Info, news & debate
Month: April 2020
How small farms offer big solutions as global issues turn focus to home
With just under three weeks left until the Ecological Land Cooperative 202 community share offer closes, Lauren Simpson shares an update on progress so far, complete with a new film.
April forage of the month with Ruby Taylor
In her April forage of the month, Ruby Taylor of Native Hands takes the sting out of nettles with a delicious soup recipe.
The alternative to the current money system: Tim Jenkin, Matthew Slater & Dil Green
Here I interview Tim Jenkin, Matthew Slater and Dil Green (and Keith the cat, briefly, until he got bored – see video) about the money system, the problems it causes and what could replace it. Fascinating insights from three people who have spent an enormous amount of time thinking about the money system.
How and why to grow a food forest in your garden
With many of us taking steps to grow our own food right now, some for the first time, our friends at Ethical.net set out how and why to grow a food forest in your garden.
Post-covid: ‘getting back to normal’ is suicidal – here’s the alternative
“For those who dream of a return to “normalcy”: normalcy was standing on the tracks watching an oncoming train & arguing about how fast it was going. Something just banged into us & sent us sprawling. It hurt. A lot. Now let’s get up, but NOT get back on the tracks again.” – David Graeber
Becoming a woodland owner: an alternative view
There are many and various drivers behind the desire to become a woodland owner, varying from wishing to impose one’s self on the landscape and latterly build a house on a green field site; to the other end of the spectrum to benignly caring for an increasingly rare habitat.
Post-covid: ‘getting back to normal’ is not just a bad idea – it’s suicidal
There’s been a lot of talk about ‘thanking’ coronavirus for giving us the breathing space to re-evaluate, and for giving nature some breathing space too. This isn’t one of those articles. I don’t find it compassionate to thank a virus that’s killing thousands of people, and closing millions of small businesses, allowing Amazon to hoover …
March – April forage of the month with Ruby Taylor
Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares her March – April forage of the month, starring cleavers and nettles in a springtime tonic we can appreciate all the more in these challenging times.
One Planet Development and access to land: Paul Jennings, OPD smallholder and self-builder
This is the first part of an interview with Paul Jennings, who lives on a smallholding in Pembrokeshire with his family, and built his own straw-bale home under the One Planet Development policy that exists in Wales (but not in England), which allows people to build a home on their land, even if it is …
Keeping small businesses alive during the coronavirus / economic crisis
The coronavirus crisis is causing an economic crash that will only get worse. Research has indicated that a shortage of money will mean that up to a million UK small businesses may close in the coming months. To prevent the devastation of small businesses, and therefore our communities, there needs to be an alternative means …
Surviving the Future: an online course for our times
Our friend Shaun Chamberlin of Dark Optimism shares news of Surviving the Future: conversations for our time, an eight week online gathering which he will be co-facilitating on behalf of Sterling College, starting on Monday 6th April.