Green Patches

Shop til you drop: I'm green, not a Granny!

Not, of course that there is anything wrong with being a Green Granny. No, Mr GP and I  - both independently of each other, have made one of those milestone decisions - the sort that come with maturity, the wisdom of age, and, as I'm sure our offspring will say,  a total and embarrassing lack of any sense of street cred whatsoever. With one  of us a non-driver and  with only the two of us resident now the birds have flown the nest, online supermarketing seems a wee bit extravagant; I've only done a few Tesco 'runs' since the youngest GP went to uni nearly two years ago. So, we are seriously considering doing what I'm sure we'd once have said we wouldn't be seen dead doing...Yes,  buy a shopping trolley, wheeled shopper, drag bag, whatever you want to call it. A quick bit of googling,and I've learned that a) the days of the dreaded tartan montrosity are long gone...well...almost; there's a veritable plethora of  jazzy, snazzy , funky, trendy (IMHO the last two adjectives by definition wouldn't be used by any self-respecting funky, trendy person, but then, I'm your original cynic!) trolleys around, and the only pressing decision needed is how much we're prepared to fork out for one. b) That  aside, anybody buying one still needs to be prepared for a fair bit of flak from their nearest, dearest,and any passing Tom, Dick and Harry, c)There are quite a few brave souls amongst the 'younger' generation, i.e.  anybody under the age of  eherm...say...fifty -five, who, given moral suppport, would love to give it a go. 
It's a matter of image, methinks. Sad, but true. I've just discovered walkit.com, the Urban Walking Route Planner site, who've said exactly what I've been thinking:

"Ever used a wheelie shopping bag?Ever used a wheelie suitcase? Why has it become socially acceptable for blokes (particularly Masters of the Universe businessmen) to use wheelie suitcases, but said blokes (and most women under a certain age) would not be seen dead walking their groceries home in a wheelie shopping bag?Weird, isn't it?We need a campaign to reinvent the shopping trolley wheelie bag thingy (in fact we could start with a new name – any ideas?)."

Yes, yes, and yes. I've spent a lot of time this last year, travelling up and down the rail network with my trusty little rucksack on wheels, and  from what I've seen, the wheeled case is the rule now rather than the exception. So, why the euch factor with the humble shopper? Is it an age thing? A British thing? (They're increasingly popular on the continent; we've seen them). A social thing? Like use of public transport  here in the UK;  I get the impression that  in many places outside of the big cities, to use the bus is regarded as only for the elderly or "unfortunate," such a contrast to our time in France where the system was widespread, efficient and relatively cheap. "Why would I want to take my car into the centre?" I remember one chic, designer dressed woman say.  (Exactly). Answers on a postcard, please .

So, what's it to be? Plain, striped, checked, retro-flower-power,  insulated, 2/4/6 wheel, flap-top, drawstring, foldable, Warhol, Monroe,  Paris market, leopardskin print, silver? Will we take the plunge? We'll keep you posted.

Wednesday

Wednesday  chez Greenpatch is fruit and veg day, when Abel and Cole  deposit a small, mixed box, stuffed to the brim with all sorts of healthy bits n pieces on our doorstep.

They're one of the UK's best known suppliers of organic fruit and veg, with a range that's expanded over the years to include a wide range of other groceries; they even supply drinks, chocolates and cleaning materials. Opening our weekly box is always a surprise, if not a challenge, as, like them apples  we're forced to employ all our ingenuity in working out how to use up all our supplies before next week's delivery comes round; (not a bad dilemma to have, all things considered). I smiled when I read about the "How the hell do I use  this?" , even more so the occasional "What the hell is this?" moments. These happen in the Greenpatch cuisine, too...frequently.

Happily, the Abel and Cole weekly newsletter has come to our rescue, with a page of hints on how to use up those veggies that insist on lurking forlornly in the far wastes of fridge and cupboard. My personal Greenpatch speciality is stuffed potatoes and veg soup. (Garlic this week, as we've a bunch of droopy celery to use up!)  And for more ideas, they've pointed us towards their Food Waste Manifesto, created last summer.

To go back to them apples - food and cooking in Saltaire, Yorkshire,  their latest blog 'reviews' a typical Abel and Cole mixed box, with a comparison of cost, quality and convenience with similar produce from one of the leading supermarkets.  Do have a look.

We'll get back to you when Mr Greenpatch's famous organic apple cider experiment (currently gurgling ominously in a corner of his dressing room) reaches completion... Watch This Space.

