On the radio…

So over the last two days I have done to radio interviews about plastic rubbish. Which is two more radio interviews and I have ever done in my life. BBC Leeds was first. When they contacted me, I didn’t quite understand that they wanted to interview me. I thought they were looking for background information. We arranged to chat as I thought. But when they called it was to record me. Cripes.

I had prepared all the usual information including data on sneaky plastics. That is plastics where you might not expect them…. such as tampons. And I failed to change the script. Indeed it hardly occurred to me that this might be a difficult subject. When you live in the #plasticfree the world you get used to discussing everything.
As plastic gets everywhere.
And this is one of the most unsettling aspect of plastic for me. That a product that we know leaches chemicals is being used in the most intimate places. Long story short I talked menstrual products.

Luckily this interview was pre-recorded and they cut out to my waffle about tampons. For which I am grateful. Yes it needs to be discussed but no, I am not sure that the good people of Leeds are ready for chatter about lady gardens over breakfast. Indeed, in my experience, chatter about lady gardens, (and the maintaining thereof), is often met with a cool reception!

The second interview was live with radio Humberside. By now I had realised my mistake and instead talked teabags. Yes they do contain plastic. Sigh!

Oh its so stressful being an activist. I do hope that they ban non-biodegradable, oil-derived plastics soon; I don’t think I can take much more.

You can hear my interviews here
BBC Leeds the Liz Green show 8.00 am. Link here. Right at the beginning.

And here
Radio Humberside 1:08 into the program.

More

Watch out for Sneaky Plastics –  in places you might not have known about.

You can see my other forays into media HERE.

post

A Plastic Planet

I am extremely proud to be an ambassador for a Plastic Planets campaign for the plasticfree aisle in all supermarkets. This would of course make plastic three shopping so much easier. It is an extremely valuable contribution to the debate. It would be great if you could pop over to the pop over there check out the campaign and give them your support. At a Plastic Planet.

I am currently hunting down some plasticfree Ferrero Roche’s to celebrate. Tricky. These have to be the most plasticky chocs ever. For now you will have to do with these plastic free, chocolate truffles. Find them here.
Extremely yummylicious. You spoil us ambassador!

Campaigns

But first…. Let me take a selfie… Organised by www.aplasticplanet.com.

A Plastic Planet campaign are collecting thousands of films of ordinary people demanding  a Plastic Free Aisle in supermarkets. Why?  They want to meet with the CEO of a top supermarket and need to prove consumer demand.

Sounds like a good idea? Wouldn’t it be great to buy plastic free food using your own cotton produce bags?  Then here’s what you do….

Video yourself on your phone saying: “My name is [First Name]. I am a Plastic Addict but I am ready for change. I want a Plastic Free Aisle.”
Send the recording to: addict@aplasticplanet.com

Cut and paste the below message and put it on your Facebook timeline along with your video nominating three friends who you think care about our planet and our health to do the same.
“Hi everyone.

I’m backing A Plastic Planet’s campaign to get a #PlasticFreeAisle in supermarkets. Plastic is killing our planet and will affect our health but at the moment there is nothing I can do on my own to stop plastic use. Supermarkets respond to consumer demand. As a consumer I am asking for a plastic free aisle where I can shop guilt and worry-free.

A Plastic Planet are collecting thousands of films of ordinary people demanding change, which they are bringing to the CEOs of the biggest supermarkets to demand a Plastic Free Aisle.

I nominate X, X and X:

My name is [First Name]. I am a Plastic Addict but I am ready for change. I want a Plastic Free Aisle.”

Post your film to: addict@aplasticplanet.com
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to keep up with our campaign!

 

Plastic-Free, Worldwide Day

June 5 the world’s first One Plastic Free Day

Organised A Plastic Planet, They want people from  people from around the world to avoid plastic-packaged food and drink products for 24 hours.

Yay

Want join in? Of course you do.Take a photo of the plastic-packaged products they are giving up for One Plastic Free Day and share it on social media, saying why you have been inspired to #PassOnPlastic.

