Teaming up with energyshare Hexam River Hydro

It is very rare that something pulls me away from talking about rubbish, but when I was asked to team up with an exciting hydro energy project thats competing for energyshare funding, it was far too interesting to miss.


Energyshare has been created by River Cottage and British Gas, jointly managing a campaign whereby communities across the UK have applied to energyshare to have their project funded. These communities have been shortlisted into a small number of finalists, all looking to have their project funded up to the value of £100,000.

The competition has also been supported by Channel 4’s Three Hungry Boy’s who spent five weeks touring the South West over the summer, visiting communities just like those shortlisted for energyshare funding. Trevor, Thom and Tim were challenged by River Cottage’s Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall to live off the land and barter their way around the countryside, sourcing the energy for their electric vehicle from renewable technologies.

Today the finalists have been announced and campaigning has now begun in earnest to help generate public votes to choose the winning communities.


All the finalists are brilliant in their own way.  The community that I am supporting is Hexham River Hydro, a fabulous project which will create a100kW community hydro power generation scheme on the River Tyne in Northumberland.   It is a joint initiative by Hexham Community Partnership and Transition Tynedale and for anyone who, like me, has grown up or lived near such a similar powerful waterway, it is very easy to get excited about the possibilities of harnessing such energy.

However, this project is not just about generating renewable electricity, it is also about securing sustainable funding for social and economic regeneration and community activities in the market town of Hexham and its environs, as well as creating an education and awareness-raising tool for residents and visitors alike.

When I say, Im very excited about this project, I really mean it and cant wait to get to meet the people and the community behind it. Having spoken to team member Gillian Orrell, this afternoon, I am now looking forward to a trip up north to find out more about their hopes and plans. This project may seem that its about technology, but at the heart of it, its really about people and harnessing the energy around us, without impacting on the environment itself.  Its amazing to think that it will generate approximately 700MWh of electricity per year – enough to satisfy the average electricity consumption of 150 households, whicle reducing Hexham’s carbon emissions by approximately 400 tonnes CO2 per year.

With such localised energy supply, it is also deemed a project of national significance that will be of interest to other similar communities around the UK.

I will be able to report on my discoveries next week, but in the meantime, if you are over 13-years-old and have just two minutes to spare, please get voting at the energyshare website.  More information about Hexam River Hydro can be found at www.energyshare.com/hrh. So, please pop over and if you like what you see, please do hurry and vote for them.

Voting is open until 5pm on 3rd December with the opportunity to win one of 5 books that River Cottage is giving away every day to voters. Furthermore, for the energyshare Group that gets the most supporters voting, there is the chance to scoop a £1,000 cash prize.

So please do get involved now and visit energyshare.com/voting.

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This is a sponsored opportunity on behalf of British Gas. However, all the authors views are her own.

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Day 3 of Tune Up

Well, Im into Day 3 of the Tune Up and all is well.

Im starting to feel the little hunger pangs again, but it took a full 2 days to get into ketosis - and thats only a high 1/low 2 burn.

Im down 4 pounds since Wednesday though (its now Friday) but I know it is mainly the water that was retained from all the salt and chemicals lining up to exit.

I must say though, the B Vitamin injections sure do work. I remember waking up in the morning thinking that was the best full night sleep Ive had in a long time - and Im back to the once hourly like clockwork pee breaks. I have such a nice healthy glow - and the weight is dropping off again. Horray!

I am so thankful to the folks who have registered on the program and dropped my name - I have two free weeks to help me along on the Tune Up. Thank you ladies!

Im hoping to push myself into the 130s so Im planning on being on the program a full month.

My goal? 135 lbs this time - a good solid entrenchment into my BMI range

My reward? Looking fab-u-lous for my moms 75th birthday party on April 17th...and maybe a new pair of shoes to go with one of my new dresses that I havent had a chance to wear yet!

Heres to my lemon water Splenda potion (which I have never abandoned) and the Strict diet again. Its nice to be back to the clinic - at least for a little bit. :-)

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Recycle Week round up Cybermummy!

