The blog in search of a name (or do I mean a hashtag?)

I haven’t written a green blog for months, not even to announce the arrival of the second in my series of little green books (although so far the books are blue). This was Wise About Waste — 150+ ways to help the planet, and it arrived in the nick of time for the Open Book Festival two months ago, and then the Prince Albert Leesfees, and then a rollicking launch in Jozi. Too much was happening too fast, and what with much of South Africa in the grip of horrendous drought, my first green book (101 Water-wise Ways) has also been getting fresh attention. As my publisher says: “These issues aren’t going away.”

But let’s make it official: meet Wise About Waste! Don’t you love the whale on the cover? — beautiful, but it conveys a message too.

My waste book is fatter than the water book (it’s a far more complex subject), but still designed to be handy, practical, and user-friendly. I tried very hard to make it accessible and even funny at times, and the brilliant Marius Roux, who did the design, and my editor, Kelly Norwood-Young, broke it into bite-sized nuggets that will help you get to grips with our throw-away culture. (“When we chuck something away,” says writer and environmentalist Dawn Garisch, “where is away?”) These issues are overwhelming, so the book isn’t a thundering scold (although you’ll see a few of my favourite soapboxes scattered around) — it’s meant to help and encourage. Please let me know what works and what doesn’t, and keep sending me tips — we’re all on a learning curve here.

Thanks to all who’ve supported the launches and events so far — at Open Book, the Prince Albert Leesfees, and the surprisingly hilarious launch at the splendid Love Books in Jozi. Also to those who’ve interviewed me on air or reviewed the book so far: I appreciate the oxygen. For an account of the Love Books launch, complete with great pics, see this report by Pamela Power: https://go-see-do-gauteng.co.za/helen-moffett-wise-about-waste-book-launch/. Here are two reviews by book bloggers (and very kind souls) Nerine Dorman and Karina Szczurek: http://nerinedorman.blogspot.com/2019/11/wise-about-waste-150-ways-to-help.html; and https://karinamagdalena.com/tag/wise-about-waste/.

Wise About Waste in the wild at Love Books. You can (and should) also get a copy of South Africa’s Survival Guide to Climate Change, by Sipho Kings and Sarah Wild. Sarah interviewed me, did a great circus ringmaster job, and answered all the difficult questions.

Meanwhile, as I gallop along merrily with Book No 3 in the series (food, glorious food), I’ve realised I need a new moniker for my Green Hat blogs. “1001 Water-wise ways” was fine. “1001 Water and Waste-wise Ways” got a little ponderous. “1001 Water, Waste and Food-wise Ways”? Nope, that’s getting silly.

What do you think? I’d like to keep the word “wise” in there somewhere — a suggestion made by indefatigable broadcaster and journalist Nancy Richards, who insists, very kindly, that these are my two most important books. Maybe I should just call my blog “Green and Wise… green and wise”, sung to the tune of “Edelweiss”. For everyone under forty who is now baffled, here’s a clip of Christopher Plummer singing it as an anti-fascist anthem (The Sound of Music wasn’t just about whiskers on kittens and singing nuns, but the Nazi occupation of Austria on the eve of WW2), so I guess if the cap fits.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6-P3pFhmQI