Lightfoot Sustainable Post sweeping the globe

Lightfoot in AmsterdamLightfoot in Amsterdam Lightfoot is about writing letters.
Real letters. Not a complex pattern of zeros and ones, transmitted via dubious technology of uncertain consequences, but real paper, written in your personal hand, carrying your scent and trace oils from your fingertips, your creativity, and your unique, one-of-a-kind style. There's something pure that inspires trust when a handwritten letter is delivered; a personal touch that strengthens your community, however far away they may be, in a way that the internet simply could never do.
With Lightfoot Sustainable Post, you can have fun staying in touch, and add extra color to your correspondence: it's no ordinary postman that arrives, but a light-footed traveler, with a smile and a story about the letter's journey. Perhaps YOU'RE the postal deputy, closing the circle of personal contact that is normally so intangible with commercial mail services. And even if you're not a deputy, you simply send mail through Lightfoot - imagine the reaction from that friend you haven't seen in months, that family member, or that lucky loved one, when they answer the door to a smiling stranger holding a note or a package especially delivered just for them. De-light-ful!
And Lightfoot is sustainable delivery - no worries about participating in an industry of waste; no "grey area" environmental safety mysteries, no "par avion" sticker. Instead of relying on oil-dependent aircraft to speed around the world leaving chemicals in their wake, your letter will be carried by a Lightfoot deputy, a trustworthy volunteer that's already headed that way, eco-friendly and traveling Light.

Write letters, connect communities.

Share your creativity, share your travels, share your space.

Protect our Earth!

Choose the Lightfoot Way!

WHAT?
Lightfoot is a postal delivery community, expanding across the globe, connecting people together and living in harmony with the Earth.
An open source service - Participate!

WHY?
Letters are great, but if all you do is drop it off at the post office, without a thought for what method they'll use to deliver it, or where your money actually goes, it's hard to tell just how much environmental impact you're having. The only real option to send post sustainably is the Lightfoot Way; which not only maintains a carbon-light footprint, but also connects people and builds community, fostering a sharing environment based on trust.

WHERE?
ANYWHERE
Casa Robino

WHEN?
NOW - Write a letter! Have it delivered absolutely free!
As for when it will be delivered, your letter will be picked up by the next person passing through and on their way to somewhere nearby the address. Time-sensitive post will require more expedient methods - coming soon: SuperFast Lightfoot Sustainable Post!

WHO?
Anyone can become a Lightfoot Postal Deputy - just drop a letter of your own in the box, and if there's one addressed to somewhere near your destination, take the Vow, and join the ranks of people who've found a better alternative to airmail consumption.

DEPUTY APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Take it seriously
Think ahead and know where to go
Travel Light! This means using alternative transport only, and stay aware while you carry a Lightfoot badge - Lightfoot deputies are true champions of the Earth!
Don't hurry
Don't settle

Lightfoot Vow: repeat the following words aloud:
"I am open, not closed. I trust myself, I trust others.
I travel Light and stay aware. I protect solidarity.
I hereby invoke my promise to deliver this parcel."

HOW?
Write more letters! Maybe a quick note to say hello, or a "Hey does this Lightfoot thing actually work?", or to let your family know you're thinking of them; maybe an inspired rant, or a profound love letter, etched with emotion or doused in hope. Anything you think to write - just reach out to someone!
Friends, family, lovers, strangers - everyone loves to get letters, and Lightfoot letters are the best kind!
Then, pick up a letter! Reach on in there and see if there's anything going your way. If so, deputize yourself and off you go! Take it seriously - people are counting on you!
Travel Light! Think about how you're living while you're carrying the letter. Walking, cycling; hitchhiking, sailing; choose sustainable methods of transportation, and be aware of the effects of your decisions.
Deliver on your Mission! Find the address and drop it off personally - make new friends, share experiences, and be the bridge that spans the gap between separated communities.

PITFALLS
When to Take a Package, Lost Packages, Unable to Deliver, Time Sensitive Items, ... ,
"Passing on the Badge" - deputizing another traveler to take over the mission (Do's and Don'ts) ...

GUIDE TO WRITING LETTERS
Be creative! Use metaphors and similes, alliteration, or other literary tricks to liven things up. Ask questions to show your interest and encourage a response. Be forthcoming and honest; a letter composition is an opportunity to be frank. It doesn't have to be perfect; it's especially true with handwritten letters that "It's the thought that counts."

Put extra information on the envelope - Lightfoot post doesn't pass through thousands of hands like a normal postal letter, so it's safe to adorn the envelope a bit. Include directions to the address or a quick note i.e. "50 km North of Paris," and if you anticipate language barriers, write a note in their language on there too. It may be appropriate to list the contents of a package, if they're perishable or if it has to cross tricky borders. Put a return address, or at least an email, on the outside; and something that says "sustainable transport only."
The envelope is an important part of your letter, so make it attractive and clever. And don't forget to recycle & reuse - second-hand paper always has more character anyway!

Never buy envelopesNever buy envelopes

Comments

sitarane's picture

% of success

I wonder how many letters do get to their destination. Be it one year later.

Don't forget that the paper comes from a tree, that the ink comes from an octopus and that the pen comes from oil-fields.

He he... Hate me now :)

lilylove's picture

More more more

hoi hoi... guaka a series of zeros and ones for this project would be delightful! The only domain found though was lightfoot.au (haha) or sustainablepost.org

I totally reckon we should have it under australia. That would be great. Lightfoot going internation already. Anyways, any help on getting this online would be well appreciated!!

And ill post up a bunch more info reallllly soon about how and where to get this whole thing in motion... love love,
x lily

xo's picture

why not

do you think about an adress like del.ico.us ? would be funny to have a web 2.0 adress like those twitter flickr et companie ><

guaka's picture

Are there any plans to

Are there any plans to create complex pattern of zeros and ones for this project?

amylin's picture

j'adore

i love lightfoot! i love hand-written letters! this only makes everything so much better!

more heart vero's picture

love it!!!

I love this idea! :-D big smile for you guys
How do we get this started? Does the letter have to reach CasaRobino to then be transported by a deputy?
How do I get in touch with deputies/ how do I know where they are going? I spontaneously decide to write my friend in Lyon if I know someone is going that way... possibilities are endless.
Love it, more info, please.

capers.als.idee's picture

:)

:)
i would so love a light foot letter, written with a light heart