Tag: festive season (page 1 of 1)

Better Late Than Never, Right?

I am late with this blog post. Not because I (Tamara) have been out saving the world one green action at a time. Not because I have been protesting at the appalling treatment of refugees by the Home Office. Not because I have been writing strongly worded letters (emails) to my MP about a myriad of troubles I wish him to right. Not because I have been making my own wrapping paper out of cow dung or creating home-made Xmas gifts with my own fair (brown) hands. Nope. None of the above.

I am late with this blog post because I don’t want to admit to you, Dear Reader, that I haven’t been living a very green or activist life lately. I would say I’ve been doing the bare minimum but that sets the bar too high. I’ve just kinda been here. In my life. Trying not to freak out, trying to get outside and get natural light into my eyeballs, trying to keep depression at bay, trying to exercise, trying to stay connected, trying not to face plant into a tin of shortbread biscuits (too late).

I am late with this blog post because to admit this is to acknowledge being green isn’t always easy. Especially at Christmas in a pandemic.

Being green, being an activist takes up brain space and energy that I don’t readily have right now. But even as I type those words, my brain has started listing ways that I have been green at Christmas in a pandemic.

Listing ‘The Little Things’ List:

I bought mulled wine spices from The Package Free Larder and Fairtrade red wine from my local corner shop Coop. I bought cheese from The Ethical Dairy – produced from organic milk where calves are kept with their mothers to suckle (ok fine, my partner the Dutchman did this one but I’m including it in this flashback of achievements.) I bought books from local independent booksellers Pigeon Books. I bought gifts from independent traders at the We Create Market, a pop-up indoor market at the old Debenhams on Palmerston Road.

£$ I am realising most of my green achievements are consumerist but hey, putting my money where my mouth is! £$

I bought the most amazing bee boobie jugs from The Beehive made by BoobieBu, intended as gifts and kept for myself, thereby forcing me to buy further gifts from BoobieBu.

I bought Happy Birthday bunting from Leather Heather and put up glass balloons to decorate and celebrate the birthday of a young person who is currently in my care. I made a raspberry cheesecake for his 18th from scratch and remembered to get Fairtrade chocolate and to check the biscuits were palm-oil free.

I ate the meat my mother provided and cooked for our Christmas Eve meal, knowing it was not free-range and enjoying it anyway. I delivered a Christmas hamper as a volunteer for Community First who usually host a Christmas Day meal for 100 guests and instead this year, provided each of those guests with a hamper delivered to their doorstep on Christmas Day with a Christmas meal and gifts.

I am late with this post because I told myself all the above doesn’t count because I am not being an amazing environmentalist and changing the world. I am not saving people. I am not standing up for the vulnerable and voiceless.

I am an idiot. What I have been doing does count.

But I am here now.

Because this is the whole point of this blog: we do what we can, when we can.

We juggle the balls and when we cannot due to lack of energy, caring responsibilities, overwhelm, job loss, grief, mental health challenges, whatever the reason – the ball is picked up by someone else who does have that brain space and energy. So rather than feeling shitty for not being the picture-perfect Instagram-worthy eco-activist, I am thankful for all those who shout the shout, walk the walk and fight the fight when I cannot.


P.S. I am also late with this blog because F*2020.


Written by Tamara, a Green Hairy Feminist

22 Meat Free Recipes to get you through 2019

Season’s greetings everyone, it’s Emma here again after a mahoosive break!

Alas, the festive season is nearly over and soon I’ll have to take down my beloved Christmas tree, stop playing “Home for the Holidays” and “Feels like Christmas” on loop, and actually head back to work. In a couple of days, I’ll make a resolution about spending less time on Twitter or not checking my work email after 5 pm or something else that I won’t stick to. But there is one resolution that I have stuck to since I made it in 2010, which for the purposes of this blog, we’ll say was made on December 31st. My vegetarianism. And I know that, especially with Veganuary coming up, many people choose this time of year to vow that they will cut down (or out) their meat consumption. That’s why I’ve created a list of 22 veggie recipes to get you through 2019.

Veggie Recipes to make you drool

1. Quorn Lime and Coconut Vegan Curry: If you need a bit of a palate cleanser, this surprisingly light curry is for you.
2. Seitan Pot Roast: Don’t let the vegan label fool you, this is a hearty meal, using seitan, potatoes, carrots, onions, and garlic to fill you up.
3. Vegan Pulled Pork Sandwiches: I’ve never had pulled pork, but the vegan version is delicious. You can make your own using jackfruit or buy ready-made from the supermarket (check for eggs!).
4. Vegetarian Haggis: Enjoy this warming Scottish dish with a dram of whiskey… if you’re over 18.

