One girl's trash... A neat street steal in Herne Hill. I am still trying very hard to buy the minimum from new. This is a challenge when you get to things like curtain poles and light switches. Anyway, doing good so far.

number60 update

So, we're in. 

We got the house. We moved in today. Huzzah.

Here are a few thoughts on the commitment we made to number60 and plans so far. 

There was a principle I failed to mention in my list (previous post), which is that we make no change at all. Why do we feel compelled to change things? Is it dissatisfaction with the legacy of those that went before, or is it hunger for newness and belief that change will be better?

I think it's instinctively about making a house, your home. However as much as possible we will be looking to make cosmetic changes rather than significant changes that will waste perfectly usable materials.

First up we are sanding and re-staining the FLOORS in the living area. They are original pine floors, but with damage and they have some pretty serious gaps between the boards meaning a lot of the heating is lost to the cellar. 

We have booked a local independent flooring company http://www.finishingpoint.co.uk  and asked they use a stain manufactured by long-running family company Mylands http://www.mylands.co.uk/ they are fourth generation based in Lambeth and the stains use natural earth pigments.

Ooohh, I feel a lot of 'before and after' photos coming on.

number60

So, I'm making a commitment that if we do buy the house we want, we will do all that we can to make it efficient and everything that we do with the house will be as 'sustainable' and thoughtful as possible.

What does this mean?

Using materials that are natural, organic or produced with as minimal impact as possible.

Buying British.

Buying vintage or second hand items where possible.

Investing with a long term view.

Putting cost lower down the priority list, as often as possible.

What's our context for this commitment? We do have more financial means than most, which is risky as money can buy convenience or the easy option which, if it isn't sustainable, we can't take. We do not have a lot of time, which will be challenging as the field of sustainability is complex and a lot mainstream retailers/manufacturers/brands still don't offer options that fit with our criteria and those that do, take some time to seek out.

I'll be recording our progress here.

Sustainable Idea of the Day

Durable toothbrush handles, with detachable heads. Works with razors, why not with toothbrushes?

Sustainable Idea of the Day #parenthood

While Motherhood dices with the sustainable issue of population growth, maternity leave does generate good patterns of sustainable behaviour... Women are prone to re-engage with the value of family and in particular their extended family. This is both as a support group and as proof of provenance and heritage. Motherhood takes women out of their established social system and work life and gives vast time for deep reflection and consideration. The reality of nurturing a new life gives the opportunity for Mothers to consider what the ideal life to live is. A Mother's legacy becomes important. Financial constraints encourage consideration of what is bought and used - second hand items and loaned items become absolutely fair game. New locally based connections are formed, to create mutually dependent relationships. A newfound awareness of the local environment is developed as streets are walked, parks are visited and seasons are seen from the window. How can this be captured as a blueprint for everyone, but also sustained beyond the first few months or the first year of a Mother's life?

Sustainable Idea of the Day #values

Think about your values. What are they? Think about your belief system; what is it based on and how does it affect what you do? Organized religion is waning in developing countries, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but i think we are experiencing a crisis of spirituality. We have a gaping void. If you were asked the above questions, how would you answer? Our values and beliefs can help guide us and give us purpose, fulfillment even. And they can prevent us being led.

Sustainable Idea of the Day #parenthood; modern day babies appear to demand an awful lot of baggage. Not so! They can sleep happily in a drawer, so no need for that cumbersome travel cot.

Sustainable Idea of the Day #homeless

A lot of ideas can come from thinking about a need gap, or a trend in mainstream behaviour that could be tweaked to create more good. In this instance my two start points were homelessness and Airb'n'b... How could people with vacant homes or with spare rooms offer them up to the homeless? The former have good intentions, the latter have an immediate need. This is is not a means to solve the homeless issue, but it could be a way to temporarily give people a roof over their heads - in the developed world it blows my mind people have no option but to sleep on our streets. The home owners and homeless would need to be registered and record a testimonial of each other, just as happens with Airb'n'b, but the exchange is in company, conversation and some mutual understanding...not cash.

