The Being-Green-Guide: #1 Food, Shopping and You

Being 'green' is more than just using plastic packaging as containers to mix your paint, or recycling your waste paper. It's also more than just trying to save water or fitting energy-saving lightbulbs in your home. It is also about living green in everything you are doing, such as walking or cycling to the shops and getting your statements and bills online, and changing your personal hygiene products.

Food is used as comfort and is used as main activity in social get-togethers, whether a pre-exhibition dinner, celebratory event or normal Sunday braai. More importantly, we also need food to survive. Whether you eat big meals, or graze in-between working in your studio, food is an integral part of our daily life, which makes it a good place to start when living sustainably. Food doesn’t need to be boring, limited or expensive to be sustainable.

FOOD #1.1 - Check the Packaging

Look at the packaging of the things you buy. Packaging forms a large part of living sustainably. Most of us are already aware that plastic is toxic for the environment, but so is polystyrene. Unfortunately these are used plentiful in vegetable packaging. Try to avoid these packaging by rather buying fresh produce from farmers markets or buy the fruits and vegetables packaged in boxes. Or join a vegetable box scheme, such as:

• Ethical Co-Op has a veggie box as part of their very large selection of ethical and organic produce and products: www.ethical.org.za
• Havest of Hope delivers to many collection points in and around Cape Town: harvestofhope.co.za
• Think Organic also delivers veggie boxes in the Cape Town area: thinkorganic.co.za
• Wensleydale Farms have an organic vegetable box scheme with collection points in Johannesburg: wensleydale.co.za/OrganicBoxes.aspx
• Have a look at the many initiatives or projects offered by the Organic Emporium in Bryanston: organicemporium.co.za
• In KZN, Earthmother Organic offers vegetable boxes at their market on Tuesdays. Alternatively you can collect a box after you phone in your order. The shop is located at 106 Bulwer Rd, Glenwood 031 202 1527
• Timberlake, close to Sedgefield and Knysna, also has a box scheme and you can choose which veggies should go into your box: timberlakeorganic.co.za/healthy/organic-veg-box
• Contact Dovehouse Farm Organics in Howick, for weekly veg boxes delivered to Howick and Hilton, and trading early Saturday morning at Pietermaritzburg farmers market. dovehouse@absamail.co.za, tel 033 330 3554 or 082 868 4517

When it comes to milk and drinks, if you can’t find box or glass bottled versions, then what you’re buying is probably not worth putting into your body anyway. Again, be wary of what glass and boxes are used, as some are recyclable but others are not. It would be best to look properly at the packaging before buying.

Also read Life in Balance's "10 ways to re-use garbage", and check out all our posts on this blog about art from waste.

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This is one of a series of posts, written by Michelle Albinson, that deal with turning your lifestyle around to being as fully eco-friendly as possible in easy and do-able ways.

Cleaning in your studio

Changing the way you make your art - whether for your own health or to lessen your impact on the environment - does not only apply to the way you make your artworks. You could be painting with natural homemade paints, work with plant dyes or even work with bits of waste that you collect from sidewalks, but still have an incredibly detrimental impact on your own health and the health of our environment due to the chemicals you use to clean your studio.

If you're wondering what I mean, go and read this information (click here) on the Spotless Living website. Also read 'Does it Matter'. Spotless Living has been an incredible tool in my own life, giving useful guidelines and alternatives for personal care and household cleaning. Here's some of those guidelines that applies to your work and cleaning in the studio.

To clean paintbrushes

• Soften paintbrush bristles by soaking in a cup of hot vinegar for about 30 minutes.
• Then sprinkle on a little bicarb and stir around.
• You can also use soap and water to wash them and get all the paint out.
• Rinse with warm water.

To clean hard dry paintbrushes that you forgot to clean

• Soak the brush in vinegar for an hour or so until you can bend the bristles.
• Fill a saucepan with vinegar until the brush bristles are covered.
• Bring the vinegar to a boil and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for a minute before removing the brush.
• Gently comb the brush with your fingers. The paint will still be attached but will fall away as you comb it.
• Rinse the brush under running water to release the loose paint.
• Depending on how much paint there was you may need to repeat steps 5 and 6 a couple of times, but before you know it your paint brush will be ready for another round!

