What are Neonicotinoid Pesticides and How Are They Killing Bees?

So much has been written over the last few years about Neonicotinoid Pesticides and their devastating impact on the world's bee population, but it is only recently, since the publication of three new scientific reports, that the effect these pesticides are having upon bees is finally being talked about openly in the mainstream media.

Although neonicotinoids have already faced bans and/or restrictions in varying degrees in countries such as Italy, Germany France and Slovenia, the UK government have, so far, ignored the mountain of evidence, including this in depth report from the charity Buglife - published back in 2009 - which shows quite clearly that neonicotinoids are contributing to bee decline.


I will attempt to explain as clearly as I am able in this article what neonicotinoids are and why it is imperative, in my opinion, that they should be banned. This is an extremely complex issue so I have provided links throughout to give more in-depth information when/if required.

Before I begin I just want to say that pesticides are only one part of the problem and also that it's not just honeybees that are suffering. There are other reasons for the decline in bee numbers (and species) including: the exploitation and over farming of honeybees and bumblebees by some commercial beekeepers; pollution; climate change; and - of enormous significance - habitat degredation, fragmentation and loss caused by intensive agriculture and urban sprawl. There's no point in us addressing the pesticides issue if we don't simultaneously start treating bees with more respect, reducing atmospheric pollution and conserving/creating suitable habitat for bees and other pollinators.

So, what exactly ARE 'neonicotinoid' pesticides?

Neonicotinoids are a group of insecticides that include 'imidacloprid', 'clothianidin' and 'thiamethoxam'. They are neurotoxins (nerve poisons) that have been designed to attack the insect's central nervous system; causing paralysis and eventually death. Their target insects include vine weevils, aphids, whitefly, colorado potato beetle and termites.  As well as causing paralysis and death, neonicotinoids also produce other symptoms, (both in target and non target insects) such as interfering with the insect's navigation systems and, crucially, impairing their ability to groom themselves. (I'll come back to the grooming issue later)

Another insecticide, Fipronil, acts in the same systemic manner as the neonicotinoid group of insecticides.

Neonicotinoids were introduced in the early nineties and are now the world's most widely used group of pesticides.


N.B. Neonocotinoids are water soluble. Some, including the most widely used (Imidacloprid) remain in the soil for many years. Their high persistency in soil and water results in a sustained exposure to these pesticides, not only to bees, but to other non-target organisms and pollinators, including aquatic invertebrates, moths, butterflies and hoverflies and (indirectly) bats, amphibians and insect eating birds.  


"Neonicotinoid insecticides act by causing virtually irreversible blockage of postsynaptic nicotinergic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the central nervous system of insects. The damage is cumulative, and with every exposure more receptors are blocked. In fact, there may not be a safe level of exposure."  Dutch toxologist, Henk Tennekes

"Imidacloprid, Clothianidin and Fipronil exert sub-lethal effects, ranging from genotoxic and cytotoxic effects, and impaired immune function, to reduced growth and reproductive success, often at concentrations well below those associated with mortality. Use of imidacloprid and clothianidin as seed treatments on some crops poses risks to small birds, and ingestion of even a few treated seeds could cause mortality or reproductive impairment to sensitive bird species" Dr David Gibbons RSPB  

Which crops are treated with neonicotinoids?

Neonicotinoids are used as treatments on over 140 different crops including soy, corn, wheat, cotton, legumes, potatoes, sugar-beet, sunflowers, rapeseed and flax. Until 2011, they were used on the 740,000 acres of Californian Almond Trees. One third of all arable land in the UK now grows crops treated with neonicotinoids.

Less well known is the fact that 'Fipronil' (which works in the she way as the neonicotinoid insecticides) is used in flea treatments for dogs and cats.

How do neonicotinoids differ from other pesticides?

Until the introduction of insecticides such as neonicotinoids we were able to see pesticides with our own eyes as they were being sprayed as foliar applications onto our crops. Neonicotinoids, and some other groups of modern pesticides, work in a very different way. As well as being applied as foliar applications, they are also applied as seed dressings and soil treatments. These are less obvious than foliar applications, so many people, including some farmers, are unaware that they are even using them. Also, instead of being used reactively (i.e. after a problem has been identified) neonicotinoids are used 'prophylactically' which means crops are treated as a matter of course to safeguard them against the possibility of an attack by the pesticide's target insect. This is like human beings taking antibiotics all year round to protect us from the possibility of succumbing to a sore throat or flu.

The biggest difference between neonicotinoids and all other pesticides is that neonicotinoids work  'systemically'.  This means that once the seed (or the soil in which the seed has been planted) has been coated/treated with the insecticide, that insecticide is then taken up through the entire plant via it's vascular system.  So, it ends up in the plant's roots, stem, leaves, flowers, fruit, sap (guttation), pollen and nectar.....and it - does - not - wash - off.

We are told by DEFRA and by the agri-chem industry that this is ok. It is, apparently, 'safe' for bees and other pollinators to forage on crops whose seeds have been treated with neonicotinoids because they only ingest the pesticide in sub-lethal doses i.e. 'doses not large enough to cause death'. This might be ok if each bee only visited one plant and took one dose of 'sub-lethal' pollen in it's life time - but this, of course, is not the case.

How do neonicotinoids affect bees?

The introduction of neonicotinoids has coincided with honeybees dying in their billions and it has been known for at least 5 years, since Professor Joe Cummins wrote  this report  that they are likely to be one of the causes of CCD (colony collapse disorder). Unfortunately, despite there being a mountain of evidence stacking up against neonicotinoids, it is still an uphill struggle trying to persuade the 'powers that be' in the UK and in the USA to act on behalf of our beleaguered pollinators. In the mean time, the bee population continues to plummet.

