Bristol Friends of the Earth and Avon Friends of the Earth started their activities in 1971, sowing the seeds of new ideas and projects and laying the fertile ground for further project formation. Urban regeneration emerges from struggle and spreads through ideas of radical change.
Similarities can be seen around the world today – from the recent situation in Sri Lanka, where home gardens have become a common response to widespread famine, to farmers reclaiming land titles in Palestine.
revolutionary
St Werburgh’s City Farm is one of the communities committed to preserving its green spaces.The story of the struggle to keep St Werburgh’s alive is told in bristol cable.
Activism is strong in Bristol these days, and its alternative culture attracts new residents every year, further squeezing an already desperate housing situation. Its arts and music scene provides a haven for exploring new ways of living and connecting in the sprawling city.
Bristol is at the forefront of grassroots mobilization in the UK. Movements such as Shift Bristol, Growing Futures, Bristol Good Food Alliance, Grow Wilder and the Bristol and Avon Wildlife Trust are very active.
Organizations such as St Werburgh’s City Farm and Lawrence Weston Community Farm are growing food that feeds local supply chains in perhaps one of the greatest revolutionary acts of our time.
collapse
Although Bristol is listed as a “green capital”, it is far from sustainable. Poorly designed streets are congested with traffic, air pollution is high in some areas, and depleted green spaces offer little sanctuary.
While Bristol is at the forefront of environmental and humanitarian activism, its wealth is largely based on the slave trade, which was once one of the largest centers in Europe and the wider world. There are a few important things to recognize when celebrating a city that is not without its dark history.
Despite many similarities to the past, today we face greater complexity. When Small is Beautiful was published, global heating was not a mainstream topic.
Since then, it has become a scientifically accepted reality, grabbing headlines around the world. As temperatures rise year after year, we dance on the brink of ecological collapse and politicians carry on as usual.
the front line
Shrinking the size of our economies, reclaiming public ownership, and challenging dominant narratives is not a romantic ideology, but a shift that will ensure our future survival.
our small is the future The event in Bristol on Saturday 17 June 2023 will discuss some of the biggest questions of our time through the lenses of regenerative economics, policy and systems theory.
Speakers include Dr. Ann Pettifor, author of The Case for the Green New Deal; Charlie Hertzog Young, contributor ecologist; Professor Herbert Girardet, Resurgence Trust Trustee, publishing ecologist; Helen Browning, Soil Association, green growth Dr. James Meadway, Director, Progressive Economic Forum.
We want those at the forefront of the grassroots movement in Bristol to join the conversation.you can buy a ticket to go small is the future Event in Bristol on Saturday 17 June 2023 here.
the author
Yasmin Dahnoun is an assistant editor for The Ecologist.She tweets as @dahnoun_
