Review: Living The Good Life

I really enjoyed "Living the Good Life" by Linda Cockburn. It's the story of an Australian family who spend six months without spending any money, but still living a fairly normal life. They had already converted their half-acre garden to a fruit and vegetable plot (with chickens and a goat called "Possum") to provide all their food, and installed solar hot water, photovoltaics and water catchment to provide electricity and water.

It's also peppered with facts and figures about the harm our modern lifestyles are doing to the planet and to ourselves, including the table I reproduced a couple of weeks ago in "Consumerism v Humanitarianism". These help explain why the family felt motivated to do such a thing, and perhaps should motivate readers to make some changes in their own lifestyles. But if you really don't like that sort of thing you can easily skip those parts because they appear in coloured boxes, so you can just go to the next bit of narrative about the family.

One factor that made it an easy read was that I really liked her. I'd like to meet her and just hang out, because she seemed funny and relaxed, whilst also passionate and serious about things that I agree are important. She kept that balance which (dare I say it) some eco-warriors tend to lose. So there is plenty of humour in the book. For example when their six-year-old son loses patience with the project and declares:

I don't care what's for dinner as long as it comes with a free toy!

Maybe I'm weird (well I know I'm weird) but when I read about how they went six months without buying new clothes (even though they all lost weight and their clothes were dropping off them), or new shoes (and had to mend their own flip-flops), or books (gasp!) or anything else, I really envied them and wished I could do it myself. So many aspects of their lifestyle seemed idyllic, that even their hardships didn't seem as bad as struggling to do the weekly shop in the rain, queueing up for hours at the checkout and then sitting stuck in the traffic on the way home, or the other "hardships" of normal modern life.

The end of the book describes their first couple of weeks "post-project". They had looked forward to having a huge blow-out, eating all the fast food they could get, and buying all the posessions money can provide. But they quickly found it wasn't nearly as enjoyable as they had anticipated. The dad had spent the whole six months cycling home from work past a KFC and trying to resist the alluring smell of hot chips. but when the project was over and he could have gone in and bought them if he wanted, he found he didn't really want to any more.

I recommend you read this book. For one reason, it might open your eyes and motivate you to make some changes in your lifestyle that would benefit you and the whole planet. It certianly did that for me. But that's not the main reason you should read it. The main reason is that it's a good read. I think you'll enjoy it.

Interview with Friends of the Earth

I am a big supporter of Friends of the Earth, the environmental campaigning organisation. In particular their campaigns on food and farming are close to my heart. Richard Hines from the Friends of the Earth Real Food & Farming Team agreed to answer some of my questions.

Bean-sprouts: A lot of families are on a very tight budget and find it hard to afford fresh fruit and veg, never mind buying organic. What would you suggest?

Richard: Get down to your local market or greengrocer and you might be surprised how reasonable their prices are. Studies have shown that they're cheaper than the supermarkets for fruit & veg which means you can eat tasty fresh produce on a tight budget. And if you spend an extra few minutes cooking from fresh instead of buying ready-made meals you'll save loads of money too, and have a much healthier diet.

Bean-sprouts: I know all the reasons to buy organic, and Fair Trade, and local. But it's rare to be able to get all three in one product. When I have to choose between them, which should I go for and why?

Richard: Each product is different so there isn't a golden rule for choosing what to buy. But you can go a long way to reducing your environmental impact by buying seasonal, local produce from local shops wherever possible. That way you'll be benefiting the environment by cutting down on food miles whilst supporting local farmers and shops. But if you simply must have those bananas and chocolate then look for the Fair Trade version. And if pesticides are your main concern then organic produce will be your best bet.

Bean-sprouts: Another ethical dilemma is when big companies with poor ethical or environmental records produce certified organic or Fair Trade products alongside the rest of their range. Should conscientious buyers choose these products or continue avoiding the company?

Richard: When choosing what to buy, shoppers should certainly bear in mind who they're buying from as well as what they're buying. Simply having a few green or ethical products doesn't hide the fact that big companies damage the environment and often treat suppliers unfairly. If a company has a poor record, seek out alternatives. And if your local shops don't have the products you want, ask for them!