I will be tweeting or posting a tip every 24 hours! Join me at plasticSrubbish on Twitter and the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group

 

More

There are some places in the U.k. That already do this. You can find them here.
Loose Food A to Z
Find out if a shop near you sells bulk food loose. This is stuff that that normally comes plastic packaged ie rice, pasta and salt. And yes these shops do exist in the U.K. There’s just not many of them.
Heres a list of towns with shops selling loose
Find other plasticfree campaigns and campaigners, HERE.

N.B.

lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x

And before you go…

If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Super Blogs

Plastic-free MasterChef – yes from the telly!
Sew Obsesseed
Miss Minimalist
Ecothrifty

I am very honoured to have been featured in some of my favourite blogs including (but not all… I will get round to it!)…..

Was delighted and rather flattered when the wonderful Offset Warehouse asked me to guest post. This fantastic company sell organic, fair-trade fabrics, proper cotton on a wooden reel (very hard to find!) and peace silk (doesn’t result in the death of the silk worms). They have a great customer service. And they will post your fabric out in cardboard boxes. Plastic free. All round good guys.

And they have a great blog, Sew Obsessed, full of useful posts on how to make your own beeswax wrap or zero waste skirt. And of course there’s my contribution on how to cut plastic consumption – natch!

Sign up and you get loads of useful tips and 5% discount on your next fabric order. Order now and make your own reusable witches hat for halloween!

Miss Minimalist

I love minimalism. I live in a house so empty, people ask if I have just moved in! Being plastic free allows me to cut a lot more stuff… and I got the Miss Minimalist seal of approval.

You can read my post about how living plastic-free leads to a life with less stuff  in her fantastic blog.

You can read about my minimalist life here….

Ecothrifty

Very pleased to be featured in Ecothriftys blog this month. Zoe (the thrifty, eco one), sets herself a different challenge each month. To make it more exciting, you can sponsor her through Do Nation – another great idea. In fact the blog is packed with nuggets of eco gold and is a thoughtful introduction to much current green ideology, documented from the personal perspective of giving-it-a-go.

Some challenges have been hugely successful and have become full scale life choices, others… well let’s just say the no poo wasnt a high point. Which makes it all so readable!

But less about her and more about ME!!!! You can read my interview in her blog right here. It’s great!

Plastic-free MasterChef – yes from the telly!

Very excited to be featured in a write up on plasticfree catering by the by the Hungry Gecko AKA Jackie Kearney.

Plastic free family travel

Jackie and family, (husband, Lee and twins), spent a year traveling in Asia during which they bought no bottled water. She is kind enough to say she was inspired by our plastic free travels. Which probably means we banged on relentlessly about our Steripen.

MasterChef

You might think that was achievement enough but so inspired was she by street food in Asia that she incorporated it into her own cooking creating a fantastically tasty range vegetarian and vegan fusion dishes. For those of you who done believe that is possible – well she was top 4 finalist in BBC One’s MasterChef 2011, has worked with, (amongst other great chefs), Yotam Ottolenghi and was runner up for Best Main Dish at British Street Food Awards in 2012.

Street food in compostable disposables

But it don’t stop there. After MasterChef she got a retro silver trailer and started selling her food on the mean streets of Manchester.

It gets better. Her street food is served in compostable disposables.

As she says “From day one with my street food work, I have only ever used cardboard food trays, unbleached recycled napkins and cutlery made of corn starch (at one time I offered wooden cutlery but some people don’t like the taste). Obviously it’s highly frustrating when you take part in an event and other traders are dishing out their food on the cheapest polystyrene trays imaginable. Personally I think these food trays should be banned. Full stop. No arguments. There is simply no need to use such rubbish, and those traders that continue to do so should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.”

Go girl!

Get the book….

Her food is so good she got a book deal. Here it is – you can of course buy in on Amazon but why not visit a bookshop.

If you really cant cook, you can buy Jackie does her own range of sauces.

Eat with Jackie

You can try her food at festivals and events. Or even book her for your event. How classy to have the silver Zeppelin serving food at your wedding?

