Beauty, Rubbish and Picking Up
The Dharrug and Gundungurra welcome was given by Aunty Lyn Stanger, when the NSW New South Wales cabinet met this week in Springwood, Blue Mountains, with hundreds of local people joining in.
The NSW Government is visiting 25 centres for these meetings, where they consult with local people about local issues.
Baglady was in plain clothes, but even so, who should come to her table but NSW Environment Minister Robyn Parker [left in the picture]? Hope to see you again very soon, Robyn!
Baglady’s looking up from Down Under having moved from one wee wet country, to a big hot flooded country Down Under!!
We exist to identify and promote work that restores our damaged environment, gets rid of rubbish, and reduces harmful practices.
Through baglady appearances, film, the web and other media, our campaigns give publicity to good practices, and to highlight those things that need to change.
for Climate Week 12-18th March, we are working to raise awareness : WATER ASAP
Clive Kyle - speaker from Ballymena Borough Council
What a FANTASTIC headline! Thanks Carla, Jim and all at the Guardian. We hope to scan the story and get it up here, for all to see.
Baglady emailed Carla: I’m so pleased and to be honest, relieved that you took the trouble to get there and get the story. Very good communications. Makes all the difference to the strength of the story.
We desperately need good, strong, positive environmental reporting now, everywhere in the world. And we’re only just starting to get it,
You’ll probably all be glad to know that Baglady Productions has not ceased production in Northern Ireland. Far from it.
Flushed with the Ballymena ASAP success, the team will now take it out to/on the whole of Northern Ireland. And of course Baglady’s stickin’out in Australia. Loads of Irish here! We’re planning an All Fools Day gathering on April 1. Maybe you can join us ASAP. We have no time to lose.
Blessings from Down Under, Shirley/Baglady
now please read the text of the article…
Students attended from Cullybackey HS, St Patrick's College and Northern Regional College
by Carla Speer
BALLYMENA’S drive to become a centre of ‘green’ living excellence stepped up a gear last week with an event in the Braid that brought together recycling experts and community groups.
The event was organised by, Baglady Productions, the brainchld of ‘Baglady’ Shirley Lewis, who although now living in Australia, joined the event by video message.
It attracted guests speakers from the council, the Department of the Environment, and a range of community groups.
The event was well attended and guests included the Mayor, councillor Hubert Nicholl, local students and businesses.
They were treated to a programme filled with information on the environment, centred on issues such as developing partnerships and empowering communities with sustainable actions.
The ASAP workshop “highlighted the fact that partnership is very necessary,” that is according to Jim Kitchen, Project Manager of Transition Town Whitehead and Soil Association.
Mr Kitchen told the Guardian: “Ballymena is a rural hinterland, the local inhabitants will have different answers to people who live in bigger cities. However, there were some good examples raised at this event which replicate our communities interests.”
Ballymena Borough Council are taking the initiative of Baglady Productions and bringing it forward to create a greater awareness of sustainability to Ballymena.
Clive Kyle, from the council, Assistant Director of Development, Leisure and Cultural Services, said he has full support from the council on the issue.
He said: “ We already have cluster groups, we want to develop sustainability, and develop a strategy as soon as possible.”
Mr Kyle continued: “The corporate plan will include measures, such as community planning to improve the issue of sustainability in Ballymena.”
A spokeswoman from Baglady Productions said the aim was to get the true message of sustainability out there to people of Ballymena.
Iris Cody from Baglady Productions offered her sincerest thanks to the hard work and dedication from Mr Kyle. She commented: “Clive was a great asset throughout the entire process. We could not of done it without his support and kindness.”
Ms Cody spoke warmly of Shirley Lewis, she said: “The entire process began with Shirley, she dedicated her ten years in Northern Ireland to the people of Ballymena to help them. She dedicated her time to living ASAP and bringing people together.”
Baglady friends: Jacky, Jim, and Julia
Gday all,
Very good reports hurtling across the world to me about the Ballymena ASAP event last Monday Jan 30.
We got film of it all, the laughter was great, the facilitators and other speakers were great and LOADS of people were there.
And thanks to John Toal and his show for the great last minute blast of publicity. Plenty of local people heard us on Saturday Magazine.
Well done everybody, says Baglady who, as promised, has not deserted the scene, but is looking up from below/Down Under… to see how yez are all doing with ASAP
AND getting a cast of thousands ready to speak from the brilliant Blue Mountains, and other Aussie parts….
Do not adjust your screens, this is really happening, and not a moment too soon…. Best, S the B
Gday this is Baglady, safe in the Blue Mountains after my ASAP journey across the world and ‘Australia’ from October 30 to December 21.
