So today is 10/10/10, when we should get out and actually do something for the earth, and our climate crisis. And I’ve been at home for most of it working (day job stuff – big deadlines looming, and an imminent business trip, and I am NOT ready). But anyway, I’ve been trying to follow some of the day’s events as they unfold globally, and I tried, in a brief trip to Wholefoods, to do my bit by buying locally. I had noticed one 10/10/10 participant was trying to get everyone to buy their produce from within a 50 mile radius… I can do that, I thought! So there I was at the tomatoes, maybe six or seven different kinds – heirlooms, cherry, grape, on-the-vine, yellow, orange, red, deep brown…. There shouldn’t have been a problem finding something local – I mean OK it’s October, but it’s still really warm here. As a transplanted Brit, I can tell you that summers don’t get better than this in England. So anyway, the tomatoes… Arizona, Mexico, California… I am not near to any of these places. Finally I spotted them, some slightly less appealing looking local hot-house tomatoes. I bought them anyway, and they taste great of course, but if I had tried to source the whole meal from local produce I don’t know what I’d have come away with. I know, I *know*, I should have done my shopping at the farmers’ market, or be ordering in a box of veg from a local grower. If I wasn’t all fired up with the plan to grow my own favourite veg on the land next year, I’d be signing up for a veggie box for sure… had already done my homework there before I found my woodland.
compost
When I’m not in meetings, or otherwise tied up with the day job, I’m trying to work out a composting routine, so that I can be up and running, compost in hand as it were, when the land finally becomes mine. (Bumped into a colleague this morning – someone I hadn’t seen in a while – and she made my day by being so excited about this land… she had heard from someone else that I was buying new property, but didn’t know the details). Anyway, compost. I’d like to take advantage of a 20% off Gaiam deal that’s going on at the moment, but to make the most of that I should go for one of their more expensive items… Now once I’m on the land, I can make a compost pile and/or rig something up with scrap wood. But realistically, I’m not going to be living on this land day-to-day for quite some time. (Imagine it: commuting into work from my tent with its portaloo; home in the evening to a meal cooked on a firepit, shower rigged up from the rainbarrel… *exciting* but not practical! I have a job where I need to look a little bit put together, clean and vaguely professional). So I need a system that will start the compost close to my apartment. I know I need a simple bucket with lid for my kitchen, but I think I also need some kind of transportable compost bin, so that I can transfer the kitchen scraps to that (and shredded paper, and whatever else), and then schlep that to the land. I’m tempted by the spinning composter. It could sit outside in my garage, or downstairs in the cellar. But then of course I made the mistake of doing a price comparison with something similar on Amazon (no different once I’ve got my 20% off, but perhaps I should check the shipping…), and came across reviews from people who’ve struggled with it. One really glowing review, and the rest saying “don’t!”. Hmmm.