From 'Pink-washing' to making a scorched owl.

With it being cancer awareness month Gill questions are companies simply doing, what she's calling, 'pink-washing' similar to 'green-washing' the public?

Jamie and Gill discuss the irony of companies going pink, printing pink ribbons on their packaging to promote cancer awareness month when those same companies use known carcinogenic chemicals in their products! How can that be right? They chat about how they would prefer companies not spend part of the their marketing budget on going pink for a month but to do something to remove toxic chemicals from their products. Jamie talks about candles and how toxic they are but there are no regulations aroudn what they use to make them. Gill says she watched a programme with Joe Wicks and how he made a protein bar out of nothing but chemicals and it was totally legal for him to sell it to the public. 

It leads us on to discuss all sorts of things and what we can do to help ourselves. Gill again refers to the book she has just read called 'Less' by Patrick Grant and how it has made her think about the impact just one small thing/habit we have has on the wider world economy. Jamie and Gill go back to talking about one of their favourite topics - how being creative has so many benefits for us, even making something basic. Research is showing how much happier people are when working with their hands or creating something like a piece of music. 

The added benefit we can have on the local economy by working and selling our skills and products locally is huge. Jamie is doing much more than simply teaching students, they're learning about themselves and the pleasure you get from creating something. One of his students who has been coming to him for a while has created a beautiful carved owl out of an old gate post. As Jamie said he needed very little imput as the student seemed to get into a flow whilst carving it (see Jamie's recent YouTube video). By running his classes he is helping the local economy. Gill talks about the willow course she has booked on NEXT October which is already sold out and as a result of the course has also booked into a local B & B and will no doubt buy a meal or 2 in the evening in the local area. Hence a great example of a local economy benefitting from one person passing on their willow weaving skills face to face.