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    The 6 main approaches to changing the world; which one do you subscribe to?

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 23-Apr-2016 | 2

    We received an email recently with these sentences: ‘This idea of those evil corporations is mistaken because we are all involved in society and economy. There is no us and them we are all part of it and need to take responsibility for that.’ Read more

    Stephen Hawking says that we should prioritise space travel and that ‘philosophy is dead’; cleverness and wisdom are very different

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 19-Apr-2016 | 6

    There’s clever and there’s clever. There’s clever like a computer or a calculator, and then there’s clever as in wise. The first kind of cleverness is the technical type, that can work out how to build nuclear weapons, or to genetically modify food crops, or to cut through the branch that we’re sitting on Read more

    A small key can open a large door: why we should all know what’s happening in Rojava

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 11-Apr-2016 | 3

    I don’t believe that any ethnic group anywhere in the world can truthfully claim that they have never carried out atrocities against another group. Every nation has been victim and perpetrator at some time. Read more

    Come to the ‘How to do it’ gathering next weekend to talk about system change – full programme and timetable

    Roger Hallam of How to Do It | 31-Mar-2016 | 0

    We blogged in January about the ‘How to do it’ conference about grassroots change that’s happening next weekend in London. There are still places available – book your free ticket here. Read more

    Should the TV licence fee be scrapped?

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 26-Mar-2016 | 4

    It’s a tricky one. The argument for the licence fee (and one that I used to subscribe to until I watched the Panorama corporate propaganda piece – see below) is that the Beeb produces drama of a quality not found anywhere else. Read more

    Ageing: rejecting cosmetic surgery and embracing the crone

    When I sit in a coffee shop people-watching other older women, I am often drawn to two main types. First there is the older woman keen to retain an image of youth to whom ageing successfully is to be seen to be as young as possible for as long as possible by whatever means.  Read more

    Thinking of starting a community enterprise? Win a free place on a three-day workshop

    Our friend Jonathan at Stir to Action (incorporating STIR Magazine) is hosting a three-day workshop for people who are interested in starting a community enterprise, rather than joining the corporate rat-race. He’s offering one place on this workshop for free Read more

    Review of Ralph Ibbott’s book ‘Ujamaa: the hidden story of Tanzania’s socialist villages’ and how I was lied to in Tanzania

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 10-Mar-2016 | 4

    I have a special interest in this book. As a young man in the 1980s I’d read Julius Nyerere’s Ujamaa (Swahili for “togetherness”, “unity” or “familyhood”). I was inspired by his vision of a co-operative, non-hierarchical society based on sustainable villages Read more

    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

    Review of ‘Drinking Molotov Cocktails with Gandhi’ by Mark Boyle – part 2: the role of violence

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 25-Jan-2016 | 36

    This is the second article generated from Mark Boyle’s book Drinking Molotov Cocktails with Gandhi. The first was about the ineffectiveness of reformism when faced with corporate capitalism – ‘The Machine’ as he calls it. Read more

    Introducing the ‘How to do it’ conference on how to change the system from grassroots, London, April 9-10

    Roger Hallam of How to Do It | 23-Jan-2016 | 11

    There are many ideas out there on how to change the world – but very few include a strategy for implementing those ideas. Implementation is key. I had a conversation the other day with Roger Hallam, who used to be involved with Radical Routes, has lived in various communities and now Read more

    Why the Real Farming Conference gave me grounds for optimism

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 09-Jan-2016 | 4

    Sometimes, when I’m sitting in front of my laptop screen, I forget how many great people there are out there doing wonderful things, and it’s easy to believe that we’re never going to get rid of this damaging system, and that it will eventually damage ecology so much Read more

    Live from the Real Farming Conference: why genetically-engineered food is about politics not science

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 07-Jan-2016 | 4

    I’m at the Real Farming Conference in Oxford, and I’m writing this as a session on GM food is taking place. I’m sorry to have missed it, but I fell into a conversation until it was too late to join the session. However, I know someone who attended that session, and she’ll hopefully write a… Continue reading Live from the Real Farming Conference: why genetically-engineered food is about politics not science Read more

    Review of ‘Drinking Molotov Cocktails with Gandhi’ by Mark Boyle – part 1: reformism and the Transition movement

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 02-Jan-2016 | 28

    This was a very challenging and thought-provoking read. Mark lived without money for three years, and wrote the Moneyless Manifesto, published in 2012. This is his latest book about the corporate ‘Machine’ and appropriate responses to it. 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

    Spain’s election means the ‘political landscape has changed forever’? No, not at all

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 21-Dec-2015 | 1

    Yesterday’s general election in Spain ended the domination of Spanish politics by the Popular Party (PP) of the ‘right’ and the Socialist Party of the ‘left’, who between them have formed all the Spanish governments of the last 30 years. Read more

    The ridiculous (and hilarious) philosophy of Karl Lagerfeld

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 17-Dec-2015 | 3

    You probably don’t know who he is and to be honest, neither did I – I just came across his ‘philosophy’ (he calls his quotes ‘Karlisms’) and found it hilarious. He’s the head designer of fashion house Chanel, and so I don’t suppose you’d expect anything particularly deep from him. Read more

    Take back the city – if you’re not “proud that London is the natural habitat of the billionaire”

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 14-Dec-2015 | 0

    People of Britain, are you proud that your capital city is geared towards attracting billionaires (that’s a quote by Boris Johnson by the way)? 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

    To all environmental groups: lifestyle change isn’t going to be enough to avert ecological catastrophe

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 09-Dec-2015 | 7

    Someone said to me the other day that he associated ‘low-impact’ with lifestyle but not with politics or economics. Someone else asked why we blogged about TTIP, economic growth or system change when we were ‘just’ an environmental organisation. 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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