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Sunday 24 August 2014

It's not easy being Green!

We have a pad of scrap paper - backs of things mainly - on the kitchen table and a pot of assorted biros to hand with which to write our shopping lists, notes, make calculations or draw diagrams of things we are trying to explain to each other.  The pen stock has diminished over the years and we now have difficulty finding something to write with at times so new writing implements were called for.  Not wanting to buy disposable pens which will just add to the amount of plastic being thrown away we were on the look out for something "greener".

We must have spent half an hour looking at pens in W H Smiths yesterday morning and although there were dozens to choose from hardly any were refillable, a couple were 70% biodegradable but only came in green or red ink, there were no refills available for the refillable pens .... it seemed a hopeless quest.

This afternoon Mr M has been researching on the internet looking for ecological types of pen and although there are pens out there that are "green" many have to be bought by the 100 and we only want a couple or else they are available in the USA but no mention of here or ...... !  Maybe I should try making a quill pen and some elderberry ink?!  We do both have fountain pens and maybe that would be the answer or perhaps a pencil as long as the pencil was made of something recycled or biodegradable and not plastic!

Yesterday we also went to our local health shop to buy a 5 litre pack of Ecover washing up liquid from which we fill our small bottle by the sink.  We normally have to order this but today we noticed that there was a choice of Vegan or non vegan 5 litre washing up liquids!  Since the Wanderer has taken to being a "nearly" vegan I was interested to find out what the difference was as I guessed/hoped that Ecover didn't test on animals.  It seems that what is called Chamomile and Marigold in English is called Chamomile et Petit-lait in French and on checking the dictionary petit-lait is whey and not marigold which I know is souci.  So is it better to buy the vegan version or would the whey be going to waste if not used in the washing up liquid?! I shan't tell the Wanderer next time she comes about our washing up liquid containing animal products!

We shopped for our milk, eggs and some vegetables at the farm shop we usually patronise a couple of miles from home this morning too and earlier in the week we drove to a nearby town South Petherton where we like to buy our bread from the local baker, our fruit and vegetables from the green grocer and Mr M likes meat from the butcher.  All well and good but is it greener to be supporting the local shops where the owners take a pride in their produce and know where it all comes from (mainly local apart from oranges and bananas of course although we did once hear a stall holder at Salisbury market shouting out his wares amongst which were "Lovely British bananas"!) but using the car to drive to these shops or to go to the supermarket which we could walk to but where much of their stock has itself traveled many thousands of miles even though we might not ourselves be adding to our carbon footprint?

Sometimes I feel I shall give up and drive to the supermarket to buy a packet of sliced bread and some ready meals and if I don't take a list I won't need a pen to write one either!

15 comments:

  1. I recently found my old Parker fountain pen which I cleaned up and had to buy cartridges but looking for some washable blue ink for it.
    Julie xxxxxxxx

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  2. It's so hard to find re-usable and recycled things and British things isn't it. I'm always on the lookout for them, they are sadly lacking. And the choices are always more complicated than they would seem at first. The children came home with some pencils made out of newspaper or something recently. Nothing is straightforward! CJ xx

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  3. I have recently cleaned all of my Calligraphy pens and bought some new ink from Diamine. It makes writing far more pleasurable than using a ballpoint pen.

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  4. Marigold I love reading your posts but again find we seem to have different views-sorry. However, I love that you make me think. I also love that you've reminded me of the Peter Kay skit about never being able to find a pen to take a telephone message.

    I'm afraid I gave up on any notion of the green and ecological life years ago. I had been an ardent green advocate in my own and our families life but over the years I have found all my efforts to be either pointless or of questionable value. I have been very disappointed to know how poorly recycled items are centrally and how destructive some of the recycling processes are leading to more pollution.

    I've found it impossible to get to the truth and can find no evidence that one person's nano efforts in the big scheme of things make any difference. This made me entirely sickened of the whole climate change argument as it was based on flawed data and seems no more accurate than medieval soothsayers.

    So I try to live as gently as possible without being wasteful, to favour local and fresh but not to get all twangled up because I use a supermarket for convenience.

    I also have to admit to a passion for pens and stationery and have bought myself a selection this week. I cannot pass a big display of back to school pens and the excitement this used to bring in anticipation of a new school year. Definitely mea culpa but it makes my heart sing!

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  5. http://www.pensoftheforest.co.uk/severn/index.html

    These look interesting, and are refillable.

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  6. We try to use fountain pens and pencils where possible - hate forms that say black ink only! I wish charities wouldn't send ballpoint pens out as an incentive to get one to donate. Like you we also try to eschew the supermarket and shop locally and buy seasonally and British when we can. Our farm shops are as near as the supermarket so that helps and we try to include shopping in other necessary trips. It is soul destroying to know that recycling efforts don't always meet our expectations but anything is better than nothing I feel.
    Did notice when I was in the local Morrisons lately that the tomatoes and raspberries I bought were both produced in the local counties so sometimes they make the effort.

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  7. There are so many options to consider in this modern world. Vegan, fair trade, green, economical, local - it's confusing as one option often negates another. Like Red Setter, we try to live as lightly on the land as we can without spending all our time and thinking on the matter. I do like buying local to support our agricultural industry.

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  8. It's hard to be completely green but I think you are having a good stab at it, so well done!

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  9. Oh if only being green was black and white - as it were! I share a number of your frustrations. My own pet annoyance - I shall share it with you - is that our large town has NO greengrocer at all. If you want to avoid the supermarkets, you have to drive at least five miles. But both the nearest grocers sell very expensive and I'm sorry to say really rather poor fruit - what do you do!

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  10. Interesting post. Consider doing a William Blake and "pluck a hollow reed" to make "a rural pen."
    I've thought of it when passing masses of reeds along the road. Going completely green isn't easy. I'd need to buy gloves, boots, and bug spray to gather the reeds.

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  11. one of my hens is moulting and shed a beautiful feather and I picked it up and will attempt to use it as a quill pen, just for the heck of it!

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  12. Your tales of pen and ink remind me of my lovely green Osmeroid pen I had at school! It had a left handed nib - for obvious reasons - but I was still left with ink along my hand, up my arm and on my school blouse!!! The buckle on the strap of my 2yr old Swatch watch broke, I took it into a jeweller that deals with that make and said they don't have spare straps, they said they would ring Swatch parts dept. Apparently they don't have a parts department and don't do repairs!!!! I popped over to Timpson shoe repairers and they found a buckle for me for £2!!!! It doesn't match but who will see it?!!

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  13. I think the main thing is Jane that we at least try to be green (or greener) and don't beat ourselves up if we can't manage it all the time. We do our best here but necessity says we have to travel to get things so we live with it. As ever, your posts make me think about things I often do as rote.

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  14. It is all about intentions, but sometimes the barriers we have to climb are so high that it feels like it is not worth it. I do have a wonderful refillable pen but I am away at the moment and don't have it on me, sadly :(. I bought it about two years ago, but have yet to buy a refill..........

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  15. Very well said! It certainly isn't easy and it's not made easy for us either.

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