Happy anniversary Rubbish Diet! Five years old today

Distracted by the snow,  todays school closure and the prospect of sledging with the 8 year old, it almost passed me by that today is the fifth anniversary of when I launched The Rubbish Diet blog. 

So forgive my momentary lapse of celebration as well as my now very loud whoop-whoop!

5 years!  Blimmin eck!

Back then, I didnt think Id still be blogging about rubbish even a few months later, let alone five years on.  And as for the amount of rubbish Ive avoided and the money saved, thats worth celebrating in itself. 

So, thank you to ALL who have inspired me and to everyone who has taken steps to make a positive difference to help reduce the amount of waste our society generates.

I hope this is going to be a very exciting year in the world of bin-slimming and as I turned over the calendar this year, I realised that for the first year ever The Rubbish Diet is actually now bigger than this blog, developing a life of its own out there in the big wide world, like a small child that you wave off to school for the very first time.

Following hot on the heels of the first Rubbish Diet Shropshire trial, which took place last year,  it feels appropriate that today, of all days, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust launches its own Rubbish Diet challenge, engaging 15 households in the process of slimming their bins over an eight week period, following the very same method that I took back in 2008.

I cant wait to find out how they all get on and I look forward to heading down to Wiltshire to help celebrate during their finale, a Zero Waste Week, which takes place in March.

And March will indeed be a hectic month in more ways than one.  Not only is there a fair chance that you could see Yours Truly making an appearance on The One Show, but I am also looking forward to representing the Zero Waste Alliance UK at an International Zero Waste Symposium, which takes place in San Francisco.  I am, as you can probably guess, both nervous and excited!

And thats just March.  Gawd knows what will happen during the rest of the year.... well, I have an inkling, but for now will just cross my fingers and wait, and burst into song only when necessary.

So, thank you all again for your inspiration, support and engagement.  Its you that keeps me going as well as that HUGE pile of unnecessary waste!

Im now looking forward to the next five years and encouraging even more people to join in and help tackle it together. 

So good luck to everyone who takes up the challenge this year.  I hope it goes well for all involved.  Its really great to have even more people on board and I believe we can make a huge difference.

THANK YOU!!!

Now, Im off to celebrate by dodging some snowballs and enjoying that sledge before the opportunity disappears...  ah, such imagery!

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For more information about the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust Rubbish Diet challenge, follow their project blog, which will feature all their latest updates. Also Wiltshire blogger, Jen, is joining the WWT challenge and you can follow her progress at Make Do and Mend Year. More news on Rubbish Diet Shropshires project will be announced soon.

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Farewell old blog

There comes a time when you know youre ready to close door for the last time and move on.  To turn the key and drive off to pastures new.

And Ive come to realise that such a time has come for this blog.

Theres part of me that doesnt want to let go.  After all, this space has been my home and the place where my family and I have grown up, working out how we manage my ever-increasing enthusiasm to reduce waste. 

Its also been the meeting point for many new friends.  Strangers, who have since become good friends.  Weve laughed together, dined together, attended events together and naturally talked rubbish.

But Ive been increasingly conscious that I dont spend much time here these days.  Not since the team and I have built a much bigger house, the Rubbish Diet website, which has become a worthy home to the online challenge and HQ for community support.   Thats where youll find all the latest updates about my exciting rubbish adventures, all thats happening in West London plus lots of tips and advice shared by our fantastic team.  For me, it no longer makes sense to have a blog and a website that share the same name.  It feels a real milestone to abandon this old thing.   It shows just how much The Rubbish Diet has grown up.

And I hope as I wave goodbye here, that youll continue to follow me and the team over at www.therubbishdiet.org.uk. Weve got lots of exciting new things to announce in the autumn, so please do watch that space. 

But, I have some other news too.  This space grew out of my passion for blogging and my curiosity to learn. explore and document stuff that matters to me, whether it was family, the world around us or simply as an excuse for everyday self-expression and a chance to get something off your chest.   I am still a random blogger at heart, so Ive built myself a new personal space.  It would be lovely to see you there. Its all fresh and free from my old clutter.  You can find it at www.karencannard.wordpress.com.

Its been six and half amazing years. To think that I thought this rubbish stuff would only last eight weeks.  Ha!  What did I know!  Thats the thing with rubbish, it has that capacity to fire up a troubleshooters imagination so bloody easily and never let go. 

I want to say a massive thank you to everyone whos dropped by and supported me and my rubbish ideas over all this time.  Youve been wonderful and have helped make some great things happen and create some fantastic memories.

Theres still lots to do, so I hope this isnt really goodbye and that Ill see you in either Rubbish Diet HQ or my imaginary writing studio very soon. 

Let the rubbish adventures in those bins continue.