Bean-sprouts: How can I be sure that food I buy does not contain genetically modified ingredients?

Richard: GM products have to be labelled so they should be easy to spot, and thanks to opposition from shoppers there still aren't many out there. Unfortunately there is a loophole when it comes to meat and dairy. Although they need to be labelled if they contain GM ingredients themselves, products from animals fed GM (such as GM soya) do not have to be labelled as such. The only way to guarantee that the food you're eating doesn't come from animals fed GM is to buy organic.


Thank you, Richard. That was very interesting and helpful. I must admit I sometimes buy non-organic meat, but now I know it may come from animals fed on GM ingredients I will avoid it religiously in future.

Consumerism v Humanitarianism

I am reading "Living the Good Life" by Linda Cockburn. It is about an Australian family who spent 6 months without spending any money. They planned it for years in advance, building up a vegetable garden and keeping chickens and a goat to provide all their food, installing solar panels on their roof and rainwater catchment tanks etc.

Iam enjoying it so far, it is a good read. I'll probably write a proper review when I've finished it. But for now I wanted to share with you the following table from the book. When I read it, I wanted to cry.

CONSUMERISM V. HUMANITARIANISM
Consider the priorities in global spending in 1998
Global Priority......................................................$US Billions
Basic education for everybody in the world.......................6
Cosmetics in the United States.......................................8
Water and sanitation for everyone in the world..................9
Ice cream in Europe.....................................................11
Reproductive health for all women in the world..................12
Perfumes in Europe and the United States........................12
Basic health and nutrition for everyone in the world............13
Pet foods in Europe and the United States........................17
Business entertainment in Japan.....................................35
Cigarettes in Europe.....................................................50
Alcoholic drink in Europe................................................105
Narcotic drugs in the world............................................500
Military spending in the world.........................................780

Lotta Bottle

We've recently started getting our milk delivered by the milkman again. Milk deliveries are an ethical choice because:

• Dairies are cooperatives of dairy farmers so the farmers get a fair price. Many supermarkets pay dairy farmers less than the cost of production and one dairy farmer goes out of business every day because of it. That's why the milk from your milkman costs more than in the supermarket. The milk in the supermarket is unsustainably cheap
• Milk comes in glass bottles which are collected and reused up to 20 times before being recycled. In the supermarket it comes in plastic bottles which will take 50-100 years to degrade
• Milkmen were using quiet efficient electric milk floats decades before electric cars started becoming available to the eco-conscious public
• Milkmen are a valuable part of the community. For example, they are usually the first people to notice when someone isn't taking in their milk, and may contact the police to investigate why. It might be that the customer went away on holiday and forgot to cancel. Or it might be that they collapsed and need medical attention. Either way it's good to know that someone would notice.

Other benefits of getting milk delivered:

• You don't have to make as many trips to the shops because you've run out of milk. When was the last time you did that and only bought a pint of milk? You always buy other stuff too, don't you? So getting milk delivered saves money
• You can also get other things delivered as well as milk. My milkman will deliver bread, eggs, orange juice, flavoured milk, yogurt and all sorts of things
• You don't have to ever run out of milk. Black tea - yeuch!
• You get the cream on top of the full-fat milk to do with as you wish. I like it in my morning coffee, or mixed into my porridge, or even just in a big creamy dollop on my cornflakes. You don't get that with the homogenised stuff from the supermarket
• At least, you get the cream if the blue tits don't get it first. Still, I like blue tits and I don't begrudge them a few beakfuls of cream

If you'd like to try a milk delivery (you can always cancel it again if it doesn't suit you), you can find a milkman by typing your postcode into the findmeamilkman.net website.

Fair Trade Fortnight

We're already a couple of days into the Fair Trade Fortnight which runs from 26 February - 11 March. There's an online calendar of events including a talks by fair trade farmers, a banana race, and lots of coffee mornings, wine tastings, concerts and loads of other things. Find out what's going on near you.