Also read William Burgoil's method to clean his oil paint brushes.

General tips

• With some of your cleaning you could just use water. Try cleaning with water first, before reaching for a bottle of cleaning liquid. 
• When using non-chemical, natural cleaning materials you can empty your bucket into the garden. 
• Use old rags or microfibre cloths for most cleaning jobs. Soft cloths are best for wood and metal surfaces.
• An old toothbrush is great to clean some of your artmaking tools

Using glass as mixing palette, monoprints or other printmaking?

Window and glass cleaner

• Mix equal parts of water and vinegar (or lemon juice) in a spray bottle.
• Alternatively use vinegar infused with lemon or other citrus fruit peels. Simply add some peels to a bottle of vinegar and allow them to soak for a few days before using. The more peels and the longer you let them soak the more powerful and fragrant the infusion will become.
• Spray onto windows or any glass surface and wipe clean with a rag, or buff to a shine with crumpled newspaper.
• Or, spray glass with 3% (10 volume) hydrogen peroxide and wipe with a clean rag

Messed on the walls while being wildly creative?

Wall wash

• To clean painted walls or painted woodwork, mix one cup of vinegar, one cup of bicarb and three cups of warm water.
• Wipe dirt from the surfaces with a soft cloth dipped in the mixture, and rinse with clean water.
• Use this same mixture to prepare walls or surfaces for painting.

Try these in your studio and let us know whether it works for you. Also share any other cleaning solutions that you have found effective and eco-friendly.

Sources:

Spotless Living: spotlessliving.info
www.apartmenttherapy.com
www.naturalthrifty.com

Namaqualand Bodymapping workshops: support needed!

These are photographs from a workshop that took place on the farm Begin!, located on the R362 between Klawer and Vredendal in the Western Cape. The project is organised by Desireé Brand, and forms part of her research at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, focusing on the state of art and artmaking in the Olifantsrivier Valley of Namaqualand.  The area plays host to a lot of creative and talented people, however there is no public art, galleries or other platforms for local artists. It's difficult enough for artists to create great art despite criticism and self-doubt, but it's even worse when there is no platform, no support and no community for the creative work that you do and to share your interest and passion for art. 

The Koekenaap workshop, in which I participated in 2011 (read about it on my blog, my work created during the workshop, my account in Afrikaans),  was one of the opportunities created for artists in the region, and was organised by Desireé and the Wesland Kunsvereniging. The workshop brought artists in from different areas of the Western Cape, creating a space for interaction, collaboration, art-making, discussion and ideas germination. It also culminated into an exhibition in Vredendal held at the Wesland Kunsvereniging, showcasing the work created during the 10-day workshop or residency. 

Artmaking during the 2011 regional Koekenaap workshop

The current project is focused on doing body-mapping with people from different sectors - bringing together farm workers, people from the towns and people from the townships in a supportive space where their creativity can be explored and utilised into shaping a collective. Up to now the funding for projects such as this has come from the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs & Sport, but this workshop is the last project that will be funded by the department, leaving a huge gap that needs to be filled. This is where you come in. If you can support or fund the project in any way, please contact Desireé at +27 27 2132567 or info@caperockwines.co.za.

National Parks week: 12-16th September 2011

www.capetowngreenmap.co.za/blog/free-entry-national-parks-week

Anti-Plastic (Fan)tastic

The CTWW challenge by reducefootprints.blogspot.com for the week is to go without plastics as far a humanly possible.

Generally I find it easy with regards to taking your own fabric bags when you go shopping, when the challenge really kicks in when choosing what to buy - plastic is used in packaging, labeling, products themselves, and even the basket that you carry your groceries to the counter, where you pay with your plastic card that you retrieve from your synthetic materials (sometimes plastic!) wallet. The toothpaste tube, toothbrush and water bottle when you go hiking.

