There are a handful of people (less than 1% of the population) who believe that nothing less than radical lifestyle change is required to tackle climate change. One example of this in the UK is <a href="http://www.tinkersbubble.org/">Tinker's Bubble in Somerset</a>.

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-868" src="https://revisesociology.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-23-at-11.54.15-1024x805.png" alt="" width="500" height="393" />

Tinker's Bubble is a small woodland community which uses environmentally sound methods of working the land without fossil fuels. They manage about 28 acres of woodland using two-person saws, horses, and a steam-powered sawmill (which is really quite something!)

They grow most of their own food using permaculture (no-dig) principles. Their pastures, orchards, and gardens are organically certified, and they sell some produce for income at local farmers markets.

The Bubblers make their monetary incomes mainly through selling apple products (three varieties of apple juice), forestry products, courses and other micro-enterprises. In their own words, they are money poor but otherwise rich.

They have their own natural spring water, compost toilets and burn wood for cooking, heating, and for hot water, relying on off-grid solar powered 12v electricity,

Life at Tinker’s Bubble is very basic (even by hard-line eco-standards) – for example most people wash their clothes by hand and life is lived mostly outdoors, and you can expect to be cold in the winter.

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-870" src="https://revisesociology.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-23-at-11.52.30.png" alt="" width="500" height="331" />
<h3><strong>What I like about Tinker’s Bubble</strong></h3>
It’s possibly the only low-impact low-tech natural self-build settlement which has been granted planning permission (albeit temporary) in England, so it shows that with persistence this can be done.

They've supported themselves since the mid 1990s, so it's durable!

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-871" src="https://revisesociology.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-23-at-12.01.37.png" alt="" width="500" height="337" />
_Apple harvesting for juice is one of the main industries at The Bubble_

It is certainly one of the most low-impact settlements in the UK, and it seems to have a very clear focus against fossil fuels. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmjsuPCjskc">This video demonstrates this</a>.

At least some of the residents are carbon negative – I’ve heard that Pedro has made the case that he shouldn’t have to pay tax on the basis that to do so compromises his right to live a radically sustainable lifestyle, given that to pay tax is to pay the government to pollute more than he does!

It certainly ticks the diversity box! This is real ‘eco-peasant’ living, very different to mainstream lifestyles in the U.K.
<h3><strong>Reservations about Tinkers’ Bubble…</strong></h3>
It’s possible to criticise the Bubble as being a in a ‘Bubble’ – they are extreme and don’t seem willing to compromise compared to many other eco-settlements. Their commitment to zero fossil fuels may be a step too far for many people and put them off visiting or even taking them seriously. To my mind it would make sense to allow petrol chain saws, for example, on the basis that it’s a tiny amount of fossil fuel being used, for a significant time gain in managing woodland. I’d make a similar argument with maybe using a car to get transport produce rather than horses

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I’ve long thought that a willingness to compromise wins more hearts and minds than being hard-line – 90% fossil fuel free is going to be a lot more appealing and a lot easier than 100% fossil-fuel free!

Their commitment to manual labour and no fossil fuels means that maintaining the site and making a living is a very labour-intensive process, time that could maybe be better spent promoting and campaigning for changes to the planning laws, helping others transition to this lifestyle, educating about alternatives, in the same vein as Lammas does.

I’ve heard more than one account that this is not a fun place to volunteer at – you’re not going to be getting a four-hour light working day of varied activities, you’re more likely to be weeding for 6-8 hours. From what I’ve heard Tinkers Bubble is NOT for the faint hearted!

Finally, I’m not sure how generalisable this is as a model - it’s not exactly high-density living. The latest stats on Diggers and Dreamers show 5 adults living on 28 acres (NB not sure how up to date this is!) which just isn’t realistic for the UK. Having said that, given that there’s no significant demand to live like this anyway, this may be something of a moot criticism!
<h3><strong>Conclusions</strong></h3>
It’s definitely different, very interesting, partially inspiring, and utterly impractical way to live: I love it, but I wouldn’t want to live it! i'm more of a [Lammas](https://steemit.com/homesteading/@revisesociology/reflections-on-lammas-ecovillage) kind of guy personally. 

If yer interested Tinker’s Bubble is currently <a href="https://www.diggersanddreamers.org.uk/communities/existing/tinkers-bubble">open to new residents</a>.

**Sources/ find out more**

In addition to the links above, there's a few personal blogs written by people who have visited - for example:

http://csharpd.github.io/extraordinaries/interviews/naomi-glass/

https://northdevonpermaculture.com/2013/05/19/tinkers-bubble-a-visit/

Images 1 and 2 - http://www.tinkersbubble.org/

Image 2- http://csharpd.github.io/extraordinaries/interviews/naomi-glass/

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