Judith Russenberger

Counting on …. Day 78

28th January 2022

Mending and repairing items to extend their life applies to clothes too. Catching up a hem that has come unstitched, sewing a button back on, re stitching a gap/e in a seam, replacing a zip or patching a hole are straight forward repairs. Slightly more tricky but not impossible, you can turn cuffs and collars inside out when they being to wear.

There are plenty of web sites that will show you how to make repairs if you are not sure – and give you new ideas too. https://sewguide.com/clothing-repair-mending-tears/

See also repairing sheets https://greentau.org/2021/09/20/count-down-58/

And darning https://greentau.org/2021/09/03/count-down-41/

Zero Waste

27th January 2022

“One summer we set ourselves a zero waste challenge – we would try and live

for two weeks without producing any waste – i.e. nothing that goes into the dustbin. Whether it be food stuffs we used in the kitchen, cleaning materials around the house or tubes of toothpaste, the aim was to only use things that do not produce any non-recyclable waste. No bought bread unless the bag it came in could be recycled; no pre-packed fruit and vegetables unless all the packaging – including the film around the recyclable plastic box could be recycled – no mouthwash unless all the packaging including the plastic wrapper around the lid could be recycled.

In preparation we had reviewed how things we bought were packaged and what things usually went into our dustbin. Some things that were not waste free we decided we could do without for a couple of weeks. For things we did want we hunted for alternatives. The latter in itself proved an rewarding experience.

Tea whether bags or loose, often comes with an inner plastic wrapper. Seeking alternatives sources of tea we came across a tea shop, My Cup of Tea, where without blinking an eyelid, they weighed out the tea and tip it into our tea caddy. A number of coffee roasters are similarly happy to pour their beans into our tin. Each time there is an interesting conversation about waste free living. Where we couldn’t find a waste free alternative, we learnt to make our own. Pasta almost invariably comes in plastic or plastic-lined packaging, so had fun we brushing up our pasta making skills.

Week one and our un-recyclable waste was limited to: the plastic seal from under the milk bottle top, a blister packs from medication, a sticking plaster, the plastic film from a pack of pate, several mars bar wrappers, the plastic seal from an jar of instant coffee, a plastic envelope from a greeting card, and a plastic lined bag for coffee beans.

To achieve this level of zero waste we had had to make compromises on other principles. Whilst supermarkets do sell some loose fruit and vegetables, their organic produce is nearly always is pre-packed in plastic. Whole Food sells loose nuts, dried fruits, grains and pulses but not from fair trade sources.

The zero waste experiment prompted us to look at the life cycle of daily objects such as toothbrushes which routinely go into landfill. We bought bamboo ones which can be composted. It is made us think about the costs of recyclable waste. Is the single use of a bottle that will then be recycled – taken by lorry to a separating plant and the possibly shipped across to Asia for reprocessing before being made into a new container – really good for the environment? Should we instead look for reusable packaging? A durable bottle filled from the tap instead of a plastic bottle of water from the shop, a washing up liquid bottle that can be refilled, refillable ink cartridges, a fountain pens…..?”

The above is a reflection of my family’s experiment with zero waste some four years ago. It is interesting to note that some of the things that were going into our refuse bin then, we would now recycle. Blister packs for pills go to the recycling collection point at Superdrug, and the plastic film and wrappers would now go to the soft plastic recycling point at the Coop or Tescos. Only the sticking plaster would still go into the refuse bin.

More important has been how the experiment changed the way shopped. We discovered that with the zero waste experiment, not only did we put less in our refuse bin, but we also put less in our recycling bins too. We had been actively looking for unpackaged goods, and that mindset continues with us today.

All packaging incurs a cost financially and with respect to the environment, and a further cost when it is either thrown away as refuse or is recycled as new sources of raw material. Consuming less packaging is almost invariably a good thing!

Tips for swopping to a zero waste lifestyle:-

Make a commitment to trying the zero waste approach for a fixed short term period.
Plan for the time period in advance: Do a survey of your refuse bin: what things are you routinely throwing away?
What things might you have to do without for your agreed fortnight/ month?
What alternatives could you buy instead? Check out local markets and smaller independent shops – often they are are more flexible in what they expect of customers.
Search for local bulk stores – also known as refill stores – where you decant

from large dispensers the ingredients you want to buy, filling up your own containers or paper bags etc. The range of items on sale is quite surprising, from powder turmeric to pasta, from olive oil to chick peas, from oats to cocoa nibs, from ground almonds to hair shampoo.
Ready made foods often have more packaging to protect them in their finished status: could you buy the raw ingredients with less packaging and make your own? Have a go at making your own biscuits, bread, pastry etc?
Buying in bulk may reduce the proportionate amount of packaging. I bake bread and buy flour in 6kg sacks. A 500ml pot of yogurt has less packaging than 4 individual tubs – or make your own in reusable glass jars.
Fruit and vegetable box schemes often use minimal packaging.
Change your mind set: if you normally reach for plastic snack bar to keep you going, get the habit of having a banana or a handful of nuts instead. If you need a packed lunch, make a sandwich to take or buy a bread roll rather than opting for the plastic-packed ready made sandwich. If you’re going out for an ice-cream look for one that is served fresh in a cornet rather than one that’s pre-packed in plastic. Develop an aversion for crisps and individually packed biscuits.
And if you feel that something you buy is over packaged, send the packaging back to the manufacturer with a query about its necessity.

