Sustainability in the Curriculum: University of Manchester

I was recently invited to sit in on a meeting of the Community of Practice at University of Manchester which is thinking through how to embed Sustainability across the curriculum. This area of thinking and study is massively relevant as it connects with each and every human and living thing on the planet. How we move into greater synergy with our environment and life supporting bio-systems is an emerging field which is complex and multi-disciplinary.

The Benefits of Seed Banking, and Seed Conservation in Action in Islands of the Mediterranean Basin by Sarah Hansen

Plants play a critical role in maintaining life on this planet. They sit at the base of the trophic pyramid, providing food all the way up the chain to humans at the top. They provide services such as climate regulation and flood defence. They contribute to soil formation and nutrient cycling, and they provide us with shelter, medicines and fuel.
Read more…

Susan Brown Talks About Sustainability Education

This is a podcast of when Susan Brown discussed the complexities of sustainability education at the Ragged University event in Manchester. Here she draws the audience into discussion about the many things which are important to acknowledge and think about in approaching the global problems we face today. Read more…

Lets Talk About Population Baby! By Brian Chrystal

Humanity at present is like lemmings preening there fur coats before going over the cliff, but we are taking many other species with us. David Attenborough has stated that he can think of no environmental problem that would be easier to solve with fewer people. The difference we can make is the difference between 8 billion and 10 billion but we can only do this by facing up to the problem and braking the taboo of talking about it. We do not need coercion, set limits or eugenics but we do need to talk. Read more…

Permaculture and Sustainability By Graham Bell

Have you ever read the Kama Sutra? I have and I recommend it. It is not as most people think a sex manual. It is a guide to right livelihood (‘Dharma’). Much as Shakespeare’s seven ages of man:

All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players. Read more…

The Importance of Biodiversity and the role of Biodiversity Partnerships by Dennis Dick

Biodiversity is very dry word and can be quite intimidating to many people. The outgoing Chairman of Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Government agency responsible for the environment, reputedly claimed it was not a word in his lexicon…Yet primary school children seemed able to get a good grasp of what it means. It is a vitally important topic and it is essential that people understand why. There can be no economy, no social fabric, indeed no life for humans at all without it.
Read more…

Demian Natakhan Talks About Skepticism And Climate Change

Here Demian talks at Ragged University in this podcast of his talk on climate change and scepticism. As per usual, some food was shared and music offered up by local musicians…

Living a Less Toxic life by Faith Canter

We all know deep down that a lot of what we do, use and surround ourselves with these days is pretty toxic, not just to ourselves but to the environment as well. But are you aware of the extent of this toxicity, how it affects our health, wellbeing, mental state of mind and how easy it is to make changes that could have drastic and positive effects? Read more…

Palm Oil: The Good, The Bad and the Downright Ugly! by Faith Canter

These days most people have heard of palm oil, even if it’s just to know that it’s an ingredient in food and beauty products. However, most people won’t know that this is only scratching the surface and that palm oil production is one of the largest businesses in the world. This then becomes a real concern when you hear about what goes into producing the palm oil you eat, use on your body and also as fuel – we use it almost every single day without even realising it. Read more…