The greenhouse in Norwich is a café, a bookstore, a gallery, a house, a shop and an information hub. The dappled shade in the courtyard garden is provided by clever solar panels. Above the shop lives one of the original 12 students, who 20 year on, is still running the space to provide an example of positive solutions. The flat is one of Englands Superhomes, which are very energy efficient and serve as an example to help others. The Greenhouse is a particularly useful example because it is a listed building which they had to retrofit. The vast majority of the UK housing stock would need to be retrofitted to make them more sustainable, we won’t be able to build new houses, as it would release far far more carbon. There are currently more houses in the UK than we need, the difficulty is a large number of them have been bought as investments and are vacant. The centre of London is a sad example of this. So we can’t keep building on the little nature habitat land we have left to feed the ever more hungry monster of the housing market. Retrofitting is therefore a vital part of the culture change we need to be able to lower our carbon emissions. As to how we change our culture to avoid our homes being at the whim of the investment market, we’ll leave that for later… 😉
Small beautiful Norwich
OK, I confess I got quite trigger happy with the videos in Norwich, but it was so varied and such a surprise for me, so I’ll let the videos do the talking while I carry on with the walking.
I demand that you do not go to Norfolk (I want it all for myself)
I know that you should avoid comparisons in many ways, but I can’t help it, I love Norfolk! As a small child I visited the Norfolk Broads once but all I remember is a little of the beautiful lakes and rivers seen from a little rented houseboat, and the mooring fees man that I thought was the milkman. I didn’t really have any other impression of Norfolk. What I’ve been finding is a delight. The incredibly friendly people, the many reserves and environmental treasures, and Norwich which is a walkable size but with so many things to enjoy.
Most of us have heard of the Broads, large expanses of water which were man made by centuries of peat extraction. Norfolk is one of the only areas to have avoided the destructive influence of a major motorway, it hasn’t become a commuter belt. Instead, organisations like the Norfolk Wildlife Trust have been preserving some of our most precious habitat in the country. Over the next few days I’ll be walking through just a few of the 50 reserves managed by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust.
Heathland
Healthland is a type of habitat with heather and low scrub plants. In Suffolk we walked through the gorgeous ‘Dead Mans Grave’ and heathland areas managed with light grazing by Natural England. A motorbike came across the heath and afterwards we could hear the distressed sheep bleating. We realised that two of the lambs had made a run for it from the motorbike and ended up on the wrong side of the fence, now unable to find their way back. Sama and I then had the very amusing and tricky job of herding them back. When the last one finally crossed the gate threshold back to it’s mum it did a little jump for joy. As someone once told me “lambs have more than their fair share of cute”.
A change in the flight pattern of the RSPB
In the Bedforshire town of Sandy we found a great bird habitat reserve, but we also found the headquarters of the RSPB (yes, we really are that lucky/disorganised that we didn’t plan it that way). Like perhaps many people I viewed the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) as focused only on birds, but what the reserve manager explained to me was that to protect the birds, you have to protect the habitat. Without the whole ecosystem, the birds don’t stand a chance. Sounds similar to the situation of my favourite upright primates…
The RSPB’s message has now changed to ‘Saving Nature’ to better reflect the work they’ve been doing for years. As someone who doesn’t know their bitterns from their sandpipers, but fervently wishes for the survival of them all, the broader systemic focus catches my interest. The RSPB is one of the biggest landowners in the UK and provides the habitat for over 80% of our threatened and endangered birds. They also have over a million members, so when they speak, people listen. Say it loud, say it proud RSPB, it’s time to save nature.
Action in Gamlingay
Something is wrong, and you want to make it right. You start talking to your partner or spouse, then one day your neighbours join in the conversation too. Together you arrange a film screening in the village and print out 1000 leaflets to tell your community about the public meeting. What can happen next is life changing.
Gamlingay Environmental Action Group started in this way, and once people are working together amazing things can happen. The village is located a few mile East of Bedford. It has it’s own community owned wind turbine, who’s profits go back to the village. There are 80 new allotments, and a habitat area because the group was able to successfully negotiate with a developer. Residents can get advice on green living and lowering their energy use. There is an annual bike ride and Green Day.
The village previously only had 8 allotments and there was a waiting list of around 40 people, but the new 80 allotments are now almost all taken! And if you find you need to spend a penny down on the allotment, how about this for a stylish toilet?
