1000 Flowers for the Planet - #11 Use Reusable Bags

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #11 Use Reusable Bags

Initially I was thinking of what we call 'green bags' in Australia, the reusable bags sold often at supermarkets, but as I did some research I discovered that these bags are not as environmentally friendly as one might think. Wikipedia has a very interesting article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reusable_shopping_bag

There are many problems associated with these bags but the main problem seems to be that people don't actually 'reuse' their reusable bags. I found an Aussie company called Envirosax that sells quality reusable bags and has a terrific website with a lot of information about their attempts to be sustainable, environmentally friendly and provide solutions where possible. They're not perfect - but nothing is, and at least they understand that too. So it's important that we at least do the best we can and continue to improve as we go. I'm not paid to advertise for anyone, and can only suggest you have a read for yourself and make your own decisions. Check out their principles and products at:

http://www.envirosax.com.au/

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #10 Buy Only Free-range Eggs

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #10 Buy Only Free-range Eggs

By guest blogger, my daughter.

Most eggs you can buy in the supermarket are from battery farms. In these hellish environments, chickens live five to a cage, leaving them barely enough room to turn around, let alone spread their wings or walk around. The bottoms of the cages are sloped, so their legs are constantly straining. Their beaks are cut with a searing hot blade when they are chicks so they become blunt. The lighting is turned on and off at strange times to induce excessive, unhealthy laying. They live to be only 21 months old (instead of a natural 12 years), but if they cease to lay they are pulled from the cage and dumped in the immense pile of excrement piled beneath the cage and left there to die - they cannot escape because they cannot walk. I know all of this to be true because I've seen it with my own eyes. Barn laid are barely any better, don't be fooled. They are not 'free to roam' as claimed. There is a small hole in the shed where they could go out into some dirt if they wished, but they do not. They live in their own faeces and have pretty much the same space as a battery hen.

So buy free range eggs! Free range chickens ARE permitted to roam in grass fields where they can do all sorts of natural chooky things. Their eggs benefit from this because they are able to consume a much more natural diet and be infinitely more healthy. The eggs are much larger, and they have an amazing taste. They are vibrant in colour and add an actual flavour to meals. Everything about them looks and tastes better. And I am positive the nutritional benefits are increased, too.
 

The Australian Capital Territory has BANNED all battery farming and de-beaking of chickens. It is now illegal. Britain has also banned the practice. These are amazing steps forward for the future, and if more people protest the inhumane, cruel and downright disgusting practices of battery and barn farming for eggs, we can make free range farming the way of the future. The power is in your hands!

Check out this website to read more about this and other animal cruelty issues; http://www.makeitpossible.com/facts/what-is-factory-farming.php

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #9 Cook at Home

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #9 Cook at Home

There are many advantages to cooking at home. You can choose good quality food, control portion sizes, reduce food waste, and spend quality time with your family as you enjoy a meal together at the dining table. Cooking at home saves lots of money otherwise spent on takeaway food and is generally better nutritionally.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #8 Care for Children

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #8 Care for Children

It's a shame to have to even state this one, but there it is - we need to be reminded to care for children. All of us can do it. There are many opportunities. Apart from the obvious of looking after your own children to the best of your ability, we can watch out for other people's children too. It may be as simple as watching your language when children are around, or being aware that they are watching you if you choose to break the law, or something as seemingly trivial as seeing you walk against the lights at a crossing may give them ideas to follow suit - unsafely.

Then there's the bigger stuff. Children all around the world are in desperate need of assistance. Some are suffering from poverty, war, famine or abuse. You may be able to sponsor a child overseas, or even spend time overseas volunteering at an orphanage, for example. Maybe a donation to the organisation that you feel does the best job aiding children. Do what you can.

Even concentrating on caring for your own children as well as you can is a good start.

The Princess Royal has been President of Save the Children in the UK since 1970. That seems like a rather good stamp of approval for that organisation. Find out more for yourself at www.savethechildren.org.uk or for Aussies at www.savethechildren.org.au

Children are our future and they deserve to inherit a healthy planet.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #7 Reduce Landfill

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #7 Reduce Landfill

This one is more of a challenge, but there are steps we can all take to reduce landfill. The first one is not to buy things we don't need, or refuse to purchase items that are over-packaged. This is "reduce".

Secondly, we can often use things more than once if we choose to be creative. This is "reuse". Thirdly we can ensure we pass things on to others who can use what we no longer need, such as gifting to your local op-shop, donating to a toy library or putting packaging in the recycling bin. This is "recycle".

