Eaton Park 80th Anniversary Celebration on 15th June

Sorry for not posting for ages.

Just re-adjusting to a newborn baby in the house and every spare minute is filled, regrettably not by sleep which we all crave!!!

If you are looking for something worthwhile to do on Sunday 15th June, why not go to the 80th annivesary celebration at Eaton Park, Norwich?

The event is from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.

There is model boating, extreme frizbee (whatever that is), line dancing (also extreme in my view!), bug hunting, tennis and football.

Don't forget the miniature railway, live music at the bandstand , a raffle and lots of childrens activities.

The event will be opened by the Lord Mayor of Norwich at 12.15p.m.

You are invited to bring a picnic but not barbecues. Refreshments are available at the Cafe Essense at the South East Pavilllion.

The event is organised by the Friends of Eaton Park and Norwich City Council.

Energy Wasting Day on 1st April

In the true spirit of impartiality and balance, you might want to support today's Energy Wasting Day?



Dan Power is promoting the unnecessary use of energy and suggests that you:

• Leave the lights on when you leave the room
• Fill your kettle to the brim
• Turn up your thermostat to the max
• Wash at 90 degrees for the ultimate clean

It's easy to waste energy and find out some top tips from Dan Power on YouTube.

Are children safe in the UK or are we exaggerating and worsening the risks?

I was reading the Observer yesterday, which had an excellent Climate Change issue with Thom Yorke, lead singer of Radiohead as the guest editor.

He helped launch the Friends of the Earth "Big Ask" Campaign, to lobby the government to bring in a 3% carbon reductions year on year to reach the 60% reduction needed by 2050. Watch an interview with him here.

In amongst it was an article about what could be the greenest city in the world, namely Freiburg, Germany. I remember going there in my teens on a school trip in the late 1980s and thought it was great. There were a few mediaeval bits that allied bombing in WWII had not completely destroyed, and a brilliant tram. Trams were a novelty to me then and now, although I did use the one in Sheffield when I was studying there in the 1990s.

What struck me most about this article was not the climate change angle and public transport options. It was a picture with little toddlers, not older children, playing in a woodland on bits of plank and felled trees. It was called "an adventure site" an was largely Freiburg's answer to a children's playground.

How can this be? Where is the health and safety? What about splinters? Is this irresponsible?

The kids looked like they were having a great time but being a father to a toddler myself, I could feel my concern rising as the planks and log was in no way secured and looked like something I would have put together when I played with my friends in the 1970s.

But isn't that the point?

Don't get me wrong, I am a Dad and have baby number 2 on the way. I worry about my kids and my natural instinct is to not let any harm come to them.

What I struggle with is letting my son grow up and explore the world around him. I'm pleased to say that he has a cautious head on his shoulders and still gets cuts and bruises as evidence of him trying new things out and learning about his environment, and maybe having some fun along the way.

Should we be protecting children or should we be teaching them to spot potential risks and manage them?

The Noise To Signal blog has collected together some info on the old child safety films that many of us grew up with. It is amazing how long this tough line in parenting has been going with children made to see a little squirrel, Tufty, narrowly avoid becoming road kill by a wise owl, or the scary tales of the unfortunate Charley the cat.

Tim Gill's is an expert in this area and you can read more at his site Rethinking Childhood .

Maybe we are playing it too safe? Before I became a parent, I thought that there was a lot of scaremongering.

You hear about flashers and worse near children's playgrounds as if it is worsening problem. The fact is, bad people have always been around and there are probably no more around now than in the past. My Mum surprised me once by recounting a story of being flashed by some pathetic man in the 1940s when she was growing up in the country. She was so matter of fact about it and even managed a cheeky joke about saying how "he had nothing to boast about"! ;-)

What I want is for my children not to be scared, be in control and to be able to deal with what life throws at them and hopefully have good lives.

Wrapping them up in cotton wool, fitting GPS devices to their clothing and even locking them indoors is not going to help them.

As Tim Gill would say, adults worry about children (which is ok) but where we probably go wrong is by trying to make childhood zero risk.

Wouldn't it be even better if we taught our children how to manage risks not to always avoid them?

Maybe they would grow up better able to deal with life and have a great childhood in the process?

I did, although the thought of my son climbing and jumping out of trees is starting to give me palpitations.....

Green Jelly Bean in the Times Online '50 Best Eco Blogs'!

