LIMITS Pattern Language

Radical transformations require revisiting our fundamental assumptions; cleaning up unnecessary confusion and re-establishing the beauty and wonder in the world that had been nearly forgotten.

Dematerialization was meant to diminish resource use by finding digital alternatives, rematerialization means promoting an understanding of the resource use of digital infrastructure, designing it so fewer natural resources are used and wasted.

The art and practice of design must recognize sustainability as both ends and means in designing the objects, systems, and services we need. The ethic of Sustainable Design suggests that future existence — as well as justice and beauty for humans and for the rest of nature —should be possible.

Because wicked problems can't be solved through universal or precise approaches for all times, think about "interventions" not "solutions" and be aware that further actions will always be necessary.

Stories have the power to link many threads into a coherent whole that can animate and reveal hidden purposes. To link many threads into a coherent whole we must weave words and images, scientific information and poetic inspiration, and incorporate multiple voices to tell multi-faceted stories of our earth communities.

A worldwide network of Thinking Communities that brings people together in groups that build on common purpose and cooperative spirit will be critical as we search for sustainable solutions to the problems of our complex global society.

Although information and communication may seem abstract and immaterial, the systems that support them are built with solid things whose manufacture and disposal cause significant environmental damage that must be acknowledged and addressed.

Countries and other powerful entities sometimes ignore international law and other norms of acceptable behavior. NGOs and other groups face tremendous hurdles when challenging these actions. Citizens' Tribunals—which are part legal proceedings and part theater—can provide a public way to "speak truth to power."

Through the telling of stories that can't be told in other ways, the Arts of Resilience pattern can help build new worlds.

This pattern, itself an example of an appropriate mitigation action, can be used in communities, big and small, rich and poor to develop approaches that fit their specific circumstances.

Identifying and presenting Appropriate Mitigation Actions develops guidelines and provides examples that diverse communities can build on. (Inspired by UN Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions)

Social and environmental issues are inextricably intertwined. Neither can be addressed without addressing the other. This pattern focuses on how those linkages manifest and what can be done to address both effectively and simultaneously.

Some social change agendas and strategies can be derived from our cultural firmament, i.e. folklore, indigenous texts, religious doctrines and traditional spiritual practices. This pattern focuses on how grounding one's public engagement in this way can lead to productive and insightful action.

An anarchist approach to an environmentally friendly use of technology; decentralised, powered by renewable energy, non-coercive, adapted to specific local needs, small scale, multipurpose in order to avoid under-use and shared among communities.

A holistic approach to computing and sustainability, taking inspiration from permaculture. It values small and efficient software, as well as hardware maintenance, repair and planned longevity; it aims at only using computing when it has a strengthening effect on ecosystems.

Computing making use of locally available, discarded hardware, transforming it into a renewed resource. It involves hardware repair and maintenance, as well as the development and maintenance of open source software for older devices.

Constraints often spur creativity and innovation. A focus on limits helps replace some unwarranted notions with ones that promote deeper thinking about common purpose.

We all share mother earth and what one person does, for better or worse, affects others. Commoning provides benefits that corporations can’t provide such as healthy ecosystems, economic security, stronger communities and a participatory culture.

Local knowledge refers to the contextual knowledges of the people about themselves and their situations. Often times, they know more about the problem(s) than experts. Thus, by taking into account practices that exist at local/regional levels, this pattern could serve as a model for transition towards a sustainable circular economy.

A general design framework, inspired by appropriate technology, that aims at computing systems that are less likely to produce harm to the ecosystem and subsequently human society, by asking who benefits and who suffers from the drawbacks.

Software engineering taking advantage of today’s abundance in computing power to prepare for a future in which current infrastructures have collapsed.. The aim is to develop a set of methods, metrics and tools to design for collapse, which can already benefit us today.

A 'concept in the making' aiming at degrowing economies by reducing the throughput of energy and resources, which can be applied to the design of computing systems in order to reduce their energy footprint and resource consumption.

Enoughness challenges the cornucopian paradigm by emphasizing the positive consequences of limiting the use of computing and/or connectivity, such as the improvement of our relationships, digital wellbeing, productivity at work, and online privacy.

Repair of computing devices is a valuable pathway to energy and material conservation. It reduces the need for newly produced devices, thus reducing pollution and resource use in the entire production chain, requiring action in the arenas of design, manufacturing, policy, and practice.