Blimmin eck, Ive hardly had chance to stop for a cup of tea since Recycle Week began last week. Ive been too busy hanging around with Shedwyn our mascot for the Stand up for Recycling out on the Street Campaign and 1000 bin challenge, which I launched in conjunction with My Zero Waste only last Monday.

For those who are new to the challenge, the mission is to collect 1000 photos and videos of on-street recycling bins, the aim of which is to raise awareness of "recycling-on-the-go" facilities.  Its a totally independent social-media campaign, which although supported by WRAPs Recycle Now team, is simply a bloggers grassroots initiative to inject some fun into the subject of recycling.

But crikey, what an amazing week its been, with photos coming into our Facebook page  from as far as Greece and Shedwyn impersonators coming out of the woodwork from all sorts of unexpected corners.

It started with a gaggle of Shedwyn imposters popping up at a recycling bin in Bury St Edmunds ready for Mondays launch.

I dont think it was that difficult for folk to spot the real Shedwyn from the line up of imposters that included a very busy mum, a local soap maker, a borough councillor, a wildlife volunteer and a childrens clothes shop owner.  To see who the Real Shedwyn is, youll find theres a huge clue on the new website, which was also launched on Monday.

Monday was brilliant. Not only did the Facebook page reach over 100 followers, but photos started to come in too.  What really made it though was the announcement by Suffolks comedy club "the Chortle Factory" on BBC Radio Suffolk that they were getting behind the campaign and planning all sorts of frivolity for pop up entertainment at local recycling bins as well as comedy litter picks.

Next, came confirmation from a whole range of performers including Abi Roberts, Doug Segal and Checkley Bush, as well as Crouch Ends new comedy club Boom-Tish!, that they would all be doing something over the summer at an adopted recycling bin.

But its not just comedians, singers and entertainers who are getting involved.  News in at the end of last week was that talented artist Penny Lindop would be getting her sketchpad out at a recycling bin and submitting her entry of support too.

And throughout the week, Shedwyn popped up in all sorts of places, including:

A random waterside recycling bin in Ely (and it is random, especially as it is the only one):

An eco-club visit to Abbots Green Community Primary School in Suffolk

On a train to London

And of course the Cybermummy conference in London, where she mingled with some fabulous bloggers, including the gorgeous Clare from The Babbling Mummy.

and the amazing Melinda from Her Melness Speaks....Out!

And look who else she bumped into...

...none other than Michael Douglas, the One Shows very own Street Barber...who just wanted to get on record that hes not actually responsible for Shedwyns barnet, but he did let on that hes got up to some recycling shenanigans of his own in recent years.  Shedwyns on a promise to get a link to one of his videos for the 1000 bins campaign and I can tell you now, shes very excited at that news indeed.  Look at her.  Bless her. She just cant contain herself!


Then it was down to business and the hunt for recycling bins at Cybermummys conference venue (The Brewery in London), which was kindly modelled by the most wonderful Surprised Zoe.  Of course, shes not always surprised,. but thats how Ive come to know her.

And last but not least, the event just wouldnt have been the same without a truckload of Shedwyn imposters popping up at the after-show party.  And heres a fabulous line-up of the suspicious characters, but Im not going to reveal who they are.  That would spoil the fun!  Im going to leave it to my blogging pals to guess and see if they can spot themselves too.

So...Cybermummy Shedwyns....heres over to you........a dozen imposters to make your minds boggle.

  1. I think this Cybermummy Shedwyn was startled by the flash

2. And this Cybermummy let her hair down in style

 3. This Shedwyn imposter just knows the glass of wine will give her away.

 

4. This CyberShedwyn hangs around more bins than she might reveal.

 5. This Shedwyn is dreaming of her next blogpost.

  6. While this Shedwyn imposter doesnt blog at all. Could she be an imposter in more ways than one?

  7. This disguise is good baby!

 8.A bearded Shedwyn. Whatever next!

  9.  Yeah baby. Work it Shedywn number 9!

10. And check out this rock chick!

11. Glam rocks! But there was no funny business in this Shedwyns powder room.

12. And this Shedwyn is so hot, shes simply "smokin"

It was a great day hanging out with so many Shedwyns at the Cybermummy party and my only regret was that I had to leave early to catch the train home.  However, I did catch a few extra Recycle Week snaps to add to the 1000 bins Facebook page.