The Australian Government has some suggestions at the following site:
http://www.livinggreener.gov.au/waste/reducing-waste
or look for local ideas in your own area. Give it a go, and good luck.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #6 Compost Vege Peels

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #6 Compost Vege Peels

An easy one to do if you have a yard with a spot to put your compost. It just takes a little organising yourself with a kitchen tub to collect your peels to be emptied every other day or so. That could be a good way for a child to contribute to the household - to take the peels out to the compost. Here's a spot on the internet with some ideas to help you out:

http://eartheasy.com/grow_compost.html
... you DO eat your veges, of course =)

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #5 Recycle Glass

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #5 Recycle Glass

This is such an easy one. The wonderful thing about glass is that it can be totally recycled, making it a perpetual resource, provided we do the right thing. I learned a lot about recycling glass at:

http://www.cleanup.org.au/PDF/au/cua-glass-fact-sheet.pdf

and
http://glassrecovery.com.au/index.html
Perhaps when shopping we can look for products that are in glass rather than plastic, knowing we can reuse the container or recycle it effectively.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #4 Use a Basket

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #4 Use a Basket

In many ways, my Nanna was a very environmentally friendly person, and perhaps this came from pure necessity more than thought, but we should probably considers a return to her kind of lifestyle and mindset more these days. My Nanna always used a basket. I only remember her having two (whereas I have a large number of unused ones hanging around the house). One was round and quite tall, the other rectangular and lower at the sides. They were kept at hand where they could be easily grabbed on the way out the door to go shopping.

Cane baskets are very pretty, and being solidly made, they can be used for years and years of service to collect your shopping, preventing the need to bring home plastic bags. Put one in the boot of the car or by the back door where you can grab it as you rush past. Try one. Feel stylish. Enjoy being green.

Here's a site with some interesting info about baskets:

http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2012/02/basketry-the-art-of-producing-sustainable-consumer-goods.html

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #3 Keep your own Chickens

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #3 Keep your own Chickens

Chickens are SO much fun. When our daughter was a young teenager she bought four 21-month old laying hens from a battery farm. It was her way of rescuing them to give them a better life. Three months later she bought another four hens and we had eight hilarious chooks up the back yard. I can't recommend them highly enough. They are very entertaining and each chook has her own personality. Ours were rehabilitated very quickly and lived lives of luxury, pampered by our doting daughter. Of course, the benefits other than entertainment are glorious golden eggs to eat. They also give children a sense of responsibility when they are required to look after something other than themselves. Give them a go. I'd be surprised if you weren't well rewarded.

To read a bit about keeping chooks in your own back yard try:

http://www.livinggreener.gov.au/waste/kitchen-food-waste/keeping-backyard-chickens

1000 Flowers for the Planet - Save the Whales

1000 Flowers for the Planet - Save the Whales

This is a catch-cry I remember from my childhood... "SAVE the Whales!" the people called passionately. Check out their website at www.savethewhales.org - it's a fascinating site full of information. Did you know that just one balloon can kill a whale? I sure didn't until I read their informative site and began educating myself. Admittedly they seem to be very focused on the U.S.A. and sites off the coast of California, but the lessons would be the same no matter where you live on this beautiful planet. And just learning about the dangers of balloons is a step in the right direction. Maybe you could make a donation to help them continue their educational work. 

(And yes, I have made a donation myself).

1000 Flowers for the Planet - Care for Bees

1000 Flowers for the Planet - Care for Bees

Deep breath ... here I go:

Today is World Animal Day, a very fitting day to begin my very long journey of 1000 days.  This crocheted flower is the beginning of an art installation that will consist of 1000 flowers. Every day I will post a new flower with a new message. Every message will be a positive way in which we can improve our planet - our home.

When my husband shared an article on facebook about the Bayer company suing the European Commission to overturn a ban on the pesticides that are killing millions of bees around the world, I was horrified and angered. I soon decided to create an art piece that would 'say' something to the world. Caring for bees is a good place to start my long journey. If bees are not there to pollinate plants, they cannot continue to grow. Read more about what Bayer is doing at http://action.sumofus.org/a/bayer-bees-lawsuit/11/2/?sub=fb

and more information can be found at: www.eureporter.co

Or to learn about bees in general and their importance in the grand scheme of things:

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/sep/24/bee-decline-mite-defense-solitary-bee-neil-gaiman 

For my part, I've signed the petition protesting against Bayer's law suit to overturn the ban. Maybe you could think about taking that action too.

