Wednesday 11th July 07

Took the children to school, my 9yr old dressed like a 'Punk' as part of his classes theme on 60's, 70's and 80's. Then home to get into town to deliver my map/plan of the YGF07, deliver some SUMA stuff to Peter at York Credit Union and meet up with ITV people in Out Of This World, to start filming.

We did a few shots of Duncan and me cycling through York, towards the ethical supermarket, and then some footage inside, with me greeting Marianne the manageress, and introducing Duncan who presents the programme. The programme is expected to be called 'Wood You Believe It? with Duncan Wood (hahahahahohohoho!) and will be broadcast in late September or early October on ITV Yorkshire. Duncan interviewed Marianne and then we went round the back to film the loading up of the bike trailer with 'unsold fruit and veg' (mustn't call it waste!) and then we did a couple of takes with us cycling past Clifford's Tower.

The next stop was at Martin's Country Fresh on Heslington Road, another two or three bags of unwanted materials for recycling. On the way back home I found some wood in a skip, but we decided that it would be too complicated to include that, so we did another take arriving back minus the wood, with just the compostables. I think they got some film of unloading and taking a barrowful down the garden, and there was lots of me sorting through the stuff and putting some aside for drying and eating, with an incredulous Duncan who hadn't yet sampled the delicious dried fruit I make on top of the woodstoves. They also did a couple of shots with me coming out of the compost toilet, and Duncan 'sampling' the 4 or 5 year old well-composted humanure and sawdust mix.

Then it was time to go to school, Duncan and I cycled down and the producer Charlie and camera person Tony ( I think) went in their car as they had loads of equipment. The TV company had cleared the filming with the school, and I did my usual daily routine of taking compostables out of the bins, putting them in the compostables bin and putting it all in the composter I installed to encourage the school to take more responsibility with their environment. The school has not taken their responsibilities seriously, including not electing me into the Board of Governers under a 'sustainability' ticket, and I am extremely angry that they aren't doing more to promote recycling and energy saving, which is why I do my daily compostables retrieval as if I didn't I'd explode and it would all get messy. So we filmed this routine! I explained that the school was good with their 'multicultural' education but not good when it came to sustainability, and I was determined to assist the school with reducing their carbon footprint, even if THEY weren't that bothered. I do feel a bit odd about this, but the school has had loads of chances to do better and they just haven't risen to the challenge. So I think I am justified. But there are bound to be repercussions.

The boys, Duncan and I cycled home after Duncan tried to interview them ,relatively unsuccessfully. Gill was filmed picking loganberries, we did some filming inside about the stove and the dried fruit and water heating, and finally back outside to check out riddling the finished compost and leafmould. All this will be condensed into 12 minutes apparently.

I enjoyed the process, and they found me quite easy to work with as I have had quite a bit of experience already.

When they had gone I dared to download my emails to find out if the Council have allowed my risk assessment. They haven't, and have found more wrong with it. I just am at a loss at to what to do. It's a nightmare.

I was as close to depressed as I've ever been this evening because of the difficulties I'm having with organising York Green Festival. I passed the message to my colleagues and asked for help.

21 Feb 07

Today Keely the York Rotters worker phoned first thing and asked if I'd go to St. Nicks and present some composting info to a group of kids from Harrogate who were coming over to visit the Environment Centre. Keely was unable to do it as her son was off school ill, so I agreed to be there for 12.30 and do three 15 or 20 min spots. I do a compostables colletion on Wednesdays so I cycled to town at full speed, trailer rattleing, and went to Out Of This World, just one potato sack of biodegradables today, perhaps 20 kg. I popped into the shop too as my wife wanted some vegan pate, and OOTW is just about the only place I can buy this. I could go to Alligator but although it's nearer, it's off my usual route, and I'm a shareholder in the Creative Cooperative Ltd, who are the parent company for OOTW, so I don't have a problem buying stuff there.

Came home via Oxfam, who have the cheapest 600g 'fair trade' coffee, one of my addictions. I'm not sure how 'low carbon' one of these tins is every 8 weeks or so, but the fair trade-ness makes me feel better about drinking coffee. I've tried two other brands and definitely prefer Cafe Direct.

Home just in time to say bye to my wife who's off to Scarborough by train to see Uncle Tom who's had a fall and is in hospital. We're both very fond of him and hope that if he has to move out of his current housing, because of his increasing care needs, he'll be able to come to York.

Made the usual large pile of sandwiches for lunch and quickly gathered my composting stuff together; a bag of finished compost, an old duvet cover to riddle onto, and my Rotaseive. Kids love having a go with the Rotaseive, a circular riddle which has a handle to move a bar over the top surface of the mesh, allowing the small composted particles fall through, leaving sticks and larger bits in the riddle for putting back in the compost heap, or using for mulch. The 3 talks went well, the groups also having a talk about the wind turbine and the recycling work that St. Nicks does.

Home in time to cycle to school and pick up my children, and we all cycled home after I had collected fruit skins/cores from the playground bins and popped them in one of the 'dalek' bins I've installed at school. I do wish the school had a proper system for collecting this material seperately. I'm sure the children would be willing to put the materials in the correct contaainer if only they were labelled correctly. I am loth to hassle the school AGAIN about this... so I just get on with what I can do.