Awakening to a new economics
One of the big obstacles to a sustainable future is the culture of disposability. For citizens of consumer societies, it is perfectly normal to ‘consume’ things. We use them, and … Continue reading How France is nurturing a repair culture
When the country went into lockdown last year and the schools closed, I made a parenting decision. I overturned my previous objections and ordered the kids a trampoline. It has … Continue reading Every child on their own trampoline
John D Anderson reflects on how transport choices can build or erode community. The government has brought forward to 2030 the date after which diesel and petrol-powered cars may not … Continue reading Transport of delight
In the Gospels, we find Jesus using repair as a teaching illustration. If you’re patching your clothes, he says, do you use un-shrunk cloth? Of course not, laughs his audience. … Continue reading Thankfulness and the value of things
Catherine Masterman offers a poem for Fairtrade Fortnight, broadening our horizons to consider the wider supply chain behind our purchases. As a child I thought shops made the things they … Continue reading “I saw a bargain today”
The Jevons Paradox is a phenomenon spotted by the economist Williams Stanley Jevons. Studying coal production in the 1860s, he noticed that more efficient technologies made people use more coal, … Continue reading Support a four day week
Nine out of ten Christian young people are concerned about climate change. Just one in ten are confident their church is doing enough about it. That’s a finding from Burning … Continue reading Young Christians expect more on climate change
Catherine Masterman on the cost of freebies, and the illusion of getting something for nothing. The scale of our unintentional consumption is terrifying. I realised this recently when the school … Continue reading The unintended consequences of ‘free’ gifts
Joy in Enough 