"I love that you've brought this to attention. An extensive database of uncommon but resistant and hardy plants/foods could be developed and organized by climate. Ease of growth and processing should also be taken in to account. I will try to…"
A crash course in changing the world.
James Hester's Blog (23)
Freelance Innovation: The EVOKE Manifesto
We are EVOKE.
We are the best and brightest in every discipline from every walk of life in every part of the world.
We are here to save the world when it is in danger, and to help it to thrive when it is peaceful.
We go to work when those that the world puts in power to care for them either cannot or will not.
We do not live in ivory towers, but rather in houses, flats, trailers, tents and…
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Added by James Hester on May 9, 2010 at 11:19am — No Comments
The Future of the EVOKE Network
As a new-comer to Social Innovation, I was astounded by the way that EVOKE succeeded in amassing such a huge and diverse team of thinkers and doers united under a common set of basic goals. I am grateful for the experience for two reasons: for giving me the inspiration and motivation to think about ways that I myself could make a difference in the world around me, and for creating what is now doubtless an immense database of visions, projects and solutions for the benefit of the rest of the… Continue
Added by James Hester on May 6, 2010 at 7:27pm — 5 Comments
The Survivor Network for Pandemic Management
Vinay Gupta, in his 'Gupta Option' series, wrote a piece called 'Severe Panflu Response Strategies' which can be found here: http://guptaoption.com/6.SPRS.php
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The portion I seized upon is:…
Added by James Hester on May 3, 2010 at 6:30pm — 2 Comments
Getting people to act (or not)
Of the 'Five Secrets of Crisis Communication', I found myself most intrigued by Point 2: Covering Risk.
So often I see people being complacent when they shouldn't be, and conversely panicking when they need not do so. The solution presented by Neiman is quite simple and obvious if you think about it, but nonetheless does not get used by leaders and the media as much as it probably should.
If you want people to not be concerned about a situation…
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Added by James Hester on May 2, 2010 at 11:10am — 1 Comment
Storytelling For Social Change
The link below is to a TED Talk given by world-renowned storyteller Mallika Sarabhai.
In it, Ms. Sarabhai discusses how storytelling, that most ancient of human pastimes, has the possibility of being used to effectively get people thinking about major issues affecting the community and the world at large. She claims that, more than a…
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Added by James Hester on April 25, 2010 at 4:54pm — 5 Comments
The 'Three Sisters' Garden
http://www.reneesgarden.com/articles/3sisters.html
The year is 2082. Although I have fought all my life to encourage and inspire people to embrace small-scale, self-sustaining subsistence gardening as a way of regaining control over the
food they eat, this practice has only gained wide acceptance in the last 20 years.
As with all things, it only…
Added by James Hester on April 23, 2010 at 3:46pm — No Comments
3 Days, and Britain may already start running low on some foods
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/apr/16/flight-ban-shortages-uk-supermarkets
As a follow-up to my inital post, I present this. This is exactly what I was talking about.
Added by James Hester on April 18, 2010 at 10:02am — No Comments
Ushahidi and Leeds: When the Big Flood hits.
The River Aire experiences minor flooding multiple times a year. In recent years, this flooding seems to have increased progressively both in frequency and degree. On at least two occasions in as many years, the museum where I work has been closed down and both the public and workers evacuated as water multiple feet deep lapped up against the base of the building (which is, incidentally, about 15-20 feet or so from the river). As both a worker and resident of this part of the city, I am,… Continue
Added by James Hester on April 17, 2010 at 4:47pm — No Comments
Highlights of Leeds in 2020
I thought I'd make a map highlighting four interesting features of the new, resilient face of Leeds in 2020. The map can be found here:…
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Added by James Hester on April 17, 2010 at 4:21pm — 4 Comments
Green Thumbed Gurkhas: Training Nepalese Women in Sustainable, Organic, Co-Op Agriculture
As both a military historian and a sadhaka (trainee-practitioner) of the Nath tradition of yoga, I have great respect for the people of Nepal. In the spirit of this, the following message has been posted to my LiveJournal, Facebook, and Twitter accounts (abbreviated here, of course). I submit it here for your consideration as well. …
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Added by James Hester on April 9, 2010 at 7:54pm — 1 Comment
Shada Nasser: Fighting Child Marriage in Yemen
I have always had intense respect for people not just fighting against injustice, but doing it in circ**stances and in places in which it is genuinely dangerous for them to do so.
