Alexs green blog

Nijmegen 2009 and back again!!!

2009-08-04T17:23:00.001-07:00

It is a couple of weeks since it happened but here is my account of my marching holiday in Holland for the 4 Dagsee (Nijmegen). It this isn't a green hobby nothing is!

I had trained for half a year and over 200km, before making this journey. Here is my account of it.

Day 1 (about 43km) (Accoring to the weather men = rain, reality = very sunny) (time in bed 2-3 hours max)

I had still a slight hangover when we got started. I was surprised to see how many people lined the streets of the entire road. From about 5 in the morning there were people on the streets shouting and giving out food to us. It is incredible, so much happening at once. I had to keep the march tempo and socialize, at the same time. Kids were at the forefront tons of them, they wished us good luck and we gave them Hi5s, some of them wanted souvenirs and stickers, but we hadn't any with us. At some point my group had to march in front of a danish general, that was of course challenging, because we had to march proper and look decent, as well as keep to the official procedure. Food was what ever we were given and what we had packed with us, we had also a guy on a bike, we patched up the injured and gave us food and provisions at every rest. I had a bad stomach, apparently there were many who had it, apparently something was going around. I survived and made it, at the start of the evening I made a dash for the beer tent and meet a few Military Police from Holland who had been out all day, blocking roads, keeping the peace and controlling the traffic. They were great and we had a few rounds together, it is funny how easy everyone is to talk to. I had 2 blisters on my foot by the end of the day.

Day 2 (just over 41km) (according to the weather men = tons of rain, reality = sunny with cloud cover) (6 hours of sleep)
Probably the best march we have ever had, we were in top. It was a laugh from start to finish. My inner clown danced, clapped and jumped all over the place. The people lining the streets, the public, loved us for our entertainment value. My sergeant ran around all the roundabouts against a Swedish sergeant. The crowd loved it, at one point our entire group ran round the round about,you could see our flags race round, it looked very spectacular. We were marked as psychos after that. It was a real festival/party atmosphere in the air. Tomorrow there should be twice as many people and on Sunday even more. At the end of the march we marched in tact and slowly into the beer tent. We got our selves sorted out, shower, dinner etc... after that. I had four more blisters, a total of 6 which is very good for such a trip.

Day 3 (about 41km) (According to the weather men = slight rain, but sunny, reality = hell on earth, rain, rain and more rain) (time in bed 6+ hours)

Woke up, thinking I had been rained upon, but my sleeping bag was full of condensation. Thanks to a treatment of tiger balm. I was very positive through out and sung all day, I have been told at times too loudly. I was happy, but at times in slight pain. I thought I could feel the bones and muscles in my feet. There were about the same amount of people today, but a lot less music, mainly due to the threat of rain and later constant downpour. I got to see a lot of spectacular views, from the tops of hills. Hills being the name and objective of the day. 7 hills to be precise, it being also the name of the road. We shouted "push, push, push a little harder", to get momentum up every one and often people around us did the same, it worked and we made light work of them. A few from our group had a bit of a hard time later on, but they then had it a lot better the day after. I was ok all day until at the end of the evening I found out that my heels were worn with sores, I basically had loose skin on both, they wern't entierly raw, but they needed some urgent patching up. After 2 hours of cleaning my foot (plaster adhesive is hard to get off) and 15 mins of patching up. I was ready for another 40 + km. It turns out we had been 45mins faster on this day than any other.

Day 4 (about 41km) (According to the weather men = lots and lots of rain, reality = grey and cloudy, a short but violent burst of rain) ( time in bed 6+ hours).

Sleeping bag was not as wet as the night before. I also think I must have slept like a child, but heck with that after 3 days no one had checked my weights, they were rechecked and I still carried 11.5kg, with water and food I got close to 16kg. This was good news and fully prepared for the day, I got my foot re patched and then had breakfast. I could see that already now things were being packed away, as this was the last day.

On the last day the Scandinavians, all meet up in the square and were to leave at the same time. First the Norwegians and Swedes left to the sound of claps from the Danish. I was deeply moved by this, then the entire danish cycle patrol, ringed their bells as they whizzed past, tears started to form and at the end of it all we sung the entirety of the Danish national song. I was moved to tears.

My group then marched off to the sound of march music.

The day was in many ways like all the others, the route was in many spots less crowded with people, but that was most likely due to the weather. I kept my resolve and humor up and marched like all the previous days. My ankles were of no concern or bother to me, but I still could feel the bones and muscles in my feet.

About the time of the third rest, we went over a pontoon bridge, placed there just for the day, People started to be more numerous and we had a good speed going. Yep, all was great until we reached Nijmegen, where I started to tire and fought with myself to keep on. I needed distractions and found on at a barge of dancers, where I ran up it and did a bit of dancing, before jumping down and joining my group. I made it, at the fourth and final rest, my group was chased by a few Swedes into goal. The first thing I did was take my boots of, change my shirt and placed my feet in the air. Later on we got our medals, I was so happy, but what moved me most was the hugs I got afterwards. I did this with a great team, we kept each other going and every one made it! So, I couldn't hide the fact that I had shed a tear or two in the process.

One part of the group who were in best shape did a final 5km march though the town of Nijmegen, while I joined the group of less capable who needed transport home or a slow 2km walk back to base.

We were lucky.

The trip back to camp, was arranged by uniformed gentleman, who could see that we were struggling and so got us all home. The first thing I did was sleep. I got maybe half an hours of sleep before I was awoken, I got a plaque for my wall and a certificate. I had some food, a bath and packed my stuff for the trip back home. After that it was basically sleep, sleep and more sleep, all the way back to Denmark.

Do I regret the journey no, in fact I will train up for the next starting with a week or two from now. I had less than 10 blisters for the entire trip.

A little thought about where we are heading

2008-03-15T05:51:00.000-07:00

I see it as a great hinderance to progress that the green industry is often focused on the making of alternative versions to environmentally unsound products. A lot of these products are entierly pointless, yet still because there is a market for them an industry has appeared, which fills an artificial consumer want created by those very same industries.

