Simple things in life bring joy: Helen Barry

ARISING from Disruption #6 Helen Barry, War on Waste Weekly, says we are resilient, we can adapt and change with the needs of the times. She’s trusting her instincts. lowering her expectations and  knitting at night. Helen reckons as a result of this pandemic disruption, companies will be more agile and processes will be overhauled to make things more cost effective and efficient. Maybe more people than ever will continue to work from home or be self employed. Notes from this conversation are below.

What Helen Barry said:

So far we are going OK during the pandemic lockdown. Our life has changed a lot, the kids are off school and childcare, I’m now working from home with family here and my husband’s business in hibernation. We are adapting and trying to look at the positives.

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Rethink our values and how we want to live: Rob Pekin

ARISING from Disruption #5 with Rob Pekin, Food Connect, Salisbury, Queensland, Australia
Despite the hurt, pain and suffering of many, Rob Pekin believes this is an opportunity for society to take stock and rethink our values. It is a chance to realign with what is important to people, to be empowered in how they want to live their lives and unfold a new future for themselves. See notes from this conversation below.

Rob says it is an interesting but disrupted time for the Food Connect community at this time of lockdown and physical distancing due to coronavirus pandemic.
There are differing impacts on the three operations Rob and his partner Emma-Kate oversee: demand for the Food Connect local food box distribution system has quadrupled; the community owned Food Connect shed houses 27 social enterprise food business tenants adjusting to changes; and Food Connect Foundation community connection and culture events are indefinitely cancelled.

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Now is the time to just do it: Clementine Sandner

Clementine Sandner is a textile upcycler based in Kyoto, Japan, repurposing kimonos and obis. Jane Milburn was scheduled to meet Clementine in person during her Winston Churchill Fellowship study tour, now deferred due to the coronavirus pandemic. In this ARISING from Disruption virtual Churchill conversation series, Clementine said sustainable techniques in industry was a trend before, but now there is more genuine interest. Notes of the conversation are below.


What Clementine said:

At the beginning of this crisis a lot of projects were cancelled so my first reaction was to be down, but I am coping better now and positive things are happening.

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It is the gift of time: Angela Foong

Arising from Disruption #3 – conversations about adaptation, resourcefulness and self-sufficiency.

High Tea with Mrs Woo is an Australian-made, small-run clothing label based at Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It’s a collaboration of three sisters designing eloquent, timeful clothing and accessories with natural fibre fabrics.  One sisters is Angela Foong who said despite the losses and pain, this pandemic is the reset button the world needs because we are all forced to stop and think about the way we want to live. See more in the notes below.


Find out more about Australian-made, small-run, natural-fibre clothing label High Tea with Mrs Woo here or follow them on Instagram.

What Angela said:

Feeling overwhelmed but also lucky we are in Australia, with great health and welfare systems, and knowing we will get through this challenging time by working together.

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Find your purpose: Kerrie Richards

This is #2 in our ARISING from Disruption conversations about adaptation, resourcefulness and self-sufficiency at this time of global pandemic. 2019 Churchill Fellow Jane Milburn is chatting to Kerrie Richards from Merino Country, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia who said the business is pivoting to focus on face mask production and ”using what we have, to make things happen”.  More notes below.  

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Adapting and ARISING

It is not what happens, it is how you respond that makes the difference.
As public health authorities and governments scramble to manage the coronavirus pandemic, we humans are sheltering in place, being called upon to stay home, be responsible, resourceful and resilient.  The pandemic is profoundly changing the way we live and work, how we consume resources and entertain ourselves – and having dramatic economic, social and cultural impacts. I hope you’re keep safe, at home, in place, grateful to those on the frontline doing battle with this threat.
My ARISING from Disruption series has emerged as a Virtual Churchill, because my realtime Winston Churchill Fellowship study tour was deferred because of the global pandemic. I was due to leave Australia this weekend to travel for eight weeks to Japan, the United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Europe. Since overseas travel is not possible at this time, I will now be chatting online to makers, creaters and entrepreneurial people who are adapting, being resourceful and self-reliant at this time of crisis.
I am beginning this video series with Australians I know, talking about how they are responding, and will intersperse these with creative and regenerative practitioners globally about hands-on actions (gardening, making, creating, upcycling, stitching, mending), adaptations and innovations.
ARISING from Disruption is an evolving series of conversations with entrepreneurial people about self-sufficiency, resourcefulness and adaptation at this time of transformative change. I hope you find some seeds of inspiration and hope from their stories.

Arising from Disruption, a Virtual Churchill

As public health authorities and governments scramble to manage the coronavirus pandemic, we humans are sheltering in place, being called upon to stay home, be responsible, resourceful and resilient. The pandemic is profoundly changing the way we live and work, how we consume resources and entertain ourselves – and having dramatic economic, social and cultural impacts. I hope you’re keep safe, sheltering at home, in place, grateful to those on the frontline are doing battle with this threat.

Earlier this month, my long-planned Winston Churchill Fellowship study tour to Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe was deferred for an indefinite period. I’ve been gardening, upcycling and innovating – and now planning a Virtual Churchill as a short-term substitute for my real-world  one.  ARISING from Disruption is an emerging series of conversations with entrepreneurial people about self-sufficiency, resourcefulness and adaptation at this time for transformative change. I hope you find some seeds of inspiration and hope from their stories.

 

Sustainable fashion actions

Small individual actions can, and do, create big changes. About 10 percent of our carbon footprint is embedded in the clothes we wear therefore our choices matter. Since 2013, Jane Milburn has been raising awareness about ways to reduce our material footprint through slow clothing actions: think, choose natural, quality, local, have few, care for what you have, make your own, revive, upcycle and salvage. In this news report, ABC journalist Lucy MacDonald outlined three ways for dress sustainably: buy sustainable fibres, choose pre-loved, and shop your wardrobe. She chatted with Jane about upcycling and reskilling so we can get more life out of what we aready own.

Supporting local farmers

Buy local and eat in season are simple ways to support local farmers. Most of my career has been in agriculture, so it was great to be invited by Moreton Bay Regional Council to moderate this conversation about community supported agriculture with these awesome women speaking the Pine Rivers Heritage Museum at the weekend.

Jenni Guse, Tash Johnston, author Jane Milburn, Flora Bradley and Amanda Schultz talk local farming

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Bring on 2020

On the Textile Beat enews December 2019 is in your inbox now if you’re subscribed, or you can read here or register on the right hand side of this website.

There’s been so much change in the past decade, it is exciting to think about what the next decade might bring. This time 10 years ago, I was on a journey of self-awareness with the Australian Rural Leadership Program. A pivotal decision to stop drinking alcohol (after having early stage breast cancer) enabled me to focus energy in a creative and purposeful way. Through Textile Beat, my background, interests, skills, experience and knowledge have come together to influence change and create awareness of more sustainable ways of dressing (Here’s one of my early Stitch in Time columns). Since 2013, I’ve had nearly 600 engagements around Australia spreading ideas for reducing our material footprint and have seen so much change in that time. I’ve been awarded a Churchill Fellowship based on that work which enables me to travel to Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe next year to investigate ways that upcycling/mending can help reduce our textile waste and enhance wellbeing. Wishing you and me well for our next decade of life.