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Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org / NonCorporate.org interviews Lynne Davis of the Open Food Network as part of a series of interviews with people building the new economy. Here’s the transcript of the interview, plus the video (below). Read more

At university, back in the 80s, we were taught about ‘the Tragedy of the Commons’ – an essay by Garrett Hardin, about how common resources are always abused, because humans are basically selfish. It seemed plausible at the time, but has since been shown to be false. Read more

Just what can you grow indoors? Plenty, it turns out. Ethical.net continue their guide to starting a small garden in your apartment. Catch up with Part 1 here. Read more

With the end of 2019 drawing near, nomadic handweaver Eloïse Sentito reflects on a year of significant change, living on the edge while spinning, dyeing and weaving her way from Brittany to Devon. Read more

Lowimpact.org are working with Open.coop to build a new, co-operative, moneyless, mutual credit trading system for the UK, with a view to joining many similar schemes around the world to create a new global trading system, that requires neither banks nor interest. The point of this article is to invite you, if you own or… Continue reading Become one of the first movers in a new, collaborative economy: Open Credit Network Alpha launch Read more

At a dinner party on Saturday evening, I had a discussion about a) the efficacy of elections for bringing about meaningful change, and b) the desirability of the quest for perpetual economic growth (I didn’t feel positively about either of those things). Our hosts’ 10-year-old son was listening carefully, after which he expressed his intention… Continue reading 26 questions from a 10-year-old to his parents about the election Read more

Today I’m talking with Debbie Clarke of Unicorn Grocery – a cooperative grocery store in Manchester; and the thing I’m particularly interested in about Unicorn Grocery is that instead of wanting to become a huge chain, they’ve got a toolkit called ‘Grow your own Grocery’ to help people set up cooperative grocery stores in their own towns. Read more

We share the first part of Ethical.net’s guide to composting, covering the fundamental principles of turning your food waste into a wonderful soil fertiliser. Read more

As the winter solstice approaches, Nick Mann of Habitat Aid takes a welcome look forward to the delights of his wildflower meadows in spring. Read more

In the summer of 2018 I went along to Open2018 to see Matthew Slater talk about how we might shake up the money system with a global Credit Commons. After his presentation, Matthew and I met with Oliver Sylvester-Bradley of the Open Co-op, who organised the event, and decided to build a mutual credit network… Continue reading What I’ve discovered about the money system and how the world is run, since working with the Open Credit Network Read more

With edible pickings thin on the ground for her December forage of the month, Ruby Taylor of Native Hands instead collects inedible fungi for fire making, commonly known as King Alfred’s cakes. Read more

I identify with Greta Thunberg. I’m also aspergic, and I understand why she’s so motivated. I talked with several people over the Christmas period who don’t like her, for various reasons – her voice; her team fly even though she doesn’t; her parents are manipulating her; she’s too angry; she once used a plastic bottle,… Continue reading Is Greta Thunberg right, and if so, what do we do about it? Read more

We meet the new faces of farming combining entrepreneurial zeal and ecological ethics, thanks to the work of the Ecological Land Cooperative. Lauren Simpson tells us more. Read more

Approximately 2000 non-native plant and animal species have been introduced into the UK, causing irreparable damage and changing landscapes forever. The Woodland Trust looks at how non-native species are invading UK woodlands and what can be done to stop the spread. Read more

This is Part 2 of an interview by Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org / NonCorporate.org with Lynne Davis of the Open Food Network as part of a series of interviews with people building the new economy. Here’s Part 1, and below is the transcript of the interview, plus the video. Read more

We hear from our friends at the Permaculture Association about a new ethical lifestyle toolkit in the making alongside Ethical Consumer, and how you can help make it a reality by supporting their Crowdfunder campaign ahead of 26 January. We’re particularly excited about this one! It’s over to Jemma to tell us more… Read more

This is an informal chat with Phil Christopher of Huff & Puff Construction. He’s a natural builder who has registered his business with the Open Credit Network. He sees mutual credit as a way to build an alternative economy – sustainable, based on small- and medium-sized businesses, and embedded in communities. We talk about ways… Continue reading Natural building and mutual credit: Phil Christopher of Huff & Puff Construction Read more

