Dorset Life interviews me! (Jun23)
I loved being described as ‘probably the most effective person you’ve never heard of’! I wondered if it was too flattering for me to post the article or promote it in any way. But I overcame my doubts, and here is the Dorset Life article about my life! It not only covers the forthcoming Wilding […]
Our Wilding Weekend in June 2023 (Mar Update)
On 17th and 18th June 2023, my husband Jamie Macdonald and I will be hosting the second Wilding Weekend at our home in Dorset. Find out more about it here. WE WILL BE SUPPORTING – THE NATIONAL GARDEN SCHEME Ticket sales will be donated to the National Garden Scheme (NGS) charities. Here’s a link to […]
Wild about Wilding (Jan23)
We organised the very first Wilding Weekend in June 2022, at our home in West Dorset. It was also the first garden opened through the National Garden Scheme (NGS) that was included primarily for its ‘wilding’ rather than for beautiful borders, impeccably mown lawns and other attributes of more traditional gardens. The next Wilding Weekend […]
Insect Homes at Hooke Farm (Jun22)
Our Hibernaculum at Hooke (May22)
Where the Rainforest Meets the Sea (Apr22)
It felt magical. We walked through the thick tangled forest and yet only meters away were the waves crashing onshore and brightly coloured crabs scuttling into their holes. We were watching monkeys swinging through the trees – there are four species indigenous to the Osa Peninsula in the South West corner of Costa Rica. We […]
Pura Vida Costa Rica (Apr22)
Having successfully navigated a rapid as we rafted away from Pacuare Lodge in Central Costa Rica, we put our oars together and joined our guide in a celebratory shout of ‘Pura Vida’. Literally the pure or natural life. Leaving the lodge, we started the trip in a relatively narrow gorge, the rocks on either side […]
Help! An Insect Apocalypse is happening right now… (Dec21)
The frightening thing is that we may not be aware of how devastating the decline in insects has been over the last 100 years. Insects were the first things to fly and sing. Pre-dinosaurs the planet was swarming with them with no other living things. There were dragonflies with a two foot wingspan, giant cockroaches […]
My Manifesto for COP26 and beyond(Oct21)
I’m delighted that Cop26 is getting a lot of attention. I think it’s great that young people – with Greta leading the charge – are voicing their anger at what’s happening to the climate. It’s incredibly positive that more and more businesses around the world are trying to make meaningful changes. Not so good is […]
Rewild schools before it’s too late (Jul21)
Rewild the world before it’s too late! I’m supporting Operation Future Hope in their mission to change the devastating impact of current land management practices in schools. School grounds have become wildlife deserts. They’re chopped, mown, poisoned and slashed. The brief is for well ‘managed landscapes’ – neat and tidy. What this means in practice […]
Farmers Must STOP Killing Earth (Dec20)
Why are most rivers brown or red? A soupy earthy colour. It’s because they are draining the life blood of our planet away – soil. It’s crumbling, melting and disintegrating into the water and being swept out to sea, never to return. It has to stop. It’s disastrous. And there’s a better way… I remember […]
Green Consumer Compilation – TV Clips with Julia Hailes from 1988-90
Many people will be surprised to know how much interest there was about green consumerism in the late 80s and early 1990s. It was kicked off by the publication of The Green Consumer Guide, co-authored by myself and John Elkington, in 1988. The book had 11 print runs in the first month, shot to the […]