Over a period of time, as it forages for pollen and nectar from neonicotinoid treated crops, each bee ingests a significant amount of 'sub-lethal' doses of neonicotinoids. Bees also take pollen and nectar from the treated crops back to the hive (honeybees) or nest (bumblebees and solitary bees) to provision their larvae.

A great many scientific reports have now been published showing evidence that a build-up of this pesticide over a period of time impairs the bee's nervous system (interfering with it's navigation system so it can't find it's way back to the hive after foraging) and it's immune system.

It is also known, but not as well reported, that neonicotinoids impairs the ability of bees to groom themselves. Indeed, Bayer CropScience boast about the effectiveness of their product  Premise 200SC  (active ingredient Imidocloprid) which interferes with a termite's natural ability to groom itself....therefore making it more susceptible to disease caused by microorganisms and fungi. If Imidacloprid interferes with a termite's ability to groom itself, it will also interfere with a bee's ability to groom itself....inevitably making it more susceptible to varroa mite. A double whammy for the poor honeybee.

To understand more about the grooming issue please listen to this excellent interview with Amanda Williams on the Barefoot Beekeeper website  

More effects reported in recent scientific reports

I mentioned earlier that new scientific reports have been published recently.

The first was written by Dr Jeffrey Pettis of the US Department of Agriculture. Dr Pettis showed that bees exposed to microscopic doses of neonicotinoids were much more vulnerable to disease. This report, bizzarely, was only published earlier this year.....a full two years after the research had been completed.

The second report, published at the beginning of April 2012, came from the University of Stirling's Professor David Goulson. It showed that "Growth of colonies of the common buff-tailed bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, slowed after the insects were exposed to field-relistic levels of imidacloprid, a common neonicotinoid insecticide. The production of queens, essential for colonies to continue, declined by a massive 85% in comparison with unexposed colonies used as controls.

"Given the scale of use of neonicotinoids, we suggest that they may be having a considerable negative impact of wild bumblebee populations across the developed world" the Stirling team said.

Do, please, watch this important short video of Prof Dave Goulson talking about the Stirling team's findings

Please also watch this short video about Bee deaths in France.

http://bit.ly/IZaPcx  

Can we do anything to help?

With such overwhelming evidence against neonicotinoid pesticides it beggars belief that they have not yet been banned by the UK government. I cannot understand how seemingly intelligent people can reach positions of such power - yet be so blind to the horrors of these chemicals. Those in power are, I suppose,  more concerned with short term profits and 'economic growth' than the long term health of our pollinators and struggling eco-systems. Very short sighted.

There was some hope, when Professor Bob Watson, Chief Scientific Advisor to DEFRA, announced (after the publication of the Stirling University report) that he would review the evidence and reassess Defra's current stance on neonicotinoids, but unfortunately this review ended up in with Government scientists advising that  neonicotinoid pesticides should not be banned despite four scientific studies strongly linking them to sharp declines in bees around the world.

Equally unfortunate, is the fact that even when/if a ban is imposed upon the entire family of neonicotinoid insecticides, we will still be left with a crazy, mixed up Pesticides Regulatory System....where the responsibility to prove pesticides safe seems to rest with the pesticides companies that manufacture them. 

So, in the mean time, whilst we wait for the 'powers that be' to wake up and come to their senses, we can help speed up the banning of this particular group of pesticides by doing the following.....

1. Email your MPs asking them to put pressure on the Secretary for the Environment, to vote for a ban on neonicotinoids as proposed by the European Commission. Excellent advice on who to contact and what to write here - http://bit.ly/X6MWZl

2. Here are some lists of products containing neonicotinoids so you can avoid using them in your home and garden - http://bit.ly/HhCF3b http://www.beyondpesticides.org/pollinators/documents/pesticide_list_final.pdf

3. The Soil Association have published a letter that you can use to write to retailers asking them to remove products containing neonicotinoids from their shelves - http://bit.ly/H7TL1a

4. Follow journalist Michael McCarthy's articles in the Independent. He deserves a medal for the reporting he has done on this issue!  - http://ind.pn/HWwQeN

5. Check the provenance of all your seeds and plants to make sure they have not bee produced from neonicotinoid coated seeds or in soil treated with neonicotinoids. Buying from a trusted organic source is the safest way to ensure this.

6. Sign Neal's Yard petition asking our government to ban the use of neoicotinoid pesticides http://on.fb.me/N3Ndnf



A few last thoughts on the subject....

I do hope I haven't over faced you with too much information. Or not given given sufficient. I've tried to make this as basic and easy to understand as possible but it's a tricky issue to get your head around. I must stress that I have written this article based on the conclusions I have reached myself, having read dozens of peer reviewed scientific papers, reports and articles that speak both for and against the use of neonicotinods.

I am well aware that if/when neonicotinoids are banned then new ways must be found to protect the world's mono crops from pests. Unfortunately, our reliance upon just a few crops to feed the world has put us in a very precarious position. Large scale, intensive monoculture farming relies on ever more toxic herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides to keep it going. Ironically, the end result is that the food we are eating probably contains more chemicals than nutrients.

Small scale, organic farming, with its more diverse range of crops, is the only sustainable way forward, but we need some stepping stones to take us from what we have created to where we need to go next...........

Thank you for reading this blog. If anyone has further information or useful links please do post them as comments. 

Brigit x

P.S. This blog was written back in 2012. Far more research has since been published which leaves me even more concerned about the effects these insecticides are having upon our wildlife. For up to date information please follow Professor Dave Goulson's Blog and Matt Shardlow's blog - both are far more qualified and informed than I am to write about Neonicotinoids.

There is also now an EU temporary, partial restriction on 3 of the neonicotinoid insecticides. This restriction is being contested in the EU courts by Bayer & Syngenta who produce the insecticides. 