There are a lot of things we can leave behind, vestages of an era of stupid and pointless items. Just look at stringy cheese and food that doesn't rot, is there anything more pointless.

Look deep in to your heart, think about your wants, are they really necessary.

I am not trying to preach anyone out of their needs or even a majority of the things that fill our lives, I just want to drive out the pointless items.

Why buy it? If you are never going to use it!
Why buy it? If all it does is damages your health ever so slightly everyday!
Why buy it? If it takes away your quality of life!

The cardboard giraffe

2007-11-20T11:23:00.000-08:00

You all know by now that I am studying to become a teacher and as part of a project related to that, I have just come back from making a presentation about non-violent communication (Giraffe language), I made a 1½ meter long cardboard giraffe, two cardboard hearts and lots of signs.

The class enjoyed the cardboard things, it was real reprieve from the standard slide-shows, chalk on blackboard and guy talks for 1 and a ½ hour type of presentations.

The best thing was that it was creative, colorful and green. After I was done I showed the lot in the cardboard recycle bin.

Being green is all about thinking outside of the box.

Look in wonder at my giant cardboard giraffe.

A great use for a recycled material.

Busy, busy little bee

2007-08-11T15:01:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, once again I have been busy refashioning. I am still working through the giant pile of charity shop fabrics which I was given, so I can't show you any brilliant transformations from one thing to another, but what I have made won't dissapoint.

I have also decided to show you more pictures of my festival jacket, which is my longest
running refashion project to date, I have expanded on it for years. I have also another of my ancient projects, a blaizer I started working on it in England and have now completed it more than 5 years later on.

I have made the ussual assortment of shopping bags, my goal is about 40, so I am still far below my target. The image above is one of the latest made out of a earthy green pastel coloured curtain fabric. I have also included pictures of a vest I made and a pillow tutorial. A pillow cover tutorial will be here soon, so.... Watch this space.

The festival jacket

The jacket serving as the base layer is a cheap denim jacket, it is a quite brilliant dark blue. On it I have sewn badges and patches. It has several studs, in various shapes. My interpritation of the cover off "bat out of hell" has been painted with a special acrylic paint for fabrics on the back of the jacket. There is also painted, sewn and embroidered the names of the festivals I have been to on the back of the jacket. It is in fact the only souvenir I have from the festivals.

The black and white tartan striped shopping bag.

The flower suit, which has been referd to as my clown-jacket, by some I know. It was started as a self-esteem excersize in the field of sewing. What I had done in order to create it was to unstitch an old suit and use it as a template for this suit. I learned a lot by making it, one of the big things is that certain things are made at certain intervals in the process otherwise you can make it very difficult for yourself later on. The flower suit has a deep blue inner lining and white buttons. I have stil a bit of the fabric left and I hope to make a few other things out of it soon.

I have now had this on at so many parties, it was made about 6 years ago in co-operation with my mum. It has asian motifs, butterflies, vases and silver coloured buttons. I wore it once at an art exhibition in Liverpool, after which my cheap pocket watch was stolen. I price this vest far more dearly than the watch, after many years of use it is still in good shape, a testament to the strength and durability of home sewn things.

The pillow tutorial

Amature and experience hobbyists alike will know that pillows are probably the most simple thing you can possibly make. The truth is that there are a lot of different designs and tons of ways to personalise and modify pillow covers, but only really one design for pillows.

- You will need -

. Fabric
. fill for your pillow (sponge, feathers, left over fabric, straw, plastic bags...)
. Thread
. Needles
. A pair of scissors
and possibly also pins.

Step one

Decide how big your pillow should be, fold the fabric so you get one large piece covering both sides of the pillow.

Step two

Cut the fabric, remember to preserve the joint between the two sides of the pillow, so you have one folded piece of fabric.

Step three

Sew the folded piece of fabric together. Leave a hole just big enough for you to fill up your pillow with the filling material.

Turn the fabric inside out, possibly with the aid of a pencil or other item.

Step four

Stuff the pillow with the filling material.

Step five

Sew the material where the hole is, no one will see it because your pillow will most likely be covered by a pillow cover, so dont be afraid of the stitching showing.

The angry eco rebel

2007-08-07T11:57:00.001-07:00

I was at a Pub today quietly drinking my beer and chatting to a friend about plastic and how it makes its way into our water systems and into birds, marine life etc.

This attracted the attention of a chap who was sitting 3 bar chairs away in the corner. He decided to argue that I was not taking action and no matter which steps I had done, it was not right, because it was not an activist action or a political action. He argue without using these words, that I was a waster who liked to discuss, but didn't do anything to solve the issues I was preaching against.

He tried to make out as if what I was doing was of no use (reduce, reuse, recycle) and that the only real type of action is political action which is apparently more legitimate (according to him).

I discussed with him a while, but in reality I was put in a corner, I was pushed into the defensive, he was a far better speaker/orator than I (it turns out he is the head of the youth league ofa major political party), I had no room to mount an attack against his accusations which was entierly directed against me (un-prepaired as I was) and not the subject of my conversation, I decided that he had taken the high ground even though it is built up on false ground.

The fact is that he couldn't attack my facts because they were 100% correct, so he attacked me. He placed words into my mouth and falsly categorised me amongst a group of radical activists, at the same time he made out as if I was crazy, lazy, not at all serious, a hippie etc...

I expect this is a common method of attack, he tried his best to create doubt, where there was no doubt. It was easier for him to create doubts about my personality by classifying me amongst radicals, than challenging the facts, because once you have the facts, then you have to do something about them.

To tell you the truth, being informed is where the power is. You can't stay informed too long before being active and all activity starts at home. I had hinted at this, but according to him only party political efforts and activism works,,,I seriously doubt he shares that opinion with anyone using this forum.