Fair trade is a brilliant idea. A heck of a lot better than the alternative. I used to "hum" and "hah" about the extra cost which is usually a few tens of pence. But then I thought "If a Bolivian coffee farmer was standing here in the supermarket aisle asking for 30p to help feed his family, I'd give it to him without hesitation". So now I always choose the fair trade option.

Having said that, fair trade products come from developing countries by definition, which means they have travelled a lot of food miles. I generally try to avoid products which have come so far, preferring local alternatives. But I wouldn't want to give up coffee and tea, or chocolate, and I pick up the odd banana and citrus fruit, so these are where I look for fair trade options.

Here's my favourite fair trade recipe.

Banana-Choc Ice Lollies
A banana makes two lollies, so decide how many lollies you want and get half that number of fair trade bananas. Peel the bananas and cut them in half so that you have two short stubby halves (not two long skinny halves, if you see what I mean). Shove lolly sticks up the flat end of each banana-half to make a banana lolly, then dip the banana in melted fair trade chocolate. I use milk chocolate when I'm making these for the kids, but plain chocolate would make a more grown-up lolly. Then roll the lolly in roughly grated or chopped fair trade white chocolate. You could also use chopped nuts, multicoloured sugar strands, chocolate strands, cocoa powder- use your imagination. Now freeze for a few hours until they're solid and enjoy.

If you've never had frozen banana, you must try it. The banana flavour is intensified, and the flesh takes the consistency of ice-cream.

Cash Crop

Tom: "Mum, on our allotment, can we plant coca?"
Mum: "I beg your pardon!"
Tom: "Coca, can we plant coca?"
Mum: "Well I suppose we could quickly raise some money to buy a smallholding that way, but I think it needs a higher altitude than we have here in North Cheshire. So no, not really. Why do you ask?"
Tom: "So we can make our own chocolate"
Mum (relieved): "Oh, you mean cacao."

Why Organic?

My dad asked why we bothered pulling all the couch grass out by hand, rather than just zapping it all with weedkiller. I love this kind of question because it prompts me to think clearly about my philosophy and the basis for my actions.

There are lots of reasons why I choose to garden organically. One of them is much more important than the others, and I will come to that last.

1. It costs money - the people who rented that plot before us told me they sprayed £60 of weedkiller on it. And it's still full of weeds. I can only imagine it would be even worse if they hadn't but still, it cost Ed and I nothing to entirely clear a quarter of it by hand, and we'll do the other three quarters over the next weeks and months.


2. Artificial herbicides, pesticides and fertilisers are made from oil, and the oil is running out. We need to learn how to live without them. Organic gardening isn't a middle-class fad, it's the future.


3. We eat the produce from our allotment. I don't want to put poisons anywhere near our food. Just seems like common sense to me.


4. The ground needed digging anyway (in response to Hedgie's astute observation that digging makes couch grass worse - in fact we forked it, then removed all the roots, then forked again and removed more roots until either there were no more roots or we were fed up). So using weedkiller wouldn't have saved us a job, it would just have saved us the "removing roots" stage of the job.


5. We could have used weedkiller and then hired a rotavator to clear and cultivate the soil. That would have been pretty easy and quick. But then again we could have bought all our veggies from Tesco in the first place, even easier and quicker. But it's not about what's easiest, it's about what's best, in our opinion.


6. It's good exercise. Some people join gyms at great expense and spend an hour a day on treadmills and rowing machines to keep fit, and then they hire someone at great expense to mow their lawn and trim their hedge for them. Seems to me you could save some money on that arrangement and still keep fit. This isn't really a "reason" why I chose to dig, but it is one of several nice benefits.


7. There's a promising new blog called Allotment Junkies which is about allotment gardening and depression recovery. Being out in the daylight, taking vigorous exercise, having short-term achievable goals and seeing the tangible results of your labours (not to mention eating a healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables) are all proven to be more effective treatment and prevention for depression than anti-depressant drugs. I have experienced depression in the past and have no intention of going there again if I can help it. Digging the garden or allotment helps keep me happy and healthy. This is also a pleasant bonus rather than a reason for my choice.