Some interesting links......

Video showing 'guttation' from neonicotinoid treated maize killing bees - http://bit.ly/o7XKl4

'A Disaster in the Making': Hugely important research by Henk Tennekes - http://bit.ly/HumpNq

Neonicotinoid Pesticide Toxicity Profile - http://bit.ly/Ic89bG

Harvard University March 2012 report on Neonicotinoids and CCD http://bit.ly/HiCdV9

Buglife Report 2009 -  http://bit.ly/HALUbh

Pesticides Action Network UK - http://bit.ly/dxn9AG

The Problem With Biofuels

One of the biggest problems people have these days is dealing with all the confusing and conflicting advice about green issues in the media. No sooner have we adapted our lifestyles to incorporate the latest planet-saving solution, than we discover we might actually be doing more harm than good by doing so. Because of the hectic lives we lead, very few of us have the time to do the research we should do before we implement change; we rely instead on the media and the ‘powers that be’ to tell us what to do.

One of the areas where there has been great confusion and conflicting press has been the debate on ‘biofuels’. Less than a decade ago biofuels were being heralded, by some, as the alternative to fossil fuels, but now they are being blamed for all kinds of problems from rising food prices and deforestation to soil erosion and increased pollution.

Difference between Biofuels and Fossil Fuels

So what exactly are biofuels (or agrofuels as they are sometimes called), how do they differ from fossil fuels and why should we be wary of using them? 

The difference between the two fuels is quite basic; biofuels come from living things or the waste they produce, whereas ‘fossil fuels’ come from organic matter deposited in the earth or sea bed millions of years ago. It appears at first glance that biofuels might offer the perfect, clean, renewable and carbon neutral alternative to fossil fuels and could help significantly in the battle to halt climate change. However, the full picture is more complex because there are a number of different biofuels, each with different environmental impacts.

Although biofuels can be produced from animal waste and from wood, for the purpose of this article I’m going to concentrate on ‘plant based’ biofuels.

                                            Plant based fuels

Plants have a natural capacity to capture solar energy through the process of photosynthesis and there are a number of ways this energy can be converted into biofuel. The most common techniques used to convert the energy are as follows:

1. Growing crops such as corn, sugar and wheat. These crops can be fermented (using the same technique you would use to make wine or beer) to produce bio-ethanol. Bio-ethanol is an alcohol and is usually mixed with petrol before being used as fuel.

2. Growing crops such as palm, rapeseed or soyabean that produce oils. The oils produced by these crops are known as SVO’s (straight vegetable oils). They can be heated to reduce their viscosity and used as fuel for diesel engines. Alternatively, they can go through a chemical process (transesterification) to produce biodiesel.

The second of these two techniques can also be applied to WVO (waste vegetable oils)

So, what’s the problem?

Transport accounts for over 25% of our emissions in the UK and it is our apparent ‘need’ for personal transport that is one of the main drivers (no pun intended!) for the ever-increasing demand for fuel. We have, for many decades, relied on cheap and plentiful oil to fuel our cars, but with the need to reduce our CO2 emissions we are now looking for less polluting alternatives. In principal, biofuels, when compared with conventional transport fuels, could indeed reduce greenhouse gasses.

Crops grown for biofuels are able to absorb a similar amount of CO2 whilst they grow to that which they release when they burn, making them, in effect, carbon neutral, whereas the burning of fossil fuels releases gases into the atmosphere that have laid captured under the earth or sea bed for millions of years. However, as I mentioned earlier, the production of biofuels has many differing environmental impacts.

We have already witnessed the devastating effect that increasing monocultures (vast areas of land being used to grow one, single crop) are having on biodiversity. We have already lost too many of the habitats that plants and animals rely on for their existence; we can’t afford to loose more. 

The most obvious example of the impact this loss is having on a single species, is that of the orangutan, who’s rainforest habitat is being destroyed to grow palm trees. 

We already use vast amounts of palm oil for a multitude of products; clearing even more rainforest to grow palm oil for biofuel is tipping the balance dangerously in the wrong direction. Unless we halt deforestation immediately we face the irreversible extinction of hundreds of thousands of species.

From a polluting point of view, although crops grown for biofuels absorb the same amount of CO2 whilst they’re growing as they give off when they’re burned, it is important to take into consideration the fact that the energy used in the farming and processing of the crops can cause as much pollution as the fossil fuels they’re being grown to replace!

Biofuel crops create environmental impacts in many other ways including soil erosion and water usage, but the most worrying issue is the effect the biofuel industry is having on food prices. Crops such as wheat, soybean and corn that used to be grown for food are now being grown for fuel, so there is less food to go around and as a result food prices are increasing at an alarming rate. Sugar prices have doubled, and the price of wheat is now tracking the price of oil; durum wheat, used in Italy to make pasta, is in danger of becoming so expensive that even a staple food like spaghetti could become a luxury in the near future. 

Using the world’s food crops to satisfy our need for fuel just doesn’t make sense!

Making biodiesel from waste vegetable oil

Of course, some of us are fortunate enough to have the technical know-how, the equipment and an ongoing supply of waste oil to make our own biofuel. This is done using a process called 'transesterification'. 

My understanding of chemistry is far too poor for me to be able to explain this process properly, but here's a very basic explanation of what happens...

A catalyst (either potassium or sodium hydroxide) is mixed with alcohol and this mix is agitated till it reacts. 

After the reaction has taken place the waste oil is added to the catalyst/alcolcol mix and the resulting mix is kept in a sealed container for up to 8 hours at a constant temperature of around 160 °F

Once the reaction is complete you are left with two major products: glycerin and biodiesel. 