5. Tomato, Basil, and Tortellini Soup:  Only have 15 minutes to prep dinner before running out to work? Choose this slow cooker soup. It’s a great way to sneak extra veggies into your diet without noticing.
6. The Vegan Portobello Potroast: All you have to do is sear the portobello mushrooms before placing it in the slow cooker with vegetables, broth, herbs and (if your taste requires) red wine.
7. Quinoa Burritos: These are easy to make and even easier to eat too many of. All you need is a couple of tortillas per person, quinoa, your fave veggies, salsa, guacamole, and shredded cheese.
8. Veggie Duck Pancakes: One of my favourite dishes when making Chinese at home is veggie duck pancakes made with Linda McCartney’s shredded hoisin duck. Honestly, I rather have this than take out.

9. Vegetable Lasagne: I might have lived off this in uni. All I had to do was layer the ingredients and shove it in the oven. Even I couldn’t mess that up and I’m almost certain that my flatmate isn’t reading this, so you can believe that it was perfect every time.
10. Crock-Pot Baked Potato Soup: I didn’t even know this was a thing until recently and I don’t know how I lived without it.
11. Thai Vegetable Curry: Fresh vegetables and coconut milk will make this dish one that you’ll keep coming back to.
12. Wild Rice Salad with Haloumi and Grilled Fruit: Refreshing, but filling, sweet, but salty; this salad is perfect for those late spring/early summer days.

13. Vegan Barbeque Pizza: There is nothing that I don’t like about pizza, but with a barbeque sauce base, it is even better. This isn’t an opinion, it’s fact.
14. Honey-Sesame Tofu and Green Beans: I used to think tofu was a dirty word, but it turns out I just couldn’t cook it. Now, I love it and this recipe is one of the reasons.
15. Vegetarian Bibimbap: Tender vegetables, fried eggs, and soy-sauce infused rice. It’s not fancy, but it’s quick and delicious.
16. Goat’s Cheese and Red Onion Tarts: It’s creamy, sweet, and takes under than an hour from start to finish, so why wouldn’t you want to make these?

17. Pesto and pine nut pasta: As Tamara can attest to, I’ve actually had vivid dreams about this dish after first having it at MAKE cafe in Fratton. But, it’s also simple to make at home in less time than it takes to decide what to watch on Netflix.
18. Bamboo shoot, Mushroom, and Long Bean Stir-Fry: Be warned, the cayenne chillies that give this dish a kick should be added slooooowly.
19. Clear Soup With Bamboo And Tofu: Here, the tofu will absorb all of the flavours of the seasonings (bonito dashi, soy sauce, sake) meaning that each mouthful is incredible. (Omit the bonito dashi for veggie + vegan)

20. Pumpkin Gut Soup: It’s one for Halloween. Turn the leftovers from your Jack O’ Lantern into a warming soup, along with vegetable stock and any vegetable cut offs that might be going to waste (carrot tops, celery tops). After 30 minutes, strain and serve with crusty rolls.
21. Kitchen Cupboard Curry: Just pick your veg of choice, dump in a pot with curry powder, and cook for about 40 minutes on a low heat. Oh, and don’t blend it. It’s better chunky.
22. Nut Roast: It’s a classic veggie Christmas dish that everyone will love.

Okay, that’s it from me because I’m actually getting really hungry. If you have a veggie or vegan meal you’d like to share, leave it in the comments section.

How to Eco-Hack your Christmas

Christmas is my favourite time of year- it’s one long party for me (Emma) from December 21st until January 5th- but I think everyone can agree that it’s not the most eco-friendly of holidays. Food waste, excess packaging and single-use items all add up to a pretty bad time for the environment.

So what should we do to tackle this?

Decorations

Adorable cat under playing under the Christmas Tree

In almost every shop, you’ll find cheap Christmas decorations (in too much hard-to-recycle packaging) that are made to be put up in December and binned in January. This is not good enough.

  • Buy a real tree: As Tamara told you at the beginning of the month, she has an actual tree from a sustainable source and that’s much better than plastic trees.
  • Invest in long-lasting decorations: If you don’t think you have the money to invest in decorations that will stand the test of time, take a look around charity shops and fetes for second-hand decorations that are a lot cheaper.
  • Take care of your decorations: Keep decorations out of reach of little hands and curious animals, wrap delicate items in tissue paper and pack them in hard boxes when storing.
  • Create a theme: Resist the urge to buy trendy decorations (like an ornament featuring a Dabbin’ Santa) and create a theme that won’t go out of style.

Presents

Gift decorated with a pinecone and conifer needles

There’s nothing wrong with presents at Christmas but there are some inherent problems with how we give presents.