The other surprising thing about Gamlingay given the size of the village, is the Eco Hub. The amazing community centre is used for sports, dance, theatre, events, as a library and for computer access. The volunteers give their time to keep the centre thriving. The previous centre was badly degraded, leaking energy out and water in. In the few years since the new sustainable building was built, incorporating much of the old structure, it has become a real centre for the community, rather than just a single use venue for hire.
Located near Gamlingay is Sandy, where the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) has it’s headquarters, and part of the success of the village has been the number of people who live in the area who care about the environment. Taking that first step though, to talk to our neighbours, to reach out, is how it all begins.
The restoration of the fens
Did you know that the National Trust is the second biggest landowner after the Ministry of Defense? I didn’t. Why would an incomeless environmentalist like me decide to become a member of the National Trust?
I did not realise that the National Trust does a large amount of work to protect the environment, it turns out it’s not all about posh manor houses. When the National Trust staff kindly told us about the ambitious work happening at Wicken Fen, it was enough to stir me to part with the little money I have to support what they are doing.
Fens are wetlands that are fed by mineral rich waters. Wicken Fen is the oldest National Trust reserve in the country and one of the most important wetland habitats in Europe. Walking through the landscape of the fens the rivers are a lot higher than the surrounding land. Weird. You might think that perhaps they were built up that way? It turns out to be the other way around. When the fen ditches were dug and the land drained, the layers of organic matter that had been laid down over thousands of years were exposed to oxygen. With the oxygen the carbon started to break down and release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Another surprise. It turns out that draining wetland is very bad for our climate as well as removing habitat. But what the National Trust have planned gave me a lift of excitement.
Most organisations and politicians seem to think a few years ahead, maybe a decade ahead, but the National Trust have a hundred year plan to restore fenland around Wicken Fen. By gradually buying up the land, they will restore this vital habitat, lock up carbon and protect it for the benefit of all.
Engaging with climate change as a Buddhist
In Totnes I had my first introduction to DANCE – the Dharma Action Network for Climate Engagement. Dharma is an Indian word and concept that has many meanings and nuances in different religions but in the context of Buddhism my understanding is that a simplified definition would be the teachings of Buddha and a ‘right way of living’.
One of the founders of DANCE, the inspiring Rob Burbea, kindly explained what had driven him to start the network. The interview will be in the documentary we are compiling of the journey. The idea behind DANCE is to create a space where people can connect and explore a wider range of possible responses to climate change within Buddhist teachings, and to discuss their feelings.
Upon arriving in Bristol I met my first DANCE member. Lindsay Alderton and I crossed paths through her work in Global Power Shift UK, where many climate change groups are coming together to form a larger movement. In conversation it turned out she was also a member of DANCE in Bristol, as was her friend Julia. They had done a range of activist actions that you might expect from other climate change groups, but the thing that struck me as noticeably different was the manner of contemplation. Conversations were much more present, listening and open, more contemplative and exploratory. Their behaviour suggested little attachment to tactics and more of a focus on a process of development and openness. Lindsay kindly did an interview for me and it was very obvious to me that she had emotionally processed a lot more of the trauma of climate change than the vast majority of people I have met, it was not an abstract intellectual concept, but an emotional reality that was driving the motivations of her life.
The purity of her intentions and statement of her truth was very moving and inspiring for me, leaving me feeling strengthened. When you meet someone with a pure intention to reduce suffering and protect our future it restores your trust and your faith, it is easier to connect and to bring out those things within yourself.
The teachings which arise out of Buddism have brought a great deal to the world and I look forward to them bringing a lot more to the responses to climate change.
Give us a smile Oxford!
We realised during our practice walk through Oxford that it is packed with people taking action to protect the environment. We spoke to Rupert Griffin about his achievements in getting more local food available in Oxford.
Rupert now runs his own business providing local apple juice and honey.
You know when you smile at a stranger and they smile back, then you smile more, and there’s a shared moment. Those are the moments I wait for but strangely there was only an average of 10% smile return rate through Oxford. One man surprised me by cycling back to me to thank me for smiling at him and it made my day. Just keep smiling people, sometimes they smile back. 🙂
Reclaiming our culture from fossil fuels
The Reclaim Shakespeare Company is part of a growing movement of artivism – using the art form in the activism. The group challenges the sponsorship of the arts by fossil fuel companies with protest performance pieces. The subversive plays based on the form of art that is being sponsored are performed just before the official productions are due to begin. I spoke with writer, climate change researcher and artivist Danny Chivers about the group.
The Reclaim Shakespeare Company and Danny are now themselves portrayed as part of a new play about taking a stand for your conscience. You can watch performances of STAND at the Oxford Playhouse until the 8th of June.