Before the election in December, I had a ‘lively debate’ with a friend – an old-school Labour supporter and Corbynite – who was trying to convince me that the only way that we can have an effective social safety net is by voting in a genuinely redistributive party, taxing the rich properly and spreading wealth… Continue reading Disillusioned with the parliamentary route to a better society? Here’s an alternative. Read more

We hear from Nick Mann of Habitat Aid about why hedgelaying for wildlife is well worth the effort – and the workout – it entails. Read more

As the number of UK ancient woodlands threatened by built development tops the 1000 mark, we hear from Ruby Harrison at the Woodland Trust about their volunteer “threat detectors” and how you can join them. Read more

We’ve produced an online course on building, using and maintaining a range of different compost toilets. You can purchase the new compost toilets online course here. Read more

Bramble tips are on the menu with spring approaching, as Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares her February forage of the month. Read more

This is Part 2 of an interview with Debbie Clarke of Unicorn Grocery – a co-operative grocery store in Manchester. In Part 1, I talked with Debbie about what it’s like to work in a co-operative grocery. Here we talk about the “Grow your own Grocery” guide that her co-op has produced for people who… Continue reading How to start a co-operative grocery in your town: Debbie Clarke of Unicorn Grocery, Part 2 Read more

Donald Trump recently derided Greta Thunberg and everyone pleading with government to heed environmental science as ‘doomsayers’. The more imminent peak oil or environmental collapse appear, the more intransigent our political system seems to be. Whatever the reasons for this, responsible citizens can only accomplish so much while the political and economic winds are blowing… Continue reading Starting from scratch: Matthew Slater, barefoot economist and Credit Commons co-designer, Part 1 Read more

In part 1 I described why a resilient economy needs be to separate from the failing capitalist juggernaut and that we need to start by finding new economic partners from without the Market. Read more

Thought not having a garden meant there was little point in composting? Think again! Having covered the basics of composting in Part 1 of the series, Ethical.net take a look at different ways of composting indoors. Read more

Living in an older building but keen to heat your house with 100% renewable energy? Simon Lennane shares how he tackled an ambitious project converting his old cottage to ground source heating. Read more

Thomas H. Greco, Jr., author of The End of Money and the Future of Civilization, shares just some of his wealth of knowledge about what works, and what doesn’t, when it comes to local currencies. Read more

Today I’m talking with Chris Huskins of Fanfield Farm – an Ecological Land Co-op plot – who is going to build his own house on his smallholding. He’s also trading using mutual credit, via the Open Credit Network. Read more

The Woodland Trust share the latest findings from their Nature’s Calendar project and invite you to get involved as one of the thousands of volunteers who make it happen each year. Read more

Are you ready to make compost in your back garden? From hot to cold composting and more besides, our friends at Ethical.net share how you can make the most of composting outdoors. Read more

We’re delighted to share exciting news from the team behind Bridport Cohousing, who are now all set to build 53 affordable eco homes in the largest cohousing project of its kind in the UK. Read more

This is Part 2 of a conversation between Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org / the Open Credit Network and Chris Huskins, a smallholder tenant of the Ecological Land Co-operative, starting a veg box scheme in East Sussex, building his own home, and looking to trade via mutual credit. Read more

There’s exciting news from the Ecological Land Cooperative as they launch a new community share offer, inviting you to make an investment in future farming. Read more

I came across a clip recently (see below) of a radio host filled with incredulity that someone might actually believe that the existence of billionaires is a bad thing. Surely any antipathy towards the super-wealthy must be based on envy or ideology? Don’t they create jobs? Aren’t they philanthropic? Don’t they pay a lot of… Continue reading What’s wrong with billionaires? Read more

This is the first in a series of articles over the next week or so about how mutual credit can help us get through the economic problems caused by the corona virus. The main points to get across are: There’s going to be a shortage of money. Mutual credit is a moneyless trading system. That’s… Continue reading Mutual credit is a solution to the COVID-19 economic crisis Read more

This is the second in a series of articles this week about how mutual credit can help us get through the economic problems caused by the corona virus. The main points to get across are: There’s going to be a shortage of money. Mutual credit is a moneyless trading system. That’s it! Mutual credit can… Continue reading Covid-19 Mutual Aid Groups should look to Mutual Credit for economic resilience Read more

This is the third in a series of articles about how mutual credit can help us get through the economic problems caused by the corona virus. The main points to get across are: There’s going to be a shortage of money. Mutual credit is a moneyless trading system. That’s it! Mutual credit can help local… Continue reading The exchange medium for the coronavirus crisis: crypto or mutual credit? Read more

