DorkySon: For the Oceans

September 30, 2017 By DorkyMum in Activism, Family, Tasmania Tags: Activism, environment, marine debris, oceans, Sea Shepherd, Sea Shepherd Tasmania 31 Comments

Sea Shepherd Tasmania debris cleanup

Since we first arrived in Tasmania, DorkySon has held a quiet fascination with Sea Shepherd.

When the Bob Barker was in port a couple of years ago he kept a wary distance. He loved the idea of protecting whales, but he wasn’t quite sure about those big, sharp teeth painted on the bow.

He loved to look out for Sea Shepherd supporters when we were out and about. At markets and festivals, the familiar logo was emblazoned across t-shirts, hoodies, and beanies, and he could always spot them a mile off.

The longer we have lived here, the more DorkySon has grown to love the ocean and with that has come a new appreciation for the work that Sea Shepherd does. Continue reading →

Keep It In The Ground

May 18, 2015 By DorkyMum in Activism Tags: campaigning, climate change, divestment, environment, Guardian, Keep It In the Ground 5 Comments

I’ve been saying to myself for a while that I need to get back into some kind of campaigning again, but it has been hard to know what. As a non-voter in Australia I feel a bit odd about getting involved with a political party across here, and obviously I can grumble about UK politics as much as I like but I’m not really in a position to do much about it. There doesn’t seem to be as much of a lively NGO sector here as there was in Scotland, and family life means that I feel less inclined to spend my weekends waving placards and shimmying up lampposts. Although somewhat ironically having a family means that I’m now keener than ever to see a world which is safe and happy for DorkySon to grow up in. Continue reading →

Stories for Our Not So Distant Future

March 14, 2013 By DorkyMum in Activism Tags: AL Kennedy, Alasdair Gray, Beacons, Beacons Stories for Our Not So Distant Future, books, books about climate change, campaigning, climate change, climate change campaigning, environment, environment books, green issues, Gregory Norminton, Joanne Harris, Mike Robinson, Stop Climate Chaos, Toby Litt 6 Comments

This time six years ago I was not a blogger. I was not a mum. I was not even married.

Six years ago, I worked full time for a coalition called Stop Climate Chaos. I would describe it to people as the climate change equivalent of Make Poverty History – a large, diverse group of development charities, environmental NGOs, churches, trade unions, student societies and many others – working together to campaign on issues around climate change. Continue reading →

Break the Bag Habit

October 3, 2012 By DorkyMum in Activism Tags: #bagadventures, #burythebagmonster, Activism, Break the Bag Habit, campaigning, environment, green, Lush, Plastic Bag Campaign, plastic bags, pollution 9 Comments

I remember very vividly my first encounter with Lush. I was probably twelve or thirteen, walking along Princes St in Edinburgh with a friend, when suddenly I was hit by the most incredible smell.

“Wow,” I said. “What is that? It’s GORGEOUS.”

It was Lush.

We went and pressed our noses up against the window, lusting after the fizzy pink bath bombs and the slices of soap filled with funky shapes. It was every teenage girl’s dream, and it came as no surprise to me a few months ago to learn that my own niece – who is sixteen – now counts Lush among her favourite shops too. Ethical companies selling quality products will always be popular.

Continue reading →

Weans’ World

October 1, 2012 By DorkyMum in Activism, Scotland Tags: childcare, childhood, culture, education, environment, parenting, PArenting Across Scotland, policy, politics, Scotland, Scottish Government, Scottish Government PArenting Strategy, Scottish Parliament, working parent 11 Comments

What would make Scotland the best place in the world to bring up children?

The Scottish Government will soon be launching their National Parenting Strategy. You can read more about it here. This is a brilliant opportunity to use our voices as parents and let the Government know what they’re doing well… but more importantly what they could be doing better.

I’ve been asked by the charity Parenting Across Scotland to do a quick post with my own thoughts, but also to help gather your thoughts. Please do feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments below, or if you’re on Twitter you can tweet using the #PAS12 hashtag.

Continue reading →

Dorkymum | Stories from Tasmania

Stories from our family home in Tasmania

Tag Archives: environment