This apron was in a bit of a state, the straps were worn and there were holes in it. So I decided to repair and upgrade it. I sewed brightly coloured patches over the holes, made new straps from the handles of a tote bag that I'd repurposed as a cushion cover and added a flowery pocket for good measure.
Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy looks at how corporations encouarge people to buy more, through for example creating demand for new clothes to fit in with the latest fast fashion trend; built in obsolescence that means that electronic items fail relatively quickly and can’t be repaired (and these days, there’s a new must-have phone every few months as well, so who wants to keep their old, unfashionable model anyway?) and lies about the carbon footprint of products and companies that make people feel less guilty about getting rid of stuff.
Though it doesn't really tesll us anything new, the film is hard hitting and cleverly made, openly using some of the tricks of marketing to keep you viewing. It really is sickening to see footage of rivers and beaches covered in waste and mind-boggling to see cityscapes overflowing with computer generated images of stuff, both of which really give a visual impression of just how much waste we are producing.
The film interviews several people who used to work in marketing and producing excess stuff for several major corporations, but who have since left their positions. It also interviews people who are sharing solutions to the situation.
Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy is available to view on Netflix.
I'll be writing a little more about this film and some of the people featured in it, in my next post on my Crafty Green Poet Substack blog.
My Year of Meats is the debut novel from Ruth Ozeki (who also wrote the wonderful A Tale for the Time Being). It's labelled as being Suitable for Vegetarians and may well turn some meat eaters off from eating meat in the future (or at the very least into becoming more conscious about where their meat comes from).
The story revolves around Jane, a Japanese American documentary maker, funded by the US Beef industry to make a documentary series 'My American Wife' which features various families and their favourite beef recipes, a programme designed for the Japanese market (with the ultimate intention of increasing sales of US beef in Japan). The other main character is Akiko, the submissive wife of Jane's overbearing Japanese boss. The novel follows Jane's journey into realising the dangers that large scale beef production pose to animal and human health and Akiko's journey into finding her own independence.
I found this a really enjoyable read, with the politics around beef production integrated well into the narrative, though I can understand why some readers feel that the politics is treated in a heavy handed manner.
My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki, published by Viking (1998)
I love browsing in charity shops and like to buy clothes and books second hand (though I buy underwear new and will buy new books from small, independent publishers and small independent bookshops). I saw this plate in the second hand shop round the corner and couldn't resist, it only cost 50p anyway.
All the luxuries of the modern
world tend to blind us to our disconnections
from nature and from the consequences our actions have for the natural world. Our
personal and professional choices damage nature, from
radioactive landscapes to disappearing rainforests, but we are too separated from nature to see this. This book traces the broken pathways
between consumers and the production of most things we rely on, from food to smartphones, which often rely on the work of poorly paid people who we will never meet in countries we will never visit.
Worthy has spent time in Bali, where he notices that people are still connected to nature and to each other in traditional ways that have been lost in most societies, including the USA and UK. He also compares his own life to his ancestor Charles who settled in Canada in the seventeenth century and lived a life much closer to nature than the author is able to do himself.
I really enjoyed the early parts of this book. Worthy takes a psychological approach to the issues, questioning how we can maintain a good relationship with nature when we spend so much of our time in abstract pursuits and are increasingly restricting our time to the human shaped world. Nature has, for many people, become a distant background to their lives. Even those of us who spend a lot of time in nature, these days need to make a conscious decision to engage with nature, much more so than our ancestors who lived more natural lives. He also looks at how people can be persuaded to destroy nature, through distancing them from the ultimate effects of their actions (decisions to destroy rainforests are made by people in front of computers at desks far removed from the forests themselves) or by offering no benign alternative (buying bottled water rather than drinking tap water is forced on people in countries where tap water is not drinkable.)
The solutions put forward in the book are, however, less satisfying, ranging from a number of approaches that feel as though they have been discussed many times already with little effect to hippy sounding ideas like developing a more mindful way of relating to everyday objects.
Overall though this is a fascinating, thought provoking book about the disconnection between humans and nature, well recommended.
Invisible Nature by Kenneth Worthy, published (2013) by Prometheus Books.
Post lockdown, when many people were still wary of crowds and confined spaces, the idea of walking meetings became popular. Rather than sitting in a stuffy meeting room, why not meet outdoors and walk while talking?
It's not only ecologists who talk about the benefits of walking meetings, business people do to, for example this article on seven benefits of taking your meeting for a walk.
Personally I love being outside and definitely find that ideas can flow better when walking in nature. It's also of course a nice way to fit a bit of exercise into your day, as well as seeing more nature. Yesterday's walking meeting took place in Edinburgh's Newington Cemetery. This is one of the city's cemeteries that is specifically managed with nature in mind and now features a tree trail, new since I last visited. Guides to the tree trail are available in a neat little leaflet dispenser near the entrance to the cemetery, though unfortunately the leaflet dispenser is currently being used as a bin...
