Chelsea Green Blog
Nature & Environment
Microbes: The Internet of Living Things
Believe it or not, the Internet wasn’t exactly a human invention. The World’s First Internet was created by microbes, the tiny organisms that are responsible for all life on Earth. Before humans were even close to existing, microbes were hard at work creating their very own Internet of Things — and today, our very own…
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About Time: What Makes Time Such A Valuable Resource
We’ve all heard of the phrases “time flies” and “time heals all wounds,” but what really is time, and how does it impact our lives? The concept of time may be even more powerful than we think, especially when it comes to the money we save and spend. The following is an excerpt from The…
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A Year of Global Birdwatching: The Thrill Of the Chase
When Arjan Dwarshuis first heard of the “Big Year,” the legendary record for birdwatching, he was twenty years old and he was sitting on the roof of a truck in the Andean Mountains. In that moment he promised himself that, someday, somehow, he would become a world-record-holding birder. Ten years later, he embarked on an incredible…
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Exploring the Benefits of Natural Burials: Back to Basics
In becoming the world’s first “punk undertaker” and establishing the Green Funeral Company in the UK, Ru Callender and his partner Claire challenged the stilted, traditional, structured world of the funeral industry; fusing what he had learned from his own deeply personal experiences with death, with the surprising and profound answers and raw emotion he…
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From the Eyes of An Undertaker: Grieving & Healing
“Death is not my friend, neither is it my enemy; it is my destiny.” – Ru Callender When he became an undertaker, Ru Callender undertook to deal with the dead for the sake of the living. As the world’s first “punk undertaker,” Callender and his partner challenged the stilted, traditional, structured world of the funeral industry…
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Open-Source Systems: How Communities Can Help Promote Regenerative Agriculture
The Great Regeneration, by farmer-technologist Dorn Cox and author-activist Courtney White, explores unique and groundbreaking research aimed at reclaiming the space where science & agriculture meet as a shared human endeavor. By employing the same tools used to visualize and identify the global instability in our climate and our communities, the authors identify ways to accelerate…
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Sightings While Cycling: A Journey Through Nature
During a time when many of us faced the prospect of little work or human contact, renowned naturalist Nick Acheson found a sense of peace and purpose in his pursuit of the wild geese that filled the Norfolk skies on their seasonal visits from Iceland and Siberia. With an interest in protecting the future of…
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How to Open A Sacred Space
When individuals embark on a Shamanic journey, opening a sacred space is first step they should take. But what exactly does it mean to open a sacred space? And how does it work? In her latest book, author and gardening expert Maria Rodale explains how this simple practice can enhance journeys and help strengthen our connection to…
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Magic Within Every Garden: Sharing the Love
When we garden, we establish a close relationship with every element: the plants, the soil, and even the creatures that interact with them. And while some elements of this activity are less-than-glamourous, the collaboration cultivated between the garden and gardener is one of pure beauty. In the excerpt below, author Maria Rodale discusses how simply changing…
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The Upstream Questions: What We Ask Of Science
“Climate change asks us questions that climate science cannot answer,” — Dougald Hine When it comes to climate change, it seems as if there are always new questions arising: How did we get to this point? How can we stop it? What’s next? Unfortunately, there is no black-and-white, straightforward answer to any of them —…
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Maize vs. Graze: Is Corn Dangerous For Cattle?
One of the biggest misconceptions floating around is that vegetable production is a more environmentally friendly alternative to meat production. However, studies show that the practices used in conventional vegetable farming may be more destructive than those used to produce meat. Growing corn, specifically, can lead to many destructive outcomes; however, a large majority of our…
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Chelsea Green Staff Picks for Your 2023 Reading List
From the enlightening and thought-provoking to the quirky and fun, we, the Chelsea Green employees, have the perfect list to get you started on your next read! And if you’re looking for more, you can check out our full list of staff picks here! Mini-Forest Revolution We’ve long heard that we need to plant…
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A Conversation On Climate Change: Which Path Will We Take?