As glycerin is denser that biodiesel you can easily separate the two by drawing off the glycerin from the bottom of the container, leaving the biodiesel behind.

It's obviously a bit more complicated than this, but having attended a one day 'make your own biodiesel' workshop I can honestly say this process is easily manageable. If I had a decent sized garden shed to store the equipment I'd definitely do this myself.

'Reduce not Replace'

So, unless you have the capacity to make your own biodiesel, or until new and more efficient technologies can be found to minimise the detrimental impact they are having on the environment, biofuels are clearly not going to provide the solution many people had hoped for. Furthermore, it could be argued that they detract attention from the bigger priority; which is that we must try and reduce our overall energy use.

Instead of looking for alternatives, maybe the time has come for us to look at how we might change our mind-sets and our habits. I’m not suggesting we all rush out and sell our cars tomorrow (although that might not be a bad idea) but perhaps we could think twice before making unnecessary journeys, make a resolution to use public transport more often, offer a friend a lift, invest in a bicycle (or an electric bike if you live at the top of a hill) or dust off our old walking boots and get fit into the bargain! I have a friend who gave up her car last year; she’s in her late fifties, has never felt fitter and healthier and doesn’t have a single regret.

A few tips for car uses

1. Reduce your speed – you’ll be surprised how much less fuel you’ll use. (Borrow some story tapes for long journeys and don’t be in such a hurry to get from A to B).
2. Don’t keep your tank topped up. You’ll get a higher mpg if you’re carrying less weight in the fuel tank.
3. Take your roof rack off if you don’t use it every day.
4. Make sure your tyre pressures are correct for the weight you are carrying.
5. Get your engine tuned so you can maximise its efficiency.
6. Lift share!

Say No to Palm Oil: excellent information and advice http://www.saynotopalmoil.com/

Green': film about the last few hours in the life of a displaced orang-utan http://www.greenthefilm.com/

Useful site and very active forum for anyone wanting to reduce dependence on oil - http://www.powerswitch.org.uk/

Sumatran Orangutan Society - http://www.orangutans-sos.org/

B x

Unto thine own self be true.

I've been thinking a lot recently about the myriad views people have about what's wrong with the world - and all the differing opinions we have about what our priorities 'should be' when it comes to awareness raising and/or engaging in direct action to effect change.

There are so many pressing issues that I cannot begin to list them all. They include (in no particular order) deforestation, climate change & peak oil, bee decline, loss of biodiversity, social and economic injustice, animal welfare, the banking system, the power of the multinationals, soil degradation, GMOs, pesticides, pollution…..the list goes on.

Having run around like a headless chicken for many years trying to help raise awareness of most of the above, I decided a few years ago to try and focus on the issues I personally feel most passionate about. This doesn't mean I don't care about the others, or that I think they are less important or pressing than those that I choose to focus on.... it just means I believe I can be more effective with my time and energy if I follow my own heart rather than someone else's heart. I also believe I can be more effective if I work in my own way, with my own skills.

We have all been gifted different skills, personalities, abilities and world views, so it stands to reason that we are going to have different ways of doing things. This is just wonderful because it means that, collectively, we can appeal to a much wider range of people. However it means also we will not always agree with each other!

Some of us are politically minded, some are not. Some put their trust in science; others in spiritual or 'alternative' practices.  Some are only just waking up to the fact that there are problems to be dealt with whilst others have been campaigning for decades. There are those who choose to 'be the change' by quietly living low impact lives and there are activists who are prepared to face injury and even death for what they believe needs to change. In fact, we probably have as many different ways of 'thinking' and 'behaving' as there are issues to be dealt with. To my mind this is a positive thing.

However, I have noticed recently that some groups, organisations and individuals spend a great deal of valuable time and energy trying to persuade others that 'their' way is the 'best' way, or the 'only' way. Or... that their 'issue' is the most important issue.

Surely this is counter productive? I don't think there is a 'best' way, or an 'only' way, or a 'most important' issue. There are many ways to effect change and many important things that need to change - and they are all equally important.


We are all just tiny little cogs in a huge giant wheel and it has NEVER been more important for us to work alongside each other..... to co-operate, to communicate, to support, to respect and honour our differences and to stop picking holes in each others belief systems. It's time for us to drop both individual and organisational ego. This is not a competition and there is absolutely no place for ego if we are to make headway.

So, whoever you are, and however you choose to 'Be The Change', remember that you are a wonderfully unique and amazing being…..so please, keep on doing what you do in your own special way!

Thank you for all that you do

B xxx

Balancing/nurturing Spirit and Soul

I contemplate a great deal the difference between 'spirit' and 'soul'. I used to think these two words meant exactly the same thing - but have more recently come to see them as two quite different, albeit interconnected, aspects of 'being'.

As this is a conclusion I have only fully come to realise, recognise and understand through the experience of living in my own skin, I thought the easiest way to explain it would be to personalise it. Although what I write here is very personal, I'm hoping it might just resonate with others who are in a similar place to me....

Being Human/Human Being

For most of my life I have been aware that as well as having multi faceted personalities, human beings are also composed of, and operate on, a number of different energetic levels.  It's easy to recognise and understand the physical, mental and emotional aspects of being human - and I known how important it is to keep these aspects as balanced as possible. However, I have often struggled to understand why my inner self (soul, spirit, essence?) seems to be pulling me in so many different directions. This has never been more apparent to me than during the last ten years or so - a time during which I have made a commitment to dedicate my time and energy to help raise awareness of the important environmental, ethical and ecological issues facing planet Earth and its inhabitants at this moment in time.

I imagined, rather naively, that once I had made this commitment, the way forward would be obvious. But it hasn't been. In fact quite the opposite; I have found myself absolutely torn between...

