This is not my... Week 6 08
08/02/08 - Nothing like a bit of
06/02/08 - After all the pancake eating
05/02/08 - Pancakes
04/02/08 - Thank goodness it's Monday!
08/02/08 - Nothing like a bit of
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body heat... |
With Valentine's day fast approaching what better way is there to celebrate than shunning anything involving a bear and a love heart and heading straight for the good old hug.
Hugging is brilliant.
Everyone loves it.
And if you aren't any good at it I'm pretty sure that in the US you can have classes.
It is also free, the easiest way to gloss over any argument/lack of gift purchasing and creates body heat, which those crazy Swedes are even using to warm buildings.
Perfect.
But - if your beloved may feel that a nice bouquet would go along quite nicely with that hug (damn them and their conniving ways) then why not follow the Nag's advice and go for seasonal snowdrops.
Which just happen to be one of my favourite flowers... (anyone.. anyone...)
Have a brilliant weekend,
Susie x
06/02/08 - After all of the pancake eating
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comes the dull bit... |
Or does it...?
Ah - those lovely people in the Church of England have come up with a marvelous solution.
Eat all the cakes, sweets and lard based items we want but Carbon Fast instead.
And all you need is a feather duster!
Bring on the chocolate...
Susie x
05/02/08 - Pancakes
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Hmmmmm... |
Yes it is that day of the year again - when you get to gorge on delectible food before giving it all up until Easter.
Well - it's an excuse to gorge at least... not so sure how often the giving loads of things up actually works out...
After previous failed attempts to give up alcohol, chocolate and the usual for Lent I figured I would go for something more likely to succeed.
Inspired by the Do the Green Thing January initiative 'Use less machine power and more of your own steam power' - I am going to give up taking the lift at work.
I should point out that this is in NO way - because I will be moving to work on the ground floor in two weeks....
Anyhow - looking forward to stocking up on the energy required for this feat tonight!
Pancakes.
Hmmmmm.....
Have a good one.
Susie x
04/02/08 - Thank goodness it's Monday!
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Busy old week this last one... |
But got 10 hours sleep yesterday and so all refreshed for the week ahead.
Refreshed and a bit overexcited.
One of my friends is a motor journalist and he was teasing me about my love of green transport when talk turned to the electric Tesla (Lotus) Roadster.
Which he has now promised... that I get to test drive!
Oh yeah! Bring it on.
I'll be just like Lewis Hamilton.
If he drove about 200km an hour slower.
(Do you think you have to wear a jump suit...? And a helmet...? And spray people with champagne after...?)
Anyhow - other environmental transportation planning is going well too. Have been in touch with the people at Select Solar about charging electric bikes from solar power.
And they have this incredible folding, back pack size solar panel which should do the job nicely.
http://www.selectsolar.co.uk/pics/foldingpanel.php
Amazing.
Anyhow - back to the mundane for now. Especially as the energy saving lie in has made me late for everything.
But - hey - the sun is shining, it's a new week and life is good!
Hope yours has started well.
Susie xx
01/02/08 - 27 and a half
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billion dollars... |
Started writing this yesterday but got a bit inundated with things going on (someone arrived with cookies... there was nothing I could do!)
Anyhow - in case you didn't see Thursday's news - Shell's record breaking profits were announced for 2007.
I don't want to cast aspersions or anything... but throwing caution to the wind one could suggest that - in the light of massive fuel price increases and devastating climate change - it doesn't sit quite right.
Shall therefore be keeping my fingers crossed that it might help prompt the Government to swifter action on adding an environmental cost to our current economic system.
That or that Shell have secretly been amassing such profits so that they can buy up and protect vast tracts of the rain forest and invest wildly in renewable energy projects...
Anyhow - should you decide that to be unlikely and wish to vote with your feet that why not hop on to www.moneysupermarket.com to find out the most competitive rates for green energy.
Or become friends with a philanthropic multi-billionaire and get them to buy you half of the Brazilian jungle.
Either way.
Right - best be pottering along. (Have a complicated clothing issue to attend to. It's dress down day at work and you aren't allowed to wear jeans. The only other things I have that don't look like work clothes are posh dresses, gym kit and swimming gear. Hmmm - well - it looks like it's been done before...)
Have a great weekend!
Susie x
30/01/08 - The unexpected emergency
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plays havoc with the green credentials... |
After getting burgled (by what must be the smallest burglar in the world - or a contortionist) mine, at least, have gone awry.