Manchester folks can join dining club and enjoy a five course Asian inspired fine dining menu in Jackie’s South Manchester home. Or get her to come and cook for your dinner party.

Plus pop up events.

All relevant info is on her website.

post

Sew Plasticky Obsessed – guest post

Was delighted and rather flattered when the wonderful Offset Warehouse asked me to guest post. This fantastic company sell organic, fair-trade fabrics, proper cotton on a wooden reel (very hard to find!) and peace silk (doesn’t result in the death of the silk worms). They have a great customer service. And they will post your fabric out in cardboard boxes. Plastic free. All round good guys.

And they have a great blog, Sew Obsessed, full of useful posts on how to make your own beeswax wrap or zero waste skirt. And of course there’s my contribution on how to cut plastic consumption – natch!

Sign up and you get loads of useful tips and 5% discount on your next fabric order. Order now and make your own reusable witches hat for halloween!

post

Rubbish Diet Guest Post

Was delighted to guest blog for the Rubbish Diet. This great project started as a blog  by Karen Cannard ( also PfreeU.K. member) and is a now a nationwide project. It shows you how to slim you bin by cutting your trash – or, as they say it….

“Welcome to the UK’s dedicated slimming club for bins. Ever get confused about what can be recycled? Not enough space to sort your waste? Fed up with the smell of rotting food in your bin? Just hate wasting things? The Rubbish Diet can help you sort out your rubbish once and for all.

Take our 5 week Rubbish Diet challenge! Get together with your family, your friends, your street… and see how slim you can get your bins. Our team of Bin Doctors and our whole Rubbish Diet community are here to help answer your questions.”

So proud to be part of it. You can read my contribution here.

 

 

Something Brilliant….

Are you doing something fantastic? Want to shout about it? Encourage others to join in? This is the site for you.

We’re on a mission to inspire the people of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to do more of the little brilliant things that make a big difference.This site is full of suggestions of quick and easy things for you to do.
Take and look and let us know if you’re doing #somethingbrilliant

Find #somethingbrilliant to do! Share #somethingbrilliant to do!

I shared my brilliant plastic free project.

So if you fancy joining me in a bit of plastic-free, Valentines love – I mean loving the planet – I am up on page 1 for a while. The one the misplaced logo and strangely paraphrased write up. But you get the idea!

post

Online Magazines

Happy to have a post about going plasticless featured in Henpicked.

Henpicked is an online magazine “about sharing the wisdom of women”. Any cheek from you lot and you are going home! It started with a group of friends meeting up and talking who “realised there must be a huge number of wise women out there” so created an online forum for “the sort of things that women over 40 would be interested in.”

They don’t exclude younger women or even men “if they have something fascinating to tell us.” Well I am not young, or a man, but I think we can agree I am fascinating so here are my   wise words.

Signing up online is free, you can comment on articles, contribute to the forum even write articles for them. They are fun so why not give em a whirl. And do feel free to leave very enthusiastic comments. On my post that is!

Green Parenting

Got a nice write up in Green Parenting this month.

Inspiring people who have gone plastic free

Polythene Pam and Village Boy, a pair of bloggers from Yorkshire have documented their boycott of (almost) all things plastic on their blog Plastic Is Rubbish. They also have great resources on their website for finding out about plastic alternatives, what plastic they cannot live without and why you should consider cutting down your plastic consumption too.

Thank you and we like you too. Not only are there lots of interesting articles but they also attract some interesting advertisers. I was particuarly taken with Honour Your Flow selling woollen reusable sanitary towels.

I have asked them for more info which I hope they send.

Keep Britain Tidy

Very pleased to have the blog featured up on the Waste Less Live More website . It is up there alongside some really impressive projects.

The Waste Less Live More Week (organised by Keep Britain Tidy read more about it here ) is a pretty impressive project too. Which is why I was so pleased to be WLLM partner in 2014.

This is what I did to support the program.

It will be running next year so do join in!

post

Newspapers & Magazines

Guardian

So pleased that Plastic is Rubbish  got featured as the Guardians sustainable blog of the week last week. 

