Not very long ago the majority of people grew vegetables and fruit in their home gardens. It was a valuable part of the household economy. It made practical use of available land and offered a modest level of self-sufficiency, at the least. In some cases, it provided a large proportion of a family’s vegetable needs. … Read more
Today, July 29 2019, is Earth Overshoot Day. This is the day that humanity has used the resources the earth can provide sustainably for this year. For the rest of the year we will be liquidating the natural capital the earth has stocked up over hundreds of millions of years. Also, we accumulate waste, including … Read more
The goose that laid golden eggs Once upon a time, there lived a very poor farmer who constantly struggled, always finding it hard to feed his large family. He prayed constantly to the universe for help and one fateful night his prayers were answered. In a dream, an old woman told him to go to … Read more
April 22 is Earth Day. On Earth Day this year it would be great to take some time out and consider how you could make every day Earth Day. Here are some thought starters 1. Wake up and smell the earth Consider how you can make a better connection with the earth. This might be … Read more
Plastics were a boon when they were first developed, like many technologies, but they have quickly become a plastic plague on the environment. Plastics were the wonder material of the twentieth century. It’s hard to believe that Bakelite, the first true man-made plastic, was synthesised in 1907, just over a century ago. Manufacturers didn’t mass produce plastics, which … Read more
I strongly encourage you to watch this TEDx talk. It’s a little bit cheeky to have a blog post that is a Youtube video, but I could have banged on for ages like I often do and never have got across what Jon Jandai, a Thai farmer does in 15 minutes so plainly. It’s a powerful … Read more
We say ‘Do more good with less’. ‘Do more with less’ is a catch-cry in the sustainability movement but it is also a catch-cry for businesses who despoil the environment. The point is that doing more with less is fine if what you are doing is good – but what if it’s bad? Modern western economies … Read more
Money, where it comes from and what it can buy, is not everything. In our society, the economy gets way too much attention – in policy-making and political rhetoric, in the media, even in the education system. This is amplified by the unrelenting bombardment of advertising and promotional messages the average person faces every single day. Needless to say, … Read more
It’s all too much! The following list of data* highlights the fact that people in modern economies, like America, have too much stuff. Not only is it more stuff than is needed for a life of well-being, but it is also weighing us down, it is a burden in the true sense of the word. 1. … Read more
Honeybees are of huge economic importance, vital for the pollination of many fruit, vegetable and seed crops. Also a wide variety of important products are made from the honey, beeswax, pollen, royal jelly and propolis that bees produce. Pollination Honeybees are one of the most important pollinators for both wild and domestic plants. They visit … Read more