Christmas in our house

Christmas in our house for the last 5 years have been a bit different.

We got fed up of the 'Consumer Christmas' where you can't be too cheap, everything is measured on what they gave you last year, endless hours of looking in the standard issue high street that could be anywhere, queueing up with more and more agitated people the closer it gets to christmas.

So we stepped out of it. We were already handmaking all of our own cards anyway - taught to us by my husband's mum who is extremely gifted at making beautiful cards.

We started to make our own presents. All of them.

It started out as a laugh, but every year it is the challenge and the look on people's faces that keep us going! Admittedly we both take the last two weeks off before christmas, and you may have guessed it - we have no kids. Also, another admission - we don't have a TV. (I know, you now think we are really weird. But, honestly, I don't know what we did when we had a TV. We hardly have enough time now. We don't miss it, certainly not the adverts and the constant subconscious pressure that we are not yet complete until we have bought the latest whatever. Our little bubble of peace is fantastic, you should try it sometime.)

Some christmas presents have been a lot better than others, but you live and learn.

I shall be posting what we have made over the previous years soon, but Christmas 2006, we went even further. This Christmas, I made proper red sacks for the presents too!! I hate wrapping presents and it always got to me how we just throw the paper away. So I bought some red sacking, lining fabric and rope and made about 20 sacks. I asked for them back after christmas so that we can use them again and again. I may even personalise them before next year. I'll post the instructions of how I made them soon.

But here for you to enjoy, is a picture of our tree with all of the finished presents in sacks.

It looks like the elves have hand delivered them doesn't it?

Anyway, since taking up making our own presents, our new sport is to go into town on Christmas Eve and get in everyone's way!!!

The best book I have read in a long time

I was given this book for my birthday and didn't put it down until I had read every page.

The Rough Guide to Ethical Living

Summary:

Climate change, sweatshops, fair-trade, ethical investment, organic food...life can sometimes seem like a moral minefield. Which products and companies should we support or avoid? And which "ethical" claims can we trust? The "Rough Guide to Ethical Living" cuts through the greenwash to answer these and many other questions. From tea to trainers and pensions to plane-tickets, the guide looks at all the problems and ethical options. With recommended websites, books and magazines plus tips on reducing your carbon footprint at home and on the road, this book is the essential handbook for responsible consumers.

I have so many things to research after reading this book. However, I was so impressed with it, I passed it straight on to my mum!

The section on the meat industry is a fascinating insight that it also stomach churning at the cruelty that goes on in the name of cheap meat and dairy. You will never eat anything non-organic again.

However, for as long as we keep buying cheap meat, there will always be a market for it. Who says that individuals can't change the world?

Boycotting the supermarket in search of local, organic food...

This subject is huge, so excuse for doing it a little at a time.

One thing that really gets to me now is when people say:

'Oooohh Tesco's, you can get everything in there'

Now, I don't get angry at the person as they are just another victim of the multi million pound advertising. It just gets to me how fragile we all are in the face of such tactics. I was one myself you know!!

Anyway, over the christmas period, my mum and I decided to go local (North Oxfordshire +100 miles) and organic. So this was our shopping list:

• Milk
• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Beef
• Chicken
• Ham/Bacon/Sausages
• Bread
• Other Dairy
• Storecupboard stuff
• Household cleaners and toiletries

Milk - we both have Dairy Crest delivering to our doorstep, so now have Country Life organic milk delivered. I have heard that Dairy Crest are the Tesco's of the dairy trade, so I will look into this a bit more.

Fruit and Vegetables (and eggs) - now get these off of a lovely man called Paul who works for Flights Orchard Organics. We get a box every week delivered to my mums from Worcestershire. Fantastic food, all in a reusable crate. http://www.flightsorchardorganics.co.uk/

Beef - well, we have been lucky here. We were recommended a farm just a few miles south of our town. Organic Beef, extremely well cared for. You can order specific cuts or beef boxes and they will deliver to your door. So far we have had mince, a sunday joint and some beef sausages. All beautiful and not much dearer than the packaged stuff at Tesco's. Well worth it! We have even been invited over to meet the cows! http://www.dunsteworganicbeef.co.uk

Chicken/ham/bacon/sausages - not much luck on this front yet, however we do have a few leads to follow up on. I'll keep you posted.

