Outdoor theatre is always very interesting (except when it's raining), but when you add in environmental artists NVA and some stunning Scottish landscapes you have a real treat on your hands. 'Half Life: Journey into the neolithic' is a show with a difference. It's set in Kilmartin Glen in Argyll and instead of receiving a programme you are given a map and invited to go on a series of walks which lead you to various atmospheric sites and installations based around some well known, and some rarely seen prehistoric landmarks. The routes are based on recently discovered archaeological field notes and include some new finds such as burial cairns, standing stones and ancient hill forts. The surrounding forest has been manipulated to provide natural 'scenery' for the performance and a soundtrack has been created to enhance existing environmental sounds.

A pint of real ale at the end of (or even half way through) a country walk is a Great British institution, so it's only right someone should create a festival to celebrate this marriage made in heaven. The Black Sheep Brewery are holding a 'Boots & Beer Festival' from Friday 7th September to Sunday 9th September, centred on Hawes in the heart of Wensleydale. There are other walks starting in Askrigg and Aysgarth, all with a wide choice of easy, moderate and difficult walks to suit every ability. Providing you don't tire yourself out on the hills you can enjoy some excellent evening entertainment courtesy of Black Sheep. Tickets for the festival cost £17.50 for the weekend, and this includes free shuttle bus between locations and a goodies bag containing a Boots & Beer t-shirt. The event is sponsored by Country Walking Magazine.

The Thames Estuary is one of the UK’s biggest development sites at the moment with thousands of new homes planned for this stretch of marshland, but actually it is already a home to millions of creatures, albeit ones you can barely see. There are in fact 7,500 different species of insects calling this part of the UK home, including scores of rare insects. And this amazing biodiversity has, for a change, been helped by mankind’s propensity for dumping waste products. Marshes, covered with industrial waste such as ash have burst out with grassland and scrub supporting an astonishing number of species.

It may have ended months ago, but Springwatch fever is still alive and kicking on Scottish island Islay. The special reports from the island, which featured golden eagles, choughs and hen harriers amongst other things, has meant an increase of 30% in visitor numbers to the area's RSPB reserves. As many as 100 people have been attending the weekly walks around Loch Gruinart and The Oa reserves to see the Springwatch 'characters' for themselves. Generally people are most interested in the fate of the golden eagle chick and the chough chicks being raised by their dad (all of which are doing well by the way).

As you will probably know Organic Fortnight takes place from 1st to 16th September, and to celebrate this the Wildlife Trust are putting on a number of events across the country. They have compiled a Top 5 list to get you started. You can read them all after the jump...

It's something I've been pondering a lot recently...should I take my daughter swimming? She loves it, and I think it's a very important skill to have, not just for personal safety but for general fitness. But the fact you are swimming in (& often swallowing) chemicals really bothers me. Ecosmarte are tackling this issue head on by producing a pump which cleans and filters pool water without the use of any chemicals. They use an oxygen and ionisation system which requires a fairly modest sized pump which delivers a non-chemical shock to your water when it passes through the pressure line. On a weekly basis you check your PH and copper levels and use the electronic control unit to ionize the pool for 4-8 hours. This will put harmless levels of copper into the water which eliminates algae and kills any harmful viruses. The EPA state that the water in a pool run on this system is drink safe, and the company claim if you were to swallow two gallons of the pool water you would ingest the same amount of copper as you would if you took a multi vitamin.

I would hope that commercial swimming pools consider switching to this type of filtration system so we can continue swimming and not have to be exposed to so many harmful chemicals.

[via The Alternative Consumer]

It's great being able to take your dog with you when you're holidaying in the UK, but the Forestry Commission are asking us to remember that dogs and hot cars do not go well together with the launch of their 'Hot Dogs Are Not Cool in Cars' campaign. they are targeting dog owners as part of their Active Woods campaign, which promotes the healthy living opportunities offered by woodlands. Dogs are welcome on Forestry Commission land, and as there are so many of their sites across the country visiting one is a great way to break up your journey and allow your pooch (and your kids) some well deserved cooling off time under the shady trees. For a list of the top 10 'pooch pitstops' read on...

