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Source: https://naee.org.uk/feed/

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14. <description>Supporting education for sustainable development</description>
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23. <title>Top 12 climate quotes</title>
24. <link>https://naee.org.uk/top-12-climate-quotes/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=top-12-climate-quotes</link>
25. <comments>https://naee.org.uk/top-12-climate-quotes/#respond</comments>
27. <dc:creator><![CDATA[NAEE Web Team]]></dc:creator>
28. <pubDate>Mon, 04 Aug 2025 13:50:08 +0000</pubDate>
29. <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
30. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://naee.org.uk/?p=22237</guid>
31.  
32. <description><![CDATA[<p>Here are my top 12 favourite quotes about the climate crisis.  By Neil Kitching Ambition “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.”&#160;&#160;John F. Kennedy, 1961 A clear call to action.&#160;&#160;How good would&#8230;</p>
33. <p>The post <a href="https://naee.org.uk/top-12-climate-quotes/">Top 12 climate quotes</a> appeared first on <a href="https://naee.org.uk">UK NAEE</a>.</p>
34. ]]></description>
35. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
36. <p>Here are my top 12 favourite quotes about the climate crisis.  By Neil Kitching</p>
37.  
38.  
39.  
40. <p><strong>Ambition</strong></p>
41.  
42.  
43.  
44. <p><em>“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.”&nbsp;&nbsp;John F. Kennedy, 1961</em></p>
45.  
46.  
47.  
48. <p>A clear call to action.&nbsp;&nbsp;How good would it be if an American President said this:</p>
49.  
50.  
51.  
52. <p>“<em>I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of cutting our carbon footprint to net zero, and help other countries to follow suit.”&nbsp;</em></p>
53.  
54.  
55.  
56. <p><strong>Climate Change Action</strong></p>
57.  
58.  
59.  
60. <p><em>“We are the&nbsp;first generation&nbsp;to feel the effect of climate change and the&nbsp;last generation&nbsp;who can do something about it.”</em>&nbsp;&nbsp;Barack Obama, Former US President</p>
61.  
62.  
63.  
64. <p><em>“I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. I want you to act as you would in a crisis.&nbsp;I want you to act as if the house is on fire.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</em>Greta Thunberg, Age 17, Swedish Activist</p>
65.  
66.  
67.  
68. <p><em>“Don’t be distracted by the myth that ‘every little helps.’ &nbsp;If everyone does a little, we’ll achieve only a little. We must do a lot. What’s required are&nbsp;big&nbsp;changes.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</em>David MacKay, Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air</p>
69.  
70.  
71.  
72. <p>Climate change is a really serious issue with short and long-term consequences that are steadily getting worse.&nbsp;&nbsp;We need to act as if we are in an emergency, like we did with the Covid-19 epidemic.&nbsp;&nbsp;Whilst ‘every little’ does help, we really&nbsp;&nbsp;need to make big changes.&nbsp;&nbsp;For example, installing a heat pump at home is much more impactful than recycling more of our rubbish.</p>
73.  
74.  
75.  
76. <p><strong>Vested interests</strong></p>
77.  
78.  
79.  
80. <p><em>“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on&nbsp;his not understanding it.”</em>&nbsp;&nbsp;Upton Sinclair 1878–1968</p>
81.  
82.  
83.  
84. <p><em>“It’s not climate change that needs to be tackled. It is the&nbsp;political power of the fossil fuel industry.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</em>Richard Denniss, Chief Economist, The Australian Institute</p>
85.  
86.  
87.  
88. <p>Vested interests are where someone, or an organisation, has a personal financial reason for their interest or involvement in something.&nbsp;&nbsp;The tobacco industry fought for years against restrictions on smoking; now oil companies are fighting against action to restrict fossil fuel usage.&nbsp;&nbsp;Try having a reasonable discussion with a beef or dairy farmer about the methane emissions from cattle – it’s not easy.</p>
89.  
90.  
91.  
92. <p>Perhaps this isn’t surprising &#8211; if your salary, career, and livelihood depend on the status quo.&nbsp;&nbsp;Why would you accept change?&nbsp;&nbsp;Sometimes we can collaborate with vested interests to adopt change slowly; but sometimes we need to get on with necessary changes through new regulations.&nbsp;&nbsp;In these cases, we can offer other (financial) support.&nbsp;&nbsp;An example is paying fishermen to decommission boats to prevent overfishing, or funding oil and gas workers to retrain.&nbsp;</p>
93.  
94.  
95.  
96. <p><strong>Science</strong></p>
97.  
98.  
99.  
100. <p><em>“Ye Cannae Change the Laws of Physics.”</em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Scotty, Chief Engineer, Star Trek</p>
101.  
102.  
103.  
104. <p>The laws of physics, chemistry and biology are facts.&nbsp;&nbsp;Add more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, and the temperature goes up.&nbsp;&nbsp;Higher temperatures result in more evaporation; which leads to more droughts, but also more potential for torrential rain and flooding.&nbsp;&nbsp;Higher temperatures melt ice, which raises sea-level and reduces solar radiation reflected to space.&nbsp;&nbsp;These changes will destroy most coral reefs and much of the Amazon rainforest, which will lead to more carbon dioxide being released to the atmosphere………</p>
105.  
106.  
107.  
108. <p>“Listen to the scientists,” Greta Thunberg to the US Congress, 2019</p>
109.  
110.  
111.  
112. <p><strong>Greenwashing</strong></p>
113.  
114.  
115.  
116. <p><em>“100% sustainable aviation fuel”,</em>&nbsp;Virgin Atlantic</p>
117.  
118.  
119.  
120. <p>This was a quote from Virgin Atlantic referring to a test flight across the Atlantic despite the lack of any significant supply of sustainable aviation fuel, and regulations which prohibit more than 50% sustainable aviation fuel in commercial jet engines.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also the best estimate is that sustainable aviation fuel can cut carbon emissions by ‘up to 70%’.&nbsp;&nbsp;Some ‘sustainable’ fuel comes from oil palm plantations which could encourage further deforestation of tropical forests.&nbsp;</p>
121.  
122.  
123.  
124. <p><em>“We should put carbon capture – directly removing carbon as well as capturing it at source – at the centre of the battle</em>.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Tony Blair, former UK Prime Minister</p>
125.  
126.  
127.  
128. <p>The top priority, and the cheapest solution, is to cut our carbon emissions by all available means.&nbsp;&nbsp;Carbon capture is an energy intensive ‘bolt-on’ process with no additional benefit beyond reducing carbon in the atmosphere in an expensive way.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Carbon capture should not be ‘at the centre of the battle,’ it should be a mopping up operation after the battle has been won.</p>
129.  
130.  
131.  
132. <p><strong><em>Long term Thinking</em></strong></p>
133.  
134.  
135.  
136. <p><em>“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</em>Chinese proverb</p>
137.  
138.  
139.  
140. <p>Or</p>
141.  
142.  
143.  
144. <p><em>“The best time to cut carbon emissions was 20 years ago.&nbsp;&nbsp;The second-best time is now.”</em></p>
145.  
146.  
147.  
148. <p>There is little point in worrying about the past as you can&#8217;t change it.&nbsp;&nbsp;But you can act now, and will benefit from it, perhaps in 20 years’ time.&nbsp;</p>
149.  
150.  
151.  
152. <p><em>“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors,&nbsp;we borrow it&nbsp;from our children.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</em>Native American Proverb</p>
153.  
154.  
155.  
156. <p><strong>or</strong></p>
157.  
158.  
159.  
160. <p><em>“Your grandchildren will not understand why you did not act earlier.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</em>Neil Kitching, Carbon Choices climate blogs.</p>
161.  
162.  
163.  
164. <p>I’d be interested in your favourite quotes.&nbsp;&nbsp;Please share any with me at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:carbonchoices@gmail.com">carbonchoices@gmail.com</a>.&nbsp;</p>
165.  
166.  
167.  
168. <p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211;</strong></p>
169.  
170.  
171.  
172. <p><strong>Carbon Choices</strong></p>
173.  
174.  
175.  
176. <p>To get first sight of my new blogs, email me at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:carbonchoices@gmail.com">carbonchoices@gmail.com</a>&nbsp;with the header “please subscribe”.</p>
177.  
178.  
179.  
180. <p>You might also enjoy my book, Carbon Choices, on the common-sense solutions to our climate and nature crises.&nbsp;&nbsp;Available from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Carbon-Choices-Common-sense-Solutions-Climate/dp/B08JJ8QMBS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1D34B868N4JBL&amp;keywords=carbon+choices&amp;qid=1684740675&amp;sprefix=carbon+choices%2Caps%2C99&amp;sr=8-1">Amazon</a>&nbsp;or a signed copy&nbsp;<a href="http://www.carbonchoices.uk/index.php/buy">direct</a>&nbsp;from me.&nbsp; I am donating one third of profits to rewilding projects.</p>
181.  
182.  
183.  
184. <p>Please follow me on social media:</p>
185.  
186.  
187.  
188. <p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-kitching-55833314/">LinkedIn</a>,&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/carbonchoicesuk">X,</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/carbonchoices">Facebook</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/carbonchoices/">Instagram</a>&nbsp;and now on&nbsp;<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/carbonchoicesuk.bsky.social">Bluesky</a></p>
189. <p>The post <a href="https://naee.org.uk/top-12-climate-quotes/">Top 12 climate quotes</a> appeared first on <a href="https://naee.org.uk">UK NAEE</a>.</p>
190. ]]></content:encoded>
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193. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
196. </item>
197. <item>
198. <title>Becoming Sustainable: Item three – New Metrics for Defining Success – Part 1</title>
199. <link>https://naee.org.uk/becoming-sustainable-item-three-new-metrics-for-defining-success-part-1/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=becoming-sustainable-item-three-new-metrics-for-defining-success-part-1</link>
200. <comments>https://naee.org.uk/becoming-sustainable-item-three-new-metrics-for-defining-success-part-1/#respond</comments>
202. <dc:creator><![CDATA[NAEE Web Team]]></dc:creator>
203. <pubDate>Fri, 25 Jul 2025 08:16:43 +0000</pubDate>
204. <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
205. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://naee.org.uk/?p=22232</guid>
206.  
207. <description><![CDATA[<p>Today’s post is by regular contributor, Richard Jurin. Before his retirement, Richard led the Environmental Studies programme at the University of Northern Colorado, where he launched a degree in Sustainability Studies.  His academic interests are environmental worldviews and understanding barriers to sustainability. As ever, with our blogs, the views expressed are not necessarily shared by NAEE.&#8230;</p>
208. <p>The post <a href="https://naee.org.uk/becoming-sustainable-item-three-new-metrics-for-defining-success-part-1/">Becoming Sustainable: Item three – New Metrics for Defining Success – Part 1</a> appeared first on <a href="https://naee.org.uk">UK NAEE</a>.</p>
209. ]]></description>
210. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
211. <p>Today’s post is by regular contributor, <strong><em>Richard Jurin</em></strong>. Before his retirement, Richard led the Environmental Studies programme at the University of Northern Colorado, where he launched a degree in Sustainability Studies.  His academic interests are environmental worldviews and understanding barriers to sustainability. As ever, with our blogs, the views expressed are not necessarily shared by NAEE.</p>
212.  
213.  
214.  
215. <p><em>&#8220;<strong>The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams&#8221;</strong></em> Eleanor Roosevelt.  “<strong><em>If you want your creative people to reach stars, give them space</em></strong>” Eric Zehnder.</p>
216.  
217.  
218.  
219. <p>Like a fabled Genie’s trick wishes – be careful of what you measure as success, because what you measure is what you focus upon.&nbsp; This is as true individually as it is for whole societies.&nbsp; We might say we want to be successful in some endeavor, but then, like the tricky genie wish, focus on all the wrong metrics that define what we truly want as an outcome.&nbsp; Inevitably, with a material-consumer mindset in a global market economy, return on investment and economic outlay and outcome are the primary factors used to determine the feasibility and likelihood of any environmental or sustainability project being considered.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
220.  
221.  
222.  
223. <p>Curiously, the main metrics (out of many used by economists) used to describe how well we are living, is standard of living (SOL) and gross domestic product (GDP).  Yet, both metrics are incredibly misleading.  Standard of living “<em>broadly refers to wealth, comfort, and access to material goods. At its most basic level, it is a measurement of income and consumption.</em>” Investopedia – i.e., how much money you have and how much ‘stuff’ you buy.  And GDP is basically measuring how much money is moving within the market – this doesn’t differentiate between positive or negative outcomes – i.e., recovering from a devastating earthquake that levels a town killing thousands is still a positive GDP. </p>
224.  
225.  
226.  
227. <p>The point here is that the present global societal focus of success is only on a positive economic outcome – i.e., spending and profit generation.&nbsp; A most basic assumption therefore is that increasing SOL indices equal an equivalent increasing quality of life (QOL).&nbsp; As I have written before in this blog, this is a deadly assumption when trying to heal the planet of its ecological problems.&nbsp; While people living in extreme poverty, within a material-consumer mindset, do improve their life circumstances when they have more money, it is only a linear relationship for a short time.&nbsp; This linearity levels off with more increasing affluence.&nbsp; When psychologically framed QOL metrics are used, the most economically advantaged people often have a diminishing QOL with increasing affluence.&nbsp; For instance, when life satisfaction and GDP from 1945 to present are measured in most developed countries, the peak of life satisfaction was 1957, whereupon it leveled off or even declined depending on the specific QOL indices used even as GDP climbed steadily.&nbsp; What happened in 1957?&nbsp; That year is significant in that most basic material needs were met by large sections of populations in the developed world&nbsp;(often equated with a growing middle-class).&nbsp; After that, more radical material consumerism began with an unprecedented hedonistic focus on increasing luxury and comfort.&nbsp;&nbsp;The focus of success was financial security and material acquisition for an increasing SOL.&nbsp; What was lost long the way, since it was not measured per se, was QOL.&nbsp; This is what sociological and psychological researchers over the decades have always stated is what most people truly want.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
228.  
229.  
230.  