These tips focus primarily on food, but the same issues apply to other things too – roles of sticky tape and sticks of glue that come in plastic packaging; paper, cards and note books wrapped in plastic; pants and socks in individual plastic bags etc.

Advocates of zero waste lifestyles are often as keenly focused on following a plastic free lifestyle too. Friends of the Earth have list of ideas to change to a zero plastic waste lifestyle – https://friendsoftheearth.uk/plastics/living-without-plastic

Counting on …day 77

27th January 2022

I am a small part of a local sewing group – The Scrubbery – making NHS scrubs. Recently an engineer visited the central hub so that people could bring in their sewing machines for a service/ overhaul. Serving and maintaining equipment that we use is an important way of extending the life of such items – a good way of maintaining a more sustainable lifestyle.

Counting on … day 76

26th January 2022

Buying and eating local foods means different things depending what you are consuming. Local honey in East Sheen can mean honey that comes from hives in Richmond Park. Local greens and salads can mean picked fresh from your garden, allotment or even window sill. Local vegetables might be those grown in Surrey, Sussex or Kent. One day local fish might mean eels or salmon from the Thames!

What about the main stay of a plant based diet, beans and pulses? Visits to the supermarket might make you think they in’s grow in China. In fact a great variety of beans and pulses are grown here in the UK – green lentils, chick peas, Carlin peas, fave beans, blue, green and yellow peas, and even Black Badger peas. Hodmedod specialises in sourcing and selling UK grown produce especially peas, beans and lentils, but also chia seed, quinoa, and seaweed. Buying local is easier than you might think.

https://hodmedods.co.uk/

Counting on …day 73

25th January 2022

Burns Night is a time for poetry, haggis and whisky. Whisky production uses lots of energy in the distilling process much of which comes from fossil fuels. The Scotch Whisky Association is leading an industry wide campaign to address this – although their net zero target of 2040 is not inspirational. https://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/insights/sustainability/

That said two distilleries have or are about to become net zero companies: Mc’Nean and Bruchladdich. The more consumers seek out net zero companies, the more companies will follow this trend.

And for a vegan haggis see https://greentau.org/2021/11/30/counting-on-day-17/

Counting on … day 72

24th January 2022

Bin collection day. Today our landfill bin is going out. This is its first outing for about 7 months. Some years ago we experimented with zero waste. Whilst we our waste output is not zero, we have been able to substantially reduce it – and at the same time we have not seen an increase in the amount that goes into our recycling bins.

Our bin is also part of the Bin Twinning scheme. https://www.bintwinning.org/

The Green Tau: issue 31

Zero Waste – why?

24th January 2022

Zero Waste is the idea that nothing should end up as land fill, in an incinerator or being washed out to sea/ caught in a tree/ blown onto a mountain top as rubbish. Whatever is left after we have consumed something should be recyclable so that nothing is wasted. Zero waste means not buying/ consuming more than you need. Zero waste means cradle-to-cradle or closed loop design of all we consume.

Why is waste an issue?

Waste that we throw away has to be disposed of. Historically waste was buried in midden heaps or burnt on the household fire or thrown onto the street or into a nearby river. The amount of waste was generally small enough that this was not impractical. As towns grew and as the amount of things people could acquire and casually discard grew, so waste became a problem. As long as amongst the waste there were things that could be recycled for financial gain, there were people who would take on the waste problem. In the 18th century urban areas had business known as ‘dust yards’ where rubbish was collected and sorted to,extract what could be resold – bones for knife handles and glue, coal ash for bricks etc. When waste became a potential health hazard, the authorities intervened. In 1846 the Nuisance Removal and Disease Prevention Act set up the first regulatory waste management system operate by municipal boards. The Public Health Act of 1875 required all householders to put their rubbish in bins for weekly collection.

