so far, it's been a month...

 It has been one month into the plastic diet, and I am surviving stronger than ever! 

I have decided to add aluminium and tin to my diet...so I am cutting out all disposable consumer plastic, aluminium and tin. I have also decided to purchase only local seasonal fruit and veges(and when I can, organic)

How my lifestyle has changed:

* I basically only shop at co-op's or small local food shops

* I plan my meals! and am cooking more than ever...(yoghurt making is next on my list!)

* I have to think about my substitutes... eg. my one big crave is potato chips...I now make my own  pop corn and carry that around for snacks!

* I am eating more fresh veges and fruit.

* Fish and Meat have been a problem...I haven't been able to purchase this anywhere? I am almost vegetarian(except for when we eat out).

* I have realised that consumers are just as responsible for the crazy packaging:the plastic etc as are the designers who create them.

My one big inspiration for this month is "cradle to cradle" by Michael Braungart and William McDonough...an amazing read, truly eye opening to our ignorance.

Watch this for some inspiration:

 

Michael Braungart is a chemist and William McDonough is an architect. Their philosophy is that everything we design must either be 100% recyclable or that it can be repaired and re-used, and that nothing of that object pollutes the planet. 

There is no such thing as throwing something "away"...that place does not exist and in reality it just means "out of your sight".

A dead albatross was found recently with a piece of plastic from the 1940's...things really don't go away...

(An albatross found with more than half a pound of plastic... you can read more on that here and here)

On a happier note...I have decided to use this philosophy as the basis for my design project. It will be on show at the COFA spring fair Sept 19th.

p.s. you might have noticed a little someone saying "hello" at the top right hand corner?! She is new...and is part of my project...roll your mouse over her! and I will reveal more on her later!

washing day!

a golden find

I spent the weekend in Melbourne with my friend Emma. We were 'on the look out' to find some Ghost patrol and Miso art hidden in the streets...My eyes were wide open, and just when I completely forgot about my search I spotted this one!

 

It was like stumbling across gold! It felt more rewarding than seeing an exhibition or purchasing a piece of art in an art gallery.

I double checked today to see if it was a Miso work and found this image at her website...dated Oct 2008!

 some Ghost patrol works we found...

I love these works, similarly with "knitta please"... individual creativity being shared on the streets. We are all free to access: touch, feel, take a photo, form an opinion...but never possess.

p.s. if you are interested...this is a link to a short documentary on Ghost patrol and Miso, that was shown on the ABC...well worth 27min of your time!

Paper Cuts: The art of Ghost patrol and Miso

my keep cups arrived!

Thanks to Ebony, who let me know about keep cups!

They arrived in the mail, looking very pretty and in minimal packaging(no extra plastic, just in the box above!!)

Thank you Keep cup xx

気を使う

Yesterday I read: What we'd gain if we built things to last post over at No Impact Man. It reminded me of a story Taka once told me of an English teacher in Japan. He was a NOVA teacher from England...(if you have spent any time in Japan, you probably have heard of NOVA, a huge private English language school that collapsed a few years ago?!)

Taka was speaking to his teacher about his shoes. This teacher had only one pair of leather shoes. They were originally his father's work shoes. He was given them when he started working. He had been wearing the shoes for 8 years and his father for over 12yrs... which makes the pair of shoes 20 years old! When I first heard this story, all I thought of was...'this guy/family must have been struggling?' and felt a sense of ease when I glanced over at my rack of shoes.

Now, thinking back, I think of how amazing those shoes must be!  I love the fact that he has lovingly worn those shoes and that it was passed down from his father. The beautiful simplicity of owning one pair of shoes. It makes me question my rack of shoes... some sitting in the racks  for months, just waiting to be worn.

I think of a Japanese phrase that my grandparents use alot: 気を使う(ki wo tsukau)

It means to use something with care/ to be careful of and pay attention to. 

I like the character 気(ki) which means, your spirit/mood/ state of mind.

To use things with your spirit and conscious, present mind.

my day today...

You can play the you tube link and see the images.

Today, I sat and sewed in the warm sun, while listening to Au Rvoir Simone...

I have a little "dear plastic" project I am working on.  I will be showing this at the COFA spring fair with my friend Ebony.

Stay tuned for more on my project!

no impact man!