When I feel that human beings can do nothing but mess up this really quite nice planet we live on I like to retreat to the idea that in a bleak dystopian future, the unloved bits of waste land will be some of the only places that wildlife will survive*.
Well you might think that the Old Street area is desolate enough already, but the car park where I park my bike during the day, while by no means a latter day Garden of Eden, was until recently a happy little place of sprouting buddleias, opportunistic nettles, the odd bramble and copulating lady birds.
I loved smelling the buddleias when I got off my bike. I kept on leaving my bike nestling against them even when the purple flowers were making it quite difficult for me to get to the railings to chain my bike to.
I think having some contact with wildlife must be really beneficial. A few years ago some researchers found that inmates of a prison with a view of greenery (trees etc outside the prison) had better mental health than those looking at the prison yard**.
Anyway, I think nature’s a powerful thing. I always feel calmer walking back to my Mum’s house along past the woods and the fields.
So last Monday I got to the car park to leave my bike and knew there was something wrong instantly when I arrived to see big yellow skip. The place isn’t really run by house-proud owners – in the brambly and nettly corners there were layers of everyday rubbish that must have built up over years…
But looking around the rest of the site I was met by desolation. Some neat and tidy person had scratched up every living thing in quite a terminal way. No more buddleia, no more happy little ladybirds, and no more the excitement of tying up my bike without being stung. It was rather sad.
May be I should do a bit of guerilla gardening and scatter some wild flower seeds. This could be another pledge!
*In fact this is not necessarily true – humans have intimately managed the land for so many years, particularly in the UK that we actually need to keep on managing it to preserve diversity. So on patches of railway land you get sycamore and Japanese knotweed – invasive alien species that distort the natural balance of things, so although “nature thrives” it’s not necessarily the “right” nature, or at least the nature that needs preserving most, or at least the most diverse bits of nature. It also doesn’t help that abandoned land is prime dumping ground for fly-tipping morons.
**I haven’t been able to find this on Google, so I hope it isn’t an urban myth. Also, it occurs to me that the yard side might also have been more depressing because they might have felt even more isolated from the outside world.
Friday, July 27, 2007
My Thursday night at the Foundry in list form
Person next to me is reading “The Hominid individual in context”, conglomeration of courier cyclists, reggae version of Smokey Robinson song Get Ready (I know it from Ash cover), angel dolls hanging from the ceiling (some look gruesomely like being hanged), traffic cones, too much, posters, art, chalk boards, confusion, organic lager, mirror rounded by gold flames, Banksy CCTV sculpture, candles dripping bottles, flyers, dreads, revellers photos, old sofas, school chairs, wooden ladybirds, swap tables with old school friend, A-level looking fashion sketches.
John arrives with a copy of The Age of Reason by Jean-Paul Sartre and a roll of brown paper.
John arrives with a copy of The Age of Reason by Jean-Paul Sartre and a roll of brown paper.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Keep em keen, keep em green
Thanks to Pudsk for alerting me to Wandsworth's new green agenda.
For the record - here are my pledges:
* Push the off button and don't leave electrical appliances on standby: I already
* Sign up for a Home Energy Check with the Energy Saving Trust: I pledge to
* Walk short journeys of one mile or under: I already
* Drive down vehicle emissions and run my car in a more environmentally friendly way: Not yet
* Use the orange sack or orange banks to recycle all my paper and card, tins and cans, aerosols, glass bottles and jars and plastic bottles: I already
* Drink tap water rather than bottled water: Not yet
* Turn off the tap when brushing my teeth: I already
* Replace one bath a week with a shower: Not yet
* Stop taking plastic carrier bags from shops: I already I'm not always successful, but really try
* Write a shopping list and stop buying more food than I need: Not yet
* Not use pesticides in my garden: I already No, it's harmony with the slugs apart from those unlucky enough to come across "slug stinger" tape round my pots
* Plant a window box: I already Very nice geraniums, since you ask
* Leave washing to dry in the open air instead of using the tumble dryer: I already
* Replace all light bulbs in my home with energy saving bulbs when they run out: I already However, I think it is a myth that they last 7 years, some I've had to replace them much sooner than that. Very annoying bought a special shaped ecobulb the other day for about £15, but it blew when I put it on a dimmer switch - be warned!
* Get on my bike and cycle to school or work: I already Hooray for my lovely bike
* Leave my car at home and use public transport to go to work: I already Don't have a car, but do catch tube when I don't cycle
* Reduce the amount of junk mail I receive: I already Yep, have got a "no junk mail" sign and put myself on the mail preference service. Not entirely effective. Plus Abbey send me a pile of credit card cheques every month despite my repeated pleas not too.