Received an email from TheTimes Online that went as follows:

Hi there,
We thought that you might like to know that we have featured your site in our '50 Best Eco Blogs' roundup:

http://timesonline.typepad.com/environment/2008/02/the-top-50-eco.html
Please come along and check out some the entries: you're in good company!
All the best,
L**** A****

TIMESONLINE
The Times and The Sunday Times, in real time

You can follow the link here on The Times Online. Green Jelly Bean is mentioned in section 6 "The micro activists".

Wow. Didn't know many people read the blog. Better make sure I watch my language in future! ;-)

Calendar of Norfolk and UK Green and Ethical Events

I've decided to try to keep a calendar going of events in Norfolk and the UK that have an environmental or ethical living theme.

It's called NUKGEE for short, or Norfolk and UK Green and Ethical Events.

Over time it will improve and if you have any events that you think are relevant and of interest, please get in touch and I will add them to the calendar.

Although I put it together for my benefit so thay I didn't forget and miss out on things, I hope you find it useful too.

National Nest Box Week 14th-21st February 2008

On the day of love, why not do something caring for our birds who rely increasingly on our gardens for their habitat?

Now in its 10th year, the British Trust for Ornithology has its annual National Nest Box Week from 14th-21st February. Their site has loads of information.

For some excellent advice and a DIY guide to building your own, you can visit this excellent post from The greenfingered photographer.

Happy Valentine's Day! :-)

Act of kindness at Pret A Manger in London

Been on a training course all week in London. It is amazing what a culture shock it has been. Loud, busy, scruffy and at times, unfriendly. On my way back to the hotel in the cold and wet, I spotted a Pret A Manger and decided to get a coffee.

Placed my order and a lady got on with making it. Got ready to pay when she said "I am sorry that I did not give you my full attention so please accept the coffee as a gift".

I was a bit shocked and said there was no need and I was happy to pay. Then I realised that she was being sincere and looked a bit disappointed.

You don't expect people to offer you gifts, especially strangers working in Pret on The Strand. So in the end I accepted the gift and thanked her for the kindness shown.

It is far too easy to become suspicious of people and sometimes, like this evening for me, a person just wanted to be generous.

Thank you whoever you were. You made my day. Just the sort of person you want working for you. Give her a pay rise Pret A Manger! :-)

Also, well done Pret on going organic and Fairtrade. You can find out about their sustainability efforts from their web site.

Happy Burn's Night!

Managed to get a haggis. Even in Norfolk!

Not sure about the sustainability of the haggis industry but we have at least got a veggie one for this year and the tatties and nips are local.

Proper haggi (is that the plural of haggis?) are making use making use of the bits that might otherwise get wasted. Ok, it is still offal but with the whiskey as well, you soon forget such minor details.

Happy Burn's Night to you all. Especially those in Scotland. :-)

I'm off to remember the good old days at University when I picked up my taste for haggis and put on my Tartan Amoebas CD!

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

Get ready to join in this weekend for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.

Over the weekend of 26th and 27th January, you are asked to spend an hour counting the birds you see in your garden or maybe your local park.

The instructions are these:

Taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch is simple and fun.

All you need to do is watch your garden or local park on either Saturday 26 or Sunday 27 January 2008.

Simply spend an hour counting the birds, recording the highest number of each species seen in your garden (not flying over) at any one time.

It's important you don't count all the birds you see because some birds will return to your garden many times in the hour. Seeing the same blue tit come back 10 times does not make 10 blue tits.

You can do your Birdwatch in your garden or a local park. Either way it's best to decide on a place where you can see the birds well and where you can sit quietly so they are not disturbed.

Even if, like me, you know very few birds and are not a birdwatcher, you can this opportunity to try to learn some new ones and spend an hour doing something relaxing, and a bit different.

The RSPB site gives you all the info and lots of advice.

You can download and print this sheet to help you count the birds you see.

In the "Light Garden" with Greenpeace

Came across this video that gives some insight into what is now possible with energy saving lighting, and shows a fun, artistic way in which the myths about CFL bulbs can now be dispelled.

This lighting installation, the "Light Garden" was commissioned by Greenpeace and designed by the Jason Bruges Studio and made the shortlist for the "most innovative lighting"category at the 100% Design Show in London in September.

Varilight bulbs were used in the work.



For more info on this project, go to this link on the Greenpeace site.

Grocery Store Wars! Learn the ways of the Farm...

This is brilliant, especially if you grew up on Star Wars and like your organic veggies!

Go to the Store Wars site for the video and more downloads.