Recent Comments

1. Get Rid Of Some Of Your Books - 30 Sep 2005

   I love getting a good buy on a book at the local charity shops. Now my stack is quite high and its time to stop and just read. However, in 3 years (probably) I will be moving back to Canada and the less books the better. So after I read them I donate them to our little local library (they use some of them and sell the rest to buy new ones) or give them to my daughter who takes them to Workshop (surely you’ve seen the fliers on the loo doors at Greenbelt) and students there buy them and the money goes to help Workshop.

2. Stop Taking Plastic Bags From Shops - 30 Sep 2005

   I am working on this. I bought several strong Sainsbury’s bags. They are nice and big. I had quite a few cloth ones, but they are quite small.Maybe I should use them to put produce into-I’m sure that would cause a stir at the checkout.

   Shopping local helps with this. The man at our local shop now knows that I will use my basket and I don’t need to say anything (unless I have forgotten the basket and need a bag!!).

3. Become A Blood Donor - 30 Sep 2005

   I’ve been doing this since the girls were very little. They were good at sitting still, so I would take them along. They shared the snacks (in Germany they give 100 gram chocolate bars). By the time they were 17 they were raring to go to the clinics themselves. They were very disappointed that on return to Canada they would not be able to donate due to BSE, but Canada has just relaxed the rules. Yeah!!

4. Share a Meal With Someone Outside Your Comfort Zone - 13 Nov 2005

   First step was to invite the 4 tenants in our flats to a supper. We said that it was important to find out who they were so that we all would be safer( and get to meet some interesting people). They all came and our household got to know more about the other people living in our building. Now we need to think how to spread some Christmas cheer to our neighbors.

5. Buy Presents That Make A Difference - 13 Nov 2005

   Being committed to this forces me to think ahead. I do like to think about the individual I am getting or making a present for and look around for a few months to find a good alternative (making one, or Fairtrade or others). We even bought some from the merchants at Greenbelt this year!

6. Shop locally - 02 Jan 2006

   Have begun to think more about air miles- won’t buy grapes this winter- to the dismay of my family! We have a weekly farmer’s market, but we have not car so it is a 20 minute walk there and back. The return trip causes a lot of excertion on my part with everything on my back. (Good for the body, I guess).

   Our community makes a trip every 14 days or so to Tesco- 3 families + to a mini-van.

   I wish that one could buy the staples (flour etc) in larger quantities here in this country. In Canada we can buy flour in 10 Kilo bags.

   Daughters are now staunch vegetarians, so spouse and I are eating mostly veggie too. I have decided to buy organic meat when we do eat meat.

7. Make A Special Effort To Look Out For Strangers - 02 Jan 2006

   I often want to thank the (mostly) men who are doing the street cleaning. Then I wonder if to do it would be condescending. They are doing work that I sure wouldn’t want to do. Still haven’t figured that out. But I do say hello if I meet them out on my walk.