Recently in Environment Category
Do you want to know more about the process of climate change, written in easy to understand language? The BBC have created some graphics, based on scientific research, that do just that.
Compare the levels of climate change it's predicted we'll create through our present greedy consumption of fossil fuels, with the lower levels we could bring about with more sustainable lifestyles: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/sci_nat/04/climate_change/html/climate.stm
In the Alexander Technique we aim to improve our individual use and the means-whereby we gain our own immediate, personal ends, so that we look after our health and wellbeing. This attitude of mind can be expanded, to develop awareness of our use in relation to the world's shrinking resources and of our impact on the environment.
In order to gain the end that most of us agree that we want, ie a world in which we do not contribute to global warming, we need to address our increasing mis-use of these natural resources. The means-whereby most of us are living now, seems to be having a negative impact on the environment. We can all make conscious choices to live more sustainably, inhibit our unthinking and wasteful habits and bring about changes to improve the situation.
For ideas about how you can make positive changes and live more sustainably, visit: http://www.everyactioncounts.org.uk/
Compare the levels of climate change it's predicted we'll create through our present greedy consumption of fossil fuels, with the lower levels we could bring about with more sustainable lifestyles: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/sci_nat/04/climate_change/html/climate.stm
In the Alexander Technique we aim to improve our individual use and the means-whereby we gain our own immediate, personal ends, so that we look after our health and wellbeing. This attitude of mind can be expanded, to develop awareness of our use in relation to the world's shrinking resources and of our impact on the environment.
In order to gain the end that most of us agree that we want, ie a world in which we do not contribute to global warming, we need to address our increasing mis-use of these natural resources. The means-whereby most of us are living now, seems to be having a negative impact on the environment. We can all make conscious choices to live more sustainably, inhibit our unthinking and wasteful habits and bring about changes to improve the situation.
For ideas about how you can make positive changes and live more sustainably, visit: http://www.everyactioncounts.org.uk/
With wet leaves and some wintry frost and ice here, it's time to take care on pavements. If you are afraid of falling on slippery paths like mine, it is tempting to tense up all over but remember, you will have more sense of your balance and more control over your movements if you refuse to tighten but walk in an alert and free manner - a good time to use all you have learned in Alexander lessons.It's also time to keep warm, in order to look after our health. Perhaps we can do our bit for the environment and start off by wearing an extra layer of clothing, rather than turn the heating up without thinking.
Wildlife needs even more help from us at this time of year. I was watching a blackbird trying to drink in the birdbath, which had frozen. He kept pecking at the ice but it was too solid. The blackbird watched as I went out and poured water into the birdbath and seconds later he was happily having a drink and a bath. Fortunately my pond had not frozen over yet as frogs will be hibernating there.
Gardens are wonderful places in which to create your own outdoor space, get back in touch with nature and to return to a calm state after the hustle and bustle of city life. Allowing yourself just to be, whilst observing the world around you can be immensely helpful for your wellbeing. For my part, I shun the often sterile, over-designed gardens and I find it an added pleasure to create a garden that is to be shared with, and helps support, some of the wildlife that lives around me.
The gardener who wishes to help wildlife and the environment can find inspiration at places like Kew Gardens, where they have introduced a number of ideas that both enrich habitats and therefore biodiversity - and that are interesting to look at. We can be creative, as well as environmentally aware.
Take this huge wooden stag beetle sculpture at Kew, for instance. This sits
amongst rotting logs at the base of a standing but dead tree, the ideal
habitat for the real stag beetle which is an endangered species, largely through the loss of habitats that it can live in. Many invertebrates, plus wood mice and amphibians such as frogs and toads which are struggling to survive, will be able to seek protection and find food amongst leaf litter and the humid areas between the logs.
The dead tree will also attract birds such as woodpeckers, that make use of holes in the trunk and will eat insects from under the bark.
The sculpture is home to fungi which forms an interesting texture visually. The sculpture may itself rot down into the log pile, eventually. So wood piles don't just have to look untidy and somewhat boring. With some imagination, they can create an interesting new feature in your garden that you can enjoy gazing at, whilst they also help wildlife to survive.
You need to be careful and look after yourself when lifting heavy logs around and it is a good time to consciously use the Alexander Technique. Inhibit before lifting anything and give yourself directions; be thoughtful and aware of how you move and lift things. A monkey position may be useful to use for lighter logs, or a squatting position may be better for larger logs. In both cases, make sure that you are well balanced and keep the weight as close in to your body as possible, so that you avoid straining your back.
The gardener who wishes to help wildlife and the environment can find inspiration at places like Kew Gardens, where they have introduced a number of ideas that both enrich habitats and therefore biodiversity - and that are interesting to look at. We can be creative, as well as environmentally aware.