Having a system for taking waste away doesn’t reduce the amount of waste produced. The amount of waste we produced has grown exponentially. Globally (circa2016) we produce 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal waste a year (ie waste from households, shops and small businesses collected by local authorities – as opposed to waste generated on an industrial scale such as in mining, farming , manufacturing). The average of 0.74 kg per per person per day masks a range from 0.11kg to 4.55kg. Typically it is the less developed countries that generate least waste whilst it is nations such as Denmark, the USA, New Zealand, the most. Here in the UK we averaged 392kg (2017) down from 425kg in 2010. As more countries become increasingly developed/ westernised, the World Bank estimates that average per capita waste will increase to 3.4kg per day by 2050 – a projected annual total of 3.4 billion tonnes.

Waste and its disposal can cause various pollution and health concerns. Uncollected waste can be a source of infection. It can attract vermin and scavengers that may further transmit infections. It can block drains and water ways causing flooding. It can produce chemicals that pollute water supplies. It can create unpleasant odours as well dangerous gases that irritate and damage lungs or that can enter the blood steam and cause further forms of ill health. It can be blown across land, lodging in trees and branches where it may injure wildlife as well domesticated animals (n Richmond Park deer die each year from eating rubbish). It can end up in the middle of oceans or on remote mountain tops. It may end up as waste polluting the seas – this is especially true of discarded marine nets.

Most waste is collected but that doesn’t eradicate the health and pollution risks. Most will either be incinerated producing noxious fumes and health debilitating small particulates as well as CO2, or goes into some form of landfill which depending upon the level of safeguards in place, will still be a cause of much pollution. Buried waste in landfill also produces methane. Globally only 13.5% of municipal waste is recycled (https://datatopics.worldbank.org/what-a-waste/trends_in_solid_waste_management.html).

The world’s stock of resources – in particular raw materials such as minerals, but also things such as water, timber, peat, helium gas – is finite. We cannot carry on manufacturing and consuming at current levels. In 2021 Earth Overshoot Day – the day when we have consumed as many resources as the world can annually regenerate – fell on 29th July (https://www.overshootday.org/). On the one hand we need to find ways of consuming less, and in the other – or at the same time – we need to ensure we extract and recycle as much as we can from what we throw away. This imperative to use less and recycle more applies as much to industry as it does to individual consumers. And much of the burden must lie within the industries, for it is here that designs can be adapted so as a) to use less resources and b) to ensure ease of recycling when the product reaches its end of life.

What is needed is cradle-to-cradle or closed-loop design, production and recycling. Whilst the onus for this lies with the industries, consumers do have a role to play. We can do our research and only buy, where possible, items that come from closed-loop system. This could be milk in glass bottles that are collected and reused by the milk company. It could be clothes that the maker takes back when they expire and use to create new clothes. It could be paper or cardboard that are collected and processed into new paper and cardboard. We can be conscientious about collecting, sorting and recycling everything we use. And on the way, we can extend the life of the things we use by reusing and repairing them. We can aim for a 100% zero waste lifestyle.

Counting on … day 71

23rd January 2022

Watching birds come into the garden is a great pleasure. Providing them with food, water and places to shelter (and later to nest) is rewarding. Birds are vulnerable to viruses so it is important to keep clean the places where they are fed.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/how-you-can-help-birds/feeding-birds/keep-your-bird-table-healthy/

Epiphany 3

23rd January 2022

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

All the people of Israel gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel. Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month. He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Psalm 19

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, *
and the firmament shows his handiwork.

2 One day tells its tale to another, *
and one night imparts knowledge to another.

3 Although they have no words or language, *
and their voices are not heard,

4 Their sound has gone out into all lands, *
and their message to the ends of the world.

5 In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun; *
it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;
it rejoices like a champion to run its course.

6 It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens
and runs about to the end of it again; *
nothing is hidden from its burning heat.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect
and revives the soul; *
the testimony of the Lord is sure
and gives wisdom to the innocent.

8 The statutes of the Lord are just
and rejoice the heart; *
the commandment of the Lord is clear
and gives light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is clean
and endures for ever; *
the judgments of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold,
more than much fine gold, *
sweeter far than honey,
than honey in the comb.

11 By them also is your servant enlightened, *
and in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can tell how often he offends? *
cleanse me from my secret faults.

13 Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;
let them not get dominion over me; *
then shall I be whole and sound,
and innocent of a great offence.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
heart be acceptable in your sight, *
O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptised into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honourable we clothe with greater honour, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honour to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts.

Luke 4:14-21

Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Reflection

Nehemiah, an important official (Cup Bearer to king Artaxerxes I of Persia) had been tasked with re-establishing the city of Jerusalem. He did this physically: rebuilding its walls and thereby asserting its role as a city on the same level as cities of other peoples in the region, such as the Samaritans and the Ammonites. And socially: rebuilding the people there as one community shaped by and bound together by the mosaic law. These residents of Jerusalem were a mixed bunch. There were those who were decedents of those who had not been exiled to Babylon but had remained in Judea. There were those who had over recent years returned from Babylon. And there were others who lived there but had no connection to the God of Moses. There had been tension between the groups and examples of some bullying and prejudice. And there had been examples of people marrying outside the faith and loosing their allegiance to God.

