Any Advice Appreciated

Latest Articles

Any Advice Appreciated

Downsizer Forum Index -> Authors Corner

Author

Message

Rï¿½isï¿½n

Joined: 30 Jul 2005
Posts: 578

Posted: Mon Sep 05, 05 5:14 pm Post subject: Any Advice Appreciated

In other words, hee-ee-elp!

I've 'volunteered' to write an eco-y, enviromental-y- type column for the university student newspaper. I'm thinking of a snazzy, catchyoureye title followed by amazing revelations on how the average student can become more self sufficent and eco-aware. Now I just need to smooth out the details and eep! the nerves are attacking.

Any ideas would be very very welcome. I'd like to do maybe the first article on making your own bread but maybe that belongs to a bit further down the road? And my most brilliant (use that word v. loosely) idea for the title so far has been 'How to be a Self-Sufficent Goddess', except that that would clearly only apply to women ...

Edited to Add: Please move the post if I've posted it in the wrong forum by the way

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Mon Sep 05, 05 5:19 pm Post subject:
Well, you could nick loads of stuff from here provided it was properly credited etc. Selfsufficientish.com has a lot of good stuff about doing things on a budget/in a small space.

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Mon Sep 05, 05 5:30 pm Post subject:
hmm I'd start with some cheap basic recipes ( like the ones in the pasta thread?) as I'm guessing new students just from home need help with basic cooking without spending a fortune. A little thing on growing a few herbs on the windowsill might also work too. Gee I'd love a regular column on something - good for you girl!

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Mon Sep 05, 05 6:14 pm Post subject:

Roisin, tell me about the place; where are you, what's the campus like? I used to forage for masses of wild foods on both Nottingham and Lancaster campusses, and there's plenty of free food on land owned by Cambridge University. An article on free wild food should go down fine.

Then one on quick homebrew (make and drink a gallon of wine in 1 short academic term).

How to shop cheaply and ethically.

How to make your own hand creams.

How to get involved with the university/college conservation volounteers or the local BTCV.

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Mon Sep 05, 05 6:16 pm Post subject:

How about a 'veg of the week' element to it. I can remember going through a phase as a student where I convinced myself that fresh veg was expensive, and subsited on cheap pasta and spuds. Despite always loving cooking, once I hit that blank wall, it took me ages to start eating properly again, and I'm sure a lot of students don't have the general cooking experience to realise just what can be done quickly, cheaply and tastily with a few bits from teh veg shop

Rï¿½isï¿½n

Joined: 30 Jul 2005
Posts: 578

Posted: Mon Sep 05, 05 6:36 pm Post subject:

These are all excellent ideas - I knew I could depend on ye for wonderful inspiration and practical help

Cab, I'm in Ireland and the campus is Galway university. It's fairly coastal - it's a city on a bay and the uni is in the city. Your wine idea is so so so suitable, I have no words

Sally that idea is fabulous - I went through exactly the same phase myself at one point. I remember buying a packet of parsnips to last me through the week, along with about a kilo of white dried pasta

Adding the actual prices too would be good.

Julie, how sweet of you to say so - thanks so much for the encouragement.

Sean, of course anything I write at all would owe a huge debt to this place and I'd plug on the end

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Sep 05, 05 6:52 pm Post subject:
An article on online reasources such as money saving expert, this site etc?

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Mon Sep 05, 05 8:24 pm Post subject:
At least half a column (not ness the first!) could be filled by asking folks to tell you what they'd like to read about... And you might care to maintain an email address specifically for questions/comments/requests... and thus you can be "interactive" but I'm sure you already do interact...

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Mon Sep 05, 05 10:09 pm Post subject:
Good for you, Roisin!

Helen_A

Joined: 26 Jan 2005
Posts: 1548
Location: MK, Bucks.

Posted: Wed Sep 07, 05 10:37 pm Post subject:

Yay! Great idea

Student papers/mags being fantastic places to practise skills

)

How about - greening your immediate environment? The importance of having plant life to reduce stress and aid concentration (and whilst you are doing that you may as well grow something edible....

)

Sprouting can be interesting (and can become somewhat profitable if you prove to be good at it).

Other aspects - well, that being ethical need not be expensive. The pros and cons of charity shopping. Recycling old essays to make the paper for new (well, maybe that one tongue-firmly-in-cheek!). Being a 'paperless' student? (can you do that? I've managed it via the OU, but my original degree was a serious eater of paper and print resources....)

I'd definately give thought to a regular recipe though... something seasonal?

Helen_A

Rï¿½isï¿½n

Joined: 30 Jul 2005
Posts: 578

Posted: Wed Sep 07, 05 10:47 pm Post subject:
These are all fantastic ideas and ye are all brilliant! Thanks for the support especially. Helen, what's OU?

Helen_A

Joined: 26 Jan 2005
Posts: 1548
Location: MK, Bucks.

Posted: Wed Sep 07, 05 11:16 pm Post subject:

Oh sorry - OU is Open University. I got greedy and decided that having a BA(Hons) wasn't enough so have been carefully adding extra credits over the last few years.... took a year out when DD2 was due and have 'forgotten' to go back .... DS is now nearly 2 so when that will now be.....

Had an extra thought - what about a column on low impact living? You may find that there are courses available within the university (probably run by Continuing education) that you could harness or report on. Or you could just stick to: alternative detergents, alternative fuels, the importance of a good woolly (or vegan alternative) jumper and long johns, old essays as insulation, alternative transport, the 'boy/girl friend factor' in preserving personal warmth (that one would have gone down well in our old paper but was veto'd by the student union

), how candlelight is flattering to not-so-great skin (and to great skin for that matter) and fantastic for romantic walks (sorry), solar cooking (otherwise known as 'how not to use your windowsill in digs to preserve milk'),........

sorry, its late and I'm rambling and putting off doing a stocktake and a lot of emails....

Helen_A

Helen_A

	Downsizer Forum Index -> Authors Corner	All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1

View Latest Posts