What's the difference between spending and investment?

I've been looking for a new pair of shoes recently, to replace the over-loved and irreparable ones that have holes in the soles and torn inners.  But I'll come back to that in a moment, and take a detour into economics.

My shoes, with holes both top and bottom.

Each time our economy starts to take a downward turn, the government pipes up with "we must get the banks lending again" and as a result, the economists say "we must get Britain spending again", obviously to make sure there is a market for all these loans.

This, I'm not afraid to say, is absurd.  We are living beyond our own and the planet's means, but the maintained view is that we need to spend more, getting us further into debt and putting more pressure on our natural resources.

"So what's, your answer, smarty-pant, let our banks crash, unemployment run rife and reduce our quality of life to pre-industrial standards?"

No! My answer is to invest!

Investing is very similar to spending - almost identical, in fact - apart from the one distinction: that investment gives a stable or increasing return over time, where spending is instantaneously exhausted as the product or service is "consumed", leaving behind waste (which in itself takes more time and money to dispose of).

The distinction is still not clear, however, because we must answer the question as to whether the return on an investment has to be monetary, because if not, then surely lots of things we spend out money on are investments.  I would say that it doesn't:  A child's teddy, to take an example, may provide a return many times its price-tag in the pleasure and comfort it brings to that person throughout their life, making it a great investment, whilst a cheap plastic toy may provide merely minutes of entertainment before being discarded, firmly placing it in the category of consumer spending, and a drain on natural resources that could have gone into something which provided a significantly larger well-being benefit over a longer period of time.

Many people aren't very good at looking at their purchases as investments, and with good reason - it goes against human nature! Practically from birth our instinct is that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Then at some point we learn the story about teaching the hungry man how to fish, rather than giving him a fish, and all becomes clear about the benefits of investment, rather than instant gratification. You would hope that from this point onwards, we would haven't learned and assessed both the short-term and long-term gains of our pursuits, but then advertising keeps on tempting us to satisfy our immediate desires, and we fall prey once again to unsustainable consumption.

So, whilst I've been looking for a new pair of shoes over the last few days, I've been asking myself whether they are a pair that I can wear day-in-day-out and still last me several years. I've also been looking at where they're made (Britain preferred), and what materials and processes contributed to their manufacture (to judge whether they are investment for the planet as well as myself, or merely a drain on natural resources). Alas so far I have been unsuccessful in finding a pair that fits the bill, and I'm sure that I'm going to have to compromise on something, even when I do find a pair!

But my point is this: if each of our purchases were seen as an investment, giving return of money, health or satisfaction in the greatest amount over the longest possible time, then what things would we stop buying, and what would we spend our money on instead?

The Activity Vacuum

For the non religious amongst you this is now what Christians call lent. To the slightly religious it is the time between pancakes and chocolate eggs. To the gardeners it is the time between the Christmas baubles sales ending and the patio furniture coming out at homebase. For self-employed back specialists it is peak trading time as we throw off our winter lethargy and begin to tackle the outdoors.

Traditionally it is a time to hold back and take stock. Last year I didn't buy anything for 40 days and wrote about it in my blog. This year I have done the same but with an added extra. I won't take on any new projects.

So for the next three days I will be writing about what this experience has taught me.
The added extra of not taking on any new projects came about when my dad got ill and I thought it would make sense not to take anything on that I may have to later pull out of. My dad then rallied rather and began to feel better which left me with a kind of activity vacuum. One might think that an activity vacuum is a toy where you can pretend to hoover up. I first found this in my friends flat when I moved in and soon discovered a plastic sucker instead of a proper plug.

I digress. So this activity vacuum began to feel rather good and I found myself more relaxed and organized. So why not encompass it into lent?

This leaves me with a messy room and no shopping to do or projects to plan. Faced with my own chaos and nothing to distract me I begin to organize myself.

First socks. I go through my sock drawer and find 12 socks. All different. Where are the others? I don't remember picking out 12 unmatching socks and throwing them away so they must be in my room. I begin to tidy. 63 minutes later I have 14 matching and 10 unmatching socks.

I declare this a success. The tidying begins to feel good. I start to work on the rest of the room which is also a general storage area for the flat. I find 7 eco lightbulbs, a pair of unworn trousers that fit perfectly, a bra that belonged to a bigger friend that I have now grown into and a nokia phone. It starts to feel like shopping without paying and without being arrested. I decide to write my next blog about adding an extra word to the reduce, re-use, recyle, repair line - REDISCOVER!

