Sustainability isn’t just about energy…

There has never been a better time to learn about sustainable living, as we brace ourselves for a harsh budget next month (sorry to mention the war!).  Falling back on our own resources and learning to become a wee bit more self-reliant will help us make it through the next few years, with our sanity intact. Â

The  upcoming permaculture course being facilitated by The Hopsack on our organic farm near Strokestown, Co. Roscommon next weekend (6th and 7th November) is most timely. Think local/sustainable and you have permaculture in a nutshell – the flip side of the globalisation coin so to speak. I understand there are still a few places left on the course , so get in there quick!

Local herbs get to the core of sustainability. For millenia, they have provided both fodder and medicine for both humans and animals. Flowers, leaves, roots and bark all contain a wide range of vital chemical constituents, which both nourish and heal. These same plant chemicals also provide an invaluable source of key nutrients for the soil. Putting it very simply, if the soil from which we derive our food (think meat, veg and fruit) is deficient in nutrients, then our food will also be depleted and our bodies less well nourished. Fertile soil is, ultimately, the basis for health.

In fact, two senior scientific advisors to the UK government, McCance and Widdowson, discovered in 2002 that nutrient levels in common foodstuffs were fast declining as a result of intensive production methods. Common nutrients such as magnesium, calcium, iron, selenium and B vitamins were all found to be in decline in the food chain.  Alarm bells have sounded.

This is why the Grow It Yourself initiative is so heartening (www.giyireland.com). People are discovering how to grow veggies for themselves in window boxes and back gardens. During the Second World War, British citizens were exhorted to "Dig for gold, dig for victory", i.e. to plant their back patch with veggies. Gold indeed. Interesting to note that disease rates declined during that war. A healthier diet, with more veggies and less reliance on meat, dairy, sugar, tea and coffee, must have played a key role. Plus que ca change etc….

People don't generally think of herbs as vegetables, but of course they are. They are all 'phyto' or plant foods. Local herbs are as vital a source of good nutrition, as they are healers in their own right. We all know nettles, comfrey, dandelion and dock. Nowadays they are categorised as 'weeds' (a plant that grows where you don't want it!), but these common native 'weeds' can provide us with lots of essential nutrients, as well as an invaluable medicine chest.

The trick is to de-mystify the preparation and application of herbs. No great skills or special equipment is required. Vivienne Campbell, a herbalist, is doing a great job of helping people realise that they can so easily prepare herbal drinks, syrups and salves to help ease those minor but annoying ailments that plague us all from time to time. She is co-presenting the Corrigan Cooks Naturally series on RTE 1 (Wednesday 20.30h). http://www.rte.ie/tv/programmes/corrigan_cooks_naturally.html

So arm yourself with the information about using local (and often free) resources to live a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle. Knowledge is power! Call Finn at 087-8245254 to book your place on the permaculture weekend workshop next weekend.

 Erica Murray is a Master Medical Herbalist and Iridologist. She practises both in Castlewood Clinic, Rathmines and in Churchtown, Dublin. ericamurrayherbalist@gmail.com.  Tel. 086-3384752.