Hi everyone, just a quick update tonight. Life here at Shillingford is great and I'm having a whale of a time. I still haven't found time to sit down and tap away at the laptop yet but I have planned to put aside most of Saturday to get everything written up and posted on here!
For now, you can look at the photos I've taken so far here. Some mornings have been truly beautiful and breathtaking. Exeter is a great place to be as it's near the coast, near the M5, access to most places and here at Shillingford, it's far away from the city enough to walk at night by the light of the moon alone. And the stars.....I've already seen a few shooting stars! It's really too hard to put into words just how amazing it is here, and I'm not going to try now because I won't do it justice!
In the last few days, I've been getting some email updates that I think might interest you. First of all, are you ready to join the Fish Fight with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall?
HALF OF ALL FISH CAUGHT
IN THE NORTH SEA ARE THROWN BACK OVERBOARD DEAD.
TO HELP US STOP THIS INSANE WASTE SIGN UP
You can find out all about his experience, and how it has changed the way he thinks about fish, in the Channel 4 series, Hugh’s Fish Fight, to be broadcast in January 2011.The first element of the campaign – and the first area where we are looking for public support – is the issue of discards at sea. I would recommend signing up straight away and also to check out the website, as it is an issue that is rightly getting some attention.
The second email was to do with Nocton Dairies. Today, Nocton Dairies Ltd resubmitted a planning application for Western Europe’s first US-style ‘mega-dairy’. The new plans for this giant farm in Lincolnshire have yet to be officially released – but information Compassion in World Farming have obtained so far indicates that:
- Thousands of cows will still be kept in giant sheds, pushed to produce milk yields far beyond natural limits, and with little or no chance to graze on pasture.
- The farm’s backers have been keen to publicise a reduction in the number of cows to 3,700. But this is only half the story. Nocton Dairies still intends to build the farm up to over 8,000 cows. In effect, there has been no change in the ambitions for the scale of this intensive dairy since the original proposal was withdrawn in April.
Here is the website, Compassion in World Farming, who are a registered charity. This how they describe themselves:
"Compassion in World Farming was founded over 40 years ago in 1967 by a British farmer who became horrified by the development of modern, intensive factory farming.
Today we campaign peacefully to end all cruel factory farming practices. We believe that the biggest cause of cruelty on the planet deserves a focused, specialised approach – so we only work on farm animal welfare."
Again, follow the link above to see the website as there are a number of campaigns that all need your support. The customer is always right, and if enough people make a stand, change really is possible.
On a more positive note, my attention was directed to this article today, (with thanks to Mary!) Many of you will know of Lush, (usually because it smells so good as you walk by!) but some of you might not. This article is a pretty balanced one, (from what I can tell). It doesn't paint Lush as perfect, (they do use some preservatives in their products, though Constantine, the founder, argues that this is far better than using a plastic bottle, which uses petroleum, more energy, byproducts, landfill) but is does show how a large and successful company doesn't have to be a bad one. Let's face it, Lush tries. And it tries hard.
What was scary was this fact: "Not all green business are fortunate enough to control their own affairs. Among the many that have fallen prey to larger corporations, Bodyshop was bought for £652 million by French cosmetics giant L’Oreal in 2006, itself a third-owned by the world’s largest food group Nestlé."
Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that Nestlé was a bit of a baddie. I know that at Edinburgh University, Nestlé products are not stocked. (A quick google search shows up some interesting things that company have done, baby milk formula anyone?) So, does this make shopping at Bodyshop still ok? I mean, it's not like the Bodyshop have changed what they believe in, but it's a scary thought that someone else now has power over them.
This leads me back to one of my usual opinions: LOCAL IS GOOD. In anything: food, produce, education, community. If there's someone who makes gorgeous soaps nearby, then buy that. Yes, this might mean you have less stuff, (gasp! can you cope?!) but satisfaction levels will increase. And trust me, money can't buy that. However much you try.
Right, before I start to go off on one, I'm going to sign off. I hope that you follow some of the links here, and learn something new today! :)
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