  • Second-hand items: While many people would only ever dream of buying presents from a store or online retailer, you can get some really rare goods by shopping second-hand. (Side note: If any of my friends are reading – click here)
  • Make your own: If you’re a crafty person, you’ll find it’s a lot more ethical to make your own presents because you can control the whole process, i.e. eliminate all animal byproducts from your baked goods or use eco-safe dyes on your scarves.
  • Charity Gifts: Everyone has one person that refuses presents during the holiday period (and on their birthdays) because they have all they need- they don’t want another keying with their initials or another mug with their favourite animal on it and they especially don’t want a book that they’ll never have time to read. Make a donation in their name to their favourite cause.
  • Don’t use wrapping paper: I know it’s cute and Beyoncé’s even got her own range now but wrapping paper is expensive and a blight on the environment (because many contain plastic or foil and are not recyclable). Try newspapers, outdated maps or plain brown paper instead.

Food

A food feast fit for a queen

My favourite thing about this time of year is eating all the food but there’s a lot of waste involved with the Christmas dinner.

  • Cut out excess packaging: Look for sweets and cookies that aren’t individually wrapped to seriously cut down on your packaging waste or better yet make your own.
  • Cook for yourself: Channel your inner Nigella by making your own nut roast (non-veggie options are available), sauce, and even Yorkshire Puddings from scratch rather than buying ready-made items which come with a ton of packaging.
  • Don’t buy food you don’t like: There are some foods that are traditionally associated with Christmas (Sprouts, Clementines, Quality Street) but some are bought, cooked, and abandoned without going anywhere near your mouth. Please don’t buy food that will just go to waste.
  • Use leftovers: What meat-eating person (so, not me) doesn’t love using up turkey in the days after Christmas? Sandwiches, curries, pasta, and more. Make sure to use up the veg too- even sprouts taste nice when hidden in a curry!

So that’s my top tips for making Christmas more eco-friendly, but I want to hear about yours. Let me know in the comments below.

If you celebrate a different holiday and would like to write a guest post for Shades of Green about making it more eco, we’d love to hear from you. Email us at or comment below.

Volunteering in Portsmouth this Holiday Season

It is December in Pompey. The days are crisp, mornings are frosty, the heating is on and I bought my Secret Santa gift at the Love Southsea Christmas Market on Palmerston Road. So for me (Tamara), the festive season is here!

 

I generally enjoy the activities and hubbub around Christmas but I definitely struggle with the consumerism that surrounds it. A gremlin who lives in my brain is awakened around mid-November who really wants me to buy the things, buy all the beautiful things!  Over the last few years, my husband and I have tried to create our own traditions that isn’t about ‘stuff’. We make homemade cranberry vodka, Guyanese-style black rum cake and he makes a very alcoholic knock-your-socks-off Dutch-style advocat. But our traditions don’t revolve solely around booze: we get a real, sustainable Forestry Commision Christmas tree from Queen Elizabeth’s Country Park which thrills my Trinidadian heart and we also go to the truly magical Cathedral Christmas Carol Service which soothes my soul.

As the years have passed and we have celebrated more Christmases as fully-fledged real-life adults, I started to become more socially aware and wanted to do something at Christmas that didn’t focus primarily on gift giving and stuff. There is very little I need and with my friends and family scattered across the country, I would rather see them and spend time together drinking some of that home-made cranberry vodka and advocat (but not mixed together…I tried that one year…and just – no!).

 

So for the last few years, my hubby and I have spent Christmas Day in Fareham, volunteering as a Christmas Day Lunch Helper. It is a wonderful initiative which hosts 100 guests who would otherwise find themselves alone at Christmas. I absolutely love helping out – the best thing is being able to chat, chat and chat a bit more with the guests. A traditional Christmas lunch is served, carols are sung and raffles are won. For me, this makes it a day that fills me with hope and joy and all the smushy stuff. Last year, fellow Pompey Green Party members Tracey and Mac also volunteered closer to home on Christmas Day at a joint event with Portsmouth Cathedral and FoodCycle. Tracey enjoyed it so much she is on the look-out for any Christmas Day volunteering opportunities this year.

 

I also participate in the the Rucksack Event which every November collects rucksacks full of useful everyday items for homeless people in the city. I have fun scouring the charity shops all year round collecting socks, sleeping bags etc. This year I wasn’t organised enough to get my rucksack together for their collection date in November but luckily I can still take the stuff I gathered to Hope House Hostel direct.

 

Of course, not everyone wants or is able to volunteer on Christmas Day or during the festive season. If you can, donate your time, money, food or skills to one of the many fantastic local projects and charities that help vulnerable, homeless and isolated people both in the winter and all year round. The projects I mention are ones that I have directly been involved in but there are many more that you can find through good ‘ol google or Facebook or however you find stuff out!

 

Have you volunteered on Christmas Day or during the festive season? Do you know of any Christmas Day volunteering events in or around Portsmouth that Tracey can get involved in? Tell us about it in the Comments section below.