John Young

TVIND TOWER IN 1977. Photo: John Young Four groups of twelve hippies sitting in circles. Some sheep grazing. And a large concrete tower with some shaky scaffolding tenuously attached to it. Those were my first impressions of the community of Tvind that I visited in the summer of 1977. Tvind in Denmark’s west Jutland region was an experiment in alternative schooling that included the concept of a travelling school which would visit Third World countries and help to find ways to beat poverty....

PHOTO: Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve. The De Rust WaterWise Ways project is showing the way. This article first appeared in Western Cape Business 2020 Edition A pilot project in the small rural town of De Rust has shown that a constructed wetland system and wastewater reuse can improve the health of a catchment system and convert wastewater into a useful resource. The WaterWise Ways Project of the Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve (GCBR) has several components, but the De Rust Wetlands...

We have pure canola in the tank. [The Nordic Folk Centre for Renewable Energy], Thy. PHOTO: John Young Denmark has found a way to grow its economy and reduce energy consumption. The House of Green in central Copenhagen is a sophisticated, high-tech, showcase of Denmark’s green economy. At the touch of a button you can call up any number of statistics to do with energy use and water wastage – and quickly show how these change when some outside factor is introduced, like a drought. Despite all...