'getting out there to learn and share as much as I can, with as many people as possible, about how they/we can all be the change'

and...

'staying quietly at home, living the lowest impact life I possibly can, and 'being the change' all by myself'.

As there is no reason why these two ways shouldn't be mutually inclusive I have attempted to follow both paths at the same time. But this has not made for an easy life. It has at best caused some degree of inner conflict (not to mention confusion) and at times has resulted in me feeling I am in danger of losing my sense of direction. Which is not good!

So what have I got wrong - and what's it all got to do with spirit and soul???

Being a Busy Bee

Until recently I have spent most of my waking hours traveling from A to B, meeting people, doing talks (mostly about bees!), campaigning, writing articles and blog posts, sharing information on social networks and generally buzzing with energy and the extraordinary life force that comes with knowing you are following your chosen path. This is all fine on one level, because I absolutely LOVE doing what I do, but it's not really sustainable. It leaves me little time for friends and family, even less time for myself, and is, ironically, pulling me away from the very path I write and talk about. I know that if I don't find a way to bring some balance back to my life I'm in serious danger of losing touch with all that I hold sacred.

Off-Grid Sundays

A few years ago, in an attempt to find a way to recharge my batteries and stay in touch with that which nurtures and sustains me, I came up with the idea of going 'Off-grid' on Sundays. I've written a few blog posts about this so won't go into any detail about it in this post, but basically it means that from Saturday evenings till Monday mornings I try to 'switch off' - both literally and figuratively.

The idea is that after spending 24 hours or so without using electricity, gas, car, mobile, computer, car money etc - and having used this time to immerse myself in nature, I'm ready to start afresh all over again on Monday morning. And it works!

Wake-up calls

It is typical of human beings that we don't always notice ourselves losing our balance. Our bodies give us warning signs (sleepless nights, headaches, lowered immune systems etc) but we have become past masters at ignoring and overriding these signals.

For the last five years or so I have been promising myself a little break, but I never actually get around to taking one.  As I've already mentioned, I absolutely love what I do so it doesn't feel like work, as such - BUT - I am extremely aware that I'm treading a very thin line and that if something new, difficult or unexpected is added to the pot, I could easily fall over.

So, bearing all this in mind, and given the fact that this is a great time of year for reflection and inner spring cleaning, I recently took some time out from 'doing' and spent it instead just 'being.' I had no preconceived idea what I would do with this time out and, as it happened, I spent most of it sleeping. But, with rest comes clarity and, for me, this clarification came in the form of an awareness of the difference between spirit and soul....

SPIRIT

My spirit is full of passion, joy, anger, rhythm, life, wonder... It is the spirit of an activist, a communicator, an explorer, an adventurer and a pioneer. It wants to be free, to be wild... to walk the hills, to dance on the moon, to swim amongst the stars, to play, to sing, to love, to laugh... and to stand, arms outstretched, on the highest mountain top in the world and ROOOAAAAAR for the Earth!

For reasons unknown to me, my spirit has lain dormant for most of my life... hiding in the shadows whilst life's ups and downs have formed my human self into what I am today. Since it has made itself known though, it will not be repressed and fills me with boundless energy so that I, in my human form, may fulfil its aims.

I can hear my spirit speak as I write this blog post. It says.....

 "Tell how I shine! Explain how I hold the key - AM the key - to some of the most amazing, vast, untapped source of energy in the universe and how - if you allow me - I will shine my light so brightly that darkness will be no more!"


SOUL


My soul is quieter than my spirit....much, much quieter. It yearns for peace, solitude, a sense of place and a deeper connection with the earth. It is my anchor; utterly steadfast and constant as it nurtures and sustains me whilst it, in turn, seeks to be nurtured and sustained by nature and by source. In line with what I recognise to be the most basic needs of my soul, I have been drawn to spend more and more time outside in nature. When I am at one with nature I quickly become lost in time, invisible to the world and completely absorbed in the moment. It feels like I have come 'home'.

Sensing, at last, that I have 'Come Home' is the most amazing feeling for me. Having spent my entire life moving from home to home, never living in the same place for longer than four years, and mostly for less than two -  I have never before had such a sense of 'place'. The problem recently though, has been that it feels so wonderful to have this newfound sense of place that I find it increasingly difficult to come back to the world of campaigning....


Honouring both

So, you see, I have been torn between my soul's deep, primal craving to just 'be' and my spirit's burning, driven desire to 'act'.  At times it has sometimes felt like I'm two different people living in the same body, but now that I understand - I have regained my inner peace once more and know exactly what I must do.

It's simple.... I must nurture my soul because it is the core of my very being - and - I must nurture my spirit because it is the essence of who I am.  Most importantly I must make enough time to honour the needs of both in equal measures.

So, as the future gallops towards us with all its magnificent unknowns, I know that by honouring and fulfilling the needs of both 'spirit' and 'soul' - in equal measures - I will reinforce my inner strength and be ready to take on whatever the universe has in mind for me!

I hope, whoever you are, that you also find your own peace and strength to sustain you through these incredibly challenging times - and that our souls/spirits/beings/selves all meet as one to rise to those challenges.

I just want to add that what I have written here is personal to me and my own world view. I know that many people believe there is no such thing as 'soul' or 'spirit' and I fully respect these views

With much love,
Brigit xxx


Update. Dec 2014, 3 years after I wrote this blog post:  Until earlier this year the Off-Grid Sunday routine worked beautifully for me on every level, but I needed a bit of a 're-think' for a number of practical reasons.

1.  I am increasingly getting bookings to deliver workshops on Sundays.

2.  I am fortunate enough to be in a wonderful, loving new relationship and am no longer living on my own. I don't feel it is right to ask someone else to live by my precepts when they have family who they need to see and communicate with on Sundays.

