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Low-impact blog
Become a ‘Shifty’ – join Shift Bristol’s Practical Sustainability Course
We’ve been talking with several people recently who call themselves ‘Shifties’ – i.e. they’ve done Shift Bristol’s Practical Sustainability Course. They’re in touch with other shifties, and they all swear by it. So we’re providing more information, and inviting you to join them for the next course, starting in September.
Come to the Festival of Commoning in Stroud, Sep 12 & 13
The Festival of Commoning is a space to build the commons, together. For those of us working on the ground—building the commons, running food co-ops, fighting for digital rights, or trying to manage a shared resource—the work can feel both vital and isolating. We’re all pushing against a larger, more powerful system, often with limited resources and in our own separate silos.
‘Money commons’: review of the Collaborative Finance (CoFi) Gathering
Katja Durrani of Bristol Commons and Lowimpact.org went along to the third annual Collaborative Finance Gathering in Austria, June 16-20. It’s an annual event – everyone welcome. Alternative finance is crucial for building a successful commons movement.
Heat your home, feed your soul: cooking on a wood stove
Calling all wood burner owners! Does yours have a flat top? Have you ever looked at that steady, reliable source of heat and wondered if it could do more? Perhaps you’re exploring a more low-impact life, want to save on energy bills, or simply wish to be prepared for the occasional power cut.
What many environmentalists get wrong about the money system, and why it’s important
We can’t build a commons economy with a capitalist money system. It will block us at every turn. But to build a new money system, first we have to understand the nature of money. Matthew Slater explains. Matthew is the author of the Credit Commons Protocol and white paper, and will be appearing at the Festival of Commoning in Stroud in September.
The potential for community energy and commons in north Wales
Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org and Stroud Commons talking with Lowri Hedd-Vaughan and Phil McGrath of DEG, a group (CIC) in north Wales, who are doing interesting, commons-related things around energy and more.
How to install windows & doors into cob walls
Windows and doors open up your home to the world outside. Windows provide many different functions: they light our homes, show outside views, ventilate our homes, and let in heat from the sun. You can install any type of door or window into a cob wall. In this article, I will explain the components you’ll …
Step-by-step guides to growing 12 different kinds of fruit trees
Step-by-step guides to growing different kinds of fruit trees. Thanks to John Harrison of Allotment & Gardens. apples apricots cherries citrus fruits damsons figs greengages kiwi fruit olives peaches & nectarines pears plums
Help make the world’s first community-owned, commons climbing gym a reality
The world’s first community-owned, commons climbing gym is getting closer to reality. It will be a flagship for the commons models (around finance, governance, asset locking and federation) that we’re trialling in Stroud.
Money Commons: Review of ‘Remaking Money for a Sustainable Future’, by Ester Barinaga Martín
Remaking Money for a Sustainable Future: Money Commons by Ester Barinaga Martín was published in 2024 by Bristol University Press in its series Alternatives to Capitalism in the 21st Century. Available through Open Access, you can download it as pdf or epub here: https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/89799 The book provides an in-depth view and thorough analysis of various …
May the 4th be with you: the Empire vs the Commons Rebel Alliance
There’s a global corporate / state machine (let’s call it ‘the Empire’) that destroys nature, democracy and community, and prevents peace. None of this is planned – it’s systemic, even though Empires are always founded and led by the worst among us.
Step-by-step guides to growing 20 different herbs
Here’s a list of very easy beginners’ guides to growing a range of herbs, by John Harrison of Allotment Garden.
How the commons, unlike other movements for change, can reach working-class communities
We’ll need to produce and distribute food and other essentials, and maintain houses, energy and water infrastructure outside of the corporate system – and that requires working people to do it.
Step-by-step guides to growing 50 different vegetables
I guess an article about growing 50 of the same vegetable wouldn’t have been as interesting! So instead, here’s a list of very easy beginners’ guides to growing a range of vegetables, by John Harrison of Allotment Garden.
The fundamentals of Commoning, Part 1: Introduction
I’m interviewing Dil Green about the fundamentals of commoning. Dil is part of Mutual Credit Services (MCS) – designing models for the commons economy, that groups in Stroud and Liverpool in the UK are using in several sectors of the economy, including housing and finance.
Making local food production and land commons more viable with procurement hubs
small, local food producers are having a hard time making ends meet, because small farm incomes are falling, due to supermarkets constantly squeezing farmers/growers, to make food prices cheaper and cheaper. Here’s a potential solution.
Laying a Hedge with ‘dead hedge’ and woodchips rather than a bonfire
The first time I watched a hedge being laid was way back in the day. I vividly remember the enormous bonfire that followed, as the contractors burnt all the brash – with a little help from a can of diesel and some pallets. I saw it from Castle Cary, a good three miles away, and I thought the house had gone up. Yikes.
Green light for the UK’s first commons-owned climbing centre
Some exciting news to start the year for climbers and commoners. The UK’s first climbing commons, in Stroud, has finalised a deal with a location in Stroud, and if all goes well, there should be a commons/community-owned climbing centre opening in the summer.
How to track deer and find them in all seasons
Nature Mentoring is a North American site containing a wealth of information on how to discover simple methods for exploring the plants, birds, trees & wildlife of your natural landscape. Deer tracking is one of the great thrills of exploring the outdoors for many nature lovers like myself. The ability to find deer on a …
Commoning the flax/textile industry: Dil Green of Mutual Credit Services
I’m talking with Dil Green of Mutual Credit Services, who design models for building the commons in all sectors of the economy. Today we’re talking about building a textile commons around the flax / linen industry.