Oh the joys of Freecycle, I just love it when there can be a genuine flow of giving and receiving – it gives me such a buzz! I have let all my computer mags and a small colour TV depart. I have received two wooden pallets and a metal storage cabinet. Why? To keep our stuff away from the mice in the garage (metal cabinet) and dry (off the floor on pallets). Basically we need to take care and respect the stuff we actually have, without it getting needlessly nibbled and drenched.

My next plan is to get a kitchen cabinet inner on freecycle, then take out the fridge to put it on freecycle. A perfect circle. Although freecycle is like riding a wave – sometimes you get the perfect wave and ride, other times you find small little waves that come to nothing. The joy is the anticipation and simply not knowing.

So part of this project has been the one-in-one-out policy, which has been making me a little fanatical. I have been trawling through the house looking at ’stuff’ I can get rid of.

The surprising result has been the re-discovery of some really nice, and useful things. Knowing what we actually have has also made me feel very grateful for the many things we do own, and has lessened the urge to buy more.

This has started me thinking about the role of gratitude within consumerism. I wish that I had started the project last year by being more grateful for what I owned already as this, I now believe, is an essential foundation for beginning to re-define my relationship with stuff, consumerism and modern lifestyles. So often, projects such as this start from a place of sacrifice and deprivation – to go without, to cut back, to have less. It becomes ‘work’.

Whereas if the mental mindset was of abundance – being grateful about how much we had, rather than what we lacked, the urge to have more, to consume, would have been less.

-Tammy

Back at the Kent County Show this year, trundling around with the pram. Little Megan loved all the things that make the county show what it is: the tractors; horses; strange breeds of cows; cute sheep; huge pigs and bizarre llamas.

The Eco-village section is growing nicely and has a fairly balanced mix of ‘buy-me’ stalls, advice stalls and project stalls. Justin, who installed our solar panels was there, and our house was pictured on one of his publicity boards *blush*!

But where was the antique tent? Heavens above! I was looking forward to it, but it had vanished. At least most of the supermarket tents had also disappeared as well – hurrah! I wont mention the 2 hours I was stuck in the carpark trying to get out (mutter, mutter…)

-Tammy

So, if I have indeed bought 46 things since the start of the project, how exactly is the not-new-year slowing down my consumption? Sure, it is displacing it onto the second hand market, but it is continuing.

What I am getting at is that I need to address the mindset that I have when I consume, rather than how I consume. This is distinction between acting at ‘being green’ and embodying it. You can replace all the lightbulbs and recycle, but this doesn’t make you ‘green’ – green is ethos and actions combined – not a list of ‘easy green tips’ or ‘doing your bit’.

If we engage green living in more depth, it becomes an expression of our deepest moral values. The “work” of green living becomes less of a chore and more a locus of ethical development…. The conversation moves from personal sacrifice to real consideration of the nature of our connection with the earth. “Mindfully Green” by Stephanie Kaza

So, I will be paying a lot more attention to the motivation and mindset of my actions, rather than just my material based actions. The In-Out list and closed loop e-bay maths will remain to keep me on track, but they will be a measuring tool, not the whole project. So, hoping not to scare you, but I hope this blog will get a lot more reflective.

- Tammy

Last time I wrote, I was promising to start Not New Year again at summer solstice. Well its been just over a month since then and a lot has happened!

1. I decided that since I was going to Glastonbury Festival over the summer solstice, it would be plain rude to start then. Or, if you were in a cruel mood, you could say that not buying lovely tut at the festival would be akin to torture, so I woost-it for a week. Guilty as charged!

2. I panicked. I have discovered this about myself – the first month of Not New Year is mad. I go into a weird shopping frenzy where I have to get loads of things off ebay. It is very strange and only now are things slowing down and becoming a little more sane. What will be revealing is the picture of expenditure over the 6 months as a whole (I hope!).

3. What has been interesting is that this year I have recorded everything entering (material wise, not food and bog roll!) and leaving the house. Upon typing I can say that the score is zero – but this hides 46 items entering the house and thus 46 items leaving. Freecycle, ebay and charity shops have helped with the purge but they are also responsible for adding to it.

4. The concept of a closed loop is working as far as items in and out of the house, but not in being able to fund ebay. The huge panic on ebay has landed me about £100 out of balance – so I must sell £100 worth of stuff to close the loop. Oh Dear. Must-stop-ebay-habit.

5. Just lost my job. This I think help explains, in part, the spending spree. I am hoarding. Using the last of the money to get things for myself and the family. I am, as I said before, panicking. But now I have had my last day, I can truly say I feel more in balance.

So thats the story so far………

- Tammy

We are doing it all over again! Summer Solstice 2009 to Winter solstice 2009 we will be on the wagon again, coming off the consumer wheel and hopefully saving my bank balance!

There are a few more rules this time!

1. We can buy recyled things and handmade. This isn’t going to include all “ethical” products, otherwise, with the help of the many, many good websites out there, I will continue to consume at an unsustainable rate.

2. The e-Bay habit must be addressed. Yes, its all second hand, but it gets out of control. The new rule is I can only buy if I have earnt money by selling. Essentially I want to make spending a closed loop system.

So why? Spending money is starting to again become a comfort thing – feel bad? Buy something nice! Oh dear. Add to that the fact that I am losing my job at the end of July. Money is going back to being tight, not a great place to be at.

I also feel that there are more lessons to be learn’t and more experiences to be had. Six months is not long enough. Although this time there will be less of a steep learning curve as I know where to buy things from and how to swap for what I need.

Wish me/us luck!

I’m I shocked? I’m I appalled? Not in the least …… human nature is a tricky thing, mixed with power, often a complete disaster. Having said that I might cry if Caroline Lucas has been doing a big expenses fiddle, but apart from that.
Stephen Fry has said it best: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8045040.stm

In my backyard, but in EVERYONE’s global backyard: ladies and gentlemen, I give you the horror that is Kingsnorth

We’ve finally gone solar! Well we did in Feb, but it has taken rather longer than I thought to get round to posting it (slap hand, will do better in the future, promise!).

So: pics!!!!

Starship Enterprise of control panels. Not sure what it does, except scare small children and prophesies the future in a weird Morgan Freeman style voice.

Up go the panels. Apparently the view was great from up there. I took their word for it.

All done and very shiny. And yes, there is one tube missing, ‘cos it broke….. to follow soon they assure me….

So does it work? Well yes, as long as you only shower and wash up in the evenings – which is fine. And yes the showers are very hot, not luke warm, so its all good. And we light the fire if there isn’t enough……

There. Posted – so stop nagging!

Wrote a lovely piece about my rather lovely solar alarm clock, but it got eaten somehow (the post, not the clock).

If memory serves me I said something like:

- gosh, not as daft as people on facebook were cruelly saying when I had problems getting it to work (all sorted now now – and no, putting it outside wasn’t really the problem, but thanks for the input!)

- nice not to have another gadget in the house eating power (reference to my old sony clock alarm) and zapping my head at night with electricity I dont need to use.

- and, er, it works, doesn’t make loud ticking noise near my head and glows when I hit the button at the top – nice!

http://www.thesolarcentre.co.uk/products/Solar_Alarm_Clock_Silver_Black-168-2.html