3. My father died earlier this year and I am now responsible for caring for my mother who is elderly and disabled. I don't live in the same house as my mother, so wouldn't want to switch my phone off in case she needed me.

However….. as Sundays are no longer completely my own, I find time during the week to switch off and connect with the wild world instead. I am also increasingly taking whole chunks of time out to refresh and revitalise. I still struggle to get the balance right. I guess that's because I'm human :)

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE....

Nearly thirty years ago, whilst driving home from visiting friends in Oxfordshire, I noticed a huge articulated lorry parked at the side of the road alongside a dozen or so long, flat, sinister looking buildings, at the edge of what looked like a 'farm'. It was a very hot day so my windows were open and I remember being quite overwhelmed by a smell unlike anything I had noticed before in the open countryside.  My curiosity was further raised when I became aware that the lorry was packed high with slatted boxes containing something making a lot of noise.

The lorry engine was running but as there was no sign of the driver, I pulled up and got out of the car to have a look. I was absolutely shocked when I realised that the boxes contained thousands of creatures that I knew to be chickens, but which didn't look like any 'chickens' I'd ever seen before.

The image that remains ingrained in my memory is one of thousands of poor, sorry looking hens looking like they had already been plucked ready for someone to cook. Their combs were as pale as their white, featherless skins and many of them were covered in growths and open sores.

Whilst I was still standing looking at them the lorry driver came out of the 'farm' so I asked him what was wrong with the chickens (I assumed they must have some kind of disease to be looking the way they did). "Nowt wrong with them" he replied. "other than the fact that they're past their best. They're off to be slaughtered now."

Still in shock, and unable to get my head around what I was seeing and hearing, I asked a few more questions to try and get a grasp of the situation. I soon came to understand that these chickens were what we refer to as 'ex-battery hens' and that having spent a year living in cramped, dark conditions, laying eggs for the Great British Public, they had now been written off as 'unviable' and packed into these crates to be picked up and taken away to be slaughtered.

I had a cardboard box in the boot of my car so I asked the lorry driver if I could take some of the hens home with me. He agreed that, so long as I didn't tell anyone where I'd got them from, I could take three.


This was my first experience of rescuing ex-battery hens...but it certainly wasn't my last. The pleasure our family had from watching Felicity, Flora and Freda (these were the names we gave our first three girls) blossom into fully feathered hens - each with her own personality - was immeasurable. They soon learned how to flap their wings, scratch in the grass for food and dig dust baths to cleanse themselves...and they came running to the back door every time it was opened o the off chance that there might be some left over cake, bread, or, best of all, spaghetti! The thing that always grips me most about ex-battery hens though, is that after having suffered so horribly at the hands of other human beings, they are still completely and utterly trusting of whoever rescues them. Extraordinary creatures!

I've lost count now of how many ex-batts our family rescued over the years....and therein lies a big problem. In thirty years you'd have thought things might have changed - it's not as though there haven't been countless awareness raising campaigns - but sadly, the miserable conditions that these and other factory farmed animals are reared in have barely improved at all. Shame on us.

I am in awe of the fact that my reason for writing this blog, nearly thirty years after having rescued those first three ex-battery hens, is that millions of hens in the EU still live in cages.

We are told that conditions are improving....and that new legislation that came into effect on 1st January 2012 should ensure better welfare in the EU for battery hens. However, the issue is far more complex than it first appears...

Ignoring the fact that these 'improved' conditions are nowhere NEAR adequate for the basic needs of a living creature...there is also a danger that the costs of implementing the changes will be so huge that farmers in the EU who have made the switch to 'enriched' cages are now likely to have their eggs out-priced by eggs from countries outside the EU where the conditions hens are kept in are, heaven forbid, even worse. Bizzarely, there is going to be very little in the way of 'enforcement' from the powers-that-be to stop this from happening (link to government document explaining why they can't enforce this below)

So what can we do to help?

Well, first of all, and most urgently, you could rescue some ex-battery hens.  If you think you can re-home a few hens PLEASE contact the 'BRITISH HEN WELFARE TRUST' - link below

The other thing you can do is to buy eggs only if you are absolutely sure that they have come from organic free-range flocks. This will cost you more, but it is the right thing to do and is the only way we can send a clear message out to supermarkets, producers and governments that we will not tolerate current animal welfare standards.

If you have no space to house hens, perhaps you could make a donation to the 'Battery Hen Welfare Trust' or 'Compassion in World Farming'.....

And buy Jo Barlow's wonderful book  'A Beginners Guide to Caring for Ex-Batts'

One last thing. I know times are tough and that most of us are feeling the pinch, but if you are still able to afford the odd bottle of wine, or beer, with your meal - then you are able to afford to spend a few more pennies buying meat, eggs and dairy from a source where higher welfare standards have been met.

IF YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO COULD GIVE SOME EX BATTERY HENS A HOME PLEASE CONTACT THE  BRITISH HEN WELFARE TRUST  FOR FURTHER INFORMATION......

British Hen Welfare Trust - http://www.bhwt.org.uk/cms/



Many thanks for reading, and even more thanks for acting.

Bee xxx


What our government are doing to stop the import of eggs from dubious origins outside the EU (not much) - http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-vote-office/8-DEFRA-EU-ban-on-keeping-of-hens-in-conventional-cages.pdf

British Hen Welfare Trust - http://www.bhwt.org.uk/cms/

The Life of a Battery Hen - http://www.viddler.com/explore/euthanasiabrigade/videos/2/

My friend Jo Barlow's lovely blog abut Life With Ex-battery hens - http://lifewiththeexbatts.wordpress.com/

Compassion in World Farming charity - http://www.ciwf.org.uk/

Reconnecting.....