Dougald Hine has spent most of his life talking to people about climate change. And then one afternoon in the second year of the pandemic, he found he had nothing left to say. Why would someone who cares so deeply about ecological destruction want to stop talking about climate change now? In the excerpt below, Hine…
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Human and Animal Alliances: A Mutual Partnership
When humans and animals interact, both parties benefit in some way from the exchange. While individuals may receive resources and feel a sense of joy & purpose from interacting with wildlife, the animals receive care & companionship from the humans. These alliances, when properly nurtured, can work wonders for our world. In the excerpt below…
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The Power of Traditional Herding & Grazing: Bringing Back Balance
Hoofprints on the Land by Ilse Köhler-Rollefson, a fascinating and lyrical book exploring the deep and ancient working partnerships between people and animals, shows that herding cultures are not a thing of the past but a regenerative model for our future. The foreword below by Dr. Fred Provenza, author of Nourishment and professor emeritus of Behavioral Ecology,…
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Vandana Shiva’s Beginnings: An Icon In the Making
“All of us who care about the future of Planet Earth must be grateful to Vandana Shiva.”—Jane Goodall, UN Messenger of Peace Dr. Vandana Shiva is a world-renowned environmental thinker and activist, leader of several forums and movements, twenty-time international award recipient, author and editor of a score of influential books, and a tireless crusader for…
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5 Environmental Benefits of Regenerative Grazing
In Grass-Fed Beef for a Post-Pandemic World, Lynne Pledger and Ridge Shinn discuss how regenerative grazing can offer health benefits for consumers, livestock, and the environment alike. This practice has the power to not only improve our health and the broken food system, but can also provide a variety of environmental benefits as well. The following…
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8 Ways to Take Your Mushroom Madness to a New Level
Mushrooms. What can’t they do? You can grow them on a log, a compost pile, or even your jeans. Throw them in your favorite dish, or save them to brew beer and infuse spirits– the possibilities are endless. So go ahead, make friends with the fungi! RECIPE: Maple Mushroom Martini Permaculture designer and author Michael…
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History of The Seed Sovereignty Movement: Reclaiming the Seed
Vandana Shiva has been described in many ways: the “Gandhi of Grain,” “a rock star” in the battle against GMOs, and “the most powerful voice” for people of the developing world. For over four decades she been at the forefront of seed saving, seed sovereignty, and connecting the dots between the destruction of nature, the polarization…
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Becoming A True Seed Detective: Mastering the Mission
Did you ever wonder how peas, kale, asparagus, beans, squash, and corn have ended up on our plates? Well, so did Adam Alexander, otherwise known as The Seed Detective. The following is an excerpt from the The Seed Detective by Adam Alexander. It has been adapted for the web. My Seed-Detective Mission Crammed into two…
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Mini-Forest Revolution: An Interview With Hannah Lewis
The Miyawaki Method, a unique approach to reforestation devised by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, is recently seeing a worldwide surge in popularity. Miyawaki-style mini-forests are very biodiverse and come with a myriad of environmental benefits. These tiny forests have the potential to cool urban heat islands, establish wildlife corridors, build soil health, sequester carbon, create…
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How to Walk Like a Fox and See in the Dark
The fun doesn’t have to end when the sun goes down. There is a whole other world to explore when night settles in. In Chris Salisbury’s book Wild Nights Out, he offers guidance, ideas, challenges to try and games to play at dusk and in the dark. For grown-ups, children, and anyone in between, these activities…
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10 Fascinating Fig Facts
Chances are you’ve heard of fig trees before. Beyond producing fruit, you can find fig trees woven into several different cultures, pieces of art, and works of literature. Given their prominence, you might be wondering what exactly makes these trees so special. Lucky for you, we have the inside scoop on everything fig-related. The following…
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Elderflowers and Elderberries
We should just change the name of summer to elderberry season. It’s the perfect time to pick these berries (which aren’t actually berries) and make delicious jams, drinks, and sauces. Cooking or fermenting elderberries is crucial to unlocking their flavor. Once processed, you’ll have an end product with plenty of health benefits as opposed to…
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Turning My Farm into an Ark for Lost Species: Not a Lark or a Lizard Lived There
Birds, Beasts and Bedlam recounts the adventures of farmer-turned-rewilder Derek Gow, who is saving Britain’s much-loved but dangerously threatened species, from the water vole to beaver, tree frog to glow worm and returned honking skeins of graylag geese to the land and water that was once theirs. The following is an excerpt from Birds, Beasts…
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