The Thing: Basket Weaving

The Lost Trades Fair set me all-a-buzz with the need to weave a cane basket. I had purchased a sweet little kit to make my 'Your First Basket' from And Woven Cane, with the ill-thought-out brainwave to head to the nearest craft supply shop to buy a second lot of all the materials so Jess and I could make one each. I went to said nearest craft shop: no cane. I went to the second and third nearest craft shops and they didn't have any either. Neither did any of the hardware shops. At this point I risked a massive over-investment of time in this project. Decisive action: our 'Your First Basket' would be a collaborative thing.

Basket Weaving Lesson #1: Purchase basket weaving supplies from the interwebs.  Wicker-Works Cane Specialists seems a good place to start, although their little catch phrase asks, "need a good caning?" An attempt at humour? Dubious, at best.

We set aside a morning for this little project, which was perfect. From start to finish it took us about 3 hours; this included a couple of pots of tea, innumerable interruptions from the little ones and a break for honey sandwiches. Remove those things, as well as the hundred times we stopped weaving to marvel at just how badly our little basket was progressing, and we could probably get it down to an hour and a half. Although why we would want to do this is beyond me. The interruptions just add to the fun.

While the weaving techniques for this basket were as simple as it gets, there were still a multitude of ways to make mistakes. Pull too tight and your basket tapers in, too loose and it gets flimsy. Bend the cane too sharply and it breaks. Don't push each row down firmly enough (and firmly means REALLY FIRMLY. Like lumberjack-hands firmly) and your basket is gappy and uneven. Ignore how many rows of seagrass they suggest in the instructions and your basket turns out much taller than the one in the picture...

Weaving with cane is no delicate pastime. It's hard on your fingers and, while you have to be deft and gentle, you also have to be strong and decisive with your movements. The cane isn't nearly as maleable as it appears when you watch a skilled craftsperson working. 

Our basket turned out to be, well...quite quaint. There is no better word for it. We gazed, awestruck, for a while at our finished product and wondered why we made it in the first place, given that we had no real purpose for it. If it had a handle it might be good for collecting things in. If it was prettier it might serve as something ornamental or make for a sweet little gift. We popped a few different things in it (the elderflower looks great in it, but it serves no practical purpose whatsoever) and decided that it is perfect for holding walnuts. That's right guys. We made a walnut basket.  

So here are some questions:

• Can we make a basket that's lovely and practical enough to proudly give as a gift? So, you know, one that's lovelier and more practical that this one.
• If I needed a basket, would I be more likely to make one than buy one pre-made?
• Are there more readily available alternatives to cane that we can use in our future baskets?
• Aside from the Lost Trades Fair, where to basket weavers hang out?

And a broader question for the philosophers out there:

• Can we justify spending time on craft when there is no real purpose for the product?

Which inevitably leads to:

• What is the meaning of life?

I think it's clear where this Thing is heading: We'll get busy addressing these questions, and then the challenge is to make a basket from readily available materials that's attractive and useful enough to give proudly as a gift. We have a bit of work to do, to be completely honest.

Day Six of Womankind's Combat Global Warming Challenge: Jess

Global Warming is REAL.

Even NASA think so.

Changing the way society is organised is HARD.

Just ask Rosa Parks.

Or the Wik People.

Today as I was contemplating an article that the lovely Leanne sent to me titled "Conscious consumerism is a lie". Look. Ok. So the little things perhaps make only a little difference. But it goes to the heart of the issue here - global warming has been happening for a LONG time. We've been damaging this planet for a LONG time. While my bamboo toothbrush will not change the world, my plastic one will ruin it more.

When I was growing up eggs were eggs. Now we know the conditions the chickens had to lay those eggs in just by looking at the packet; free range, cage free, or not specified (read: cage). If people buying more free range and asking questions about conditions didn't change an entire industry, what would? We're kidding ourselves if we think industry or government will make these changes without consumer pressure. Aren't we? Time Magazine thinks we consumers can have an impact: read this: 5 Times Big Business Actually Bowed to Pressure from Consumers .

