Ursula Billington has a background in environmentalism, wellbeing and the arts. She studied Practical Sustainability in Bristol, gaining experience of agroecology, permaculture and sustainable living projects across the UK. She has since put her knowledge and enthusiasm in to practice with roles at Oxfam, Netplants (EU Erasmus project) and the Sustainable Soils Alliance, an organisation focused on placing soil health at the centre of new UK agricultural policy. She is currently supporting Our Living Soil and Soil Voices, connecting science and the arts to increase public engagement in the condition of our soils; whilst also pursuing an interest in eco-social arts practice via the Centre for Contemporary Arts & the Natural World (CCANW) and Haumea. She spends the rest of her time on the fiddle.
Bristol Bites Back | Fruits & Roots of Radical Resilience in South-West England
By Ursula Billington, ARC2020
We can learn from the communities in and around Bristol who are defying top-down challenges by coming together at local level. Radical approaches to resilience are more important than ever, and bearing fruits for the grassroots.
Pond Life Revives Hope for On-Farm Wildlife
By Ursula Billington, ARC2020
Where ponds are cleared, wildlife and biodiversity return rapidly to farmland. Plants recolonise within just 6 months, creating rustic oases amidst bland fields of monocrop.
Who Grew Your Clothes? Soil to Soil Textiles – Part 2
By Ursula Billington, ARC2020
Responsible producers like Ria are teaming up with regenerative farms such as Fernhill to spearhead a new appreciation of wool as a healthy, sustainable and valuable material.
Who Grew Your Clothes? Soil to Soil Textiles – Part 1
By Ursula Billington, ARC2020
Whilst awareness around the environmental impacts of global food systems and their sustainable counterparts appears to be growing, there is a widespread disconnect of perception between the state of the environment and the garments we clothe ourselves in.
“It’s More A Call To ‘Armies’ Than Arms”
By Ursula Billington, ARC2020
There are Black Swans that you can’t do anything about because you don’t know they’re going to happen; but the Grey Swans are predictable – not in their dimensions or timing exactly; but we know there’s going to be another food price crisis, a catastrophic climactic moment of some sort, or energy problems: things like this are going to happen.
Waking Up To The Power Of Mushrooms
By Ursula Billington, ARC2020
Fungi were only granted Kingdom of Life status in the 1960’s, yet they possess a wealth of unique qualities and a dramatic potential to shape our lives.
Urban Food Revolution Gaining Ground In Bristol
By Ursula Billington, ARC2020
Small-scale urban farming is a key piece of the food resilience puzzle. In the face of crisis, local growing has proved a reliable ally.
Street Goat: A Blueprint for Urban Agroecology
By Ursula Billington, ARC2020
The original Street Goat concept focused on turning disused land into productive space: bringing goats in to clear scrub, improving sustainability whilst providing a workable model for non-intensive urban dairy production.