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    Personal development posts

    Fly away: reflections on Westerners abroad

    Fly away, plug in to your chosen third world metropolis with the arrogant urgency that accompanies our civilisation, departure lounge to lounge, no sense of progression or gradual change necessary within this flying tube. Read more

    Latest news on proposed community / housing co-op / eco-centre in the Midlands

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 20-Jan-2016 | 27

    A week ago, we posted about a large, 50-room Victorian mansion with lodge house, stable block, the largest walled garden we’ve ever seen, and 21 acres of woodland that was up for sale on the Worcestershire / Shropshire border. Read more

    Would you like to be involved in the setting up of a new community and eco-centre in the English Midlands?

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 13-Jan-2016 | 71

    Not far from Worcester is a stunning Grade II mansion house, 50+ rooms, stable blocks, 2-bed detatched gatehouse, 21 acres of woodland plus huge walled garden. Lowimpact.org, plus other like-minded organisations, would like to secure it as an intentional community Read more

    It’s time to listen to the prophets

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 25-Dec-2015 | 7

    Today, Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of their prophet. We’re not sure of the date of Jesus’s birth or even whether he definitely existed – but that’s not the important point. The important point is his message of anti-imperialism and love. Read more

    3 shopping days to Christmas – a plea not to buy any more tat

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 22-Dec-2015 | 2

    Last minute Christmas shopping? Well, this is our last-minute plea for you not to do it. I was recently invited to a party with a ‘secret Santa’ that invited people to buy presents for less than £5. It’s a nice thought, but it inevitably resulted in a barrage of plastic trinkets that won’t last until… Continue reading 3 shopping days to Christmas – a plea not to buy any more tat Read more

    What might poultry farms and human society look like if chickens and humans weren’t treated as machines to maximise profit?

    Paul Jennings of Criafolen | 10-Dec-2015 | 1

    Making use of biological resources, or renewable resources and services as David Holmgren characterises them, is an important principle of Permaculture Design. ‘Renewable services (or passive functions) are those we gain from plants, animals and living soil and water without them being consumed.’ Read more

    Free event in Oxfordshire this Sunday using game theory to explore Trident and the potential for nuclear conflict

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 19-Nov-2015 | 2

    An experimental day looking at aspects of game theory in parallel with discussions around the replacement of the Trident nuclear deterrent. Read more

    The number of people with allergies is rising rapidly; but 10 times as many people believe that they have allergies, when in fact they don’t

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 10-Nov-2015 | 2

    Just heard a Radio 4 programme about allergies, which dovetailed with a lot of our beliefs. Here are the highlights. Read more

    ‘The Tyranny of Structurelessness’: some thoughts

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 24-Oct-2015 | 0

    The Tyranny of Structurelessness is a seminal essay by Joreen Freeman (above), written in 1970. I read it for the first time recently, but I’ve known about it for many years, and in fact, I lived in an intentional community where it was regularly mentioned, and at least some of us lived by its main… Continue reading ‘The Tyranny of Structurelessness’: some thoughts Read more

    The price of the average wedding is now over £20k; how to do it for much less and give the finger to ‘Brides’ magazine

    Flanked by an advert for the Ocean Club honeymoon resort in the Bahamas, with young bride and groom toasting a glass of champagne, Brides – “the UK’s number 1 bridal magazine” announces to its readers that “Planning your wedding starts here” Read more

    Career change: how I left software development to become a natural builder

    When I was young I wanted to do a lot of different things, but the core ambition was always to do something that would help our environment, not make it worse. Read more

    How would you rank these in order of importance: truth, happiness, justice, freedom?

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 01-Jun-2015 | 1

    It’s the next readers’ question in Philosophy Now magazine (much recommended, by the way), and when I saw it yesterday, I had a very strong reaction to it that has big implications for Lowimpact’s position on sustainability and democracy Read more

    Materialism: so you think you’re not hooked?

    ‘Understanding ourselves, we come to understand all things, but if we seek to understand all things without knowing the nature of our own awareness, great will be our calamity.’ David Frawley Read more

    Is there a correlation between opinions on ecology and opinions on ethnicity?

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 20-May-2015 | 4

    The reason you’re on this website, I guess, is that you believe that there’s something wrong in terms of ecology, or nature. You may not know the details, but you have a strong feeling (or even quite a precise understanding) that we’re not living in harmony with nature, and that’s going to cause us more… Continue reading Is there a correlation between opinions on ecology and opinions on ethnicity? Read more

    Is hanging out in nature therapeutic?

    As the founder of Nature Therapy CIC I am often asked ‘exactly what is nature therapy?’ Having studied the subject for a Doctorate and travelled extensively across the UK, Europe and the USA to research how nature is used to improve human wellbeing, I am sometimes at a loss to give a short answer.  Read more

    Braziers Park community wants to set up a university completely independent from the corporate sector, and you can get involved

    ‘When a university becomes a business the whole of student life is transformed. When a university is more concerned with its image, its marketability and the ‘added value’ of its degrees, the student is no longer a student – they become a commodity and education becomes a service.’ Read more

    What is human nature? Are we really a horrible species?

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 04-Sep-2014 | 0

    When discussing war, exploitation, wealth disparities, violence and the apparently uncaring nature of society, a common response is: ‘well, that’s human nature for you’. Is it? Really? Are we that bad? Are we inherently, intrinsically, irredeemably horrible? Read more

    There’s a crash coming – a slap from Mother Nature. This isn’t pessimistic; it’s realistic.

    The human impact on nature and on each other is accelerating and needs systemic change to reverse.

    We’re not advocating poverty, or a hair-shirt existence. We advocate changes that will mean better lives for almost everyone.

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