Info, news & debate
Transport
How to make a walking staff in three easy steps
Sean Fagan of Pioneer Bushcraft sets out how to make a walking staff, and why they’re the best friend to have with you in the great outdoors.
Debate: to fly or not to fly; or ‘the plane’s going anyway’
We’d love to know what you think about this debate, between David, treasurer of Transition Town Tooting, and Dave of Lowimpact.org about whether giving up flying has any effect on climate change.
Low-impact & the city 14: getting back on a bike after ten years
I’ve never been without a bike until recently. As far back into my childhood as I can remember, I always had one. A bike was always part of my life, part of me.
Building a co-operative train line: Alex Lawrie of Go-op
An interview with Alex Lawrie about his attempts to launch Go-op, a co-operative train line linking south west England with the Midlands.
A guide to WWOOFing: 10 top tips from Scarlett Penn of WWOOF UK
Anybody considering going on a WWOOFing adventure for the first time will benefit enormously from these 10 tips compiled by Scarlett Penn of WWOOF UK.
How I hitch-hiked across the Atlantic to visit US co-ops: Cath Muller of Radical Routes
Today I’m talking with Cath Muller of Radical Routes, Cornerstone Housing Co-op and Co-operative Business Consultants. This is part 1 of our conversation, about her visit to Catalan co-operatives, and hitch-hiking across the Atlantic to visit US co-ops.
Can we build a platform co-op to challenge Über? Interview with Duncan McCann of the New Economics Foundation
Dave of Lowimpact.org / Noncorporate.org talks with Duncan McCann of the New Economics Foundation (see video below), about platform co-ops. Duncan is starting a taxi platform co-op called Faircab, to challenge Über.
Why pyrolysis and ‘plastic to fuels’ is not a solution to the plastics problem
Energy engineer Dr Andrew Rollinson sets out the case as to why pyrolysis and ‘plastic to fuels’ is not a sustainable solution to the plastics problem.
What the fuss is all about: wild swimming in France
On a low-impact holiday this summer, Kate Williams takes the plunge wild swimming in France to discover why so many prefer it to an indoor swimming pool.
Interested in building with straw? Don’t miss The Big Straw Bale Gathering!
It’s not too late to join the biggest straw-bale building event of the year this August in Swansea. Jeffrey Hart of SBUK tells us about how you can get involved, learning all about building with straw from an impressive line-up of speakers to hands-on workshops.
Models of repopulation: bringing low-impact living to life in rural Europe
We hear from yurt and tent builders and suppliers Spirits Intent about their new mission to revive low-impact living and rural economies in southern Europe through the Heartland Association.
Off Grid Festival 2018: another world is possible
Roxy Piper tells us all about this year’s Off Grid Festival, taking place from 9-12th August in the historic Tapeley Park and Gardens in North Devon, with the theme of Seven Generation Stewardship.
Heartwood Community are seeking new members – could it be you?
Heartwood Community is seeking energetic, reliable and committed people to join their intentional community in South West Wales. It’s over to Staci from here to tell us more.
Jo’s Mini Meadow Part 3: how does nature come to be regarded as kith and kin?
In the third part of Jo Cartmell’s mini meadow series, she asks just how it is that Nature comes to be regarded as kith and kin and explores the importance of establishing a true connection with Nature from a young age.
How we escaped suburbia by embracing exchange and life on the road
Visual artist Emma Moody-Smith shares the story of how she and her partner Shawn have spent the past 9 years downshifting, swapping suburban England for life in a motorhome and, crucially, embracing exchange. Here she offers insight and advice to others looking to do the same.
How might hunter-gatherers have lived on this land?
Emily Fawcett explores what it might be like to live like our ancestors, to live the old way, on this land. What would it mean to experience life and the land like the indigenous people of these islands – as hunter-gatherers, to return to the Old Way?
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 …
How we got olive oil from a small farm in Portugal brought over in a sailboat by a co-operative based in Brighton – and how you can do the same
I recently interviewed Dhara Thompson of the Sailboat Project for our new sailboats topic introduction. He told me that they are one of many new organisations that are working to bring back sailboats for cargo and passenger transport – using the power of the wind to move people and goods around the planet.
The potential power of sharing: from Share Shops to Streetbank
In this post Sophie Paterson of Lowimpact.org explores the power of sharing in a growing movement including The Library of Things, Streetbank, Share Shops and more.
In praise of the wheelbarrow: low-impact transportation at its best?
Perhaps these days most commonly associated with the garden, there’s more to the humble wheelbarrow than you might think. Sophie Paterson explores its potential, past and present, as a low-impact form of transportation.