231. <p>As the Terrance McKenna quote in my last NAEE post emphasized, we cannot solve our global problems using economic metrics, because these metrics (and hence our focus) are a major component of the whole problem.  If we want QOL, then we need to focus on measuring it as the primary factor for what constitutes real ‘success.’  It is highly unlikely that any governmental group will commit to measure QOL.  That will have to happen at the local and at the grassroots level, and is probably the only way that real change could happen quickly and effectively.  As I have emphasized often, we need to ignore the hierarchy and do it our own way as a kind of parallel society.  The hierarchical system – especially most economists, large businesses, and politicians – accept this mythological linear correlation of SOL and QOL without question thus perpetuating global problems. If we change our personal values and our community foci to QOL, then what can a hierarchical system do but follow along?  </p>
232.  
233.  
234.  
235. <p>Much research shows that material-consumerism is a conceptualized consumer value with three components: acquisition centrality, acquisition as the pursuit of happiness, and possession-defined success. In validation tests, subjects who scored high on a consumer-value, placed high emphasis on money but had lower QOL needs met.&nbsp; An instrumental material belief therefore is how do I become secure in an insecure materialistic world where money is seen as security?&nbsp; Any solutions are merely addressing symptoms of our global problems.&nbsp; An alternate question for a sustainable world could be, how do we serve the whole that heals the biosphere?&nbsp; This latter question is best addressed through a QOL focus that addresses root causes.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
236.  
237.  
238.  
239. <p>Of course, unlike easier to measure economic factors, measuring QOL is amorphously complex.  SOL is tangible and about monetary wealth and material goods.  QOL is more intangible and about intrinsic values of compassion, honesty and integrity, personal growth (happiness, purpose), and creativity (expressing yourself uniquely).  Psychologist, Kim Kasser, <em>The High Price of Materialism</em>, offers revealing insights into how materialistic beliefs are detrimental to QOL.  A short video about Kasser’s interpretation of the imbalance between materialistic and intrinsic values explains this nicely &#8211; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGab38pKscw&amp;t=171s" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGab38pKscw&amp;t=171s</a>  </p>
240.  
241.  
242.  
243. <p>The key then is about using the metrics of QOL and applying them at the community level.  To Be Continued …..</p>
244.  
245.  
246.  
247. <p>&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..</p>
248.  
249.  
250.  
251. <p>Richard can be contacted at: richardjurin@gmail.com</p>
252. <p>The post <a href="https://naee.org.uk/becoming-sustainable-item-three-new-metrics-for-defining-success-part-1/">Becoming Sustainable: Item three – New Metrics for Defining Success – Part 1</a> appeared first on <a href="https://naee.org.uk">UK NAEE</a>.</p>
253. ]]></content:encoded>
255. <wfw:commentRss>https://naee.org.uk/becoming-sustainable-item-three-new-metrics-for-defining-success-part-1/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
256. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
259. </item>
260. <item>
261. <title>Thistledown Moon</title>
262. <link>https://naee.org.uk/thistledown-moon/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=thistledown-moon</link>
263. <comments>https://naee.org.uk/thistledown-moon/#respond</comments>
265. <dc:creator><![CDATA[NAEEadmin]]></dc:creator>
266. <pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2025 06:03:29 +0000</pubDate>
267. <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
268. <category><![CDATA[Environmental Lunacy]]></category>
269. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://naee.org.uk/?p=22207</guid>
270.  
271. <description><![CDATA[<p>On warm Autumn nights, the sky fills with seeds. The seeds are produced by thistles. They float easily on any updraft. A small breath of air will lift them into the air, where they float through French doors - flung open on a sultry evening - or drift past sausages dripping their fat into a barbecue’s flaring flames.</p>
272. <p>The post <a href="https://naee.org.uk/thistledown-moon/">Thistledown Moon</a> appeared first on <a href="https://naee.org.uk">UK NAEE</a>.</p>
273. ]]></description>
274. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wpb-content-wrapper"><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
275. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
276. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
277. <h3>Moon cycle:</h3>
278. <ul>
279. <li><strong>New Moon:</strong> 24th July 2025</li>
280. <li><strong>Full Moon:</strong> 9th August 2025</li>
281. <li><strong>New Moon:</strong> 23rd August 2025</li>
282. </ul>
283.  
284. </div>
285. </div>
286.  
287. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
288. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
289. <h3>Sturgeon Moon</h3>
290. <p>August’s full moon is known as the Sturgeon Moon. Like several other names which have been mentioned to date, it is originally of Native American origin. The lake sturgeon was a vital food source for many. This large freshwater fish was abundant and easy to catch in late summer, especially in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain. As a consequence, the Algonquin tribes in what became the northeastern United States named the August full moon the Sturgeon Moon; a name adopted by their colonisers for their own lunar calendars. The link with the UK is harder to justify, as the last sturgeon in UK waters was seen in Wales in 1993. Their numbers had already declined well before that date as a result of changes to river ecosystems.</p>
291. <p>Our rivers are generally in a parlous state, and the water companies are now under renewed scrutiny for their part in the discharge of sewage, and over extraction which has impacted <a href="https://northwalesriverstrust.org/news/why-are-riparian-zones-so-important" target="_blank" rel="noopener">riparian</a> health across the country. The Sturgeon Moon could be rebranded then (mindful of the implications of removing a name chosen by a colonised group of people), but to what?</p>
292.  
293. </div>
294. </div>
295.  
296. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
297. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
298. <h3>Thistledown</h3>
299. <p>On warm Autumn nights, the sky fills with seeds.</p>
300. <p>The seeds are produced by thistles. They float easily on any updraft. A small breath of air will lift them into the air, where they float through French doors &#8211; flung open on a sultry evening &#8211; or drift past sausages dripping their fat into a barbecue’s flaring flames. Grab hold of one, and luxuriate in its soft texture: feather soft, with the slight coarseness of the very tips of each filament. They are thistledown.</p>
301.  
302. </div>
303. </div>
304.  
305. <div  class="wpb_single_image wpb_content_element vc_align_left  vc_custom_1750757213224">
307. <figure class="wpb_wrapper vc_figure">
308. <div class="vc_single_image-wrapper   vc_box_border_grey"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="968" height="646" src="https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Thistledown-Moon-Photo-Credit-WayShare.jpg" class="vc_single_image-img attachment-large" alt="" title="Thistledown Moon - Photo Credit: WayShare" srcset="https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Thistledown-Moon-Photo-Credit-WayShare.jpg 968w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Thistledown-Moon-Photo-Credit-WayShare-300x200.jpg 300w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Thistledown-Moon-Photo-Credit-WayShare-768x513.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 968px) 100vw, 968px"  data-dt-location="https://naee.org.uk/thistledown-moon/thistledown-moon-photo-credit-wayshare/" /></div>
309. </figure>
310. </div>
311.  
312. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1750757234732" >
313. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
314. <p><em style="font-size: 12px;">Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/47042618@N06/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WayShare</a></em></p>
315.  
316. </div>
317. </div>
318.  
319. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
320. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
321. <p>Thistledown is the pappus or tuft of hairs on each seed of thistles, which assists dispersal by the wind. It consists of silky featherlike hairs attached to the seed-like fruit of the plant. It has fluffy appendages which help to disperse the seeds by giving them lift.</p>
322.  
323. </div>
324. </div>
325.  
326. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
327. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
328. <h3>Sugar Babies</h3>
329. <p>A single thistle can release thousands of these seeds. Into the long summer nights, the light of the full moon lights them up. They drift in through open windows on summer evenings. When I was growing up, we used to call them <strong>sugar babies</strong> – which seems to be a regional name within the north of England.</p>
330. <p><em>Do you have your own name for them?</em></p>
331.  
332. </div>
333. </div>
334.  
335. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
336. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
337. <h3>Resilience</h3>
338. <p>For Ted Hughes in his poem of the same name, thistles represent resilience. The moon is resilient too. From this month’s fullness it will wax and fade to a crescent but it will return again next month… and the thistledown will eventually land and find a niche to settle, perhaps part of nature reclaiming land we have used and abused.</p>
339.  
340. </div>
341. </div>
342.  
343. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
344. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
345. <h3>What else is happening where you are?</h3>
346. <p>Watch out for goldfinches at this time. The old English name for this bird is “<strong><em>thisteltuige</em></strong>”, which literally means “thistle-tweaker”. Goldfinches’ sharp beaks are perfectly adapted for snipping each tiny seed from its parachute.</p>
347. <p>August brings long drawn-out evenings, particularly in the far north of Scotland. Even in the south of England, these can be characterised by humidity, and difficulty sleeping. Any night where the temperature stays above 20°C is classed as a ‘tropical night’, and such nights are becoming more frequent with our changed climate. The warmth also brings an increased risk of prolonged dry spells followed by intense rainfall.</p>
348. <p>This means the smell of <em>petrichor</em> released by the rainfall is particularly strong and welcome alongside the release of heat. Warmth and thundery downpours means that August is also the first month when the fly agaric begin to show their fruiting bodies, particularly in birch woodlands. The edge of the Common in my Norfolk village is one such place. By my desk, I have a wonderful painting by my friend and artist Caroline Kent of a woodland floor.</p>
349.  
350. </div>
351. </div>
352.  
353. <div  class="wpb_single_image wpb_content_element vc_align_left  vc_custom_1750757487119">
355. <figure class="wpb_wrapper vc_figure">
356. <div class="vc_single_image-wrapper   vc_box_border_grey"><img decoding="async" width="875" height="1024" src="https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Caroline-Kent-875x1024.jpg" class="vc_single_image-img attachment-large" alt="" title="Caroline Kent" srcset="https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Caroline-Kent-875x1024.jpg 875w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Caroline-Kent-256x300.jpg 256w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Caroline-Kent-768x899.jpg 768w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Caroline-Kent.jpg 1137w" sizes="(max-width: 875px) 100vw, 875px"  data-dt-location="https://naee.org.uk/thistledown-moon/caroline-kent/" /></div>
357. </figure>
358. </div>
359.  
360. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1753347881120" >
361. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
362. <p><em style="font-size: 12px;">Photo credit: ‘Fly Agaric’ &#8211; detail from painting by Caroline Kent &#8211; in private collection</em></p>
363.  
364. </div>
365. </div>
366.  
367. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
368. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
369. <p>For nature writer Melissa Harrison, the appearance of fly agaric is one sign that summer is coming to its end, and autumn is on the way. They are one of the most recognisable fungi. The <a href="https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/fungi/fly-agaric" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wildlife Trusts’ website</a> adds further details on their role in woodland ecosystems with hyphae and mycelium, and in breaking down and recycling nutrients, and various safety advice around observing them and definitely <strong>not eating them. </strong></p>
370.  
371. </div>
372. </div>
373.  
374. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
375. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
376. <h3>Related activity ideas</h3>
377.  
378. </div>
379. </div>
380. <div class="vc_tta-container" data-vc-action="collapseAll"><div class="vc_general vc_tta vc_tta-accordion vc_tta-color-grey vc_tta-style-modern vc_tta-shape-square vc_tta-o-shape-group vc_tta-controls-align-default vc_tta-o-all-clickable"><div class="vc_tta-panels-container"><div class="vc_tta-panels"><div class="vc_tta-panel" id="1736846655635-a01a35ef-71da" data-vc-content=".vc_tta-panel-body"><div class="vc_tta-panel-heading"><h5 class="vc_tta-panel-title vc_tta-controls-icon-position-left"><a href="#1736846655635-a01a35ef-71da" data-vc-accordion data-vc-container=".vc_tta-container"><span class="vc_tta-title-text">Go meteor spotting</span><i class="vc_tta-controls-icon vc_tta-controls-icon-plus"></i></a></h5></div><div class="vc_tta-panel-body">
381. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
382. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
383. <p>The Perseid meteor shower can be seen throughout this month. The peak of meteors will be around the 12th of August. Find an area without street lights and let your eyes adjust. Try to lie down and look up… and wait.</p>
384. <p>Guidance provided by <a href="https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/perseid-meteor-shower-guide-uk-when-where-to-see" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Royal Museums Greenwich</a> on the origin and spotting them.</p>
385.  
386. </div>
387. </div>
388. </div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="vc_separator wpb_content_element vc_separator_align_center vc_sep_width_100 vc_sep_pos_align_center vc_separator_no_text vc_sep_color_white wpb_content_element  wpb_content_element" ><span class="vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_l"><span class="vc_sep_line"></span></span><span class="vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_r"><span class="vc_sep_line"></span></span>
389. </div>
390. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
391. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
392. <h3>Resources and useful websites</h3>
393. <ul>
394. <li><a href="http://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Geographical-Lunacy-glossary.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Geographical Lunacy: Moon Glossary</a></li>
395. <li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/01/specieswatch-red-capped-fly-agaric-is-a-fungi-cover-star" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fly Agaric</a> (The Guardian)</li>
396. <li>Listen to Bill Bruford’s track ‘<a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/6X2c737ojlL2PvLDLIisL2?si=030d201811044f08" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thistledown</a>’, featuring Ralph Towner on guitar.</li>
397. <li>A piece from The Guardian’s ‘<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/aug/20/wenlock-edge-thistledown-blown-like-snow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Country Diary</a>’</li>
398. <li><a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/natures-calendar/natures-calendar-august" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nature&#8217;s Calendar: August</a> (RSPB)</li>
399. <li><a href="https://www.bbowt.org.uk/blog/logan-walker/our-top-10-wildlife-sightings-august" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Top Ten wildlife to spot in August</a> (Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trusts)</li>
400. </ul>
401.  
402. </div>
403. </div>
404.  
405. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
406. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
407. <p><em>Authored by <a href="https://livinggeography.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alan Parkinson</a>, Alan is a geography teacher and author. He is a past President of the Geographical Association and current Vice President Education of the Royal Geographical Society. He lives in rural Norfolk.</em></p>
408.  
