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Monthly Archive for June, 2011

Rain holds of for 2011 Stormont ASAP event picnic

Published on June 23, 2011 in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment

With all this changing weather, we were taking a big chance. But we
wanted to get close to our MLAs and have a great location for the Living ASAP film, so we picked the front lawn at Stormont. So….

Kids and ALLs at the picnic

No media coverage due to Rory McIlroy’s great golf win and the Short Strand violence, but see yourself in the pics featured here, and the ASAP NI shout to the world film, which we’re releasing ASAP… [ie when it's finished].

Walking up the Hill

Richard Jolly and I travelled ASAP as usual, train to Central, bus to Stormont gates. Met a few fearless faithful, ready to walk the Royal Mile with Baglady and photographer Melissa Gordon. Including Julia, Jim and Sandra, Rachael with her son Peter, and her Mum and friends.. and my son Nick; and Jacky with her son Ben…. and other small groups of people.

Up at Stormont we met up with a delegation from NIEL led by Sue Christie, Gary McFarland from Stop Climate Chaos, and the 4 schools: St Colm’s High School Draperstown, with St Mary’s PS, Harryville PS in their bus hired by Wrightbus, and Ballymacrickett PS. And their politicians were there to meet them and to speak: Mervyn Storey, Cathal Boylan, Anna Lo, Steven Agnew, and Naomi Long MP, who started the speeches. Alex Atwood, our new envirominister, has made a lovely pledge involving his wife and daughters. My dear storytelling friend Liz Weir took loads of pictures, beamed goodwill all around and shared her pledge stories. There was Mary who’s been carless for about 2 yrs…

Baglady, kids and politicians on the Stormont steps

Ada Ketchie sang her Baglady song; Jacky Ingram got us laughing, Diane Wilson played the saw with Jonny Mitchell on guitar. Nic, Iris and Rachael told of our ASAP work with politicians, councils, schools and businesses. Julia urged us to Vote with Our Baskets, Sarah and John spoke about the sustainability of breastfeeding and bikes, people knitted with Judy’s wool and made flags with Heather and picnicked more or less ASAP.

Picnicking on the lawn

The new Lord Mayor of Belfast was not there to make his moving speech for our film, because of the violence in Short Strand. We shall however meet very soon. Same with the new Derry City Lord Mayor.

Baglady and storyteller Liz Weir

The reports about this event have been warm and glowing; that’s what I was hoping for. Now there’s news of more great moves forward: NIEL’s meeting on 22nd with Minister Atwood and Envirochairperson Anna Lo. And Belfast City Council’s recycling week businesses breakfast today.

People say NI’s always behind the times, but I say: once we get there, we’re grand!! Spread the word in every way to all your friends and family. Living ASAP is urgent, needed, now…

best beams, Baglady
Shirley Lewis

Click ‘Continue Reading…’ below to see lots of pics from the day.

Continue reading ‘Rain holds of for 2011 Stormont ASAP event picnic’

praising Ballymena, Stormont ASAP

Published on June 20, 2011 in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment Tags: , , , .

It’s not often a weekly paper gets to scoop the world news, but yes! Ballymena Guardian‘s out on the exact day, Midsummer Tuesday with a lovely piece by Seana, launching the global ASAP story.

let’s hope this will be the first in an endless series about what we Ballymena people, individuals, groups, businesses, schools, above all, politicians – what we’re all doing, to help bring back the balance…. when we film this, loads of KIDS shout YaY! at this point

Today I was invited to speak for a few minutes about Pledge ASAP, at the APSE [Association for Public Service Excellence] sustainability seminar in Ballymena’s ECOS centre. Mayor Hubert Nicholl had also put pledge forms out for those attending – so we hope to see the message spreading further through our councils. No time to lose.

Ballymena’s where I grew up, and returned to live in 2001, just round the corner from where I started. It’s my place, my town, my river, my land, etc. And like most places I’ve been in Northern Ireland, it’s much more littered than it was 10 years ago. Because the stuff people are dropping doesn’t break down. Children in our schools drop it because their parents don’t tell them not to.

I take full responsibility for playing my part in taking care of it all, whatever I can do to help bring us back to respect. Ditto for Omagh, Belfast, Armagh and Derry City, Strabane, Carrickfergus and Coleraine and all councils and communities working with us – and us working with them.

So please pledge ASAP ….. this is Northern Ireland’s SHOUT to the world and we need everybody.

We are talking naked and unashamed good news. About people making good choices; people learning from their mistakes, people reaching out across the world to solve problems together.