 

These choices we make matter, the little things add up. So today as I was cleaning out my house and considering all the crap that I own I decided that, yes, I would donate the things in good working order that I no longer need. Because if they are loved a little longer perhaps that will keep them out of the ground for a little longer too. Yes I will continue to use bamboo toothbrushes and make my own bench top spay from vinegar. Yes I will try.

I thought that the thing about the small actions is that they actually take EFFORT and CONSIDERATION and ORGANISATION. They are often not CONVENIENT. But they offer HOPE.

And if we have learnt anything in the last 10 years, it's that HOPE is motivating. HOPE is energising.

So I choose today to ignore the fact that the small things may be small in the face of the bigger picture and instead look to those small things to bring me energy, motivation and hope. And to hopefully help push this titanic around (which... may have sunk BECAUSE of an unusual warm year in 1908 which increased the number of icebergs in 1912...).

source: treehugger.com - Leo Lin, Taiwan 2009 

Day Five of Womankind's Combat Global Warming Challenge: Jess

Get on ya bike y'all. It's super fun.

Saturdays is Dad's day with the boys and they jump into our cargo bike for the morning and head off to a park, or to visit Granny and Poppy, or go the library. 

When our second car died earlier this year we decided to get a Dutch Cargo Bike as a replacement. It was firstly a economic decision and secondly it was a lifestyle decision. We didn't use the second car that much or to travel long distances so it has worked out perfectly. Today I used the car and the boys used the bike. They did everything they would have done, just in the beautiful sunshine with toddler cries of "I loooooove downhill, Daddy" as the soundtrack. Monday it's back to me and the boys on the bike and Dad taking the car to work. We'll go visit a friend, go to the park, go to swimming lessons.

People think we're nuts. Like batshit crazy. "But what if..." is all they could say when we were floating the idea. They all wanted to find reasons that it wasn't a good idea. 

You know what it made me realise? We're all judging one another for our choices: AND THAT'S A GOOD THING. Judge away, my friends. Because if it makes you question why, or realise that perhaps that change isn't so crazy, or reflect on your values maybe that's a good thing. And settle down my kind hearted freaking out friends, we still have a car, we're just sharing it with each other. 

A bike instead of a car is fun*, and to boot it is an excellent alternative to a car which is goooooood for the planet. This good if you want to know, example one of about a billion: "Cycling 10km each way to work would save 1500kg of greenhouse gas emissions each year". 

(*ask me again in winter...) 

source: grainedit - Gavin Potenza

Day Three of Womankind's Global Warming Challenge: Jess

Dear Diary/Mother Earth,

Thank you for absorbing us and accommodating our bullshit. We are like toddlers who eat only the toppings off pizza after you have gone to all the trouble of making dough from scratch, growing beautiful toppings and providing a calm environment in which to consume the pizza. I can understand if you're pissed off with us. What is it about us humans that need the best bit? What is it about us that needs more?

I went op-shopping today with my sister, she wanted a toaster and while there was one ($5 - bargain!), she didn't get it. She wants one that matches her kettle. I totally get that, we want nice things in our space that make us feel like we are getting along in life, settling for something that you don't want to look at every morning for the rest of your life is not going to spark joy. I also get that this is a uniquely first-world-middle-class kinda problem to have. We've created a self perpetuating obsession with beauty and have moved away seeing the beauty in nature and into the beauty we can consume.

I bought a rugby jumper and some spikey massage balls. Both probably unneeded but I justified it by arguing that: They won't go to landfill! They get a longer life! Second-hand buying is entirely good! Here's some more "reasons". But if I'm honest, I probably wouldn't have bought them new. Isn't that a funny thing. Perhaps I need to work on this consumerism thing.

So while we participated in the recycle movement I feel like we equally participated in the consumerism cycle. And if we're all honest, it our consumption of goods that it driving devastating outcomes for our environment.

xx Jess.