And yesterday, a fitting end to Recycle Week, The Rubbish Diet got a mention in  The Independent on Sundays Cybermummy feature.  I caught up with the article whilst on a family excursion to Southwold.  I did notice that Id been re-christened as Kate.

Oh well, Im sure theres a touch of royalty in the sentiment and Kate is rather fashionable, just like "recycling-on-the-go"

So I kept the feature and when the rest of the newspaper was finished, I popped it into the "newish" recycling bin on The Green

A fitting end to a fun-packed Recycle Week. 

For more information about what else I got up to at this years Cybermummy, check out my post over on my other blog...Anything but rubbish.  Its the place where I ramble about things away from the bin.

Although Recycle Week is over, this is only the very beginning for the 1000 bins challenge, which runs right up to the end of Zero Waste Week on the 11 September.  It would be great if you could join in and encourage your friends to submit photos as well as entertaining videos.  There will even be a competition too, details of which will be announced at www.myzerowaste.com at the end of July.

For details of how you can participate, please vist www.1000bins.com.

In the meantime, I am sure the CyberShedwyns (who were such great sports) will reveal themselves very soon.

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Tune Up Required

Well, Ive come to the realization that I just cant be left to my own devices, and that I cant let my husband do the grocery shopping...

Ive crept back on 8 lbs since my last post last month. I wanted to see what would happen if I just lived life as I wanted. I had beef a few times a week; an extra glass of wine with dinner; desserts (full portion, not just a sliver), etc. Wow - that was a learning experience. Within two weeks my pants were getting tighter again, and I could even see the layer of fat under my skin start to fill out.

Life as science.

So, as a friend of mine said she wants to join Bernstein to lose the 30 lbs that have crept on over the last 5 years, Ive decided Ill go back in for the Tune Up program. The quick "lose 10 lbs" in a week or two deal.

I kind of missed the urinalysis - the good morning chat at the clinic - the B6/12 healthy glow.

Ive called and going back in on Tuesday for weigh-in.

Ahhhhh.... :-)

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Embarking on Week 2 Tune Up Progress

Well, from 152.6 to 146.2, Im well on my way to reaching next weeks target of 144.

I was traveling for work this week, so I had to remember how to survive while away from my routine. I really found the first week a challenge to get strict again, but with my trusty pee-sticks on hand at home, I was monitoring and it only took 48 hours for my body to kick in.

Nothing like having your body tell you in only a matter of a few hours "Yeah, youre fat - Im burning it off already." Its humbling....

I went from my first weigh in at 152.6 (gasp!) to a 4 lb drop in two days. Water bien sur, but its so motivating to see that initial big loss. I did find the first few days hard. I swear once you start eating refined sugar again your body truly craves it. It took me a few days to really push away the bad foods, but once you get back into your clean food and routine, I dont crave it or get lured by it.

And thats a hard thing to do with those raisin bran muffin hubcaps (these muffins are HUGE) that scream out to me at the coffee shop every morning when I get my large decaf with a splash of skim milk and 2 Splenda packets.... I put in extra Splenda and imagine its one of the 500 calorie raisins from the muffin rolling around in my mouth.

But luckily this morning I looked at them and didnt even smell them. I swear the B6/12 concoction must block out the olifactory receptors to resist unwanted foods... its a theory.

Ive crept along at my typical half a pound loss per day since then.

What a lovely surprise though this morning at weigh-in - a girlfriend of mine mentioned my name when she joined the program that I received a free week! Thanks Kate!!

So, armed with some Proti Vanilla shakes, Im ready for next weeks loss. They were a lifesaver this week on my trip for work - brought 2 with me and a peanut & jam protein bar (these are new - and are they yummy!) so that I would have 1 pre-packaged protein per day. You cant eat more than one of these items each per day, so I alternated.

While I know those foods are not the best and are chock-full of different chemicals, I did need them this week for convenience. You certainly dont lose as much as quickly using them... but the Vanilla shake is great with 5 oz of frozen (or fresh) strawberries with Splenda to taste - an excellent morning smoothie!

