Review of ‘Drinking Molotov Cocktails with Gandhi’ by Mark Boyle – part 2: the role of violence | Blog article
This is the second article generated from Mark Boyle’s book Drinking Molotov Cocktails with Gandhi. The first was about the ineffectiveness of reformism when faced with corporate capitalism – ‘The Machine’ as he calls it. Read more
Off-grid living: how big does your renewable energy generation system need to be? | Blog article
Our friend Andy is determined to be self-sufficient in energy should there be a collapse of the National Grid (and / or societal collapse), and has maintained a wind and solar electrical system with a bank of second-hand forklift batteries for 25 years. Read more
New, cheap tap fitting that does seem to save water without causing flow problems | Blog article
I was sent a ‘Waterblade’ by Nigel – it fitted onto our bathroom tap easily, and the reason it causes no problems is that it spreads the water out into a thin sheet that actually makes it easier to wash your hands, for example, rather than more difficult. Read more
Nationalising assets does not mean that ‘we’ then own them. Let’s hold things ‘in common’ instead | Blog article
Nationalising something doesn’t then mean that it’s owned by ‘the people’ – i.e. by us. That would only be true if states weren’t controlled by the corporate sector. Read more
One planet people – one-month internships available at Lammas Ecovillage | Blog article
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 Read more
The discipline of economics presupposes corporate capitalism and perpetual growth, which renders it invalid | Blog article
Economics is not an unbiased academic discipline, it’s an ideology. Furthermore, economics is based on the false premise that perpetual growth is achievable. It is not, and the reason most people can’t see this is Read more
NHS Chief Executive was a founder member of an organisation lobbying for health to be included in TTIP | Blog article
Just allow a few seconds for that to sink in. Simon Stevens was Vice President of UnitedHealth Group, the largest health insurer in the US. He was in charge of global expansion of their business. Now he’s Chief Executive of the NHS. Read more
Win a copy of our partner Sally Morgan’s great new book, ‘Living on One Acre or Less’ | Blog article
This is a new book by our partner Sally Morgan of Empire Farm. It’s a comprehensive guide to starting and running your own micro-smallholding. Read more
Where does money come from? A bit of history | Blog article
Here’s a story. Only a minority understand this story (although I think that minority is growing), which is surprising because it has enormous importance for the way the world works. Read more
Viable self-sufficiency | Blog article
Back 40 years ago in 1976, John Seymour’s most famous work –The Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency – was published. It was billed as for dreamers and realists which was pretty accurate. Read more
Custard creams and the ‘network of global corporate control’ | Blog article
I bought a packet of custard creams the other day, and saw that they were made by a company called Crawfords. I wondered who Crawfords were and who ultimately owns custard creams. I have a general feeling that a small cartel of giant corporations owns more-or-less everything branded Read more
Why cement should never be used with natural buildings | Blog article
I am often asked to help with other people’s designs, but one of my principles is never to design with cement. Not everyone knows this about me, and I was recently asked what my general experience was with stem walls made of concrete Read more
Read this German MP’s account of the TTIP reading room and decide what you think about TTIP ‘transparency’ | Blog article
So, you all know about TTIP? Here’s a link if you don’t, plus see the posts to the right. It’s a proposed ‘trade deal’ that is designed to give more of our economy to the corporate sector. It’s supposed to be ‘transparent’, but of course it’s completely secret. Read more
What’s the relative value of the world’s gold, Bitcoins, banknotes, derivatives, stocks & shares, property etc. See this incredible visualisation | Blog article
Do you have any idea of the value of all the Bitcoins in the world, compared to, say, the value of all the silver in the world, or compared to the wealth of Warren Buffet, or compared to the amount of global debt etc.? Read more
Mutualism: a philosophy for changing society with a difference – it’s implementable | Blog article
There are lots of ideas for changing the world – from voting to demonstrations, petitions, lifestyle change, incremental change, revolutionary change, or more of the same, only harder. The problem with many of them is that they are either ineffective or not implementable. Read more
Strange but true: energy efficiency actually increases overall energy use | Blog article
In the 1960 film School for Scoundrels, which is based on the Stephen Potter “Gamesmanship” books, there is a scene where Ian Carmichael (formerly one of life’s failures) is playing tennis with Terry Thomas. Carmichael has just finished a course in lifemanship Read more
‘Trade Secrets’ legislation: another little piece of the corporate takeover that most people won’t know about | Blog article
EU Trade Secrets legislation will criminalise whistleblowers and journalists who expose corporations and their products or services. It’s another in a long list of steps aiming to put corporations above the law, but the rest of us very much under it. Read more
