The lease has come up for renewal for a very popular pub called the Wheatsheaf in Tooting, south London, in a prime location opposite Tooting Bec tube station. Read more

Review of Why Marx Was Right, by Terry Eagleton. Yes, we’re all looking for alternatives to capitalism – it destroys democracy, it eats nature and it’s vacuous – but you don’t have to have read any philosophy or economics Read more

We’ve had a bit of a heads-up from a Lowimpact.org partner (who wants to remain anonymous) and family who have been looking for land to start a smallholding for years, and are finally buying a bit of Scotland on the Cowal peninsula in Argyllshire. Read more

Here’s a story. Some of you may know it, but I’m guessing that most people don’t, which is surprising because it has enormous importance for the way we live today, and how our children might live in the future. Read more

I’m writing this listening to a blackbird singing. Short bursts of song, a different tune every time. The blackbird occasionally drops down to the lawn, pecks around, pulls out a worm and flies off to eat it. Read more

Dear friends, How many times have we asked you to write to your MP, European or otherwise? Never, that’s how many. So this is a first. It’s a plea to take 5 minutes out of your bank holiday weekend Read more

How many people do you know these days whose work involves traditional craft skills? For every craftsperson in the UK, there must be a couple of thousand working in telesales. Read more

On the day of Mrs Thatcher’s funeral she will receive many plaudits and much abuse. I don’t think that there is any merit in rejoicing in the death of a woman who believed that she was doing the right thing Read more

(Image: the wonderful Marty Two Bulls). Article in the Guardian today pleading the case for fracking by someone purporting to be ‘green’. He says that: ‘the toxic sludges brought back to the surface can cause pollution’ Read more

Roger Scruton is probably the nation’s most famous right-wing philosopher. So you might find it surprising that as a director of an environmental organisation, I found a lot to agree with in this book. Read more

Are the US and the UK free countries? Can there be true freedom if too much wealth (including land) is allowed to accumulate in too few hands? Imagine 100 households living on 500 acres. Read more

When we complain that green/spiritual/progressive ideas are not represented in the mainstream, let me tell you about the Jonathan Ross show on Saturday night (and you can’t get any more mainstream than that – it’s the epicentre of mainstream). Read more

What I want to argue is that these are superb movements, promoting as they do, ways of living that are oriented towards nature, co-operation, and face-to-face contact in local communites. Read more

With thanks to Paul Mobbs. On Dec 13th, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey gave the green light to fracking in the UK to extract shale gas. Read more

Do you know what glyphosate is? It’s a herbicide developed by Monsanto, sold under the trade name Roundup – the most widely-used pesticide in the world. Genetically-engineered (Roundup ready) soy has been developed to tolerate glyphosate. Read more

This is my response to a marketing lady I met at the Royal Festival Hall last week, who will remain anonymous (unless you want to reveal yourself). You are very intelligent, and you care – our target audience, in other words. Read more

Here’s the story. The Ecological Land Co-op are trying to start a little cluster of smallholdings with eco-dwellings on the Devon/Somerset border. We support this venture wholeheartedly Read more

We’ve just had a fantastic course here this weekend – how to make bread, butter and cheese. The breadmaking part of the course was provided by Katherine Hallewell (above). She and a friend have a small bakery in Stroud, and they make bread for local people. Read more

A very big welcome to Lowimpact.org to all our new subscribers who found us at Grand Designs Live, London 2012 – enjoy exploring, and we look forward to seeing you on a course or meeting you in the forums very soon. Read more