I KNOW it’s my fault. As a local food advocate I shouldn’t have been buying fruit from Coles. But I’m imperfect and inconsistent and it was late at night. Both of the organic grocers were long closed and Manly Food Co-op, where I usually shop, had closed even earlier. All that remained open was the  Read more »

Written by Russ Grayson. First published in Online Opinion in 2007. GO LOCAL. That’s the suggestion of NSW North Coast community educator, Tim Winton, for coping with what he sees as the approaching peak oil crisis. ‘Peak oil’ describes the reaching of a peak in global oil production. After that, an inevitable decline kicks in,  Read more »

Written by Russ Grayson. First published by Online Opinion in 2007. FACED WITH DROUGHT and the likelihood of higher food prices, it is time for state and local government to protect the urban fringe farms that supply our cities and towns with fresh produce. It is also time to recognise the value of food production  Read more »

“See education as activism”, says Helena Norberg-Hodge. “Set up social and learning circles. Have groups of 10 to 15 people who like each other’s company discuss issues and do things together…

First published in 2008. IF YOU HAVE TIME TO HANG AROUND, I’ll tell you a little story about literature and coincidence. It’s not a significant story nor an exciting one, rather a recounting on one of those minor occurrences that sometimes appear in our lives. A couple months ago I accidentally embarked on a Jack  Read more »

First published 2007 in Online Opinion, the Australian journal of political and social commentary. IS IT SIMPLE PROFLIGACY, greed or too much money? That might be the cynic’s question following the revelation that Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs – that long stretch of beaches, sandstone headlands and suburbia – have a higher than average ecological footprint compared  Read more »

First published: 2007 HE WAS QUITE DEFINITE ABOUT IT: “Saving the world is about saving ourselves. The world does not need us. We need to go native, to stop being a European society in Australia. We need to become an Australian society”. Bob Beal’s reputation for being outspoken on environmental issues is matched by his  Read more »