In Cape Town, I find buying veggies, fruit and eggs from the Ethical Co-op, Wild Organics, the market in Hope Street or Zetler's Pharmacy in Mill street/Orange street the best option. Your fruit and veggies are put into brown paper bags, without copious amounts of unnecessary plastic packaging, your eggs without extra packaging around the carton holder. The Fruit and Veg city in Roeland street is of course also an option, where you can choose bunches of carrots, radishes and other veggies without plastic packaging, held together with twine.


Wild Organics - you can visit their store in Woodstock, or order your very own wild bag, delivered to a collection point close to you! Go to www.wildorganics.co.za for more information

myplasticfreelife.com is a blog by Beth Terry, who committed to stop buying new plastic. Her blog records and shares her story and progress, and is an inspiring look into what is possible, and where our biggest challenges lie. Read about Gardening without plastics, delivered in three parts, or about plastic labels and fruit packaging, a possible alternative for brushing your teeth and many more interesting posts to read, ponder and apply in your own life.

Change the World Wednesday

The Reduce Footprints blog - reducefootprints.blogspot.com - has a nifty initiative that relies on people making the commitment to change their habits and lifestyle one step at a time on a weekly basis. Weekly challenges gives you as eco-conscious person an easily-attainable goal and mission to do or aim at each week. And, like with all habits, as soon as you've done it over a couple of weeks, it's so ingrained into your routine and life that the tradition will catch on with your family and friends too, and before you know it, you HAVE changed the world! ;-)

This week's challenge is to just think about and share you proudest green achievement:

This week we'd like to hear about your proudest "green" achievement. Perhaps you started a compost for the first time or purchased organic food. Maybe you stopped driving a car or added solar panels to your home. It could be as small as carrying a reusable bag or as large as building an energy efficient home. Whatever your proudest Eco-friendly achievement is ... we want to know about it. Please leave details and tips/ideas so that we can all celebrate with you and perhaps try the activity ourselves.

Up The Ante: Of all your green achievements, which one was the hardest to accomplish and why? How did you overcome the obstacles?

Post your comments at reducefootprints.blogspot.com/2011/07/change-world-wednesday-ctww.html

See a list of their past challenges here

Mountain and Veld vs. Cloud and Carbon

These two landscapes are seen on the N1 route from Johannesburg to Cape Town - one of the main roads for the Intercape city to city bus service.

So many people opt for flying to their destination - trying to spend as little time as possible on their travel. What we are really missing out on is the act of the journey - the opportunity to see different landscapes speeding by as we travel by train or bus. The joy of reading a book, and chatting to the person next to you for hours on end, while you are taken closer and closer towards your destination.

We need to start slowing down, and try to enjoy the things we do - reducing your carbon footprint is not just about choosing different products and services which does less harm to the environment. It's about slowing down, doing less, enjoying more, simplifying and consuming less. Choosing to not always travel by air means making a commitment to contributing to less carbon emissions. Increasingly more planes are built and put into the air to answer a growing demand for people who would rather fly than travel by bus or train.

"Some 16,000 commercial aircrafts pump out 600 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. It is estimated that by 2020 airplanes will be the single biggest contributor to global warming. It is expected to be bigger than all the other sources of carbon emissions combined. Ground level emissions are less harmful than the carbon emissions by airplanes, for the simple reason that they are deposited directly into the atmosphere."

Ekta Mulchandani at:
www.4ecotips.com/eco/article_show.php?aid=671&id=287

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY: 5 JUNE

What are you going to do this year for World Environment Day? Show your commitment to the preservation of our environment, and your awareness of our dependance and interconnectiveness to nature by doing one or more of the following:

• HOST A LUNCH
  Host a lunch in your home, invite your friends and ask them to donate anything from R25-R200 to a great cause, Soil for Life. You cook and your friends donate online and you all stand a chance to win great prizes!
  Read more on http://www.eatfortheearth.com/
  
• DONATE A TREE with Greenpop
  http://www.greenpop.org/
  
• VISIT THE EARTH FAIR FOOD MARKET
  Give the franchise supermarket a skip, and buy fresh foods at the Earth Fair Food Market in Tokai. Open every Saturday 9.00 am - 2.00 pm
  
  More info and a map: http://www.earthfairmarket.co.za/
  
• GO HIKING
  
  Wherever you are, find a place to go and walk - breathe in the scent of dried leaves, and enjoy the colours and variations that autumn brings, with the stark and interesting shapes of bare branches against a blue sky.
  
