I am always trying to persuade people how rewarding it can be to make things for yourself and do things for yourself from scratch. Often, taking a DIY approach and taking that little extra time to work from scratch rather than buying things in can be the best way to start to live more sustainably.Continue reading “Sustainability – From Scratch”
Tag Archives: sustainability
Reducing Energy Bills at Home
Many people at the moment are worried about how much their energy will cost this winter. I won’t get into the energy situation here and now, but I thought it might be helpful to make a few simple suggestions to help anyone, even renters, reduce their energy bills at home: Heat only rooms that needContinue reading “Reducing Energy Bills at Home”
A Sustainable Future for Forestry
Mono-crop timber tree plantations certainly aren’t forests. A true forest has biodiversity and is a complex web of life where all the elements within the system work together in a wide range of complex ways. When we hear about ‘sustainable forestry’, all too often, this is sadly a misnomer. Simply replacing sufficient trees after someContinue reading “A Sustainable Future for Forestry”
Building Natural Capital
When you think about how wealthy you are, you might think about bricks and mortar property, possessions, and money in the bank. But it is important to understand that wealth comes also from the natural world around us. Whether on your own property, in your community, or in your broader environment, building natural capital isContinue reading “Building Natural Capital”
Sustainability Means Avoiding Fads and Fleeting Fashions
I have never been someone who follows fashion all that closely. My tastes tend to run to the simple and natural. But some struggle to avoid temptations when it comes to fashion, interiors and the like. It is important to remember that being stylish and up to date does not need to mean following fadsContinue reading “Sustainability Means Avoiding Fads and Fleeting Fashions”
How To Avoid Buying in Organic Materials to Make New Gardens
Many people establishing new garden areas immediately jump to purchasing organic materials such as compost, topsoil or wood chip mulch. But more often than not, it is possible to source materials for free, or even to avoid purchasing materials altogether by using what is already on site. One tool that is very useful for thoseContinue reading “How To Avoid Buying in Organic Materials to Make New Gardens”
Apples – Thinking Beyond Crumble and Pie
As our apple harvest begins, I have started making use of some of our cooking apples. We have six apple trees here, five of which have done well this year, and so we soon tire of traditional recipes like apple crumble and apple pie. To be honest, we don’t very often eat desserts through theContinue reading “Apples – Thinking Beyond Crumble and Pie”
Online Internship Opportunity
A slightly different post today – because I am exploring options for next year. This is by way of an introduction to an idea I am considering for early 2022. I run this small business alone, and next year, I am thinking about offering a part-time online internship opportunity for a young person (Aged 18-25)Continue reading “Online Internship Opportunity”
Sustainability: Winning Over Those Reluctant to Change
The biggest challenge in sustainability is not finding alternative solutions. Many of those alternative solutions to our biggest environmental and social challenges already exist. The greatest issue is generating real behavioural change. Working out how to win over those who are reluctant to change is one of the most important problems of our age. InContinue reading “Sustainability: Winning Over Those Reluctant to Change”
Why Understanding Plant Roots is Important in a Garden
As gardeners, we ignore the rhizosphere at our peril. New gardeners naturally tend to focus on what plants look like above ground when planning their gardens. But plant roots and what goes on below the soil is also very important. It might sound very obvious, but we should not forget that most plants take inContinue reading “Why Understanding Plant Roots is Important in a Garden”