Day review written by Giulia Fontana
The sewing machines are rattling. Behind fabric, broken clothes, yarn and books, quite a few people are mending their clothes. There is also a solution for my knitted jacket, in which I unfortunately cut a hole by mistake (a longer story that has no place here). Luckily, an experienced needlework teacher supports me and shows me how to mend my jacket with the kitchener stitch.
Mending a jacket? What good is that? And what role do personal behavioural changes actually play in the huge socio-ecological transformation we are in? What other strategies and possibilities exist? We discuss this in a round with Rachael Garrett, Johanna Jacobi and Peter Morf. The general tone is clear: our commitment is important! We can make a difference, many things are interconnected and interdependent. But: We have to organise ourselves, create alternatives collectively and exert pressure. Individuals do not carry the world on their own shoulders. Many people are afraid of the future, frustrated by the present, overwhelmed by the sense of responsibility and paralysed by the heavy workload. We talk about exactly these feelings in a safe setting at two other events today. It is good to put these feelings into words and to realise that I am not alone. We also have to take care of ourselves and not only of other people and living beings.
I learn that we can even run a cinema together – without any electricity or fossil fuels! Bicycles make it possible. It’s cold in the Irchel Strebergärtli, but the film on permaculture, the wonderful feeling of cycling together with people in an open-air cinema, popcorn from the campfire and the enjoyment of warming tea are worth it – the perfect way to round off the day.
In this sense: Let’s shape our present and future together!