409. </div>
410. </div>
411. </div></div></div></div>
412. </div><p>The post <a href="https://naee.org.uk/thistledown-moon/">Thistledown Moon</a> appeared first on <a href="https://naee.org.uk">UK NAEE</a>.</p>
413. ]]></content:encoded>
415. <wfw:commentRss>https://naee.org.uk/thistledown-moon/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
416. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
419. </item>
420. <item>
421. <title>Becoming Sustainable &#8211; New Economics – Part 2.</title>
422. <link>https://naee.org.uk/becoming-sustainable-new-economics-part-2/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=becoming-sustainable-new-economics-part-2</link>
423. <comments>https://naee.org.uk/becoming-sustainable-new-economics-part-2/#respond</comments>
425. <dc:creator><![CDATA[NAEE Web Team]]></dc:creator>
426. <pubDate>Sun, 06 Jul 2025 10:24:20 +0000</pubDate>
427. <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
428. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://naee.org.uk/?p=22217</guid>
429.  
430. <description><![CDATA[<p>&#160;&#160;&#160; Today’s post is by regular contributor,&#160;Richard Jurin. Before his retirement, Richard led the Environmental Studies programme at the University of Northern Colorado, where he launched a degree in Sustainability Studies.&#160; His academic interests are environmental worldviews and understanding barriers to sustainability. As ever, with our blogs, the views expressed are not necessarily shared by&#8230;</p>
431. <p>The post <a href="https://naee.org.uk/becoming-sustainable-new-economics-part-2/">Becoming Sustainable &#8211; New Economics – Part 2.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://naee.org.uk">UK NAEE</a>.</p>
432. ]]></description>
433. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
434. <p> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
435.  
436.  
437.  
438. <p>Today’s post is by regular contributor,&nbsp;<strong><em>Richard Jurin</em></strong>. Before his retirement, Richard led the Environmental Studies programme at the University of Northern Colorado, where he launched a degree in Sustainability Studies.&nbsp; His academic interests are environmental worldviews and understanding barriers to sustainability. As ever, with our blogs, the views expressed are not necessarily shared by NAEE.</p>
439.  
440.  
441.  
442. <p><strong>“<em>The general purpose of the present economy is to exploit, not to foster or conserve… We need to confront honestly the issue of scale. Bigness has a charm and a drama that are seductive, especially to politicians and financiers; but bigness promotes greed, indifference, and damage, and often bigness is not necessary. You may need a large corporation to run an airline or to manufacture cars, but you don’t need a large corporation to raise a chicken or a hog. You don’t need a large corporation to process local food or local timber and market it locally” </em>Wendell Berry.  </strong> </p>
443.  
444.  
445.  
446. <p>When I present a library economy I am always faced with complaints or questions about convenience. &nbsp;&nbsp;Of course, the library system would have multiple numbers of small everyday items used by everyone.&nbsp; If you cook a lot you would have your own kitchenware stuff.&nbsp;&nbsp; The library is for many of those items we all use but only occasionally.&nbsp; It’s all about changing our perceptions and perspectives of how we live.&nbsp; If Everyday lives changed on the everyday level, then we change ourselves, which then creates change in others.</p>
447.  
448.  
449.  
450. <p>The challenge of course is getting past the self-serving mindset of, ‘what’s in it for me’ that comes from being just transactional in a market-driven economy.&nbsp; Being non-transactional demands trust in a system.&nbsp; In a library economy, the ‘librarians’ are crucial figures that manages the system.&nbsp; Don’t ever underestimate the incredible job done quietly by librarians at your local information library.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
451.  
452.  
453.  
454. <p>One reason people resist change is because they focus on what they think they will have to give up instead of what they will gain.&nbsp; How do we compete with the financial giants in a global economic system?&nbsp; “<strong><em>In ancient Rome, commoners didn’t riot, they ‘ghosted the city.’&nbsp; Fed up with injustice, plebians staged mass walkouts called ‘Secessions of the plebs,’ abandoning Rome and leaving the elites helpless.&nbsp; NO labor, no support.&nbsp; It worked.&nbsp; They gained real political power”&nbsp;&nbsp;</em></strong><a href="http://worldhistoryedu.com/">Worldhistoryedu.com</a><strong><em>.</em></strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;The library economy does just that.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
455.  
456.  
457.  
458. <p>Now, scale that library idea idea up to multiple items you use only occasionally in your home.&nbsp; The first step is to accept that you can ‘donate’ occasionally items to the communal library system, and release that confining sense of ownership.&nbsp; The item will go into the equipment ‘library’ where the librarians-technicians-mechanics will maintain, repair and replace whenever is needed for that item.&nbsp; You are off the hook for maintaining the item and yet whenever you need to use it, or another like it, you can just book it out.&nbsp; A very minor personal inconvenience but with a huge communal benefit – a building of non-transactional and developing&nbsp;<em>loving relationships.&nbsp; It will “require good faith to start. A cycle of giving must take place by both people without expecting to receive. Over time more and more trust will develop and the relationship itself becomes the valuable thing to have”&nbsp;</em>Ehsan Eafkhami.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
459.  
460.  
461.  
462. <p>Like any cooperative system there would be a small membership fee/tax, rental fee/ to cover costs and hiring of the ‘librarians’ and products for the library, but the system will have self-generating benefits.&nbsp; The membership cost could be run with ‘Local Exchange trading System (LETS)’.&nbsp; This could also encompass a local Cooperative Movement.&nbsp; The goal is to become locally self-sufficient and self-reliant on each other in a sharing cooperative society in which individual sovereignty is primary, yet the community is a nurturing location that helps everyone thrive without relying on a hierarchical govern.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
463.  
464.  
465.  
466. <p>Many communities transitioning to sustainable practices have Local Economic Trading Systems (LETS).&nbsp;&nbsp; These LETS keep the economy local such that trading, services, battering, and exchanges that promote the community are transparent and based on cooperation among all the members of the contributing community.&nbsp; In many communities, national currency is exchanged 1:1 for a local currency to ensure that all exchanges remain within the community.&nbsp; The aim is not profit per se, but community resilience with money as a tool and not an end-goal.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
467.  
468.  
469.  
470. <p>It should be paramount to understand that local businesses may be the backbone of a community or group of communities, but some more complex items will may not always arise out of the community itself.&nbsp; Who we invite into our communities should also be a decision to be made wisely.&nbsp; Currently, a new way of doing business is with the B-corporation model (<a href="https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us">https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us</a>).&nbsp; These transformational kinds of businesses promote a new kind of capitalism that promotes goods and services yet establishes new metrics of success focused on community well-being and not solely profit.&nbsp; All decisions affecting the community are made at the community level without larger state influences dictating policies and procedures.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
471.  
472.  
473.  
474. <p>&nbsp;“<strong><em>We can solve our problems, but it’s not clear that we can solve our problems and get rich at the same time.&nbsp; And that is the current requirement for all solutions</em></strong>” Terence McKenna.&nbsp; Our priority must be Quality of Life and not Standard of living, which leads to Item three – New Metrics for Defining Success.</p>
475.  
476.  
477.  
478. <p>&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;</p>
479.  
480.  
481.  
482. <p>Richard can be contacted at: richardjurin@gmail.com</p>
483. <p>The post <a href="https://naee.org.uk/becoming-sustainable-new-economics-part-2/">Becoming Sustainable &#8211; New Economics – Part 2.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://naee.org.uk">UK NAEE</a>.</p>
484. ]]></content:encoded>
486. <wfw:commentRss>https://naee.org.uk/becoming-sustainable-new-economics-part-2/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
487. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
490. </item>
491. <item>
492. <title>The Jumpers’ Moon</title>
493. <link>https://naee.org.uk/the-jumpers-moon/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-jumpers-moon</link>
494. <comments>https://naee.org.uk/the-jumpers-moon/#respond</comments>
496. <dc:creator><![CDATA[NAEEadmin]]></dc:creator>
497. <pubDate>Tue, 24 Jun 2025 09:12:35 +0000</pubDate>
498. <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
499. <category><![CDATA[Environmental Lunacy]]></category>
500. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://naee.org.uk/?p=22202</guid>
501.  
502. <description><![CDATA[<p>To the east the moon is rising, over the farmland where the haymaking of high summer gave it its name. Those fields of seeding grass and flowers, their corncrakes, yellow hammers, clouds of sparrows and hunting barn owls are long gone.</p>
503. <p>The post <a href="https://naee.org.uk/the-jumpers-moon/">The Jumpers’ Moon</a> appeared first on <a href="https://naee.org.uk">UK NAEE</a>.</p>
504. ]]></description>
505. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wpb-content-wrapper"><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
506. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
507. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
508. <h3>Moon cycle:</h3>
509. <ul>
510. <li><strong>New Moon:</strong> 25th June 2025</li>
511. <li><strong>Full Moon:</strong> 10th July 2025</li>
512. <li><strong>New Moon:</strong> 24th July 2025</li>
513. </ul>
514.  
515. </div>
516. </div>
517.  
518. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
519. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
520. <p><em>Once known as the ‘Hay Moon,’ <a href="https://nicola-davies.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nicola Davies</a> suggests a new name for this lunar cycle.</em></p>
521. <p>Dusk in mid-July, the sun just gone, dissolved into the blue-grey mist on the horizon. A calm sea here off Ramsey; a rarity as the next stop West from this little hunk of rock, is America. Waves have the whole of the Atlantic to grow before they throw themselves against this island. But right now the sea breathes low and deep, like a sleeping creature with a silky skin, at the foot of the cliffs.</p>
522. <p>On the water, close to the rocks there are guillemots. The chocolate and cream of their feathers still neat, the angle of their beaks still elegant, even after the hard work of the breeding season. It’s not unusual for them to float here, gathering themselves before another fishing trip, flying off to dive and find food a hundred feet down. But this evening is different, they aren’t  looking out to sea, but up and back to the crazy precipitousness of their nesting places, high above.</p>
523. <p>They call, the sound not much different from the usual throaty rasp of guillemot calls but there’s an urgency in the sounds, a kind of pleading. And from right up there, so high you’d have to crick your neck to see just where it came from, there are answering squeaks; first one, then two then twenty, then fifty. Rasps and squeaks sound like a chorus to us, but to the guillemots each voice is distinct. These are individuals, fathers calling to their children, summoning this year’s offspring to a dramatic start to their life at sea.</p>
524.  
525. </div>
526. </div>
527.  
528. <div  class="wpb_single_image wpb_content_element vc_align_left  vc_custom_1750755848368">
530. <figure class="wpb_wrapper vc_figure">
531. <div class="vc_single_image-wrapper   vc_box_border_grey"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Guilliemot-©-Falcon-Boats-1024x768.jpg" class="vc_single_image-img attachment-large" alt="" title="Guilliemot © Falcon Boats" srcset="https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Guilliemot-©-Falcon-Boats-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Guilliemot-©-Falcon-Boats-300x225.jpg 300w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Guilliemot-©-Falcon-Boats-768x576.jpg 768w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Guilliemot-©-Falcon-Boats-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Guilliemot-©-Falcon-Boats.jpg 1800w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"  data-dt-location="https://naee.org.uk/the-jumpers-moon/konica-minolta-digital-camera/" /></div>
532. </figure>
533. </div>
534.  
535. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1750755733734" >
536. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
537. <p><em style="font-size: 12px;">Photo © <a href="https://www.falconboats.co.uk/pembrokeshire-wildlife/auks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Falcon Boats</a></em></p>
538.  
539. </div>
540. </div>
541.  
542. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
543. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
544. <p>In the failing light you can just make out the chicks, creeping from the sheltered crevices at the back of the ledges. They are dark above and pale below just like their parents. Not yet such an elegant shape perhaps, and small, half the adults height, a third of their weight. A little fluffy too. Some of them flex their wings and you can see that they are much too small yet for proper flight. Yet the tiny birds teeter at the very edge about to take off? About to fall.</p>
545. <p>Rasp and  squeak, rasp and squeak.</p>
546. <p>The call and response builds to a crescendo.</p>
547. <p>And then, the first chick jumps, a body small as a teacup and just as fragile hurtles through the darkening air. Its minuscule wings flail madly, and the one part of it that’s grown up sized, its feet splay out. The cliff, its ledges, streaks of guano blur behind it as the chick falls, and falls, and falls. Its death seems absolutely certain, but wing flaps and big feet are just enough. They parachute the chick so that it plops into the water. A final flurry of rasp and squeak and the child and father are together on the water. The chick is paddle and dive ready with its big feet, and the pair head out to sea at once. Soon they’ve vanished in the darkness. By dawn they’ll be miles away from land. Out on the ocean they will ride like corks and dive from danger. Food will be close by so father can feed his child without commuting miles by air.</p>
548. <p>To the east the moon is rising, over the farmland where the haymaking of high summer gave it its name. Those fields of seeding grass and flowers, their corncrakes, yellow hammers, clouds of sparrows and hunting barn owls are long gone. Farmers cut grass green now and four times a year, for silage. No time for anything to seed, or nest, or fledge.</p>
549. <p>But in the moon-shadow of the Ramsey cliffs guillemots are leaving the nest as they always have: as flightless jumpers. The tiny para-gliders drop from three hundred feet into the sea and paddle away, out into the sea and moonlight. Pairs of little birds, bobbing on the vast silver sea. Perhaps this lunar cycle needs another name, the Jumper’s Moon?</p>
550.  
551. </div>
552. </div>
553.  
554. <div  class="wpb_single_image wpb_content_element vc_align_left  vc_custom_1750755942983">
556. <figure class="wpb_wrapper vc_figure">
557. <div class="vc_single_image-wrapper   vc_box_border_grey"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Auks-©-Falcon-Boats-1024x683.jpg" class="vc_single_image-img attachment-large" alt="" title="Auks © Falcon Boats" srcset="https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Auks-©-Falcon-Boats-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Auks-©-Falcon-Boats-300x200.jpg 300w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Auks-©-Falcon-Boats-768x512.jpg 768w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Auks-©-Falcon-Boats.jpg 1500w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"  data-dt-location="https://naee.org.uk/the-jumpers-moon/auks-falcon-boats/" /></div>
558. </figure>
559. </div>
560.  
561. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1750755922299" >
562. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
563. <p><em style="font-size: 12px;">Photo © <a href="https://www.falconboats.co.uk/pembrokeshire-wildlife/auks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Falcon Boats</a></em></p>
564.  
