Jude Dunn

Plot 4

My name is Jude and I am the resident on Plot 4, one of the ‘terrace dwellers.’  I bring a diverse background of activity with me; environmental issues have always been a part of my life on both a volunteer and professional basis.

I have lived in Scotland for 18 years where I worked for BBC Radio Scotland, the Cooperative Group in Scotland, supporting local committees engage with ethical issues, and in the Third Sector with Reforesting Scotland which aims to reconnect people and communities to the land.

Many strands have been at work leading me to make a change in my life, which led me to sell my flat, give up my commuter lifestyle to look for a more sustainable and connected way to live.

Looking back, I can see that the strands included working for marginalised causes in the Third Sector, being a member of Oil Depletion Scotland and joining a committee to start up a Community Supported Agriculture project.

Since then I have wwoofed and worked on organic farms abroad and in the UK.  I have been a volunteer on several strawbale house builds including one in Orkney with Amazon Nails and another in Somerset.  I did a Sustainable Land Use course at Ragman’s Lane Farm in 2007 and came to Lammas as a volunteer in April ’10.  I am amazed to be a resident, and looking forward to putting some of the skills I have been learning into a practical project of my own.

My business plan is to build an aquaponic system where fish and plants are grown in a closed system, where the fish provide nutrients for the plants and the plants clean the water for the fish.  I intend to develop a system with carp, herbs and salad crops.

I am also interested in growing comfrey for local nurseries and medicinal herbs.