Fly away: reflections on Westerners abroad | Blog article
Fly away, plug in to your chosen third world metropolis with the arrogant urgency that accompanies our civilisation, departure lounge to lounge, no sense of progression or gradual change necessary within this flying tube. Read more
Can you adopt a natural builder for 3 nights in exchange for a free VIP ticket to Ecobuild? | Blog article
Ecobuild is a three-day natural building exhibition at the Excel Centre in London from the 8th to the 10th of March. Ecobuild is the leading UK exhibition and conference for the construction and energy market Read more
It’s time to repair greenhouses and cold frames: glass cutting advice | Blog article
It’s that time of year when thoughts have already turned to the vegetable patch and raising seedlings. This is where the glasshouse and cold frame make a huge difference to getting those plants going. Read more
Is it a good idea to recruit (in N America and Europe) for sustainable living apprenticeships in Peru? | Blog article
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
Artists against TTIP, and how the new ICS differs from ISDS (spoiler – not much) | Blog article
‘Corporate interests have got to stop coming first’ – well said, Juliet Stevenson. A group of artists including actors Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott and Juliet Stevenson and designer Vivienne Westwood are fronting a campaign (artistsagainstttip.org) to raise public awareness of the trade deal TTIP Read more
Home-made biogas anaerobic digester | Blog article
Thought you might like this. Just came across an old photo of a simple biogas digester built by Lowimpact.org co-founder Phil when we were based at Redfield Community in Buckinghamshire. Read more
Review of Ralph Ibbott’s book ‘Ujamaa: the hidden story of Tanzania’s socialist villages’ and how I was lied to in Tanzania | Blog article
I have a special interest in this book. As a young man in the 1980s I’d read Julius Nyerere’s Ujamaa (Swahili for “togetherness”, “unity” or “familyhood”). I was inspired by his vision of a co-operative, non-hierarchical society based on sustainable villages Read more
The environmental damage caused by flail cutting of hedgerows, and what can be done about it | Blog article
One of the most damaging post-war developments in hedgerow preservation was the increase in mechanised cutting of hedges, in particular using the flail. Read more
The EU referendum from a low-impact perspective | Blog article
We’ve got a referendum coming up in June that Cameron didn’t want, but was forced to promise at a time when it looked as though votes lost to UKIP might have cost him the election. His arguments now are largely based on the number of jobs that could be lost if we leave. Read more
Thinking of starting a community enterprise? Win a free place on a three-day workshop | Blog article
Our friend Jonathan at Stir to Action (incorporating STIR Magazine) is hosting a three-day workshop for people who are interested in starting a community enterprise, rather than joining the corporate rat-race. He’s offering one place on this workshop for free Read more
Installing a horizontal-flow reedbed | Blog article
This week we undertook the building of a ‘proper’ horizontal flow reedbed. Our existing little ones were a hastily built, stopgap measure that we installed when we got here, and it was time to do things correctly. Read more
More on the EU referendum from a low-impact perspective: is another Europe possible? | Blog article
Is the European Union an empty vessel into which any political content may be poured? Can it accommodate not just neoliberal conservatism but also Keynesian social democracy, hard-line greenery and even pro-nationalisation democratic socialism? Read more
Ageing: rejecting cosmetic surgery and embracing the crone | Blog article
When I sit in a coffee shop people-watching other older women, I am often drawn to two main types. First there is the older woman keen to retain an image of youth to whom ageing successfully is to be seen to be as young as possible for as long as possible by whatever means. Read more
Should the TV licence fee be scrapped? | Blog article
It’s a tricky one. The argument for the licence fee (and one that I used to subscribe to until I watched the Panorama corporate propaganda piece – see below) is that the Beeb produces drama of a quality not found anywhere else. Read more
Where does money really come from? (erratum: there is no fractional reserve system in the UK) | Blog article
There is a simple conception of the banking system – that banks look after money for savers, and pay them interest. They then loan out that money to other people and charge them a slightly higher rate of interest, and that’s where they make their profit. Read more
Come to the ‘How to do it’ gathering next weekend to talk about system change – full programme and timetable | Blog article
We blogged in January about the ‘How to do it’ conference about grassroots change that’s happening next weekend in London. There are still places available – book your free ticket here. Read more
How to knit a basic blanket – step by step (including how to knit) | Blog article
This video is fantastic. It shows how to create a blanket from scratch. It’s for complete beginners, so you can do it even if you don’t know how to knit. Read more
