Since this journey has ended up being a major milestone in the development of United Diversity I though I had better re-post this write up I did for the Brake The Cycle blog here too. Enjoy! (note: click on images to enlarge) Last month I cycled about 1200 miles, from the south-easternmost tip of mainland England (Land's End) up to the north-westernmost tip of mainland Scotland (John O'Groats). I thus completed one half of the Brake the Cycle End to End challenge! :) It was the UK's coldest … [Read more...]
Homes and Hands – Community Land Trusts in Action
We'll never have a peaceful, just and sustainable world (or, as Charles Eisenstein says 'the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible') whilst the land that sustains us all is owned and controlled by a tiny minority of the population. We need to transcend private land ownership. But what is the alternative? Community Land Trusts are a good option and Homes and Hands is a great video that illustrates the different ways that community land trusts operate in the U.S. Produced by Women's … [Read more...]
COMING HOME: E.F. Schumacher and the Reinvention of the Local Economy
This is one of the best documentaries about Community Supported Agriculture, Community Land Trusts and Community Currencies. COMING HOME: E.F. Schumacher and the Reinvention of the Local Economy, is a new 37 minute film that tells the story of a series of revolutionary innovations by the community of Great Barrington, MA to address, at the local level, some of the economic challenges of our nation’s current hard times. In 1973, British economist E.F. Schumacher wrote “Small is Beautiful – … [Read more...]
Springhill Cohousing
Last Saturday Gloria and I joined members of the North London Sustainable Housing Partnership to visit the lovely Springhill Cohousing community in Stroud. The video above is a quick tour of the site (unfortunately my battery ran out before I got to show you around inside the common house, and I hadn't put the camera in high resolution mode). Below are the photos I took during our tour, where together with lots of outdoor picture you can take a sneak peak inside some of the houses (some of which … [Read more...]
Building communities we’d like to see
This summer United Diversity is helping the West Lexham Education Centre in a variety of ways. West Lexham Education Centre is an unblemished example of a project providing a leading-edge space that creates innovative services, meaningful training and supports sustainable enterprise opportunities. Located in the beautiful Norfolk countryside, West Lexham engages with both local and national partners to promote sustainability, learning and wellbeing. West Lexham has a number of buildings that … [Read more...]
The London Orchard Project
I love this project. "The London Orchard Project is a fresh initiative promoting orchards and fruit trees in London. We are working with Londoners to plant and harvest apple, pear and plum trees all over the city, and help us all to rediscover the pleasure of eating home-grown fruit." Please help them raise funds to expand their fantastic work and for more info visit their great website. Inspired? Why not start your own food project? … [Read more...]
Sheet Mulching: Greater Plant and Soil Health for Less Work
Sheet Mulching by Craig Elevitch and Kim Wilkinson - Permanent Agriculture Resources Why Mulch? Agriculture with mulch in the tropics promotes plant health and vigor. Mulching improves nutrient and water retention in the soil, encourages favorable soil microbial activity and worms, and suppresses weed growth. When properly executed, mulching can significantly improve the well-being of plants and reduce maintenance as compared to bare soil culture. Mulched plants have better vigor and, … [Read more...]
Why use Compost Tea?
Compost tea is used for two reasons: To inoculate microbial life into the soil or onto the foliage of plants, and to add soluble nutrients to the foliage or to the soil to feed the organisms and the plants present. The use of compost tea is suggested any time the organisms in the soil or on the plants are not at optimum levels. Chemical-based pesticides, fumigants, herbicides and some synthetic fertilizers kill a range of the beneficial microorganisms that encourage plant growth, while compost … [Read more...]
City Repair LA
Mark Lakeman stares down the new Bimini Street salamander.Portland architect and activist Mark Lakeman, founder of the City Repair movement, is in Los Angeles for a week of lectures and activities. Lakeman believes in actions that correct what he believes is our disassociation from nature and our alienation from each other. He's a passionate opponent of the grid, the imposition of street networks and regimented thinking that he traces back to Roman imperialism. He's probably most famous for … [Read more...]
Rural revolution in Colombia goes digital and p2p
“Latinamerica is particularly well equipped for these changes (peer production) by their cultural affinity with the values of P2P”, said Michel Bauwens on an interview for Pagina/12 the Argentinian journal. This statement seems to prove itself when one reads Elyssa Pachico;s article “Rural revolution in Colombia goes digital” (first published by CounterPunch, you can find it also at her site). In poor rural Colombia, where phone lines, drinkable water and decent roads can be hard to find and … [Read more...]
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