Before the tree trail was officially set up as a trail (with numbers on the notable trees) the cemetery already had information boards about its trees. You can find out more here on their website.
The upper part of the cemetery is particularly rich in trees and shrubs
The crocuses are out at the moment, adding some lovely colour to the cemetery
There were plenty of birds in the cemetery and at one point a flock of around fifty Jackdaws flew over and round about.
Plastic waste is a big issue, littering places across the world, making towns look untidy and damaging nature. Plastic is generally made from fossil fuel products, so also indirectly adds to the climate crisis.
Almost 100 billion pieces of plastic packaging are thrown away by UK households every year, and only 12% of that is recycled.
We often don't have a choice about our plastic use, often there is no alternative to plastic packaging for everyday essentials. I'm committed to reducing my plastic use, but in the past few years three refillery shops in my part of Edinburgh have opened and then closed again. These shops offered customers the chance to take along our own containers and fill them up with the products we want - from beans to washing up liquid. There are still some shops in Edinburgh offering that service, but now I have a much longer journey to refill my containers.
So what can we do?
March sees two campaigns on the plastic crisis.
First up is the Big Plastic Count, which is happening between 11-17 March 2024. For this week, we are being encouraged to count how much plastic we throw away (whether we put it in the recycling or into the landfill). You can take part as a household or get your school, community group or business involved. You can sign up here.
In 2022, almost a quarter of a million people took part in The Big Plastic Count and revealed that almost two billion pieces of plastic packaging are being thrown away in the UK every week. This year, the campaign hopes to provide even more evidence to convince UK government ministers to lead the way at the Global Plastic Treaty negotiations that could phase out plastic pollution.
Following on from the Big Plastic Count is the Spring Clean Scotland campaign, which will take place between 15 March - 28 April. This year's themes for #SpringCleanScotland are Nature, Communities, Health & Wellbeing and Marine Litter. To join in you can:
Find out more here.
Here's this year's Christmas tree.
It's in a pot and after the Christmas season is over it will go back to Crafty Green Boyfriend's mother's garden, where it will stay. It may come back next year, or we may get a different tree in a pot from the garden, or we may not have a tree at all! I've decorated it with a mix of handmade decorations, and odd earrings and old necklaces from 'bags of unsellable jewellery' that I've bought in second hand shops.
This new novel from poet scientist Sarah Watkinson merges a romantic tale with environmental concerns.
Recently widowed, Olivia has used the legacy left by her late husband to purchase a farm in the Yorkshire Dales, and aims
to fulfil their shared dream to create a sustainable farm that
respects local culture.
She comes down from her farm in Yorkshire to see Andrew Bamberg, a well-respected scientist and celebrity presenter of Invisible Wildlife, giving a presentation on soil microbes at the Natural History Museum in London.
Andrew is researching the importance of healthy soil ecology to the success of farming and the conservation of nature, but faces huge pressures within his University department, which is dominated by people who want to make money from GM crops. He gets the sack, which is the impetus he needs to start working on soil microbiology at Olivia's farm., allowing him to take "microbiome research into real landscapes."
This novel has a real sense of place, with well observed details, whether that is the children in London's Natural History Museum
"They fingered science-fiction plastic dinosaurs, these little inheritors of mammalian supremacy, each
child about the size of one of the Diplodocus’s vertebrae."
or the flora of the Yorkshire Dales:
"Underfoot the soaked turf was close and even, finely textured with the shapes of tiny leaves—clover, thyme, burnet, eyebright and gold patches of moss."
Though it focuses on the relationships between the main characters, the novel also looks at the complex of relationships between politicians, academics, farmers that become involved in any attempt to get an agricultural research project going. Details on topics such as business planning for the farm, looking after sheep or GM technology are included without slowing the story down. The reader is prompted to think about priorities, as one character says:
"So, we pay for a moon shot but can’t afford to catalogue the living things on the planet."
The engrossing story is peopled with convincing characters - it's an indication of how well Olivia's character is drawn that I actually fretted over whether she was moving too quickly in the relationship, convinced that she would be disappointed. You will of course need to read the novel to find out whether my concerns were correct!
Native Soil by Sarah Watkinson, published (6 October 2023) by Moore and Weinberg.
ISBN: 979 8 9854286 3 6 Paperback 304 pages RRP: £16.99 October 2023
Moore & Weinberg Publishing: www.mooreweinberg.com
Available through bookshops and internet booksellers (Also available as an ebook)
**
Disclaimer: I received a free e-book of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
**
Sarah Watkinson was recently the inaugural poet in residence at the
University of Oxford's Wytham Woods. You can find out more about that work in this inspiring, short video: https://bit.ly/3OWiRua
When you shop second hand and donate unwanted clothes to second hand shops, you reduce waste, take a stylish stance against climate change, and help create a fairer world.
