Mission Statement:

The mission of The Good Life Center is to perpetuate the philosophies and lifeways promoted and exemplified by Helen and Scott Nearing, two of America's most inspirational practitioners of simple, frugal and purposeful living. Building on the Nearing legacy, The Good Life Center encourages and supports individual and collective efforts to live sustainably into the future. Guided by the principles of kindness, respect and compassion in relationships with natural and human communities, The Good Life Center promotes active participation in the advancement of social justice, creative integration of the life of the mind, body and spirit, and deliberate choice in living responsibly and harmoniously in an increasingly complicated world. The Good Life Center seeks to attain this mission through:

Conservation of the Nearings' last hand-built home, Forest Farm in Harborside, Maine, as an inspirational example of conscientious and thoughtful living in harmony with nature;

Sharing the philosophy underlying the "good life" practices at Forest Farm to encourage a diverse audience to apply this philosophy in their own distinct environments and life circumstances;

Offering residential and visiting fellowships, stewardships, and educational programs on homesteading and sustainable living at Forest Farm and other homesteads;

Extending Helen and Scott Nearing's broad social and political message by ensuring access to their publications, library and personal papers, as well as by publishing new works on related issues;

Serving as a resource and network for scholars, homesteaders, gardeners, social and political activists, and students of simple and sustainable living;

Practicing right livelihood and following simple living principles, in all pursuits, so that The Good Life Center itself models what it seeks to promote.