This is the fourth in a series of articles about how mutual credit can help us get through the economic problems caused by the corona virus. The main points to get across are: There’s going to be a shortage of money. Mutual credit is a moneyless trading system. That’s it! Mutual credit can help local… Continue reading “Flat Earth” Money, and why there doesn’t have to be a global cashflow problem Read more

This is the fifth in a series of articles about how mutual credit can help us get through the economic problems caused by the corona virus. The main points to get across are: There’s going to be a shortage of money. Mutual credit is a moneyless trading system. That’s it! Mutual credit can help local… Continue reading The global money system: not the kind of ‘normality’ we should return to after the coronavirus crisis is over Read more

This is the last of six articles this week about how we can keep local economies afloat during the coming economic slump. There is already a scarcity of money, as the coronavirus crisis forces businesses to lay off workers, and sole traders to give up. But it will get much worse. How can we keep… Continue reading Building the new economy: how to keep local economies trading in the economic slump caused by the coronavirus Read more

Our friend Shaun Chamberlin of Dark Optimism shares news of Surviving the Future: conversations for our time, an eight week online gathering which he will be co-facilitating on behalf of Sterling College, starting on Monday 6th April. Read more

The coronavirus crisis is causing an economic crash that will only get worse. Research has indicated that a shortage of money will mean that up to a million UK small businesses may close in the coming months. To prevent the devastation of small businesses, and therefore our communities, there needs to be an alternative means… Continue reading Keeping small businesses alive during the coronavirus / economic crisis Read more

This is the first part of an interview with Paul Jennings, who lives on a smallholding in Pembrokeshire with his family, and built his own straw-bale home under the One Planet Development policy that exists in Wales (but not in England), which allows people to build a home on their land, even if it is… Continue reading One Planet Development and access to land: Paul Jennings, OPD smallholder and self-builder Read more

There are many and various drivers behind the desire to become a woodland owner, varying from wishing to impose one’s self on the landscape and latterly build a house on a green field site; to the other end of the spectrum to benignly caring for an increasingly rare habitat. Read more

Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares her March – April forage of the month, starring cleavers and nettles in a springtime tonic we can appreciate all the more in these challenging times. Read more

There’s been a lot of talk about ‘thanking’ coronavirus for giving us the breathing space to re-evaluate, and for giving nature some breathing space too. This isn’t one of those articles. I don’t find it compassionate to thank a virus that’s killing thousands of people, and closing millions of small businesses, allowing Amazon to hoover… Continue reading Post-covid: ‘getting back to normal’ is not just a bad idea – it’s suicidal Read more

“For those who dream of a return to “normalcy”: normalcy was standing on the tracks watching an oncoming train & arguing about how fast it was going. Something just banged into us & sent us sprawling. It hurt. A lot. Now let’s get up, but NOT get back on the tracks again.” – David Graeber Read more

With many of us taking steps to grow our own food right now, some for the first time, our friends at Ethical.net set out how and why to grow a food forest in your garden. Read more

In her April forage of the month, Ruby Taylor of Native Hands takes the sting out of nettles with a delicious soup recipe. Read more

Here I interview Tim Jenkin, Matthew Slater and Dil Green (and Keith the cat, briefly, until he got bored – see video) about the money system, the problems it causes and what could replace it. Fascinating insights from three people who have spent an enormous amount of time thinking about the money system. Read more

With just under three weeks left until the Ecological Land Cooperative 202 community share offer closes, Lauren Simpson shares an update on progress so far, complete with a new film. Read more

This is part 1 of an interview with Naresh Giangrande, co-founder of Transition Totnes and the Transition Network. Part 2 is here. Read more

Wondering how to make your own sustainable cleaning products? Our friends at Ethical.net are here to help, with useful tips galore and a recipe for homemade apple cider vinegar. Read more

Our topics include vegetarianism and veganism, but also keeping animals (for meat, dairy, eggs, honey, wool, leather, work etc); and also fishing and hunting animals in the wild. Is this incongruous? As a sustainability / new economy organisation, should we be promoting only veganism, rather than the keeping and/or eating of animals? Read more

