Green Build

Most years we go to the annual Green Build event held at Felbrigg Hall, a lovely National Trust property a gnat’s crotchet away from chez Gee. And so it was today. The event is sponsored by the local council and billed as a lifestyle event, encouraging us all to Go Green. Although one does wonder about the carbon footprint of all those cars queuing to get in to an event that grows in popularity each year.

A particular draw for us is the prospect of bags and bags of compost at £1 a go. This comes from all the garden waste collected kerbside in brown wheelie bins (a scheme to which we subscribe) which gets transported to the council’s industrial wormery. This is just like our own domestic wormery only bigger, and the worms, being employed by the Council, have to wear hard hats and high-viz jackets.

The excitement of the event can be in tents.

As you might imagine there is quite a lot of input from artisanal arts and crafts...

... although some of the arts and crafts are less artisanal than others.

Responsible use of a chainsaw. Don't try this at home.

 Being as I am a Socks Maniac I was interested in this display of warm winter socks.

Some of the arts and crafts are not so much artisanal as industrial: there are displays of green tech, including Tesla solar batteries and a surprising variety of electric cars.

We are always interested in building, and building techniques, so I was attracted by this display on lime plastering and traditional insulating materials. Visitors are encouraged to get plastered and fleeced.

Special events, demonstrations and seminars occur throughout the Green Build event's busy program. We didn't attend any this year, but a few years back Offspring#2 and I went to a lecture about how to build houses out of bales of straw. At the end I asked whether such buildings were proof against being blown down by wolves.

For us the best bit is the chance to wander round Felbrigg's productive walled gardens, which are quite magical. 

Another 250 years of loving care, we think, and our garden could be as good as this. And so we leave, daydreaming about smallholdings.