Anyway - heres to Week 2 - its only just begun, and Im half way to my goal of 135!

Happy weekend everyone. :-)

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Two Down Paleo Wrap Up

I have been remiss in my blogging due to a couple of nutty weeks at school, but I am here to try to remedy that. I finished Paleo two days ago and have already moved on to my (mostly) Raw Vegan diet.

While there were several aspects of Paleo I enjoyed, there were also some major issues I had with the diet that made it problematic. As I did with Atkins, I provide you with my Pros and Cons list of Paleo:

Pros                                                                         Cons

Emphasis on Fresh Foods                                         Restrictive

No "Counting"                                                          Unclear Rules

Athlete Friendly                                                         Lack of Satiety

(Lots of cooking)                                                       (Weight Loss)


The absolute best and greatest redeeming quality to Paleo, in my opinion, is its emphasis on eating high quantities of fresh, clean foods, especially vegetables. Any diet which pushes foods that are natural, unprocessed, and healthy earns major points in my book. Likewise, one can eat as many of these clean foods as they want; there is very little counting or calorie tracking on Paleo.

Personally, I enjoyed how often I had to cook on Paleo, but then again, I like to cook. On my busiest days, when time is an issue, the amount of time I spent in the kitchen was a bit frustrating, but well worth it. Being fully in control of the foods going into my body, knowing the ingredients and in what quantities, gave me a full knowledge of just how many great vitamins and minerals I was getting to consume. For someone with not a lot of time to spend preparing food, Paleo could be tough, it requires dedication.

For the athlete in me, Paleo left me with plenty of energy for exercise and long workouts were no longer a problem, except that they made me all the more hungry. Unfortunately, in my case, I was hungry all the time on Paleo. As I may have mentioned before, this is something that may be entirely my fault, as I do not eat ninety percent of the proteins that are the very cornerstone of Paleo. My mom, full meat eater that she is, said she had no problems with hunger; Paleo left her feeling fully satisfied (in the hunger sense).

Now when it comes to satisfying cravings, Paleo fails rather miserably. Both my mom and I have a pretty big sweet tooth, and about the sweetest food you can eat on Paleo is a berry. This leads to binges and so-called "cheating." Now, Paleo allows for a 85-15 split on Paleo vs. non-Paleo eating. Basically, it tells you to cheat within reason. Unfortunately, this can, at times, lead to the individual consumption of and entire mini-bundt cake or a full Dennys pancake breakfast. (those may or may not have been me)

My mom also struggled a bit with the clarity of the Paleo rules, trying to decide whether or not a particular food is sufficiently processed, to be considered "processed," was a tough issue for her. Unlike Raw Vegan, there are no clear cut rules for determining the proper degree of naturalness necessary from a food. Now, in her case, my mom stated she did lose weight on Paleo, on the order of a couple pounds per week. I, on the other hand, gained weight on Paleo.

However, despite the fact that I gained weight on Paleo, I did not gain dimension, which indicates to me that I may have converted some of my fat to muscle mass, thereby increasing my weight without increasing my size. The emphasis of Paleo on quality sources of protein and on mineral and vitamin rich foods most likely allowed for this conversion. I am certainly not going to complain about some numbers on a scale if my pants still fit.

In the end, Id say I like Paleo as a diet principle, with its clean eating and higher protein intake, but in practice, it comes with several strong issues. Paleo may yet earn a lasting place in the lifestyle diet field, but I do not think it has anything particularly unique or special to offer to the individual that another diet couldnt provide equally well. If Paleo appeals to you, and you think it might work with your lifestyle, by all means, give it a try. From a nutritional and personal standpoint I can say that Paleo certainly does more good than harm and is far healthier than many diets out there.

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One Down Three to Go Atkins Wrap Up

Fall has finally arrived here in earnest, leaves are blooming colors, air is crisper, days are growing shorter, and I have reached my last day of Atkins. Its amazing how quickly the last three weeks have flown by. Despite many of my issues on Atkins, I am stunned at how quickly it has become habit. I know the carbohydrate counts of almost all of my favored foods and its easy to keep track and make the right choices in terms of my hunger, nutritional needs and cravings.