When the coronavirus crisis hit, Imogen Lacey was volunteering through WWOOF UK, living and working on a smallholding in exchange for accommodation, food and a wealth of learning opportunities. Here she shares her personal experiences of WWOOFing in Shropshire under lockdown. Read more

Today I’m talking with Brian Czech, the president of CASSE (Centre for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy). He served in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from 1999-2017, and as a visiting professor of natural resource economics in Virginia Tech’s National Capitol Region. He is the author of Supply Shock, Shoveling Fuel for… Continue reading Interview with Brian Czech: the impossibility of a perpetually-growing economy Read more

We share a guest post from Ethical.net, in which Elizabeth Waddington sets out the twelve principles of permaculture. There’s plenty more to it than gardening, we promise! Read more

This is the first of three articles in three days about ‘community wealth building’ (CWB) and mutual credit. Today we’re explaining community wealth building, and reviewing a book: The Case for Community Wealth Building. Tomorrow we’ll blog about how mutual credit can help post-Covid communities, and on Monday, Dil Green continues the theme, explaining how… Continue reading ‘The Case for Community Wealth Building’: review Read more

This is the third in a series of articles about community wealth building and mutual credit, by Dave Darby and Dil Green of Lowimpact.org and the Open Credit Network. Read more

This post follows on from yesterday’s, about community wealth building. Tomorrow, Dil Green explains how community wealth building and mutual credit could be a match made in heaven. Read more

Today I’m talking with Chris Cook, who designed and built the Iranian Oil Bourse (see Wikipedia for a timeline of the events Chris describes), which could help move the world away from the petrodollar. We’ll be talking more about that later. Read more

Nick Mann of Habitat Aid charts a five month journey of beautiful blossom and how people and pollinators alike can benefit from its bounty. Read more

Dave Darby shares news of a crowdfunding campaign launched by the Solidarity Economy Association to rebuild vital water infrastructure in North and East Syria. Read more

Elderflower fritters, anyone? Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shows us how to make a delicious early summer delicacy in her May – June forage of the month. Read more

This is part 2 of an interview with Paul Jennings, who has built his own straw-bale house and lives with his family on a smallholding in Carmarthenshire in Wales. They were able to build their house via the One Planet Development (OPD) policy in Wales. Here’s part 1 of the interview. Read more

Are you an accountant? Do you have an accountant? Do you know an accountant? If you could bring this article to their attention, we think they might find it interesting – it’s an idea that can be very useful for accountants, to help keep their small business clients afloat during the post-covid economic slump. Read more

Keen to transform your lawn into a wildflower meadow but not sure how? Nick Mann of Habitat Aid shares his guide to sowing wildflower seed onto grass. Read more

Imagine that there’s an enormous economic crash coming. Say, the biggest economic crash in history. Outlandish, I know, but just give it a try. Read more

We share a first instalment of a beginner’s guide to foraging from our friends at Ethical.net, starting with the basics of when and where, and the importance of safety and sustainability. Read more

This is a continuation of an interview with Naresh Giangrande, co-founder of Transition Totnes and the Transition Network, on the future for local economies post-covid. Part 1 is here. Read more

In Part 2 of a beginner’s guide to foraging from our friends at Ethical.net, we learn which common edible weeds and wild plants can make their way to our plates. Read more

Today I’m interviewing Laurence Anderson of Tradeswap – a mutual credit network in Australia. I’m very interested in what you’re up to Laurence, because as you know, a group of us are trying to set up mutual credit networks in the UK, with a view to building a global credit commons. Read more

Part 3 of the beginner’s guide to foraging introduces us to foraging on the coast, covering everything from marsh samphire to mussels and much more in between. Read more

Here’s a little story for anyone who’s noticed that things aren’t going too well in our communities. Small businesses are going under, unemployment is on the rise and money’s becoming scarce. Read more

From greengages to giant puffballs, in the final instalment of a beginner’s guide to foraging, our friends at Ethical.net tackle the task of foraging for fruits, nuts and fungi. Read more

The Money & Society MOOC was launched by Matthew Slater and Jem Bendell in 2014. In four dense but perfectly assimilable 2-hour videos, it blows open your understanding of economics, in an incredibly liberating and empowering way. Read more

Tempted to learn how to make your own shampoo bar? Here’s a great simple recipe from The Soap Kitchen, which combines nettle and neem oil. Read more

