Come and learn with me?
I'm trying something a little different
I’m trying something a little different: a fortnightly, or perhaps monthly, newsletter sharing the things I’ve been reading, cooking, watching, listening to and the people I follow and learn from. Similar to the wonderful
newsletter, but with a focus on degrowth, climate, veganism, activism, community and organising.I read and learn so much on these topics, but I worry it’s all for nothing if I’m not sharing what I’m learning with others. Unfortunately turning what I’m reading into coherent full length articles is beyond my capacity without earning an income from it, but the below format is something I think I can manage.
So, here goes. Here are the things that have had my attention over the last few weeks:
Reading:
The book, Solidarity, by Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor. An intricate look at how solidarity has been key component of past social movements, how it has been intentionally suppressed over the last 100 years or so, and how by focusing on it now we can ward off many of our current and impending crises.
The article ‘We’ve Become Business Partner’s in the Apocalypse’, by
. In this article Max details “the magnificent bribe”, whereby, in exchange for access to consumer goods, we stay quiet about the harm those goods cause. Wilbert says:“By and large, this bribe has been accepted. There is broad knowledge in the global north that consumer culture is associated with environmental harm and human rights abuses — and yet, most people do not participate in social change movements.
Further, most social change work that does take place focuses on reforming this system rather than abolishing it. In other words, most of our movements focus on preserving Mumford’s “authoritarian technics” and the growth (profits and investments) that they enable, while attempting to mitigate, regulate, and ban the worst excesses. This is one of the reasons why the pre-requisites for a degrowth paradigm shift are not currently close to being met.”
‘How beef colonised the Americas’, a gorgeous illustrated comic looking at how reconnecting with indigenous foods allowed the author, Izzie Ramirez, to “shed [her] past defensive relationship with beef”.
I’ve recently subscribed to the Vox ‘Processing Meat’ fortnightly newsletter, looking at how “the meat and dairy industries shape our health, politics, culture, and environment”. It’s a treasure trove of resources!
Cooking:
Last night I made a vegan lasagna for my family. It was so delicious I wanted to share the recipe here with you all.
I made the bolognese using this recipe, but I switched out beef for textured vegetable protein (TVP), which I found in the health section of my local supermarket.
I oven roasted slices of butternut pumpkin and zucchini. I turned the pumpkin into mash. I also lightly pan fried about 250g of sliced mushrooms. I had spinach leaves on hand.
I made this vegan béchamel sauce, adding in a bit of salt, pepper, nutmeg and nutritional yeast for a bit more of a cheesy flavour.
I layered it in the following way: bolognese/pasta sheets/pumpkin mash/zucchini slices/bolognese/pasta sheets/mushrooms/spinach leaves/bolognese/pasta sheets/béchamel sauce.
I cooked it at 180C covered in foil for 50 minutes and uncovered and cooked for a further 10 minutes before serving up. If you make it too, let me know what you think!
Another recipe I’ve cooked this week that we all loved were these Frankie’s (Indian Burritos), truly delicious! For something sweet we’re enjoying these healthy vegan snickers. Be warned, they don’t last long!
Watching:
I’ve shared this stunning Joaquin Phoenix Oscar acceptance speech from 2020 on LinkedIn a few times over the last few months and it always gets a lot of views. In addition to being an actor, Joaquin is an animal rights activist and he eloquently explains the ‘entitlement’ of our species and what he believes the path forward is:
I’m making my way through this ‘Tales from the Green Valley’ BBC series from 2013, where a small group of historians and archeologists spend one year living as people lived in the 1620s. While I’m not advocating for turning back the clock 400 years, I am fascinated by how things have been done differently in the past and how that knowledge could be useful for us in the future.
73 Cows is a gorgeous short film (15 minutes) about a couple who can longer bear to farm cows and make the decision to switch to organic, vegan fruit & vegetable farming instead. I highly recommend!
Following:
Alan MacLeod and Assal Rad, both on X, do an excellent job of highlighting how corporate and state media are complicit in ongoing crimes against humanity.
I eagerly anticipate articles and posts from
. Focusing on agroecology, eco-socialism and degrowth, the author always has a refreshing take on current events (Twitter, Substack).Self-Sufficiency and degrowth on X is another account I love to follow. The account is run by a woman who lives without electricity on acreage on the Arctic circle and is full of brilliant insights on how to grow, cook and preserve food, keep ourselves and our spaces warm and just generally enjoy a life with fewer material items.
Kasper Benjamin Reimer Bjørkskov is a both a colleague and one of my favourite people to follow on LinkedIn. His posts cover a huge breadth of topics including degrowth, climate activism and social tipping points.
I think that covers what I’ve been reading/eating/watching for the last few weeks. I hope there’s something interesting or insightful in there for you too!
Until next time,
Erin
Erin Remblance is a Sydney-based researcher and writer, focusing on the topics of degrowth, climate, veganism and social change. She is a co-creater of PROJECT TIPPING POINT and the creator of The Healthy Habits Accelerator.
I love this new format Erin! Very useful. And hurray for the Solidarity book :)