A suburb doesn’t seem like a very logical location for the development of an eco-village. Living in harmony with nature while putting up some terraced houses, can you imagine it? Y. and I step out of our back door and into the mud. Zuiderveld is located in a swampy area that was traditionally used for agriculture. …
Don’t push it
I cycle through Aberdeen, a bag of groceries swinging from my steering wheel. I have been to the Lidl where you can buy, for example, cauliflower and zucchini without packaging. Shopping vegan and plastic-free by bike, it doesn’t get much more environmentally friendly. But the warm, fuzzy feeling stays away. Instead, I feel anger bubbling up. …
Food without plastic
Freddy has joined a group of colleagues who will try not to use single-use plastic during Lent. This Plastic Challenge started on Wednesday. So, in the coming weeks we will not buy anything that is packaged in plastic. Because plastic is mainly a problem when it ends up on the street, I also intend to …
Out of the blue
I inhale deeply as I step into the plane. Kerosene and coffee, the friendly smile of the KLM stewardess; it already feels a bit like coming home. We sit down and I take my book out. It’s a Dutch book by Babette Porcelijn. The title translates as: The hidden impact — everything for an eco-positive …
Screaming in the tunnel
We are back in the country where bicycles are a respected mode of transport. In Gillingham, our street was packed with cars taking children to school every morning, but here the rush hour mainly takes place on the bicycle path. This morning I heard a lot of noise and saw that it came from children …
Action from hope
Yesterday I went to a workshop at St Ethelburga’s, a church in the heart of the City of London that has developed into a center for reconciliation and peacebuilding. The title of the workshop was “Kickstart a Spiritual Ecology Hub” — something that I would eventually like to do in the Netherlands. With about 25 …