Tell the Tardigrade - 3 mossy actions (blog #6)
Thank you to all those who’ve left us messages on the Tardigrade Telephone, sharing the small moss-like you’re taking for a brighter greener future… if you haven’t recorded yours yet, or if you have more actions you’d like to share, then please scroll to the bottom of this page to find out how to Tell the Tardigrade!
This blog covers just 3 of the actions we’ve come across recently. By sharing we can support one another to make small changes for a brighter greener future!
Food waste
Infographic showing food waste stats from https://www.wastemanaged.co.uk/our-news/food-waste/food-waste-facts-statistics/
Food waste is a complex issue but one that we can all take action to reduce. When we talk with children it’s one they often feel passionately about and that they have some agency to make a difference about themselves. Messages have included “I eat all my lunch”, “I don’t waste my crisps” and “I ask for a smaller portion when I’m not feeling hungry”.
It’s also great to hear how many people are composting their food waste, either through council collections or at home, retaining the nutrients to use in their gardens.
Pets
Pip the hamster enjoying her new (second hand) home
When Art and Energy’s Cat offered her daughter a reward for coping with dental surgery she was not expecting the answer to be “a hamster please Mum”! Instead of going straight out to buy a hamster from a pet shop, Cat and her daughter contacted a local animal rescue shelter and waited for them to have a hamster ready to rehome, waiting also made sure this was a serious request for a pet!
A second hand cage was also a must - plenty of these available locally and no need to buy new. Caring for a pet can have an impact on our planet, there are lots of tips online for how to be an eco-friendly pet owner.
Let’s Change Culture
Art and Energy are working with Plymouth Culture, running a series of events inviting creative practitioners and arts organisations to explore together how we can take action for a brighter greener future.
Last year The Art and Energy Collective spoke to 48 creatives and cultural institutions across the city, identifying the key barriers, questions and challenges faced by the local cultural sector when confronting the climate and ecological emergencies. Whilst the list was long, we were also heartened by the progress being made, the desire for change, and the diverse knowledge that individuals and organisations are happy to share.
Messages shared by creative practitioners and cultural organisations include: Retrofitting venues to be more energy efficient. Programming exhibitions with environmental themes. Switching suppliers to reduce packaging. Timetabling performances to enable audiences to travel by public transport. Planting wildflowers and trees. Reusing and upcycling costumes and arts materials.
Art and Energy’s vision of a low carbon future is alive with the arts - bringing passion, innovation and energy to create a world that we all strive for.
Have you got an action you would like us to share? We’d love to hear all about it. Give the Tardigrade a call and record a short message, this will be incorporated into the carpet, sharing encouragement and ideas as we face the climate and ecological emergency.
Mosses might be small, but they make a big difference.
What tiny things are you doing for a brighter greener future?
Leave a message: 07460 488650
(Discover more ways to send in your message and how we’ll incorporate it in the artwork Tell the tardigrade messages — The Art and Energy Collective)