* Find a new home for unwanted household items: Not yet well ish, do take quite a bit to the charity shop, but I am a bit of a hoarder
* Put a Hippo or a save-a-flush device in my toilet cistern: I pledge to - I used to have one, really easy way to save water. Hoping to get a double flush loo when I get a new bathroom
* Use water collected in a water butt to water my garden: I already v proud of my water butt, thanks Mum
* Buy products made from recycled materials, such as paper for my printer: I already
* Have milk delivered by local milk man: I already doesn't say why this is on the list, but certainly reduces a lot of plastic waste
* Give a home to birds by putting up a nesting box: Not yet I'm sorry little birds. I did try to feed you but you never visited the seed balls I put up and they melted last summer. I do have a box for red Mason bees though (sadly uninhabited).
* Plant native plants in my garden: I already Apple tree... actually thinking about it, not much else
* Sign up to a renewable energy provider: I already from Ecotricity
* Insulate my home effectively: Not yet Don't have a roof, but have been meaning to get that shiny stuff to put behind the radiators for ages
* Join a car club or car share: Not yet
* Take a 'no flying' holiday this year: I already Brecon Beacons here I come!
* Use a home composter for my garden and kitchen waste: I already in a wormery I designed which houses worms from my Mum's compost heap
* Encourage my school or work place to set up a recycling scheme: Not yet Not officially! I take home all bits of cardboard and stuff from work to recycle at home.
* Have my water company install a water meter: Not yet I know I should, just one of those things that seems like a lot of hassle.... bad me
* Volunteer to make Wandsworth's waterways cleaner and more bio diverse places: Not yet but it sounds fun
* Use green cleaning products: I already
* Reduce my 'food miles' by buying seasonal fruit and vegetables produced in the UK whenever possible: Not yet I try to shop at our local greengrocers when I can. Plus he's cheaper than the supermarket
* Construct a pond to provide homes for water loving wildlife: Not yet Although mini-pond in bucket plans afoot.
* Use grey water to water my garden: Not yet Although a really good eco tip is to stand a bucket in the shower to catch the water while its warming up. Enough to water all my plants. I've stopped doing it, so now should start doing it again.
I'm afraid I've not made that many pledges, so as not to let myself down.
I think these are all really good ideas, but I think its still a bit depressing that I think these are important and helpful things to do, but their effect is so limited. You could do all of these things for a year and wipe out all the good with one Easyjet flight.
For the record - here are my pledges:
* Push the off button and don't leave electrical appliances on standby: I already
* Sign up for a Home Energy Check with the Energy Saving Trust: I pledge to
* Walk short journeys of one mile or under: I already
* Drive down vehicle emissions and run my car in a more environmentally friendly way: Not yet
* Use the orange sack or orange banks to recycle all my paper and card, tins and cans, aerosols, glass bottles and jars and plastic bottles: I already
* Drink tap water rather than bottled water: Not yet
* Turn off the tap when brushing my teeth: I already
* Replace one bath a week with a shower: Not yet
* Stop taking plastic carrier bags from shops: I already I'm not always successful, but really try
* Write a shopping list and stop buying more food than I need: Not yet
* Not use pesticides in my garden: I already No, it's harmony with the slugs apart from those unlucky enough to come across "slug stinger" tape round my pots
* Plant a window box: I already Very nice geraniums, since you ask
* Leave washing to dry in the open air instead of using the tumble dryer: I already
* Replace all light bulbs in my home with energy saving bulbs when they run out: I already However, I think it is a myth that they last 7 years, some I've had to replace them much sooner than that. Very annoying bought a special shaped ecobulb the other day for about £15, but it blew when I put it on a dimmer switch - be warned!
* Get on my bike and cycle to school or work: I already Hooray for my lovely bike
* Leave my car at home and use public transport to go to work: I already Don't have a car, but do catch tube when I don't cycle
* Reduce the amount of junk mail I receive: I already Yep, have got a "no junk mail" sign and put myself on the mail preference service. Not entirely effective. Plus Abbey send me a pile of credit card cheques every month despite my repeated pleas not too.
* Find a new home for unwanted household items: Not yet well ish, do take quite a bit to the charity shop, but I am a bit of a hoarder
* Put a Hippo or a save-a-flush device in my toilet cistern: I pledge to - I used to have one, really easy way to save water. Hoping to get a double flush loo when I get a new bathroom
* Use water collected in a water butt to water my garden: I already v proud of my water butt, thanks Mum
* Buy products made from recycled materials, such as paper for my printer: I already
* Have milk delivered by local milk man: I already doesn't say why this is on the list, but certainly reduces a lot of plastic waste
* Give a home to birds by putting up a nesting box: Not yet I'm sorry little birds. I did try to feed you but you never visited the seed balls I put up and they melted last summer. I do have a box for red Mason bees though (sadly uninhabited).
