just wanted to share this brilliant podcast/radio post with anyone out there who has farming connections...Ed Bursey?...Martin Shallcross and family, anyone else? And also everyone in fact, because this is relevant to all of us. It's about food production in harmony with nature and the culture that used to go with smaller farms, getting more people back onto the land, access to land and good, nutritious food available to everyone. It's well worth a listen. It's just one of many episodes...I've only just come across this broadcasting platform.

An interesting article in "Inkcap" journal. Are we going to lose a lot of ancient footpaths if they are not all officially recorded? Do we already have plenty enough footpaths? If we're going to reduce car use we should be able to walk from one settlement to another by footpath surely?

Well I have just listened to the most stunning essay by Greta (remember she is 16 years of age) about what she has been doing, how the world reacts to her, what the USA is like, how much ignorance there is, how what needs to happen cannot happen with the systems we have in place and yet there is still hope through movements like "me too", black lives matter", the school strikes. Please listen to this astonishingly needed piece of journalism https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08kbsm0

This BBC radio series has just started. I put off listening to it for a few days (too scared I think) but am glad I did listen, it's really well done. Timothy Morton a philosopher looks at our emotions surrounding this whole scary area and I think for me (and I suspect many others) that's actually really helpful. How do we get strong enough to look at this and cope with it? https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000cl66?fbclid=IwAR0udANGDwbwQVOjcNCIKJvP4sOl9hEedxt6kA3xMzpWP-W1n77A9xgH1wI

Algae AquaCulture Technologies Maude and I just watched a film ("The Need To Grow" from the food revolution network in the USA) about this phenomenally impressive power station in Montana, (the company named above) where they use landfill waste, carbon dioxide, waste wood, water and sunshine to produce: electricity to heat homes, biochar and algae to astonishingly-well improve depleted soils, thereby sequestering carbon and improving the quality of our food because the soil quality is paramount to this. So solving some of the world's biggest problems....? That is, if it is allowed the chance to become mainstream. Of course these are not only hugely intelligent and humane people behind this project, but brave and determined in the face of big corporations that are all about fossil fuel and agrochemical use.

meanwhile there are these positive signs beginning to come out in the media and amongst certain cross party politicians https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/30/green-new-deal-climate-change-social-transformation

This article speaks volumes to me, it's from a campaign in the USA that I receive info from: In the wake of the Dewayne Johnson case, where it was found that his cancer was caused by glyphosate – the key ingredient in Roundup weed killer, we’ve been hearing a certain story over and over again… The story goes like this: A citizen begs their local government and/or school district to stop using Roundup in public areas and on school grounds, citing research and the fact that the World Health Organization classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans” way back in 2015… The citizen’s pleas fall on deaf ears, and use of the toxic weed killer continues… Dewayne Johnson wins his case… and suddenly these same schools and government entities are discontinuing their use of Roundup, or at least reviewing their practices. While it’s good that they’re taking action now, in some cases it’s only after years of requests from people in the community… Many are voicing complaints that these belated choices are being made in the spirit of risk management, rather than actual concern for citizens. And it begs the question:  What will they replace the glyphosate with?? Some think it will just be replaced with something even worse that hasn’t had a court case against it…yet. But a handful of school districts, mostly spurred by grass roots campaigns led by parents, may be on the right track… They’ve adopted something called the “precautionary principle.” The idea is that products that have not been proven to be safe for humans shouldn’t be used around humans… simple enough, right? After all, medications go through rigorous testing to prove that they’re safe before being released to the public… In fact, these regulations go so far as to deny terminally ill patients access to potentially life-saving medications until they’ve been approved… …And yet they doused the grass where children play with a questionable chemical just because it hadn’t yet been proven harmful…often continuing to do so even now that it has. Margaret Reeves, a senior scientist at the Pesticide Action Network of America puts it like this: “If there was a horrible pest about to destroy a farmer's whole crop, and this was the only tool available to stop it, that would be one thing — but here, the threat is, what? Weeds? ... How do you weigh that against the human health risk? They're applying a carcinogenic chemical out of cosmetic concerns."1 As Bayer faces an estimated 11,200 more lawsuits and Roundup continues to be in the news, this is the perfect time to spread the movement to get these toxins out of our everyday lives… Contact your school board, your local government, and even private entities to ask them to stop using Roundup and adopt the precautionary principle. The movement can start with you. Sincerely, The GMOs Revealed Team

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivi20kEurJc Worth watching this film ! 20 mins approx

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/dozens-of-countries-have-been-working-to-plant-great-green-wall-and-its-producing-results/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=04-04-2019

I found Charles Miller's (ex oil industry guy) presentation on future energy sources & what's wrong with fracking & our government attitude hugely enlightening, scary yes. BUT please please please watch this short film (contained in this article link about the 8,000km long band of forest being planted across sub Saharan Africa) about the small Tanzanian island of Kokota. It is truly inspiring to anyone & an example to us all...

Today on Radio 4 Womans Hour they interviewed environmental activists (Monday 26 March) It was great to hear them, including a young woman, Blythe who is saying she won't have children (even though she would love to & is in a loving relationship) because of the bleak prospect for their future. And the 75 year old grandmother brought to activism through her sons activism talking with love, humour & great concern about climate change & its threat to everyone. It was so poignant, on the button, eloquent, especially these two speakers.... But Jane Garvey gave the impression that these are just some people's views (and not a reality?) Did anyone else hear it and what do you think?

Well done Aimee & anyone else(Ed?) for doing this it's good....

This is really good... worth watching to help focus our minds, remind us (or for those who don't know yet what this is about, very informative) about what we are facing re climate change and what we can do about it...Good to watch before the mid April International action...