Transition Circle West and the Great Reskilling

At our next Transition Circle West meeting, we will be discussing skills-sharing, so I thought it would be a good idea to use this guest blog post to explore ideas about reskilling. From storytelling, to textile crafts, to growing and cooking seasonal local food, and creative recycling, reskilling has been a central part of the Transition project, and a common theme on this blog. But why is this so important? What is wrong with our existing skills? And what could reskilling mean for Transition Circle West and Transition Norwich?

My current project

Reskilling can be motivated in part by nostalgia, a desire to retain traditional skills which might be useful in our everyday lives or in future; but also as a statement of shared identity and a connection to our heritage and the places we live. Reskilling is a deeply meaningful activity, but it can also have more immediate benefits. It is extremely satisfying to master a new skill, particularly in a society where we increasingly work with computers or in customer service roles, and people are beginning to talk of the fulfilment of working with their hands.

Working with your hands can help you to engage differently with your task, and enjoy watching your progress and feeling a sense of achievement when it's finished – a feeling many of us experience rarely in our working lives. Learning new skills is also a great way to meet new, like-minded people or to reconnect with people you already know. Reskilling is part of the transition project of building community, and it helps us to improve our own personal resilience: for example growing our own vegetables, making and mending clothes, and learning to maintain our bikes. Therefore reskilling is about living better, helping us to slowly change our lifestyles, not only to adapt to environmental challenges, but also to make them more fulfilling and resilient.

So what might reskilling look like? It can be organised formally through alternative currency networks (like Local Exchange Trading Systems), where participants within the network are able to trade units of their time to either teach or carry-out certain skilled tasks, making the most of their particular skills sets. Such networks can be international in scope, encouraging both virtual and physical interaction and sharing. Perhaps more often, skills-sharing occurs in more informal or ad hoc ways – in fact, we might not even realised we are doing it!

Websites like Gumtree are used to exchange skills such as language and music teaching, and it’s possible to learn to knit, crochet or even cook from scratch with the aid of youtube alone. But reskilling is perhaps most productive when it occurs through our existing social networks, through groups of friends, or common interest groups like transition circles. Close bonds of trust and friendship can stimulate learning and sharing, and it’s always a confidence boost when you know you can call up a close friend or relative for advice about your veg patch, or to fix your latest knitting mistake.

Even bikes as pretty as this can be temperamental!

People are constantly reskilling themselves, without a particular project in mind, just out of necessity and as their lifestyles evolve. I took up cycling properly when I moved to Norwich, and I’m still slowly learning how to look after and fix my bike. Our families are also hugely important in influencing our skills sets. I have my parents to thank for my love of cooking, my musical skills, and my ability to knit and sew; but they might also be responsible for my fear of all technical tasks and dread of gardening! It is also possible to encourage reskilling by design. Transition projects like farmshare offer members opportunities to learn about food growing in a relaxed friendly environment. And our forthcoming Transition Circle West meeting will hopefully stimulate some new skills-sharing networks or encourage people to seek information and help elsewhere.

Reskilling has always been at the heart of the Transition initiative, equipping communities with the skills they need to live well and build their resilience against threats like climate change. We can encourage these activities within Transition Norwich, through both formal and informal initiatives. For example, engaging people through circle meetings and connecting with other TN groups. Reskilling is a wonderfully fulfilling, frequently exciting, and vitally important task for transition. Helen Pallett

Transition Circle West next meets on 25 January. For more information about the group and our forthcoming meetings contact mshelenpallett@gmail.com

Don't read this if you think I might be giving you a present

So its Christmas time and I have been trying as usual to buy low carbon presents without alienating too many people. I think that Jesus would not want us to celebrate his birthday by destroying the planet that he spent all week (and possibly longer) making.

A few months ago I had all these amazing ideas for presents but with only a few days to go I am panicking slightly as not everything has quite worked out. Somethings I was going to make I never really did make and ended up on facebook playing scrabble instead. Other things didnt really turn out as they should have because they involved such random processes as boiling knitting in a washing machine. On the up side I have a new girlfriend and I decided to make her a scarf out of all the wool I had left over from various projects. You can see the result here. I am very pleased with it and she is buying me a ticket for the pantomime which I am very much looking forward to.

My brother specifically asked for a clock radio so I shall be buying that. Dad is getting a new jumper. My friends who are less specific in their requests are mostly getting the sloe vodka I made after I met Charlotte and Mark for the weekend and we collected sloes. Some other people will get crab apple jelly. At work I usually go round giving out fudge that I buy from the market. It is actually made on the market so low food miles!

