Last weekend tc attended Co-operatives 2007 in Brighton. It was packed with events and even though I thought it may turn out to be a pretty dull weekend, it was actually really good and the sun shone (for a short time at least!).
There were lots of interesting events and seminars on the programme this year.
One of the best events we attended was a visit to Stanmer Organics which is a consortium of 16 individuals and groups, mainly involved in organic horticulture and sustainable living based in Stanmer Park in Brighton. A Co-operatives UK seminar, ‘Doing the Right Thing?’ was held at Earthship Brighton which is a fabulous building in Stanmer Park.
An Earthship is a building designed to reduce our impact on the planet and increase our connection to it by;
- using the suns energy and the thermalmass of their walls for heating and cooling,
- generating their own electricity from the sun,
- harvesting their own water from rain,
- dealing directly with their own waste,
- using discarded tyres and other wastes for wall construction,
- using materials with low embodied carbon,
- being buildable by most people at relatively low cost.
Go to www.lowcarbon.co.uk to find out more about Earthship Brighton and follow links to Stanmer Organics.
It was fascinating!