What them in action at the British Museum.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXHJxTFTsj4
A new group BP Out of Opera recently did a lovely dance under pressure in London.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7eZrTbTMtg
Shell Out Sounds successfully sang songs at Shell sponsored events resulting in Shell’s sponsorship not being renewed.
If you are feeling inspired there are a number of groups under the Art Not Oil Coalition that you can join, or they can help you form a new one of your own!
Out damned logo out!
A walking university
During the tour walkers will be offering free courses and sessions. Here are some that we’ve got coming up!
If you’d like to offer a session or attend just email us.
What’s the law? – Knowing your rights, property law and the new civil rights movement. The first of these sessions will run around the 24th-26th May near Aylesbury/Milton Keynes with another at a later date.
Introduction to Mindfulness – Mindfulness is a way of changing your thought patterns and behaviours to influence your emotions and improve your life. In this weekend session, the first day will be an introduction to some aspects of the practice and the second will be a facilitated silent walk. End of June.
Poi – poi is a performance art where balls on cords are swung in intricate patterns. You can learn this at any point on the walk up until 6th June and possibly at later dates as well.
Conflict resolution – the methods and processes for peacefully resolving conflict. This one day session will run at some point before the 6th of June with the date depending upon interested persons.
Project management – a process and skills to help you get things done and organise your projects. This course can run at any point during the walk according to interest.
Banner making – what’s a good event without a banner? Practical chance to make a banner, please bring a sheet.
Campaign planning – what are some of the processes to go through when planning your own campaign?
Ethical investment – divestment
A cancer research charity would not invest in tobacco, it would be unethical. A peace group would not invest in arms. Where you put your money is where you put power, so if we want to create a healthy future we can’t invest in unhealthy things.
Money is a bit like energy, it’s only doing something when it’s flowing, so organisations and banks are constantly investing, and some of that money is going to fund the expansion of fossil fuel drilling. Even if we spend all day campaigning against climate change, our money may be quietly funding climate change. The process of removing money from unethical investments is called divestment.
The campaign for fossil fuel divestment worldwide is Fossil Free, and there are campaigns all over the UK. I spoke with Al about her work on the Fossil Free Oxfordshire campaign.
In Oxford on the 31st of May will be a rally to call for the City Council, the County Council and the universities to divest.
A very respectable no-water closet
Near Northmoor Lock on the river Thames we came across Barefoot Campsites, with picnic tables, yurts, small sheds, and two very presentable composting toilets made by Free Range Designs. A common concern with composting toilets is that they might be considered unpleasant to use but I suspect these will please and surprise many a person.
William Morris and the floating forge
William Morris was a multi-talented and political theorist, fantasy writer and artist who lived in Oxfordshire in the late 1800’s. He believed in equality and socialism. Journeying into Oxfordshire we encountered our first William Morris reference… on a boat…with a forge in it. Brian Greaves kindly told us about his work.
Continuing towards Oxford we encountered a modest and welcoming 11th century church in Inglesham which had been supported by William Morris. William Morris founded the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, one of the worlds first preservation groups. Within are old wooden pens containing the pews and wall paintings from across the centuries.
In Kelscott we saw the manor that had been William Morris’ home and continued along the beautiful Thames Path to Newbridge and Shifford. It’s been a great privilege to walk the path all the way from it’s source near Coates and to see the river change. And it doesn’t hurt that we’ve had glorious sunshine the whole way!
Reducing the tension
Most of the people I met in Stroud were musical in some way (given the many choirs, they had to be really!) but staying with Allison it was really a part of life, a way to be thankful and aware. Both Allison and her friend Jane sing in choirs, before our mealtimes they sang a prayer, and Jane was kind enough to teach me songs for walking, morning, evening and friendship. An interesting historical point which came up in conversation was that our western music as we hear it today is different in feel than it was before industrialisation. Historically musical instruments were tuned to a particular key, which was composed of the overtones within a note, but with modern instruments we compromise so that we don’t have to retune for songs in different keys. As a result, some of the notes are a little ‘out’ and don’t resonate nicely with each other. The other aspect which I had not realised, is that the note ‘A’ today is not the same as the ‘A’ from the 1800’s. Originally our instruments were tuned based on an A resonating at 432 Hz, but as musical audiences became bigger the instruments needed to be louder and so they were retuned to a higher tension at 440Hz.
Humans are very subtly yet strongly effected by resonance and frequencies, which is part of our love of music. Many people believe that music tuned to 432 Hz is more beneficial with a variety of websites promoting the psychological and spiritual benefits of using the traditional tuning. (Erm, as an aside, the two other ‘bees’ on the walk today have just started humming a resonance to each other and hugging. They didn’t know I was writing this.)