Are You Self-Sufficientish?

Asks Eco-Worrier over at  the 'Times.'  Anna Shepard passes on Ten unexpected benefits of being self-sufficientish from Andy and Dave Hamilton, urban guides to almost self-sufficiency. There are some great tips on their site for you to follow. Thus spake the Greenpatches whose sole effort to grown her own produce just now consists of cultivating a rather forlorn basil plant on the kitchen window sill. (Next to the would-be Honesty plant).

I wonder if Mr GP might be interested in the Hamilton's recipe for nettle beer?  It'd provide me with the ideal excuse to put off that weeding for a little longer!

Ash Wednesday

For the first day of the Methodist Church Buy Less, Live More campaign click on the link.

Fresh from the January Sales?

Have you signed up to the Methodist Church of Great Britain's Buy Less, Live More campaign?

During Lent 2008 these webpages (accessible through www.buylesslivemore.org.uk) will be a resource to encourage people to change their patterns of behaviour - becoming less 'consumerist' and more generous and fulfilled.

There will be two different challenges on each day of Lent, around the two themes of 'Buy Less' and 'Live More'.

The challenges will be available here on the website, and also by email subscription and through a dedicated Facebook group. People will be able to share their experiences online.

To tie in with and promote 'Buy Less Live More' a special Lent 'credit card' will be produced. The idea is that people can put the cards in their wallets, perhaps covering up their real credit cards, as a reminder to 'think before you spend'.

More details via the 'No New Shoes' website or at the Methodist Church. 

Looking ahead

With No New Shoes:

The Methodist Church was so impressed with our efforts last year that we are going to follow up No New Shoes with a campaign called 'Buy Less : Live More'.

During Lent people who sign up will receive a daily email with 2 challenges/ideas one about buying less and one about 'living more'. So as well as reducing your carbon footprint by getting off the consumer treadmill, you can live life in all its fullness.

More details to follow.

Opting out of consumerism

...And you thought the No New Shoes experiment was challenging! The BBC Religion and Ethics Department are searching for willing volunteers. Further details via the first link- ongoing discussion  - What do we mean by opting out of consumerism? Is it practical?  - here.

I won't be putting myself forward ;). though I shall follow the programme with interest.

 

Support old bags!

Image first uploaded by net efekt on Flickr

Yes, really. And before readers suggest I wash my mouth out with soap, go over to No New Shoes and find out how you can add your name to Green England's plastic bag petition. Do your bit to reduce the mountain of carrier bags that lurk in every household, workplace, and landfill site.  Better still, do as our No New Shoes ladies suggest and buy one of the many jute (or cloth) shoppers now available.

This can backfire, of course. As I walk everywhere, I'm a great fan of these new bags. Letting the world and the contents of my shopping basket spill out of splitting plastic carriers isn't my idea of fun. The only problem being I like the 'green' bags so much, and find them so useful that they hardly leave the house. They get used as a kind of freestyle, mobile filing system, for books, files, post, important documents, ironing, washing...you name it. They're lightweight, compact, store easily, and are so useful for those 'lightning' tidy-ups one does when visitors are due!  Then, of course, slowly, imperceptively, they begin to breed. Open the wardrobe and they've set up a colony, elected a committee and come up with a mission statement!  They're everywhere. Except when you need to go shopping.

So, what do you do? You reach under the sink and pull out...a plastic carrier bag! 

Living green, living simply?

Nicomachus host of this week's 'Carnival of the Green' points us to some ponderings on whether the current wave of 'green' consumerism is entirely compatible with a simple lifestyle.

The finale for this week’s Carnival is an entry that wasn’t submitted -- just one I came across while reading. The author asks a pertinent question that bears repeating in this new wave of popular environmentalism: whether the green aspects of green consumerism outweigh the costs of consumerism itself. Like her, I too am skeptical. Living green is about simplifying one's demands of the world, and green consumerism is still consumerism. How do we get out of this box?

The media’s obsession with beauty, wealth and fame blights every issue it touches, but none more so than green politics. There is an inherent conflict between the aspirational lifestyle journalism which makes readers feel better about themselves and sells country kitchens and the central demand of environmentalism: that we should consume less.

Eco Junk?  The Guardian - Comment

Proof, I suppose, that it's possible to fall into the consumer trap -  however good or pure  your intentions.

Back to where it all began...

News from No New Shoes.