We are only a week into 2024 and we have already had our first meeting in our new home.  It was a positive start  with Irina, a wonderful trainer, who guided us in a gentle exercise regime (unfortunately I had to miss this, but I imagine the feedback would be good).  The rest of the annual program is, as ever, packed with interesting activities and talks – once the program is finalised it will be available to see on the home page of the website.

This year is an important milestone for us – we turn 10 in May, very exciting.  Your committee will be discussing plans to put on the best birthday party we have ever had over the coming months.  Hopefully, we can do it in a sustainable way as well, with careful consideration about decorations and food.  Admittedly, ‘sustainable’ has become somewhat a buzz word in recent years, and it can be difficult to navigate through all the information out there and know what long term sustainability looks like.  However, I think that it is still worth making an effort to adopt lifestyle changes, despite the lack of clarity, because anything that helps to mitigate the damage being done to our environment and important ecosystems will also improve our overall health and wellbeing.

Therefore, as the co-ordinator for the DB Campaigners I have come up with some sustainable challenges for members to try throughout the year.  A new challenge will be set every two months at the meetings, with hopes that new habits developed will continue beyond that.  I will attempt to fit in some research here and there to back up each challenge with information to support why I have set it but, as alluded to earlier, I don’t want to overload with information and data.  I want to keep things simple and for there to be no pressure or guilt for not succeeding.  The challenges are as follows:

Eating less meat and dairy
Use less water and energy
Use less plastic
Share and donate
Reduce food waste
Buy less, borrow more

I am starting with reducing meat and dairy because it fits with the Veganuary Campaign for which there is a website here. 

Food is a wonderful community bonding activity so this coming Saturday the 13th, between 1pm and 3pm, we are holding a community meal in association with the Jo Cox Foundation’s Great Winter Get Together.  This will be at the De Beauvoir Block, where we are now holding the monthly meeting (details on the home page of the website).  This event is open to everyone – members, non-members, families.  We will be serving up soup and bread and sandwiches, and providing conversation, friendship, and board games.

Food is a very important subject for me personally.  To expand on what I say above, food is a way to come together with all kinds of people and make bonds with other cultures and learn traditions around growing, preparing, and cooking good nutritional meals together.  With such horrendous crimes happening across the world as I write this, where the human family is being divided and emotions are at boiling point it is arguably more important than ever to reflect and think about what we value.  Two of my values are inclusivity and remaining neutral on political matters.  I think the NFWI and DBWI also value these things, even though there will be mistakes made from time to time.  The issues we campaign about are relevant outside of party politics and effect all demographics of people to varying degrees.  It is of course acceptable to hold personal opinions and political views but when these views are so dogmatic that they prevent us from seeing any validity in other points of view they are dangerous.

I would like to conclude this blog by telling you about a decision I recently made to end my involvement with a network of food growers.  It relates to the sensitive subject of the war in Gaza and the unbalanced media narrative we are currently hearing.  It is not possible to provide a full context here, but I will share some of the words in a response to an email they sent out which I feel will make the context clear enough:

‘(…) It is clear, from news reports, that innocent people in Gaza are struggling for their lives currently, it is painful to hear about.  However, a war is never one sided, and as we know from recent events, particularly on 7^th October 2023 and the ongoing plight of the hostages, innocent people in Israel are struggling in ways just as horrific.  Unfortunately the media seems to generally be ignoring this or playing it down.

I feel sad and disappointed that [you] make a claim of being inclusive and democratic, while simultaneously demonising a community of people and acting in a divisive manner.  If compassion and understanding is not given in equal measure to the plights of all humans across the world then I do not see how the issues that plague us all across the world will ever be solved.  For these issues love and solidarity should be truly unconditional (…).’

I would like to apologise if including this in my blog seems provocative or irrelevant to some of you.  I just feel that we all need to be reminded (hopefully I have done so as gently as I can) from time to time of how we are more connected than separate.  Despite our individual eccentricities, idiosyncrasies and personality ‘flavours’, we all share the same joys, pains, fears and laughter as everyone else.  It may sound trite, but we really are all just human going through the same trials and hardships one way or another, and to forget is to lose something crucial to our souls (whatever this means to each of us).

Blessings and hugs to you all.  See you next month for the Ceilidh in honour of St Bridget.