565. </div>
566. </div>
567.  
568. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
569. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
570. <h3>Activities</h3>
571. <p>There is always something to see in nature but you need to look and listen to what might be around you, at your feet, in the sky above you. Looking and listening can be hard when you live in a noisy city or if you are distracted by your phone; it’s easy to get into the habit of NOT looking, NOT listening. The good news is that habits can be changed! Here is one way to build new habits of taking time to notice…</p>
572. <p>One your way to school in the morning pick a spot to stop and look &#8211; it could be a tree, it could be a place where you get a clear view of the sky, it could be a view over a park, or a rooftop where pigeons tend to sit in the morning. Look and listen, stay still for just a minute and notice one thing, write it in your mind and carry it to school. When you get there scribble it down in words or a quick sketch before you forget it. Do this for a few weeks, and then look at what you have collected &#8211; little snapshots that change over time. You may find you have a ready -made poem and you will certainly find that your ability to pay attention, to notice, to look to listen has improved.</p>
573. <p>You can do the same thing with any part of your day that follows the same route or the same pattern &#8211; stop in the same place at roughly the same time and look at what’s there.</p>
574.  
575. </div>
576. </div>
577.  
578. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
579. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
580. <h3>Share your stories!</h3>
581. <p>How far from the coast are you? Where is the nearest place you might see guillemots? What’s happening where <em>you</em> live this month? Tag us in your pictures and comments here.</p>
582.  
583. </div>
584. </div>
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689. </div>
690. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
691. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
692. <h3>Resources and useful websites</h3>
693. <p>One of the best ways to start to engage with Nature is to learn to identify what is around you… birds, plants, mammals. There are lots of free APPS that will help you to do this. I particularly like <strong>Merlin Bird ID</strong> which can identify birds from their calls. You will be amazed what you hear AND how quickly you learn to identify birds by their calls. You will soon start to feel as if you have a superpower!</p>
694. <ul>
695. <li><a href="https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/birds/seabirds/guillemot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guillemots and the Wildlife Trust</a></li>
696. <li><a href="https://www.falconboats.co.uk/pembrokeshire-wildlife/auks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guillemots and other wildlife on the Pembrokeshire coast</a></li>
697. <li><a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/guillemot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guillemots and the RSPB</a></li>
698. </ul>
699.  
700. </div>
701. </div>
702.  
703. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
704. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
705. <p><em>Authored by Nicola Davies. Nicola is an acclaimed children’s author, zoologist and wildlife advocate, she was a presenter for The Really Wild Show and the BBC Natural History Unit. She also does wildlife guiding one day a week in the Summer for Falcon Boats. You can find out more about her work by <a href="https://nicola-davies.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">visiting her website</a>.</em></p>
706.  
707. </div>
708. </div>
709. </div></div></div></div>
710. </div><p>The post <a href="https://naee.org.uk/the-jumpers-moon/">The Jumpers’ Moon</a> appeared first on <a href="https://naee.org.uk">UK NAEE</a>.</p>
711. ]]></content:encoded>
713. <wfw:commentRss>https://naee.org.uk/the-jumpers-moon/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
714. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
717. </item>
718. <item>
719. <title>Environmental Lunacy Project: Strawberry Rose Moon</title>
720. <link>https://naee.org.uk/environmental-lunacy-project-strawberry-rose-moon/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=environmental-lunacy-project-strawberry-rose-moon</link>
722. <dc:creator><![CDATA[NAEEadmin]]></dc:creator>
723. <pubDate>Tue, 03 Jun 2025 08:09:57 +0000</pubDate>
724. <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
725. <category><![CDATA[Environmental Lunacy]]></category>
726. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://naee.org.uk/?p=22190</guid>
727.  
728. <description><![CDATA[<p>We are naming this lunar month the ‘Strawberry Rose Moon’ in recognition of the value of simple, natural food coupled with the importance of peace and harmony, especially between humans and the rest of the natural world. </p>
729. <p>The post <a href="https://naee.org.uk/environmental-lunacy-project-strawberry-rose-moon/">Environmental Lunacy Project: Strawberry Rose Moon</a> appeared first on <a href="https://naee.org.uk">UK NAEE</a>.</p>
730. ]]></description>
731. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wpb-content-wrapper"><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
732. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
733. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
734. <h3>Moon cycle:</h3>
735. <ul>
736. <li><strong>New Moon:</strong> 27th May 2025</li>
737. <li><strong>Full Moon:</strong> 11th June 2025</li>
738. <li><strong>New Moon:</strong> 25th June 2025</li>
739. </ul>
740.  
741. </div>
742. </div>
743.  
744. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
745. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
746. <h3>Strawberry Moon</h3>
747. <p>The full Moon in June is often known as a ‘Strawberry Moon’ &#8211; a name used by the Algonquin and other native peoples of North America to signify the time of the year when wild strawberries could be picked and eaten. The Potawatomi people of the Great Plains of America are said to have called these berries the ‘heart berry’. Deep red and heart shaped, these wild fruits are much smaller than the cultivated varieties of strawberry we are familiar with. Storyteller and author Allison Galbraith <a href="http://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/A-Legend-of-the-First-Strawberry-AG-2025.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adapts a traditional tale from North America for us</a>, about the origin of wild strawberries.</p>
748.  
749. </div>
750. </div>
751.  
752. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
753. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
754. <h3>Strawberries in the UK</h3>
755. <p>Wild strawberries can be found ripening this month across the UK too, although they are less common in the far north of Scotland. These berries can provide a tasty snack, though as The Wildlife Trusts remind us, it is an offence to totally uproot a wild plant, and as with any foraged food, only eat it if you are completely sure you know what it is. The wild strawberry provides food for slugs, mice and birds and is valued by the caterpillars of the grizzled skipper butterfly, and the strawberry tortrix moth, while insects such as bumblebees, solitary bees and hoverflies drink from the flowers.</p>
756. <p>Yet, worryingly, wild strawberry plants are now classed as ‘near threatened’ because of  the rapid loss of unimproved wildflower meadows. A staggering 97% of wildflower meadows have been lost since the 1930s, according to the Woodland Trust, due to the loss of traditional grazing, the switch from hay cutting to silage harvesting, and an increased use of fertilisers. We need a more harmonious approach!</p>
757. <p>Today, people are more familiar with eating cultivated strawberries. Homegrown varieties peak in the UK this month and strawberries are famously part of the traditional food served at the annual Wimbledon Tennis Tournament. However, weather changes due to climate change are having an impact on ripening dates: a warm, dry spring brought an early crop of the fruit this year whereas a wet spring last year delayed the growth period. So, while the name Strawberry Moon is arguably appropriate for us in the UK at the moment, it is a reminder that climate change is very much a threat to the timing of food availability we may take for granted.</p>
758.  
759. </div>
760. </div>
761.  
762. <div  class="wpb_single_image wpb_content_element vc_align_left  vc_custom_1748937567318">
764. <figure class="wpb_wrapper vc_figure">
765. <div class="vc_single_image-wrapper   vc_box_border_grey"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="685" src="https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Wild-Strawberry-1024x685.jpg" class="vc_single_image-img attachment-large" alt="" title="Wild Strawberry" srcset="https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Wild-Strawberry-1024x685.jpg 1024w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Wild-Strawberry-300x201.jpg 300w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Wild-Strawberry-768x514.jpg 768w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Wild-Strawberry-1536x1028.jpg 1536w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Wild-Strawberry.jpg 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"  data-dt-location="https://naee.org.uk/wild-strawberry/" /></div>
766. </figure>
767. </div>
768.  
769. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
770. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
771. <h3>Summer Solstice</h3>
772. <p>There are so many events of note this month in the flora and fauna calendar, that there are several other contenders for this month’s Moon name. June is a month brimming with wildlife, and so it should be, as we head towards the longest day and the shortest night of the Summer Solstice in the northern hemisphere. Midsummer’s Day this year falls on June 21st (June 20–21), 10 days after the full Moon.</p>
773.  
774. </div>
775. </div>
776.  
777. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
778. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
779. <h3>Honey Moon</h3>
780. <p>An old English and medieval European name for this lunar month was the Honey Moon. It was a time for harvesting honey from hives and making mead, a traditional drink used at celebrations, especially weddings or hand-fasting, often a feature of the solstice celebrations.</p>
781.  
782. </div>
783. </div>
784.  
785. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
786. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
787. <h3>Batty Moon</h3>
788. <p>Did you know that bats make up more than a quarter of all mammal life in the UK?  The increased warmth and lighter evenings means we are more likely to see bats as they become more active, catching thousands of insects a night. This is the month when bats are likely to give birth to and nurse their ‘pup’ – they usually only have one. The adults might feast on the plentiful insects but the pups feed on their mother’s milk. Look out for bats emerging at dusk from crevices, especially where they have access to roofs and old buildings.</p>
789.  
790. </div>
791. </div>
792.  
793. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
794. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
795. <h3>Nightjar Moon</h3>
796. <p>This month is a good opportunity to look out for and spot the elusive nightjar, a summer visiting bird from deep inside the continent of Africa. They are only here for a short while, returning to their winter grounds at the end of August, and are so well camouflaged that they can blend into the shades of bark on a tree. Nightjars have a distinctive ‘churring’ sound that you are most likely to hear on June evenings.</p>
797.  
798. </div>
799. </div>
800.  
801. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
802. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
803. <h3>Rose Moon</h3>
804. <p>However, another Moon name for this lunar month with European/Anglo-Saxon origins is the Rose Moon, signifying the widespread blooming of roses in the UK. The dog rose is a widespread, native, wild rose, easily spotted in hedgerows and woodland settings this month with its pink and white fragrant flowers, an important nectar source for insects. The rose fruit or rosehip is an important source of food for birds and some small mammals in the autumn. It is a humble, common plant but an important part of nature’s web.</p>
805. <p>There are many varieties of rose and many meanings associated with this iconic flower. Historically, the Tudor rose was adopted by Henry VII as England&#8217;s emblem of peace at the end of the War of the Roses, the civil wars between the royal house of Lancashire, who wore a red rose, and the royal house of York, who wore white. The Tudor rose combined both to symbolise peace.</p>
806.  
807. </div>
808. </div>
809.  
810. <div  class="wpb_single_image wpb_content_element vc_align_left  vc_custom_1748938541009">
812. <figure class="wpb_wrapper vc_figure">
813. <div class="vc_single_image-wrapper   vc_box_border_grey"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Dog-Rose-UK-1024x683.jpg" class="vc_single_image-img attachment-large" alt="" title="Dog Rose UK" srcset="https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Dog-Rose-UK-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Dog-Rose-UK-300x200.jpg 300w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Dog-Rose-UK-768x512.jpg 768w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Dog-Rose-UK-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Dog-Rose-UK.jpg 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"  data-dt-location="https://naee.org.uk/environmental-lunacy-project-strawberry-rose-moon/dog-rose-uk/" /></div>
814. </figure>
815. </div>
816.  
817. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
818. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
819. <h3>Strawberry Rose Moon</h3>
820. <p>The name ‘Rose Moon’ is a reminder of the beauty in the everyday, and also how the Tudor rose came to signify the end of a cycle of conflict and the beginning of a new, more unified era. The name ‘Strawberry Moon’ reminds us of nature’s treats and bounty. We are naming this lunar month the ‘<strong>Strawberry Rose Moon’</strong> in recognition of the value of simple, natural food coupled with the importance of peace and harmony, especially between humans and the rest of the natural world.</p>
821.  
822. </div>
823. </div>
824.  
825. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
826. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
827. <h3>Share your stories!</h3>
828. <p>Do you like strawberries? Are there any grown near you? Perhaps in your garden or in a window box at school? Have you spotted any roses this month? What else is happening? What would you call this Moon?. Please tag us in your stories or pictures using the hashtag #EnvironmentalLunacy.</p>
829.  
830. </div>
831. </div>
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977. </style><a title="Instagram" href="https://www.instagram.com/NAEEUK/" target="_blank" class="instagram single-soc-icon-9f2dfe34819e0d987ab7d7b67cd39389 dt-icon-bg-on dt-icon-border-on dt-icon-hover-border-on dt-icon-hover-bg-on"><i class="soc-icon soc-font-icon dt-icon-instagram"></i><span class="screen-reader-text">Instagram</span></a></div><div class="vc_separator wpb_content_element vc_separator_align_center vc_sep_width_100 vc_sep_pos_align_center vc_separator_no_text vc_sep_color_white vc_custom_1736847939585 wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1736847939585 wpb_content_element" ><span class="vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_l"><span class="vc_sep_line"></span></span><span class="vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_r"><span class="vc_sep_line"></span></span>
978. </div>
979. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
980. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
981. <h3>Related activity ideas</h3>
982.  
983. </div>
984. </div>
985. <div class="vc_tta-container" data-vc-action="collapseAll"><div class="vc_general vc_tta vc_tta-accordion vc_tta-color-grey vc_tta-style-modern vc_tta-shape-square vc_tta-o-shape-group vc_tta-controls-align-default vc_tta-o-all-clickable"><div class="vc_tta-panels-container"><div class="vc_tta-panels"><div class="vc_tta-panel" id="1736846655635-a01a35ef-71da" data-vc-content=".vc_tta-panel-body"><div class="vc_tta-panel-heading"><h5 class="vc_tta-panel-title vc_tta-controls-icon-position-left"><a href="#1736846655635-a01a35ef-71da" data-vc-accordion data-vc-container=".vc_tta-container"><span class="vc_tta-title-text">Strawberry Fields</span><i class="vc_tta-controls-icon vc_tta-controls-icon-plus"></i></a></h5></div><div class="vc_tta-panel-body">
986. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
987. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
988. <p>Do you have any commercial strawberry growing near you? Where is your nearest farm? Arrange a visit to see how the fruit is grown. Investigate your school grounds to see where you could plant strawberries. This might involve the creation of raised beds, or use of window boxes, hanging baskets and planters. Research the best varieties to grow.</p>
989.  