While I may have complained a bit about Atkins and its restrictive limitations, its not the demon I have, in fits of anger, made it out to be. But neither is it all sunshine and rainbows; like many things, there are both upsides and downsides to Atkins.

Here are, in my experience, the benefits and drawbacks :

Benefits :                                                                     Drawbacks :

- Rapid weight loss                                                       - Restrictive 

- Easy to follow                                                            - Not athlete friendly 

- Filling                                                                         - Requires carbohydrate counting 

If Im being honest, Atkins was much easier than I thought it would be. While I knew there were plenty of foods I had to say no to, including freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in my chemistry class, the fact that I could go home and eat plenty of allowed foods made it much easier to resist. I didnt feel like I had to hungry all the time, a rarity on many diets. The rules of allowed and forbidden foods are simple, and require no guesswork. 

On the other hand, I very much dislike the weakness I feel when it comes to working out. I feel fine on a normal, walking around basis, but most activities that substantially raise my heart rate seem much more difficult. Ketosis is not athlete friendly. (Not that Im a full blown athlete, but Im extrapolating here) I also have found Ive gotten kind of bored with the foods I am allowed to eat. While I have pushed myself to eat more of the items on the Atkins list that I would normally avoid, there are only so many items on that list. 

Atkins certainly has a place in the modern lifestyle diet field, as its weight loss, during induction, may well be unparalleled. For a person with a lot of weight to loose, Atkins might be a good way to kickstart that loss. Especially in a culture that places so much emphasis on processed sugar, it would certainly be educational to be forced to avoid almost all forms of refined carbohydrate, replacing the carbs with more nutritionally sound food. 

However, from a nutritional standpoint, I shudder to think of how many saturated fats and processed foods I have consumed on Atkins. Though I understand most people (myself included) would go stir-crazy without some form of sugar in their lives, I simply cannot endorse sugar substitutes as being in any way healthy. Likewise, Atkins allows foods like diet sodas, mayonnaise, gelatin desserts and cream, many of which, in my opinion, shouldnt really be a part of a truly healthy diet. 

Perhaps this is why, during my research I have come to admire some of the theory behind Paleo, which I begin tomorrow. Paleo emphasizes natural, unprocessed foods. Type of macromolecule aside, (carbohydrate, fat or protein) it is apparent to me that the best foods are the most natural ones. Well see how Paleo fares under my very intense scrutiny. Until tomorrow!

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Where will it end up Tracking my mobile with O2 Recycle

Look! Thats my scared face, which says, "I dont really want to let go of this phone, but now Im here and I promised Id do it, I suppose Im going to have to let you take it."

Have you ever recycled a mobile phone? 

I hadnt until today, despite having owned six of the things ever since I got my very first phone in 1998.  Look, it was such a momentous occasion back then, we even captured it on camera!  It was so big, I almost needed two hands to hold it up my ear!

Christmas morning, 1998. Id never wear that dressing gown with FaceTime!

Its sad to think that phone is still packed away somewhere in my loft.  When recovered, it will be like an historic artefact from the days when phones were phones, not the mini computer devices that they are now.  Even though I have no use for it, it will probably be very hard to give up.  You see, I really do get attached to my phones for all sorts of odd reasons, whether they remind me of a time when I had a cool job, or contained the recording of my toddler telling me he loved me, or even symbolise the day I jumped into a swimming pool to rescue my drowning four-year old, with my phone in my back pocket.

There is one phone that Ive not particularly been attached to though and thats my Nokia N97.  It might have been great at getting me onto Twitter and Facebook and juggling my multi-media usage, but I havent half given it a good battering these last few years. Its time was definitely up twelve months ago, not least because the back-end would fall off at impromptu moments, Its also developed several other features that are noteworthy of its early demise, including the semi-detatchment of its silver fascia as a result of recent contact with the floor.  Then theres the way it would suddenly reboot while I was surfing the mobile net.

However, if it hadnt been for a discussion with some friendly folk from O2, this phone would be sitting in the drawer thats now dedicated to out-of-date gadgets and electronic leads, while I enjoy my more up-to-date technology.