And for World Animal Day, begun in 1931! you can learn more about this at: http://www.worldanimalday.org.uk/

Welcome to my journey.

inherited opportunity ... or more wool

This is tapestry wool. I've inherited it from the same place as all the knitting wool mentioned earlier in my blog. Today we sorted it into colours, as it was all in separate little bags and I wanted to see exactly what I had. There is a huge amount of greens, and a lot of blues, and very little red (my favourite colour). I have a body of work planned for this lot and am quite excited about it. More will be revealed as it occurs, perhaps not for a month or so. It fits in perfectly with my thoughts that I should be an artist who deals entirely with materials that have already been pre-loved but not used - rescued materials. I like that idea. =)

Sojourner completed

Here is my completed hummingbird for the Sojourner project, to be hung at Epworth Eastern Hospital, Box Hill in the next month, where it will remain for a year before being auctioned off to raise funds for the hospital. It is now with the framer, Hall of Frame in Doncaster East, where it is in the capable hands of Pam, framer extraordinaire. Next week I'll post the framed version.

Sojourner update 4

Worked on the wings today. Slowly, slowly ...

Sojourner progress

Slow progress indeed as I sew seed beads onto the body of the hummingbird. Half the body and head are done, with the other half plus wings still to do. Will be stiff and sore by the time I finish this, and need to do so quickly to get it to the framer.

The Sojourner continued

Here is how my Sojourner project has progressed over the last 24 hours. Now you can see it is a hummingbird. The wing is not quite completed, and then I need to fill in the body and wing areas with beads. This is supposed to be finished by tomorrow, but that's not going to happen.

The Sojourner

The Sojourner is a project devised by my teacher, Dawn Duncan-Smith, a textile artist in her own right who nurtures us with joy and positive confirmation as we take our own journeys through the textile art course at Box Hill Institute.

The Sojourner art pieces from my class will soon be installed at Epworth Eastern Hospital, in Box Hill. Each piece is our interpretation of 'The Sojourner', someone who stays momentarily, or for a brief while, before moving on. After the artworks have been at the hospital giving pleasure to staff, patients and visitors for one year, they will be taken to the Epworth Eastern Hospital Gala Ball at the Palladium, Crown Casino, Melbourne, where they will be sold in a silent auction. Moneys raised will go to the hospital, the artists will have pieces in private collections and everyone is a huge winner. What a fantastic project, and thanks to Dawn for thinking of it.

This is a progress photo of my piece. I haven't quite decided on a title yet. Meanwhile, I'll leave you wondering exactly what it might be.

I'd better get back to it!

Rainbow Afghan

I began crocheting this afghan the day my mother-in-law died. On reflection I believe I had a need to return to the comfort craft of my childhood. Every school holidays I would stay with my grandparents in Geelong. Nanna was always knitting if she was sitting. Mum tells me that when she was growing up, after dinner had been eaten, the dishes washed, dried and put away, the table set for breakfast the next morning (yes, with table cloth and all the correct cutlery and condiments), the family would sit down to listen to the radio and knit (females only). If you weren't prepared to knit then you had to go to bed.

Fortunately, the times I spent at my grandparents' were different and I didn't have to go to bed straight after dinner. But once I'd learnt to crochet I made granny squares until the cows came home. I made a cover for my grandfather's favourite cushion, a cover for the back of Nanna's chair, tea cosies - all sorts of things. I'd even get told off for crocheting in bed too late with my light on, and to "get to sleep!"

It took me two weeks to make this afghan, approximately 80 hours of work. I've been asked who I'm going to 'give' it to but I'd be happy to sell it. Who would like to pay me two weeks wages for it? How much do you earn in a fortnight? It's interesting how little value is put on a woman's time.

Wool, wool and more wool

Recently I was given a very large green garbage bag full of wool from a deceased estate. I wasn't expecting such a large quantity, and initially I was overwhelmed. For a few weeks I wondered what to do with it. Then I had some fun putting it all out on my long coffee table. There are all sorts of bits and pieces covering the whole range in the rainbow. Tomorrow I'll show you what I did with some of it.

A Hug from a Friend

It has been hard to smile lately. Last Friday we buried my mother-in-law. The two months leading up to that point were difficult and very emotional as we watched her struggle to the end. Things weren't always smooth between us, but hell I loved her even so. And she loved me. She told me so every single time I visited her in hospital - looked me fair and square in the eyes and told me she loved me. Now she's gone. May she rest in peace.

Consequently I haven't felt like blogging or sharing, but I hope to do so again from now on. This photo is a perfect way to start. It's not my creativity, it is that of a very good friend who knitted me this wonderful infinity scarf. It has all the colours in the rainbow. What a beauty! Finding a parcel in the mail and opening it to receive a hug from a friend way over in Adelaide was the perfect pick-me-up. Thanks Sue.

(And in the light of a few people complaining that I haven't been blogging and showing pics of my art, I will endeavour to do so regularly.)