A millionaire philanthropist is set to turn his 23,000 working Highland estate into a 'Jurrasic Park' type ecological game reserve, by re-introducing species of animals and plants that once lived wild on the land around 2000 years ago. Paul Lister has just been granted a dangerous wild animal license which means that he will soon have animals such as lynx, bears, wolves and wild boar running around his Alladale estate. He also hopes to re-introduce Caledonian Pine, hazel, and round birch trees. He has dreamed of turning his land back over to these once native species for years, and with the help from other local landowners he has already planted over 250,000 indigenous trees as part of the project.

This year’s National Marine Week runs from 11th August to 19th August celebrating the UK’s marine life and environment. The UK has a fascinating undersea environment, being a home to crabs, anemones, fish, seals, dolphins, seabirds and all kinds of plants. Anyone who has ever enjoyed poking around in a rock-pool as a child will enjoy all the activities all over the UK to celebrate the UK’s seas and the life within them. The Wildlife Trust is running all kinds of events, from Seashore Safaris, and Rock-pool Rambles to Coastal Minibeast Safaris. Check with your local sealife centre for events running there. It’s an excellent excuse to hang around on a beach during the belated lovely August weather!

Timor-Lest (formerly East Timor), which has only been an independent nation for five years, has announced its first National Park. It will ensure that many endangered species, not found anywhere else on the planet, will be protected. Timor-Lest became independent in 2002 and despite the fact it has a rich supply of oil and gas it is still one of the poorest nations in the world. The Nino Konis Santana National Park, which is over 123,600 hectares, includes over 25 bird species restricted to Timor and neighbouring island. It is also home to the yellow-crested cockatoo which is critically endangered due to an unsustainable exploitation for trade.

Have you ever been out on a country walk, or on a trip to the beach and wondered if any of the flora and fauna around you is edible? Ofcourse a lot of it is, and this book - 'Food For Free' by Richard Mabey can guide you through it. The book was first written back in 1972, and has been re-printed over 11 times, most recently in April 2007. It's split into seasons and includes sections such as 'Roots', 'Green vegetables', 'Herbs' and 'Flowers', and each section has field ID notes, illustrations and photographs, to ensure you don't pick up and taste something you're not supposed to.

The National Trust have challenged 10 of the UK's top photographers to use their lenses to answer the question 'What does climate change mean to Britain'. The results have been gathered together to form a stunning exhibition called 'Exposed' which features a series of beautiful and powerful photographs featuring National Trust properties and locations, which have been, or are predicted to be, affected somehow by climate change. The photographs are accompanied by stories about the people who care for these stunning, and often fragile places.

The exhibition will tour galleries across the UK throughout 2007, and you can get details of dates and venues here.

This week is National Parks Week, a celebration of (you guessed it) our National Parks. There are 14 in the UK, stretching from the Highlands of Scotland down to the South West tip of England, covering around 35% of the total land area of mainland Britain. England's largest National Park - The Lake District covers 2292 square kilometres, and attracts more than 12 million visitors each year.

You may have missed the fact that yesterday was World Ranger Day. A celebration of the men and women who devote their lives to protecting nature and the environment all across the world. I have a vested interest, as I volunteer with the East Lothian Countryside Rangers, and I can certainly vouch for the sterling work they do. Last night a film documenting the work of the world's rangers - The Thin Green Line was shown in over 50 countries. The film is the brainchild of Sean Willimore, a ranger from Warringine Park in Victoria, Australia. He sold his car and remortgaged his home three times in order to fund the documentary, so you could say it was a labour of love!

The entire east coast of Australia is set to become a 'terrestrial version of The Great Barrier Reef' in an attempt to protect some of the countries most threatened wildlife. The 1740 mile strip of land, which will run from the southern state of Victoria right up to the Northern territory in Queensland, will provide a valuable haven for threatened plants and animals, including the gang gang cockatoo (pictured here), the golden sun moth and the hooded robin.