• HELP CROCHET A CORAL REEF
  The Woodstock Art Reef Project gathers every Saturday between 11am and 4pm in the Blue Shed at the Waterfront. They are building a crocheted coral reef as an art installation that aims to raise awareness for our oceans and the effects of global warming on sea life.
  artreefproject.ning.com/
• READ AND SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT SUSTAINABILITYGo and read up about the ways that you can help and support sustainable development, how you can make a difference by making small changes in your lifestyle, and what you can do to make more people aware.
  Read about the pros and cons about each energy option on Life in Balance:"Energy - what is the answer?", an insightful article by Richard Asher
  
  Read The Advanced Energy [R]evolution: Greenpeace's energy blueprint for a sustainable future and green development

...and after World Environment Day:

If you're an artist, come to the GYA (Green your Art) gathering at White Rabbit Studio on 17 June in Gardens, to talk about what we're going to do for Moving Planet on 24 September 2011.

ENERGY lecture at the Book Lounge

So what's this fracking Karoo story?

This all quoted from the petition I just signed:

Large parts of South Africa's beautiful, but water-poor and ecologically sensitive Karoo region are under threat of being devastated by mining operations to extract natural gas using a controversial technique called hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking'.

During fracking millions of litres of water, sand and numerous chemicals most of which are toxic, carcinogic as well as teratogenic (they include benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylene, ethylene glycol (antifreeze), diesel fuel, naphthalene (moth ball) compounds, boric acid, arsenic, poly nuclear organic hydrocarbons, only to name a few of 500-odd chemicals used), are pumped into boreholes at high pressure to release natural gas (called shale gas) trapped in layers of underground rock.

In the USA, where fracking has been used extensively, there have been hundreds of documented cases of this process resulting in:

- catastrophic drinking water pollution;

- air pollution;

- health concerns for humans and animals; and

- general environmental degradation.

Right now, Shell and other international and local companies are preparing to explore tens of thousands of square kilometres of land in South Africa for natural gas exploration by fracking. Most of the area under threat is already extremely water-stressed and can not afford any water to be either wasted or contaminated by the fracking process which, once in full production, may involve tens of thousands of boreholes and billions of litres of water.

There is a growing groundswell of opposition to the use of fracking in South Africa by a broad coalition of farmers, environmental organisations and ordinary citizens.

Show your support for going against allowing SHELL to use fracking in the Karoo by signing the petition!





...

Climate and our oceans

Wow! Last week was a week to be remembered!! With the successful and inspiring commencing of the first Climate Fluency Exchange and the opening of Plastikos at the Two Oceans Aquarium, it was a week for our planet in Cape Town. Read more about the week at www.dontcopoutcopart.blogspot.com


Participants during a creative expression session reflecting on the week's talks, realizations and thought, during the final day of the first COPART Climate Fluency Exchange (image from the COPART blog)

This week don't miss the Public presentation on 14 December: Meet 5 Gyres Institute founders Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen, which will be held at 1pm at the Metropolitan Health Group and Qualsa Think Tank, Two Oceans Aquarium.

Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen (image from Two Oceans Aquarium)

I had a read this morning on Simon Bannister's blog. Here is an excerpt:

We have to move forward
It is the way
Round and round
Together we swim
Predator and prey ,
With every turn, the hunger burns
Yes and no, light and shadow.

Reflections true, in hope’s heart they flicker
The picture is complete but the pieces too many.
Scattered like dust, they swirl and fracture
shards of progress, fire moulded to desire.