Source: Tony Futura

Day Three of Womankind's Global Warming Challenge: Leanne

I'm not walking out of Day Three with any medals for activism, but I've made a number of conscious decisions regarding my energy consumption. Here are my top ten:

1. Wake up to sunlight, birdsong, early morning traffic and The Toddler shouting "Mum! Up!'. Clock radio? Who needs one?

2. Do washing. It's a hot day: set spin cycle to lowest speed. Hang washing on clothes line.

3. Have a short shower. I've been pretty lazy with this recently, I'll admit. Set timer. 4 mins.

4. Meet friend for coffee. Ride bike instead of drive, even though I've got a bit on today and time is a bit tight.

5. Buy rennet to make cheese. Could this be the end of packaged cheese for my little family? We'll see. The challenge is to find some milk I can buy that's not in a carton, and that I don't have to drive a two hour return trip for.

6.  Put shopping in calico bag that I ran back inside for at the last minute before leaving the house.

7. Drive the 12kms to work, paying close attention to driving smoothly and with gentle take offs. This simple action improves fuel efficiency and until I can afford a Prius this will have to suffice.

8. At work (teaching primary students), turn the lights off. When students ask, "Would you like me to turn the lights on?" respond with, "No thanks, I think it's light enough already."

9. Reset refrigerative aircon in classroom from 18℃ to 22℃.

10. I didn't eat any meat. Not any at all. Nope, not even bacon. And let me say, this was no mean feat. I was at my friends' house for tea. Given that it's a Friday night and none of the four adults present had foreseen that we would need to eat dinner, we threw together a meal consisting of salad (mixed lettuce, tomatoes from the garden, carrots, pear, a pickle) and some sort of crumbed substance posing as chicken. Now, anyone who has known me for a while knows how much of a weak spot I have for processed meats. I try to avoid them most of the time, I really do. Give me the opportunity though and I will delight in a hotdog, a thin sausage (those ones that are a uniform flesh colour), mortadella, crumbed fake chicken - anything. So refusing this "chicken" was a big deal. And an even bigger one considering how much peer pressure I had laid on me to give in. But stay steady I did. Stay tuned for my memoir: This Vegetarian Life.

Yes Leanne, you deserve a merit badge after one day of vegetarianism.

Image source: https://www.buyolympia.com/q/Item=demerit-badge-vegetarian

I'm almost embarrassed to read this list. I look at it and think, "That's the best you could do?" But then I think: yes. Today, this is the best I could do. Given the circumstances, I did what I could. I'm not going to berate myself for the fact that it's not grand, or that it's not enough. I'm going to stand up a little taller and know that I showed up. I was present in my decision making processes regarding my energy consumption. And that is something Worth Doing.

Day Two of Womankind's Combat Global Warming Challenge: Jess

Day Two: 

Leanne is outraged at her lack of active activism. I'm not surprised that my social media post about the Adani Gold Mine petition hasn't attracted many likes - social media platforms are so unreliable for spreading information - but I've put it out there on that platform and it feels like wearing my heart on my sleeve. How do you cut through the pictures of puppies, kids and food on social media to make an impact? Seriously, if someone has the answer to that please email me.

I am online every day so I thought why not find organisations in the virtual world that I can support that are doing good things that won't really change my habits too much? Here are some you might like to do too:

1. Use Ecosia as your search engine. They plant trees for every search you do. I've found their app to be just as good as the other non-tree-planting search engines.

2. Know how to recycle everything: download the Sustain Me app on your phone. Clean Up Australia endorsed, Melbourne based. They have a loooooong list of everything and how it should be recycled.

3. Get a reality check by checking your footprint: I went to WWF to see how many planets it would take if everyone lived like me: three. Two too many. What it also tells me is that food is one of the areas where my impact is heaviest.