Karen x

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energyshare Hexham social media old friends and me

The last couple of weeks have have been some of the most extraordinary in my blogging life, having spent much of November helping to campaign for public votes to help Hexham River Hydro win energyshare funding of £100,000, WHICH THEY DID ON SATURDAY, so a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you who voted.

With the campaigning over, I now want to take some time out to reflect on what has been a very exciting but overwhelming experience in many ways.

When energyshare first got in touch to ask if Id like to work with them as a blogging champion for one of the shortlisted entries, it sounded like a very exciting prospect.  It was the first time Id heard of energyshare, but the idea that it was supporting community based energy creation, based on inspiration by River Cottage & Landshare originator Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall was a very interesting one indeed.

What I hadnt expected though was the community project that I would be allocated would be one that would involve a 5 hour train trip, up north to Hexham in Northumbria.

Nor had I expected the impact the community would have on me when I arrived there.

And I certainly hadnt prepared myself for the string of coincidences in my life that would surround Hexham either.

Energyshare recognised that theyd given me a community that was very far away from home and gave me the opportunity to support them remotely.  Having read the project details for the Hexham River Hydro scheme, I knew I could blog about them enthusiastically - I love the idea of harnessing power from water -  but I didnt think I could do it with the level of passion that was needed unless I saw it first hand.

The first phone calls I made with Tamsin, then Gillian and then the rest of the the Hexham River Hydro team revealed the first glimpses of their drive and enthusiasm that I was desperate to harness during my proposed visit there.  And I wasnt to be disappointed.

From the moment I stepped off the train and was welcomed by Malcolm, one of the project team members, I knew it was going to be a 24 hour whirlwind of a visit.  During the short walk to the town centre, Id already gleaned some information about the towns initial commitment to renewable energy, with Malcolm pointing out the solar panels that had been installed on the roof of the sports centre.

Then came the opportunistic video in the stocks outside the town gaol (youll need to see my video), followed by the very exciting introduction to the team, who were having a project meeting at their hub, at Scotts Cafe in the Forum cinema.

The Hexham River Hydro Project Team

Once calm had been restored, it was a real privilege to settle myself into the meeting and hear the ideas that the team was planning for campaigning to secure as many public votes as possible for their energyshare funding bid.   There were so many ideas that truly reflected the groups energy

That night after pizza, I was "unofficially inaugurated" into the community by taking part in the Hexham Community Choir.  For 50 minutes, the choir suffered my tone-deaf vocals, until Gillian announced why I was in town. Soon after it was off to the pub for some cider and more singing.  It was a real warm welcome to what was an unfamiliar town in an unfamiliar part of the country.

Hexham Community Choir

The real work started the next day.  Well, I say it was work, it was more of an insightful introduction into the teams enthusiasm, knowledge and commitment as well as their vision on how a hydro electricity generator could create funds for social projects around the town.

On location at the site of the river hydro scheme

And everything that I experienced that day was eye-opening, whether it was watching leaping salmon for the very first time in my life, making Christmas cards with the mums who use the community house No. 28, or meeting the teenagers at the Youth Initiative, who are so grateful for their facility and also realise how its heavily dependent on fund generation.

The Community House, No 28.

And having the opportunity to meet, conservationists, councillors, the mayor, members of Transition Tynedale, students of the local Mencap college and local schools, really cemented how much Hexham Community Partnership worked hard to create a fantastic foundation for such a great community.

Members of the community, including The Mayor, Transition Tynesdale, Hexham Community Partnership and councillors

I really felt honoured to have met so many people during my visit, which is why when it was announced at the live countdown on Saturday that they had won the £100K energyshare funding, I found myself getting quite emotional over the result too and so pleased for the community that Id championed.

Hexham River Hydros Gillian Orrell at the energyshare finals. If she was this pleased about winning a vote rush prize, just imagine how it felt to win the £100k funding. Its just a pity my camera battery ran out, so I couldnt capture the scene.

Ive now got a funny feeling, that this isnt the end of my relationship with Hexham. Not only because of the lovely welcome and my interest in following the development of the Hexham River Hydro project.

There are a few coincidences that have come about too.

Having uploaded my photos onto Facebook, it quickly emerged that not only does one of my social-media contacts originate for this beautiful town, but one of my favourite soap-makers lives only ten minutes away too, the fabulous Allyson, with whom Ive had many a conversation during the last three years.  Even while I was there, I stumbled upon the gallery of the most amazing artist Matt Forster. Wed started following each other on Twitter well before Id even heard of Hexham.  His work is truly superb and is really worth checking out.  Heres a peek at just one photo I took during my brief visit to his gallery.

