Village Raw - ISSUE 4

SUSTAINABLE VILLAGE
VILLAGE ESSAY
that’s been grown responsibly – look out for the FSC certification
logo or one that is Soil Association approved.
Fake plastic trees are not a great solution (unless you already
own one) – they’re mostly imported, are incredibly
energy-intensive to manufacture and at the end of the
day create more waste as they cannot be recycled. Finally,
if you’re using fairy lights, choose LED, solar-powered
or ones with a rechargeable battery – they’re the most
energy-efficient – and put them on a timer.
A NEW SOCIAL
ARCHITECTURE
Gifting
Words by Jonathan Carr-West.
Illustration by Kerrie O’Connell.
HOW TO HAVE A LOW-
WASTE CHRISTMAS
Words and photo by Emma Ross.
Can you believe it’s that time of the year again? The
clocks have gone back, the days are growing shorter, and
we’re starting to pull out our winter jumpers and think
ahead to the festive season. There are many wonderful
and meaningful rituals associated with this time of year,
but it’s also come to be a period synonymous with pressure,
consumption and waste - in fact, an alarming 30%
more rubbish is produced.
It’s time to challenge some of the conventions out
there, embrace nature and enjoy a more mindful, more
economical – and equally joyful – way of celebrating.
The good news is that there are plenty of ways we can
celebrate and respect Earth’s natural resources.
Decorations
In the UK alone, we go through an estimated 108 million
rolls of wrapping paper at Christmas. Given that it contains
plastic and is often impossible to recycle, that’s a
colossal amount of waste. Why not consider wrapping
in newspaper, fabric, or brown paper? Look to nature to
spruce it up by adding a sprig of holly. If you celebrate
Christmas, also consider your choice of tree. Every year,
an estimated six million Christmas trees are bought in the
UK alone, and most of these are thrown out just weeks
later – generating an estimated 160,000 tonnes of waste.
Why not rent a tree or, if you want to buy one, find one
It’s time to radically rethink the act of gift-giving. Each
festive season, 4,000 tonnes of products arrive from
China. Why not avoid importing gifts or buying from the
online giants and instead opt to buy locally, supporting
our small businesses and our community – all the while
minimising your carbon footprint. There’s a multitude of
wonderful shops on our high streets as well as several
wonderful Christmas markets in the area. Buying second
hand is another sustainable way to shop – preventing
waste, giving to charity and saving money at the same
time. We’re fortunate to have a plethora of brilliant charity
shops in Haringey, so next time you pass one, take a
look inside. Finally, gifting should be about time, effort
and love, so why not consider creating homemade gifts
this year? Pinterest is full of ideas, from DIY candles to
hand-cut cloth wipes - and once you strike upon a good
idea, go bulk and make it for everyone!
Food and drink
Approximately 10 million turkeys are eaten in UK every
Christmas – that’s a lot of turkey – and given that the meat
industry is one of the biggest single contributors to global
climate change, the festive season is an opportunity to
eat less meat and opt for some winter veg. Head to your
local grocers or farmers’ market for delicious, plastic-free
choices. If you do choose meat, go for organic, which has
shown to be higher in nutrients and lower in “bad fats”. And
don’t overbuy - we already waste about a third of all food
produced, but with the increased intake over the festive
period, this rises even more. Approximately two million turkeys,
74 million mince pies and 17.2 million brussels sprouts
are thrown away every Christmas.
It’s time to stop putting pressure on ourselves and
on the environment and to reclaim what we love about
this time of the year: nature, good food, and people.
However you choose to celebrate, here’s to a meaningful,
sustainable and wonderful festive season. •
Follow Emma on her social channels: @mamalinauk
The word “municipal” has a rather dreary image these
days. For too many people it is evocative of concrete,
of multi-storey car parks and of faceless, labyrinthine
bureaucracy. Once, things were different. Once, “municipal”
spoke of the civic pride of great cities; of education
for the masses; of clean water and sanitation; and the
biggest increases in public health and life expectancy
this country has ever seen.
All these were delivered by local government. Councils
continue to deliver the things that matter most to
us: schools for our children; clean, safe neighbourhoods;
new homes; care for our elderly; vibrant high streets. All
these everyday good things come from the town hall,
not from Whitehall.
Local government is the most important bit of government.
Yet local government is under threat as never
before. A decade of deep cuts has left councils in many
parts of the country perilously close to breaking point.
Over the last ten years, local authorities in London have
seen their funding reduced by £4bn. In Haringey, for instance,
the council’s spend per head of population has
dropped by nearly a quarter.
We’ve all seen the effect of the cuts in closing
children’s centres, reductions in support services to
schools and less frequent waste collection. But the real
impact is in the expensive statutory services on which
councils spend three-quarters of their money: adult social
services (including care for older people) and children’s
services. Both face massive funding gaps.
Of course, this is hardest on the people who rely on
those services, but it affects us all. It goes to the heart
of our social contract – how we think about ourselves
and others and our obligations to each other within
society. The diminution of the local state leaves us all
poorer and more isolated.
So what can we do about it? Well, firstly, we can vote.
Everything the council does is ultimately decided by
elected local councillors. There are very real differences
in how Barnet, Haringey and Camden run their councils,
and that’s down to local politics. Yet six out of ten of us
don’t even bother to vote in local elections.
Secondly, we can get involved in our communities:
through schools, through faith groups, or even just befriending
our neighbours. The more connections we create
within communities, the better their “social health”
– that means people are better able to support each
other, and that in turn means the council can focus its
scarce resources where the need is greatest.
Finally, we can put pressure on central government
through our MPs and through our vote to ensure that
local government isn’t always first on the list when it
comes to cuts.
And all of this needs to take place within a broader
conversation about the places we live in and what’s special
about them. (Village Raw is a good place to start).
It’s time to reclaim the word “municipal” and to reframe
it for the 21st century. To make it not just about
bureaucracies, but about relationships. Not just about
bricks and mortar, but about a new social architecture
of which we are all a part. •
Jonathan Carr-West is the Chief Executive of: www.lgiu.org.uk
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