By Alida Robey
I have had some intriguing responses to my previous post on composting– most commonly “Hurry up and tell us how to do it!” ; so without further delay, I give you the why, where and (most importantly) how of composting…. (more…)
Category: sustainability
Bristol is buzzing, how the city is helping pollinators
By Helen Roberts
There has been a substantial amount of press coverage recently on the plight of our pollinators. They are now less abundant and widespread than they were in the 1950s. A number of threats are responsible, including habitat loss, disease, extreme weather, climate change and pesticide use. (more…)
Why doesn’t everyone compost?
By Alida Robey
Composting was an inherent part of how we lived when I was growing up – nothing was wasted. Food scraps went to the chickens, kitchen and garden waste to one of several compost heaps and leaves were piled into a pit for future leaf-mould.
Today, I live in a flat with a small decked courtyard. I have access to five compost bins in an area of communal gardens in Clifton (Bristol, UK); this means with almost no effort at all the only rubbish I produce is recycling and an occasional black bag of non-recycleable inorganic waste. I don’t even have to keep a compost bin at home. And still each week along my road I see quantities of black bags destined for landfill spilling out onto the pavement with fruit and veg and greenery. Given the years I have spent trying to coax friends and neighbours in different locations to compost, this scene is a heart-rending weekly reminder of my lack of success in this personal campaign! (more…)
African keyhole gardens open the door for school gardening
By Helen Roberts
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| A keyhole garden in Rwanda. Photo courtesy of Send a Cow. |
Back in June, my son’s primary school, located in a small village on the edge of the Mendip Hills, built something called a keyhole garden in their grounds. Having no idea what a keyhole garden was, I thought I would offer up my services as a parent volunteer for the garden day. (more…)