Jane recently bought a sounding bowl which was made from a Sycamore tree at Hawkwood College. The instrument was made in Devon and is tuned to traditional tuning and is a delight to play – beautifully carved, smooth, relaxing and contemplative, almost meditative. Jane kindly played a brief tune for me.
Communities that are strong and emotionally healthy are better equipped to deal with an uncertain future and if music be the food of love, play on!
More that meets the mouth than meets the eye
Industrial agriculture focuses on yield and the appearance of food, as a result our food in England today is far less nutritious than in 1940, due to a depletion in the health and structure of our soil. Many of the nutrients that a human needs are not needed to make a crop grow well, and we have no way of telling just by looking at a vegetable what the internal quality of it is.
Biodynamic farming focuses very much on the quality of the farm rather than the quantity, on prioritising the health of the farm as a whole organism, with it’s bacteria, fungi and energy. I was surprised to learn that the method began ninety years ago with the ideas of Rudolf Steiner and was a precursor for our modern organic movement. The Biodynamic Association has its offices in Stroud and I visited the biodynamic farm at Hawkwood College to learn about their work. Walking up the driveway I saw a beautiful carved stone with some sort of geometric symbol on it, next to a crop. Straight away I felt that I was entering a space that was considered to be spiritual, where the land and the food were really focused on in a very conscientious, loving way.
The concept of Community Supported Agriculture has been a great tool for allowing environmentally conscientious farming to be economically viable.
Bringing back the canal
Leaving Stroud I came across a dozen volunteers for the Cotswold Canals Trust giving their time to restore the canal.
There are volunteers working on the restoration six days a week, with larger groups on Tuesdays and anyone is welcome to join, to learn new skills and work with other members of the community.
As I walked towards Cirencester the canal became more forgotten and felt in places like a scene from Lord of the Rings, a forgotten civilization with nature slowly covering it up and taking it back. On the one hand I love to see life thriving in forgotten spaces, but the benefits of walking along a canal and perhaps one day transporting our goods by water not road are also a very positive image for the future.
Stroud – singing, hills, spirit and water
There are over 14 community choirs in Stroud. That’s not counting the church choirs and the ones that audition. 14!!
The energy company ecotricity began in Stroud, and water and hills are defining feature of the town. The industrial revolution came early to Stroud with wool mills but then left it again when stronger rivers to the north took the work.
Many of the people I spoke to in Stroud were aware of the ideas of Rudolf Steiner who combined spirituality with science. The impression I get of Stroud is of a higher proportion of people who acknowledge a spiritual aspect to life and are grounded in a practical activity.
The fantastic Stroud Valleys Project has an eco shop in town which I visited to learn about their work.
The Made in Stroud shop is an outlet for local crafts which supports a local economy and lower carbon emission products.
Creating space in Dursley
Laura sees a future for Dursley that brings the community together and puts it on the map. A process where the community comes together to create space. But creating a better future together is not just in terms of physical space, but in time as well.
Laura has two children and earlier this year took “a leap of faith” to give up her job and live on savings whilst she sets up her own business, Field Fresh, making natural skincare. She had tried to move away from the “old economy” towards the “new economy” but struggled to have the time. The gift that she’s found since creating space in her life for the business is that other things are emerging into her life too.
Transition Dursley is starting a pop-up shop to sell local people’s crafts and goods and being involved with the project is a great source of pride for Laura, as is the creation of a community permaculture garden. Laura attended a permaculture course a few years ago but now has the chance to use her skills and practice them in her community. The garden sits at the rear of a community building and is currently derelict, awaiting the volunteers who will be working on 45 small projects to transform the design into reality over the next year.
Listening to Laura’s story of change I hear a process that I’ve been hearing multiple times from people striving to create the world they wish to live in.
I had to create the space in my life then the hope could come.
Entering the Cotswolds
The monument in the distance was on top of the hill and I felt a disappointment and realisation that my shoulders hurt, my legs hurt and I wasn’t going to make it. I looked at where it was on the map and understood that the monument was closer than I had intended to go that day, and I wasn’t going to make it. There was nothing else to do but keep walking anyway, not as if I’ve got anything else to do.
A few hours later I was standing at the base of the monument in shock and feeling rather humble that I had underestimated walking so much and given up hope so easily. The beauty of the Cotswolds really grabs you as you walk in from the west, and being able to see where you are headed and where you’ve come from is quite a shock.
Buzz tour 