you focus on plant-based foods?

Do you miss meat?

Wouldn’t it be cheaper to throw it out and buy another one?

Yes. Often. When we consider only the immediate cost in dollar value. But that is the thinking that has created the immense challenge we now face. Instead we need to consider the true cost, which includes the whole chain of extraction, exploitation, destruction and pollution, most of which is not reflected in the price tag. When we repair something we add value to it and often gain more again, in terms of new skills and understanding.

Are you religious?

No. We ascribe to many of the same values espoused across the religions we are familiar with, but maintain a secular worldview. We support many and varied religions and philosophies and encourage practicioners of each faith to seek guidance in their holy books on giving to others and protecting our environment.

Are you antivax?

No. We are pro-science and thus pro vaccination. This doesn’t mean we follow every trend or recommendation without due consideration. But we trust in the concensus when backed by thorough research and field trials. If the risks and likely costs of medical intervention of any nature are lower than non-intervention then we will intervene.

Give

How much do you give to charity?

It has varied from one year to the next, but our goal is to give at least 25% of our combined income, which we easily surpassed in 2024. With our income shrinking as we move out of regular work in 2026 we will move instead to giving a portion of our wealth rather than our income, whichever turns out to be greater. Jon has committed to 2%. Emelie has not made a numerical commitment at the time of writing.

How can you afford to give so much away?

We live modestly and have always done so, allowing us to build a decent net worth. The returns allow us to live how we like and still give plenty away. We wrote more about our spending and philosophy in a blog post.

Do you ever regret giving money away?

We had some reservations during the start of the COVID lockdowns where there was a fair degree of economic uncertainty. Jon wondered if he would still be employed in 6 months. But after doing some budgeting he realised there were plenty of other ways we could save that wouldn’t really have any impact on my lifestyle or my family’s. It felt even better to give that year, knowing how hard the recipients also had it.

Why are you so public about giving?

Jon: Peter Singer’s reminder that sharing our giving habits can actually help others overcome inertia really stuck with me. I realised that staying quiet was, in its own way, a missed opportunity. So I made it public, not for praise, but because I can handle a bit of eye-rolling if it means someone else decides to give. I’d already been giving for years when I took the Pledge, but signing it was a way to say, “This matters. It works. You can do it too.” If lives are saved because I spoke up, it’s absolutely worth it.

Shouldn’t you be spending extra money on your kids?

Jon: I’m confident in the research that shows children who grow up without a silver platter have better long-term outcomes on all measures, provided they receive the appropriate emotional support. And even with our relatively frugal lifestyle, our kids have vastly more stuff and opportunities than we did as children and more than the majority of children do now. There is still potential challenging discussions ahead, such as deciding how much we should spend “perfecting” Dani’s smile through cosmetic dental work.

What about your own health expenses in old age?

We have both thought about this at some length and cannot justify spending potentially hundreds of thousands on prolonging our lives or improving our comfort by a handful of years, while a billion people remain in absolute poverty. They are afflicted with every imaginable malady and have no hope of averting it without outside support. We have already lived very full and rewarding lives and would rather a graceful or perhaps messy exit when the time comes.

How long have you been donating regularly to charity?

We started regular giving in early adulthood. At first this was the typical $30/month to one or two charities at a time. It grew to 5% of our income once we commenced professional work. We progressively increased our giving up to last year, with a focus shifting to the most effective charities aligned with our values. We also give smaller amounts sporadically to charities that our friends and family are fund-raising for, to encourage the spirit of giving.

Why do you give to the charities that you do?

We choose most based on their effectiveness. This is a consideration of how much good they can do for each dollar spent. They are externally audited and rigorously tested. And some charities are 100s of times more effective than others. For example it costs of approximately AUD80 for tracoma surgery to cure somone of blindness in the poorest countries. Compare this to AUD50,000 for training a guide dog in Australia.

Why don’t you give more to local charities?

We believe all people deserve dignity and the same consideration. People don’t choose the circumstances they were born into. If we can help 100 people instead of 1, in our view that is the right thing to do.

Do you give back to community in any other ways?