Great opportunity to work with the wonderful ‘Stir to Action’ | Blog article
Stir to Action is a community organisation that publishes a quarterly magazine, runs workshop programmes and short courses, produces how-to resources for setting up co-operatives and community enterprises, commissions original artwork and facilitates social economy start-ups. Read more
How the CEOs of Europe’s biggest corporations write EU policy | Blog article
There’s an organisation based in Brussels called the European Round Table of Industrialists (ERT). It’s a club – invitation only, not transparent, not democratic – just a private club. Read more
A small key can open a large door: why we should all know what’s happening in Rojava | Blog article
I don’t believe that any ethnic group anywhere in the world can truthfully claim that they have never carried out atrocities against another group. Every nation has been victim and perpetrator at some time. Read more
If the BBC advertises Tesco, why is there a licence fee? | Blog article
Just listened to a ten-minute advert for Tesco on ‘You and Yours’ on Radio 4, masquerading as news. I have some questions: Read more
Work / farmshare opportunity for someone interested in farming, smallholding, forestry, livestock, mushrooms or building stone | Blog article
Here’s a very interesting opportunity for a budding smallholder – either paid work or farm share, near Totnes in Devon. Over to Richard: Read more
Stephen Hawking says that we should prioritise space travel and that ‘philosophy is dead’; cleverness and wisdom are very different | Blog article
There’s clever and there’s clever. There’s clever like a computer or a calculator, and then there’s clever as in wise. The first kind of cleverness is the technical type, that can work out how to build nuclear weapons, or to genetically modify food crops, or to cut through the branch that we’re sitting on Read more
Public support for TTIP has plummeted in Germany and the US to 17% and 15% respectively | Blog article
A report for the Bertelsmann Foundation has shown plummeting support for TTIP in Germany and in the US – down to 17% in Germany and 15% in the US, with 18% of Americans and a full third of Germans saying that it is ‘a bad thing’. Read more
The 6 main approaches to changing the world; which one do you subscribe to? | Blog article
We received an email recently with these sentences: ‘This idea of those evil corporations is mistaken because we are all involved in society and economy. There is no us and them we are all part of it and need to take responsibility for that.’ Read more
Can you think about sending this letter (or something similar) to your MP about TTIP? | Blog article
Can you take 10 mins to send this letter, or something very similar, to your MP? People have been asking MPs some of these questions and getting silly answers, which suggests we are hitting a nerve – so we need to keep on hitting it. Read more
Nature in May – what to look out for | Blog article
Living in a cool and slightly windswept location in the South Shropshire Hills means that the arrival of migrant birds or the appearance of the first spring butterflies occurs a little later here than it does in counties further south and east. Read more
Obama says we’ll be ‘at the back of the queue’ for TTIP if we leave the EU; that’s the best argument I’ve heard for Brexit | Blog article
Trade deals (and in fact, the EU) exist to maximise growth and to orient our economies towards exports. From an environmental perspective, this is the exact opposite of what we should be doing. Read more
Would you like to help build a 9m roundhouse with a reciprocal, turf roof for the charity ‘Farms for City Children’? | Blog article
Reciprocal roundhouse build: call for volunteers. Gloucestershire, July – August 2016. We’re building a 9m turf roof roundhouse for the charity Farms For City Children and are calling for assistance. Read more
Ha Joon Chang: ‘increasing corporate power is at the heart of TTIP’ | Blog article
Ha Joon Chang, author of 23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism and Economics: The User’s Guide explains that TTIP is not about ‘free trade’ – trade is already more-or-less free. TTIP is about helping corporations to sue countries if they dare to do anything – anything at all – that can be shown… Continue reading Ha Joon Chang: ‘increasing corporate power is at the heart of TTIP’ Read more
Do you want to co-own a community wind farm – from £50? | Blog article
We are really excited to be re-opening the Share Offer for our community windfarm. We raised £734k from our first Share Offer before Christmas and now want to hit the £1,000,000 target. Read more
Re-thinking liberalisation – to counter corporate takeover | Blog article
‘Liberalisation’ – sounds like a good thing, right – like ‘freedom’? It’s rarely named or explained, but underpins the trade agenda and ‘globalisation’. It allows corporations to become mega-transnationals. Read more
Temple Druid Community are looking for new members and volunteers; opportunity for self-build | Blog article
Temple Druid Community is set in 56 acres of woodland, pasture, steams and meadows in North Pembrokeshire. We are looking for members to join us in creating a community based on the foundations of compassion and respect for nature, ourselves and others and a strong wish to tread gently on the earth. Read more
Water and space heating from photovoltaics (or wind) using a grid diverter | Blog article