Apart from underwear and shoes, I always buy second hand clothes. Not just clothes either, most of my books are second hand (though I like to buy new books when they are from small, independent publishers) as are many of our household items. Most recently, an old pedal bin broke. A bin isn't something I would normally think of buying second hand, but none of the local hardware shops had any bins and I found myself buying a bin from a local second hand shop. It's in excellent condition too.
Second Hand September
is all about celebrating second hand clothing! Can you commit, for the
whole month, to buying only second hand clothes? And don't forget to donate your pre-loved items! Find
out more about Second Hand September here and sign up to take part here.
Finally, here are some other ways to reduce the impact of your own clothing. Here are just a few:
Avoid fabrics with a high environmental footprint, such as non-organic cotton, leather and synthetic fibres
Choose organic cotton and other natural fabrics that are produced without toxic chemicals
Choose brands that are taking steps to reduce their environmental impact
Wash your clothes less often and only at 30 degrees
Buy less, choose well and make it last
I made this bookmark yesterday from leftover pink wool - there was almost exactly the right amount of wool to weave through the plastic mesh that is the base of the bookmark. The piece of mesh had been sitting around for ages, with me wondering what to do with it, then I realised it's exactly the right size for a bookmark and this is the result.
Every year, we forage raspberries from various sites in Edinburgh. In previous years, we've given most of the raspberries to Crafty Green Boyfriend's mother to make jam. This year, however, she isn't making jam, so I had the idea of making a trifle with the raspberries. And it was so nice, I'll do it again in the future! I don't generally write recipes, but hopefully the attempt below will give you some idea, if you want to make a fresh raspberry trifle yourself. You can of course use as much of the ingredients as suits your needs. Apart from the jelly, I don't use exact measurements. If you want the trifle to be entirely vegan, you could use a vegan cake, but I've not yet found a vegan cake that works in a trifle (if you have any recommendations let me know).
Ingredients
half a Madeira cake or raspberry Swiss roll (sliced)
Southern Comfort or similar to taste (optional)
vegan raspberry jelly
fresh raspberries
Method
Place the sliced cake in the bottom of a dish
Carefully measure out as much Southern Comfort as you want and pour it over the cake slices
Place the raspberries over the cake. There should be at least enough raspberries to cover the cake entirely.
Make the jelly up to one pint with boiling water.
Pour the jelly over the cake and raspberries.
Leave to cool and then place in the fridge to set.
Serve with a dairy alternative cream (my favourite is Oat cream.)
I made this lavender bag recently. It's made using reclaimed fabric and ribbons. The ribbon that's tied around the bag is secured with press-studs so that the bag can be refilled with fresh lavender if the scent is lost.
I did my regular litter picking and wildlife recording patrol in the Dells along the Water of Leith today. There was a lot of birdsong, it's particularly nice to hear Willow Warblers, which, years ago, when I started doing the patrols were never heard around here, now I'm hearing them every time I'm in the Dells, in two different places. Notable sightings included a group of five or six Long Tailed Tits, almost certainly a newly fledged family. Plus a Grey Heron and a Carrion Crow engaged in some sort of noisy squabble.
The Hawthorn Trees are at their best at the moment, they look beautiful
The marshy field is full of buttercups at the moment
Later in the year, there will hopefully be good numbers of Lesser Spotted Orchids here. I fairly often see Roe Deer here too, one year a mother deer regularly left her fawn in the long grass in this field.
Just further upstream from this field is Spylaw Park, where on Friday a new hub will open for Edinburgh Tool Library. They will be based in the (currently mostly unused) community shed in the park and will open on Fridays (for tool collection) and Mondays (for returning tools). You can find out more here.
Meanwhile, at home, our cactus is starting to bloom
Food waste is one of the topics that we cover in a class I'm currently co-tutoring on nutrition, food journaling and creative writing. We've discussed how reducing food waste can save money during the current cost of living crisis.
And today is Stop Food Waste Day!
A shocking one third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally.
Food waste is central to some of the key challenges facing the world today, not just hunger and poverty, but also climate change, health and wellbeing and agricultural sustainability. Wasting food also wastes the energy used to grow, harvest, process and cook. Food waste in landfill can cause methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas.
Stop Food Waste Day aims to inspire individuals and organisations to reduce food waste. The campaign website includes practical, creative ideas to minimise food waste, including a cookbook. This cookbook shares ideas on how to use leftover foods, including items you may have imagined as being impossible to use, such as banana peels!
There are three main types of ways to reduce food waste
I've just finished my latest craft project! This lovely tote bag is made from fabric scraps and buttons from various sources (several friends have given me scraps over the years as they know I can often use such things!) I'm quite pleased with the way it looks, though the fastener is slightly wonky.
The blue buttons match the blue in the main fabric so well, I just had to include them as decorative details!