Bread - another fantastic find only a few miles from our house! Bread & Co make a wonderful range of artisan breads. If you phone up before 1pm, it will be ready the next morning. The only thing is, they deliver it to their distributors and you have to pick it up from there. Not a problem for us though as one of the local outlets is the best find so far! (details a bit further down). So far we have tested 'Old Hooky' bread, made from a local beer, Roast Onion bread, Granary bread and the Fruit Loaf. All were delicious and we will be putting our weekly order in soon. One downside is the website http://www.breadandco.co.uk/ isn't working at the minute, but I am assured it will be fixed soon.

Other dairy/storecupboard stuff/household cleaners & toiletries - this has to be the find of the year! A small family run shop in Adderbury that has only been open a few months. The owner Chris, knows everything there is to know on organics and the local area. What Chris doesn't know about organic and ethical, is not worth knowing! I enjoy going to the shop, not only to get my supplies but also to pick his brains with whatever it is I am trying to find out about that day. http://www.arujo-organics.com/ You can also order online on their website, but the visiting the shop is so much better. Now I know that most of the stuff in this shop is not produced locally, but it is all ethically sourced from fairtrade organisations and by buying there supports a new local business. This is where the bread is delivered to.

We visited one of the best farmers markets around, but get there early as parking is a nightmare!: http://www.deddington.org.uk/community/farmersmarket.html Next one Feb 24th 07

We have heard that Stratford also has an award winning farmers market, so we shall be visiting there quite soon: http://www.warwickshirefarmersmarkets.co.uk/whereandwhen.html First and third Saturdays.

Well, that's about it for now. I have only been to Tesco's twice this year, once was a proper food shop at the beginning of the year and the other was an emergency small shop. I won't feel too bad if I do have to go for the odd thing or another, after all it takes time to get a system sorted.

What was my trigger?

The thing that made me wake up from my perfectly happy life, despite a small nagging in the back of my head that I was being sucked in by the media, was my new baby nephew. He was born in Oct 06, the first grandchild on my side of the family, so a very special little boy. I was in the delivery suite all night with my brother and my sister in law just waiting his arrival. Anyway, when he finally appeared after much huffing and puffing, I couldn't believe how much love I felt for him, there and then.

After a few days, and lots of cuddles later, it dawned on me. In 40 years time when he is the adult and I am just shuffling out, what I would say to him if he ever asked me:

'When you knew what effect your lifestyle was having on the planet, what did you do?'

I knew at that point I couldn't look him in the eye and say:

'"They" (insert who you like here, USA, Government, big business', etc) should sort it out, how can I do anything if "they" don't pull their weight, blah, blah'

I would be ashamed of myself if I couldn't say:

'Do you know what, I did everything I could to make the world better, little by little'

Here endeth the sermon.

Electricity Supply

Previously, our main reason for choosing an electricity supply was cost. Plain and simple. We did a lot of research to get to the cheapest supply and cheaply paid for our electricity for quite sometime.

Then we woke up! It is not about how much money it is costing us per unit. It is about not using as many units in the first place! (this will be the subject of a later posting) Also, for the units that we have to use, get them from a company who will make a difference with our money.

Our original electricity supplier, we found out, would rather pay the fines associated with not producing the required amount of renewable energy than produce the measly 3% they are meant to! The dirty buggers.

Well, cue a 5 minute visit to Uswitch and we are now happily being supplied by Ecotricity, the wind turbine people. I could go on here about why I think they are worth every penny, but I won't, I'll let you go and see for yourself:

http://www.ecotricity.co.uk/

This year, we will be visiting the Ecotech Centre, where I may even be pursued to climb one of the turbines!! If, so - you'll definitely be the first to see the pictures from the top!

First posting

Hi,

This is my first posting on my first blog! Ohh the pressure!

I would like Green Dolly to be a collection of all of the information my husband and I are collecting whilst we are trying to convert our lives into ethical, low carbon ones.

We have been slowly changing things over the last few months and it seems like a good idea to store all the knowledge we have gathered somewhere - so here it is. Hopefully we will also be adding real life savings/reductions in energy, water, etc. Also, you will see first hand how our 'boycotting the supermarkets in favour of local producers' is going as well as how we are determined to not be 'led by the media consumers' any more.

Green Dolly? I hear you ask. Green - obviously and Dolly - my embarrassing childhood nickname relating to the fact that I would stay wherever I was left.

So there it is. We hope some of the information is useful to at least one other person. If so, we will be extremely happy.

In the words of someone much more intellectual than myself (I have forgotten who, another reason why I have set up this blog - to record such things!) :

Aim to be more, not to have more.

Dolly