990. </div>
991. </div>
992. </div></div><div class="vc_tta-panel" id="1736846683389-4256ef6c-ecb0" data-vc-content=".vc_tta-panel-body"><div class="vc_tta-panel-heading"><h5 class="vc_tta-panel-title vc_tta-controls-icon-position-left"><a href="#1736846683389-4256ef6c-ecb0" data-vc-accordion data-vc-container=".vc_tta-container"><span class="vc_tta-title-text">Fruitful Weather?</span><i class="vc_tta-controls-icon vc_tta-controls-icon-plus"></i></a></h5></div><div class="vc_tta-panel-body">
993. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
994. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
995. <p>Investigate a weather summary for spring and compare it with previous spring weather data where you live. Predict or explain how it might, or has, impacted on soft fruit growing near you.</p>
996.  
997. </div>
998. </div>
999. </div></div><div class="vc_tta-panel" id="1736846709470-406dbecf-ffc9" data-vc-content=".vc_tta-panel-body"><div class="vc_tta-panel-heading"><h5 class="vc_tta-panel-title vc_tta-controls-icon-position-left"><a href="#1736846709470-406dbecf-ffc9" data-vc-accordion data-vc-container=".vc_tta-container"><span class="vc_tta-title-text">Wild Strawberries</span><i class="vc_tta-controls-icon vc_tta-controls-icon-plus"></i></a></h5></div><div class="vc_tta-panel-body">
1000. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1001. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1002. <p>What do wild strawberry plants look like? Using an app like Google Lens, walk around the school and local area, mapping where they occur. Create some annotated sketches of where they grow and the kind of habitat they thrive in. Note other insects and flowers seen nearby.</p>
1003.  
1004. </div>
1005. </div>
1006. </div></div><div class="vc_tta-panel" id="1736846725464-41cbd81f-9b86" data-vc-content=".vc_tta-panel-body"><div class="vc_tta-panel-heading"><h5 class="vc_tta-panel-title vc_tta-controls-icon-position-left"><a href="#1736846725464-41cbd81f-9b86" data-vc-accordion data-vc-container=".vc_tta-container"><span class="vc_tta-title-text">Strawberry Thief</span><i class="vc_tta-controls-icon vc_tta-controls-icon-plus"></i></a></h5></div><div class="vc_tta-panel-body">
1007. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1008. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1009. <p>It is said that the illustrator William Morris created this famous textile design after watching thrushes steal strawberries from his garden. If you have access to a patch of strawberries watch what comes along to eat them or leave a camera trap. Use strawberries on a bird table and watch to see which birds like them best. Create your own repeating patterns inspired by strawberries.</p>
1010.  
1011. </div>
1012. </div>
1013. </div></div><div class="vc_tta-panel" id="1745917355575-503cf2a6-8177" data-vc-content=".vc_tta-panel-body"><div class="vc_tta-panel-heading"><h5 class="vc_tta-panel-title vc_tta-controls-icon-position-left"><a href="#1745917355575-503cf2a6-8177" data-vc-accordion data-vc-container=".vc_tta-container"><span class="vc_tta-title-text">Strawberry Slushy</span><i class="vc_tta-controls-icon vc_tta-controls-icon-plus"></i></a></h5></div><div class="vc_tta-panel-body">
1014. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1015. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1016. <p>This time of year can be quite warm. Plan a trip to your local shop where you can buy seasonal, locally grown fruit like strawberries to make a slushy. <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/watermelon-strawberry-slushie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Research recipes</a> and create your own.</p>
1017.  
1018. </div>
1019. </div>
1020. </div></div><div class="vc_tta-panel" id="1745917405133-90efc4dc-abf3" data-vc-content=".vc_tta-panel-body"><div class="vc_tta-panel-heading"><h5 class="vc_tta-panel-title vc_tta-controls-icon-position-left"><a href="#1745917405133-90efc4dc-abf3" data-vc-accordion data-vc-container=".vc_tta-container"><span class="vc_tta-title-text">Dog Rose</span><i class="vc_tta-controls-icon vc_tta-controls-icon-plus"></i></a></h5></div><div class="vc_tta-panel-body">
1021. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1022. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1023. <p>Can you spot dog roses in the hedgerows and verges? Map where they are and note the date of the first blooms spotted. Keep the dates in a diary to be added to in subsequent years.</p>
1024.  
1025. </div>
1026. </div>
1027. </div></div><div class="vc_tta-panel" id="1748937784049-0ea70ac5-53a4" data-vc-content=".vc_tta-panel-body"><div class="vc_tta-panel-heading"><h5 class="vc_tta-panel-title vc_tta-controls-icon-position-left"><a href="#1748937784049-0ea70ac5-53a4" data-vc-accordion data-vc-container=".vc_tta-container"><span class="vc_tta-title-text">Rose Chafer</span><i class="vc_tta-controls-icon vc_tta-controls-icon-plus"></i></a></h5></div><div class="vc_tta-panel-body">
1028. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1029. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1030. <p>The rose chafer is a bright, shiny green beetle  with little white streaks on its wing cases. It loves to feed on flowers, especially dog roses. Watch, photograph, or sketch the insects that visit roses on warm June days where you are and you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of this widespread, but uncommon creature.</p>
1031.  
1032. </div>
1033. </div>
1034. </div></div><div class="vc_tta-panel" id="1748937803302-e19ef3e0-500b" data-vc-content=".vc_tta-panel-body"><div class="vc_tta-panel-heading"><h5 class="vc_tta-panel-title vc_tta-controls-icon-position-left"><a href="#1748937803302-e19ef3e0-500b" data-vc-accordion data-vc-container=".vc_tta-container"><span class="vc_tta-title-text">Rose Garden</span><i class="vc_tta-controls-icon vc_tta-controls-icon-plus"></i></a></h5></div><div class="vc_tta-panel-body">
1035. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1036. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1037. <p>If you don’t grow roses already in your school garden, research a site, then design and plant a rose garden. Select colours and scents that will catch the eye and delight the senses as midsummer draws near.</p>
1038.  
1039. </div>
1040. </div>
1041. </div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="vc_separator wpb_content_element vc_separator_align_center vc_sep_width_100 vc_sep_pos_align_center vc_separator_no_text vc_sep_color_white wpb_content_element  wpb_content_element" ><span class="vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_l"><span class="vc_sep_line"></span></span><span class="vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_r"><span class="vc_sep_line"></span></span>
1042. </div>
1043. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1044. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1045. <h3>Resources and useful websites</h3>
1046. <ul>
1047. <li>Bats &#8211; <a href="https://www.bats.org.uk/about-bats/a-year-in-the-life-of-a-bat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bat Conservation Trust</a></li>
1048. <li>Dog Rose &#8211; <a href="https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants/wild-flowers/dog-rose/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Woodland Trust</a></li>
1049. <li>Nightjar &#8211; <a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/nightjar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RSBP</a></li>
1050. <li>Will 2025 be a sweet year for strawberry growers and consumers? &#8211; <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3rpn41wxdqo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BBC</a></li>
1051. <li>Wild Strawberry &#8211; <a href="https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/wildflowers/wild-strawberry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wildlife Trusts</a></li>
1052. <li>Wildlife in June &#8211; <a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/natures-calendar/natures-calendar-june" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RSPB</a></li>
1053. </ul>
1054.  
1055. </div>
1056. </div>
1057.  
1058. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1059. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1060. <p><em>Authored by Lola O’Brien and Paula Owens. Lola is a school student in Year 10. She co-wrote and researched this Blog as part of her school work experience. Paula Owens is an independent education consultant, and a Trustee of NAEE.</em></p>
1061.  
1062. </div>
1063. </div>
1064. </div></div></div></div>
1065. </div><p>The post <a href="https://naee.org.uk/environmental-lunacy-project-strawberry-rose-moon/">Environmental Lunacy Project: Strawberry Rose Moon</a> appeared first on <a href="https://naee.org.uk">UK NAEE</a>.</p>
1066. ]]></content:encoded>
1070. </item>
1071. <item>
1072. <title>Becoming Sustainable – New Economics – Part 1.</title>
1073. <link>https://naee.org.uk/becoming-sustainable-item-two-new-economics-part-1/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=becoming-sustainable-item-two-new-economics-part-1</link>
1074. <comments>https://naee.org.uk/becoming-sustainable-item-two-new-economics-part-1/#respond</comments>
1076. <dc:creator><![CDATA[NAEE Web Team]]></dc:creator>
1077. <pubDate>Sun, 01 Jun 2025 10:02:01 +0000</pubDate>
1078. <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
1079. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://naee.org.uk/?p=22181</guid>
1080.  
1081. <description><![CDATA[<p>Today’s post is by regular contributor, Richard Jurin. Before his retirement, Richard led the Environmental Studies programme at the University of Northern Colorado, where he launched a degree in Sustainability Studies.  His academic interests are environmental worldviews and understanding barriers to sustainability. As ever, with our blogs, the views expressed are not necessarily shared by NAEE.&#8230;</p>
1082. <p>The post <a href="https://naee.org.uk/becoming-sustainable-item-two-new-economics-part-1/">Becoming Sustainable – New Economics – Part 1.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://naee.org.uk">UK NAEE</a>.</p>
1083. ]]></description>
1084. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
1085. <p>Today’s post is by regular contributor, <strong><em>Richard Jurin</em></strong>. Before his retirement, Richard led the Environmental Studies programme at the University of Northern Colorado, where he launched a degree in Sustainability Studies.  His academic interests are environmental worldviews and understanding barriers to sustainability. As ever, with our blogs, the views expressed are not necessarily shared by NAEE.</p>
1086.  
1087.  
1088.  
1089. <p><strong><em>“Ecological harm, and hence human harm, by its corporate perpetrators and their political abettors is done in the name of the free market and free enterprise…&nbsp; By default, this creates freedom that makes greed the dominant economic virtue, and it destroys the freedom of other people along with their communities and livelihoods</em></strong><strong>”&nbsp;</strong>Wendell Berry.</p>
1090.  
1091.  
1092.  
1093. <p>Our current economic model is just that – a model &#8211; an artificial construct based on both faith and fear.&nbsp; Faith in that we believe that a piece of paper with 100 printed upon it is worth 100 times a similar piece of paper with just 1 printed upon it.&nbsp; And fear because we believe that resources, and even money, are scarce and we have to compete aggressively to ensure we all have enough for our needs.&nbsp; Most market economists and business leaders expound the myth of a free-market, but there is no such thing.&nbsp; All markets have rules and restrictions in order to function.&nbsp; Our current global market-economic system was first conjured up centuries ago by merchants and hierarchy leaders seeking to gain control and competitive advantage.&nbsp; They rigged the rules to fit their needs and convinced the rest of us that this was the only way to live and hope to gain prosperity, which could come only from acquisition of money and material goods. &nbsp;Mention ‘Return-on-Investment’ and most people think of economic returns and not socio-cultural ones; yet social benefits are more primary than economic ones when health, happiness, true prosperity, and community benefit are considered.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
1094.  
1095.  
1096.  
1097. <p>Since the 1980s, the world has been caught in a whirlwind of economic transformation called ‘Globalization.’&nbsp; While it has had many benefits, one major consequence has been the erosion of local economic systems, local knowledge, and local supply chains (i.e., The Walmart Effect).&nbsp; We’ve come too far technologically to go back to the mythical days of a self-sufficient agrarian society where simple technology and poor energy options were limiting factors to technological progress.&nbsp; Yet, if we aspire to a sustainable world where true resilience and adaptation are primary factors, then we have to take-back local control of food, energy, and yes, even the economy as local considerations, and not think solely of them as national-international ones.&nbsp; To be in a truly sustainable world, we have to rebuild the local systems as partners of the global systems, not one or the other.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
1098.  
1099.  
1100.  
1101. <p>We first need to stop thinking that a top-down market-driven economic system, which focuses primarily on monetary profit, is the only way to live.&nbsp; The key is to find balance between self-sufficient local systems and those requiring regional, national or international scale of production.&nbsp; &nbsp;One of our greatest barriers is to break through dominant beliefs that current systems are unalterable.&nbsp; Most of our lifestyles are based on mental constructs: we have complete control of how we manage them.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
1102.  
1103.  
1104.  
1105. <p>We don’t have to wait for global economic collapse to begin rebuilding these local systems.&nbsp; Indeed, considering the problems of global market-economic control and its inherent consequence of being unable to deal with ecological systems – its very design is to destroy such systems – rebuilding the local economic systems may be the only solution we have to resolving them and thereby, nearly all our ecological problems.&nbsp; The question therefore is what could a local economy look like that serves a community’s ability to thrive, and also preserves the integrity of the natural systems that support&nbsp;life?&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
1106.  
1107.  
1108.  
1109. <p>We can locally change the economic rules to benefit the community by first changing expectations.&nbsp; In a market-economy, we are accustomed to commodifying everything and owning everything we need or want.&nbsp; Most people were once monetarily poor and before they became more affluent and materialistic they battered for almost everything &#8211; goods and services. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
1110.  
1111.  
1112.  
1113. <p>Materialistic consumerism is the big problem. &nbsp;&nbsp;One aspect that makes consumerism within the market economy so attractive is convenience.&nbsp; At home, with items you use every day (e.g., cups, plates, food preparation utensils, pots and pans, etc.), it makes sense you own them, but consider how many items you use only occasionally.&nbsp; For example, in a neighborhood of 50 homes with lawns, each home probably has its own lawn mower that is used maybe once a week for 4-5 months of the year.&nbsp; Cars, on average, are in use only 5% of the time – the rest of the time they sit idle in garages or parking lots.&nbsp; Now expand this to almost everything in your life.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
1114.  
1115.  
1116.  
1117. <p>The idea of sharing or borrowing was once normal in most communities.&nbsp; Most people accept libraries as an information and computer connectivity system.&nbsp; In essence it is a &#8211; central storage resource &#8211; that houses shared books, digital resources and computers that anyone can borrow and use.&nbsp;&nbsp;Imagine a central resource where you can check out a multitude of items when you need them by booking them for use at specific times.&nbsp; This is the concept of the Library-Economy – community owned and run goods and services.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
1118.  
