Our partner Janet’s upcoming knitting, spinning, sewing & craft tour of Scotland by folding bicycle
Knit 1 Bike 1 – a journey, a book and an exhibition: Janet Renouf-Miller of Create With Fibre sets off on 29th June 2015, on a Brompton folding bicycle to cycle 850 miles round Scotland, giving free talks and workshops in exchange for accommodation. 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
How new straw-bale homes could help solve the housing crisis
In an ordinary street in Bristol, UK, something extraordinary is happening. All of the seven houses are made with straw. Read more
Bring back scrumping! Here’s how…
Local Fruit Futures manager Anne-Marie Bur plays a key role in turning schools across Sussex into grounds for the next generation of scrumpers. “It’s really heartening seeing kids picking fruit and eating it fresh.” Read more
Psst…. want to buy a straw-bale building – off the back of a lorry?
This strawbale building is suitable as a demonstrator building, a box office, an information centre, an office, a guest room, a teenage crash pad, a studio etc. and can be located in your garden or near your premises, subject to suitable access. Read more
Are we forgetting what pristine nature looks like?
Singing about the environment, Joni Mitchell reminded us “that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”; maybe the truth is that very quickly after things are gone they are forgotten, not only lost, but unmissed Read more
Natural beekeeping: should it replace conventional beekeeping?
I’d like to set out how the stance of the Natural Beekeeping Trust (NBKT) evolved and to contrast this with both the conventional approach and with that of others on the so-called natural beekeeping spectrum. Understanding this is important if confusion is to be avoided. Read more
Ecological Land Co-op publishes its first annual report; feedback welcome
NB: the Ecological Land Co-op set a precedent in England (following the success of Lammas Ecovillage in Wales) by gaining planning permission for homes on smallholdings outside the development zone (in Devon), by agreeing to abide by strict ecological criteria Read more
The elephant in the room that will be present at all pre-election debates
Last night I attended an event organised by our local Transition group, Transition Town Tooting, where local people were able to meet and chat to parliamentary candidates for the upcoming general election. Read more
Who wants to help resurrect the Straw Bale Building Association?
Dear all, This is an open invitation to a meeting to discuss the resurrection of the Straw Bale Building Association (For Wales Ireland Scotland England). Read more
Protest to save food-growing land in Bristol
Protestors are occupying trees in Bristol, UK, on food-growing land threatened by a controversial road-building scheme. Evictions started yesterday, after Bristol City council won a High Court possession order. Read more
Mark Lynas thinks that corporate capitalism can solve climate change – that’s like burning your house down to keep warm
Oh do beware someone who comes before you and claims to be the voice of reason. Mark Lynas does exactly that in this morning’s Guardian and it doesn’t wash. His argument is barely an argument at all, more like a sort of faux man-in-the-street flimflam. Beware. Read more
Help Brighton Permaculture Trust build a straw-bale ‘fruit factory’
Brighton Permaculture Trust are Scaling Up the Scrump – and need your help to make it happen! For several years we’ve been turning waste fruit from local orchards and people’s homes into delicious produce such as jam, chutneys, and juices at pop-up scrumping events. Read more
Putting up a polytunnel: fresh fruit & veg all year round
There’s loads of information around when you come to put up your polytunnel. The one I’ve just finished erecting came with really good instructions and the company website provides a whole host of instructional videos for the fiddly bits Read more
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. Read more
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. Read more
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 Read more
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. Read more
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. Read more
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. Read more