what is “lohas”?

LOHAS L ifestyles O f H ealth A nd S ustainability

What is LOHAS? LOHAS is a recognised demographic/market segment in the United States, Western Europe, and some Asian countries, including Japan, Singapore and Taiwan. (I first heard the term in 2007, from a German co-worker.) Members:

• value sustainable living (prudent use of Earth’s resources) • value “green” (ecological) initiatives • generally comprise a relatively upscale and well-educated population segment

Many members of the LOHAS segment also have an interest in “New Age” goods and services*, such as:

• yoga • meditation • t’ai chi ch’uan (tai chi) • positive visualization (mind-body connection) • nature as a spiritually healing force • alternative medicine (now increasingly referred to as complementary medicine): reiki; massage; Ayurvedic; traditional Chinese medicine

(TCM), including acupuncture

A related concept with significant crossover is LOVOS (Lifestyles Of VOluntary Simplicity)

* New Age: a fairly modern Western spiritual movement whose precepts draw on Eastern and Western spiritual traditions, psychology, and metaphysics. At the core of New Age is a holistic worldview emphasizing that environment, mind, spirit and body are all interconnected. (The term New Age refers to the coming astrological Age of Aquarius.)

Origins of LOHAS The Whole Earth Catalog could probably be thought of as the first LOHAS publication, although the term “LOHAS” did not exist at the time.

The WEC was a U.S. counterculture catalog published by Stewart Brand between 1968 and 1998. Brand believed in renovating American industrial society along ecologically and socially just lines. The WEC collected information about tools, concepts and do-it-yourself projects in line with this mission.

One link between the WEC (and the 1960s roots of LOHAS) and modern public consciousness came in the 2005 commencement speech by Steve Jobs at Stanford University. Jobs said, “When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. … It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along. It was idealistic and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.” http://youtu.be/D1R-jKKp3NA?t=12m46s

Other trailblazing LOHAS publications …

Mother Earth News http://www.motherearthnews.com/ - started 1970 by John and Jane Shuttleworth in 1970, on a budget

of $1,500 - approaches environmental problems from a down-to-earth,

practical, simple living, how-to standpoint - pioneer in the promotion of renewable energy, recycling, family

farms, saner agricultural practices, better eating habits, medical self-care

- eventually acquired by Ogden Publications, in 2001 - embraced the revived interest in the back-to-the-land movement at

the beginning of the 1970s (and in the late 2000s), also the ecologymovement and self-sufficiency

- left of center perspective, attracted a wide readership, not only of back to the landers but also hippies, survivalists and suburban

- dwellers who dreamed of someday moving to the country, to long-time rural dwellers who found the DIY articles useful.

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Mother Earth News Facebook page

BackHome Magazine http://www.backhomemagazine.com/

• Spun off from Mother Earth News in 1990, by former Mother Earth News employees who quit Mother Earth News when it was taken over by a major publisher

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Mother Earth Living http://www.motherearthliving.com/#axzz2wzR7LNmC

• for beginners, people new to LOHAS, city dwellers, crafty look and feel

• articles focus on decorating, organizing, cooking, health and beauty, and “gentle fitness,” plus some smaller-scale do-it-yourself projects, but with an eye toward natural, organic, non-toxic and sustainable practices and products

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Mother Earth Living Facebook page

Both in name and style, Mother Earth Living strikes me as a combination of Mother Earth News and …

… Martha Stewart Living http://www.marthastewart.com/

• Started in 1990, features tie-in with various TV shows (hosted by Martha Stewart) since 1993

• From 2004 to 2013, has failed to make a profit (except in 2007)

• High-end cooking, decorating, hosting, crafts • Complicated projects made easy • Focus on presentation, high-end food, time-

saving, very little focus on organics, natural foods, vegetarianism, alternative medicine or ecology

Financial crisis of 2008 forced a lot of people into LOHAS, or into its cousin, LOVOS (Lifestyles Of VOluntary Simplicity) http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/04/02/business/economy/economy-user-photos.html#/home-11124/

Online publications: http://grist.org

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/

http://naturallyella.com/

http://www.saragoldenthal.com/

THE END – THANK YOU J

what is “lohas”?

Environment