1119.  
1120.  
1121. <p>Before you discount the expanded library-economy idea, imagine expanding this idea to everything you might need only on a more occasional basis.  Instead of every homeowner with a lawn owning a lawnmower, they merely booked one out once a week and then returned it.  Imagine that when you needed a car, you could just go and book one out and then return it.  Many cities now have community bicycles/scooter racks where registered users can check out a bike, ride it to a destination, where they then return it to a rack to be used by other people.  A library economy is not new, but it can be expanded to provide almost any item that you need.  And it can run alongside a highly-modified kind of capitalist economy where desirable goods can still be included within the business world.           </p>
1122.  
1123.  
1124.  
1125. <p>As library-economy advocate, Chirs Agnos, says,<strong> “<em>After years of exploring the root causes behind inequality, environmental destruction, social upheaval and disconnection, it&#8217;s the market itself—with its foundations in competition, ownership, and profit— that is driving the very crises we’re trying to solve.  Whether it&#8217;s high food prices, war, corruption, housing affordability, it all goes back to market design</em></strong>.”   </p>
1126.  
1127.  
1128.  
1129. <p>How do we get to that kind of library model while living within the current system?&nbsp; In many places around the world in smaller enclaves, it is happening where mindful individuals come together and make it happen.&nbsp; That all sounds very noble, but for a lot of people, I think a royal kick up the butt may be the triggering agent – probably an economic collapse that drives it out of necessity.&nbsp; Whether by choice or necessity, I envision a huge community centered warehouse managed like a current book library. It will be driven by a non-market economy that is non-transactional and managed by those unsung community heroes – librarians, in the broadest sense.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So how could a non-transactional, non-market economy function, especially within the economic mindsets that currently dominate?</p>
1130.  
1131.  
1132.  
1133. <p>&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..</p>
1134.  
1135.  
1136.  
1137. <p>Richard can be contacted at: richardjurin@gmail.com</p>
1138. <p>The post <a href="https://naee.org.uk/becoming-sustainable-item-two-new-economics-part-1/">Becoming Sustainable – New Economics – Part 1.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://naee.org.uk">UK NAEE</a>.</p>
1139. ]]></content:encoded>
1141. <wfw:commentRss>https://naee.org.uk/becoming-sustainable-item-two-new-economics-part-1/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
1142. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
1145. </item>
1146. <item>
1147. <title>Becoming Sustainable: Item one &#8211; Civic Agency to Build Sustainable Community</title>
1148. <link>https://naee.org.uk/becoming-sustainable-item-one-civic-agency-to-build-sustainable-community/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=becoming-sustainable-item-one-civic-agency-to-build-sustainable-community</link>
1149. <comments>https://naee.org.uk/becoming-sustainable-item-one-civic-agency-to-build-sustainable-community/#respond</comments>
1151. <dc:creator><![CDATA[NAEE Web Team]]></dc:creator>
1152. <pubDate>Fri, 02 May 2025 08:09:00 +0000</pubDate>
1153. <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
1154. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://naee.org.uk/?p=22172</guid>
1155.  
1156. <description><![CDATA[<p>Today’s post is by regular contributor,&#160;Richard Jurin. Before his retirement, Richard led the Environmental Studies programme at the University of Northern Colorado, where he launched a degree in Sustainability Studies.&#160; His academic interests are environmental worldviews and understanding barriers to sustainability. As ever, with our blogs, the views expressed are not necessarily shared by NAEE.&#8230;</p>
1157. <p>The post <a href="https://naee.org.uk/becoming-sustainable-item-one-civic-agency-to-build-sustainable-community/">Becoming Sustainable: Item one &#8211; Civic Agency to Build Sustainable Community</a> appeared first on <a href="https://naee.org.uk">UK NAEE</a>.</p>
1158. ]]></description>
1159. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
1160. <p>Today’s post is by regular contributor,&nbsp;<strong><em>Richard Jurin</em></strong>. Before his retirement, Richard led the Environmental Studies programme at the University of Northern Colorado, where he launched a degree in Sustainability Studies.&nbsp; His academic interests are environmental worldviews and understanding barriers to sustainability. As ever, with our blogs, the views expressed are not necessarily shared by NAEE.</p>
1161.  
1162.  
1163.  
1164. <p>“<strong><em>Personal empowerment means deconditioning yourself from the values and the programs of the [corporate] society and putting your own values and programs in place”&nbsp;</em></strong>Terence McKenna<strong><em>.</em></strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
1165.  
1166.  
1167.  
1168. <p>A friend of mine recently lamented that only a massive kick up the rear end from some form of massive social collapse would promulgate needed changes.&nbsp; I disagree.&nbsp; I believe that many of us working locally, can work within the existing systems to build better societies locally that are so resilient and adaptable, the old systems will naturally and quickly fade away.</p>
1169.  
1170.  
1171.  
1172. <p>I have submitted many posts to this blog using many arguments about the need to become sustainable.&nbsp; I know that too many people want a bulleted list of things to do to get a sustainable future, but there is no ‘one size fits all’ list.&nbsp; That is why I titled my 2012 book ‘<em>Principles of Sustainable Living</em>.’&nbsp; Yet, if an abbreviated list of some kind is necessary then let me begin the first of five basic essential items that foster a self-sufficiency that describes community resiliency and adaptability.</p>
1173.  
1174.  
1175.  
1176. <p><strong>item number one</strong>: Mindfulness.  We must start being mindful and conscious of every thought and action.  A question to ask yourself every day, “What will the world look like when we are all enlightened, and practice mindfulness.” (Enlightenment &#8211; <em>Showing understanding and wisdom in dealing with others.  Being open to new ideas and facts based on reason and science.  Tolerant of alternative opinions.  Guided by rational thought.  Having an understanding of people&#8217;s needs that is not based on old-fashioned attitudes and prejudice.  Free from ignorance, prejudice, or superstition.  Receiving spiritual or religious revelation for mindfulness.</em>  Cambridge online dictionary.)   This is the ‘Spiritual Path’ I have often stated as an absolute for a truly sustainable society.  Mindfulness is perhaps the simplest one that will transform our world, yet, it is possibly the hardest in that it isn’t technological – it’s changing the human mind.  If we don’t change, then all the other items will be unlikely to change – it’s why we are in the state we are now.     </p>
1177.  
1178.  
1179.  
1180. <p>Tim Kasser (<em>The High Price of Materialism)&nbsp;</em>and Tibor Scitovsky (The Joyless Economy) both argue that materialist consumerism is really a barrier to our desire for Health, happiness and overall well-being in a sustainable world.&nbsp; Materialistic values never have, and never can, solve our global problems because they force us to focus on the wrong things.&nbsp; What Kasser, Scitovsky and many others have shown repeatedly is that the accumulation of ‘stuff’ is self-defeating for a better world.&nbsp; Simpler living and minimalism are the only cures that will allow a global population to thrive.&nbsp; As Norwegian YouTube Vlogger Seve (<em>Sunny Kind Journey</em>) teaches, ‘minimalism,’ “<em>It’s the only thing that really matters when you think about it.&nbsp; What else is there, except how we connect.&nbsp; How we listen.&nbsp; How we love.&nbsp; How we forgive.&nbsp; How we treat each other</em>.“</p>
1181.  
1182.  
1183.  
1184. <p>We must train ourselves to be empathic to be able to adapt and be willing to help others.&nbsp; This is when we mirror ourselves into each-others experiences.&nbsp; Currently, antipathy and apathy are the most common emotions that cause us to ‘fear others’ and feel powerlessness to promote change.&nbsp; Empathy is seen when we mirror others; learn about them, becoming familiar with them and who they are; share experiences that are salient and relevant; enhance a group’s ability to thrive; and; that motivate group action and build alliances.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
1185.  
1186.  
1187.  
1188. <p><strong><em>“There is a purpose behind distorting history to make it seem like only great men achieve significant things. It teaches people to believe they are powerless and must wait for a great man to act”&nbsp;</em></strong>Noam Chomsky<strong><em>.</em></strong></p>
1189.  
1190.  
1191.  
1192. <p>Public Work and Civic Engagement philosopher, Harry Boyte, emphasizes that communities develop, not in political halls of power, but on the ‘Main Streets’ of every community.&nbsp; This is where the cultural commons exist that bind people within a uniquely local learning environment.&nbsp; Functional communities have ‘meeting places’ where local citizens gather.&nbsp; These may be the local post office, pharmacy, church meeting hall, the public house, even a garden center cafeteria.&nbsp; What sets these places apart is that they are locations where people dialogue and understand each other more clearly than any external technocrat merely providing services can understand.&nbsp; &nbsp;Problems continue to occur when local citizens are seen only as ‘clients’ and not as co-creators of the ‘public good.’&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
1193.  
1194.  
1195.  
1196. <p>In fostering positive change for true community, it is critical that civic engagement be established that promotes community building and not just ‘place enhancement.’  Community building develops around building ‘Capacity’ around community ‘Plurality.’  The aim is to encourage all local citizens as agents working together for a shared regenerative community purpose with ethical perspectives of all represented.  When I travelled through the North West highlands of Scotland with the late Geoff Fagan (CADISPA) I saw first-hand how isolated communities felt themselves increasingly drifting apart.  Post offices/Grocery stores everywhere were closing as centralized consolidation from Edinburgh, because of political and financial considerations only, were diminishing what were once tight communities.   Whether an isolated Scottish community or a large development in a large town, civic agency is a process of helping neighbourhoods become communities by getting the community to empower itself.     </p>
1197.  
1198.  
1199.  
1200. <p>Geoff never went in as a technocrat.&nbsp;&nbsp; He was only the guide and not as a central community educator leader.&nbsp; Once a group decided they wanted to do something to help their community, they contacted Geoff.&nbsp; He would interview the active community agents to determine the connections in order to analyze the assumptions and desires inherent within the community.&nbsp; Next was the mapping of power and interests within a community to understand the key players and that all relationships within that community were represented.&nbsp; Next the local leaders would hold meetings to consider proposals and plans for community development to map shared goals and expectations.&nbsp; Rob Hopkins of Totnes’s ‘Transition Movement’ offers a similar kind of community building structure. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
1201.  
1202.  
1203.  
1204. <p>What we all desire is more harmony, with purpose and anticipation for what can be when we choose to create it.&nbsp; It won’t happen all at once, but if we begin the process, it will grow organically.&nbsp; Too many people are fearful of making these choices because they fear leaving the dystopian system they know, for an unknown but probable and better future.&nbsp; Yet, if done with a mindful approach, the possibilities are immense.&nbsp; No more waiting for ‘Superman’ or a great leader to save us, just a faith in ourselves and our cadre of people around us.&nbsp; Letting go of expectations of some perfect Utopia, yet knowing that this kind of anticipated change can only be a better path than the promised dystopian corporate-technocratic path.&nbsp; While future communities might have serious disagreements, they are unlikely to have armed militaristic confrontations to resolve their differences. Mindful awareness of interconnectivity dispels that kind of aggressive thinking.&nbsp;</p>
1205.  
1206.  
1207.  
1208. <p>True sustainable change begins at the grassroots; and in small conclaves around the world; it is happening already. Once we reach critical mass it will spill over to occur within towns and cities.&nbsp; Cities will be seen no more as metropolises but rather as conglomerates of smaller autonomous enclaves interacting and cooperating with neighboring enclaves.&nbsp; We have to foster personal sovereignty and well-being and also embrace collective cooperation for community well-being.&nbsp; Dumas’s cry of the Musketeers back in 1844 has captured this idea nicely.</p>
1209.  
1210.  
1211.  
1212. <p>&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;</p>
1213.  
1214.  
1215.  
1216. <p>Richard can be contacted at: richardjurin@gmail.com</p>
1217. <p>The post <a href="https://naee.org.uk/becoming-sustainable-item-one-civic-agency-to-build-sustainable-community/">Becoming Sustainable: Item one &#8211; Civic Agency to Build Sustainable Community</a> appeared first on <a href="https://naee.org.uk">UK NAEE</a>.</p>
1218. ]]></content:encoded>
1220. <wfw:commentRss>https://naee.org.uk/becoming-sustainable-item-one-civic-agency-to-build-sustainable-community/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
1221. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
1224. </item>
1225. <item>
1226. <title>Environmental Lunacy Project: May Moon</title>
1227. <link>https://naee.org.uk/environmental-lunacy-project-may-moon/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=environmental-lunacy-project-may-moon</link>
1228. <comments>https://naee.org.uk/environmental-lunacy-project-may-moon/#respond</comments>
1230. <dc:creator><![CDATA[NAEEadmin]]></dc:creator>
1231. <pubDate>Tue, 29 Apr 2025 09:21:24 +0000</pubDate>
1232. <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
1233. <category><![CDATA[Environmental Lunacy]]></category>
1234. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://naee.org.uk/?p=22157</guid>
1235.  
1236. <description><![CDATA[<p>The May Moon is also called the Flower Moon. This is because many of the spring flowers are at their best at this time of year.</p>
1237. <p>The post <a href="https://naee.org.uk/environmental-lunacy-project-may-moon/">Environmental Lunacy Project: May Moon</a> appeared first on <a href="https://naee.org.uk">UK NAEE</a>.</p>
1238. ]]></description>
1239. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wpb-content-wrapper"><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper">
1240. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1241. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1242. <h3>Moon cycle:</h3>
1243. <ul>
1244. <li><strong>New Moon:</strong> 27th April 2025</li>
1245. <li><strong>Full Moon:</strong> 12th May 2025</li>
1246. <li><strong>New Moon:</strong> 27th May 2025</li>
1247. </ul>
1248.  
1249. </div>
1250. </div>
1251.  