Take this huge wooden stag beetle sculpture at Kew, for instance. This sits
amongst rotting logs at the base of a standing but dead tree, the ideal
habitat for the real stag beetle which is an endangered species, largely through the loss of habitats that it can live in. Many invertebrates, plus wood mice and amphibians such as frogs and toads which are struggling to survive, will be able to seek protection and find food amongst leaf litter and the humid areas between the logs. The dead tree will also attract birds such as woodpeckers, that make use of holes in the trunk and will eat insects from under the bark.
The sculpture is home to fungi which forms an interesting texture visually. The sculpture may itself rot down into the log pile, eventually. So wood piles don't just have to look untidy and somewhat boring. With some imagination, they can create an interesting new feature in your garden that you can enjoy gazing at, whilst they also help wildlife to survive.
You need to be careful and look after yourself when lifting heavy logs around and it is a good time to consciously use the Alexander Technique. Inhibit before lifting anything and give yourself directions; be thoughtful and aware of how you move and lift things. A monkey position may be useful to use for lighter logs, or a squatting position may be better for larger logs. In both cases, make sure that you are well balanced and keep the weight as close in to your body as possible, so that you avoid straining your back.
If you are a gardener who is wondering what to plant in order to help wildlife and promote biodiversity, have a look at the Natural History Museum's Postcode Database. All you do is supply your postcode and up comes a list of plants that are native to your local area. It's brilliant!
There are sections for all types of plants, annual, perennial, water plants etc. 'Gardenworthy' plants are marked, many are illustrated and there is information about each plant and any species of wildlife that needs it to survive. In this way, you can learn as you browse and choose plants. Of course, you will also be helping to maintain our own native plant stocks as well.
It can be very satisfying and calming to sit in a garden that is full of birdsong and the buzzing of insect-life. Such a garden is usually a healthy and rich habitat, that is good to be in and likely to attract birds, frogs, toads and possibly hedgehogs, even in Stoke Newington.
I remember sitting next to a native blackthorn bush in a friend's garden, which was in full bloom. I spent a long, peaceful time happily listening to the constant hum of bees and hoverflies from amongst the delicate white flowers. Later, I enjoyed some of my friend's delicious sloe gin, made from the previous year's fruit from the same bush!
A silent garden seems barren and rather boring to me, no matter how many exotic plants are in it. Many insects find highly cultivated plants to be inhospitable, often because they cannot access pollen and nectar as flower heads are too tightly formed. So try including such beautiful flowers as primroses or purple loosestrife in your garden, native plants which help support many insects.
Check out the Website to find lovely plants ideal for your own area, so you can create wildlife habitats and make your garden or windowsills more interesting - and know you are helping the environment.
Here's the Agrimony entry from the Database - an attractive flower, native to Stoke Newington, N16.
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/fff/index.html
There are sections for all types of plants, annual, perennial, water plants etc. 'Gardenworthy' plants are marked, many are illustrated and there is information about each plant and any species of wildlife that needs it to survive. In this way, you can learn as you browse and choose plants. Of course, you will also be helping to maintain our own native plant stocks as well.
It can be very satisfying and calming to sit in a garden that is full of birdsong and the buzzing of insect-life. Such a garden is usually a healthy and rich habitat, that is good to be in and likely to attract birds, frogs, toads and possibly hedgehogs, even in Stoke Newington.
I remember sitting next to a native blackthorn bush in a friend's garden, which was in full bloom. I spent a long, peaceful time happily listening to the constant hum of bees and hoverflies from amongst the delicate white flowers. Later, I enjoyed some of my friend's delicious sloe gin, made from the previous year's fruit from the same bush!
A silent garden seems barren and rather boring to me, no matter how many exotic plants are in it. Many insects find highly cultivated plants to be inhospitable, often because they cannot access pollen and nectar as flower heads are too tightly formed. So try including such beautiful flowers as primroses or purple loosestrife in your garden, native plants which help support many insects.
Check out the Website to find lovely plants ideal for your own area, so you can create wildlife habitats and make your garden or windowsills more interesting - and know you are helping the environment.
Here's the Agrimony entry from the Database - an attractive flower, native to Stoke Newington, N16.
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|
Agrimony
| ||||||||||||||||
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Provenance: | Native |
| Form: | Herbaceous Perennial |
| Protected status: | Not Protected |
| Garden status: | Gardenworthy |
|
Specific Animal Associations
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| Plant part(s) | Animal common name | Animal latin name | Stage | Type | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||||||
| General associations: | ||||||||||
| Leaves | Grizzled Skipper | Pyrgus malvae | Egg |
 |
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| Grizzled Skipper | Pyrgus malvae | Larva |
|
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http://www.nhm.ac.uk/fff/index.html
The Blog
This is a new departure for me and for my Website. I hope that this Blog will enable me to keep pupils informed about term dates etc plus offer news and ideas from the world of the Alexander Technique. Sometimes pupils express the desire to connect with others who are learning the Technique and this Blog offers one way this can happen.
