THE NEW ACTIVISM
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‘Our other major national activism project is called Green Light. It’s focussed on
coming out, and on trying to make that process easier for young people. In the first wave, we trained ten young people from all over Scotland to be peer educators, using their experiences of coming out to put together workshops and projects for young people in general, and they’ve been going into schools and youth groups, and making people think. One of the things that comes out is that LGBT young people want to use their own experiences of coming out, or being bullied, or just feeling isolated, to help try and make those things easier for other people. Many of them do encounter these difficulties, and it’s good for them to have the chance to feel involved in trying to change legislation. I think they get a huge amount of satisfaction from going in and challenging people’s attitudes, too.’ (Interview by Kirstin Innes) ■ www.lgbtyouth.org.uk
THE INDEPENDENT POLITICIAN Margo MacDonald is an MSP for Lothians. She’s a strong supporter of Scottish independence and over the course of
her political career has been a vocal campaigner for many and diverse issues. She’s currently campaigning, among other things, for more qualified PE teachers in schools, for the right to euthanasia, and for better legislation of prostitution. ‘If someone said describe me I wouldn’t describe myself as a campaigner, I’m first and foremost an elected politician, but there’s no doubt about it – I have been involved in a lot of campaigns, and I certainly do believe in public campaigning. ‘It’s something that started back in the 60s. And I’m a child of my generation. There were big issues and big ideological and idealistic campaigns running then. These things continue. Some of them have been accomplished – there is no Apartheid now in South Africa – but there’s still inequality and there’s still injustice.
‘I’m not satisfied with anything I’ve done though. The thing is that, if you go into a campaign, it’s very unlikely that you’ll achieve exactly what you’re looking for. There’s things that I’ll never stop campaigning about – I believe in an equitable share for everybody of what the world has to offer.
‘Aside from politics I can’t really think of
another democratic and decent way of doing it. And having said that, that’s not fair, because Greenpeace have changed things, and CND to a certain extent. But usually you also have to have some campaigners who are active in political parties, who probably never get preferment or advancement inside the political parties, who may well be looked on as upsetters and head cases, but if they can stand up to that, if they keep championing on the side of the angels inside political parties, if they keep a long term perspective and stay focused on why they are doing it and the people for whom they are doing >> it, then they’re doing everyone a service.
22 THE LIST 23 Jul–6 Aug 2009
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS Claire Ritchie finds some inspiration for your dinner plate
who started the Fife Diet (www.fifediet.co.uk) or go foraging for your own free local food – there’s something to be sniffed out whatever the season. Check out www.wildmanwildfood.com for helpful foraging tips. OK, so growing your own veg is all well and good, but we all need to step into a shop once in a while. A life lived on cabbages and lettuce alone would be rather dull, it’s true. When it comes to shopping, however, it is still possible to make a difference. Make an effort to shop locally, avoiding the big supermarket chains, and support your local farmers’ market. Visit www.scottishfarmers markets.co.uk to find your nearest one. If the weather turns or you just can’t make it to the market on the right day, consider doing the weekly shop at somewhere like Earthy in Edinburgh, one of the marvellous local food markets that are springing up these days: www.earthy.co.uk
Finally, it pays to learn a little about the Slow Food movement, a non-profit organisation aimed at re-kindling people’s interest in and passion for good food. Local groups organise farm visits, supper get-togethers, cookery demos by local chefs – and these are not just open to members; everybody’s welcome. www.slowfoodedinburgh.co.uk
W hat we eat, where our food comes from and how we eat it all have a huge impact on our local and global environment – and, happily, it only takes a few small changes to the way we approach our food to make a difference. Local, seasonal food is cheaper, tastes better, and doesn’t hike up the food miles or produce nasty carbon emissions. Bonus.
The cheapest way to make a food difference is to
grow your own – and you don’t even need a garden. Salad leaves and herbs will grow happily in window boxes, while veg like runner beans, carrots, cabbages and even potatoes can thrive in a pot on a patio or balcony. If you really don’t have space to grow your own veg at home, consider applying for an allotment. They take a fair bit of time and energy commitment, but the rewards of free food that you’ve grown yourself are more than worth the effort. Find out how to apply through your local council: www.glasgow.gov.uk or www.edinburgh.gov.uk. And, on a similar note, why not don your balaclava and try a spot of guerrilla gardening? www.guerrillagardening.org, the gardening equivalent of graffiti, planting seeds and plants in neglected urban land on the sneak.
Perhaps the next best thing is to join a local veg box scheme. That way you can be assured of the seasonality and provenance of the produce, while at the same time supporting local businesses. Phantassie Farm and East Coast Organics near Edinburgh, My Local Farm in central Scotland, and Grow Wild in Glasgow are just some of the schemes operating across the country. Find your local box scheme through www.soilassociation scotland.org, where there is also some helpful advice on joining or setting up an organic buying group.
With all those veg plants springing up in your garden or allotment you’re going to be needing some compost – and what’s the point in buying it when you can make your own? Waste Aware Scotland has helpful advice on how to turn your food scraps into lovely fresh compost: www.wasteawarescotland.org.uk
Food co-ops are springing up all
over the place in a bid to provide cheap, healthy food to people on lower incomes or just the community-minded. By buying in bulk and distributing at cost price, the middle man is cut out and shoppers reap the financial benefits. The North Glasgow Community Food Initiative www.ngcfi.org.uk and the Edinburgh Community Food Initiative www.ecfi.org.uk are just two such schemes.
It should be apparent by now that eating local food is the key. It reduces food miles, cuts down on food waste and simply tastes better. Fact. Take inspiration from the people