1252. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1253. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1254. <h3>Ancient Wisdom</h3>
1255. <p>We often refer to First Nations’ North American names for the monthly moons and with good reason. Although these people were systematically persecuted and nearly wiped out by European settlers, their strong cultures have persisted. Within these are stories and ways of living passed down orally through multiple generations that reveal a perception of the planet which is very different to those of ‘modern’ people such as most of us who live in the UK.</p>
1256. <p>First Nation and other indigenous people across the world pay daily attention to constellations, the sun, moon phases and the changing seasons and see them as part of the rich tapestry of life which interacts with and influences the land, flora and fauna. They respect and venerate this view of life and develop wisdom from it in conjunction with that gleaned from their ancestors. In effect this guides them along a path of sustainable living which is in harmony with nature rather than trying to exploit it for short-term material gains for the sake of ‘progress’ and economic growth. They see themselves as custodians of the planet and as part of its systems due to an imperative to nurture and regenerate for the sake of future generations.</p>
1257.  
1258. </div>
1259. </div>
1260.  
1261. <div  class="wpb_single_image wpb_content_element vc_align_left  vc_custom_1745943141152">
1263. <figure class="wpb_wrapper vc_figure">
1264. <div class="vc_single_image-wrapper   vc_box_border_grey"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Bluebell-1-1024x768.jpg" class="vc_single_image-img attachment-large" alt="" title="Bluebell" srcset="https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Bluebell-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Bluebell-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Bluebell-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Bluebell-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Bluebell-1.jpg 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"  data-dt-location="https://naee.org.uk/environmental-lunacy-project-may-moon/bluebell-2/" /></div>
1265. </figure>
1266. </div>
1267.  
1268. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1745918152890" >
1269. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1270. <p><em style="font-size: 12px;">Photo © David Dixon</em></p>
1271.  
1272. </div>
1273. </div>
1274.  
1275. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1276. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1277. <h3>Milk Moon</h3>
1278. <p>With all this in mind, it’s interesting to delve into our own indigenous cultures which have largely been obliterated by technological progress and the accompanying damage to people and planet. Consequently, the following information about the May Moon is based upon Germanic and Anglo Saxon cultures dating back over a thousand years. Some of these have survived and are present in modern day English in certain country areas. For example, the Anglo Saxons referred to the Thrimilce Moon, meaning cows could start to be milked three times a day due to the May grass growing faster. This is where we get the ‘Milk Moon’ name. In old high German the May Moon is called ‘Wunnemanoth’ (‘Merry Moon’), although ‘Wunne’ might also mean pasture which fits the Milk Moon scenario.</p>
1279.  
1280. </div>
1281. </div>
1282.  
1283. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1284. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1285. <h3>Cuckoo Moon</h3>
1286. <p>In old Norse, this moon is called ‘<a href="https://www.aldsidu.com/post/the-old-saxon-heathen-calendar#:~:text=Three%20historical%20Heathen%20calendars%20from%20the%208th%2C%209th%2C,Moon%29%2C%20Yule%2C%20Sigurblot%20%28or%20Anglish%20Eostre%29%2C%20and%20Mid-summer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gaukmanather</a>’ (month of the Cuckoo) or Sathtith (time of sowing).</p>
1287. <p>These old names can be quite revealing when it comes to tracking climate change and biodiversity loss. For example, the ‘Cuckoo Moon’ descriptor is becoming redundant in many areas of the UK and Europe because there are fewer cuckoos these days. This has been linked to their different wintering routes to and from Africa. They are also suffering due to habitat loss in Europe where they need to reproduce each spring. An old country poem goes like this:</p>
1288. <p style="padding-left: 40px;"><em>The Cuckoo comes in April</em><br />
1289. <em>Sings in the month of May</em><br />
1290. <em>Changes its tune in the middle of June</em><br />
1291. <em>And in July he flies away.</em></p>
1292. <p>Rudyard Kipling also wrote a famous poem about the cuckoo. Wouldn’t it be a pity if future generations never experienced hearing or seeing this magnificent bird. If it disappeared all the prose and poetry associated with it would soon become redundant, thus dealing another blow to our shared culture.</p>
1293. <p>Another indicator of climate change can be seen in seasons becoming less distinct or coming earlier. For example, an old lady who has a 51 year old daughter born on the 16th May 1973, relates that she used to always associate her daughter’s birthday with the ‘candle blossom’ of the horse chestnut trees where she lived in north London. These days this blossom has often come and gone well before the 16th which makes her very sad. Happily, in the north of England this is not the case and horse chestnut blossom is still in its prime at this time of year.</p>
1294.  
1295. </div>
1296. </div>
1297.  
1298. <div  class="wpb_single_image wpb_content_element vc_align_left  vc_custom_1745918194146">
1300. <figure class="wpb_wrapper vc_figure">
1301. <div class="vc_single_image-wrapper   vc_box_border_grey"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Alkanets-1024x768.jpg" class="vc_single_image-img attachment-large" alt="" title="Alkanets" srcset="https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Alkanets-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Alkanets-300x225.jpg 300w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Alkanets-768x576.jpg 768w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Alkanets-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Alkanets.jpg 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"  data-dt-location="https://naee.org.uk/environmental-lunacy-project-may-moon/alkanets/" /></div>
1302. </figure>
1303. </div>
1304.  
1305. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1745918152890" >
1306. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1307. <p><em style="font-size: 12px;">Photo © David Dixon</em></p>
1308.  
1309. </div>
1310. </div>
1311.  
1312. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1313. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1314. <h3>Flower moon</h3>
1315. <p>The May Moon is also called the Flower Moon. This is because many of the spring flowers are at their best at this time of year. Although daffodils are waning and snow drops and crocuses are long gone, this is the best time to see alkanets, borage, bluebells, cowslips, dandelions, oxeye daisies and wild garlic. Once again, it depends upon where you live in the country as to whether these emerge sooner or later. As a rule of thumb, it appears that northern England is about two weeks behind areas to the south and the south west is the earliest of all. What are the best May flowers in your area? Look carefully because many of them are tiny. Many of these flowering plants can be seen in woodland and they only have a limited window of opportunity because they need to reproduce before all the tree leaves come out and start shading the wood and forest floors. In monoculture pine woods planted deliberately for timber harvesting, there are never spring flowers because there is always shade and the needles acidify the soils which flowering plants often don’t like.</p>
1316.  
1317. </div>
1318. </div>
1319.  
1320. <div  class="wpb_single_image wpb_content_element vc_align_left  vc_custom_1745918203402">
1322. <figure class="wpb_wrapper vc_figure">
1323. <div class="vc_single_image-wrapper   vc_box_border_grey"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Dandelion-1024x768.jpg" class="vc_single_image-img attachment-large" alt="" title="Dandelion" srcset="https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Dandelion-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Dandelion-300x225.jpg 300w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Dandelion-768x576.jpg 768w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Dandelion-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://naee.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Dandelion.jpg 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"  data-dt-location="https://naee.org.uk/environmental-lunacy-project-may-moon/dandelion/" /></div>
1324. </figure>
1325. </div>
1326.  
1327. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1745918152890" >
1328. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1329. <p><em style="font-size: 12px;">Photo © David Dixon</em></p>
1330.  
1331. </div>
1332. </div>
1333.  
1334. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1335. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1336. <h3>Medical Plants</h3>
1337. <p>As well as identifying May flowers you can also unearth (pun intended) some more of our lost indigenous culture by finding out what they and the rest of the plant were used for. For example, amongst other things dandelion stem sap was thought to stimulate digestion, heal minor skin injuries and support liver health. Many native plants were used in medicine and some of the active compounds have been scientifically proved to work. It’s becoming fashionable to forage for medicinal plants and others that can be eaten. If you do this you are in effect taking part in an ancient UK indigenous practice. <em>Ensure you are familiar though with poisonous plants and warn children not to eat anything without checking.</em> How many May flowers can you identify? Try using <a href="https://lens.google/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google Lens</a> to help. All you need do is take a picture with a phone and the app does the rest.</p>
1338. <p>So, it’s a merry <strong>May Moon</strong> from me. Let’s keep noticing the wonders of nature and doing our best to protect and improve it for future generations.</p>
1339.  
1340. </div>
1341. </div>
1342.  
1343. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1743432802474" >
1344. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1345. <h4>What’s happening where you are?</h4>
1346. <p>At this time of year many more flowers starting to bloom. This will also mean that you start to see many more insects, like bees and butterflies that are attracted to these flowers to harvest nectar and pollen. Keep a log of when local plants come into bloom. Climate change is causing UK plants to flower almost a month earlier on average, according to the Woodland Trust. What’s happening where you live? Your class can help track change by submitting data to <a href="https://naturescalendar.woodlandtrust.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nature’s Calendar.</a></p>
1347.  
1348. </div>
1349. </div>
1350.  
1351. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1352. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1353. <h3>Share your stories!</h3>
1354. <p>What stories do children know about May festivals and flowers? What do their parents and grandparents remember about this time of year in their childhood? We invite you to share your suggested Moon names and explain how this reflects nature events where you live. Please tag us in your stories or pictures using the hashtag #EnvironmentalLunacy.</p>
1355.  
1356. </div>
1357. </div>
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1503. </style><a title="Instagram" href="https://www.instagram.com/NAEEUK/" target="_blank" class="instagram single-soc-icon-9f2dfe34819e0d987ab7d7b67cd39389 dt-icon-bg-on dt-icon-border-on dt-icon-hover-border-on dt-icon-hover-bg-on"><i class="soc-icon soc-font-icon dt-icon-instagram"></i><span class="screen-reader-text">Instagram</span></a></div><div class="vc_separator wpb_content_element vc_separator_align_center vc_sep_width_100 vc_sep_pos_align_center vc_separator_no_text vc_sep_color_white vc_custom_1736847939585 wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1736847939585 wpb_content_element" ><span class="vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_l"><span class="vc_sep_line"></span></span><span class="vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_r"><span class="vc_sep_line"></span></span>
1504. </div>
1505. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1506. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1507. <h3>Related activity ideas</h3>
1508.  
1509. </div>
1510. </div>
1511. <div class="vc_tta-container" data-vc-action="collapseAll"><div class="vc_general vc_tta vc_tta-accordion vc_tta-color-grey vc_tta-style-modern vc_tta-shape-square vc_tta-o-shape-group vc_tta-controls-align-default vc_tta-o-all-clickable"><div class="vc_tta-panels-container"><div class="vc_tta-panels"><div class="vc_tta-panel" id="1736846655635-a01a35ef-71da" data-vc-content=".vc_tta-panel-body"><div class="vc_tta-panel-heading"><h5 class="vc_tta-panel-title vc_tta-controls-icon-position-left"><a href="#1736846655635-a01a35ef-71da" data-vc-accordion data-vc-container=".vc_tta-container"><span class="vc_tta-title-text">Cuckoo Calling!</span><i class="vc_tta-controls-icon vc_tta-controls-icon-plus"></i></a></h5></div><div class="vc_tta-panel-body">
1512. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1513. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1514. <p>Have any cuckoos arrived back in the UK yet from their long migration? Track the progress of cuckoos and <a href="https://www.bto.org/cuckoos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">see a map of their journey here</a>.</p>
1515.  
1516. </div>
1517. </div>
1518. </div></div><div class="vc_tta-panel" id="1736846683389-4256ef6c-ecb0" data-vc-content=".vc_tta-panel-body"><div class="vc_tta-panel-heading"><h5 class="vc_tta-panel-title vc_tta-controls-icon-position-left"><a href="#1736846683389-4256ef6c-ecb0" data-vc-accordion data-vc-container=".vc_tta-container"><span class="vc_tta-title-text">What’s that bird?</span><i class="vc_tta-controls-icon vc_tta-controls-icon-plus"></i></a></h5></div><div class="vc_tta-panel-body">
1519. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1520. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1521. <p>You can use a <a href="https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">birdsong app like Merlin</a> to identify birds you hear. They are at their most vocal at this time of year due to maintaining territories, mating rituals and protecting nesting sites.</p>
1522.  
1523. </div>
1524. </div>
1525. </div></div><div class="vc_tta-panel" id="1736846709470-406dbecf-ffc9" data-vc-content=".vc_tta-panel-body"><div class="vc_tta-panel-heading"><h5 class="vc_tta-panel-title vc_tta-controls-icon-position-left"><a href="#1736846709470-406dbecf-ffc9" data-vc-accordion data-vc-container=".vc_tta-container"><span class="vc_tta-title-text">Growing Experiments</span><i class="vc_tta-controls-icon vc_tta-controls-icon-plus"></i></a></h5></div><div class="vc_tta-panel-body">
1526. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1527. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1528. <p>As the soil has started to warm up, <a href="https://livetoplant.com/exploring-the-best-times-to-plant-seeds-using-the-moon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May is also a good time to sow directly</a> into the soil rather than having to start off plants in a greenhouse or window-sill. Some people believe that this can be done best if you use the phases of the moon and there is increasing scientific evidence to back this up. What do you think?</p>
1529.  
1530. </div>
1531. </div>
1532. </div></div><div class="vc_tta-panel" id="1736846725464-41cbd81f-9b86" data-vc-content=".vc_tta-panel-body"><div class="vc_tta-panel-heading"><h5 class="vc_tta-panel-title vc_tta-controls-icon-position-left"><a href="#1736846725464-41cbd81f-9b86" data-vc-accordion data-vc-container=".vc_tta-container"><span class="vc_tta-title-text">Hare Moon</span><i class="vc_tta-controls-icon vc_tta-controls-icon-plus"></i></a></h5></div><div class="vc_tta-panel-body">
1533. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1534. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1535. <p>The moon in May can also be called the ‘Hare Moon’. This is because hares become more visible, particularly the males who can be seen ‘boxing’ in open fields as they compete for mates. Visit the <a href="https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2023/03/why-do-hares-box/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Woodland Trust website</a> for more details about this animal and create a fact file.</p>
1536.  
1537. </div>
1538. </div>
1539. </div></div><div class="vc_tta-panel" id="1745917355575-503cf2a6-8177" data-vc-content=".vc_tta-panel-body"><div class="vc_tta-panel-heading"><h5 class="vc_tta-panel-title vc_tta-controls-icon-position-left"><a href="#1745917355575-503cf2a6-8177" data-vc-accordion data-vc-container=".vc_tta-container"><span class="vc_tta-title-text">Map May Blossom</span><i class="vc_tta-controls-icon vc_tta-controls-icon-plus"></i></a></h5></div><div class="vc_tta-panel-body">
1540. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1541. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1542. <p>Hawthorn blossom is called ‘May blossom’ after the month in which it usually blooms,  though in some areas of the UK this can be sooner. Learn to identify the hawthorn tree and <a href="https://www.countryfile.com/wildlife/trees-plants/hawthorn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">map where and when this May Blossom</a> is out near you.</p>
1543.  