Id explained to O2 that given my bizarre attachment to old devices, I would only ever recycle one of my phones if I could be convinced that it was worthwhile.  After all, Id much rather keep it in a drawer than go to the trouble of stripping off the data, just for it to be taken apart.

They then reassured me that just because my phone looked like it was due for the scrapyard, that wasnt necessarily the case and that it would most likely be refurbished and sold on as a reconditioned device, probably in an overseas market.

Suddenly I was interested in finding out more.

I wanted to know exactly where my phone would end up.

And I wanted to know the story of who would be using it.

I asked O2 whether we could do that, and after some phone calls around head office and to their recycling company Redeem, they said yes.  We could certainly track my old Nokia to its end market and depending on the privacy wishes and language capabilities of the new owner, it may be possible to discover the other information too.

And that got me very excited.

So, with all my photos copied, contacts deleted and messages stripped, I skipped off to our local O2 store this morning to do the deed.  Well, I say I skipped.  Actually, for some reason, I was very nervous.  I wanted reassurance that no sensitive data, or remote access to my emails or online accounts could be retrieved from my old phone, once I handed it over. 

Glendon, the Store Leader, reassured me.  In fact, one of the first steps was to restore the phone to its factory settings and ensure that everything had been deleted off.

The rest of the process was very straight forward, confirming that I should hopefully get around £32 for my old phone, which will soon be credited to my bank account, without me having to lift a finger.

It was really that simple, Im now wondering what the fuss was about!  Look, Im now looking much happier about letting go of that dodgy old phone and setting it free for refurbishment and onto pastures new.

By tomorrow, the phone will be somewhere in Scotland, being refurbished by O2s recycling partner Redeem, and once its passed quality control, it will be despatched onto its journey, where it will be tracked all the way.

Apparently it should only take two weeks until it reaches its end destination.  Hopefully then it will quickly find its way to its new owner and I then hope they will get in touch.  Its risky I know, but Ive sent them a message with my email and phone number.

Oh gawd, I could be opening up a whole new can of worms, but it would be exciting to find out with whom it ends up and to discover what really happens when a phone gets recycled.

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If youre interested in recycling your old phone for cash, there are many ways in which you can do it, but it you wish to use O2s service, you can recycle by post and fill your details online, or pop into a store near you.  You dont even need to be a customer.  More information is available at www.o2recycle.co.uk.  O2 dont make any profit from this service.  All proceeds from their sales go to their charity Think Big, which supports community projects that help young people.   Other gadgets such as iPods, cameras and even routers can also be recycled, although these are not processed on a cash-back basis.

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Cheering myself up with zero waste flower power

Ive been feeling totally rubbish today, possibly overtired following the weekends BritMums conference.  Ive got a busy few days coming up, Mr Cs at a long conference and to be honest, Im feeling overwhelmingly disorganised and quite glum!

After a morning of sweeping and mopping the floors like a charlady - no, we dont live in a huge house, it just takes my procrastination that long to get into the swing - and working my way through the emails and four cups of tea, my mood still hadnt lifted.

There was nothing for it!

I took to the garden with a scissors. Not even my pruning shears.  Honestly, there was no time for such precision in getting the proper tools.

I was on an urgent mission to find something cheery amongst the flowerbeds!

I know I could have sat down on a bench and admired the Sweet Williams outdoors, but I was after mood-lifting prettiness, to give me a visual energy boost and supplement those mugs of tea, indoors!

As I dropped the cuttings into the vase, I acknowledged that this was something I now take for granted, but here I had a vase of flowers with:

no plastic packaging;
no rubber bands;
no plastic packet of flower food;
no paper wrap;
and zero flower miles. 

Thats very different to the regular bunches of flowers I used to bung in my trolley at the supermarket.

I tell you, I was that excited thinking about how much crud Ive saved on my floral habit, I also got snip-happy with the Alliums

There are lots of resources and discussions about growing food, encouraging us to keep it local and to avoid packaging, but its floral cousins get much less attention, even though almost 90% of cut flowers are imported into the country. So if youre looking for proper inspiration regarding what to grow in your garden or further information on buying British seasonal flowers, I recommend the following links.