For starters, I am not entirely convinced my new door is sustainably made (the look the locksmith gave me was not all that encouraging - neither were the words "Well I suppose it might be?!")
It also gave me an excuse not to bother turning the lights off (security), not washing and reusing my coffee cups at work (exhaustion) and buying the non-recycled toilet roll (no idea).
Anyhow - it got me thinking why so many people don't do green things.
And I suppose sometimes it just is too difficult. (Or - as in my case - they get lazy.)
But it is getting easier.
And to prove just that I am going to write a list of the easiest green things you can do.
I shall entitle it something imaginative like: 'Easy Green things to do' or 'Easy Green things to do and BRITNEY is an ALIEN'.*
Watch this space.
Have a lovely day.
Susie x
*Oh yeah - should have added getting and not recycling the London Lite to the list above. And enjoying the gossip pages a bit too much...
29/01/08 - Me oh my
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Not the best start to the week... |
After days running all over the place I finally got home last night to find.... a big hole in the front door...
Hmmmmm.
Initial hopes were sadly dashed:
"Maybe Pierre came round to finish the wiring?"
(Our lovely electrician who - if we thought carefully - was unlikely to kick the place in if he found it locked!)
"There's a cat inside. Do you think it has broken the door down..?"
(Ok, ok, I know - but I have never claimed to be anything but optimistic!)
No - some skinny thieves had infiltrated the property.
They nicked off with a computer, camera and some jewelry (b@Stards*@£$!) but I'm hoping were disappointed to find that the important looking box in the living room revealed nothing more than pink heart shaped sunglasses and a plastic panda bear! (They're sentimental...)
Anyhow - not good news.
(Though thank you to the lovely police.)
And the search is now on for a new FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified front door.
A sustainably grown but big sturdy impregnable one!
Suppose I'd better get started.
Hope you had a slightly better Monday!
Susie x
This section will be a daily, well - Monday to Friday daily, editorial. (Have to keep some time aside to keep up the ritual wine drinking / dancing as if being chased by bees.)
I promise to make it my mission to investigate something each day on exciting forays to find new stuff, fun stuff, ethical stuff and anything involving break dancing men with extremely toned physiques.
Let me know if you think of something I should go and visit or if you have any great ideas or information. (Any dodgy suggestions will be politely declined... or not so politely, depending entirely on what they are!)
For today, though, please just have a look below to find out how this whole thing came about. I hope that you are having a lovely morning.
See you tomorrow,
Susie x
Background to This is not my...
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What is this site all about?
Well, as all good ventures do, it started in the pub with the ominous words "I know, why don't we...?" |
What was different, though, was that it still seemed like a good plan in the morning (and somewhat less injurious than trying out extreme ironing, the other suggestion...)
Anyway - once again we had been supping beers and putting the world to rights when someone mentioned the unmentionable, despite our disaffection with the state of the world, none of us was actually doing anything positive to change it.
Whether this was complacency or apathy, who knows - but we were definitely leaving it to others to make decisions and take action for us on issues about which we felt strongly.
We live in a free society, but often things seem to happen as a fait accompli. The war in Iraq, ID cards, the fact that we will eventually succumb to watching some of Big Brother no matter how hard we try...
And we just go along with it. But that is ok, right? I mean, we aren't exactly encouraging the abuse of others - are we?
Ok - so maybe my new top might have been made under less-than-perfect conditions and I suppose that means I am supporting those conditions, but - I have to buy something to wear, so what other choice do I have?
And that was the problem. What - and where - are the choices?
So we decided to investigate. Surely in this free society we have other options; we just need to know how to find them.
So we went online. There are some great directories already for ethical and/or environmentally friendly products, but for us these didn't go far enough. We were on a bit of a roll and decided that these products deserved more active promotion.
We wanted to make as many people as possible aware of the practical things they can do to live life in a better way.
So on this site we will provide information about easy, positive and ethical consumer choices. These are choices that won’t necessarily cost you more, either.
In our directories you will find environmentally friendly and ethical companies and products across the following categories:
Clothes
Energy
Food and Drink
Health and Beauty
Home and Garden
Office
Recycling
Restaurants
You will also find plenty more to lure you back to the site on a regular basis. So come back to have a wee look.
Plus we will be working on video's, events and curious antics to keep important issues in the public eye – and provide us with much entertainment and amusement at the same time.
Give us a shout if you want to get involved!
Anyhow - take a look. Explore… investigate… probe away.
We hope you like it; we hope you use it.