1544. </div>
1545. </div>
1546. </div></div><div class="vc_tta-panel" id="1745917405133-90efc4dc-abf3" data-vc-content=".vc_tta-panel-body"><div class="vc_tta-panel-heading"><h5 class="vc_tta-panel-title vc_tta-controls-icon-position-left"><a href="#1745917405133-90efc4dc-abf3" data-vc-accordion data-vc-container=".vc_tta-container"><span class="vc_tta-title-text">Visit a Physic Garden</span><i class="vc_tta-controls-icon vc_tta-controls-icon-plus"></i></a></h5></div><div class="vc_tta-panel-body">
1547. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1548. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1549. <p>Research what a ‘Physic Garden’ is and find out  if there is one near you. Plan a visit if possible. The most famous of these gardens is at <a href="https://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chelsea</a>, London, but there are several others; including <a href="https://dilstonphysicgarden.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dilston</a>.</p>
1550.  
1551. </div>
1552. </div>
1553. </div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="vc_separator wpb_content_element vc_separator_align_center vc_sep_width_100 vc_sep_pos_align_center vc_separator_no_text vc_sep_color_white wpb_content_element  wpb_content_element" ><span class="vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_l"><span class="vc_sep_line"></span></span><span class="vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_r"><span class="vc_sep_line"></span></span>
1554. </div>
1555. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1556. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1557. <h3>General activity ideas</h3>
1558.  
1559. </div>
1560. </div>
1561. <div class="vc_tta-container" data-vc-action="collapseAll"><div class="vc_general vc_tta vc_tta-accordion vc_tta-color-grey vc_tta-style-modern vc_tta-shape-square vc_tta-o-shape-group vc_tta-controls-align-default vc_tta-o-all-clickable"><div class="vc_tta-panels-container"><div class="vc_tta-panels"><div class="vc_tta-panel" id="1743429166140-6b9585f6-f431" data-vc-content=".vc_tta-panel-body"><div class="vc_tta-panel-heading"><h5 class="vc_tta-panel-title vc_tta-controls-icon-position-left"><a href="#1743429166140-6b9585f6-f431" data-vc-accordion data-vc-container=".vc_tta-container"><span class="vc_tta-title-text">Curriculum</span><i class="vc_tta-controls-icon vc_tta-controls-icon-plus"></i></a></h5></div><div class="vc_tta-panel-body">
1562. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1563. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1564. <p>Children are expected learn to use a variety of approaches to answer scientific questions; enquiry should include observing over time; pattern seeking; identifying, classifying and grouping. Wildflowers provide an excellent resource for field-based enquiry. Plants are static but change through time (flowering, seed setting, etc.), and species composition can vary in only a short distance (e.g. ground flora in the open and under heavy shade).</p>
1565.  
1566. </div>
1567. </div>
1568. </div></div><div class="vc_tta-panel" id="1743429194029-e7c55b98-6448" data-vc-content=".vc_tta-panel-body"><div class="vc_tta-panel-heading"><h5 class="vc_tta-panel-title vc_tta-controls-icon-position-left"><a href="#1743429194029-e7c55b98-6448" data-vc-accordion data-vc-container=".vc_tta-container"><span class="vc_tta-title-text">Biodiversity</span><i class="vc_tta-controls-icon vc_tta-controls-icon-plus"></i></a></h5></div><div class="vc_tta-panel-body">
1569. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1570. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1571. <p>&#8216;The variety of living things in a given place&#8217;. Using quadrats (typically one square metre) have children count the number of different plant species rooted within it. A better measure, but more difficult, is to count the number of individuals of each species. A quadrat with 14 species in it may appear more diverse on that simple measure than one with only 10, but one species might dominate the first quadrat in terms of numbers of individuals, and in time may dominate entirely. Children can also compare their findings of diversity along a transect from wet to dry, or open to shady (does deep shade suppress ground flora?)</p>
1572.  
1573. </div>
1574. </div>
1575. </div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="vc_separator wpb_content_element vc_separator_align_center vc_sep_width_100 vc_sep_pos_align_center vc_separator_no_text vc_sep_color_white wpb_content_element  wpb_content_element" ><span class="vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_l"><span class="vc_sep_line"></span></span><span class="vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_r"><span class="vc_sep_line"></span></span>
1576. </div>
1577. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1578. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1579. <h3>Resources and useful websites</h3>
1580. <ul>
1581. <li>There are many good wildflower guides on the market but try to use a guide with illustrations rather than photographs. One of the best guides to wildflowers is Fitter, R., Fitter, A., and Blamey, M. (1978) <a href="https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/the-wild-flowers-of-britain-and-northern-europe/author/fitter-richard-alastair-blamey-marjorie-fitter-alastair-blamey-marjorie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wild Flowers of Britain and Northern Europe, Collins</a>. It has a simple but effective pictorial key, and the illustrations are excellent, and copies can be obtained cheaply on-line and in charity shops (photo guides are much less easy to use).</li>
1582. <li>The Field Studies Council publish <a href="https://www.field-studies-council.org/product-category/publications/?fwp_publication_type=fold-out-guide" target="_blank" rel="noopener">excellent fold out guides</a> that focus on wildflowers in specific habitats.</li>
1583. <li>A range of ID apps exist that allow you to photograph a flower for identification. While helpful to confirm identification it is still better to use a guidebook as the starting point.</li>
1584. <li><a href="https://bsbi.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland</a> &#8211; the BSBI map site provides an introduction to <a href="https://bsbi.org/identification" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plant identification</a> and <a href="https://bsbi.org/maps" target="_blank" rel="noopener">distribution maps</a> for individual species of plant.</li>
1585. <li>There are various sites to help schools develop wildflower plots on the grounds, e.g. Eden Project – ‘<a href="https://www.edenproject.com/learn/schools/wildflowers-in-schools" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wildflowers in Schools</a>’.</li>
1586. <li>A year in the life of a hawthorn tree &#8211; <a href="https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/hawthorn/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Woodland Trust</a></li>
1587. <li>Find out more about unusual medicinal plants found across Britain &#8211; <a href="https://www.countryfile.com/how-to/unusual-medicinal-plants-found-across-britain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Countryfile</a></li>
1588. <li>Information from the <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/school-gardening/resources/wellbeing/the-healing-power-of-plants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Royal Horticultural Societ</a>y about the healing properties of plants.</li>
1589. <li>More cuckoo information can be on the <a href="https://www.bto.org/understanding-birds/birdfacts/cuckoo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">British Trust for Ornithology</a> and <a href="https://www.scottishfield.co.uk/scotland-travel/theres-more-to-the-cuckoo-than-its-famous-call/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scottish Field</a> websites.</li>
1590. </ul>
1591.  
1592. </div>
1593. </div>
1594.  
1595. <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element " >
1596. <div class="wpb_wrapper">
1597. <p><em>Authored by Dr David Dixon, author and consultant on sustainable schools and leadership for sustainability.</em></p>
1598.  
1599. </div>
1600. </div>
1601. </div></div></div></div>
1602. </div><p>The post <a href="https://naee.org.uk/environmental-lunacy-project-may-moon/">Environmental Lunacy Project: May Moon</a> appeared first on <a href="https://naee.org.uk">UK NAEE</a>.</p>
1603. ]]></content:encoded>
1605. <wfw:commentRss>https://naee.org.uk/environmental-lunacy-project-may-moon/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
1606. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
1609. </item>
1610. <item>
1611. <title>NAEE Blog</title>
1612. <link>https://naee.org.uk/naee-blog/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=naee-blog</link>
1613. <comments>https://naee.org.uk/naee-blog/#comments</comments>
1615. <dc:creator><![CDATA[NAEE Web Team]]></dc:creator>
1616. <pubDate>Sat, 05 Apr 2025 12:05:33 +0000</pubDate>
1617. <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
1618. <category><![CDATA[Webwatch]]></category>
1619. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://naee.org.uk/?p=22154</guid>
1620.  
1621. <description><![CDATA[<p>&#8230;.. By Professor Justin Dillon, President NAEE &#8230;.. The Curriculum and Assessment Review Interim Report In July of last year, fresh from its election success, the newly-formed Labour Government commissioned Professor Becky Francis CBE to convene and chair a panel of experts to conduct a Curriculum and Assessment Review. The committee’s interim report was published&#8230;</p>
1622. <p>The post <a href="https://naee.org.uk/naee-blog/">NAEE Blog</a> appeared first on <a href="https://naee.org.uk">UK NAEE</a>.</p>
1623. ]]></description>
1624. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
1625. <p>&#8230;.. By Professor Justin Dillon, President NAEE &#8230;.. </p>
1626.  
1627.  
1628.  
1629. <p><strong>The Curriculum and Assessment Review Interim Report</strong> </p>
1630.  
1631.  
1632.  
1633. <p>In July of last year, fresh from its election success, the newly-formed Labour Government commissioned Professor Becky Francis CBE to convene and chair a panel of experts to conduct a Curriculum and Assessment Review. The committee’s interim report was published on March 18 (DfE, 2025a). As a reminder, the review was set up to deliver:</p>
1634.  
1635.  
1636.  
1637. <ul class="wp-block-list">
1638. <li>An excellent foundation in the core subjects of reading, writing and maths.</li>
1639.  
1640.  
1641.  
1642. <li>A broader curriculum, so that children and young people don’t miss out on subjects such as music, art, sport and drama, as well as vocational subjects.</li>
1643.  
1644.  
1645.  
1646. <li>A curriculum that ensures children and young people leave compulsory education ready for life and ready for work, building the knowledge, skills and attributes young people need to thrive.</li>
1647. </ul>
1648.  
1649.  
1650.  
1651. <ul class="wp-block-list">
1652. <li>A curriculum that reflects the issues and diversities of our society, ensuring all children and young people are represented.</li>
1653.  
1654.  
1655.  
1656. <li>An assessment system that captures the full strengths of every child and young person and the breadth of curriculum.</li>
1657. </ul>
1658.  
1659.  
1660.  
1661. <p>The Interim Report was accompanied by a “conceptual position paper” which attempts to put an academic underpinning to the review (DfE, 2025b). The review’s philosophy is encapsulated in this sentence taken from the original terms-of-reference and repeated in the conceptual position paper: “The Review will support the innovation and professionalism of teachers, enabling them to adapt how they teach the curriculum to their students’ lives and life experiences” (p. 5).</p>
1662.  
1663.  
1664.  
1665. <p>A starring role in the paper goes to Joseph Schwab (1909-1998), a US professor of education and natural sciences who studied and then worked at University of Chicago for almost 50 years, after entering it at the age of 15. Schwab’s main contribution to education is his conception of&nbsp;<em>The Practical</em>&nbsp;which involves curriculum revision being undertaken by a group consisting of representatives of teachers, learners, subject matter specialists, the sociocultural milieux and curriculum specialists. Schwab had no time for ‘theory-instigated’ reform – “reform based on a theory of new persons, new knowledge, or a new society” (DfE, 2025b, p. 6).</p>
1666.  
1667.  
1668.  
1669. <p>The position paper rams the message home: “Theory-instigated reform, often driven by elite elements in society, involves crafting an ideal curriculum at the policy level, out of touch with the realities of schools and classrooms, ignoring what has worked and what hasn’t in the system.&nbsp;Indeed, a significant body of research has repeatedly shown that radical, theory (vision)-driven reforms have little to no impact on the work and practice of schools and classrooms” (p. 6).&nbsp;So, this is the rationale for the statement in the Terms of Reference that “the Review will seek evolution not revolution”. Those of us driven by a radical vision of a transformed society are left waiting at the bus stop of history.&nbsp;</p>
1670.  
1671.  
1672.  
1673. <p>At least there is some recognition that there is a climate and environment emergency in the Interim Report. On page 7 we are told that “global social and environmental challenges require attention to scientific and cultural knowledge and skills that can equip young people to meet the challenges of the future” and on page 26 we are told that “Rapid social, environmental and technological change necessitates that the curriculum keep pace; including a renewed focus on digital and media literacy, and a greater focus on sustainability and climate science”. On the next page there is an acknowledgement that “society is rapidly changing, and bringing new opportunities and challenges, including those presented by AI, and those relating to global political developments and climate change”.</p>
1674.  
1675.  
1676.  
1677. <p>This is only the interim report and there is much more work to be done in terms of influencing the committee’s thinking. At worst, we might see climate change take a greater role in the science curriculum whatever that might look like. But that would be a small victory that would betray all those young people in school now and future generations to come.</p>
1678.  
1679.  
1680.  
1681. <p><strong>References</strong></p>
1682.  
1683.  
1684.  
1685. <p>Department for Education (DfE) (2024).&nbsp;<em>What is the Curriculum and Assessment Review and how will it impact my child&#8217;s education?&nbsp;</em>Education Hub Blog. DfE. https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2024/11/what-is-the-national-curriculum-and-why-is-it-being-reviewed/</p>
1686.  
1687.  
1688.  
1689. <p>DfE. (2025a).&nbsp;<em>Curriculum and Assessment Review. Interim Report.</em>&nbsp;DfE.</p>
1690.  
1691.  
1692.  
1693. <p>DfE (2025b).&nbsp;<em>Curriculum and Assessment Review: a conceptual position paper</em>. DfE.</p>
1694.  
1695.  
1696.  
1697. <p>Professor Justin Dillon, President NAEE</p>
1698.  
1699.  
1700.  
1701. <p>April 4, 2025</p>
1702. <p>The post <a href="https://naee.org.uk/naee-blog/">NAEE Blog</a> appeared first on <a href="https://naee.org.uk">UK NAEE</a>.</p>
1703. ]]></content:encoded>
1705. <wfw:commentRss>https://naee.org.uk/naee-blog/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
1706. <slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
1709. </item>
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