You can read the interview her

Guardian green blogs have put together an interactive map to profile all of the sustainable blogs of the week that they  featured on Live Better for the past six months.

Huddersfield Examiner
Untitled-Scanned-01
Guardian Up North
Featured one of my articles for the Huddersfield Examiner

The Guardian picks up a collection of articles on plastic free living I wrote for the Huddersfield Examiner….

Welcome to the Northerner, Guardian Unlimited’s weekly digest of the best of the northern press.

Now this may sound daffy, but actually the Huddersfield Examiner’s interest in Worm Tea is part of the thriving new North. The paper’s green columnist Kate Armstrong, who lives appropriately in the Huddersfield suburb of Marsh, is delighted with the success of her worm composting bin.

“Those of you kind enough to read these words will know that I bought it four months ago,” she says in that delightfully modest way that you regularly discover in local newspapers. It has been a dramatic period. The bin was theoretically escape proof, but Ms Armstrong’s worms got out and infested her garage. “When my husband discovered them in his drill bits he threatened to sacrifice them on the bird table if a solution wasn’t found.”

She promptly constructed her own worm Colditz and fed its contents on a super-rich diet of festering food scraps. This resulted in a plague of fruit flies and more potential wrath from Mr Armstrong. Kate gave up, capped the mess with some spadefuls of soil and forgot about it until this week. Bingo! When she went for a desultory check, she found the bin standing in a lake of Worm Tea, a digestive juice which is sold at handsome prices on the internet as a superior plant feed and to cure black spot on roses. The worms themselves are now apparently the size of anacondas, and even Mr Armstrong is impressed.

Bit excited today as the blog is featured over in Gadling Travel Blog,  a worthy publication with obviously  good taste. You can read the full article here Best of all I am so pleased that plastic free travel is of interest to a wider audience. Is the tide turning? I truly hope so.

You can find all our travel-related, plastic-free tips here….

My article about the dangers and delights of traveling plastic free appears in this months edition of Backpacker South East Asia 

The Observer Ethical Awards

Last night I had a great time at the Green Oscars….whaoh there, before you get too excited, it was only as a guest – not to get an award! This Observer organised bash is to honour worthy projects and environmental initiatives.

When I was invited I thought it would be held in some kind of derelict-factory, refurb, pop- up space in the bad lands. Inside it would be all polished concrete with a stage made from pallets and old park benches cunningly upcycled by Kevin Mc Cloud into seats. It wasn’t. It was held in OneMarylebone.

one marylebone

“Beautifully refurbished to the original designs of Sir John Soane, the Grade I listed venue boasts 3 unique spaces plus landscaped garden, moments from Regents Park. The grandeur of One Marylebone has attracted blue-chip brands from avariety of industries with a focus on fashion, beauty and the arts.”

WHAT????

As you may know I am currently living in a van. Which means that my wardrobe, (never dressy), is now severely limited. The dress code on the night was sustainable style. While my van wear may well be sustainable, there is no style involved. I have a dress of sackcloth and some brown, flat, Roman-style sandals. At best I look biblical – and I mean more Moses than Delilah! I admit as I approached One Marylebone last night I was nervous.

Turns out I need not have worried. The venue was lovely and not as overwhelming as it looks on the website. It is a tastefully converted building on a nice intimate scale. Even a van dweller like myself felt at home. And while the sackcloth was at the less dressy end of the spectrum, there was a diverse range of outfits on display.

The awards themselves were great and featured some fantastic projects. It must have been hard to choose the  winners.

I loved seeing what were once considered alternatives becoming mainstream – and that fact being not just acknowledged but celebrated.

I am sure there will be some  accusations of green washing. Of the sponsors – can an airline ever be considered environmental (Virgin), what about Ecovers use of synthetic biology?

And charges that while change is happening, is it really  fast enough and  big enough? Is this just  fiddling as sea levels rise?

