I fell off my bike and broke my leg. Bummer! The remedy of which was the surgical insertion of a metal rod down my tibia – from knee to ankle (ick). It’s self-sufficient, mind you, and my cadaverous-looking leg, blue with bruises, does not require a cast. Co-Star certainly didn’t predict this one and, as you can imagine, it threw a spanner in the works. Coming to terms with such a fate has not been easy and hours bed bound have so far taken their toll. Nonetheless, my accident could have been far worse. With appropriate physiotherapy, perseverance and pain, my leg will slowly regain its strength and I’ll regain my trust in it.
I’ve spent a lot of time flicking through daytime television and the news channels. I’m a sucker for the news, especially when feeling melancholic – though I note, it often makes me feel worse. On Channel 4, I caught the end of a steamy debate on Britain’s flatlining economy and the economic costs of Brexit between presenter Matt Frei, Dr Jeevun Sandher from the New Economics Foundation think tank and Labour candidate and former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib who now runs a property investment company.
Essentially, the crux of the debate was that Brexit was/is a flop (duh). Future Britain — as forecast by Brexit — fancied itself a ‘Singapore-on-Thames’. I, no economist, accurately predicted that this would not be the case. Unsuccessful in its objectives, Brexit has ended up costing Britain’s economy (one can’t help but laugh). The debate went a little as follows. Productivity… inflation… fuel prices… economic growth, skills, workforce, cozzy livs… yada, yada, yada. Forgive me, it was a little much for my morphine-infused brain but you get the gist.
Soon, Habib tried to suggest that Brexit failed because Britain retained EU law bills when it “should have been an opportunity to get rid of EU bureaucracy.” *My blood begins to boil* Frei cuts in: “We’ve only got twenty seconds left but what might be an example of these EU laws you refer to?” Habib responds: “The drive towards net zero which is undoubtedly a fundamental contributor to our increase in fuel prices.” We’re outraged (my mum and I), booing the television in disbelief. “Bastard,” screams Sue (mum). But, Sandher rebuts Habib: “… The way we get to future prosperity is to get to net zero,” shutting it down.
Whilst it might be slightly aloof from the above, what I intend to eventually get at is that broken legged me is feeling down and fools like Habib exacerbate this. But, moving forward, I’ve decided I will try to be more positive as there’s a lot to be said for positivity – especially when healing (my tibia and the environment). And, in hand with that, there’s lots to be positive about.
Relative to my recent article on The Material Revolution, the plan was to write about some biomaterials that are already in circulation. Instead (as this pain medication is giving me brain fog and I’m struggling to engage) – but in a similar fashion, I’ve decided to point you in the direction of a couple of things relative to both impact and biodesign that I’ve come across on my healing journey which have made me feel more positive.
Stella McCartney’s iridescent BioSequins made from plant-based cellulose in collaboration with Radiant Matter debuted on Vogue’s April cover
Traditional synthetic glitter and sequins are a big problem. Bio alternatives have been promised for a long time but many of which have been fraudulent, making claims to being biodegradable but not stating a timeframe for this or other ingredients involved that might not be. Trust Stella to be involved in pioneering this one.
Kenzo Biswas, a BA Product and Industrial Design student at Central Saint Martins, has created a new biomaterial, Beancreate, from fava bean waste.
The UK produces over 780,000 tonnes of fava bean waste after the beans have been exported elsewhere in the world. This waste often ends up in landfill releasing carbon dioxide and methane contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Kenzo Biswas has noticed the niche and has used the waste to create a new material that at current is open-source leaving much room for further development.
The final episode of The Climate Pledge’s six part mini-docu series ‘Future Forward’ is out and worth watching
The Climate Pledge, co-founded by Amazon with Global Optimism, is an organisation committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. (Where Jeff Bezos is involved, I’m sceptical. I haven’t done enough research to attest to the degree of greenwashing that Amazon’s involvement could be). It’s a good series nonetheless.
I just bought Haeckels Refining Facial Mask to “restore and rejuvenate” my skin
Haeckels are a relatively new company, its philosophy is ‘from the ocean for the ocean’. Ambitious about conservation and eager to solve the problem of waste, they only use natural resources such as mineral-rich seaweed and are actively searching for solutions to product packaging.
Until next time. Happy Healing.