On the Mend

Whilst hungrily hurrying through the inner north suburbs of Melbourne yesterday afternoon I passed On the Mend and just had to go in. I needed a set of my keys cutting anyway but I was excited to see a repair store offering something different to the usual repair and alteration corner in the dry cleaners.

I popped in and met the friendly staff who fixed me up a set of keys straight away. The open workspace behind the counter is a hive of activity and colour with many bags and shoes in various states of repair filling the surfaces. Repaired items waiting for collection by caring owners hung in brown paper bags, and machines whirred and spun.

My joy at finding On the Mend inspired me to share this place through my blog. Having skilled repairers in our communities helps us to keep the items we love for longer. This is great news for us, keeps the repairers in business and keeps our broken accessories out of landfill and in our lives - win win win!

I'd love to see pictures of your local repair centre, please share with #RepairNotReplace

For tips about how to keep your garments and accessories for longer check out Love Your Clothes

People's Climate March

The People's Climate March took place across 166 countries during the weekend of 20th and 21st September 2014 ahead of the UN Climate Summit in New York City on 23rd September. People took to the streets together in pursuit of a shared goal -  energy for the world from 100% clean and renewable sources. This IS possible. And great things are happening now, but more needs to be done. Individuals can do so much on a practical level in their homes, places of work and education. That collective action will make a difference, but we need governments to set ambitious targets for renewable energy which require hard and fast work. We need our leaders to lead, to break out from existing in the control of fossil fuel corporations, not to be afraid of the politics of power. The People's Climate March was about forcing our leaders to see what the people want. That healthy ecology equals healthy economy. That destroying the planet for short term gain leaves our children and their children and their children disadvantaged as they clean up the mess of today. That it's unfair to subsidise massive fossil fuel corporations, let them pollute for free, and then use the people's tax money to repair the damage. THIS HAS TO STOP.

I volunteered for Avaaz in Melbourne and their hard work, global reach and determination is truly inspiring. It was also great to meet other volunteers and march alongside other organisations including Get Up, 350.org, and Greenpeace.

I bought three vest tops from my local Salvos store  to upcycle into a dress to wear for the march, inspired by three shades of green and the Avaaz hearts.

Check out #peoplesclimate and #worthsaving on social media for thousands of pictures, film footage and information from the summit. A couple of things to watch below that have really inspired me recently...

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