And there is some understandable bitterness. I have been involved with cooperative housing and community design schemes for more years then I care to reveal. Many of the pioneers  I worked with, the first wave hippies and greens, have become  disillusioned because they have seen great projects fold for the lack of support. And the swinging cuts in council funding means another lot will go to the wall.

And then of course my personal plastic grievance. I look in my eco-goody bag to see most of the environmentally aware products still come in plastic! Come on guys – plastic is not the packaging of a green future!

But is there any point bitching about the past and denouncing others green credentials? Of course there needs to ongoing discussion and evaluation, but there also needs to be momentum, we have to start somewhere. The Observer Awards encourage and acknowledge movements that can then become the basis for discussions.

And good for them say I.biancca It was great  to be there supporting and applauding the people who worked so hard to make theses fantastically worthwhile projects happen.

And to hear Bianca Jagger speak. Not only is what she says always worth listening to, she has a lovely voice.

Trying hard not to diminish Colin Firths contribution by lapsing into drooling. mr d 2Love that he supports the awards.

But, on a personal note, a real highlight was to  meet fellow bloggers, people I know from twitter and other social media who I have long admired and whose support I have greatly valued.

These represent  grass-roots movements  started by one person or family just getting on and changing  what they can – their impact on the planet.They have already changed the world.

It was so great to meet
The always challenging Zoe of Ecothrifty
Carl Legge Seeking sustainability on the Llyn Peninsula
Jen Gale who lives make do and mend
Mommy Emu bringing them up green
Karen Cannard the first lady of rubbish
And of course thanks to Katherine Purvis and the Observer Ethical Awards for giving me the opportunity to enjoy all of the above.

 

post

Documentaries & Radio

January 10th BBC Leeds the Liz Green show 8.00 am. You know what I will be speaking about – the perils of single use plastic. It’s a very short piece and I hope I don’t sound too dreadful. If you can’t catch it first time round, you can hear it here from 11 onwards.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p001d7mz

You’ve Read the Blog now see the film
Try to get past the rather gruesome still where I look positively rodentlike.
Was featured by film maker Megan Parkinson in her documentary Plastic Planet A Journey To Zerowaste a nice introduction to some of the U.K. based plasticless and zero waste movements.

This is my section up on You Tube but best to watch it as part of the whole. 

As Seen In Index

On the radio…

So over the last two days I have done to radio interviews about plastic rubbish. Which is two more radio interviews and I have ever done in my life. BBC ...
Read More

A Plastic Planet

I am extremely proud to be an ambassador for a Plastic Planets campaign for the plasticfree aisle in all supermarkets. This would of course make plastic three shopping so much ...
Read More

Super Blogs

Plastic-free MasterChef - yes from the telly! Sew Obsesseed Miss Minimalist Ecothrifty I am very honoured to have been featured in some of my favourite blogs including (but not all ...
Read More

Sew Plasticky Obsessed – guest post

Was delighted and rather flattered when the wonderful Offset Warehouse asked me to guest post. This fantastic company sell organic, fair-trade fabrics, proper cotton on a wooden reel (very hard ...
Read More

Rubbish Diet Guest Post

Was delighted to guest blog for the Rubbish Diet. This great project started as a blog  by Karen Cannard ( also PfreeU.K. member) and is a now a nationwide project. It ...
Read More

Something Brilliant….

Are you doing something fantastic? Want to shout about it? Encourage others to join in? This is the site for you. We’re on a mission to inspire the people of ...
Read More

Online Magazines

Happy to have a post about going plasticless featured in Henpicked. Henpicked is an online magazine “about sharing the wisdom of women”. Any cheek from you lot and you are ...
Read More

Keep Britain Tidy

Very pleased to have the blog featured up on the Waste Less Live More website . It is up there alongside some really impressive projects. The Waste Less Live More ...
Read More

Newspapers & Magazines

Guardian So pleased that Plastic is Rubbish  got featured as the Guardians sustainable blog of the week last week.  You can read the interview her Guardian green blogs have put together ...
Read More

The Observer Ethical Awards

Last night I had a great time at the Green Oscars....whaoh there, before you get too excited, it was only as a guest - not to get an award! This ...
Read More