Info, news & debate
Nature
We’re on the Extinction Rebellion main stage in central London on Thursday afternoon
I’m excited to report that we’ve been given an hour on the main stage at Extinction Rebellion in the Mall on Thursday afternoon from 2pm. When I say ‘we’, it will be me and Oliver Sylvester-Bradley of the Open Co-op – we’ll speak for 10 minutes each, then take questions for 40 minutes. We’ll be …
How to make wood fire baked sweet chestnut bread
As autumn draws in, sweet chestnut season is soon approaching. Bushcraft teacher David Willis shares how he bakes tasty roasted sweet chestnut bread on an open fire in a cast iron Dutch oven.
September forage of the month with Ruby Taylor
Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares her forage of the month for September, with stress-busting nettle seeds the star of the show as autumn approaches.
Getting started with fishing for food: Part 3 – Lobster pots
Ever fancied fishing for your supper but don’t know where to begin? In Part 3 of her Fishing for Food series, Jessie Watson Brown explores fishing with lobster pots. Possibly a more efficient approach to fishing – once you have put the pot in, it does the fishing for you, leaving you free for a …
Out of Eden: how you can get involved in a neolithic farm experiment in Wales
Dr Kevin Blockley shares how the Out of Eden project is creating a unique educational experience that immerses us in the hunter gathering world of our ancestors and our first experiments in farming.
Getting started with fishing for food: Part 2 – When and where?
Ever fancied fishing for your supper but don’t know where to begin? In Part 2 of her Fishing for Food series, Jessie Watson Brown chats with Charlie Loram about the when and where of starting fishing.
Joining the dots of the climate crisis with Matthew Slater
Community currency engineer Matthew Slater shares his latest thoughts, joining the dots on the current climate crisis and what the near future may hold for human civilisation.
Reflections on the CTRLshift gathering – an emergency summit for change
The stated aim of the annual CTRLshift gathering (that took place in Stoke-on-Trent recently) is to bring key people together to talk about practical steps to help shift power away from central government and multinational corporations, to communities and individuals. Well, you had me at ‘decentralisation’, so I went along.
In the meadow: rediscovering the extraordinary ordinary
As summertime nears, Nick Mann of Habitat Aid shares a snapshot of a Somerset meadow, rediscovering the extraordinary ordinary of the nature found within.
Getting started with fishing for food: Part 1 – Gear
Ever fancied fishing for your supper but don’t know where to begin? In Part 1 of her new fishing for food series, Jessie Watson Brown tackles the gear you’ll need to get started, with the help of Charlie Loram.
Revisioning postcapitalism: 10 questions for Paul Mason’s ‘clear bright future’
Eloïse Sentito of These Isles pens an open letter to Paul Mason, in which she poses 10 questions arising from his book ‘Postcapitalism: a Guide to our Future’, that she hopes will be addressed in his new book ‘Clear Bright Future’.
Fancy joining the Pentiddy Woods family on an immersive 9 month internship?
Here’s your chance! We hear from Ele and Anthony at Pentiddy Woods about a unique learning opportunity on offer from October 2019.
Tales of a winter working in a traditional tannery in Norway
Jessie Watson Brown, a UK traditional tanner, shares some of her experiences and learnings from a winter at Jutulskinn, a traditional tannery in Norway.
From folk music to pheasants with Scarlett Penn of WWOOF UK
Scarlett Penn of WWOOF UK recounts an illuminating evening of music and debate, after encountering a pheasant-shooting party in a Shropshire pub.
Plants for bees in late winter: how your garden can help them through
If it’s warm in February the bees will be in trouble. Nick Mann of Habitat Aid explains how you can help with plants for bees in your garden.
The surprising benefits of harvesting wild foods – more than you’d expect!
Emily Fawcett and Charlie Loram of the Old Way look at some of the less obvious benefits of harvesting wild foods as our ancestors did.
How to start a native wildflower meadow in 6 easy steps
Jo Cartmell of NearbyWild shares her six easy steps to welcome in the wildlife by turning a garden lawn into a native wildflower meadow.
7 great reasons to try bushcraft and camping in winter
Sean Fagan of Pioneer Bushcraft explores 7 great reasons why being outdoors and camping in winter can be fun, challenging and ultimately educational – and will greatly improve your overall bushcraft and camping skills.
What do we do about the coming ecological crash?
So let’s start the year with a bit of optimism. Our last post was about the fact that there is a general lack of understanding of the implications of biodiversity loss, and the contribution of climate change to it. This post is for people who do understand what’s happening to nature, but can see no …
We should be much more worried about an ecological crash than a financial crash
A few years ago, I was having a beer in the bar at King’s Cross narrowboat marina, when someone called Fred asked me what I did. When I said that I worked for an environmental organisation, he came up with a classic line that I’ve quoted many times since.