Recent Comments

1. Switch off and unplug appliances and chargers - 30 Sep 2005

   I have an awful habit of forgetting to switch the charger ON when I really need it…but this should in theory mean that this comes easily. Persuading the whole family to turn other unnecessary sockets off may be another matter though.

2. Become A Blood Donor - 30 Sep 2005

   Found this just in time to remind me to go to the session next week. I’ve been a donor for a while, but Lucinda signed up the day after she was old enough to qualify,- which I think is quite encouraging.

3. Take A Mug To Work - don't use plastic - 30 Sep 2005

   I work from home too…but Luci plans to take a mug in to work tomorrow. Apparently this will involve some nifty juggling as she removes the disposable cup that drops out of the water cooler (I did check..they get fed in at the top, so it’s not going to be a negative action) and pops hers in…so she may be damp, but at least she’ll be generous ;-)

4. Wear Your 'Make Poverty History' Band - 30 Sep 2005

   Mine has stayed on since I took part in the “march of the Dibleys” (assorted clergywomen plus Dawn French) back in January. We do seem to get through them rather as a family, but that’s good too…and even my very non switched on church has bought a good 100 from me over the months.

5. Encourage Others To Go Generous - 30 Sep 2005

   I think our Bish is ahead of me on this…This very morning a letter came from the diocese asking us to do a green audit of the church, as a step on the way to becoming an eco friendly diocese. They’re working on becoming FairTrade too (and at least some of the coffee buyers at church have got the message: wish I could persuade them ALL that it’s something you keep on doing, though)

6. Slow Down, Calm Down (Stick to the speed limit) - 30 Sep 2005

   I guess I need to learn to leave for places earlier than the time I ought to be arriving there…I’m sure it would help hugely ;-)

7. Give Your Unwanted / Unworn Clothes To Charity - 30 Sep 2005

   I do agree this is fun and liberating…but it’s a tad distressing when I look long and hard at my wardrobe and realise that many of the things I’m wearing regularly would be considered too tatty the charity shop. However, our local authority has a rag bank beside the bottle/plastic/paper banks so the saddest garments go there.

8. Stop Taking Plastic Bags From Shops - 28 Oct 2005

   Ooh…I love the idea of an anti plastic bag cloth bag. Wish I’d noticed those at Greenbelt,- meanwhile, try very hard to remember my Bags for Life (which live in the car) and carry a couple of canvas bags around in my bike basket for quick drop in shopping in the parish. There is a bag recycling point at the local Somerfields, so that’s an option too (but does anyone know whether bag recyling is actually efficient?)

9. Slow Down, Calm Down (Stick to the speed limit) - 28 Oct 2005

   Very scary trip down the M6/M5 yesterday with someone else driving strengthened my resolve on this one. Apologies to anyone else who was scared witless by our rapid, illegal progress – I found myself praying we would be stopped!

10. Switch off and unplug appliances and chargers - 30 Oct 2005

    Not doing too well at this, I’m afraid…it seems to demand a huge amount of concentration, so I guess I might be a good candidate for the gizmo the Mosses have invested in.

11. Phone a friend - someone who has sent you a card this year who you don't see often - 02 Jan 2006

    That is such a good thought….there are three or four people that spring to mind, and looking forward to doing this will make me feel better about the sad dismantling of Christmas on Twelfth Night.

12. Buy Presents That Make A Difference - 02 Jan 2006

    I persuaded my congregation to sign a giant Christmas card and donate to PresentAid…am waiting to see what the final total was, but hope we will have raised at least a couple of goats worth. Most of our family and friends received either Fair Trade or homemade presents (if you can count copies of an anthology of young writers’ work which includes several entries from our daughter)while we’ve been given some more chickens, seeds and training…I’ve just rediscoverd knitting, so maybe if I start now I could manage totally home made gifts for next year!

13. Know your local political leaders - 31 Jan 2006

    My MP, Martin Horwood is excellent…I first met him when he and his family took part in our local MPH march just after his election, but he is also active in local issues generally, and very good at responding to emails. Local council, in contrast, are rather a muddle…like Frangelica, I’m not at all clear which issues are their responsibility and which the county council, and they all seem intent on passing the buck to and fro. Something to work on.

