About Nara

My research of genuine humanness is as intimate as it can be—I am my own guinea pig. I have practiced natural human living for over two decades.

I share my experiences in the book Human: Instructions for Use (first published in 2007 in Slovenian, now a bestseller in its seventh reprint). Nara=Human, a documentary about my life and work was filmed in 2016.

I live a life of radical simplicity without shoes, chairs, tables, toothbrushes, soaps, toilets … but I also engage with mainstream society by building healthy communities and supporting a clean environment.

I inspired and co-organized a nationwide cleanup in 2010 that united 13.5% of the population of my home country, Slovenia, to collect 20,000 tons of waste in one single day.

I went on to work for the World Cleanup Day 2018 campaign, training representatives from more than 100 countries to do similar cleanups in their countries. On September 15, 2018, 17 million people participated in cleanups in more than 150 countries. And the World Cleanup Day movement continues to mobilize millions for a great cause…

Between 2010 and 20223, my work towards healthy communities mostly unfolded within the Global Ecovillage Network. From 2015 to 2020 I served on the council of ECOLISE, the European Network for Community-led Initiatives on Climate Change and Sustainability, and from 2020 to 2022 as a Research Officer. I also co-founded Sunny Hills of Istria, a community project in Slovenia where, during these years, I lived half of my time practicing luxurious simplicity. My other home was a small community in Vermont, USA.

I’ve facilitated and organized many conferences and workshops, lectured and taught cooking courses… I have a toolkit of methodologies to support groups and individuals to have a better life and to work better together. I contributed to CLIPS (Community Learning Incubator Programme for Sustainability) and Ecovillage Transition in Action. I’m a Dragon Dreaming trainer.

2023 marked a transition with a deep immersion in writing.

I have published six books in Slovenian, written hundreds of articles, and translated twenty books.

I speak five languages well … and another six less so.

When people come in contact with my extra-cultural* lifestyle they realize it’s possible to participate in a culture and be free from its oppression. This is a source of hope that we may, someday, consciously redesign our society, based on true wisdom and love for life.

* Extra-cultural: The values, beliefs and habits which rest outside the perception, or acknowledgement of a given culture.

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Meet Cynthia

Cynthia was a wonderful partner on my barefoot adventures for over 6 years. She helped edit my English writing and maintain this website. You can learn more about Cynthia and her work with sustainable communities at cynthiatina.com.

Cynthia’s website

Learn More

Here are a few articles to help you get to know me and my work.

Who is Nara Petrovic?

When I decided to become my own guinea pig of genuine humanness my whole life suddenly made sense.

Climate Doom and Activism

News from the recent Climate Change and Consciousness Conference at Findhorn, Scotland.

Radically decreasing dependency…

on unnecessary necessities of modern society without stopping engagement in that same society.

What readers have to say…

The first English edition of Human was published in 2019. Learn more about it here!

The latest book by Nara Petrovič
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