Join Amanda and Jim in conversation with Caroline Arnold – Director of Bore Place, and Tom Forward – Education Coordinator at this inspirational sustainable working farm and community in the heart of the Kent Countryside. You can almost taste the freshly pulled leeks, feel the squelch of the mud and smell the breath of the cows as our producer Jim gets well acquainted with the organic dairy herd!
Links:
Inspired by what you hear? Here are some of Planet Pod’s top tips for a Sustainable Christmas…..
- Don’t say yes to it all this Christmas! Guard some time and give yourself permission to chill out with a book or TV.
- One woman’s trash is another man’s treasure. Take unused old toys/goods to a charity BEFORE Christmas, you never know what will find a new life as a Christmas gift.
- Consider the lifespan of every gift you buy. If they don’t need it, don’t buy it. Give them a voucher instead.
- If you are buying an artificial Christmas tree, get a good one. You need to use it for ten years before it becomes the carbon efficient option (as long as you dispose of Christmas trees properly by chipping or burning).
- Too much sugar mixed with central heating can do strange things to your mental health. Clear the cobwebs and go for a walk. Enjoy the fact that it is a full moon on Christmas Day. That won’t happen again for nearly 20 years.
- When you take down your Christmas lights, wrap them around a coat hanger or cardboard tube to stop them getting tangled. You are less likely to need to buy more next year!
- Brits use over 227,000 miles of wrapping paper each year. Just don’t do it. Use pretty tea towels as an extra gift, or reusable bags with ribbon or if you love paper, use brown paper which is easily recyclable.
- If no one likes them, why buy them? Wasted Christmas Brussel sprouts could power a medium sized home for 3 years using Anaerobic Digestion, but they mostly get sent to landfill instead.
Our guests:
Caroline Arnold joined Bore Place as Director in January 2015 to lead the organisation in working towards its mission to inspire sustainable living, learning and working.
In her words: “From an early age, environmental issues and an interest in the wider world defined who I am and the choices I have made about my own life and career.”
When Caroline was 16 she gained a scholarship to attend the United World College of the Atlantic, the founding college of the global education movement and the International Baccalaureate. Environmental issues became a passion which lead to an Environmental Sciences degree at the University of East Anglia and a varied career predominantly with an environmental focus. Her roles have included Senior Manager in local government, Executive Director of an environmental charity in London, Defra Advisor and University Lecturer and Researcher. These roles have involved working in the areas of sustainability, environment, waste/resource management, as well as supporting vulnerable people.
She says: “My challenge now is to use my experience and knowledge, to work with colleagues and partners, to deliver and develop the inspiring organisation that is Bore Place”.
Tom Forward joined Bore Place in March 2017 and is “very excited to have the opportunity to work with the fantastic education team as we continue to develop our ‘head, heart and hands’ approach to learning, providing children and young people with inspiring experiences that live long in the memory”.
Tom’s lifelong passion for wildlife and the great outdoors led him to study Environmental Management at Durham University – his working life has been spent with charities where he has gained 15 years of experience in environmental education from roles with the Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary in southern India, the Field Studies Council in Suffolk, and most recently the Sussex Wildlife Trust.
In Tom’s words: “I believe that human beings are losing a sense of connection with the natural world that sustains us, at a great cost to both health and wellbeing, and see our role here as helping children and young people find pathways to reconnection that will benefit and enrich their lives”.