Info, news & debate

Small is beautiful

chickens-and-people

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

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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.’

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Is eating meat ethical? And what about dairy?

Microdairies: making them as successful as micro-breweries

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A conference on the benefits of small-scale commercial dairy farms of up to 40 cows or the equivalent of sheep or goats. How to establish them and how to promote the concept. For practising and prospective dairy farmers and others with a professional interest in the future of the British dairy industry.

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orfc

Join the people who are fighting back against corporate control of global food production

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There’s something seriously wrong with the way most of our food is produced and sold. The corporate sector is gaining control of more and more of global food production, shifting the focus from nutrition, flavour and nature towards profit and profit only.

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wedding-featured

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

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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”

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class-war-cereal-killer

Class War vs Cereal Killer: is this the way to promote anarchism?

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You must know by now about Class War‘s ‘attack’ on hipster cereal cafe ‘Cereal Killer‘. It wasn’t much of an attack, to be honest – no-one was hurt and they were open again the next day. But were they right to target Cereal Killer in their anger about the gentrification of Shoreditch?

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stop ttip

EU Trade Commission suggests removal of corporations’ right to sue governments from TTIP negotiations; US very unhappy

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The biggest objection from the European public to the proposed TTIP trade deal (see here if you don’t know about it) is that multinational corporations will be able to sue elected governments (national or local) if it can be shown that legislation reduces corporate profits in any way.

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light-bulb-moment

What were your ‘light bulb moments’ in understanding the way the world works? Here are mine

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Here’s a rash statement, but I believe it to be true. Most people these days know, either rationally or intuitively, that humanity is heading in the wrong direction. If you ask people whether we’ve seen the back of ecological calamaties, financial collapses, corruption, poverty or war

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campaign

Suggested campaign to remove unnecessary regulations from independent businesses

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Three things have happened to me recently that have made me realise that local, independent and/or community-owned businesses have been put at a huge disadvantage as regards regulations that cover their activities, and the independent sector is being unnecessarily penalised for the damaging activities of the corporate sector.

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solar for africa

How you can help cottage industries provide solar in African villages (not for cheap electricity – just for electricity)

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We had a solar electric system installed on our house in London last year by Norman Phipps of Assured Solar. We’ve had the system for a year now, and its output was almost exactly what Norman predicted, which means we’re headed for a 9-year payback time.

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radical-academic-practical

Why I’d like to bring together radical academics and people building a sustainable, non-corporate system on the ground

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I’m going to the Breaking the Frame gathering on Thursday, representing Lowimpact.org. The event has been organised by Corporate Watch, Scientists for Global Responsibility, Rising Tide and Luddites200. Dave King of Luddites200 contacted a couple of years ago and I’ve been going along to his ‘politics of technology’ reading group one evening a month since.

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fracked

Community vetoes for wind farms, but not for fracking? What’s that about?

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On the one hand the new Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Amber Rudd, appears committed to stopping the spread of onshore wind farms; this despite the fact that they are already the most important and cost effective source of renewable energy in the UK, and enjoy the support of two thirds of the population; and

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tapestry

The future will be handmade? The prospects for craft skills in ‘developing’ countries

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The Future will be handmade? In the information age, the question has an absurd ring. But I ask after listening to Ashoke Chatterjee at the Artisans House in Mumbai. As a long time President of the Crafts Council of India, Chatterjee tells us that ‘The Future will be handmade’. The question mark is mine. 

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