Absolutely. Giving is just one piece of the puzzle. We live in a way that reflects our values and doing what we can to inspire others. Some of that is by modeling such as being kind at every opportunity, cycling instead of driving, eating plant-based, sharing tools, fixing instead of replacing, and consuming consciously. We also advocate for sustainability and generosity at work and school, in our community, in letters to government, and of course through this project. We encourage our kids to think critically about fairness, climate, and compassion. And we donate blood as often as possible, volunteer at a Repair Cafe and help out friends, neighbours and strangers. Sometimes that’s fixing things, cooking for them, lending tools or finding new owners for unwanted stuff. Other times it is simply presence.

Move

What is your big travel plan?

Why do you hitchhike rather than take the train?

Do you own a car?

When are you going to Asia?

Why don’t you just fly?

Are you going to buy a boat?

Why don’t you count the emissions from the vehicles you hitchhike in?

Isn’t it hypocritical to rely on fossil fuel vehicles when hitchhiking?

How do the emissions of different forms of transport actually compare?

There is a huge difference the per-person emissions for the various modes we compared. Here is a quick video Jon put together comparing the modes for travel from Airlie to Sydney. A flight would produce over 1100kg CO2-e, while hitchhiking would be less than 5kg.

These figures do not factor in the emissions and other impacts associated with the manufacture of the vehicles and their infrastructure. This adds a substantial overhead for all privately owned vehicles and a less significant, though still notable overhead for mass transport.

Why do you sleep rough when travelling?

Freedom. confidence building

Have you done this sort of thing before?

Brisbane to Broome. BZE. Ozquest. Asia cycling.

Reflect

What do you care most about?

Fairness is the singular value that most other concerns boil down to. This is why we care for protecting our planet and using no more than our share. It is why we are driven to give what we can to those who have the least and why we encourage others to do so. It is why we look to the most disadvantaged and marginalised and try to include them in our considerations. The causes that reflect this most closely are those supporting the poorest children in the world, especially girls. And degrowth for the majority of the worlds population, especially the wealthiest 10%, which includes us and likely includes you dear reader. We are disproportionately responsible for consumption and emmissions, and thus empowered to make the greatest difference.

What is the connection between sustainability and charitable giving?

What are your visions for the future?

Jon: I see a future where success, whether for an individual, a company, or a nation, is measured by the welfare it creates, the lives it uplifts, the resilience it fosters. Where technology serves us instead of enslaving us. Where we embrace personal sufficiency and celebrate public luxury: clean air, thriving ecosystems, good health, shared creativity, meaningful work, and strong communities.

I see an awakening. A rising of purpose beyond profit. A shift in what we value, teach, and reward. Where aggressive and divisive rhetoric is met not with outrage, but with calm, united indifference, or even warmth and compassion. Where conflict becomes an opportunity for deeper understanding and appreciation of the other party.

I see humankind reuniting with the living world. Restoring our place within nature rather than above it. And I imagine us, many generations from now, thriving together with enough wisdom, kindness, and solidarity to face whatever geological or interstellar challenges come our way. Not just surviving, but rising. Together. Not as separate tribes or competing interests, but as one species, on one fragile, beautiful planet.

What are you most inspired by?

Jon: I’m most inspired by the people I’ve met who have dealt with the most devastating trials you could imagine and have emerged with a positive outlook on the world and continue to strive to help others. I met and wrote about several people fitting this description while hitchhiking this year and another while sleeping rough in Airlie. The books The Most Good You Can Do by Peter Singer and Less is More by Jason Hickel were also very motivating. I only recently discovered US activist Robin Greenfield, but have a lot of respect for the work he is doing and the integrity he has shown. You can see more of the books, blogs and channels that inform and motivate us on our resources page. Or follow the stories of people we have interviewed.

What do your kids think about your plans?

Why all the focus on instincts?

The instincts blog series is intended to help understand the origins of our automatic behaviours. Knowledge is power and the hope is that a greater understanding will allow us to adjust and adapt our behaviours towards a kinder and healthier future by nurturing particular instincts and tuning down others.

Aren’t you worried about taking your kids out of school?

Jon was a little concerned so looked into the possible negative impacts. He wrote about his research here. Emelie was confident from the start that they would gain experiences more valuable than school, but was a bit worried about how being away from their friends might affect them. She spoke with her childhood friend about the friends experience living for a year in Indonesia as a child and was pleased to learn it was overall a positive one.