The world is in a big mess, but whilst we run around like headless chickens trying to 'fix' it, we very rarely take the time to look at the root of the problem which is, I believe, 'disconnection'.  We have become SO disconnected from ourselves, from each other and from the natural world - that we don't even recognise the damage we're doing.....let alone take responsibility for it!

We seem to have become conditioned, on a global scale, to search for 'quick fixes' - but quick fixes never work in the long term. They don't work in personal relationships so how can they possibly be expected to work on issues as massive and on-going as declining biodiversity, climate change, deforestation, food security, pollution, waste.....the list goes on.  It's really no use papering over the cracks if we don't simultaneously address the root of the problem - i.e disconnection.

Addressing this disconnection is not something that someone else can do for us. It needs to start within - and then spiral out (nature loves spirals!) till it encompasses and envelops all of our relationships; our relationships with ourselves, with each other and with the natural world. There are no barriers to this process other than the ones you put up yourself by saying 'I can't'. You can!!! It really is SO simple; all you need to do is think in terms of changing your habits. The only thing that limits us is our habits.

TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Make it count! Perhaps you could make a list of all the resources you use each day and decide to spend just one day a week cutting some of them out. Then, use the time that you gain from (for instance) not using the computer, to go for a walk.  Take some long, slow, deep breaths; embrace the elements; listen to the sounds around you and know that you are a part of all that you see, hear and feel....not apart from it. Stop and look closely at what's around you...maybe squat down and count the amount of different grasses and flowers you can see from where you are. Do you recognise them? Can you name any of them? Do you know if they are edible or have medicinal properties? Plants are amazing and have a way of sucking you into their world so that time stands still and before you know it you have reconnected - albeit just for a few moments - with nature.

I've had people call me puritanical, fanatical & dickensian because I try to spend one day a week (usually Sunday) without electricity, gas, oil, computer, mobile phone, car & money - but what I have re-gained from switching off on these cannot be measured.

As an 'army child', my family were constantly on the move. This had its downsides, but one of the upsides is that my brothers and I constantly had new environments and habitats to explore. My childhood was full of mini 'adventures' - I made friends with the trees and flowers that inhabited these spaces as well as the birds and insects and I never once thought of myself as separate from them in any way.

At some stage during my early adult life I lost this connection - and for a few years (those in which I spent more time indoors than out) I struggled with myriad health problems. It wasn't a good time.

Choosing to spend at least one day a week in the slow lane helped me begin the reconnection process and I will never again know what it is to be 'alone'.  Whilst I am immersed in nature I loose all track of time and nothing matters other than the moment.

I have learned to recognise different sights and sounds; to know which bees or birds I might spot in which environments; and to tread more lightly so that I don't disturb the inhabitants of the hills, woodlands and river banks where I walk. I still make mistakes, but I'm learning from them. Just last week I was trying to video an amazingly active bumblebee nest on the banks of the river Severn, but in my excitement I sat too close to the nest and realised afterwards that I had disturbed the bees' landmarks and interfered with their flight path. I'll be more respectful next time.

Reconnection takes time - it isn't something you can hurry but it is imperative that we begin the process ASAP both individually and collectively. It doesn't matter where you start; getting to know yourself, the people around you and the environment you live in are all interconnected - so one will lead automatically to another. You may fancy plunging in at the deep end by going out and sleeping in a bivi bag under the stars....or you may decide to go and sit on a bench in the local park for half an hour. It doesn't matter how you/we do it....what matters is that we recognise that we are all a part of this amazing planet that nurtures and sustains us and that we start treating ourselves, each other and all other life with love and respect.

I hope this makes sense; it's difficult trying to express something so huge in a blog.

Wishing you a beautiful sunshine filled day...whoever you are and whatever you do! xxx

P.S…..

Make a Nature Mandala; I did! - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXsr-Gu15Sk
Listen to Lolo Williams. He tells it as it is - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnJQjtvngqA

WOODLAND ADVENTURE (part 1)

I've just returned home from an amazing outdoor adventure with two very special friends. My clothes and hair smell of woodsmoke and citronella, but I'm in absolutely no rush to wash it out because whilst it lingers I can make believe I'm still camping under a starlit sky, in a small woodland, in the wilds of Kent.

Although I was only away for a couple of days, and we didn't really 'go' anywhere or 'do' anything as such, the time we spent together was so full of exciting sights and magical happenings that I could probably write a whole book about all the wonderful things we saw, heard and experienced over the course of just one single weekend.

Actually, I am in the process of writing a book. It's all about my 'journey back to nature' and is an attempt to share some of what I'm learning as I spend more and more time rediscovering my relationship with the natural world. My blog is a little taster of how it will read so I hope very much that its readable/informative....otherwise I'm back to the drawing board!

"A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be" - Douglas Pagels

When your friends live in different areas of the country and you're all busy with your own individual lives it can be quite difficult to arrange 'get togethers'.  Carol,  Anne-Christine and myself have been trying to arrange a get together for well over a year, so when Carol suggested we meet in mid-September to spend a weekend in a woodland, away from the hustle bustle of everyday life, Anne-Christine and I both jumped at the chance. We packed plenty of warm clothes, blankets, waterproofs, cake and, of course, my kelly kettle - and off we headed.

After negotiating the M50, M5, M4, M25 and M20 (so many motorways!) we finally reached the part of the journey that included directions like "pass the pub on your left" "take the right hand fork after the postbox" and "follow the track past the little pond till you reach the white gate."

It's amazing, at this stage, how all your thoughts and senses change from being in the heightened and stressful state of "I must stay alert and concentrate on the traffic otherwise I'll have an accident" to the more relaxed and enjoyable state of "Wow, this countryside is just amazing!"  "I never realised before that Kent was this beautiful" and "Goodness me, I don't think I've ever seen so many Sweet Chestnut trees in one place...."

