The Transition Companion

allanshepherd — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 06:33:26 +0000

I’ve had a busy week on the rails this week. First down to Totnes to interview Rob Hopkins for a chapter in my new book The Home Energy Handbook, then London for the RHS Autumn Show for a reading of Curious Incidents in the Garden at Night-time and then to Bristol for the amazing awe-inspiring Schumacher festival, which featured some world-class speakers. I’ll go on to talk about these in subsequent posts but I just wanted to talk about Rob Hopkins’ new book The Transition Companion. Those of you familiar with the Transition Town’s movement will probably know Rob’s work but either way I’d recommend you get hold of a copy of The Transition Companion. It’s really been written to help Transition Town groups to build a movement for social change in their neighbourhood but you could read it on its own as an inspirational text to move yourself in a new direction. Having had the opportunity to talk to Rob last week for a couple of hours I’ve certainly started to re-evaluate the direction in which I’ve been traveling and started to think about what I could do differently. Part of this process is a re-booting of my blog, which has been sadly dormant in recent years. Over the years I’ve had over 70,000 visitors to the blog so I know there’s an audience for what I’m writing. Time to get moving again! So, if you want to find out more about The Transition Companion click here. If you want to know more about The Transition Network here, and if you want to see Rob talk how about here. Meanwhile I’ll be back tomorrow with a run down of my favourite speakers at the Schumacher conference. Whilst I remember I’ll be launching The Home Energy Handbook around about the end of January. The book is a collaborative project with five other authors taking you from the basics of peak oil and climate change, through carbon calculation to the nuts and bolt practical details of taking action on energy in your home and community. It’s my first book for four years and I’m particularly excited to be part of this project.

My Garden, The City and Me

allanshepherd — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:23:48 +0000

Just wanted to give Helen Babbs’ book another quick plug. It really is a lovely read. Check out my review and come and hear Helen read from the book at the RHS London Harvest Festival. She’s performing throughout both days (the 4th and the 5th October).

Come and hear me read from Curious Incidents in the Garden at Night-time

allanshepherd — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:12:58 +0000

Along with Helen Babbs, author of My Garden, The City and Me (see my review here) I’ll be reading extracts from Curious Incidents in the Garden at Night-time at the RHS harvest festival in London next wednesday (5th October). Come and find us in the Harvest Hangout area and also enjoy the Herbarium poets. Come and chat to me after the performance. I’ll be signing books and will also have details of my new book The Home Energy Handbook (published by the Centre for Alternative Technology). This book has a strong focus on community energy projects so if you’ve got any questions about this I’ll try and point you in the right direction. Helen is performing at 2pm. I’ll be on with the Herbarium Poets at 3. For directions click here.

Zero Carbon Britain lectures and stall in Bristol this weekend

allanshepherd — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 12:05:08 +0000

Free on saturday? Take part in the Schumacher Conference at the Council House, College Green in Bristol. This year the conference is called Zero Carbon Britain – from aspiration into action and features CAT’s Peter Harper, Paul Allen and Tobi Kellner. Tickets cost £35 and are available from www.schumacher.org.uk. There will also be a stall with CAT Publications, including some of my own.

Public Lending Right to close

allanshepherd — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 11:57:04 +0000

I’ve just found out that the Public Lending Right is to be closed by the government. For those of you who don’t know the Public Lending Right supports authors by paying us a small fee when our books are borrowed from libraries. Closing the PLR is both pointless and worrying. They’re a very good organisation who distribute funds efficiently. I hold them in the highest regard and I send out my best wishes and support to the people who work there. If you have a chance to support the PLR then please do so. For authors like myself who do not expect to make a deal of money from our writing the PLR provides an essential service which helps us to carry on working.

What’s happening to Yalding Organic Gardens?

allanshepherd — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:38:28 +0000

I’ve had various people asking me what’s happening to Yalding and at the moment I’m not sure but it is my understanding that Yalding is currently threatened with closure again. The best place to get up-to-date information is http://yaldingorganicgardens.info/.

And also see comment below from John who runs the website.

Forest gardening article in the guardian

allanshepherd — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:10:31 +0000

I’m really pleased forest gardening is getting so much coverage at the moment. Here’s an article by Dominic Murphy in The Guardian.

Great new series from Alys Fowler features permaculture

allanshepherd — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 08:29:21 +0000

It’s a great week for alternative gardening ideas on TV. Following on from her forest gardening slots on Gardeners World Alys Fowler has started a new TV series about edible gardening. It’s a real treat – both aspirational and practical – and really pleasing to watch. The first programme features permaculture pioneers Maddy Harland and family. They’ve been running Permanent Publications and the Permaculture magazine for years. The series will be running for several weeks and you can catch up with it on iplayer.

Green Books launch Forest Garden book by Martin Crawford

allanshepherd — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 07:09:02 +0000

I was very excited to receive yesterday a copy of Martin Crawford’s long awaited guide to forest gardening – Creating A Forest Garden. Martin is the UK’s leading exponent of forest gardening – a style of gardening which concentrates on perennial food crops grown in layers. The book launch couldn’t have been timed better as Alys Fowler is currently planting a forest garden for the BBC Gardeners World TV programme. My friend – and co-author of The Organic Garden Chloe Ward – is also growing one at the Centre for Alternative Technology. It will be one of the few forest gardens you can get easy access to on a public visitor site. Forest gardens were developed by Robert Hart well over twenty years ago and it has been a long wait for them to get this sort of mainstream public recognition. It’s very exciting to see it finally come.

I haven’t had a chance to read it yet but it looks fantastic and I’m sure given Martin’s diligence and dedication to forest gardening it will be extremely informative and well researched.

CAT publishes first solar book to include details of new feed-in tariff incentive scheme

allanshepherd — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:01:51 +0000

Next week sees the publication of the first solar PV book to include full details of feed-in tariff incentives – the new government scheme that encourages the installation of solar PV modules by providing householders, communities and businesses with a guaranteed fixed price for every unit of electricity they produce using small scale renewable technology.

The scheme is launched today by the government and the book – Choosing Solar Electricity: A guide to photovoltaic systems – is available now, from www.cat.org.uk, and from everyone else from April 8th. It is written by solar engineer and CAT lecturer Brian Goss and helps those who are fairly clueless about solar get to grips with the technology so they can talk to an installer without being bamboozled or talked into something that isn’t right for them.

The book costs £14.00 and is fully illustrated to help you understand how a solar PV system works. Click here to search inside.