Apr 3
[Totnes, UK]
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[Totnes, UK]
Princess Skystar is enjoying a cup of coffee.
In Totnes, in Devon, England.
Dear UK followers, I am doing a week long pop up shop in Totnes, south Devon 29th July - 3rd august, if you are in the area I hope to see you there 🫀
They once covered a fifth of Britain, now only tiny fragments remain. But plans are afoot to double the size of Britain’s rainforests
A fifth of Britain was once covered by rainforest. Hidden in remote corners of our rainy isle, fragments still survive. On a walk through a regenerated English rainforest, conservationist Guy Shrubsole explains how he is mapping and protecting them, aiming to double their size in a generation
I’m standing in the middle of the rainforest. It is – suitably – pouring with rain and steaming with mist. Moss-covered trees sprawl. Clouds of chartreuse and ochre lichen festoon surfaces. Polypody ferns unfurl and spill out of head-high trunks. Pennyworts decorate stone and wood. Up above, pearly-white mushrooms grow out of crevices. The rain pitter-pattering is a constant soothing hush. Acorns crackle underfoot. The forest gleams wet and green. I could be in Tolkien’s Middle-earth, or Jurassic Park, but, actually, I’m not too far from Totnes, a market town in Devon, south-west England.
I’ve travelled here for a walk with the conservationist and writer Guy Shrubsole, who is campaigning to regenerate rainforests in Britain and has written a book about this forgotten realm. Restoring nature is at the forefront of climate action, and while we all think about the carbon absorbing Amazon when talk turns to saving the rainforest, there are exciting opportunities to bring Britain’s lost rainforests back.
Perhaps like me you had no idea that we have this globally rare and unique habitat in England. We’ve all heard of tropical rainforests, but the notion of rainforests in our cooler climes sounds strange. Even after reading Shrubsole’s book, it wasn’t until I actually stood in the rainforest that I realised what was so special about these places.
Read more from Lucy Jones!
View over Totnes, Devon. River Dart top right.
Totnes is basically afaik the first transition town (fully transitioned to a decentralized degrowth community with local currency, eco-policies etc).
In this video (which is an update on their progress) they also explain how the town started, and you can learn more about how your community can change into a transition infrastructure by going to their channel. If you know change should happen but have a hard time imagining what it looks like ‘on the ground’ these are great examples.
Most active and attempted transition towns are in the UK and NZ and we are looking to start an initiative in our area as part of the small presence of US initiatives. Consider starting your own, as well.
So good to have our pals @butterworths_vintage_company and @colbutterworths bring the new year in with us. #dawsondenim #butterworthsvintage #totnesmarket #totnes #vintage #britishvintage #selvedge #pennant #britishjeans #trickers #illigitiminoncarborundum (at Dawson Denim) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6yf9QCjbIP/?igshid=19dkyekwe1d14