Cut Flowers-Growing & Selection, The RHS
Choosing British cut flowers, Sarah Raven.
Growing cut flowers, BBC
Why buy British grown cut flowers, The Flower Co-Operative
British flower bouquets, Wiggly Wigglers

Now as for that glum mood, which inspired this blogpost in the first place.  I am very happy to say that its lifted!

Heres to happy planting!

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Guest post Mrs B gives up rubbish for Lent

 Melanie Bennett blogs about living, riding and eating in Yorkshire over at

www.mrsbsstuffandnonsense.blogspot.com

Todays post comes courtesy of regular Tweeter and blogger, MrsBYork, aka Melanie Bennett, whom I first met when she left a comment on The Rubbish Diet several years ago and have since met properly during a visit to the city of York. When Mel told me last week that she was giving up rubbish for Lent, I was naturally intrigued to pick up on her story and asked if shed mind writing a guest post.  Ill now leave you in Mels company where she kindly shares news of her fantastic challenge.

Over to you Mrs B.....

Ive never claimed to be hugely religious - Im nominally Christian, was baptised into the Church of England as a baby, attend Quaker Meeting for Worship when I can (I wish I could make it more often, that life didnt get in the way so much) but in recent years I have got into the habit of observing Lent.  Its as much about challenging myself and developing better habits as it is about making religious sacrifices.  In previous years Ive given up alcohol, meat, junk food - and always felt better, in body and mind, by Easter Sunday.

This year Ive decided to give up rubbish - both in terms of what I eat and what I put in the bin.  There shall be no takeaway food, and no ready-meals, between now and Easter (technically, Sundays are not included in Lent, but as Im committed to my proper Sunday dinners we dont tend to eat such things on Sundays anyway.)  And there shall be no rubbish going into my landfill bin, or at least as little as possible.  As a long-term follower of The Rubbish Diet I like to think Im already doing pretty well - but I do get lazy at times, and I dont always make the effort to choose well when Im shopping, so by making a concerted effort for 40 days Im hoping to get back on track.

So, where am I starting from?  Well, I already have:

• A tiny bin.  When we moved to this house a couple of years ago I decided that I didnt want to give house-room to rubbish, so I bought the smallest bin I realistically could - this little guy from IKEA tucks into the cupboard under the kitchen sink and holds 14 litres of waste.  He gets emptied, currently, about once a week.  My aim is to not empty him again until Easter weekend.

My kitchen bin, spray bottle shown for scale

• A good kerbside recycling program.  City of York council collects waste and recyclables on alternate weeks.  They take paper, card, glass, plastic bottles (though, as many other councils, not any other plastics), metal cans and foil.
• A Household Waste Recycling Centre within walking/ cycling distance, for those things the kerbside collection doesnt deal with. It would make my life easier if the full range of facilities were available to pedestrians & cyclists though - at the moment we have to drive there if we want to recycle our tetrapak cartons!  Local shops also have collecting points for things like batteries, water filter cartridges and plastic bags.
  
• Composters!  I volunteer for York Rotters, a local  composting advice service, my back yard is my trialling-ground and Ive just taken delivery of my latest toy - a Green Johanna hot composter, which is suitable for all types of food waste.  I also have a standard "dalek" type compost bin, a wormery and a (rather unsuccessful, Im afraid, & thus neglected) bokashi set.
• Bags.  I hate carrier bags with a passion, and keep a collection of Onya bags in my handbag.  I have a couple of sets of Onya Weighs too, & need to get back in the habit of using them.

At the time of writing were currently on the second day of Lent, the bin is empty - long may it remain so!

So you see theres always an opportunity to give yourself a rubbish challenge, not just when its New Year or when the kids go back to school, and this is truly an inspirational idea for anyone who follows Lent.  Mel has promised to update us on the progress of her challenge and Im looking forward to hearing her news.  In the meantime, if you want to find out how shes getting on, you can follow her on Twitter at @MrsBYork, or visit her blog Stuff and Nonsense, where shes got a great blogpost about the Green Johanna. Thanks for sharing such a great idea Mrs B. I hope its a real success.

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