Some of you may recall, back in 1996, the Westmorland Gazette invited me to write a monthly feature entitled ‘Down to Earth’ – all about a year in the life of an environmentally aware household. They phoned recently and asked if I’d like to continue the story via a blog Web site on the internet. After some discussion I have decided to take up the offer!

A sort of ten-year anniversary, if you like! A time to take stock of what’s going on within our own little ‘planet’ at Sprint Mill, near Burneside and what is and isn’t going on in the wider world on planet Earth.

I try to avoid being a doom-and-gloom-monger about the state of ‘our’ poor old bruised and battered planet for we are increasingly aware that humankind (Human unkind!?) is pushing the security and integrity of Earth beyond natural limits, and suddenly we are all being invited to join a local, national, and international movement/culture to ‘Make Peace with Planet Earth,’ before it’s too late.

It feels like the ultimate survival test for so-called intelligent life in the cosmos! A ten-year opportunity is often quoted as the time scale in which to rein-in the way we live so as to work towards a future that will thrive within natural resource and sustainability limits.

Wow! Scary! Phew! A lot to do in a tight timescale. Are we up to the challenge? Are we disciplined enough to really let go of the ‘surplus’stuff of our material world in our quest to hang on to what’s left?

Jonathan Porrit spells out his suggested cure in his book ‘Capitalism – As if the World Matters, where he feels that with a massive tweak we can all live happily ever after! George Monbiot’s book ‘Heat – How to Stop the Planet Burning’ similarly outlines a rescue package via a proposed 90% reduction of carbon dioxide by 2030. Our government is now pushing for a 60% reduction by 2050. Phew! Mark 2!

Either scenario will have to embrace practical actions that will radically alter the way we currently live (buildings, clothing, transport, food and water etc). We should look positively forward rather than fear such change, for if we make it, in the nick of time, I believe the new way of life will connect and reconnect us to a lifestyle that offers a much more mentally relaxed, stress free, fulfilling existence that adjoins us to being part of natural systems rather than the current synthetic-separate-adjunct-scenario of the so called modern world.

I suppose our time at Sprint Mill within our 15-acre smallholding has been about being ‘down to earth’. We practice what we preach and practice without preaching in the hope, for example, that a passer by likes what they witness and engage in conversation.

We attempt to fulfil George Mombiot’s challenge (The Big One!) The way of life is hard work, but that is a condition for a secure future. It isn’t going to be easy to fix the world-wide-collapse of our ecosystem. But hard work (mental and physical) is the reality and is so good for mind, body and soul!

In this context I plan to spell out, over the weeks, some of the practical and philosophical examples of what goes on at our place as part of our endeavour of Making Peace with the Planet.

Any feedback would be hugely appreciated.

Let’s go for quality conversation – quality thinking – quality action – even quality rejection of the old world – so as to secure a quality future for the replacement!

See you out there!

Edward Acland