He even made the connection that I was against democracy and all business, I certainly doubt that there is anyone on this planet who is that. I expect that was the fear in FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt). I am not a raging communist or even a green activist...I am something else, something that works and a small part of it has been classified as the modern hobbiest movement (refashioning), the green consumer movement, anti consumerism, the socialising or socialist movement etc... but I am still none of those pieces of the jigsaw, yet I am and more.... How dare someone create an aged-sterotype and then say that it is equal to me and then attack my identity through that. I am not a movement, I am after all an individual and for me it is the small life and earth changing personal changes that count. What power has a politician against millions of enlightened individuals, none....I am proud of being an individual who is making a real difference and not just pushing the problem to someone else, it is the tiny steps that matter, but if enough people do a few tiny things a step will become a march and a whisper will grow to become a chorus.

I left the bar knowing full well that this discussion could not be won. All this discussion did was make me angry for the time it took for me to write this email, it created some frustration and it left me with even more distrust for this guys political party.

The shopping bag project

2007-07-28T06:10:00.000-07:00

I make a lot of shopping bags, it is a fact and you will see plenty more of them posted up on the refashion blog as I try to keep up with demand. Every time I give some away I get more requests, so I think every second post will be a shopping bag round up.

Today I made 3, only one of them is for myself (The experimental purple one). I made two other bags one of which is silver with canvas cream coloured squares and the other is a series of black and white stripes, it reminds me of a barcode pattern, so that is very fitting considering its purpose.

I mentioned in my last post that I will be giving them away to friends tonight.

I must also mention that I love all the comments that I have been given on my blog and here on the refashion blog...I love the positive feed back and I promise to post more pictures (a common request), even if they are just poor web cam images edited in gimp.

If you want instructions, here are my instructions, so you can also make a bag.

http://alexsgreenblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/sew-your-own-shopping-bags.html

I always try to make instructions or a tutorial, in fact I am planning to do a giant pillow tutorial with all the different pillow combinations that I can think of and it is a lot. Just so you have something to get inspired by and look forward to.

The green gift that keeps on giving

2007-07-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

OK, a bit of Eco talk before I start, plastic bags are really evil, they kill turtles, birds, fish, you name it.. Plastic bags do not recycle very well, they do not disappear, they take hundreds of years to biodegrade and even then the trace amounts of plastic left over can kill.

That is why a fabric or canvas bag keeps on giving, you can make them out of anything and they are really simple to make. They also lasts years upon years, I have a few that I have made that are quite a few years old and still do not show signs of proper wear and tear. They can also be repaired, have you ever heard of anyone repairing plastic bags?

This brings me to this post, I have been invited round for dinner a few places this week and I hope to meet my grandmother this Tuesday as well. That would mean that I can potentially deliver an eco message 4 times this week without even opening my mouth.

Yes, I have decided to give away fabric carrier bags to my friends and family, so that they might be encouraged to get away from the horror of plastic bags. A normal household probably needs about 10 bags and a single person about 5ish, so it is only a start, but I can then get my message across without having to shout at how evil they are for not choosing a green lifestyle.

I must mention now that I am having a hard time catching up with demand, a lot of my family and friends have been asking me if they could possibly have a bag, so here is my first one this week.

It has a single wide handle (2 pieces of fabric sewn together) , and is sewn to be extra sturdy (it has parallel 2 lines of straight stitch and one over sewn line of zig-zagging) on the sides. The pattern is kilt like and the fabric itself is a sling-shot away from being a thin canvas material.

If you want instructions on making one, just look at my rough guide to making one on my green blog.....it is basically the same pattern as a pillow case with the addition of a handle or two.

http://alexsgreenblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/sew-your-own-shopping-bags.html

Confessions of a part-time refashionist

2007-07-14T14:12:00.000-07:00

I must apologize I have been on a blog-o-holiday that is to say that my piggies haven't touched a keyboard in a while, but this post will make up for my absence.

Here is a small list of what I have done, some of which was destroyed by Rain at the Roskilde music festival.

I made 3 bags and a tent, all of which lies under 1 meter of mud in Roskilde. 40 cans of beer and a sleeping bag are keeping them company.

2x Trousers, 1 pair of shorts and a blazer (like a suit but not near as posh) has had salvaged buttons sewn into them.

I have also repaired 2 shirts. One of which is seen in the fur bag picture.

PUNK JEANS

I have Punk'd or refashioned punk style 1 pair of jeans. I wanted some very punkish jeans, so I had taken my cheese grater and roughed up the most un-attractive pair of jeans I had been given. I then went further and ripped bits with a very sharp hobby knife (I avoided cutting my fingers, by cutting away from my body and hands very important). The jeans was further improved by the salvaged arms of a Halloween shirt which I had destroyed for a half-finished project. The skull fabric and some purple cloth was then hand sewn on to the insides of my jeans. I then added some safety pins and crushed metal elements from throw-away-lighters (I had seen punks, goths and emo kids do it (it is the metal cap from where the flame comes out)).

THE FAKE-FUR AND BELT BAG

In the picture of my handsome self, I am sporting a 100% refashioned look, even the shades was from a charity shop. The jacket is my longest running refashion project, it dates back from about 2001 and is my official festival jacket, on the back it has all the major festivals and dates at which I had been at them on it. Plus my own interpretation of the Meatloaf bat out of hell album cover. It has been added to every year and is an expanding art work in progress. I have in fact I have about 10 elements to sew on to it (badges, patches etc...)

I wanted to make the coolest bag ever and this bag, which is mainly intended for when I am in town and still need to have a few things with me, is pretty close to hitting the spot. It is fake fur, bought from a charity shop. The belt which serves as a strap together with a reused backpack strap, is also a charity shop find. I sewed the entire thing during a 6 hour long visual youtube feast.

A Night time pillow vision image.

PILLOW MANIA

I have made 7 pillows and 7 pillow cases. The pillow filling was made out of cloth scraps, old jacket inner lining and sponge. The actual pillow is made of one of my old linen pieces for my bed, cut into squares and sewn together. I had left a small hole in order to be able to turn it inside out and stuff them. I promptly filled them up with the filling once I had turned the pillows inside out, so the rough stuff was on the inside. The pillow cases were made out of old furnishing fabric, they are a deep red with a modernistic flour pattern.