These banished goods, now cast into the darkness
Broken and twisted, come back to haunt us.
Now, we gaze upon an alien world.
Poison in our spaceship dear, attacked by the virus of fear
The monster must be overcome, it’s treasure won.

Nature’s indifference, moves with the elements
Cause and reaction say, all is fair while forever at play
And where can we find common ground?
Oh yes, once more we swim around.

Read the rest on his blog: www.simontothemax.blogspot.com

...

Check out CURB

From sandcastles to dirt-stenciling, Curb is doing advertising naturally. Here's a blurb from their What we Do page:

A natural media company

So what's the twig idea? We want to prove that effective and engaging media can be natural and sustainable. To realize our goal, we have a wealth of operational, media and production expertise in every natural material you can imagine. Whether it’s covering a building in flowers, building an exact replica of Windsor castle out of sand or creating a fully fledged amazonian forest in a city centre we can help advise on any creative brief and deliver it naturally and flawlessly.

Check them out at www.curbmedia.com
Let's do this in South Africa too!

12 September at Muizenberg Village Festival!

Please join at the Ecojunki participation space on the festival day! Bring waste materials and join us in being creative ;-) The details:

Muizenberg Village Street Festival!
Sunday 12 September 2010
10am - 5pm

Muizenberg Village, Palmer & Church Street, Muizenberg


If you have the time and energy to help out with the festival decor, this also promises to be lots of fun and you'll meet interesting, inspiring people! Here's the opportunities that Claire Homewood emailed to people a few days ago:

Fri 3rd Sept and Fri 10th Sept:
Elizabeth is the lovely lady running Friday afternoon programs at The Melting Pot with kids from Lavender Hill and Capricorn Park who are part of the Africa Sinomusa Foundation. The kids come to Muizenberg for an afternoon of arts, crafts and musical play.They are also given lunch sponsored by Woolworths.

For the next two Fridays we are going to combine their activities with decor making. So if you are keen to get involved in paper mache', paint, sewing of flags and loads of creative fun please come join us!!

Sat 11th (the day before the festival)
We will continue with decor making and signage making from 10am outside Roots Bar

Please bring along:
Newspapers
Useful recycling materials
brushes
fabrics
bits and crafty pieces

All help will be greatly appreciated!
more info contact Claire 074 3485744 or Elizabeth 072 6544788

Lots of things happening in the next two months!

There is several things happening in September and October around Cape Town, and we need as many people as possible to participate and work together! Here is two of the opportunities, and there are many others by local organizations and friends, that's listed on our latest newsletter:



On 10 October 2010 people from across the planet will be celebrating and participating in events centred around creating awareness and initiating change relating to global warming. For more information go to www.350.org and sign up for an event or happening. If you're an artist and based in Cape Town, join in by conceptualizing, creating and implementing/performing a public piece on 10 October 2010 that relates to global warming. We also need a couple of photographers interested in taking great images of the event! Email ecojunki@gmail.com

More information at www.350.org/node/17116.



Wear green to show your support and enthusiasm towards saving our planet and fighting polution and global warming! Tell all your friends, family and the guy behind you in the queue! The more of us who wears green on the 10th of October, the more awareness we'll be spreading.

See the latest newsletter here
Sign up for the mailing list here

Come and have fun. Be creative!

Join us at the Atlantic Seaboard Greendrinks on 13 July!

Greendrinks is an informal and comfortable gathering of people who discuss ways of doing things differently in order to tackle environmental issues.

I would love for you to bring some examples of eco-friendly art/craft/design if you have, or otherwise just join in and start creating something right there! If you don't want to participate hands-on on that night, then please join for the open discussion about environmentally conscious creative work.

We start at 18h00 at the Cape Creative Exhibition at 37 Main Road, Green Point.

Get involved, get creative

What do you love doing?

Do you love writing, doing performance art, taking photos, designing posters, drawing?

How would you love to make a difference and help our environment?

Ecojunki is looking for enthusiastic people to contribute towards raising
awareness for the ways in which we as humans are interacting with our natural
environment. Participation on all levels are encouraged - whether you want to
help with management, organizing, being creative, creating ideas, updating the
blog, telling people about the environment, or even help us hug and plant
trees!