8. But the main reason why I choose not to use Roundup is that soil is alive. Or rather it is an ecosystem of lots of interdependent organisms - plants, animals, fungi and bacteria, both microscopic and macroscopic. Using herbicides and pesticides damages that ecosystem and in extreme cases can result in sterile i.e. dead soil. As a gardener, I am in the business firstly of creating healthy soil. Healthy plants follow on from that. I won't do anything that damages the health of my soil if I can possibly avoid it, which is the same thing as saying I garden organically.

Ethical Mall

Under my web browser's "favourites" I have collected a lot of online ethical shops - organic, fair trade, recycled, earth-friendly etc. The list is starting to get quite unwieldy as more and more ethical shops seem to start up each week. I was idly thinking that it would be very convenient if they were all gathered together in one place. A sort of ethical mall.

So I did just that. Find it at http://ethicalmall.blogspot.com/. It's not really a blog, as it won't be updated frequently. But when I buy things from any of the featured shops I will write about it, commenting on the usability of the online store, the speed of delivery, quality of the goods and packaging and customer service. I have also invited a few of my friends to submit reviews, otherwise there only would be one update every three months or so when I buy something (I'm no shopaholic). Blogs are easier to set up than websites, though, so that's the way I have created it.

I hope other people will find it useful, but even if it remains nothing more than a glorified version of my "favourites" folder it will still be worthwhile.

We Are What We Do

You may have noticed that I'm an idealistic sort of person. I have all kinds of beliefs and values and ideals. I think it is important to base one's choices and actions on a consistent set of principles.

But ideals by themselves are no use at all. What makes a difference in the world is action. It doesn't have to be a big action, lots of small actions can make a big difference. That's why I like We Are What We Do. It's a website that's packed with suggestions for small actions you can do that really make a difference, such as leave work on time and spend that time with your family, practice good manners, or donate your old specs to charity. You can keep track of the actions you have chosen, and chat about them on the message boards.

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This website really chimes with my own philosophy on life. Think, take action, make life a little bit better, believe that you can change the world.

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What am I doing? Well lately I've been spending time with my extended family, I've been getting in touch with friends I haven't seen for a while, I've been playing guitar at church advent services and watching nativity plays at school. I've been getting ready for Christmas.

Real or Artificial Christmas Tree?

We get a real Christmas tree each year which we decorate with tasteful colour-themed decorations, and we also have an elderly artificial tree which the children decorate with all the hand-made decorations that come home from school. But which is more environmentally friendly?

Bob Flowerdew, the famous organic gardener, has announced that he is getting an artificial tree this year which he claims is more environmentally friendly. This flies in the face of popular opinion that real trees are the greener choice. Triple Pundit, the blog which does the maths about various environmental dilemmas, has compared real v. artificial Christmas trees, and concluded that Bob has got it wrong on this one.

But I'm glad that he raised the issue anyway. Some trees are flown great distances for the lucrative seasonal trade, so I recommend asking the seller where your tree was grown. You want to make sure it is as local as possible. Also avoid the shady characters who chainsaw natural woodland by night for a quick Christmas buck. You want a purpose-grown tree which will be replaced by the grower. And do make sure you recycle your tree when Twelfth Night has passed.

Consider other options as well, such as buying a living Christmas tree which will adorn your patio year round and be brought indoors each Christmas. Or you could plant a tree as a Christmas gift for someone, or for yourself to offset the carbon cost of celebrating Christmas.

BUY NOTHING DAY - SPEND A DAY WITHOUT SPENDING!

Today is Buy Nothing Day. Run by the excellent Adbusters (whose online shop is closed for the day):

It's a day where you challenge yourself, your family and friends to switch off from shopping and tune into life for a day - anyone can take part provided they spend a day without spending!

The challenge easy - try simple living for a day. Spend time with family and friends, rather than spend money on them. It may sound boring and cliche, but love is one thing money can't buy.

Buy Nothing Day also exposes the environmental and ethical consequences of consumerism. The developed countries - only 20% of the world population are
consuming over 80% of the earth's natural resources, causing a disproportionate level of environmental damage and unfair distribution of wealth.