Projects not completed

This is what I am working on at the moment. It is a bit of a to-do-list

The purple and reverse colored pinstripe backpack didn't make it to Roskilde, as I still need to sew all the elements together.

I have promised almost all family and friends at least one fabric shopping bag. I think I have to make about 30-40 before most of my own needs and those of my friends and family are meet. It is the best way to get them off their plastic bag addictions.

I have a suit that is half-finished, I started it in 2003-4, so I should really finish it off. Besides it is pretty cool. It is flower patterned.

I want more pillows, I don't lack fabric so I expect that is on the menu.

I also want to refashion a few more jeans, not in the same way, I have quite a few cool ideas up my sleeve.

I also have to make an alternative Christmas suit for the Summer-Grill-Christmas-Party which my brother will attend, he can't sew, so big-brother will have to help him out. He wants it done in the most freaky-material in my collection.

I also want to make some neat clothes for wearing when i am in town.

I also have to do a lot of back to school stuff, covers for books, folders, school bag, neat refashioned bits so I will stand out when I start in Teachers College.

Well, now you know, there is certainly some thing on the books to look forward too.

Just one more thing, I have been given a 1 meter high cardboard storage drum, previously it was used for something industrial, it is now my primary storage for fabrics. I have painted it a screaming red color, so it matches a lot of the other elements in my apartment which have been painted in primary colors.

Roskilde the last passage

2007-07-11T02:11:00.000-07:00

The same night as I wrote my last post I went up to hear a few concerts, The first of which was a heavy metal band, Danish, but I did not know them. They were quite good, but because I had too much water in my boots and because my feet were starting to hurt, I had to turn around and go back to camp. I went back to where my tent was, I opened my tent and when I picked up something, I noticed that the bottom of the tent was floating on a cushion of water. I picked up a few cans of beer. Drank them and made my way up to the music area again. It was a hard trip, it had started to rain again and I had water in my boots. I couldn't get rid of the water, there was more and more of it. My clothes were soaked and i was starting to get a rash all over my body, especially where I had it come into contact with the sandy mud. I had placed a few plastic bags in my boots, at first it was a weird experience, my feet were cushioned by water, but at some point the water had dribbled down into the plastic bags, I feelt as if I was slipping inside of my own boots. I went somewhere and got something to eat. I then headed for the festival music. I was checked at the gates for beer, something not allowed in the music area.

I then saw Bjork, I had to empty my boots every 20 minuttes, it was becoming unbearable, I wasn't enjoying it at all. THe rash was getting worse.

I saw then a few jazz numbers and some ethnic music, I loved the music, but now I had a real hard time walking, the rash had creapt up to my thighs. When the last number was over, I went to a stall, I got a few swedish meatballs with lingon sauce. I love swedish meat balls.

I then decided that after I had gotten a few beers I would go to the first aid tent, so I went back to the camp.

I looked for my tent and I could only find the top of it, it had sunken into a lake of mud, I opened it and found a few beer cans on the lake inside. This is where I broke down, this was too much, i had 3 beers, there were still about 40 under about 1 meter of mud and water.
Enough was enough, I wanted to go home, so I asked one of the guards about when the trains leaved and promptly made my way to the exit.

In order to make my way out of the festival, I had to go through the music area, where my last beers were taken from me, by this time I could only walk at half-zombie speed, the rash was really severe. I walked to the main road it took sometime and I asked someone how to get to the station, the guard said that I should take the bus, the bus was 2km away, so I walked as fast as I could to where the bus was supposed to drive from. When I arrived there I found out that the bus didn't drive for another hour, so I might as well walk to the station, apparently it was only 2km from where I got the advice from the guard to take the bus. 4km later I was at the station amongst several hundred unhappy souls. I waited there for an hour or so. THen came the train, it drove me to the station in Copenhagen, there I waited another few hours until the break of dawn. Then I waited half an hour for the first coffee shops to open, if there ever was anyone in need of coffee, then it was me.

With a national geographic, a cup of coffee, 2 Danis pastries and chocolate drink in hand, I drove back to Esbjerg, from where I waited half an hour until my brother collected me, this was followed up with a trip in a taxi home.

My exma was far more sever than I thought at the time, I also had cuts and bruises from top to toe, despite that, if you ask me if I ever would want to go to Roskilde again, then I would have to say YES. Next time, I will just have to sleep in a boat.

Soaked to the bone Roskilde Festival 2007

2007-07-05T10:14:00.001-07:00

When people say that they have been wet before then they are truly wrong. They have never been as soaking wet as I have been on this day, my second day at the famous Roskilde Festival. It is beyond belief, but some how it has brought people together.

People talk to each other share stories and complain about the weather like never before. We all have one thing in common, we are all soaked to the bone. The energy is here, the party atmosphere is here and rain is the only real threat. I have seen a few people leave already, soaked to an inch of their lives, tents destroyed by the wind are littered overall. I am ok, I do not dare to sleep in my tent tonight, the sea has moved under it and the only force keeping my things from being soaked is my will not to place my weight on it. Tonight I will party until I am dry and I hope that at the crack of dawn new weather will approach Roskilde's weathered inhabitants, bringing forth a dry spell that will dry my things before I have to take it all back home again.

Will I sleep, no I wont, but I will coffee until this has become a story and is a reality no more.

The real test is my army boots, which have finally succumbed to the water, something that years of use have not been able to do. They are fine, but for the first time my socks have become wet.

