Category: Counting On …

Reflections and actions during COP26 and going on

Counting on … day 1.150

25th June 2023

Another seasonal activity is picking and drying lavender. Lavender is best picked in the morning before the sun has reached the plant, and when the flowers are not yet at the stage of being fully open. This helps maximise the amount of lavender oil present in the flower. I collect the cut heads (stalks still attached) in paper bags and then put them in the airing cupboard to dry. Later in the year I will use the lavender to refill lavender bags. Sometimes I use small lavender bags which means removing the flowers from the stalks (by rubbing them inside the paper bag:the dry flowers drop to the bottom of the bag). Other times I use larger bags and fill them stalks and all!

Counting on … day 1.149

24th June 2023

Strawberries are giving way to Tay berries and raspberries – and by next week gooseberries too. To extend the enjoyment of eating them into the winter months, I bottle the fruit as well as making jam. 

This seems sensible too as I can reuse the jam jar a from previous years rather than putting used jars from the shops into the recycling bin – this must save on energy and glass. 

I have written about jam making and preserving previously –

https://greentau.org/tag/jam/

Counting on … day 1.148

23rd June 2023

Change does happen. For many years groups such as Operation Noah and Christian Climate Action have been campaigning to persuade churches – individually, by area (eg dioceses) and nationally – of all denominations to divest from fossil fuels because the use of these fuels directly contributes to the climate crisis. It has been an ongoing process with more and more churches coming on board. One of the more reluctant has been the Church of England nationally. However yesterday, the Church of England’s investment body announced that it would divest from  its fossil fuel investments as the major companies in this industry are  expanding rather than curtailing their business and not aligned with the Paris 1.5C agreement. 

Is this not an answer to prayer?

https://www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/press-releases/church-commissioners-england-exclude-oil-and-gas-companies-over

Counting on … day 1.147

22nd June 2023

Yesterday I took part in a prayer vigil outside the Supreme Court. Standing up – or kneeling in prayer – to give support can make a difference.

Inside Kent Council’s decision to grant planning permission for 20 years of oil extraction from the ground beneath Horse Hill was being challenged. In considering the environmental impact of the drilling, Kent Council had on,y consider scope 1 and 2 emissions – ie those directly produced in extracting the oil – and not the scope 3 emissions, being those that would be released when the oil was used. The parallel was drawn between the health impact of making a cigarette and smoking a cigarette. 

Why does landmark challenge on Horse Hill oil matter?

Counting on … day 1.146

21st June 2023

Before I buy, I should ask myself:

  • Do I need it? 
  • If so, could I borrow or hire it?
  • Has it a good provenance?
  • Who made it, and were they fairly paid? 
  • What raw materials were used and are they sustainable?
  • Can it be reused? 
  • Can it be mended?
  • What will be its afterlife? 
  • Can it be recycled? What residue will it leave?

Counting on … day 1.145

20th June 2023

Last Friday was Refill Day and next month is ‘Plastic-free July’. It feels, quite rightly, that we are being asked to think about how we buy things – do they come with excessive or polluting packaging? Are we over reliant on things (packaging and otherwise) that are made of plastic?  

– it’s a product that is made from  fossil oil  and which is very hard to recycle or safely dispose. 

What about buying things that are made of metal such as an aluminium washing up bowl? Or things that are made of wood such as a wooden spatula? 

What about buying things made of wool such as a pair of felt slippers? Or things that are made of cardboard such as box?

Counting on … day 1.144

19th June 2023

To share a joy with you! Our semi wild garden has various fruiting plants -some years they do well and some years not, but this year is definitely the year of the strawberry! They are plants are grew on from runners a couple of years ago and this year they are producing lovely big fruit with very little slug damage. It is a joy to pick them and eat them and turn them into jam.

Counting on … day 1.143

18th June 2023

We can sometimes underestimate the cumulative effect of small steps. The Earth Overshoot Day website notes that If we move the date 6 days each year, humanity can be out of overshoot before 2050. 

‘Halving our Ecological Footprint of clothing would move the date of Earth Overshoot Day 5 days …If we can double the lifetime use of our clothes, we can reduce the resource demand by half. Maintaining our existing wardrobe by buying pre-owned, repairing, and upcycling increases the lifespan of clothing.’ https://www.overshootday.org/portfolio/giving-clothing-a-longer-life/

Counting on … day 1.142

17th June 2023

Refill Day, Zero Waste, Plastic Free all link round the idea that we cannot afford to waste the earth’s resources. In the repairing and reliability are relevant. The following article comes from a recent article in the Guardian:-

Timpson bemoaned the fact that shoe repairs had not bounced back because of a surge in trainer wearing during the pandemic. The service has been in long-term decline because of competition from cheap footwear and the switch to more casual dressing. It now only makes up a “modest part” of the group’s trade. “Look at what people are wearing,” he said. “I was at a concert on Sunday and 100% people were wearing trainers or some sort of leisure shoe and they don’t get those repaired. The best part of the shoe repair business is people wearing really nice shoes to go the City and that’s still not back as it should be.” https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jun/11/timpson-group-dividend-lockdown-effect-recedes?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Why are we choosing to buy non repairable shoes?

Why do manufacturers design non repairable shoes?

Counting on … day 1.141

16th June 2023

Refill stores also supply dry goods for which you can take your own container or paper bags, or use the bags they provide. Goods available include spices (whole and ground), sugars and flours, rice, seeds, pulses, nuts, dried fruit, pasta, oats and other cereals, cocoa, etc. 

Shopping in this way cuts down on most or all packaging and allows us to pursue the ideal of zero waste. Refill stores often stock unpackaged bars of soap, deodorant etc. They equally often sell zero plastic options such as copper wire pan scrubbers, bamboo tooth brushes, rubber gloves, wooden dish mops etc.