This is an idea that allows you to heat water via solar electric panels instead of exporting surplus electricity to the National Grid. This makes sense because it then means that you can do the work yourself instead of hiring an (expensive) accredited installer – plus you can use second-hand gear. Read more
How many of us could give a rough overview of the history of philosophy? Part 1: Thales to Socrates | Blog article
It may seem like a strange question from an environmental organisation. But the way that we think nowadays didn’t just fall from the sky – it’s not ‘common sense’ and it hasn’t always been the same. We’re not born with a worldview – it’s something that we develop from what’s gone before. Read more
My meeting with EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom and corporate representatives, and the rules they want to impose on us | Blog article
At the end of April, I went to a Trade Commission ‘civil society dialogue’ meeting Brussels in which Trade Commissioner Cecelia Malmstrom was seeking input on how to push forward the WTO globalisation agenda via the mechanism of the EU. Read more
A brief history of philosophy, part 2: Socrates, Plato & Aristotle | Blog article
After the natural philosophers, the main focus of philosophy was changed by Socrates – probably the most famous philosopher of them all. His position was that you begin to become a philosopher when you admit that you know nothing. Read more
Green woodworking inspiration: mural door | Blog article
This is a copy of the door to a wall cupboard, or mural cupboard (just the same word but from a Latin stem – posh). I wrote briefly about this local cupboard now in Cliffe Castle Museum here. Read more
Nature in June – what to look out for | Blog article
Nature in June – what you can expect to see! Read more
A brief history of philosophy, part 3: Augustine reconciles Christianity with Plato | Blog article
Augustine (354-430) was a bridge between the classical world and the medieval, Christian world. He reconciled Christianity with Plato, and his immaterial world of forms – a much easier task than reconciling Aristotle, with his scientific outlook and emphasis on reason. Read more
Why we decided our greenhouse would be a geodesic dome | Blog article
We are in the process of building a Geodesic Dome Greenhouse like the one above. There will be another blog article soon about exactly how we built it. Read more
Want to be part of a pioneering eco-village project in Northern Ireland? | Blog article
The Cauldron Community Educational Eco Village project is working to set up the first Eco Village in Northern Ireland and is currently open for Aspiring Residents and Investors. We are registered and constituted as a not-for-profit ‘Community Interest Company.’ Read more
A brief history of philosophy, part 4: Aquinas reconciles Christianity with Aristotle | Blog article
Last week we saw how Augustine reconciled Plato with Christianity; but Aristotle, with his logic and his empiricism, was difficult to reconcile with a book that already claimed to have all the answers, and so that didn’t happen until 900 years later. Read more
How to leave the city and regain a connection with the land | Blog article
Many city people yearn to be involved with the land hands-on—and to do so on a long-term basis. But leaving the city for good is too big a step for most people; they need to keep a stake in the city for work or social reasons. Read more
Building a geodesic dome greenhouse | Blog article
I watched the weather on the met office website avidly from midweek hoping that Sunday would be fine with light winds. First the weather looked OK then the next day Malcolm called to ask if I really wanted to go ahead Read more
Why Alicia Keys giving up makeup is important | Blog article
Readers of the Lowimpact blog won’t necessarily know who Alicia Keys is. She’s an American singer / songwriter who has sold over 35 million albums. So very famous, very successful, and right at the heart of the entertainment industry. Read more
A brief history of philosophy, part 5: roots of Renaissance | Blog article
By reconciling the two giants of ancient philosophy with Christianity, Augustine and Aquinas, although culpable in the torture and murder of many thousands of innocent people, were world-changers who allowed us to eventually start to break away from myth again Read more
Why self-reliance means being able to fix bits of old kit – like this circular saw | Blog article
Working outside and sometimes in remote situations requires a certain mindset to not only enjoy the experience, but also have an overall philosophy of self-reliance. Read more
The Ecological Land Co-op has purchased more land to create ecological smallholdings | Blog article
Here’s a quick overview of what the Ecological Land Co-op does, before going on to their latest news. The problem that they were formed to solve is that many people who would like to build a home made from local, sustainable materials, Read more
A brief history of philosophy, part 6: Reformation and Scientific Revolution | Blog article
What happened next was a revolution that rocked the Church and turned our view of the universe on its head – a scientific revolution that hinged on the work of Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543). Read more
The EU referendum from an environmental perspective: are you willing to be challenged? | Blog article