From Roskilde with love

2007-07-05T00:59:00.000-07:00

Here is what has happened since I have come to Copenhagen, I was commissioned to paint motives in the toilets of a Club in Copenhagen, I did that it took about 8 hours, I drank a bit with my friend Kenneth (he was on the soda water diet), who then drove me to Roskilde. I got off walked a bit and then gave Tanya my brothers ex-boyfriends daughter some stuff so she could survive the festival. Then it started to rain, I got stuck and fell in the mud several times over an hour ( a lot of idiots filmed and photographed me but none helped me, there were even a few who laughed at me), until some swedes gave me a beer and a tent. They were great. We had a few beers followed by a trip to the shops I bought a flute as dinner, all my provisions were so soaked that they could not be eaten. I then went and bought a navy cap from the old German DDR, it rained so I needed something cool for over my head. I can't find it right now but it is probably still in my tent. I then walked round a bit, I tried to get some idea of the size and scope of the festival. Drank a few beers, went back to my tent, but couldn't sleep because of all the loud music being played, one group was especially disturbing, they played Beasty Boys throughout the night, waking me up at intervals, not only that they themselves sang to the various hits. A disaster they couldn't keep a tune.

This morning I have had breakfast a cup of coffee (25 dkr) last nights sandwich and coffee was about 40dkr and since then all I have done is write this.

I will write again soon, see ya all, I am logging off, from Roskilde with love.

What is it that only we humans do?

2007-07-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

It is a valid question,,,,why are we so unique? How did we rise to the top of the tree or rather the top of the food chain?

I think a lot of people have had their meanings expressed on this topic, but every time an answer is made some one shows that we are not the only mammals doing it or that the claim is totally wrong. I think the first claim that I heard was that we were the only mammal that used tools or that we had bigger brains than everything else,

Chimps use tools, so do dolphins + ants, the brains thing was totally off the mark.

This got me thinking and today I hit upon a eureka moment.

Yes, I thought about trash and guess what? I think we must be the only ones making trash. All the other animals poop, urinate, etc... but they do not make waste mountains that take hundreds if not thousands of years to degrade. They do not burn waste or shove it into lakes, rivers and the sea. What they throw away, gets reintegrated into the eco system, recycled, reused and gets to spawn new life from its remains.

We create trash and rubbish. A product that is unwanted yet created every day by a large proportion of the worlds human population.

In fact in that regard we are totally uniqe. Now isn't that something to be proud off!

Photos from left to right, all had been found on flickr were by: dM.nyc .imelda Salim Virji

technorati tags:trash, rubbish, waste, green, recycle, ecological

Work, work, work

2007-06-17T11:48:00.001-07:00

I am too chilled out to keep to a tight schedule. Well at least when it comes to writing posts.
The real reason is maybe that I don't like writing when I dont have anything to present.

I am currently working on 4 main projects and quite a few smaller projects. All of which have to be finished by the 3rd of July.

1. I am making head way in my attempt at making a backpack. It is purple with black and white stripes.
2. I am making a sleeping bag for myself.
3. I am making a tent (100% recycle material)
4. I am making a lot of shopping bags ( I have given all my old bags away).

The only thing I can show you is my knights shopping bag.

Save the watt's

2007-05-23T14:21:00.000-07:00

It is alright going over to green sources of electricity, but reducing your electricity use is the best way. You don't have to turn everything off, though turning things off is a good thing.

When you are looking for new electrical products choose those that use the least amount of watts to run. You could also choose alternative energy sources for your electrical item.

In the long run you will see a substantial saving in your electricity bill.

The cost of these items might be slightly more expensive than the cheapest items out there. It is a balancing act between the price of the product and the long term savings in drift.

Walk the walk

I have changed my light bulbs from 60w to 1watt. I aim to soon change my computer from a 200 watt to a 6 watt computer and my screen from a 50watt screen to a 25 watt led projector.

Look around, see what the options are, be aware and choose the most efficient option. Buy only the best.
That way you will make a saving and encourage producers from making energy hungry products.

The home made fabric dictionary cover

2007-05-23T03:47:00.000-07:00

I have made a fabric cover for my old soft back English dictionary, I have re-enforced it with a bit of cardboard, so it can now take a bit of a bashing. The cover is entirely hand sewn from some material found at a charity shop.

Here are the step by step instructions.

Time: 20 min with sewing machine, an hour by hand.

1. Choose a piece of fabric, preferably some sturdy material.

2. Place book on the material (the innerside), leaving a piece on each side slightly larger than a page in the book and a strip around 25mm at the top and the bottom. Draw a line around the book. Then take the book off the material.

3. To avoid the thread unravelling, zig-zag all the way around your piece of fabric..

4. Place book inside of your drawn line. Fold side pieces in over the book and secure the material with needles. Remove the book.

5. Sew the cover together, sewing a line from left to right at the bottom and the top of the cover.

6. Turn the cover inside out and place book in cover. Your are now finished.

From shirt to tea towel

2007-05-14T12:09:00.000-07:00

I have been down with influenza, but I have still been able to make a few tea towels.

My brother had some time ago donated quite a few ruined work-shirts.
The backs of them were OK, so my first thought was to make them into rags, but the actual patterns and textures of the fabrics reminded me so much of tea-towels(dish cloths) that it seemed as if they were made for this conversion.

The instructions to making these yourselves is simple.

1. Find, get, steal some fabric that is potentially absorbent enough to be used as a dish-cloth.
2. Place a dish cloth on top of it (possibly with a few of needles in it to hold it still).
3. Draw an outline round the dish cloth and an out

er-outline circa 25mm (a large thumbnail) round the dish cloth.
4. Then take off the dish cloth and cut round the outer-outline.
5. Fold the outer-outline into the outline (fold twice if there is any danger of the fabric unraveling)
6. Sew all the way round, a running stitch will do the job.

Remember: It is a dish cloth and not a prom dress, it doesn't matter if it looks a bit rough.

Greening My Art

2007-05-10T10:47:00.001-07:00

I guess all you readers of my blog know by now that I am an artist, I have been painting for over 12 years and considered myself an artist since then.

I am hoping to even turn my art green too, by using more recycled materials and to use paints that are not harmfull to the environment.

I am hoping to move over to using home-made watercolours and tempra paints by the end of the year... I haven't done it yet, as I basically need a holiday in order to read up on the subject and to experiment.

I am looking to find out what staining abilities some readily available natural pigments have ...coal, coffee, curry powder, chilli and of those I have to buy (I want to stay away from synthetic, as much as possible).

