Grab a D.I.Y. Cuppa The True Cost of a Cup of Tea Most tea and coffee in the western world is served in polystrene cups with enginerred no-spill lids. The high cost to the environment of the cup is well known. But, what are the costs for the contents? Oil Oil is the main fuel used to transport the products from nation to nation. It is also used in the manufacter of many of the high-end nylon tea-bags which do not decompose. The Polystrene is made from aliphatic hydrocarbons although the original invention in Berlin in 1930s used the resin …
Are you wondering what advantage comes from a little bit of permaculture planning before you spend the rest of your life pottering about in your garden growing food? How does design increase the success of a garden? Join us in our upcoming tour, March 4th afternoon tea and discussions at Earth Keepers in Buxton. Not only will you meet permaculture teachers Judith and Paul Collins but also be engaged in discussions about effective permaculture design with April Sampson-Kelly. The group will explore what makes this property unique, and witness how this wise couple face the challenges of being self-reliant in …
Go Easy There’s more than one way to shape the land and direct water to your gardens. Most people can’t afford machinery to shape the land and build abundance. So, they usually abandon hope of reshaping their site and work with what is there. Why bother shaping the landscape? We can shape the landscape to: collect surface water when it rains store water in shallow ponds provide water for birds, lizards, frogs encourage beneficial insects improve the soil water the plants prevent erosion and nutrient loss What are our no-dig options? We can use animals (pigs, chickens, guinea pigs) or …
Abundance on a Shoestring A natural water management system can save you heartache, time and money. Learn how to grow food in a planned landscape. Utilise the different micro-climates. Sculpt the thirsty places and soak up the soppy patches. Mitigate flooding rains and prepare your home for wildfire. Not all water management systems require pipes, dams, tanks or machinery. Nor do they require weekends of back-breaking digging, bags of cement, pebbles or terrace bricks. All Earthworks need a bit of know-how and planning. With this bit of know-how you can turn you garden into a more resilient and productive space. …
Practice Permaculture Design on a Tiny Scale. We don’t have to be designing for a farm, or a house and garden to be using permaculture design methodology. Good permaculture design can be practiced on a tiny scale – like the design of a hand tool, through to a small scale when we design a kitchen and upwards it goes. Permaculture Design can also be applied to social systems and business. In our upcoming workshop about cooking on a fuel stove we shall be teaching Chapter 6 of the Permaculture Designers Manual by Bill Mollison. This will give participants a good …