Tuesday 30th November 10

Well a tough start to the morning, going into school and having another meeting. 

This, and another unconnected incident, meant that a 10.30 meeting I was due to have was cancelled.  But it wasn't a vital one, just a social, but I was looking forward to it.

So, I did some more prep for tonight's meeting, contacted St John's again but missed the person who would be interested in the Waste Food Feast idea, and spoke with Briony Pete, who assured me that she'd be able to find the place OK.

I cycled round to buy some bread and get a prescription, and only fell off once.  Then I went to the other Co-op (we are blessed with two both within 5 minutes walk or cycle) to get goats milk, but there was none.

So, apart from these excursions, a quiet day. 

In the evening I got a message to say the Hull Road Planning Panel was cancelled due to the weather, but I was quite glad of this as I was attending the Waste Food Feast planning meeting at 8pm, actually I needed to get there by 7.30, to meet Briony.

I had assumed that G/020 was in G block in James College, which I'd found on the map, but that was a residential block so I went to the info place and the chap in there directed me to the depths of the Mathematics Department.  I couldn't find the room but then was accosted by Briony, who had found it!

I dumped my stuff in the room and retraced my steps to put up A4 posters directing people to the room from the car park, as I was expecting someone from City of York Council to turn up, and possibly other non-University people.  When I got back to the room, half the People and Planet group had appeared.  But no-one from outside the University came... but that didn't matter actually.

Despite not being able to use her laptop presentation, Briony explained about her job, working for Wastewatch, and the Feed the 1000 event in Hull. She explained about the size of the problem: 8.3 million tonnes of good edible food wasted in the UK every year, costing £12 billion in wasted production costs, transportation, storage, and disposal.  This works out at an average of £480 per household per year, and if there are children in the house, the average cost of wasted food is £680 a year.  When it is explained that this is about £50 a month in wasted food, many families do want to reduce that cost, and save the money.   The environmental cost, in terms of unnecessary carbon emissions, wasted resources, other pollution, is enormous.

So, there were some good questions from the students, and the discussion which followed helped us crystallise what is needed to happen next, a preferred option and a 'plan b'. And a long list of people who want to be involved in the organisation of the event.  Briony said she'd sort out a facebook page to help co-ordinate and facilitate communication.  So we all left feeling very positive.

I cycled along to Melody to collect the unsold dried fruit from the LETS fair, and left 2 jars in swap for the little bottle of truffle oil that her son had prepared.  He did really well selling his chili oil, truffle oil and herb-infused oil.

I collected 2 logs in the snowstorm and came home, and watched the More 4 programme on how the British National Party got trashed at the last election.  Very interesting, a good watch.

Tuesday 9th November 10

Well, a mixed day... a noisy start, I came down to help get the boys off to school, which did eventually happen. Gill and I had some quiet time together before going out to a meeting, which took til lunchtime.

Then we had lunch and immediately after lunch, I had another meeting, this one with Paul from BT Retail, about an advertising package which would allow me to have a website with key words which would be flagged up with Google, Yahoo and Bing, and I'd have a 'pay per click' type account.  I quite liked this offer, although I can't afford it right now and will wait until my BT advertising comes up for renewal.  Currently I'm in the paper directory and have the mini-website, although I haven't done anything with the website as I haven't had time.

After Paul went, I got an email from a City of York Waste Minimisation Officer asking about my contacts within the University.  This is because someone from Love Food Hate Waste is wanting to organise, or facilitate, a series of Waste Food Feasts, to feed 1000 people.  I contacted Briony Pete and she told me about an event she co-ordinated in Hull.  She wants to get other Universities but hasn't had any luck with York so far.  I told her I'd see what I could do with my People and Planet contacts.

I spent a very short bit of time in the garden; too cold, windy, wet.  But I did unload several sacks of leaves into my leafmould pile, and brought in a load of cooking apples which are all over our orchard.

I finished making the broccoli and sweet potato soup, and that's what we had for tea, it was delicious.

Then soon after 6 I headed off to Tang Hall Library to attend the Hull Road Ward Planning Panel, which was short and sweet, just two applications to look at.  Then a short cycle to Langwith College at the University to attend the People and Planet meeting, to hear the updates on their composting campaign and to ask them about their initial thoughts on the Waste Food Feast idea.  They are an amazing bunch of people, and were enthusiastic about the Feast.  I'll invite Briony to come and talk to the group.

Came home via a logpile, and came in quickly as it was very cold.  A cosy warm evening inside, more pear preparation, lots of reading, writing, washing up.