I already know about the binding agents, in water colours, I hope to use honey, sugar and possibly gum arabicum as the binder. Tempa uses egg whites and pigment (isn't rocket science).

I have already made some coal watercolours and curry watercolours. The coal ones are a very nice grey colour while the curry ones are a bright yet still soft yellow. I know that if I can keep the boiling honey/sugar mixture hot for longer I can make the concentration of pigment higher, making the colours in each tablet greater, ensuring more brilliant colours.

I can't complain, my home made water colours cost maybe a 100th of what even cheap watercolours cost, so I expect the move will be a wise one.

My only worry is that the colours in some of the tablets will break down faster than traditional watercolours, I am especially worried about those that are based on plant matter. Even if that is the case a picture painted with a home made watercolour tablet will most likely not have faded colouring for many years (10-40) if kept out of direct sunlight.

I won't be the first to make this move, I will be walking in the footsteps of many modern and ancient artists.

I am also looking into ways of cleaning brushes used in tempra painting.

I know that there are green varnish options out there, but I rarely use varnish, because I want to retain the brilliance of the paint, which is something varnish decreaces.

I know it is a bit of the point...but I expect this new direction is interesting none the less.

ps. all ingredients I use and hope to use will either be local or organic.

pss. One of the reasons for this move is that traditional acrylic/latex paints are supposedly not made in a green fashion and the longivity should be lower than previously thought.

technorati tags:green, art, ecofriendly, eco, ecoartist

Green Vikings in Ribe.

2007-05-05T14:15:00.001-07:00

Today, I have just come back from the greatest viking fair in Denmark and possibly the entire North. It is done twice yearly in the oldest town in Denmark Ribe.

Ribe was one of the great trade-towns of the north and tradesmen came from all of the known world and from a lot of the unknown too, in order to trade. Untouched by time after the middle ages, it is also a very valuable archaeological area.

The recreation is very similar though on a smaller scale to the old viking town and further inland, in fact no one has a 100% accurate idea because only a very small percentage of the town has been excavated (as several hundred-year-old-buildings have to be destroyed in order to excavate).

I experienced a horse display with Icelandic horses, a fight display with burly viking warriors and saw how "viking" people lived, farmed and made things. I also did a bit of archery.

When you go to the stalls, you see the people making the things you intend to buy, at one place I bought silver and copper coins which we had seen being pressed only moments earlier.

I saw at another, iron belt buckles and swords being made.

The viking event is a praise to DIY, all participants are hobbyists who love the ethic and philosophy of the viking era. Some are modern pagans like myself, but that is not necessary, it is about creating good quality products that time has proven to be in high demand.

A lot of the techniques & designs created by the vikings are still in use today and their design has not been altered since then.

I myself own wood/bone spoons, knives, combs, dice, boxes, bowls etc... that are as perfect a replica you can get of what the vikings used, but are at the same time the most practical and modern design out there.

A spoon is a spoon several thousand years and nobody has improved on the design.

In fact viking fairs, medieval fairs and traditional folk fairs are really good places to get practical, sturdy equipment for the home.

I haven't had a plastic comb last more than half a year, but I have a bone comb and a wooden comb that has lasted me for many, many years.

Are viking fairs green...yes, well mostly

Very little electricity - only a few fires
Only high quality products that are recyclable, degradable and good for the environment. In fact a lot of it is created from recycled material.

Yeah, it fulfills all three 'R's

The only shame is the few food arrangements for the visitors, which include plastic cups and paper plates and that so many drive out there.
I took the train and walked the rest of the way (2-3km).

It was a brilliant trip, the weather was fantastic (my brother got burned), I didn't but I rarely do (I was also using a factor 20 organic suncream). If any of you ever make it to Denmark, don't just go to Copenhagen, visit places like Ribe which has almost just as much to offer.

technorati tags:green, vikings, ribe, eco

The skull leather shopping bag

2007-05-02T03:09:00.000-07:00

This is the skull leather shopping bag it is based on the shopping-bag-design I created the instructions for and posted it on my blog. Here is the link...so you can create some too.

I basically just used one of my old leather jackets that had a giant rip in it, i cut it into a giant rectangle and sewed it into a bag (it is as esy as sewing a cushion, just leave one side open and fold+sew the tops individually). Inside the bag I have used a blue linning fabric and also on the inside of the handle. It looks great because I have kept a lot of the original features of the jacket.

If you use plastic bags you are adding to the landfill problem, oceanic plastic bag dilema, birds eat plastic and die of it and in many countries plastic bags cost money, so they are best avoided.
Create your own, they are sturdy, cool, really cool and handy.

The best thing is that if they get messy, just throw them in the wash and they are clean again. My leather bag is an exception to that rule.

Pirates AHOY!!

2007-05-02T03:03:00.000-07:00

Avast, ye Mateys!!!

This is the home made pirate flag that i have made. It is about 1 meter by 1½ meter in size and is made on my sewing machine, the fabric used is the shinny fabric used on the insides of suits etc... with white linen skulls and bones.

Give me a broad side, ye scurvy dogs!!!

The Easy to make rectangle pencil case - back to school

2007-05-02T01:57:00.001-07:00

You do not need to be rich to give your kids all that they need to go to school. This pencil case can be made by anyone, even a child.

Here are some easy Step-By-Step instructions so you can make this pencil case.

Project time: Circa 20-40 min by hand, 5-20 min on a sewing machine.

Minimum specifications - You need: Sewing thread, a needle, a square piece of fabric and a zipper.

- 1 - Find or buy a zipper, preferably it has to be the length of a pencil.

- 2 - Find a sturdy piece of fabric, it has to be longer than the zipper on one side and when folded over on that side it has to be slightly larger than you envision the pencil case to be once finished.

- 3 - Fold the fabric inside out and shape the tube into an upside down omega symbol shaped tube, as in the diagram. Sew the zipper onto the two legs or flaps on the tube.

- 4 - Then open the zip slightly (so you can open it and turn the rectangle inside out 1 step from now).

- 5 - Sew the sides with 2 parallel lines, so it is truly sturdy. If you have zig zag function use that on the outer lines and re- enforce the top and bottom lines by sewing a loop there 2-4 times.