We are talking people in our community, making a difference in whatever way we can: Wrightbus, Harryville Primary School and Harryville Partnership, Michelin…. Patton… Translink….. BITCNI, WRAP, the DoENI [Rethink Waste]

midsummer’s day draws nigh in NI

Published on June 17, 2011 in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment Tags: , , , .

Final few days’ preparations for our ASAP midsummer’s day picnic, at Stormont, Praying for sun…

I was just thinking… how great it would be, if our new Environment Minister Alex Atwood can come to our ASAP picnic .. we’ve invited him, of course; and I’ve heard very good reports about him from many directions, already… so a lot of hopes resting with Alex…

Should he come to the picnic, Alex will be Baglady’s 10th Environment Minister [Australia, UK, RoI, NI] and there’s an interesting story about each one…

The only one BL didn’t meet was Margaret Beckett, who replied to her letter sent to her through Ian Paisley Jnr, her local MP and latest to share his pledge with local children at Carniny Primary School, Ballymena. Ian talks well with kids.

DVWP, the sun will be shining [weather prediction by Iona from NIEL] The rest of us start picnicking ASAP 12 noon on…. Baglady processes up the Royal Mile 11.30, from Stormont gates. Speakers miked 1-2pm only and we’re also having World Café tablecloths…. Julia’s idea to gather info and share views..

Join us! show you care! Pledge ASAP and pass on to THE WORLD! Come on everybody. Be with us really, or virtually….. let’s gently rock poor oul Mother Earth back onto her axis

..if it rains, hails, snows or thunders, ask at Stormont gates, they’ll direct you to the Pavilion….

……..

Excellent pledge news coming up, from Michelin, Ballymena. Environmental activists delighted. Brilliant news from St Catherine’s College, Armagh and Armagh council. Met Mayor Freda and Chief Executive John Briggs, who’s going to draft Armagh’s ASAP pledge. Which will then be available to inspire councils all over NI – and, well, the world. Why not.

some very good things are going on here in Northern Ireland. This is our moment to shout ASAP to the far corners of the earth eg China, Australia, New Zealand… and of course, dear old Americay…..lots of us lovely Irish there and everywhere……

best beams, Baglady

ASAP pledges gather momentum – NI and world!

Published on June 10, 2011 in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment

A hectic week. Having lived+worked ASAP for 10 years now – which feels great! try it! – I’m very glad to say that a lot more support is starting to come in now, from all directions. Individual, corporate, business, political…

On Monday Dominic Bradley, Cathal Boylan [an early pledger] and possibly Conor Murphy will join me and the girls of St Catherine’s, Armagh to share pledges, before I meet the new Mayor and Chief Executive.

We now have over 1/3rd of NI Assembly, + MPs – Ian Paisley Jnr is signed up at last! – MEPs, TDs… the first few local councillors pledging; Mayors from Derry, Omagh, Ballymena, Armagh and soon Belfast. Chief Executives from Ballymena, Armagh…

Our ASAP Picnic happens to be in Recycling Week and that’s inspiring the creative brains in DoENI. Watch this space!!

Love and thanks to my wonderful cousin Barbara Creed, in Putney, London who’s in her late 80s and has just pledged. With Barbara you know it will be simple, practical, thought-through and she’ll DO it. Onya Barbara, and wake up the rest of the family! Oh yes and old old school friends pledging now…. we need everybody.

Companies local and national are feeling their way into supporting us – Patton, Wrightbus, Michelin talking… Holland and Barrett always do; Sainsburys will if we keep reminding them… Tesco yet to work with Baglady in any way… Ballymena Town Centre Development people will take the message to local shops and businesses. Harryville Partnership have voted to support us. Yes!!

So: I Baglady bravely say that the people of Northern Ireland are intelligent and ready to move on; ready to hear what we need to do, and HOW; The visit of the reporter from the Ballymena Guardian will start the next round of debate locally; Ballymena Times will be doing a piece, later..

The local and regional papers all over Ulster, indeed Ireland, continue to support us. Could critical mass be with us at last? I bloomin hope so.

Omagh! 2

Published on June 8, 2011 in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment Tags: , , .