A prime example of someone doing this is Shada Mohammed Nasser, a lawyer in Yemen who for the past few years has undertaken the gargantuan task of bringing about the end of child marriage a country in which it is sadly a deeply-ingrained practice.
She achieved wide public recognition and accolades… Continue
A prime example of someone doing this is Shada Mohammed Nasser, a lawyer in Yemen who for the past few years has undertaken the gargantuan task of bringing about the end of child marriage a country in which it is sadly a deeply-ingrained practice.
She achieved wide public recognition and accolades… Continue
Added by James Hester on April 9, 2010 at 7:21pm — No Comments
Thriving Local Currency in Massachusetts
http://www.berkshares.org/
I admit fully to a bias for this as a 'Mass-h***' myself, but it's still quite interesting. The BerkShare is a local currency currently in circulation on a wide scale in the Berkshire region of Massachusetts. The BerkShare was launched in 2006 and is accepted by businesses of all types in the region. The above website includes not only a history of the currency, but also a comprehensive list of all businesses and… Continue
I admit fully to a bias for this as a 'Mass-h***' myself, but it's still quite interesting. The BerkShare is a local currency currently in circulation on a wide scale in the Berkshire region of Massachusetts. The BerkShare was launched in 2006 and is accepted by businesses of all types in the region. The above website includes not only a history of the currency, but also a comprehensive list of all businesses and… Continue
Added by James Hester on April 4, 2010 at 9:31am — 9 Comments
I'll Drink to That
March 24, 2020
This one has been in the works for a while, and I'm really surprised we've managed to keep it under wraps for the wh*** time. But the look on the the world's collective face will be well worth the effort to keep it a surprise.
After literally a year of planning, bargaining, and otherwise navigating the cantankerous bureaucracy that is international politics, my team and I have managed to take an impossible pipe-dream and make it into a reality.
A… Continue
This one has been in the works for a while, and I'm really surprised we've managed to keep it under wraps for the wh*** time. But the look on the the world's collective face will be well worth the effort to keep it a surprise.
After literally a year of planning, bargaining, and otherwise navigating the cantankerous bureaucracy that is international politics, my team and I have managed to take an impossible pipe-dream and make it into a reality.
A… Continue
Added by James Hester on March 29, 2010 at 6:53pm — 2 Comments
Water Wheels that actually get you somewhere
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/01/a_bicycle_that.php
The above link is to an article and video about a fascinating piece of tech that I was told about a while back.
Whether in times of disaster or in areas of the world with poor water/sanitation access, people often have to travel significant distances for water. After the time and effort in getting the water, it needs to be boiled or otherwise… Continue
The above link is to an article and video about a fascinating piece of tech that I was told about a while back.
Whether in times of disaster or in areas of the world with poor water/sanitation access, people often have to travel significant distances for water. After the time and effort in getting the water, it needs to be boiled or otherwise… Continue
Added by James Hester on March 25, 2010 at 7:26pm — 1 Comment
BYOB (Bring Your Own Battery) Party 2020
I was first introduced to the concept of off-the-grid parties at the annual Dark Mountain Festival, which held an off-the-grid club night which has become a real hit for festival goers. Inspired by this, I've been organizing a BYOB (Bring Your Own Battery) Party every summer in the hunting cabin owned by my wife's family in western Pennsylvania. The mains are switched off for the day, and everybody is charged with bringing their own power to contribute to the energy potluck that will keep the… Continue
Added by James Hester on March 22, 2010 at 10:00pm — 2 Comments
Black h*** sun, won't you... power my house
This project is probably a long way off, but awareness and support generated by the public is what will help it keep going until it's potential can be realized.
It sounds like something from a sci-fi movie, but it's not. Check out this article here:
http://www.physorg.com/news174893601.html
Basically, scientists in a lab in China have succeeded in creating a small version of a black h***. Obviously this was done… Continue
It sounds like something from a sci-fi movie, but it's not. Check out this article here:
http://www.physorg.com/news174893601.html
Basically, scientists in a lab in China have succeeded in creating a small version of a black h***. Obviously this was done… Continue
Added by James Hester on March 21, 2010 at 7:05pm — 2 Comments
March 2020 Spring Feast
The urban homesteaders of Clarion have developed a tradition over the years of coming together at the turning of the seasons for a big pot-luck feast in which everyone cooks something using ingredients that they've produced themselves (or bartered with other members of the group, since everyone has certain specialties that others don't). Not only is it a lot of fun and a promise of fantastic food, but it also gives us all the chance to swap recipes and get ideas for growing/production from each… Continue
Added by James Hester on March 21, 2010 at 6:44pm — No Comments
Food Security: The Collapsonomics Way
Whether or not this is considered a major problem to food security in the UK, or a viable solution to this issue, is perhaps and issue for debate. Some might consider it a more valid outlook than others. But it's something that I do think about frequently and think that it at least makes for good material to debate.
