Info, news & debate
Recent Posts
Interested in rural cohousing? Introducing the Agroecological Land Initiative
The Agroecological Land Initiative is an new organisation founded to advocate and implement agroecological methods in the UK to help secure food sovereignty, energy independence, and environmental regeneration in a way that is financially viable and socially just.
One Planet Development opportunity next to Lammas eco-village in Wales
Here’s an opportunity to you potential smallholders / rat-race escapees: A thirty acre field next to the Lammas ecovillage has come up for sale.
You can help a low-impact, off-grid community obtain permanent planning permission
This is an opportunity to represent and to support our friends at the Steward Community Woodland in their application for permanent planning permission. After 15 years of successful experimentation in sustainable living, they are now applying for permanent planning permission
Here’s our new ‘manifesto’. We’d be interested in your feedback
Our manifesto We now know that the richest 1% of the world own the same amount of wealth as the other 99%. But it’s worse than that.
To all applicants for our publishing job (except one): sorry
We had 53 applicants for this job, and I have to say that (almost) all of them were absolutely bloody brilliant. The applications represented an embarrassment of riches for us, which means that I’m embarrassed (and sad) to say ‘no’ to all but one of them.
What to say to people who claim that economic growth can continue forever
Have you ever had an argument with someone who believes that the economy can grow forever? Difficult, isn’t it? What appears completely clear and logical to you seems to confuse them.
Getting off-grid: developing a wood gasifier in the woods in darkest Buckinghamshire
As industrial society continues on its capitalist and consumer-led treadmill, its detrimental effect on ecology and the environment are accelerating whilst the returns diminish. As a counter to this, a growing number of people across the world are building communities and working to become independent
Part-time work available in the Lowimpact team
This is the second of a series of jobs that will hopefully become available this year.
Job opportunity in the WWOOF team
Personnel and Organisational Administrator WWOOF UK (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) is looking for a specialist in HR policy and procedures, with strong people skills.
Career change? How to become a self-employed natural builder
We’re approached a lot by people wanting to change career to one focused on one of the topics on our website. The most common topic is probably low-impact building.
Earth Building UK are looking for two new directors – can you help?
Earth Building UK is a registered charity involved in a wide range of activities to do with all aspects of earth building. We don’t know exactly how many earth buildings there are in the UK – many thousands certainly, and built using a wide range of techniques.
New phone? Maybe it’s a Fairphone for you in 2015? Here’s why.
Dave of Lowimpact.org interviews Lucy Neal, Dave Mauger and Emily Oliver of Transition Town Tooting about Fairphone. Lowimpact.org is constantly looking for sustainable ways to provide the basic necessities of life
New website, new name & the power of networking
Goodbye old website (left), hello new website (right) – and with the new website comes a new name. Since we started in 2001, we’ve always had a bit of a problem with our name.
How to turn trees into houses, and why it’s a good idea
There’s a lot of talk these days about ‘carbon sequestration’ – how to lock up carbon from the atmosphere in various ways, including:
What low-impacters are up to around the country: Greystoke Cycle Cafe
Proper seasonal tea garden cafés (i.e. just with a tea garden facility and no indoor space as a cosy backup) are few and far between in this country – especially in the north (thanks largely to the weather)
What is TTIP exactly, and what’s it for? Interview with the World Development Movement
You may have heard of a proposed trade deal called TTIP (generally pronounced tee-tip). You may also be aware of an awful lot of protest against it. Do you know what it is, and why there is so much opposition to it?
Is the global human population too high? Steady-state people as well as steady-state economics?
There is a long-standing case made for the benefits of a steady-state economy. With climate change, collapsing biodiversity and increasing pressure on key resources, that has to be the way to go.
Why Brian Cox is wrong about nuclear fusion
Who’s been watching ‘Human Universe‘ with Brian Cox? I’m especially talking about the last episode – ‘What is our Future?‘ Brian Cox is doing a great job popularising science – and science, as he says, is a ‘wonderful tool for making the darkness visible’.
New share offers in community-owned renewable energy projects around the UK
Pomona Solar launched its pioneer share offer during h-Energy festivities on 11th October in Hereford. Pomona’s first scheme is for a 250kW solar PV array that will supply low-cost electricity to small businesses located on the site.
Why Adam Smith, father of capitalism, would have hated neoliberalism
1776 was a very good year. The US declared independence and Adam Smith wrote the Wealth of Nations. Both of these events helped mark the transition to a new world; both have contributed enormously to human freedom, and have therefore been claimed by neoliberals as their own.