14. Compost Your Leftovers - 31 Jan 2006

    Hooray! Just back to composting,after a year without following move and much smaller garden. Before we had a large and traditional heap at the bottom of the garden; now we have large green plastic cone, via the local council special offers page. I hated throwing out stuff that I would have composted before, so it’s a great relief to be back on track.

15. Energy Efficient Cooking - 11 Feb 2006

    Very happy to give this a go. We too are pasta addicts (how did anyone manage before it was standard UK fare?) so this would be a great thing if it works..

16. Get someone to join the Generous Community - 09 Mar 2006

    Just the thing! We (Gloucester curates)had an excellent training weekend on care for the planet recently with Tim Gorringe, and I did lots of PR for Generous then…Now I can email everyone with details and add this to my actions list. Splendid!

17. Shop Small (Buy local, Switch from the Supermarket) - 20 Mar 2006

    Really struggling with this one…My instinct is “go for it” but my family claim that we “need” assorted things which we can only find at the dreaded T**. The question is how far it is fair to push my personal agenda and run the risk of putting them off even trying to be generous on this front. A recent discussion ended with “life’s too short to fuss that much”...I guess it’ll be even shorter if we don’t begin to be a tad more responsible. Frustrated grrrrrrr

18. Plant A Tree - 20 Mar 2006

    Yeay! Just bought a self pollinating apple in a pot for our miniscule garden. I’d hated being without a fruit tree to call our own, having had what amounted to an orchard in a past life; this one will only ever be tiny, but it is at least there, and will presumably have some minor impact on the environment as well as hopefully providing apples before we’re too much older.

19. Put Eco Balls in your Washing Machine - 29 Apr 2006

    Sounds wonderful…slightly surprised that Paul is the only generous soul with any info, though. Before I commit £34 odd, does anyone else have any experience of using these?

20. Ban the Bulb! - 29 Apr 2006

    Trying to persuade PCC to take the green agenda seriously right now…if the church were to switch to eco bulbs, that would actually make a huge difference (ours is a dark building which always needs the lights on)

21. Put Eco Balls in your Washing Machine - 06 May 2006

    Paul, thanks so much….it would be really good if we could manage that. Will email you to sort out handover for a brief loan, if you’re sure you wont’ miss them with 2 tinies in the house.

22. Put Eco Balls in your Washing Machine - 29 Aug 2006

    They have just coped with several loads of post-Greenbelt muddy clothes and come up smiling. I’m convinced.

23. Make A Positive Lifestyle Change And Tell Us About It - 01 Sep 2006

    OK, so we’ve done most of the easy changes. We recycle everything that we can locally, I’ve majored on Fair Trade food and clothing for a few years now,and we’ve recently joined a veg box scheme.We live in a clergy house, so there’s a limit to the things we can do to improve its generosity, but we use low energy bulbs, are careful with water and have a hippo in the loo . Though we each have a car, I cycle or walk round the parish. That’s all fine It feels to me as if the next stage will involve the whole family in moving up a gear…and I’m not honestly sure where to start. Nothing we’ve done so far has really involved painful change for anyone…advice on stage 2 gratefully received.

24. Make A Positive Lifestyle Change And Tell Us About It - 01 Sep 2006

    OK, so we’ve done most of the easy changes. We recycle everything that we can locally, I’ve majored on Fair Trade food and clothing for a few years now,and we’ve recently joined a veg box scheme.We live in a clergy house, so there’s a limit to the things we can do to improve its generosity, but we use low energy bulbs, are careful with water and have a hippo in the loo . Though we each have a car, I cycle or walk round the parish. That’s all fine It feels to me as if the next stage will involve the whole family in moving up a gear…and I’m not honestly sure where to start. Nothing we’ve done so far has really involved painful change for anyone…advice on stage 2 gratefully received.

25. Give A Gift That Keeps On Giving - 21 Dec 2006

    Well, I’ve probably ordered too late, so people will get a slightly unexpected present at a slightly unexpected time…but those I’ve given them to are likely to understand and appreciate, I think. And I believe I may be getting an Oxfam alpaca myself, which is very exciting!

26. Use your computer to solve global problems - 11 May 2007

    bother….both the things you suggest seem to have closed now. Will investigate the parkinsons/alzheimers option in the morning…but time to switch off all electrics and head to bed now I think.