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.
The Grassroots Groups Shifting Ground on Land Justice
By Ursula Billington, ARC2020
No food justice or environmental justice without social justice means nature, land and sustainable, healthy food systems must be accessible to all, regardless of heritage, background or neighbourhood.
Hemp – Overgrowing the Regime part 2
By Ursula Billington, ARC2020
Despite a lack of tools, knowledge, infrastructure and support, woefully few routes to market, and suffocating restrictions on production and use of the crop, meet the British hemp growers who are ploughing ahead. Now a campaign of civil disobedience hopes to provoke policymakers to rethink regulations.
Hemp – Overgrowing the Regime part 1
By Ursula Billington, ARC2020
Hemp is an ‘ecological wonder plant’ with almost endless potential as a sustainable raw fibre material, not to mention its intriguing nutrient profile and therapeutic benefits.
Down to the Ground – Green Medicine for the People!
By Ursula Billington, ARC2020
Health is a human right, not a privilege, which is why Herbalists Without Borders work to deliver health justice to displaced and disadvantaged people via the powerful medium of herbs.
Oxford Real Farming Conference 2022 | New Dawn For Solidarity
By Ursula Billington, ARC2020
After three action-packed days, the Oxford Real Farming Conference 2022 ended on a positive note, forging hope from solidarity.
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.