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Low-impact tourism


Boots and tea

Smallholding with heart: advice about getting and running a smallholding from Janet Jenkins of Cuckoo Farm

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Embarking on a new life in the countryside, away from the trappings of urban existence, is a dream increasingly common to many. This week we interviewed Janet Jenkins about her and her family’s smallholding journey, putting the heart back into the land at Cuckoo Farm.

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lammas-ecopod

Help our off-grid, timber, straw-bale and stone ‘eco-pod’ project happen, then come and stay in it!

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Hi, my name is Cassie. My daughter is called Bea, she’s the bigger girls in the picture there. She absolutely loves horses! I also have a son called David, who is going to be an actor; my husband is called Nigel, and our eldest son is called Ted.

Read more about Help our off-grid, timber, straw-bale and stone ‘eco-pod’ project happen, then come and stay in it!

Looking for the xmas gift that could change someone’s life? Here’s why WWOOF membership could be what you’re looking for

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It’s late autumn and I’m sitting alone, feeling empty, in a comfortable house in High Wycombe. It’s 5.30 and I’ve just returned from work; I’m a single moderately successful professional doing the 9-5 in a very ordinary existence.

Read more about Looking for the xmas gift that could change someone’s life? Here’s why WWOOF membership could be what you’re looking for

Plastic bags can prove lethal to turtles and other marine animals

New report: number of plastic bags on UK beaches falls by almost half – so charging 5p for plastic bags works?

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The number of plastic carrier bags found on UK beaches in surveys carried out by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has dropped by almost half between 2015 and 2016. This is the lowest number reported in over a decade, and fantastic news for marine wildlife.

Read more about New report: number of plastic bags on UK beaches falls by almost half – so charging 5p for plastic bags works?




Volunteer at a crofting / educational centre in the Highlands and learn about the ‘shieling’

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This is a farm-based education organisation.  Our story is the ‘shieling’ – a tradition where folk went up to the hills with the livestock. The shieling is a traditional practice of moving up to the high ground or moorland with livestock, to live there for the summer.

Read more about Volunteer at a crofting / educational centre in the Highlands and learn about the ‘shieling’

New Lowimpact.org publication: a knitting and textiles tour of Scotland by folding bicycle

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Lowimpact.org has a new publication, about a 57-year-old (sorry Janet) woman’s decision to leave her home in Ayrshire and take a grand tour of Scotland on a Brompton folding bicycle, visiting and giving workshops for textile groups along the way.

Read more about New Lowimpact.org publication: a knitting and textiles tour of Scotland by folding bicycle

Is it a good idea to recruit (in N America and Europe) for sustainable living apprenticeships in Peru?

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We’ve just been approached by someone running ‘sustainable living apprenticeships’ in Peru, asking if there’s anywhere to promote them on our site. This sort of thing happens all the time, by the way – yoga retreats in India, conferences in Malaysia, meditation on Greek islands etc.

Read more about Is it a good idea to recruit (in N America and Europe) for sustainable living apprenticeships in Peru?




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”

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


paella

Some countries don’t get vegetarianism: how to cope as a veggie abroad

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If you’re looking to make the change to a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, there is no shortage of helpful advice out there to guide you as you take those difficult first steps: ‘take things slowly; make it easy on yourself; set realistic goals; provide the right environment for success, etc. etc.’

Read more about Some countries don’t get vegetarianism: how to cope as a veggie abroad