The problem is we have too much stuff and when we buy new stuff it is packaged in more stuff. As we run out of space we either rent some space to store it in or we throw it out. Sometimes it gets re-cycled or better still it is re-used and passed on. A generation or two back the passing on of stuff or re-making something was an everyday event…not now or very rarely. So what is the problem with stuff? Well it takes energy to produce, transport and ultimately get rid of and that includes re-cycling.

So why is the Tuesday Swim wittering on about green issues? Well this morning I had   meeting with Andreas at Public Works who is putting together a one day event on the Floating Cinema called Experiments in Household Knowledge, and it got me thinking. Firstly I was thinking about my own personal consumption of stuff and my prime pastime of angling. Well the good news is the majority of my tackle was produce before 1975 so I guess that ticks the re-use box, a lot of my bait comes comes from the wormery/composter in the garden and I generally walk to my fishing spots along the Lea. I won’t kid you though as many miles are spent driving throughout the year for good fishing, it’s not easy being green.

Anyhow this weekend there is Experiments in Household Knowledge which showcases people who have a passion for producing something from nature in our hedgerows or supermarket skips or re-working something from discarded stuff. There is also three short films about people who craft things with their own self-taught knowledge. One problem we now have is technology, its beyond our understanding, the art of fixing and repairing is fast becoming lost.

So this weekend is an important event on the Lea Navigation in Hackney Wick, to see folk that can make things, adapt and re-use. Why is it important? Communities in the future will have to become more self-suficient, not in a Tom and Barbara Good manner but more where local authorities draw in the community to be responsible and pro-active.

To begin with, one will have to make a cricket ball using paper-mache and rubber bands….knowledge is power!