How do I get involved?
Email something about yourself, the things you love doing, and the ways that you would love to get involved to ecojunki@gmail.com. Allow your imagination to run freely - ANYTHING goes. Be creative and lose your reservations and limitations! NO idea is too crazy.

Change of season

I know I've been very quiet and that it seems like nothing's been happening. But things are actually still on a roll. I'm looking for some eco-enthusiastic writers to contribute to the Ecojunki blog and keep everyone updated on what's green and happening. In the meantime I've got empty milk cartons piling up and I'll soon figure out what I want to create with them in order to recycle or repurpose them.

While on the subject of repurposing - check out Recreate, started by Katie Thompson! Recreate repurposes old suitcases, cans and all kinds of throw-away articles into quirky and pretty decor items like chairs, end tables, candlestick holders and clocks! See some images on www.recreate.za.net and be sure not to miss seeing some of Recreate's very creative furniture and decor items at The Fringe Art Store and Wessel Snyman Creative in Cape Town during May.



The Fringe Arts Store is in the City Hall, Darling Street, Cape Town until 14 May, and Wessel Snyman Creative is at 17 Bree Street in Cape Town, where Recreate will be featured and exhibited from 4-29 May.

10 Feb Atlantic Seaboard Greendrinks meet

Greendrinks 10th February 2010 Edition : Woolworths’ sustainability strategy
Speaker : Justin Smith, Woolworths’ Sustainability Manager

Greendrinks is a free forum, open to anyone who wants to share green experiences, discuss ideas for more conscious living, network, listen to new developments and have a good time. (www.greendrinks.org)

DATE: Wednesday 10th February 2010
NEW VENUE : Cafe Bar : La Vie, on 205 Main Road, Sea Point
NEW TIME : 6.30 pm for 7 pm 'till late

Hope to see you there !
Spread the invite to your friends, family, neighbours and colleagues.

More details : email seaboardgreendrinks@gmail.com

Viva for veggies

Read this! (yes, click on "read this") here's an excerpt:

The scientists have spoken, and the politicians are getting edgy. Vegetarian campaigning charity Viva received a leaked email from an official at the Environment Agency showing that the Government is trying to work out how to get us to eat less meat. "The potential benefits of a vegan diet in terms of climate impact could be very significant," it said, adding that eating less meat is one of the "key environmental behaviour changes" needed to save the planet.

It's about the importance of a vegan lifestyle to reverse global warming. No, I won't try and convert you, and I'm not telling you that you HAVE to become vegan (I'm still learning to cope with being a vegetarian, really missing fish and sushi, so nevermind cutting out milk, chocolate and cheese which I absolute LOVE). I'm just saying that the more people change to a vegan lifestyle or at least reduces their dietary focus on meats and animal products, the better it will be for our environment, and the sooner we are really starting to make a change. Even small change is good, because a lot of drops into a bucket makes it full. If you can't live on veggies and raw food alone, or feel really unable to eliminate meat from your diet, then try just reducing your intake of red meat, fish, poultry, milk, eggs and cheese and you'll be surprised at how good you will feel! The article also gives these pointers:

How to be a caring carnivore

* Elect to eat one or two organic, locally produced cuts of meat a week rather than eating cheap processed meat every day

* Roast a chicken and live off it for a week, making stock from the bones and eating the leftovers avoiding wastage

* Investigate meat alternatives such as tofu (pictured left), tempeh, textured vegetable protein and Quorn

* Buy organic milk, or try soya (pictured right), almond, oat, hazelnut or quinoa milk instead

* Chicken and pork are more carbon-efficient and produces less methane than beef

* Be aware of other good sources of protein. These include pulses, beans, nuts, seeds and, of course, soya beans

* Many kinds of bread and even some vegetarian products contain unnecessary milk products like whey, buttermilk or lactose, or eggs. Check the packaging and avoid buying non-organic dairy by avoiding these products