4. I signed up to the Bendigo Sustainability Group email so now I can get local information on events and actions in my area sent to my inbox which will hopefully both remind and motivate me to be more involved.

5. Follow some zero waste bloggers for inspiration. Here's a little list to get us going: Zero Waste Bloggers

I am struck by how hard this task was. It actually takes a lot of research to find out little things like Ecosia. Such a simple tool and a great idea but what exactly do you search for? I found whenever I put in the terms like eco/environmentally friendly organisations it's mainly shops and fashion brands trying to sell me their eco products that pop up. Hmmm, consumerism is a tempting lass, I mean you couldn't possibly be eco friendly without your bamboo t-shirt and stainless steel lunch box could you.

Right, now my online world is a little better I just have to work on my real world...

source: Huffington Post

Day Two of Womankind's Combat Global Warming Challenge: Leanne

Ok. Yesterday I committed to not eating meat. I really should have qualified that a little bit further. What I really should have said was that I will commit to eating meat after I have eaten the yummy pork burgers offered to me for dinner on Thursday night. And my commitment will last at least until the end of this five day challenge. So that means I'm meat-free as of NOW (10.50pm on Thursday 2/3/17) until midnight on Sunday. And then I'll reassess. Easy...right?

No. You can't eat bacon if you're vegetarian.

Image credits: www.seriouseats.com 

Don't click on this link if you're trying to be vegetarian. I'm not joking.

After my initial hopelessness yesterday I spoke to Jess and read her posts. And, as usually happens after conversations with Jess, I was energised. I can DO SOMETHING! It's not futile! I am not powerless! Hooray!

The two things I have done today are outlined here.

Ecological footprint calculator: I like this one. it's pretty detailed, and it hits home by plonking graphics of all the things you have as a part of your lifestyle on the screen in front of you. According to this quiz, if everyone lived like me we would need two earths to sustain us. I did the quiz twice, once as a vegetarian and once as an occasional meat eater. It made very little difference, but that doesn't mean I'm giving in. I also did a less detailed quiz and they reckon I only use 0.8 of an earth...If I were the government I might just accept the measure that gave me the answer I want to hear, and the one that will require me to do nothing about the problem...

Electrical Appliance Inventory: Here is a list of the electrical appliances that I have in my home.

Electrical appliances in my home
Appliance	Possible Actions
Always on
Refrigerator	Non-negotiable
Freestanding freezer	Non-negotiable
Cordless phone	When I got my current internet plan I couldn’t access wifi without a landline. With the NBN this may have changed. RESEARCH and get rid of landline if possible.
Clock radio (what decade are we in again?)	Let it go. It’s over. Donate to…who wants a clock radio these days?
Used regularly
Bedside lamp
Lounge room lamp	This requires a fancy kind of globe and I can’t replace it with an energy saving one. Use less.
Washing machine	Fill each load fully. I think sometimes I don’t fill it to capacity. Continue to use short, cold wash.
Laptop	Turn off when not using.
Mobile phone	Unsure what action to take here. Is there a more efficient way of using it?
Gas heater (it has an electrical plug so it must use some electricity)	Turn it off at the wall.
Oil heater (used regularly in winter)	This is in The Toddler’s room. She’s over two now and will be in a big bed this winter. Warm blankets. Warm PJs. Hopefully she will learn how to stay under her blankets. It hasn’t been one of her strong points thus far.
Microwave	Unplug when not in use.
Speakers	Same.
Used occasionally
Bamix	These appliances are all unplugged when not in use, and I don’t use them unless absolutely necessary. No changes required here really. Although… I guess I could ditch the food processor for most things: a knife for fine chopping, a rolling pin for biscuit crushing, a mortar and pestle for pesto. Ok. I’ll be honest. I’m not using a mortar and pestle for pesto. It just takes me far too long. And I'm keeping the electric beaters for sponge making, but for most other things I use a whisk.
Toaster
Dehydrator
Electric beaters
Food processor
Sewing machine
Overlocker
Hair straightener
Hair dryer
Iron
Keyboard (piano)

Right. I'm off to bed. That is, after I unplug my clock radio. This is a big deal. I have relied on a clock radio since ever. This is the end of an era.