Kent is, indeed, a very beautiful county and once we left the major trunk roads we were able to slow down and take in our surroundings. The closer we came to our destination, the narrower the roads became and the more we were able to notice and admire the local flora and fauna. When you're on a motorway you are barely able to take in the cloud formations, let alone the surrounding landscape, but when you're travelling at less than 20mph along a country lane, you start to notice and recognise the different trees, flowers and grasses growing in the hedgerows; have time to admire the kestrel hovering above the side of the road (always facing into the wind); exchange a friendly nod with the rider exercising her horse and even manage to identify the odd bumblebee or two.  It's like being on a different planet.

Shoes off 

When we finally arrived at our destination the very first thing I did was throw my shoes off so I could walk barefoot on the grass. There's something basic and primeval about walking barefoot - and something very odd about the fact that we spend so much time with our shoes on even when we don't need them for protection. The feeling of your skin touching the surface of the earth is one of the most amazing and instant ways to reconnect with the land - and it's something I don't do often enough.

After we'd hugged and greeted each other - and the land - we spent a little time exploring our immediate surroundings. Carol, who is a seasoned bushcrafter and leader of wild food forays, had already set up camp at the edge of the field near a small woodland that is often used for bushcraft meets. The setting was just perfect.

In the woodland, behind the tent, there was a clearing amongst the trees where the bushcraft folk had built a fire pit and a number of different outdoor cooking structures. There was also a covered area in case it rained, and firewood aplenty provided by the previous night's high winds.

From the entrance to our tent we looked down towards a field full of recently cut hay bales, a couple of old farm buildings and a small apple orchard. The view to our left was almost 'otherworldly' as it meandered up a gentle slope to the brow of a hill where someone had pitched a couple of tipis on the horizon. I love tipis!



On the opposite side of the field was a well established hedgerow, and Carol, who had already tuned in to the local sights, sounds and smells, called our attention to the call of a great spotted woodpecker as it broke cover and bounced from one part of the hedge to another. It felt like we were being welcomed with open arms and we knew, as you often do when you give yourself up completely to the natural flow of all things wild and wonderful, that we were being accepted unconditionally into the magical realm of nature. Nature has a constancy often lacking in the world of humans. She is always there for us; nurturing, sustaining and blessing us with as many of her bounties and secrets as we care to receive.

Trees, trees, trees

After gathering sufficient wood to keep us going till the next day, we headed off on a walk to see what we could find for supper. It was mid September, a time of great abundance, so we were hoping to find an assortment of edible fungi, some edible leaves and maybe some hazel nuts if the squirrels hadn't eaten them all.  Carol had already spotted a damson tree so laden with fruit that one of it's branches had broken, so pudding was going to be easy picking; and the hedgerows were dripping with haws, blackberries and rosehips to help balance the sourness of the damsons with a little sweetness.

As we walked along the footpath at the edge of the field I couldn't help noticing how many oak trees there were in the hedgerows. It was also interesting to notice that even where the hedges had been taken out in some of the fields to make way for heavy farming machinery, many of the mature oaks had been left standing....and they were all absolutely laden with acorns.

There are quite a few different species of oak growing in the English countryside, including Turkey Oak, Holm Oak and Red Oak, but our two native oak species are 'Sessile' and 'Pendunculate'. The easiest way to tell these two oaks apart is by looking at how the acorns and leaves are attached to the branches. On the Pendunculate  (think 'pendulous') the acorns hang from long stalks and the leaves have short stems, whilst on the Sessile the acorns grow on very short stalks and the leaves on longer ones.

Acorns are rich in nutrients and an extremely useful source of protein and can be used to make an acorn meal for baking or (as was common during the second world war) a coffee substitute. However, as they contain large amounts of tannin that needs to be removed by lengthy soaking, they wouldn't be suitable for supper that day.

The oaks we saw may well have been laden with acorns, but we were very concerned to see signs of a disease that has recently begun to threaten both of our native British oaks. Acute Oak Decline (AOD) is a bacterial infection whose symptoms include 'extensive stem bleeding' which takes the form of a dark fluid seeping from small cracks in the bark and running down the tree trunk. AOD can kill an infected tree in just a few years.  It would be an absolute tragedy if we were to loose our mature oaks to this disease - so I hope very much that its causes are discovered soon and that whatever funding is necessary to understand the cause(s) and to combat this disease is forthcoming.

On a more positive note on the 'tree front', there are huge quantities of healthy looking Sweet Chestnuts growing everywhere in the Kent landscape. From a foraging point of view it was too early for us to harvest the chestnuts, but it looked like there'd be a bumper crop later this autumn. Carol explained that one of features of traditional houses in Kent is 'timber cladding'. As sweet chestnut provides a perfect timber for weatherboarding (as well as being one of the best timbers for fencing) I imaging that would explain the prolific planting of this species of tree in Kent. Great pickings for wild food foragers later this autumn!

When you meet with friends you haven't seen for a long time it's inevitable that you will become distracted from what you're supposed to be doing. In our case, our 'foraging for supper walk' had turned into a wonderful exchange of information about all things tree related. With Carol's knowledge of wild food, Anne-Christine's knowledge of wild medicine (she is training as a medical herbalist) and my own interest in ecology and the Celtic Tree Ogham, we soon realised that we had been walking for well over an hour and hadn't gathered a single leaf, fruit or nut for our supper. Time to refocus!

To be continued.............

Links

Harvesting wild acorns - http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/clay79.html
The Celtic Tree Ogham - http://www.glenniekindred.co.uk/books/treeogham.htm
Acute Oak Decline - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10089581 
Oak - http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/forest/species/oak.html