By artist  Matt Forster

However the most amazing coincidence of all is the news that Gillian, had received a telephone call from a good friend of hers several days after my visit, to enquire whether it was true that a Karen Cannard had been in town.

It turns out that her friend is none other than a lovely former colleague of mine, who as a young lady used to work for me at a music digitisation company in London, back in the 1990s. After Id left, shed spent time travelling overseas. I moved house several times and then relocated to Suffolk. We lost touch, but Id always wondered what had happened to her.

Now I know and it was an absolute delight to hear Gillian bring me up to speed a whole decade later.

So, Ive now got plenty of reasons to visit a place, which until a few weeks ago, Id actually never even heard of before.

Huge congratulations to Hexham River Hydro for winning the large category on Saturday and thank you for being such fabulous hosts.

I have no doubt we will meet again and I am looking forward to catching up with my old work friend too.

So thank you to energyshare for pairing me up with Hexham. My personal tale is a very unexpected result indeed.

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Old Mc Walden had a Farm

Im trying to introduce a few new recipes and elements this time around, just to keep the diet fresh and fun.

As I was perusing the food list again - trying to remember whether red wine was an eligible liquid (but alas, it is not...) I came across the litany of Walden Farms products.

Now, I am quite suspicious of products that claim a zero calorie content, but I thought Id try it.  Since Im such a nut-freak and love peanut butter, I thought Id try their brand.  Just as my luck would have it though, they were sold out.

So, I ordered some other products to see if they would work for me.  $78 dollars and 5 days later, I received a neatly packed box replete with:

• Apple butter
• Raspberry "jam"
• BBQ sauce
• 4 types of salad dressings, and
• Chocolate sauce

 I used the BBQ sauce for a chicken recipe, and while the smell is sweet and a little odd, the flavour is quite good.  Even the family liked it - though they dont know it was Walden Farms.

I like the raspberry, but its consistency is more like a gelatenous blob than anything resembling a jam or jelly.  Its good enough on my single Bon Matin 60% No Fat, No Sugar whole wheat bread in the morning though.

I finger-tasted the salad dressings and I hope theyll be better on the salad, because there was nothing raspberry-vinagrette tasting about that concoction - just like a salt lick.  As well, the Asian dressing didnt have any hint of soya or sesame flavour.  Well see how that goes...

What I do like was turning my Vanilla Proti shake with berries into a frozen yoghurt-style dessert.  I mix up one container of shake with 5 oz of berries (with some Splenda) and pour them into 3 small glass bowls.  I top them with one berry, then put in the freezer.  Once its frozen, I spoon a thin layer of the Walden Farms Chocolate sauce on top and let it freeze.  YUM YUM YUM!  The kids love this - I love this - and its a good 1/3 P and 1/3 F, with 1 tbsp O - for a lovely dessert.

Who says you cant eat well on Bernstein - with a little help from the Walden Farm-hands.

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Ring in the cash with your old phone

If youve got a drawer full of unused mobile phones hanging about your house, then youll love this website, which allows you to instantly compare the resale value of your old technology from up to 29 mobile recycling companies.

At RecycleMobilePhones.co.uk you simply search for the make and model of your old gadgetry and within seconds you can see which companies provide the highest price even if the phone is broken.  Useful eh, especially at this time of year, when you could be in line for an upgrade this Christmas. You just follow the instructions and send off your phone and youll soon receive your cash.  And if youre a generous type, the site even shows which companies allow you to donate the proceeds directly to charity.

I cant wait for the day when I get to swap my old Nokia N97 smartphone for some cash.  I missed the opportunity three months ago, when my mobile contract was up for renewal and I decided to stick with my old phone and save money instead of upgrading.  Typically, within weeks of that decision my phone started to play up, rebooting itself in a sporadic fashion combined with memory problems that stop text messages coming through, as well as blocking access to the Internet.

Now that I know I can get cash even for a phone that doesnt work properly, Ill be champing at the bit to send it off when I upgrade in 15 months time....thats if it lasts that long.  If not, Ill be sending it sooner so I can invest in a reliable carrier pidgeon to deliver my messages.

Its easy to think that just because a piece of technology is outdated, broken, or isnt working properly, that it no longer has value, but this site helps to show that even very old models can fetch in a couple of pounds.

But dont just take my word for it.  Go and see for yourself and check out what you could earn for recycling those mobiles that are just gathering dust at home. Take a quick gander at RecycleMobilePhones.co.uk and you might be pleasantly surprised.

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Blogger disclaimer:  This post has been sponsored by RecycleMobilePhones.co.uk as part of Karen Cannards fundraising activities, where the full proceeds have been donated to the EACH Treehouse Appeal to build a new childrens hospice in Suffolk.  The sponsorship arrangement has not impacted on the publishing of this post or the tone in which it has been written.

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