Sustainable Idea of the Day

Making one man's problem another man's solution ought to be a mantra that helps us to be more mutually dependent and sustainable....although it still doesn't seem to happen nearly enough. The heat generated by the increasingly vast data centers needed by corporates, demand energy guzzling cooling systems, but why can't this heat be used to power local towns? I don't think this is a never-thought-of-before suggestion, but I don't understand why it isn't happening more. I was prompted to write this after reading about Facebook's Gold LEED data center which does, admittedly, tackle the heat issue more responsibly than most, but does it need to? Syphoning the heat away to help create power for others will reduce the cost of transporting power and could be subsidized by the corporate given the overall cost saving from not needing to invest and maintain a cooling system.

Sustainable Idea of the Day #charity

In our increasingly connected world, there is a paradox that generations, sectors and issues are complex, go deep, but are not mutually supportive enough. I really liked the new campaign from the Prince's Trust "fuel our youth" http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/about_the_trust/headline_news/national_news_2011/1111_fuel_our_youth.aspx which encourages the over 60's to donate their winter fuel allowance (if of course they can afford it) to support the younger generation. It ensures the donation amount is clear cut and the cause resonates - many baby boomers know they enjoyed more positive opportunities when they were young than current youth do. So today, for Children in Need, how about those who can afford it donate a month's child benefit? It seems a bit ridiculous that, with the yawning gap between rich and poor, everyone receives this government support.

Sustainable Idea of the Day

I think the primary task for any charity is education - they need to educate people on the cause they serve and so why they need support, and this is particularly crucial as charities are seeing their unrestricted funding go down* If charities formed coalitions, based on the issue they serve, they could pool funding - each giving proportional to their 'size' - and use it to effectively educate people on their issue in communications (be that through advertising, PR or other means). This would then mean the proprietary efforts after that, by each charity can focus more on who they are and what work they do to help tackle the shared cause. The splintering within the charity sector and wastage of charities competing with each other and duplicating their efforts, baffles me. As we head for more economic volatility I think charities need to be smarter, to ensure people keep reaching into their pockets. * more on that point at www.bbhhive.com next week

Sustainable Idea of the Day #retail

It's hard to buy British fresh produce at the supermarket, but this can be made much easier for online shopping - you should be able to select 'British only' produce as a filter for your options on major supermarket sites just as you can for 'Organic'. Only Waitrose offers this currently.

Sustainable idea of the day

I love olives. I do not love the plastic containers my deli olives come in. Why can't delis and supermarket deli counters give you ££ off when you bring your own container? Starbucks do it for coffee, supermarkets do it for bags. Am going to try it at my local Lordship lane deli on the weekend...

Sustainable Idea of the day

Back in London & loving the bike scheme...can you charge your phone as you cycle? Would be good if you could huh, in the capital of smartphone loving country (http://digital-stats.blogspot.com/2011/02/smartphone-adoption-figures-in-us-and.html) with the highest Twitter usage (http://digital-stats.blogspot.com/2010/04/twitter-users-by-country-city-january.html)

Sustainable Idea of the day

If you can make bamboo bicycles, why not bamboo pushchairs/strollers? A visit to any baby store presents nothing but plastic to push your precious one around in. Bamboo is durable, light, vibration dampening and has a low carbon footprint. 

Sustainable Idea of the day

Why don't hotels ask, when you make your reservation, if you want a 'Sustainable Stay' or not? If they did, then I wouldn't have to...

Make sure the little sign is nowhere near the bed, so the sheets don't get changed daily. 

Put the towels in the right place, so they are not whipped away to get laundered every day. 

Leave a note asking that they don't trash the soap bar i just opened and used ONE time. 

Call to room service and make a special request for a china cup and saucer, so I can avoid using the paper cups they leave you to make your in-room coffee.

Specify that they don't run the A/C in the room, all day before I arrive.