Once upon a time — okay, it was 1969 — a group met to discuss the future of the environment and how humans live on the planet. By the next year, they had formed the New Alchemy Institute (NAI) on Cape Cod. This research organization was one of the most direct inspirations for the Low … More New Alchemy Institute — Inspiration in the Pandemic
Tonight, the institute director, Scott Johnson, will be giving a talk to the Culinary History Enthusiasts of Wisconsin (CHEW). CHEW is a group that sponsors monthly talks on a variety of food-related topics, complete with matching foods to sample. They’re a great group and if you’re in the Madison, WI, area, consider finding out more … More Free Talk Tonight with CHEW — Potatoes Will Save Humanity
When we say “Low Tech” what we mean is the simplest means to achieve a task without fossil fuels. Over the next few weeks, as we’re sequestering ourselves here at the institute, we’ll be bringing you ideas for entertaining yourselves as well as updates on what we’re up to — luckily we can spend time … More Binge-able Low Tech Series
It is inspiring to hear people across the world talk about their worries and hopes for the future. The movement should not be discounted because it is spearheaded by people often too young to vote. Indeed they have the most to lose, as those of us making decisions today will have passed away when the … More Strike! Today is the Global Climate Strike
The radio show To the Best of Our Knowledge recently spent an hour discussing agriculture and the commodification of seeds. The first act follows the story of wheat and our selection for more wheat of poorer quality. Act two discusses the social importance of corn to indigenous communities across North America. In Act Three, a … More Link Worth Following — Who Owns the Seeds?
A few months ago, contributor and writer Matt Miles came to visit us. The result was a story in Earth Island Journal about the institute and the ethos behind it. “Small is Beautiful: Seeking simple, human-scale solutions to the challenges of everyday living,” is available on the Earth Island Journal‘s website and print edition for … More Earth Island Journal Story About the Institute, From Matt Miles
I know I shouldn’t be encouraging anyone to watch more television, but sometimes it is raining or dark out. Other times, you’re just tired from weeding the garden in the heat all day. If you’re going to kick back and watch something, why not learn while you do it? I recently watched the BBC Two’s Wartime … More Summer Show Suggestion: Wartime Farm
Last month, research professors Matt Fitzpatrick and Rob Dunn took a look at 540 urban areas and created a tool to help us understand exactly what high- and medium-emissions futures mean for us. As they point out in their paper, “A major challenge in articulating human dimensions of climate change lies in translating global climate … More What Does Climate Change Mean for Your City? Check Out this Useful Tool for Visualizing Your “New Normal”
Whether or not you are ambivalent about industrial capitalism, we can agree that keeping our resources local is a positive thing. Tom Eggert — Senior Lecturer in Business Sustainability at the Nelson Institute — will be presenting options and strategies for regular people to invest in local startups and other avenues in a talk he’ll … More Tom Eggert Talk on Local Micro Investing in Sustainable Endeavors, Feb. 28
Friend of the institute, Lynn L., recently donated two decades–worth of Small Farmer’s Journal to our lending library. Thanks to Lynn for her generosity and thanks also for reminding me to promote these community resources! Resource Library Our resource library can be accessed from any page on our website by going to the “Libraries” in … More Visit our Libraries, Both Tool and Book Varieties!