- 6 - Turn the rectangle inside out. You have now a fully functional pencil case. If anything gets worn or torn you just have to repair it with some thread.

LED WONDER

2007-04-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

My 2 cfl lightbulbs died a couple of days ago, they were of a very bad quality and had been maltreated to make it worse. I bought them for 1/3 of the standard price and I thought I was a lucky devil. As ussual the lucky devil is proven to be a bit of a fool. After a mere 3 months the damned things died one after the other.

Instead of replacing bad with bad or bad with merely fantastic. I have decided to buy the most green species of lightbulb out there. I had heard about LED lightbulbs from treehugger, the green news site.

I wanted one even though they are dead expensive.

I was surprise to find that I had a very small surplus of money, so I decided to get a couple.

I am now 43 euro's lighter and I am waiting for them to arrive. I can't wait, it is going to be the most futuristic thing in my life.

What is more cool, than reducing your lightbulb from 60 watts to 11 watts and then to some where between 1 and 4 watts.

Diluting the eco to economical

2007-04-30T12:42:00.001-07:00

I buy a lot of my produce from the two local green-grocery-shops, but I also buy some of my organics from my local supermarkets. A lot of it is as good as anything to be found at my local grocery store, only the personal service, chat across the counter and a smile is missing.

There have been a few interesting products appearing on the shelves lately, products containing one, two or a few organic ingredients, but all-in-all containing the same e-numbers or chemical ingredients, as other conventional supermarket products.

Organics has become a “Selling Feature”, another way for supermarkets to sell things that we don't need or want.

A way to make BAD products to become NICE products.

I know it sounds like quite a radical statement, but here is my angle or rather my logic.

My reason for choosing organics is amongst other things to avoid products that can cause an allergic reaction in me. I seemed to be allergic to some products because of the additives in them and not the core product themselves. An example would be tomatoes, I am not allergic to tomatoes, but back then I would get a rash after having used some types of ketchup. Since moving to organics I don't have that problem.

When I first saw the product on the shelf I thought it was a standard organic product, it had organic written in bold letters at the bottom of the packaging and it was a green colour.

That is when I read it....the plastic packaging had made me very suspicious of it, so I read it again and at the back (small type)....the damn thing had only two organic ingredients (bold) and the rest in small type was gobbledygook.

Where is that holy line between calling something organic and the marketing stunt called “containing organics”. I am a concious buyer I read the small print every time I am in doubt, I know my e-numbers, but I know that I am in the minority. Most people think quality when they hear organics and buy it with just a hint of it in it, but organics is not supposed to be a marketing vehicle and it isn't purely about the taste, texture and lifestyle. It is about what it does to us and the environment we live in.

I propose that covering up a bad product with a containing “organics” label is not in any way in the interest of consumers.

Pencil cases

2007-04-26T12:00:00.001-07:00

I have just made two pencil cases out of some left over fabric. They are basically elongated rectangles with a zip on the top. One of which is made of a shiny red fabric which is much like corduroy the other is of a light Grey and white striped woolen fabric. I am going to school now, so I can show them to everyone.

2007-04-24T21:11:00.000-07:00

Here are a few funny pics from a few weeks ago when I went into the deer park and the forrest with my brother. The deer are very tame and lovethe attention of all but over enthusiastic 2 year olds.

Threadbanger green!!!

2007-04-24T12:56:00.001-07:00

I have found a new video cast which covers the reuse, recyle principles of being green. It is called Threadbanger, it is for amature and experienced refashioners of clothes. It has a very professional look and I have saved every episode, as they are all worth watching again and again.

I have now become a bit more ambitious in the creation of my own garments and in a week or two, I will post lots of pics of my creations on my blog and on the refashion blog.

Blogged with Flock

Button and camera dilemma.

2007-04-17T12:52:00.001-07:00

I have been studying hard all of this week, with the exception of Thursday, where I managed to loose my camera. My scanner broke down a few days before that. I am looking for a solution, but it won't appear before the start of next month, so I hope you are all patient for pictures.

This week I have mainly been preparing for my birthday, it has a pirate theme, so I have sewn a pirate flag, I also repaired a few trousers. One of which I repaired by adding a thick metal button, which most likely was from WWII.

The mysterious Pi

2007-04-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

My little brother had won a polo-neck which was inappropriately too big (3 sizes too big) and too boring. He gave it to me, ouch. I wasn't going to let it rot in the wardrobe, so it has become my first refashioned item.

I could hardly adjust it's size without putting all the other elements out of proportion, so I decided to rectify the other problem.
I would sew a logo onto it, something humerus, yet not directly obvious. That is how I came to the idea of sewing the value of Pi and the Pi symbol onto the polo-neck.

I had a pair of jeans that I had already started to dismantle, so I clipped the numbers 3.14 out of them and the Pi symbol. Which I hand sew onto it with yellow thread.

I know it is no masterpiece, but now it is at least wearable.

I got this brilliant idea into my head that I would film what I was doing and putting it out onto the web, even making an entire series out of my exploits, so look out for that. I have still to edit it. I guess it won't be out until tonight.

2007-02-18T10:39:00.000-08:00

Today, took the re-use pledge...In a period of 6months from April I won't buy new clothes and I will make fashionable what I already have or bought used.

http://nikkishell.typepad.com/wardroberefashion/

Here is my pledge...

I Alexander Henning Drachmann pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 / 4 / 6 months. I pledge that i shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoated, recylcled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftyness brings! Signed Alexander Henning Drachmann.

GREEN ILLUSTRATION

2007-01-29T12:22:00.000-08:00

This is the colour version of an illustration I made for my school mess hall (notice the K for Kantine, Danish for mess hall) . Notice how the sun has been transformed into plate.

This is the black and white ink drawing I later coloured with watercolours.

Like all my other images these images are open source and free for any one to use, modify, adapt and distribute commercial and non-commercial in line with the creative commons license on this site.