Day One of Womankind's Combat Global Warming Challenge: Leanne

Global Warming: A lecture to myself

What are you doing about it? I mean, really. You like to believe that you're committed to The Cause, but what does that actually look like?

Sure, you live a pretty modest lifestyle. A tiny house, few electrical appliances, bike riding, public transport, avoiding single-use plastics, recycling, upcycling, uncycling (oh, wait...that's not one of them), washing in cold water, weather strips on my doors, never buying bottled water (with the exception of one single time recently, for which there was a compelling justification: follow me on Instagram @lgcjames if you care to know more). Good for you. But just because you're somewhat less climactically destructive than many (most? some?) doesn't mean you deserve to class yourself as some kind of eco-warrior.

Where is your outrage? Where is your activism? Where is your SPIRIT?

Oh, it's buried under your hopelessness, is it? I think I can see it deep down in there under your apathy and your need for convenience. I see.

I get it. It's hard to believe that anything you do in your tiny little life can effect any change at all. Especially when you read things like the Quarterly Update of Australia's National Greenhouse Gas Inventory . Seriously, where is your stats text book? Lost somewhere in 2003, most likely.

And then when everyone starts politicising the whole issue, that's when things get really impossible. How can you stay focused on finding solutions when there are debates like this going on? Is someone really trying to convince us that we are doing well because greenhouse gas emissions have decreased per capita, even though they have increased overall? Come ON guys.

So. What are you going to do about it? Beyond the comfortable, bare minimum that you maintain in order to be able to sleep at night, that is. Hopelessness and apathy are the enemies of anything that's good in the world.

1. Give up meat.
2. Sign this petition to stop the proposed Boikarabelo coal mine. It's a big deal, and it's pretty important. For, you know, the future of the planet.

source: econesting

Day One of Womankind's Combat Global Warming Challenge: Jess

The Challenge:

Starting Wednesday 1 March until Sunday 5 March 2017 (5 days in total), we want you to do ‘something’ each day to build awareness of or to combat global warming, and document your actions and thoughts in a daily diary.

                                                                         ------------------

You know that feeling when you start seeing the same thing everywhere, like everyone is onto the same idea? It's called a Baader-Meinhof phenomenon or frequency illusion and it happens to me a lot. Right now it's plastics, no-waste living and climate change issues. It's not a new concern and people have been talking about it for decades; when I was wee it was the ozone layer. The point is we're still talking about it because it is still a real and present threat. 

It depresses me this business of global warming/climate change/human's negative impact on the the earth. When I saw the challenge from Womankind to do something for 5 days in a row I thought it was a great opportunity to explore the topic further. 

But where to start? It feels overwhelming; just watch this Four Corners episode on Oceans of Plastic . I feel so small in the big picture considering if the Adani's Carmichael Coal Mine goes ahead it will create billions of tonnes of pollution according to the Australian Conservation Fund. 

Hopelessness does not change anything. Being depressed by something doesn't have an impact. Feeling like any changes you make don't matter won't change a thing. 

Today I'm turning these overwhelming negative feelings into something. It must start with small; every tree started as a tiny seed. It's time to be proud of what we are doing and look for ways to improve and influence others to also take positive steps. 

So what do I already do? Compost, home recycling, cloth nappies, a bike instead of a second car, wash clothes on cold, avoid plastic bags and containers, shop locally, buy second hand first. All of these things I do to varying degrees but there are a whole lot more tiny things that can contribute check out this great list and very motivating site about making small changes: Be An Unfucker. 

That's not bad. But there is plenty of work to do. 

Today, to do something more I've emailed my local politician and signed up to a petition to appose the Adani Carmichael Gold Mine. Because we have to hold our corporations and elected officials to the highest of standards. 

source: wired