Almost all of my friends, and people whose opinions I respect, are intending to vote ‘Remain’ on Thursday. Here are the four main reasons I hear: Read more
Why global capital fears Brexit | Blog article
Despite its admirable qualities, the authors urge people not to lose sight of the fact that the “the main impetus behind the European Economic Union was the desire of big business to compete with the US” in economic terms. Read more
A brief history of philosophy, part 7: the re-birth of philosophy | Blog article
Philosophy is for doing, not for studying – I know, sorry. But the way that we think nowadays didn’t just fall from the sky – it’s not ‘common sense’ and it hasn’t always been the same. We’re not born with a worldview – it’s something that we develop from what’s gone before. Read more
New Lowimpact.org publication: how to use gasification technology on a small-scale | Blog article
Lowimpact.org has a new publication, and as far as we know, it’s a first – a book about using gasification technology on a small-scale. If you have access to woody biomass waste, this technology could be for you. It’s full-colour, 170 pages, and it’s available here. Read more
Nature in July – what to look out for | Blog article
The ponds in the garden have been rather disappointing so far this year in terms of the numbers of dragonflies we have seen. There have been very few individuals of only a small handful of the larger species – nothing like the usual numbers that we see at this time of year. Read more
How can we get our clothes from sustainable and non-corporate sources? | Blog article
This is an interview with Jessica Smulders-Cohen of Greater London Fibreshed, who are trying to build a network of small-scale clothes manufacturers using natural materials produced in the UK. Read more
Moving forward without the EU: clouds & silver linings | Blog article
I think we all have stories about mad conversations we’ve had about Brexit since the referendum (or is it just me?). I was called a racist, for example, for suggesting that the UK is nowhere near the top of the league of ‘most xenophobic countries’, and I’ve been amazed by the vitriol this has stirred… Continue reading Moving forward without the EU: clouds & silver linings Read more
A brief history of philosophy, part 8: empiricism vs. rationalism | Blog article
The 17th century saw the beginnings of one of the most important epistemological debates in the history of philosophy, that ran well into the 18th – between empiricists and rationalists. Read more
A brief history of philosophy, part 9: Enlightenment | Blog article
The Enlightenment was a time of great political as well as philosophical change. Much was written about how society should be organised. Locke’s vision of a society that protects and promotes life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness was cemented in the US Declaration of Independence, and the culmination of the Enlightenment – the French… Continue reading A brief history of philosophy, part 9: Enlightenment Read more
Here’s how to get your electricity from a new co-operative with medium-sized wind turbines on farms | Blog article
The Small Wind Co-op is a new co-operative, putting up three wind turbines on farms in Scotland and Wales. Anyone from anywhere in the UK can join – we’re offering good returns of 4.5% to 6.5% and even the opportunity to use the electricity generated in your own home. Read more
Why do organic farmers have to pay for certification rather than farmers who use toxic chemicals? | Blog article
It’s always more expensive to do the right thing isn’t it? Like taking the train instead of driving or flying, or buying recycled products, organic food or natural building materials. If you want to do the environmentally-friendly or socially-just thing, it’s going to cost you more money. That can’t be right, can it? Read more
Beautiful, meditative video on the art of oak swill basket weaving | Blog article
We were approached by a young film maker who has produced a video of Owen Jones at work – no interview, no music, just an almost hypnotic and definitely meditative study of Owen using traditional tools and natural materials to make beautiful things. Read more
A brief history of philosophy, part 10: Romanticism, utilitarianism and the dialectic | Blog article
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), sometimes called the father of Romanticism, is often attributed with the phrase ‘noble savage’, although he never actually said it. What it implies is some golden age when humans lived in a ‘state of nature’ – in harmony with ecology and with each other. Read more
New Lowimpact.org publication: a knitting and textiles tour of Scotland by folding bicycle | Blog article
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
In praise of the elder tree, and how to make delicious elderberry wine really easily | Blog article
Common Elder (Sambucus nigra) is a familiar sight on railway embankments, urban waste ground, and in hedgerows. This small tree thrives in particular in the north and midlands of England, growing rapidly when cut back and giving off a discomforting dusty smell in the process, along with also being very difficult to dig up. Read more
A brief history of philosophy, part 11: the splintering of philosophy | Blog article
Hegel represented the end of huge, speculative, metaphysical systems. After Hegel, philosophy started to splinter into many ideas vying for dominance – none of which could be said to represent the growing tip, only the branches. Read more
