Ep. 005: Growing Change: Julia Hailes MBE on Peat, Wilding and Biodiversity

Wilder Podcast

In this episode, we are delighted to share that we have not one, but two fantastic guests. Firstly, we're joined by Benedict Macdonald, CEO of Restore, to share the announcement of our partnership, his reflections on the Grange Project and the exciting concept of ‘reflowering’. However, the episode's focal point is a really informative interview with Julia Hailes MBE, who emphasises the impact of individual consumer choice on driving change. We also discuss the concept of 'wilding' and how her 9 acre land holding has evolved from field to nature haven. We talk about management strategies for cultivating wildflower meadows, handling thistles, docks, and nettles, and managing grasslands. Finally, Julia introduces her 'Wilding Weekends' and offers some top tips for encouraging biodiversity in gardens.

Your Hosts

• Tom Constable: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-constable/
• Chloe Constable: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloe-constable-24155821b/

Our Guest

Julia Hailes MBE is a British environmentalist, author, and sustainable development consultant. She is known for her contributions to the field of sustainability and her advocacy for responsible business practices. Julia Hailes co-authored the influential book "The Green Consumer Guide" in 1988, which played a significant role in raising public awareness about environmentally friendly consumer choices.

Throughout her career, Hailes has been actively involved in promoting sustainable development, social responsibility, and ethical business practices. She has advised numerous companies, organisations, and governments on sustainability strategies, helping them integrate environmental and social considerations into their operations. Julia has recently transformed her 9 acre land holding from a sheep-eaten field into a wildlife haven.

Grange Project Contact & Social Media

• Email: [e-mail]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grange.project/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/grangeproject
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GrangeProject
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-constable/

Listen out for:

[00:00:00] Introduction to the episode.

[00:01:51] Tom shares the big announcement around our partnership with the ecology consultancy, Restore. We meet Benedict Macdonald (CEO of Restore) and chat through his hopes for Restore.

[00:06:14] Benedict shares his reflections on the Grange Project and the next steps for our work together; reflowering!

[00:12:58] We begin the interview with our guest, Julia Hailes, who talks about the power of individual choice in making a difference. Specifically, we talk about peat and how you can act as a campaigning citizen when making consumer choices.

[00:20:37] Julia talks about the principle of ‘wilding’ and an overview of her 9 acres and how the vision developed.

[00:27:51] We discuss the British culture and the challenge we have of allowing ‘mess’ into our gardens.

[00:30:44] Julia shares the most dramatic changes she’s seen on her land, including the number of insects that can now be found following the changes they’ve made.

[00:35:04] We talk about the creation of a wildflower meadow and management strategies for thistles, docks and nettles, which could apply to any size of garden.

[00:40:02] We go on to discuss different strategies for managing grasslands.

[00:41:50] Julia introduces us to her ‘Wilding Weekends’ and shares some practical tips about what might encourage biodiversity within a garden context.

[00:50:32] Chloe and Tom reflect on the interview and the importance of not getting caught up with semantics and being willing to experiment.

Keen for more:

Websites

https://juliahailes.com Julia’s website is a treasure trove of resources. Specifically, it contains information about her background, the activities she engages in to promote change and her fantastic blog, which contains articles on everything from wilding to family planning to net zero (as well as lots of idea to find out more about all of these topics).

https://beehappyplants.co.uk/ Bee Happy Plants & Seeds is a propagation nursery specialist in plants for pollinators, not-for-profit UK company. All the trees, shrubs and other species plants are grown 100% from seed, here at their UK nursery, organically and with biosecurity at the forefront.

Blog Articles

https://juliahailes.com/peat-in-compost-is-environmental-vandalism-mar21/ The blog discusses the pressing issue of peat usage in gardening and its detrimental environmental impacts.

Books

‘The Life Cycle’ by Kate Rawles. Pedalling hard for thirteen months, eco adventurer Kate Rawles cycled the length of the Andes on an eccentric bicycle she built herself. The Life Cycle charts her mission to find out why biodiversity is so important, what's happening to it, and what can be done to protect it.

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-life-cycle-8-000-miles-in-the-andes-by-bamboo-bike-kate-rawles/7400363?ean=9781785787874

‘Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse’ by Dave Goulson. Insects are essential for life as we know it - without them, our world would look vastly different. Drawing on the latest ground-breaking research and a lifetime's study, Dave Goulson reveals the long decline of insect populations that has taken place in recent decades and its potential consequences. https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/silent-earth-the-sunday-times-bestseller-dave-goulson/5841275?ean=9781529114423

YouTube Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izy6GXhwt9s - a fantastic five minute overview of the ‘Wilder Weekend 2023’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTknDjRNTSA - longer version of the above including interviews with speakers tackling issues such as the modern approach to farming, whether more wilding means less food security, the importance of pollinators, and the impacts of climate change.