This is part 2 of an interview with Brian Czech (part 1 is here), the president of CASSE (Centre for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy). He served in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from 1999-2017, and as a visiting professor of natural resource economics in Virginia Tech’s National Capitol Region. Read more

Which are your favourite species of bee? For Nick Mann of Habitat Aid, ranking high among them is the Wool Carder bee. Read more

The world is run by and for billionaires. If you’d prefer it to be run democratically, for all of us, then don’t be fooled by the ‘Great Reset’ – a request by the corporate and financial sectors for governments to give them taxpayers’ money to take more control. Read more

With huge changes demanded by the Covid-19 pandemic, community gardens and growing spaces up and down the country are adapting to new realities. Here’s how you can support and get involved in their work to keep communities growing. Read more

Natural organic reduction, a technique for turning human remains into “soft, beautiful soil” is being billed by its American developers, Recompose, as the greenest of green funerary practices. A licence was granted in March 2019 by Washington State and the company hopes to open for business in 2021. Read more

Monday marked the beginning of National Allotments Week 2020, at a time when the number of prospective allotmenteers far exceeds the number of available allotments. So what do allotments have to offer that means so many of us are itching to get our hands dirty? Read more

Industrial agriculture is cruel to animals, cruel to people who work in it, it damages the environment and concentrates wealth in very few hands. I guess if you’re reading this, you know that already, and I don’t have to explain it. The problem is, it’s still there, doing its vile stuff every day. What do… Continue reading We need to completely close down industrial animal agriculture Read more

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. Read more

Dave Darby talks with Julia Steinberger, professor of ecological economics at the University of Leeds and a member of the IPCC, about her work and the links between biodiversity loss and economic growth. Read more

Can we avoid ecological collapse? This is part 2 of a conversation with Julia Steinberger, professor of ecological economics at the University of Leeds and a member of the intergovernmental panel on climate change – the IPCC. Part 1 is here. Read more

With autumn approaching, Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares one of her all-time favourite recipes for an elderberry elixir. Read more

Today I’m talking with Mercedes Bidart, of Quipu Markets. Mercedes, you’re from Argentina, the project was born at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where you did a Masters; and the project is being launched in Colombia. So it’s a very pan-American project. Read more

Maybe David Graeber’s death can challenge us to take a few minutes to think about the demonisation of the word anarchism. I believe that the two fundamental assumptions of anarchism are correct – that: Read more

Already suffering a downturn as an industry in recent years, the Covid-19 crisis has resulted in a particularly woeful year for wool in 2020. How have producers been faring and what can we do to support them as best as possible? Read more

Hailed as ‘essential viewing’, ‘painful’ and ‘terrifying’ by viewers, Sophie Paterson shares her reflections on the hard-hitting BBC documentary Extinction: The Facts. Read more

It’s been a while since wildlife—not just a species here or there but wildlife at large—has been front and center in the news. Usually the biggest environmental news pertains to climate change at the global level, or local pollution problems such as lead in the water pipes. “Biodiversity” gained traction as an issue in the… Continue reading WWF shocking report on wildlife, and why the response will be inadequate Read more

From archaeology to folklore and more, Sean Fagan of Pioneer Bushcraft sets out three great uses of maps beyond the obvious. Read more

Know someone taking their first steps into farming? We take a look at a growing wealth of schemes and resources providing support for new entrant farmers. Read more

Today I’m talking with Graham Mitchell, of Co-operative Care Colne Valley. He’s part of a group starting a social care co-op in the Colne Valley, West Yorkshire, and they’re also building a toolkit / step-by-step guide for people to start social care co-ops in their own community. I’m interested in how this toolkit can help… Continue reading Why we need social care co-ops: Graham Mitchell of Co-operative Care Colne Valley Read more

From herbs to moss and more, we share a first instalment from our friends at Ethical.net about sustainable alternatives to garden lawns. Read more

Today I’m talking with Graham Mitchell, of Co-operative Care Colne Valley. He’s part of a group starting a social care co-op in the Colne Valley, West Yorkshire, and they’re also building a toolkit / step-by-step guide for people to start a social care coop in their own community. I’m interested in how this toolkit can… Continue reading Creating a national network of social care co-ops: Graham Mitchell of Co-operative Care Colne Valley Read more

In this second look at sustainable alternatives to garden lawns, we hear from our friends at Ethical.net about growing your own food, keeping the kids happy and more. Read more