In today’s passage, the priest Ezra is reading the Law of Moses to the assembled people. It is as if they are hearing it for the first time. They weep as if suddenly aware of their failings, their sinfulness, and are now penitent. They understand now that there is one law that defines the one way in which they are to live if they are to be one people. They leave blessed and restored, united as the people of God.

We in the United Kingdom are a divided, mix bunch of people. We know that great inequality exists between the different regions of the country, between different ethnic groups, between rural and urban communities, and between those whose incomes and wealth are growing and those who incomes and wealth are dwindling. We know that divisions exist between those who can afford food, heating, cars, private health care, and those who cannot. We sense that these divisions diminish life for all of us, that they are unsustainable, and will ultimately be destructive of the lives we lead.

In 2020 as the first wave of covid struck, we suddenly realised how important were the people who stacked the supermarket shelves, who drove trains and buses, who emptied the bins and cleaned the streets. We realised how much we relied on child care and teachers, and how very important were the medics in our hospitals and the research scientists in the labs. We clapped and praised them.

We realised how very important our local communities were, how we could help one another, how good it was to know the people in our streets. We discovered what we could achieve when we all became good neighbours. We realised how important it was to have access to green spaces, to have places where we could walk, or run or cycle or just sit. And we rediscovered the pleasure of breathing fresh air, of hearing birds singing, and seeing the landscape clearly without the fog of pollution.

That was two years ago. Do we still remember how it felt? Do we still think that those people, those relationships, those places are important? Or has it all been caught up and lost in the mists of time as more pressing matters have come along?

What might we learn from today’s reading that could be useful? The passage from Nehemiah tells us of the importance of rules held in common, of a shared sense of what is right and wrong, a shared sense that there is such a thing as the common good. In a multi cultural, multi faith society it might be hard to find a set of commonly held religious rules, yet can we not all find agreement in the idea of loving our neighbour as ourself, in the importance of justice and fairness and equality? Can we not do all we can to encourage community groups, community focused neighbourhoods, community gardens, community centres and community shops? Can we not all agree that we should level things up so that everyone is on a level playing field and that everyone has equal opportunities? And can we not agree that laws and economic policies and taxation should be designed for the wellbeing of all and not just a few, and that in working for wellbeing this should include the environment?

The exert from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians gives us an apt image for respecting each other as equals. The CEO cannot say to the shelf stacker, I don’t need you, and the banker cannot say to lorry driver, I don’t need you. If we were all pension fund managers, who would clean the streets? If we were all politicians, who would nurse the sick? In all our difference we are equally important, and need to be valued and respected as such. In a world which often equates value with pay, we need to bring a much greater equality in pay – ie to reduce the Gini coefficient. And overhaul our tax system so that it is both fair and so that it rebalances wealth.

The reading from Luke’s gospel gives us the words of Isaiah as Jesus’s manifesto. Empowered by the Spirit, he declares his ambitions for:-

bringing good news to the poor – good news that must surely include relief from food poverty and fuel poverty;

release for the captives which must surely include release from impossible debts both here and across the world, both for households and for essential organisations such as the NHS and the educational system, for the BBC and the Environment Agency;

sight for the blind which must include vision and clarity for administrators and politicians, business leaders and investors;

freedom for the oppressed which must include freedom from individual and institutional racial prejudice, religious prejudice, sexual and gender-based, and prejudice against those with physical and mental disabilities;

a year of the Lord’s favour which must surely include enshrining kingdom values at the heart of society.

Today’s readings can inspire our vision for a far better world, and being inspired, we should remember that we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit in various forms so that we can achieve this vision.

Counting on …day 68

21st January 2022

Today I am posting a message from The Two Minute Action Team: about reducing air craft traffic – and the pollution that causes – by ending ‘ghost flights’.

“All you have to do is to sign a petition on “ghost flights”. These are empty aircraft flown by airlines to preserve what is often their most valuable asset: permission to land at and take off from, high-demand airports such as Heathrow. These are real flights creating carbon dioxide, air pollution and noise. A good example of how commercial considerations are prioritised over the environment by both government and airlines.

The petition is here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/605749

Please share this with anyone who cares about health or the environment.

Once again thanks for taking action – your support can really make a difference.

Thank you,

The Two Minute Actions Team

The 2 Minute Action group is a coalition of groups campaigning locally on environmental issues, including Richmond and Twickenham Friends of the Earth, Richmond Cycling Campaign, Richmond and Twickenham Green Party, Teddington Action Group, West London Friends of the Earth, Richmond Extinction Rebellion, the Friends of Heathfield Rec and Make Air Safe and Clean (MASC).

If you want to join please sign up here: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/join-2-minute-actions”