- Ex-Dutch football star Johan Neeskens dies
- Man Utd battling to improve fortunes, says Evans
- What is microRNA? Nobel-winning discovery explained
- Masood, Abdullah centuries lift Pakistan to 328-4 in first England Test
- Hurricane Milton strengthens fast, threatens Mexico, Florida
- Tunisia's President Saied set for landslide election win
- Barca hoping to return to Camp Nou 'by end of year'
- Trump to open second golf course at Scotland resort in summer 2025
- Super-sub Jhon Duran rewarded with new Aston Villa deal
- US duo win Nobel for gene regulation breakthrough
- Masood hits first ton for four years to power Pakistan to 233-1
- Fritz wins delayed match to reach Shanghai Masters third round
- Naomi Osaka pulls out of Japan Open with back injury
- Weather may delay launch of mission to study deflected asteroid
- China to flesh out economic stimulus plans after bumper rally
- Artist Marina Abramovic hopes first China show offers tech respite
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on US jobs data
- Pakistan 122-1 at lunch in first England Test
- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
- Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit polls
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
CMSC | -0.02% | 24.695 | $ | |
SCS | -1.35% | 12.797 | $ | |
BTI | -0.23% | 35.21 | $ | |
GSK | 0.51% | 39.02 | $ | |
RIO | -0.07% | 69.65 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.11% | 24.785 | $ | |
NGG | -0.96% | 65.87 | $ | |
BP | 0.9% | 33.18 | $ | |
AZN | -0.16% | 77.35 | $ | |
RYCEF | 0% | 6.98 | $ | |
BCE | 0.04% | 33.725 | $ | |
RBGPF | -1.16% | 60.1 | $ | |
BCC | -1.58% | 136.738 | $ | |
RELX | -0.9% | 45.875 | $ | |
JRI | -0.15% | 13.26 | $ | |
VOD | 0.22% | 9.681 | $ |
'Embrace discomfort' to save planet says N Macedonia pioneer
One day Dimche Ackov had enough of the stress and pollution of urban life and chucked in his job and headed out into the North Macedonia countryside for a fresh start.
Nearly 10 years later, Ackov has channelled his burnout into a fully-fledged mission to educate people about living closer to nature.
His home, constructed entirely from locally-sourced, natural materials, is now a kind of workshop and school, where hundreds visit every year to learn the ways of sustainable living.
"When I came here to live this way, I didn't have any knowledge. I started to research natural building and I saw that those workshops for natural building were very expensive," said Ackov, who lives near the former industrial town of Veles, once branded one of the most polluted in the world.
"I promised myself that if I ever learn to build those houses, I will share that knowledge for free."
The journey has not been without its pitfalls, with a steep learning curve.
"I didn't even know what a hoe was," the dreadlocked Ackov said of his tentative attempts to live off the land.
But the effort paid off, and Ackov built himself a beehive-shaped home from bags of soil that is cosy in winter and cool in summer. It has its own well, solar panels, vegetable garden and a fridge made from clay.
- 'Make one small change' -
To share the knowledge he has accumulated along the way, Ackov has hosted more than 40 workshops in the last eight years.
After the workshops many people "see the environment with different eyes", he told AFP. "Then you can't destroy it anymore. You feel a part of it."
Ackov believes in embracing the "discomfort" of living in nature.
The goal is "tо give up something harmful, to make one small change. If today, millions of people don't take a plastic bag, a huge change will be made," he said.
Tiny North Macedonia, with a population of only 1.8 million people, is facing some steep environmental challenges.
Air pollution, inadequate waste treatment and illegal logging are major problems.
A recent international study found it had some of the worst air pollution in Europe, with almost two-thirds of people living in areas with more than four times the World Health Organization guidelines for dangerous air particles.
Despite the hurdles, Ackov believes "now is the time to fix what was damaged before".
"We are now small streams, but we will all get together in one river and make huge changes. I am a big optimist, otherwise I wouldn't live this way."
P.Mathewson--AMWN