As consumers we need to question the products we buy and challenge the companies who produce them. What are the true risks to the environment and developing countries? It's our responsibility to look for simple solutions and Buy Nothing Day is a good place to start.

Buy Nothing Day isn't about changing your lifestyle for just one day - we hope it will be a lasting relationship - maybe a life changing experience? We want people to make a commitment to consuming less, recycling more and challenging corporations to clean up and be fair. Modern consumerism might offer great choice, but this shouldn't be at the cost of the environment or developing countries.

For Buy Nothing Day 2006 we're setting up affluenza clinics - credit card cut-up tables - creating a shopping free zones - dressing up as consumer piggies and meditating Zentas!

On November 25th people in around the UK will make a pact with themselves to take a break from shopping as a personal experiment or public statement and the best thing is - IT'S FREE!!! There is only one rule - anyone can take part, provided they don't shop on Saturday November 25th!

I'll be participating. Ed and I will take the kids to see my dad in Liverpool, and spend some precious family time together before he returns to Ireland.

Terminator Technology

I've kept seeds from some of my crops to grow next year. I have plenty of packets of seeds, but I thought it would be fun to save a few as well. Ed saved some sunflower seeds last year but they must have been F1 hybrids because when they grew they had tiny little flower heads on top of very tall stalks, unlike the parent plants which had tall stalks and large heads.

That was pretty funny, but it wouldn't be so funny if you were a small farmer. Agriculture has always been based on selecting, saving, sharing and replanting seeds. Genetic modification is a threat to that, especially terminator technology which is the modification of plants to produce sterile seeds. You can see why the biotechnology industry likes this idea - it forces the farmers to keep buying seeds every year. But it undermines sustainable farming.

Don't panic - the technology doesn't even exist yet. But the agribuisiness industry is developing it, and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity has placed a moratorium on field-testing until it can be proved that the technology is no risk to people or the environment.

I mention it because it is an issue I was only vaguely aware of before. But now that I am involved in growing some of my own food, and saving my own seeds, I can understand much better what a threat this is.

Ethics of Foraging

There has been a fascinating thread on the rivercottage.net forums about the ethics of foraging. It opened my eyes to a number of issues I hadn't really thought about before:

• Don't trespass whilst foraging
• Ask permission if you wish to forage on private land, including farmland
• Make sure you know what you are picking
• Don't pick anything rare or endangered
• Do bear in mind the other other plants and wildlife in the area - don't go treading on an orchid in your haste to pick those sloes

Advertising On This Blog

I've been approached by someone who wants to put an ad on this blog. Once I realised it wasn't just automated spam, but a real person who had read the blog, I was mildly flattered. But I was also concerned and I agonised about it quite a bit.

So I looked at the other blogs I read regularly. Some of them had advertising, some didn't. Often I was surprised because I hadn't noticed the advertising before I looked for it. It makes me wonder how effective they can be if we can mentally filter them out so effectively. But that's not my problem.

In the end I decided that, since this site is all about my family's search for self-sufficiency, if we can turn this (already existing) blog into an extra income stream, that speeds the day when we can buy some land, Ed can give up his day job and we can try to live the life we dream about. It will also make me more committed to keeping the blog running and keeping the quality high.

So I said yes. I expect the ad (just one so far) will be appearing in the next day or so. But I'd be curious to know what you think. Do you feel strongly about ads on websites? Let me know by leaving a comment - you don't have to have a blogger.com account to do that. This isn't a democratic vote by the way. It's my blog and I'll do what I want with it. But I'm interested in your opinion.

Delightful peas

There are a few new feaures on the site. In the sidebar on the right is a poll. This month I'm challenging people to stop boiling a kettleful of water when they only need a cupfull. It's a really easy way to boost your green quotient, it doesn't cost anything (in fact it saves money), and it doesn't take any time (instead it saves time). Vote in the poll and tell me if you're up to the challenge.

You'll have to scroll right to the bottom to see the other changes. First of all is the Rustle The Leaf comic strip which I believe will be updated once a week. Click on the link if you want to view the older strips. Whilst you're at it, you could also click on the One Million Europeans Against Nuclear Power banner and sign the petition. I know it's a contentious issue and some people think nuclear is the best non-polluting alternative to fossil fuels. If that's how you feel, don't sign it, I won't mind!