Home made bags post nr 2

2007-01-27T02:56:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of shopping bags that I have recently created.

20 uses for marmalade and jam jars

2007-01-02T11:55:00.000-08:00

1.Spice/herb storage, just add a label, they are just as good as and even cheaper than jars bought for the purpose.
2.If troubled on a picnic by wasps and bee's, just put a tiny bit of honey in it and place it far away from the picnics location.
3.Make a jam-jar-jet out of it.
4.Germinate seeds in a jam jar.
5.Make a sun jar out of a path light and a jam jar (the patent preservative jam jar).
6.Window decoration. Make mobiles out of the round jam jar lids, just drill a hole at the top and put a string through it and hang up some where. Paint the jars and even string a lot of them up.
7.Make home made jam and re-use them.
8.Put candles in them and light up a path outside, if it is windy put on the lids and puncture holes in them for the smoke to escape.
9.Make a greenhouse out of jam jars.
10.Use as colourful decoration in walls.
11.Grow plants in a jam jar.
12.Use jam jars as carpet protectors under sofa legs.
13.Jam jars can be used to store odds and ends, screws, office accessories etc.
I have paint brushes in mine + I keep water in them for rinsing my paintbrushes when I am painting.
14.You can decorate them with acrylics, glass paint or wrapped with colored paper, then you can use them as tea light holders, a perfect for any coffee table.
15.Use them to collect soap or candle rests.
16. Raise plant pots of the ground with jam jar lids, remember not to block for the hole in which water has to come out.
17.Jam jars can even be used in the freezer, so use them for storing food rests.
18.Collect insects (temporarily) and place in jar for observation. Kids love collecting insects and releasing them into the wild, is a brilliant excuse to make a trip into nature once again.
19.Make a snow dome, glue a figure to the inside of the lid. Then add glitter, rice, white fake snow particles (what ever you have handy) and screw lid onto jar. Abracadabra – Turn it upside down. You now have your own snow globe.
20.A jam jar makes an excellent flower vase.

Recycling

2006-10-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

There are many countries without a solid infrastructure for recyceling, I aim to show to which extent we in scandinavia recycle and how a solid recyceling system looks like.

Here are a few images I took in Fredericia, which show standard recycling bins for people living in a set of flats, I hope you notice that even if you live in a towerblock, high rise or in a flat, you can recycle.

Sew your own shopping bags.

2006-10-17T04:12:00.000-07:00

Introduction

Plastic bags are not only bad for the environment (does not decompose etc...), they are also not very durable and don't last very long. So, why not create your own bags, and you can personalize them a million different ways.

Instructions

There are several designs of shopping bags out there.

I will show you how you can make two types. Those created with 2 pieces of fabric and those with only one.

What you will need.

Instructions
Fabric
Sturdy thread
Sewing needles
Hands or a sewing machine

Design number 1.

You need to cut out a rectangular piece of fabric 82cm/32inches long 42cm/16½inches wide. Chalk/draw a line 2cm/ ¾ of an inch from the border on the sides of the fabric destined to be faced inwards. If there is a chance of the fabric unraveling, sew a zig-zag pattern across the thin border. Fold the fabric in half. With both sides on top of each other and facing in opposite directions sew them together, at the sides. You have now something bag shaped. fold the last bit of the border outwards onto the main fabric, do this with both sides of fabric (ensure to not sew onto into the other side of fabric). Sew but carefully, as the thread can be seen on both sides of the fabric. Now you just need to add a handle, so you can carry it.

Design number 2.

This design is by its very nature less sturdy, remember its the threads which are holding all of the weight.

You need to cut out 2 rectangular piece of fabric 41cm/16inches long 42cm/16½inches wide. Chalk/draw a border 2cm/ ¾ of an inch from the border, on both inward facing pieces of fabric. If there is a chance of the fabric unraveling, sew a zig-zag pattern across the thin border. With both sides on top of each other and facing in opposite directions sew them together, at the sides. You have now something bag shaped. fold the last bit of the border inwards onto the main fabric, do this with both sides of fabric (ensure to not sew into the other piece of fabric). Now you just need to add a handle, so you can carry it.

Handle

Take a strip of fabric fold it in the middle and sew both ends to either side of your bag, a good way to do this is to sew either a cross pattern in a square at the end of the fabric or two parallel lines.

When making shopping bags there are 3 standard ways of putting on a handle. One is under a rim , another is to the outside of the design, and the last is to the inside.

There are 3 methods.

The first and probably the sturdiest is to take the opening of bag and fold it inwards 1 inch or so. This creates a rim just like in your toilet. The end of the handle is showed under this rim and the 3 layers of fabric can then be sewn together.

This one is using one piece of folded and sewed together strip of cloth over the middle attached to the 2 pieces of fabric.

The other is to use 2 straps one for each side, the two ends of each fabric are sewn together with a space between each other the size of an adult fist.

Suggestions

You can make your designs even greener by using organic fabrics or recycling fabrics, all charity shops sell fabrics of one kind or another.

If you want a leather bag you can recycle leather from a sofa or from clothes. Just remember that a lot of leather furnishings and clothes have very thin leather, so you will properly have to have a double layer or a mixture of fabrics e.g. Hessian and leather.
Car furnishings use a sturdy fabric which could be an interesting option.
Clothes could possibly also be recycled into a decent shopping bag, as long as it is a sturdy fabric. It will have to be able to take a load, so a silk shirt is not going to be good enough.
Recycle old flags into a shopping bag.
Painters canvas, furnishing fabrics in canvas and tent canvas, are all designed to be heavily durable.
Jeans, work clothes and combat trousers, can also be cut up and sewn together to make very sturdy bags.
Decorate your bags with patches, beads (it doesn't need to be hippy), think about your design (girly pink bag could be complimented by stars, beads, a heavy metal/goth bag would look great with metal studs, recycled chains and just think how great a country bag with leather patches and spurs as handles would look.
If you are going to decorate your bags, take into account that you might want to wash them in a washing machine or by hand, so it could be a good idea to make it possible to remove them before showing it in a wash.