I also want to add new material to my site that includes other areas of interest - topics that are local to Stoke Newington and Newington Green, plus environmental concerns in particular. Why add these topics to a Website about the Alexander Technique?. Well, in A/T we learn to be aware of how we live and act in the world and learn to take care of ourselves in a specific manner, all the time becoming aware of the immediate environment around us. For instance, sometimes we will think about how we use a computer and as part of that process we will look at how well our equipment is placed for us, so that we can give ourselves the best chance we can to use our bodies well whilst typing - or reading this Blog, of course!
I want to take this approach out into the wider world - what can we do to help make our world a better, healthier place to live in? Our quality of life is affected by our environment and this impacts on our wellbeing. Discovering about our local area can help us to connect with it and to develop the urge to actively care for it. Contact with gardens and other green spaces is known to help reduce stress levels and to improve our health but city parks are all too often uncared for, or are so highly 'manicured' that they support no wildlife. All parks and green spaces tend to be in short supply and they will be even more so, if the government builds on those they can label brownfield sites.
The refurbishment and transformation of Newington Green has resulted in the Green being given various awards. This is an example of positive change that was brought about through local action, with the lead being taken by the Newington Green Action Group, who engendered public involvement and consultation with the Council. The Green has gone from being the run-down haunt of alcoholics, to the much enjoyed community space that it is now. The Green is still somewhat barren from a wildlife standpoint, with just a flock of 100 feral pigeons, an occasional visit from a blackbird and little else. However, with plans to improve the situation in the near future, biodiversity surely has to be increased. We are almost starting with a blank canvas.
With climate change increasingly being an issue we need to engage with the problems and cherish every outdoor space, to maximise their capacity to combat CO2 and pollution levels, to mop up excess water and to create spaces that are good for both wildlife and humans.
So often we can feel powerless when faced with such daunting topics as climate change but there are many ways in which we can act, that could contribute in a positive way to both the global situation and to our own health and wellbeing, plus our enjoyment of the area we live in. We can all do things that help - remember -
Every Action Counts
Quite how far this Blog will expand I do not know. Meanwhile I've gone from thinking about looking after our backs, to thinking about caring for the environment and the world of invertebrates, creatures that have no spine at all.
If you would like regular updates from my Blog, you can subscribe to the RSS Feed above.
Watch this space!
This is a new departure for me and for my Website. I hope that this Blog will enable me to keep pupils informed about term dates etc plus offer news and ideas from the world of the Alexander Technique. Sometimes pupils express the desire to connect with others who are learning the Technique and this Blog offers one way this can happen.
I also want to add new material to my site that includes other areas of interest - topics that are local to Stoke Newington and Newington Green, plus environmental concerns in particular. Why add these topics to a Website about the Alexander Technique?. Well, in A/T we learn to be aware of how we live and act in the world and learn to take care of ourselves in a specific manner, all the time becoming aware of the immediate environment around us. For instance, sometimes we will think about how we use a computer and as part of that process we will look at how well our equipment is placed for us, so that we can give ourselves the best chance we can to use our bodies well whilst typing - or reading this Blog, of course!
I want to take this approach out into the wider world - what can we do to help make our world a better, healthier place to live in? Our quality of life is affected by our environment and this impacts on our wellbeing. Discovering about our local area can help us to connect with it and to develop the urge to actively care for it. Contact with gardens and other green spaces is known to help reduce stress levels and to improve our health but city parks are all too often uncared for, or are so highly 'manicured' that they support no wildlife. All parks and green spaces tend to be in short supply and they will be even more so, if the government builds on those they can label brownfield sites.
The refurbishment and transformation of Newington Green has resulted in the Green being given various awards. This is an example of positive change that was brought about through local action, with the lead being taken by the Newington Green Action Group, who engendered public involvement and consultation with the Council. The Green has gone from being the run-down haunt of alcoholics, to the much enjoyed community space that it is now. The Green is still somewhat barren from a wildlife standpoint, with just a flock of 100 feral pigeons, an occasional visit from a blackbird and little else. However, with plans to improve the situation in the near future, biodiversity surely has to be increased. We are almost starting with a blank canvas.
With climate change increasingly being an issue we need to engage with the problems and cherish every outdoor space, to maximise their capacity to combat CO2 and pollution levels, to mop up excess water and to create spaces that are good for both wildlife and humans.
So often we can feel powerless when faced with such daunting topics as climate change but there are many ways in which we can act, that could contribute in a positive way to both the global situation and to our own health and wellbeing, plus our enjoyment of the area we live in. We can all do things that help - remember -
Every Action Counts
Quite how far this Blog will expand I do not know. Meanwhile I've gone from thinking about looking after our backs, to thinking about caring for the environment and the world of invertebrates, creatures that have no spine at all.
If you would like regular updates from my Blog, you can subscribe to the RSS Feed above.
Watch this space!
Hilary King - BA (Hons) PGDip Psychol. Dip Couns. MSTAT - Tel: 020 7254 9206
Copyright © 2004 - 2007 Hilary King, All rights reserved.