* Plant native plants in my garden: I already Apple tree... actually thinking about it, not much else
* Sign up to a renewable energy provider: I already from Ecotricity
* Insulate my home effectively: Not yet Don't have a roof, but have been meaning to get that shiny stuff to put behind the radiators for ages
* Join a car club or car share: Not yet
* Take a 'no flying' holiday this year: I already Brecon Beacons here I come!
* Use a home composter for my garden and kitchen waste: I already in a wormery I designed which houses worms from my Mum's compost heap
* Encourage my school or work place to set up a recycling scheme: Not yet Not officially! I take home all bits of cardboard and stuff from work to recycle at home.
* Have my water company install a water meter: Not yet I know I should, just one of those things that seems like a lot of hassle.... bad me
* Volunteer to make Wandsworth's waterways cleaner and more bio diverse places: Not yet but it sounds fun
* Use green cleaning products: I already
* Reduce my 'food miles' by buying seasonal fruit and vegetables produced in the UK whenever possible: Not yet I try to shop at our local greengrocers when I can. Plus he's cheaper than the supermarket
* Construct a pond to provide homes for water loving wildlife: Not yet Although mini-pond in bucket plans afoot.
* Use grey water to water my garden: Not yet Although a really good eco tip is to stand a bucket in the shower to catch the water while its warming up. Enough to water all my plants. I've stopped doing it, so now should start doing it again.
I'm afraid I've not made that many pledges, so as not to let myself down.
I think these are all really good ideas, but I think its still a bit depressing that I think these are important and helpful things to do, but their effect is so limited. You could do all of these things for a year and wipe out all the good with one Easyjet flight.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Not green, just rich
Very interesting piece from George Monbiot in the Guardian, which expresses my uneasiness at the idea that buying green products can somehow solve the climate change crisis and my dislike of the new fascism of greenies over non-organic shopping choices.
He writes about a new organic bible by Sheherazade Goldsmith - married to the very rich environmentalist Zac – on how to "live within nature's limits".
“It's easy. Just make your own bread, butter, cheese, jam, chutneys and pickles, keep a milking cow, a few pigs, goats, geese, ducks, chickens, beehives, gardens and orchards.” A fellow commuter sums up to Monbiot the fundamental problem with this approach: "This is for people who don't work."
I think that consumers can reduce their impact on the planet by choosing wisely when they shop.
But how helpful is it to approach life with an all-pervasive eco-guilt when often the government doesn’t give us the tools to making green choices easy?
It is often easier and cheaper to make the choose grey, so it is disproportionately difficult for people with less money to be green. A trip to Somerset for two on a Friday night costs £100 return (if you don’t book in advance) but £40-60 by car. Flying to Europe is too easy and too cheap – we should take the train. A friend with a new baby told me that to buy a complete set of washable nappies costs £300, quite apart from the cost of washing etc.
It can also be difficult to determine which option is greener - especially given the lack of clear labelling on how much energy is used producing something - eg food miles are not obvious. Even then, the best option for the environment difficult to see. For example, when green beans are out of season, it is apparently better to buy beans shipped from Kenya than organic ones those grown in Europe, because the energy costs of hothousing the beans in Europe are so great.
I really resented the government pushing eco-guilt around five years or so ago when consumers were told they should “take responsibility” for recycling when services provided by local councils was so poor. “Taking responsibility” for me meant manically storing up any recyclables until I could borrow a car, or struggle with them on the bus. Now improvew local services – including advent of doorstep recycling - have made it much easier for consumers to take action. (Although there are problems with this approach – it is more energy intensive than separated-at-source recycling and results in lower quality product.)
I agree with Monbiot that we should buy less not just buy green and his conclusion: “Green consumerism is another form of atomisation - a substitute for collective action. No political challenge can be met by shopping.”
He writes about a new organic bible by Sheherazade Goldsmith - married to the very rich environmentalist Zac – on how to "live within nature's limits".
“It's easy. Just make your own bread, butter, cheese, jam, chutneys and pickles, keep a milking cow, a few pigs, goats, geese, ducks, chickens, beehives, gardens and orchards.” A fellow commuter sums up to Monbiot the fundamental problem with this approach: "This is for people who don't work."
I think that consumers can reduce their impact on the planet by choosing wisely when they shop.
But how helpful is it to approach life with an all-pervasive eco-guilt when often the government doesn’t give us the tools to making green choices easy?
It is often easier and cheaper to make the choose grey, so it is disproportionately difficult for people with less money to be green. A trip to Somerset for two on a Friday night costs £100 return (if you don’t book in advance) but £40-60 by car. Flying to Europe is too easy and too cheap – we should take the train. A friend with a new baby told me that to buy a complete set of washable nappies costs £300, quite apart from the cost of washing etc.
