New Year’s Resolutions

Walk to work
Find an off road route which takes in some greenery, even if it takes you out of your way. Start with once a week and build up to every day. Increase muscle tissue, burn fat, listen to the morning chorus, day dream, philosophise, de-stress, plan, plot, scheme...

Give supermarkets the boot and support more independent businesses
Oh no not supermarkets again, they just won’t go away! It is now fairly common knowledge that supermarkets are a danger to community life and good food. Sainsbury's, as Britain's second largest supermarket chain, has been criticised for its links with government and related promotion of genetic engineering, excessive transportation, promoting intensive farming, paying producers low prices, and destroying small businesses. Supermarkets undercut almost every other retailer and hence turn our town centres into boarded-up ghost towns; co-operating with climate criminals, Esso… and so on and so on. With some effort, supermarket expansion can be slowed down. To find out how, go to Corporate Watch and Tescopoly. Recent Corporate Watch publications are available from the shop - ‘What’s Wrong with Supermarkets’ and ‘Checkout Chuckout’.

Buy a new brolly and holiday in Britain
There’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes. As everyone
knows, the UK has the most incredible scenery - it’s a shame that we forget.
Resolve to fly only once per year and endeavour to holiday within our
beautiful island. Did you know that England has has its own desert? And what about the Hebrides in North West Scotland and The Lake District? Castles, caves and crofts… whales and seals, birds of prey, not forgetting The Lesser Spotted Gortex Rambler.

Grow your own fruit and veg
It’s easy, doesn’t have to be hard graft and you don’t need a garden! Try tomatoes and cucumbers, some salad leaves in trays and herbs in pots. For some excellent advice visit Garden Organic and The Royal Horticultural Society. Both have ‘what to do now’ sections and other sound advice for beginners and the more experienced gardener. Keep a record of your efforts so you can compare year on year and ensure you don’t make the same mistakes twice. The shop has some great new seeds from Tamar Organics or try The Real Seed Catalogue, described as ‘Ethical Best Buy’ by Ethical Consumer Magazine.

Give telly the welly: learn to knit
Knitting is good for you! Research proves that your pulse rate slows and
your blood pressure lowers when you knit. We live in a world built of materialistic dreams, where products can be readily bought from the shelves. Celebrating the handmade gets us in touch with our own consumption. It’s alarming how much
materialism we are presented with on a daily basis – from television advertisements to window shopping on the high street. Even though we
purchase yarn and needles to knit, we are fighting this consumer onslaught
by creating garments in colours and shapes that we choose. Why buy
yourself a cashmere sweater when you could knit yourself one? No, it won’t be cheaper, but that’s not really the point. Items made by hand allow us to be in charge of our wardrobes and can encourage us to look at the ways in which clothes are marketed and how materialism and money rule instead of individualism. Knitting is really easy - there are only two stitches so anyone can
get to grips with it and create something useful. Don’t forget 8th Day’s knitting group if you want to link up with like minded people, need some inspiration or
just fancy a bit of a gossip.

Discover Raw Food
Begin by adding 1 fresh juice or smoothie to your diet each day to help alkalise your system. To make Beetroot Blast, a good liver tonic, you will need: beetroot, carrot, celery, cucumber and ginger. If juices are too cold in the winter, add some ginger and a little hot water and you’ll still reap the benefits. Focus on using more raw food daily, thereby encouraging positive eating habits that you can sustain and endure over a period of time. This is easier than sticking to a restrictive diet which is not enjoyable. Despite what people think Spring, not January, is the best time for a complete detox: the weather is milder and there is a natural tendency to cleanse our bodies and lighten the load. Speak to Janet, our raw food expert if you’d like some motivational tips and keep your eyes peeled for information on up and coming Raw Food Classes with Sylvia Bute.

Make do and mend your pants
Take your shoes to the cobblers, patch your jeans, darn your jumper and socks, hide small holes with appliqué, perform self surgery like Rambo or the alien in Predator 2……It can be empowering to use forgotten skills and crafts, and saves you loads of money into the bargain. Mend your undies on Mondays, make an old
sweater into something better, patching your jeans gives you the means to opt
out of the throwaway culture. Don’t ditch your itch to stitch!

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