Are you interested in becoming a smallholder and building your own home? Help the Ecological Land Co-op make it happen | Blog article
If you would like to build your own home on a smallholding, and produce food, fuel and other products for your family and your local community, but can’t see any way that it could happen, then the Ecological Land Co-op want to hear from you. Read more
This is how we should get our fish: interview with Guy Dorrell of ‘Faircatch’ | Blog article
I went to visit Guy Dorrell from Faircatch the other day, and was truly blown away by what he’s up to. Now this is how we should get our fish. Here’s my interview with him. Read more
Volunteer at a crofting / educational centre in the Highlands and learn about the ‘shieling’ | Blog article
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
A brief history of philosophy, part 12: socialism, utopianism and anarchism | Blog article
Karl Marx (1818-1883) is possibly the most studied philosopher in history. He said that the point of philosophy is not to understand the world, but to change it – and change it he did, with an idea, although he never saw the effects of his idea after its interpretation and implementation by others after his… Continue reading A brief history of philosophy, part 12: socialism, utopianism and anarchism Read more
Nature in August – what to look out for | Blog article
As someone who used to work in university research, it is deeply ingrained in my nature to observe and record what I see, and also, when necessary, to count things (I once spent six years counting weed seedlings). Read more
Want to volunteer on a low-impact, off-grid settlement? | Blog article
Hello – we are James and Sukamala, tenants at Wild Geese Acres, Greenham Reach, which is an off-grid, low-impact farming project established in north Devon by the Ecological Land Coop (ELC) – see website. http://ecologicalland.coop. Read more
A brief history of philosophy, part 13: continental vs. analytic philosophy | Blog article
Twentieth century philosophy split very roughly into ‘analytic’ (mainly in the English-speaking world) and ‘continental’ (mainly in mainland Europe), and was influenced heavily by contributions to the way we think about ourselves and the rest of existence from two non-philosophers: Freud and Einstein. Read more
My experience with a traditional watermill driving a generator to produce electricity | Blog article
This was an interesting diversion. I was asked a couple of years ago if I would take a look at a watermill in Bourne (Lincolnshire) and see what the problem was with the generator. Interesting – how often do you get asked to play with a watermill? Read more
Visit properties refurbished for energy efficiency around the country in September | Blog article
SuperHome Open Days this September promise to be extra exciting with at least six recently refurbished homes opening to the public for the first time. Around 50 pioneering households are preparing to open their doors across the UK. Read more
Free straw-bale building internships starting in September | Blog article
Starting on September 7th, I am pleased to offer you the chance to take part in a whole straw bale house build. From foundations to finish plasters and everything in between. Read more
A brief history of philosophy, part 14: the rise and fall of postmodernism | Blog article
By the 1980s, a new way of thinking began to be applied to academic philosophy with almost a religious fervour that caused quite a bit of acrimony within academia, but which has now faded. Read more
Midlands eco festival set to be a sell-out as veganism explodes in the UK | Blog article
Veganism is taking off in the UK, with new stats showing that over half a million people now follow a vegan diet [1]. For many, vegan events are the best starting point if you’re vegan curious, an aspiring vegan or already enjoying the benefits of this lifestyle. Read more
Career change? There are not enough charcoal-makers to satisfy the demand for home-produced charcoal | Blog article
We interview Pete Grugeon of the Bulworthy Project, who explains that there’s a gap in the market – with not enough charcoal burners to satisfy the demand for locally-produced charcoal. Read more
A brief history of philosophy, part 15: what next? | Blog article
This is the final article in this series. Over the past 15 weeks I’ve tried to highlight the times in history where philosophy has helped, along with technology and events, to change the direction in which we’re moving. Read more
How I came to write the third edition of ‘Wind & Solar Electricity’ | Blog article
So after much effort edition three is now published. Renewable energy technology is changing quickly and so a couple of years ago I contacted Dave Darby with a view to updating edition two. Read more
What we’d like to see happen with UK trade deals after the Brexit vote | Blog article
Here is a list, agreed by anti-TTIP activists, of what we want / don’t want in any UK trade deals, whether EU or new UK deals. Read more
Why are clay pots better for sprouts and microgreens than plastic or glass? | Blog article
So why sprout seeds in clay sprouters? Surely if seeds grow happily into sprouts or microgreens, they will be healthy and be good for us? Do they really care if they’re grown in plastic? Well, there are some other things to take into consideration. Read more