Looking through a lot of recent reports by the UK government on food security in the country, the powers that be seem fairly confident in our ability to weather any type… Continue
Looking through a lot of recent reports by the UK government on food security in the country, the powers that be seem fairly confident in our ability to weather any type… Continue
Added by James Hester on March 20, 2010 at 4:08pm — No Comments
Urban Harvesting
I was first made aware of this initiative this past summer when I was still living in York. Basically, people explore a city and its surrounding areas to find edible plants (most usually fruit bushes and trees) that are either uncultivated on public land, or is on private land (but the owner has given permission to harvest it since they have no use for it). They then spread the word so that others can share in the bounty of these plants that would otherwise sit uncultivated with their fruit… Continue
Added by James Hester on March 20, 2010 at 3:18pm — 2 Comments
I finally took the plunge
So after literally months of talking about it, browsing websites for products and specs, and talking to people about their thoughts on various models, I finally just decided to dive straight in and experiment with taking my mobile phone off the grid once and for all.
It started with my discovery last night that there was in fact a Maplin electronics store roughly a 25 minute walk from where I live. As I was heading into town for groceries today anyway, I figured I'd duck out a little… Continue
It started with my discovery last night that there was in fact a Maplin electronics store roughly a 25 minute walk from where I live. As I was heading into town for groceries today anyway, I figured I'd duck out a little… Continue
Added by James Hester on March 20, 2010 at 1:52pm — 7 Comments
Latest Blog Posts
Most Popular Blog Posts
- Freelance Innovation: The EVOKE Manifesto
- Green Thumbed Gurkhas: Training Nepalese Women in Sustainable, Organic, Co-Op Agriculture
- Shada Nasser: Fighting Child Marriage in Yemen
- I finally took the plunge
- The Survivor Network for Pandemic Management
- The Future of the EVOKE Network
- Getting people to act (or not)
Latest Activity
Fourth of July on the Lake
This past weekend was the annual celebration at the lake house in Connecticut. It is amazing that the lake is still so clear and beautiful after all these years. The watershed association has done a wonderful job protecting these waters from the damaging effects of development.The wood grill was finally ready to cook on, so we didn't miss the propane tank fueled grill anymore. The food actually tasted fresher than in the past and was easy to keep fueled.Dad was very proud of the solar hybrid…See More
Stinging Nettle
In this blog post I will focus on a plant that is abundant in our nature, and which is immensely nutritious. It's of course the Stinging Nettle. Let's start with the chemical constituents of this plant:37 % Non-Nitrogen-Extracts19 - 29 % Ash9 - 21 % Fiber4 % Fat22 % ProteinOnce the leaves are drid, their protein content can reach an astounding 40 %, which is much higher than beef, which even under the best of circ**stances can never exceed 31 % protein. In addition the Stinging Nettle consists…See More
The meal
It is 7'oclock, I was late home from work due to an assignment that i wanted to get ahead on. By the time I get home I am feeling extremley tired and I cannot be bothered to make a proper meal. I walk to the fridge and open it to see what there is for me to eat. All of the out of date foodstuffs have been automaticaly thrown away by the fridge, they will be recycled tomorrow as animal feed or something. I see i have organic local eggs and some local cheese. Foods are vacc** sealded for easy…See More
Future
FutureToday is 2020/1/1. It is just like yesterday. The war is still continuing. It has started since 2010. In 2010, that year was a horrible year. Almost every energy ran out. Every country’s governments were crushed down at the same time. There were riots everywhere. All of the big company’s bosses were killed xdeadx in the riots. Troops fought each other everywhere. Food was bought up xawayx at once. There were no more food supplies in any shops. The economy was all crushed down. All the…See More
public servants
The exchange works directly for state and public workers and servants. It gives them credit in exchange for the amount of public work they contribute to the community. The more constructive they are based off a base rate the more credit they recieve.
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