A tort law from King Hywel Dda (10c) and engraved on slate “Pob cyflafan a wnêl dyn o’i anfodd, diwygied o’i fodd” translated to English: ‘All damage which a man does unwittingly, let him compensate for wittingly’ seen at the Hywel Dda Centre, Wales Describing how when we are at fault, even when we claim our innocent unawareness of guilt, we still have the responsibility to make amends once made aware.
Put specifically in an environmental setting, if we damage an ecosystem and are later made aware, we should make amends (not just sit in guilt doing nothing). So I wonder what will we find out next to make us aware of damage we’re doing and how we’ll make amends. Maybe it will involve our energy use, waste or simply the products we buy. I’m wondering what new thing I will find out today I am doing wrong and how I shall compensate for it. Tell me what yours ends up being, unless of course your perfect?
I have had the immersing pleasure and amusement of walking about the ‘Proper Job’ site in Chagford, Devon. Proper Job Limited set up in 1995, describes itself as “a community business committed to principles of sustainability and helping to create jobs” but has come a long way since. It is much more than a reuse, reclaim, recycling centre and now includes: Woody’s Woodstore, RePaint, Beau-Peep’s clothing, workshops, a poly tunnel and Green Shop… Well worth a detour to visit and is open six days a week from Monday – Saturday 9-30am to 4-30pm (or dusk) with closing early on Wednesday at 1pm. Put these on your [To Do] list: Visit Proper Job and take ideas for your area to have some Proper Job satisfaction.
Even when you have been a wise consumer and only bought what you needed, there’s bound to be some left-over paint in the tin, just a little bit. Storing these really small amounts (labelled with where in the house it’s painted for future touch ups) is an excellent idea. Making sure the tins are in a safe location, out of the reach of children and pets, often means there’s lots of safely stored paint, but often this never gets used up.
Just this month, here in Wales, Community Repaint Torfaen was launched and is based at the Threepenny Bit Community Hall in Greenmeadow, Cwmbran. Community RePaint, is an award-winning UK network of 65 community-based paint reuse projects. They see reusable ‘waste paint’ as a resource. They accept containers more than a third full and your nearest Community RePaint could be the answer, but for the smaller amounts, here’s where my idea comes in. I asked family and friends for all those little bits and one step at a time, painted a rainbow on my stairs.
Okay I have only had two hours sleep, so be aware of my renditions of Madame Cranky! It all started yesterday, when I had the beegeebus scared out of me on such a beautiful afternoon. I was quietly picking dandelion leaves for a pet rabbit, when the silence was broken with something similar to the poem “The German Guns” by Baldrick, on Black Adder goes forth. Why would any farmer think it’s okay to put what must have been gas canisters on that bonfire?
Anyways, add to that the stupid layout of the new A&E at Withybush Hospital. Walking in the dark from reception to reach the incoming ambulances at 11pm, is not a brilliant plan AND what bright spark thought it’s a great idea to have the after~hours exit via a dark alley near dustbins? OR that the only really lit area there, should not actually be the path, but a metal conduit surrounded by gravel? I mean, who agrees that to walk past the A&E waiting area, on a Saturday night ~ Sunday morning on the way to the car park alone, is best done either in the dark or being lit up like you have your own Super Trooper beams and sounding like a tap dance with a steel drums backing group?!
If you see me by the side of the road getting a little fruity, it will be for free. In broad daylight, I will lay a blanket on the ground and shake the tree! Yes, this time of year there’s a lot to be said for having a couple of plums in your hand. Bringing large bags with me to harvest Mirabelle.
Mirabelle Golden Sphere Prunus insitita plums are now ready to be harvested. Producing masses of small sweet yellow fruits, that can be eaten as they are. Traditionally in France they are grown to use in the tasty Tarte au Mirabelle, flambéed in caramel, made into ice cream mousse and even used in brandy distillation. Here in the UK, jam would be a typical British plum destination, but whatever your use, they are not to be missed.
My intention is to plant some of the fallen fruits in pots. These fruits produce trees that are self fertile, produce pollen for bees and other wildlife will enjoy the fruits in years to come. I know I will enjoy picking them and maybe you will notice one of these trees one day. It may well be one I have planted or are you going to plant one?
Let it be written… are you writing this? Getting down and dirty need not be hard labour! If you want, it can be hard, but I’m talking getting down productively and dirty as in earthy stuff. Anyways, getting down and dirty doesn’t have to be rigorous. Of course I’m talking permaculture. I’m not talking back~breaking digging and year in ~ year out toil. Permaculture minimises work and I’m sure we’re all for that. Plus, it helps the environment to be stable, productive and able to supply our human needs. Wastes become resources, productivity and harvests increase and all without costing the Earth.
We need to get our head around this word “Permaculture” a well known combination of two words [permanent] and [agriculture]. I intend to go into this in more detail, but for now we all need to ponder the word “Permaculture” because this is the future on this planet for humans or we are all slabtarts!
Not the average talk about numbers of people or how big the area affected by the worst flood in decades in Pakistan. I’m pondering the fear of being one, me stranded, not knowing what has happened to all the people I know. The area looking like nothing I could have imagined. Hungry, lost everything, nothing for miles, but water and crying or worse silence and maybe a floating body.
Cholera and other water born diseases will be next, spreading through the water, but there’s nothing else to drink. Cholera Vibrio cholerae, will make me feel thirsty to drink more of this filthy water and yet become dehydrated. I’ll get vicious cramps as all my muscles feel the electrolyte loss and start shitting like there really is no tomorrow, and it could well be true for me. Oh to sense rescue is coming soon, before the end of my world! No, not the average number crunching blog about bacterium, but the call to empathic rescue and quick before the silence is deafening! Here’s a few ways how: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Red Cross World Vision
Since Norwegian artist Edvard Munch showed an agonized person against a blood red sky, many have wondered if it is the person in the act of screaming or the person hearing a scream. When we hear of how the Earth is having to cope with us, we sometimes feel like the scream. Let’s not cover our ears!
Do I have to write a letter, do I write with pen and ink? and cut down a tree for paper too, I have to stop and think? An email, a card, do I have to text words down? it has my ethics ticking and my face begins to frown. Do I have to say some words, my feelings to another? or just think them to myself, not say them loudly to a sister, a brother? Do I have to have “Words”?
Thinking of what to do today? How about taking time to join the online local Freecycle group in your area and recycle goods for FREE and keep things out of the landfill. There are now 4,843 groups with 7,561,585 members around the world. I joined years ago, have given away plenty of stuff I no longer need and have the kitchen sink!
The Freecycle mission is: to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community. Not a waste of time and not a waste of resources, there’s no catch, it really is free, just follow the “Freecycle” instructions online: freecycle.org