This is the second tote bag I've made and involved quite a lot of design and sewing.
The first bag I made a few years ago, was easier to make as the bag part was already made and I just added the handles.
Subtitled Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast, this claims to be a book about giving up eating animal products, but mostly focuses elsewhere.
The first section of the book is full of interesting facts and thoughtful insights into the overall planetary crisis. We are told how in some places, there are so few bees that people are employed to pollinate plants, an appalling situation that shows how out of touch we are with nature. The whole section highlights the need to engage people with the crisis on an emotional level and shows how difficult it is for us to realise the enormity of what we're living through as we're living it. Things are only seen with full clarity with the benefit of hindsight. "We can't read the history we're creating" as Foer has it.
This section also includes such fascinating topics as:
* how the increased availability of glass mirrors lead to an increase in self portraiture, first person novels and a self centered approach to life,
* how the Mona Lisa only became really renowned outwith art circles after being stolen from the Louvre,
Foer states that the four most impactful things people can do to personally address the climate crisis are to: fly less, drive less, eat less animal produce and have fewer children. He suggests that everyone can start by cutting out animal products at their next meal, and that cutting out all animal products from breakfast and lunch can be a very effective way of reducing your carbon footprint. This is the takeaway message of the book.
After the promising start, the book deteriorates rapidly. It includes several pages of statistics (so much for emotional engagement!) and then a tedious section whee Foer interviews himself at great length about why he hasn't been able to reduce the amount of meat he eats himself, which is where he loses all credibility.
We Are The Weather by Jonathan Safran Foer, published (2019) by Hamish Hamilton (an imprint of Penguin)
Edinburgh Community Bookshop recently opened in Leith. Unlike most charity bookshops, this one supports a different local charity every month. You can read about the selected charities here.
Today I visited the shop for the first time since it opened (I have previously donated books) and browsed the impressive selection on the shelves. I also had a cup of green tea and a vegan chocolate biscuit!
It's a lovely shop, a good addition to the selection of second hand bookshops in the city and probably the only one with a cafe!
Currently, the shop is not accepting donations as it has been overwhelmed with donations so far! You can check out this page to find out when the shop might next be accepting donations!
I recently made this needle case and it's now in my Crafty Green Poet Etsy shop - you can see it here.
I made the cover of the case from blue grey velvet lined with a blue fabric patterned with a geometric design. The front of the case is embellished with a pale blue fabric flower. The case has 4 pages of pale orange felt and has a press-stud fastener for closure with a small pale blue pom-pom as embellishment.
All fabric and embellishments come from my stash of scrap fabrics or from second hand shops.
The Radical Jewellery Makeover is an international project breathing new life into unwanted, mismatched and broken jewellery. It invites members of the public to donate unwanted items of jewellery and these are used by professional and student jewellery makers to create new items, which are then displayed in an exhibition. Donors get vouchers, equivalent to the value of the jewellery they donated, to use against purchases from the exhibition.
The ethos of the project is to encourage crafters to think about how they source their materials, and to encourage the general population to think more carefully about the ethical aspects of their jewellery purchases.
Radical Jewellery Makeover is currently happening in Scotland! I recently donated some jewellery from my crafting stash, items that I haven't been able to use, but hopefully the professional jewellers will be able to create something with these items!
I was delighted then to be invited, along with all the other donors, as well as the participating makers, to an online event about the project, which happened a few days ago.
Kathleen Kennedy gave an overview of the project, outlining the elements of eco-consciousness and innovation that mark out the jewellery made as a result of the project. It's interesting that many of the items are made in such a way that they can be taken apart again when the wearer gets tired of them, then they can easily be refashioned into something else.
Three Scottish makers then spoke about their work:
Jo Pudelko runs the Central Scotland School of Jewellery in Dunblane, which highlights environmental best practice, material innovation, and low-impact alternatives, while respecting and sustaining traditional skills. Jo makes one off pieces of jewellery using found objects and material that she has collected over the years. Some of her thoughts about her ethos of crafting can be found in this article that she wrote for Craft Scotland.
Aubin Stewart has a passion for finding beauty in unexpected or discarded items. She uses materials such as plastics and leather offcuts in her jewellery.
Eleanor Symms is based in Edinburgh and uses a variety of scavanged items in her work, including sea worn plastics that she has picked up from local beaches or items found in the ash lagoons at Musselburgh. You can read her sustainability statement here.
Some Resources for Environmental Crafts
Here are some resources, put together from recommendations made during the online event and picked up from Eleanor Symm's website:
Fife Contemporary Artists' Environmental Resource.
The Scottish Goldsmiths' Trust's....Ethical Making website.
The Green Crafts Initiative (a joint project between Creative Carbon Scotland and Craft Scotland).
Precious Plastic Movement - dedicated to creative plastic recycling.