Down on the allotment I picked a couple of peas. The peas were tiny, too small to pick really but I couldn't resist. I even tempted Tom to try one and he said they were "delightful". I agree - they're astonishingly sweet, downright sugary. It's funny, they're much sweeter than the blackcurrants we picked a little while ago, and far sweeter than the morello cherries.

One of the childhood memories that kept coming back to me when we got this allotment was of a visit to some friends of my parents. They had a pea patch in the garden, and my sisters and I absolutely ravaged it, stripping it of peas and eating them on the spot. I don't remember getting in trouble for it, but I don't remember ever being invited back either. I won't mind if Tom and the other children eat all the peas straight off the plants. It'll just be nice to see them getting vegetables in them.

Tesco Boycott

It's been almost 4 weeks now since I've stopped shopping at Tesco and I have to say I've actually enjoyed the experience. Not only is my conscience easier knowing I'm not supporting their ethically bankrupt business, but I have really enjoyed exploring other places to shop, such as my local shops and The Unicorn. The organic box scheme is a delight, I even got a free bottle of organic wine when I signed up for a weekly box. I've been exploring farmer's markets, and stopping at every farm shop I pass and generally having a whale of a time.

Some of my readers have told me that they're trying to shop locally more and rely on the big 4 supermarkets less. That's great. Other people have asked me what's so bad about Tesco anyway? I found a great website which explains everything. Here's a quote from their homepage:

"Tesco now controls 30% of the grocery market in the UK. In 2006, the supermarket chain announced over £2.2 billion in profits. Growing evidence indicates that Tesco's success is partly based on trading practices that are having serious consequences for suppliers, farmers and workers worldwide, local shops and the environment."

If you're interested I suggest you check out the link. There's an Asdawatch website as well. Remember it's not just Tesco, but big supermarkets in general, especially on out-of-town sites, that are irrevocably destroying our local shops and therefore our choice. On the other hand, Co-op are Britain's most ethical retailer, the first to remove all GM ingredients from their own-brand foods, and with an impressive range of fair-trade products.

Cold turkey

To my shame, I usually do most of my shopping at Tesco. I don't need to repeat all the arguments why supermarkets are the spawn of Satan, and we should all really support our local shops and producers. Actually there is a fabulous farm shop near my home which I use quite often. But they don't sell milk, or pasta, or clothes, so normally I just pick up my fruit and veg at the supermarket since I'm there anywhere. It's just so convenient isn't it? I do buy quite a bit of pasta and other things at The Unicorn, a wonderful co-operative grocery in Chorlton http://www.unicorn-grocery.co.uk/. But it's much further away than Tesco and it doesn't sell clothes, newspapers, honey or meat or other non-vegan things. I can actually get just about everything I need at Poynton high street. But you can't push a supermarket trolley up and down the high street so it means carrying heavy bags of shopping backwards and forwards to the car park, and not all the shops accept debit cards so I need to take some cash with me, and . . .

OK, I admit it, I shop at Tesco because I'm lazy. That's the real reason.

But I've decided to go cold turkey. No more Tesco for me. I'll get my fruit and veg from the farm shop a mile away (until the allotment starts producing stuff other than rhubarb). I'll get health-foody things like bran flakes and herb tea as well as environmentally friendly cleaning products and toiletries from the health food shop in the village. Most general grocery things can come from the Co-op http://www.co-op.co.uk/ which have a great range of fairtrade and organic products, as well as being an ethically-run company. And I'll do a run to The Unicorn once a month or so to stock up on the things only they provide. I'll keep you posted on how it's going.

Oh, I'll still fill up the car at Tesco. As far as I know all the petrol producers are as bad as each other, but the supermarkets are far cheaper. In fact, I believe they loss-lead on fuel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss-leader, so buying their petrol at a discount (whilst not buying any products which would make them a profit) will actually cost them money. At least that's how I'm justifying it to myself until I get around to doing some research about ethical petrol stations.