Have you heard about Ballymena ASAP?
It’s happening on Monday January the 30th, 11am-4pm at the Braid Centre in Ballymena
To be honest, it sounds as if it’s going to be amazing. At least 80 people – but room for more if you book now [see website] and it’s FREE, thanks to the Mayor and Ballymena Borough Council and a lot of hard work by Baglady Productions, and many others in many fields.
If you can’t come, we understand at this late notice, but PLEASE pass on this beautiful piece of NI Good News to all your friends and family. Anywhere in the world. Let’s rock Mother Earth gently back onto her axis.
I will be there on the day! ASAP of course, which means virtual travel. But I’ll be there, on the film I made with Gary Caganoff yesterday. And Danny Joyce is filming the event so we’ll all be able to see what goes on in Ballymena on Youtube etc.
Bairbre de Brun MEP + Shirley the Baglady
No Baglady. It’s ALL in your mind, that exhaustion… you are not hungry, you are not thirsty, you have shelter, clothes, and something to look forward to. UR truly lucky Baglady. So cut the crap and just DO it!
2 wks to go in NI….! 2 wks in GB. Maybe a quick train-hop over to Bruxelles mes chers, been invited by Bairbre de Brun! who stole Baglady’s bell, one Christmas long ago outside the great door of St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast/Beal Feirste.
Baglady’s bell is a recycled stunner made by Bo Vance from some, would’ve been wasted, metal from somewhere and!! have a listen! I shall play Baglady’s and Bairbre’s bell for you at the coming wake [Ballyeamon Barn 30th October] of my departure, and tell you the FoE story, behind it… and the laugh we all had together, in front of the cameras….
Bo Vance and other ASAP supporters
Yup I could be a delegate at – A social green revolution; towards and after COP 17 in Bruxelles hosted by Bairbre de Brun MEP but I don’t know how to find the time
But Baglady, it’s only 2 hrs 19mins de Londres a Paris, so it can’t be much more to Bruxelles, let’s zoom on it [please BBC??]
Well Baglady’s going to Sheffield and WHO has she in her sights in Sheffield?…..
then there’s York. And a friend of Karen’s and Betty’s. ‘Betty’s’! the most delicious pies and pastries and was it jam? marmalade in the whole world…
Hope you have all pledged ASAP! if not start NOW!
come on everybody, time to get moving talking doing, Northern Ireland [hey] has to lead the world
I’m very busy with ASAP, SASAP, MASAP, TASAP and all the other SAPs and we need your help
soon you’ll be hearing the voices of the amazing excellent boys of Lurgan St Paul’s Junior High School. They’re among thousands of schoolpersons speaking out loud and clear now, on environment and sustainability issues. Well done those boys!!
We already have the answers! we just don’t quite realise it. Watch these spaces and feel free to join in wherever you see a space for YOU. Our MLAs are doing it, our MPs, our Mayors, our councils, Limavady, Ballymoney the latest; + our businesses…. and our wonderful local papers – keep reading them, they keep our communities alive.
But you know, we’re all a bit rusty sometimes on what to do, and how, so we’ve all got to help each other.
Shop ASAP with Baglady around Northern Ireland [hey] starting at the Salad Bowl in Omagh. This is a project with EWWR – European Week of Waste Reduction [November 19-27] – get YOUR favourite shop in the picture. ASAP.
Travel ASAP i.e. virtually online with Baglady, sailing from Rome on November 15th. Listen to her/me on John Toal’s Saturday Magazine show, BBC Radio Ulster 10am October 29th. Get inspired. Quick!!
check our ASAP intro film here, NOW and let’s rock Mother earth back onto her axis
Our friend Karen over at The Rubbish Diet recently caught up with former Friends of the Earth director, now Green Party candidate Tony Juniper.
By cutting down the amount we’re putting in the bin, we can make a huge reduction to our overall carbon footprint, and advance the cause of social equity: because in the end, there’s only so many resources to go around… if just a few of us in the global population are using everything, that’s going to be a real block on ending poverty in the future.
Rubbish is more than an inconvenience; it’s a global issue.
RESPECT is the cornerstone of the Baglady ethos; if we all think about it more often, the world won’t be in such a mess, and our lives will be much happier. Here, Mehary from Lalibela, Ethiopia, tells us his word for RESPECT, and what it means to him.
TELL US: What’s the word for RESPECT in your language? What does RESPECT mean to you?
Send us piks, drawings, poems, whatever…
From Northern Ireland to the world…
Whoever you are, wherever you are…
Welcome to the Baglady website, where Baglady, friends and family are on about saving the world.
Is it too late? Who knows! Let’s just get on with it!
Click for Big!
