Info, news & debate
Eco & carbon-footprints
25 dirt-cheap ways to garden organically and save money
Far from being an expensive or exclusive hobby, organic gardening is a brilliant way to buffer the cost-of-living crisis, allowing you to grow fresh, cheap and abundant food close to home, while at the same time nurturing nature.
How strawbale construction can help reduce your carbon footprint
How can strawbale construction support a low carbon lifestyle?
Why wastewater treatment plants are NOT the solution for microfibre pollution?
Microfibre pollution and wastewater? What can be done?
Cumbria coal mine – anger, disbelief and shock
A new coal mine has been approved in Cumbria – but we can not allow it to go ahead.
11 Easy Actions For a Low-impact Christmas
Worried about your footprint on the environment this christmas? Here are actions you can take for a low impact holiday.
Why carbon offsetting through tree planting won’t help solve the climate crisis
Plans to protect 30% of the planet by 2030 rely too heavily on carbon offsetting by tree planting. Read why this is not such a good idea.
Can running be low-impact?
Ultra-runner Damian Hall tells Low-Impact how his sport can be sustainable and low-impact.
Tulips, chill and climate change
Tulip bulbs are back in garden centres – read about how climate change, and the chill in the air, can affect tulips. Get hints and tips to help you make the best of this garden favourite.
Building your own sustainable future
Hi. I’m Andy Reynolds – author, instructor, forester, promoter of self-reliance, and for the last few years I have been reflecting on our project’s progression, as it seems to have reached the stage of early maturity. The project – rebuilding a home, and changing the surrounding fields from dead agricultural land into an oasis of …
Proposal for a ‘one planet’ food revolution
This is the third in a series of articles about ‘one planet’ living – the first in rural areas, and the second in cities. Now we discuss the situation as regards food production.
Debate: how sustainable can an eco-hotel and permaculture community be if it’s for Brits in Portugal?
We were approached by Peter to ask if we would help promote a proposed eco-holiday complex and permaculture settlement in Portugal. I replied that I didn’t think we could, as I have strong reservations about this kind of eco-hotel development, and explained why. Peter came back with some counter-arguments, and I asked him whether he’d …
Urban one-planet development: how can cities reduce their ecological footprint?
The last post in this series looked at the vital role of ecological footprinting in ensuring that our individual actions are truly sustainable – i.e. within the limits of what the Earth’s resources can provide. This is called ‘one planet’ development.
Earth.Food.Love: the story of the UK’s first zero-waste shop
Nicola and Richard Eckersley, founders of Earth.Food.Love, share their journey to pioneering the UK’s first zero-waste shop in Totnes, Devon.
How the ‘One Planet Development’ policy is helping people get back onto the land in Wales
Something special is happening in Wales. The country is using legislation to shift itself into a very different direction from England. It wants to be more sustainable. It wants to reduce its ‘ecological footprint’ to a level that’s fair compared to the rest of the planet’s population and resources.
Join our new online community Living Low Impact
We’re excited to introduce our new Facebook group Living Low Impact – and you’re invited!
Seeking a venue: course on how to create a One Planet Development
I am seeking venues around the country to run an exciting course that will help participants prepare for starting and living on a One Planet Development.
Wales’ unique ‘one-planet’ planning policy and the Lammas Ecovillage
Here at the Lammas Ecovillage we have recently celebrated our 7th birthday. The 9 households have collectively built around 15 different buildings, planted many thousands of trees, created hundreds of new habitats, and hosted thousands of volunteers and visitors.
One planet people – one-month internships available at Lammas Ecovillage
As a new generation of aspiring land stewards, we wish to minimise dependence on fossil fuels whilst learning to meet our basic needs of food, shelter, energy and livelihood, from the land. This has been entirely possible for millennia. However, in a 21st century
How Charlie and Meg’s self-built, natural home finally received planning permission with the help of the One Planet Council
You may remember a previous article about Charlie and Meg’s natural home in Pembrokeshire, that the planners decided needed to be bulldozed because it was ‘harmful to the rural character of the locality’. See here.
One Planet Development arrested: my attempts to build a home on a smallholding in Wales
We moved to Wales because of an extraordinary Welsh Government policy. I shan’t lie, despite all experience and political conviction to the contrary, we were optimistic. One Planet Development seemed to be the kind of advance for low impact living and sustainable land use that we had been hoping for