It can also be difficult to determine which option is greener - especially given the lack of clear labelling on how much energy is used producing something - eg food miles are not obvious. Even then, the best option for the environment difficult to see. For example, when green beans are out of season, it is apparently better to buy beans shipped from Kenya than organic ones those grown in Europe, because the energy costs of hothousing the beans in Europe are so great.
I really resented the government pushing eco-guilt around five years or so ago when consumers were told they should “take responsibility” for recycling when services provided by local councils was so poor. “Taking responsibility” for me meant manically storing up any recyclables until I could borrow a car, or struggle with them on the bus. Now improvew local services – including advent of doorstep recycling - have made it much easier for consumers to take action. (Although there are problems with this approach – it is more energy intensive than separated-at-source recycling and results in lower quality product.)
I agree with Monbiot that we should buy less not just buy green and his conclusion: “Green consumerism is another form of atomisation - a substitute for collective action. No political challenge can be met by shopping.”
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Getting it on in your fishnets
“You used to get it in your fishnets
Now you only get it in your night dress
Discarded all the naughty nights for niceness
Landed in a very common crisis”
Fluorescent Adolescent, The Arctic Monkeys
I really like these lyrics from the Arctics. But I can’t help thinking this is a really male view of sex, or at least quite a crude way of looking at what makes exciting sex. Come on boys, fishnets is a bit of a cliche. And sometimes niceness is not such a bad thing.
As an aside, Google’s ability to match adverts with internet user is just too shrewd, but not so this music lyrics site. It marries these lyrics with details of where young Arctics’ fans can buy and dispose of fluorescent lighting.
Now you only get it in your night dress
Discarded all the naughty nights for niceness
Landed in a very common crisis”
Fluorescent Adolescent, The Arctic Monkeys
I really like these lyrics from the Arctics. But I can’t help thinking this is a really male view of sex, or at least quite a crude way of looking at what makes exciting sex. Come on boys, fishnets is a bit of a cliche. And sometimes niceness is not such a bad thing.
As an aside, Google’s ability to match adverts with internet user is just too shrewd, but not so this music lyrics site. It marries these lyrics with details of where young Arctics’ fans can buy and dispose of fluorescent lighting.
QUICK.SAND.
I’m not usually a big fan of advertising, but I do like words. I love the expressiveness and humour of this ad from lastminute.com despite its brevity.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
I enjoy my retreat into infantilism with Harry Potter...
But I agree with Nicholas Lezard on the Guardian's site. The writing ain't much cop.
"A nine-year-old might feel quite pleased with the writing in the Harry Potter books. It's pretty embarrassing coming from an adult," says Lezard.
The books are really gripping, but why so long? When I got to number 4 (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) I thought this woman needs is a good editor. In the middle it meanders off into boring details about the kids' homework, chop it out I say.
I think JK Rowling has imagined all aspects of Harry's world so acutely she doesn't want to leave anything out. So someone else should do it for her. But I think the first books were so successful that her editors treated her with kid gloves for the latter books.
I applaud Lezard for taking an intelligent adult look at the Harry Potter books. Too many people have opinions about them without taking the time to read them.
"A nine-year-old might feel quite pleased with the writing in the Harry Potter books. It's pretty embarrassing coming from an adult," says Lezard.
The books are really gripping, but why so long? When I got to number 4 (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) I thought this woman needs is a good editor. In the middle it meanders off into boring details about the kids' homework, chop it out I say.
I think JK Rowling has imagined all aspects of Harry's world so acutely she doesn't want to leave anything out. So someone else should do it for her. But I think the first books were so successful that her editors treated her with kid gloves for the latter books.
I applaud Lezard for taking an intelligent adult look at the Harry Potter books. Too many people have opinions about them without taking the time to read them.
Friday, July 13, 2007
For me, writing’s like falling asleep
Writing is like falling asleep. Not so easy, it's like falling asleep, but in that if you can’t watch yourself, you can’t do it.
You get into bed and are looking forward to a nice sleep, and start gradually dozing off. But if you consciously realise you’re doing it – ah, sleep comes at last – bang! you’re awake.
I think writing is the same. If after spending a morning of scratching your head checking your emails and generally proscrastinating you give yourself a sideways glance and realise you're writing away happily, the moment goes and poof! you’re scratching your head and wondering how you can start again.
So don’t look at the first spark of inspiration in case you get too dazzled to carry on.
You get into bed and are looking forward to a nice sleep, and start gradually dozing off. But if you consciously realise you’re doing it – ah, sleep comes at last – bang! you’re awake.
I think writing is the same. If after spending a morning of scratching your head checking your emails and generally proscrastinating you give yourself a sideways glance and realise you're writing away happily, the moment goes and poof! you’re scratching your head and wondering how you can start again.
So don’t look at the first spark of inspiration in case you get too dazzled to carry on.
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