This is me Baglady celebrating the first Omagh council pledger Declan McAleer! Joy agus gladness; and speaking about:

3] GASAP SASAP CASAP: Filming ASAP with Jacky Ingram

4] Baglady @ Flatlake

5] Climate change scenarios workshop at Glencordial Farm with Transition Omagh and Wayne Foord, Queen’s University Belfast

3
GASAP, SASAP and CASAP stand for Grow, Shop and Cook ASAP with Baglady. All of which we’ve got started in Omagh! Filming started in Bernie’s garden, then we bagged up and walked down into town, to Shop ASAP at my favourite shop The Salad Bowl and meet lots of friendly locals. The town is quiet, for a Saturday

Walked back uphill sharing the weight of the shopping and filming roadside rubbish, back to Bernie’s to Cook ASAP which was lots of chopping scraping and roasting. To be followed by EASAP, Eat Drink and Be Merry with Baglady. Food was fresh, healthy and tasty. Company was great. The Tesco wine was cheap but not Fair Trade. Watch this space for the film soon.

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Baglady @ Flatlake . Weather wet and wild and sometimes sunny with a high cloudy sky like a cathedral roof at Hilton Park where Flatlake happens. There was mud and you had to make up your mind to enjoy. So we did. And the things we saw and heard and ate and drank!! the friends we made and met again!! The Omagh and Enniskillen a capella choir, led by Valerie with people I know singing! The funniest poetry slam I’ve ever seen or heard! The Gonzo zoo and the brilliant Andreas and the people who played with him. I’ve lost all the proper names of things because my programme dissolved in the rain.

There’s so much talent in this country – definitely no signs of recession brain drain yet. Wish people didn’t drop so much rubbish though. Hard work to clean all that up.

5
Climate change scenarios It’s a relief to get together and talk reality with other people who want a real future for our children. Wayne led us through 3 different climate change scenarios and 8 people from very different backgrounds discovered we all have a shared deep concern about how things are going AND a strong desire to work out how to prepare. Really good stuff with potential to make a lot of sense to a lot of people very soon.

Get ready to Live ASAP: Omagh!

Published on June 7, 2011 in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment Tags: , , , , .

4 nights in Omagh

1] Thur night. Arr Omagh bus station. Walked to Omagh District Council. Heather welcomed me. Met the new Chairman, Frankie Donnelly, who’s pledged to reduce water use in toothcleaning and use the watersaving feature on his new shower fitting.

The Chair was on his way to a council meeting… He took 21 ASAP pledge cards to give to the meeting. I explained that the ASAP pledge cards are serious, and we need people to follow the instructions: Pledge ASAP and Pass It On… IF everyone plays their part, it could mean 21X14 pledge pass-ons = 294 pledges. BUT are we serious yet?

Elizabeth took pictures of me, Mayor and Ian Leitch, Omagh Council’s Sustainability/Environmental Health Officer. Ian kindly gave the Oul Bag a lift up a long hill to Bernie’s house. Gave him a card.

I saw Ian again 4 days later at Glencordial Farm and he beaming! and telling me he’d taken the pledge. Hurrayyyyyyyy!

We look forward to seeing some results here. There were good opening moves on ASAP last year in Omagh, with council staffer Maggie Cassidy pledging and passing on. And we need a big change of heart, right through the community, for our environment. Our planet. Our children’s future…

Lovely sunset chat, foodm wine and a wee chant with Bernie. We’re old friends.

2] Friday 9.30: Visit to Omagh Integrated Primary School, made very welcome by Caroline, Natasha and Nigel. Then the whole school, children [except P1+2 on Sports Day the wee darlins], teachers and chairman of the Board of Governors welcomed Baglady, and MLAs Ross Hussey, UUP and Barry McElduff Sinn Fein, a pal of Baglady’s after NEEDabag? in Trillick [see the film]

Holly, P3 and Paul, P4? said how they were going with their pledges, Ross and Barry jumped in perfectly on cue, it was short, sweet spontaneous and great fun, and I autographed hundreds of arms and bits of paper in the playground while the sun blazed…

This is not the first school where I’ve gone back to ask how people’s ASAP pledges are going. But I do know we all need LOTS of reminding to stick with even the most simple changes of habit. And we ALL need to lift our ASAP game. NI at present is in a very rubbishy condition. And Omagh Integrated have been promised a new school and it just doesn’t happen… Ross said he’d help.

Wish we’d filmed it. It was important, and lovely film material. I can just see how I’d have done it, but I’m flat out being a Baglady, AND a reporter for the GLObal TV SHOw.

There is bungling and waste going on in Omagh – like anywhere else, of course. In all of our lives. We’re using at least 4.9 times our share of global resources and a lot of us still don’t want to think about it. Cos it means we have to change.

Tomorrow’s blog: 3] Filming ASAP with Jacky; GASAP SASAP CASAP 4] Omagh rocks Flatlake…. and 5] Wayne Foord [QUB: Scenarios workshop with Transition Omagh