March 2010
Turn On Turn Off
Potholes are for pansies Not in the news
Make....Bake.....Cake!
Nothing feels more exciting than opening the oven to find a big lump of sticky sweet goodness to devour in half the time it took to make. What a good way to cheer not only yourself up but the people around you too. So this month we’re challenging you to get creative in the kitchen.
Making your own treats will also help reduce; the amount of packaging you consume, the amount of products which have travelled so many miles to you and the amount of money you spend which goes to companies who advertise heavily at children and stick horrible additives in their food.
This is Nick’s ever evolving and never quite the same cake recipe:
With a fork mix 2 tablespoons of margarine with a good pouring of fairtrade caster sugar, pour a tiny bit of oat-milk/milk/water/whatever into the mixture and mix, add chocolate/nuts/fruit if you fancy some or have some in stock but if not don’t worry, mix together and then add around 5/6 tablespoons of organic self raising flour, mix together. You should now have a mixture which is thick and gloopy (if not add some more flour). Then put into whatever baking utensil/casserole dish (line with baking paper) you have and put into a hot oven of around 180C and cook for about 30 mins or until you can prod the middle with a knife and the knife comes out clean.
As always we would like to see pictures of your best brownies, Fairtrade fruitcakes, lovely lemon tarts and organic oakcakes. We also want to hear stories of kitchen happenings and any great recipes that you would like to share (jo@otesha.org.uk). Bon appetite!
Proudly presenting our patron
There are no long faces here, because Josie Long is now officially our super cool patron (and that’s why she’s the comedian, not us). As well as enjoying knitting, making zines, recycling, turning off her computer and all those hundreds of small things that make a better world, she makes us laugh until our bellies ache. Other people agree – check out her accomplishments – she’s an If.Comedy Award Winner and BBC Comedy Award Winner. She’s been on BBC2’s Buzzcocks, C4’s Skins and Charlie Brooker's You Have Been Watching, AND she’s been on Radio 4 with her own acclaimed series and Just A Minute. Blimey.
We’re very very excited about Josie being our patron, we’re off to see her at the Red Lion in Angel this week. And we’ve plans afoot for videos and other fun and furiously funny (and socially and environmentally sustainable) fings. We'll let you know when Otesha and Josie start doing fings together, in the meantime we recommend you go and see how funny (and nice) she is for yourself.
Lest we forget the least ethical
Get a load of this lot, the 12 least ethical companies in the whole wide world. The list of losers includes mining companies, four oil and gas companies, Berlusconi’s TV company Mediaset, Ryanair and two agricultural giants (one for pesticides t’other for gm misdemeanours), including the winner Monsanto.
The comments provide some pesticide-free food for thought, from the wise…
Look! If we continue to bank at Bank of America or Wells or Chase... if we continue to buy GMO food from Monsanto... if we continue to support the political corruption by voting for Republicans or Democrats who put the same corrupt people in the Treasury and the Fed... then we deserve what we get.
Or... we could move our money out of the big banks, buy from local farmers, barter, grow our own food, support our local communities.... We might as well do it voluntarily now, because if we don't, we'll be doing it out of desperation soon enough.
… to the absurd,
How appropriate that the corporation that gave the world the term "astroturf" should be on this list.
Lots and lots of lycra
Otesha alumni are getting their lycra back on. This Easter 10 cycle tour alumni from the past two years are getting back on their bikes, to revive their superhero alter egos, have fun and to raise money for their favourite charity!
They’ll be riding the epic Land’s End to John O’ Groats route in just 2 weeks, from the 29th March to the 11th of April. Stopping to preview a few of the summer tour locations, singing each other up those thigh-burning hills and re-living the adventure!
If you know of anyone or anywhere who would put them for a night that would also be super appreciated (contact carla@otesha.org.uk). Sponsor the superheroes here.
Wild food and wilderbikes
Come on a wild food cycle around East London! This is a fantastic opportunity to learn to identify and pick a host of edible wild shoots and leaves growing in the urban landscape...all whilst enjoying a relaxed cycle ride. You will discover the range of properties held by these 'invisible' wild foods before finally getting the chance to prepare and taste them in a communally cooked meal. The ride will take place on Saturday 13th March and will be guided by Ceri who runs the Invisible Food Project in Lambeth.
The wild food ride will cost £10 (including a meal and refreshments- what a bargain) and will raise money for Otesha. Contact carla@otesha.org.uk if you want to get involved. Participants should be confident to cycle on the road - bring your own bike and helmet!
Switch on to the switch off
Last year it was big and black, this year it’s going to be even bigger and blacker. The big dark global phenomenon that is Earth Hour will be revealing the big black night sky to us, and others all over the world, at 8.30pm on Saturday 27th March.
It began with just (JUST!) 2.2 million homes and businesses in Sydney in 2007. In 2009 hundreds of millions of people around the world took part in Earth Hour by turning off their lights for one hour. Earth Hour 2010 will continue to be a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community. A call to stand up, to show leadership and be responsible for our future.
Get those lights off and get involved.
And finally
This month we will mostly be stopping for tea at 4pm prompt to share our fairly traded home baked goods.
Jo, Hanna, Liz, Edd, Carla & Mohamed
The Otesha Project UK
www.otesha.org.uk
P.s. Put your face in our book and the twit in our tweets (follow us on facebook and twitter).