I don't really do cards and I would like to say that this is to save trees or that I give the money to charity but the truth is I just can't be bothered. I don't actually see the point in giving a card to someone I will see so I have decided to send emails to anyone I won't see and tell them something that I have appreciated about them that year. I got the idea from a friend of mine who recently had a leaving do for work and said it was like being at his own funeral and hearing nice stuff about you but without having to die.

So that is really it. Oh and I have been invited to a winter solstice tree dressing which I am very excited about as I have photographed the oak tree on Mousehold heath for a number of years but never knew who dressed it and then I bumped into a woman at a conference and she invited me to join the group who do it (strangley this was still without her knowing that I had photographed it). The only trouble is she didnt tell me what time and I am wondering if I can be bothered to wait by a tree all day like someone has been stood up for a pagan ritual.

So there you have it, my guide to low carbon Christmas and I will be getting the train to Peterborough to see my family and probably finishing presents as I travel. So look out for someone sewing on the train, it may be me!

are you a recycling whore?

I was in a shop on Magdalen street the other day telling the owner about the Magdalen Street Celebration. He asked why I had never been in his shop. I told him I never buy new furniture. He then told me he sold mattresses. There was then a pause where he looked at me and I looked away and we both realized the possibility of sleeping on a used mattress was not something he had ever considered. Anyway he won because I ended up in his bedding department promising him I would return as soon as I had been paid. So this got me thinking 'is there anything preloved that I would not give a go?'. Well clothes are a given including socks and bras and shoes (thanks to Wombling for the idea on reusing bras and 6 other things you didnt know you could recycle). Pants I draw the line at although my mother brought me some of hers into hospital once which I still have. My dad offered me a rifle through his medecine cabinet as he was having a clearout. I took anything unopened. I wouldn't buy a secondhand nightgown. There's no particular rule it's just some things seem wrong. A friend of mine will only wear secondhand clothes of someone she knows. I suppose it comes down to dirt really and contamination. So I would be interested in people's thoughts on what they would and would not re-use and I will leave you with a short video that gives you food for thought about what hidden treasure there maybe under your fridge click here

Guilt

This topic week is all about the things, or 7 deadly resistances as we are calling them, that stop us from being what we aspire to be.

I volunteered to do the first one on guilt , as I thought I was rather good at it. 'Oh no' I am thinking 'now am I being a show off!' And so it starts. So imagine how the whole green things gets me. As an illustration I will use the words of the famous song by Burt Bacharach ' I say a little prayer for you'

Assume that my prayers are for the planet and you get the idea

the moment i wake up before i put on my make up
is make up environmental?
but if i dont wear it i will look ill and people will not listen to my environmental message cos they will be thinking that all those hippie types always look half dead

I say a little prayer for you
while combing my hair now and wondr'ing what dress to wear now
I say a little prayer for you
well all my clothes are from clothes swapping but they are still originally from sweat shops but if I wear tie dyed hemp i dont think i will be taken seriously at work

I run for the bus dear
while riding I think of us dear
thats good, I am on a bus. But it still runs on petrol. maybe I should cycle but I cant be bothered

At work I just take time and all through my coffee break time
I say a little prayer for you
its fairtrade organic thats good but its not local but then that dandelion stuff tastes like sh*t

So what to do? Firstly I have noticed I am giving myself a hard time and the next step is to be kinder to myself and acknowledge more of the good progress I have made. This goes with the philosophy of transition which is to be positive. The most important thing is not to give up trying just because you are not yet using your home to create alternative energies that feed into the national grid!

I feel so much better now, thanks for listening. Its kind of been like the cross between CBT and a confession. I think I will have a knit now.

love to you all
Helenofnorwich
http://www.norwichpride.org.uk/knit.html

What colour are you?

All this talk of party politics has made me wonder if I dare be seen with any particular colour near me without people wondering if it MEANS anything. Of course GREEN is a natural leaning but this being a non-political blog I thought I would mention RAINBOWS. This year I am undertaking a massive art project called 'knit with pride' which will see the making of a mammoth woolly that will be hung from the city hall balcony during Norwich pride in July. We are encouraging everyone who supports the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community to knit a square to be knitted into a giant rainbow scarf. Of course the project is environmentally sound, using spare wool and local groups getting together to knit. This picture is a mixture of reskilling transitioners, knitters, the LGBT community and someone who happens to live upstairs from the wool shop where we held it.

You can get spare wool from Annas farms stores and if you want to find out more visit
http://www.norwichpride.org.uk/
While you are having fun and supporting the LGBT community you will be learning a skill that is needed in a sustainable future where we dont buy all our clothes from Primark.

Happy knitting
helenofnorwich