Eco audit: something old, something new

In my teens, I became the owner of a rather particular waistcoat. It had belonged to my great grandfather. It has a wool front, and satin back. The buttons are the bit I like the most – and it is still in my wardrobe, even if it is really too big for me to wear. …

Eco audit: making things

Back in the mists of time, it is said that people made things.  Their own clothes.  Their own shoes, even.  They grew and they hammered and they painted and they basically made their way in the world, themselves. Today, we tend to forget that.  We recognise that things have to be made – but we …

Eco audit: shrinking then growing

No, I’ve not given up on the blog.  But the arrival of builders, and the shrinking of available space (because everything’s piled up in the rooms that are available), means that there’s not much headspace for words. But still.  I want to keep going on this month’s series – while also being overtaken by what’s …

Eco audit: making your own entertainment

I don’t mean you have to gather round the piano.  (But you can if you like.) I’m thinking about ways to relax, be with others, that are also not too draining on the environment. In my teens, it was books and music – and TV at points.  The obligatory Friday night long soak in the …

Eco audit: buying containers that can be reused

We have a friend whose mum would never ‘throw away’ a jar, all year – because they were all needed for the annual jam making. Containers were not just for one use – they were for multiple. And preserving makes a virtue out of this. So what do you do when you’re in the supermarket, …