Info, news & debate
Low-impact food & drink
Reflections on building the ‘Commons’ economy
Lowimpact has been around since 2001, and we’ve provided lots of ways to help people live more sustainably. We’re going to also be focusing on how to build the ‘commons’ economy in future, as a viable alternative to the status quo.
How to make wild garlic, nettle and cheese savoury muffins
Here’s a recipe for savoury muffins using wild garlic and nettle tops that can be foraged in many places at this time of year.
How to make good apple juice
Apple juice is in some ways more difficult to make than cider, and indeed it can scarcely be regarded as a traditional product at all. Until the recognition late in the 19th century that fermentation was caused by yeast converting sugar into alcohol, the difference between juice and cider was somewhat obscure and of little practical importance in any case.
Voting with my fork: plant foods I’m not buying any more
Sometimes, I wish I didn’t know the backstory to some foods, so I could happily buy them at the local shops and not think twice. But I do and here is my list of foods I won’t be buying again plus others that will require careful buying choices.
The benefits of sprouts – living superfoods
First let’s be clear. I’m not talking about Brussels sprouts! I’m referring to different types of sprouts. I’m referring to the tiny white shoot (primary root) that emerges when a seed, bean or grain begins to germinate and begins to grow into a vegetable.
Building the new economy with mutual credit in Costa Rica
Here’s a conversation with Emmanuel Savard, co-founder of a group in Costa Rica that’s looking at providing all the essentials of life – food production, housing and energy – for their town via regenerative, non-extractive, sustainable, community-based exchange and investment models.
Why we should support small fishing boats over super-trawlers, Part 3
Here’s the third and final part of my interview with Caroline Bennett, founder of ‘Sole of Discretion’ (a community interest company that sells fish caught by a collective of small fishing boats in Devon) about why we should support small fishing boats over giant super-trawlers. We’re talking about how government quotas benefit super-trawlers and disadvantage …
Why we should support small fishing boats over super-trawlers, Part 2
Here’s Part 2 of my interview with Caroline Bennett, founder of ‘Sole of Discretion’, a community interest company that sells fish caught by a collective of small fishing boats in Devon. Here we talk about the life of small fishing boat skippers.
12 reasons why industrial-scale agriculture is driving environmental destruction
In this article, the LWA’s Horticulture Campaigns Coordinator Rebecca Laughton explains why we have to produce and trade a greater percentage of food locally.
Want to work for a great veg box scheme in the south of England?
Want to work for a great veg box scheme in the south of England? Actually it’s our veg box scheme. And it’s a bag not a a box. Each week we get a bag full of organic fruit and veg from Sutton Community Farm. If you live in south London, I really recommend them. Lovely …
How ‘chamas’ and mutual credit are changing Africa: Shaila Agha of Grassroots Economics
Today I’m talking with Shaila Agha of Grassroots Economics and the Sarafu Network about ‘chamas’ and mutual credit, and how they’re changing Africa.
Can organic farming feed the world?
Now there’s a question – posed by Chris Smaje of the Ecoogical Land Co-op. Chris joined the board of the ELC as Dave of Lowimpact left, and since then Chris has produced a book called A Small Farm Future, which we review here. Members of Lowimpact have become involved in the world of mutual credit, …
Food preservation methods to make the most of seasonal produce: Part 3
Keen to plan ahead to make the most of seasonal produce this year? We share a season-by-season exploration of food preservation methods, in a last instalment from our friends at Ethical.net.
Food preservation methods to make the most of seasonal produce: Part 2
From drying and canning to pickling, bottling and more, Ethical.net share a second instalment of food preservation methods to make the most of seasonal produce throughout the year.
Food preservation methods to make the most of seasonal produce: Part 1
Keen to make the most of seasonal produce? We learn about the what and why of traditional food preservation methods with Ethical.net, beginning with the humble larder and root cellar.
Are squirrels or pigeons ‘food’, and should we reintroduce pine martens?
OK, so this isn’t really about squirrels or pigeons – it’s about any animal; we’re back to the veganism vs meat-eating discussion. But just focusing on squirrels and pigeons for the moment, I guess everyone accepts that they are of course food for other animals. They’re in a food chain, after all. Pine martens don’t …
Review of ‘A Small Farm Future’ by Chris Smaje
Industrial agriculture and giant monoculture farms dominate our food sector. But does it have to be that way? Could and should we build a new kind of food system based on small farms? This new book, ‘A Small Farm Future’ published by Chelsea Green, outlines what a post-covid, post-capitalist society might look like, built around …
September forage of the month: elderberry elixir
With autumn approaching, Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares one of her all-time favourite recipes for an elderberry elixir.
We need to completely close down industrial animal agriculture
Industrial agriculture is cruel to animals, cruel to people who work in it, it damages the environment and concentrates wealth in very few hands. I guess if you’re reading this, you know that already, and I don’t have to explain it. The problem is, it’s still there, doing its vile stuff every day. What do …
Our policy on keeping animals & eating meat
Our topics include vegetarianism and veganism, but also keeping animals (for meat, dairy, eggs, honey, wool, leather, work etc); and also fishing and hunting animals in the wild. Is this incongruous? As a sustainability / new economy organisation, should we be promoting only veganism, rather than the keeping and/or eating of animals?