For July, we caught up with Alison Ramsay in New Zealand and asked her to tell us about organic farming, sampling 198 types of apples and ridding her town of plastic bags.

“I guess I always was an environmentalist, greenie, hippy, eco-warrior (whatever you like to call it) at heart. I grew up in a small community in Northern Canada where the air, water, and forest was clean and abounded in great, vast, stealth. I didn’t even know what environmentalism was really, and didn’t realize there were any problems with the state of the planet until… Dah! Dum! Daaah!! I moved to the city, the BIG SMOKE.

One may be able to imagine my shock and dismay as I uncovered the nitty gritty of the city. ‘Bleck! This is the water I’m supposed to drink?!… Smog? Smog warnings with smog that may cause subsequent death?! Mmmmm smell that benzene- gotta love the city. Where are all the trees? Oh, they’re in those cardboard cut-out man-made spaces called “parks”. Hmmmm… I began to wonder.

For a while I adjusted and turned a blind eye. I loved the city life after all. Variety was good, and I didn’t have to worry about the bears anymore (well the non-homosapien variety anyway). But then I moved in with an organic farmer and his lady- by chance. This opened a whole new kettle of fish for me. Organic? Huh? You mean my regular food is grown with a myriad of toxic, carcinogenic chemicals called pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and chemical fertilisers, and we eat them! I was shocked. I felt cheated, lied to, poisoned; I was horrified ‘they’ were allowed to do this, but mostly, I felt naïve. So I made it my mission to become informed. And I did.

I lived, worked, breathed, and ATE my way through the organic industry for a long while. My life did a 180. I wanted more, so I decided to travel. Now that I had discovered the wonder, amazement and beauty of our relationship to nature and how it FEEDS us-– I wanted to see it happening. I wanted to learn how to grow food. So I joined WWOOF – World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms and moved to New Zealand. GEFree, Nuclear Free, Organic by 2020 New Zealand. .

I travelled the country working on diverse properties on diverse landscapes. Everything from small lifestyle blocks to large scale organic orchards. I tasted 198 different varieties of apples. (Yup betcha didn’t know there were that many apples around!) I planted seeds, watched them grow and mature, and then ate their fruit. I slogged for hours in the dirt. I shovelled cow, chicken, and pig shit, and learned about the integration of animals and insects in gardens and orchards. I learned that Mother Nature has it all worked out – complex and amazing systems of exchange on a multitude of levels – worms, soil, compost, seed, sprout, flower, bee, pollination, fruit, etc, etc. I built massive piles of steaming compost. I harvested fruits of all descriptions, nuts, berries, vegetables, honey, and made juices, pickles, preserves, pies, tinctures, and balms. And I ATE. And I grew into a stronger, shinier, more connected version of myself.

It was empowering. It was humbling. It was all consuming for me. I fell in love and I stayed.

Here I am nestled in my corner of the world supported by my little family, the astounding beauty of my environment, and the comradeship of my community. I try to do my best now. I live on 10 acres of land. I grow some of my own food. I have fruit trees: figs, limes, nashis, apples, etc. I graze cattle instead of mowing too much lawn. I reduce, reuse, recycle, and refuse. I don’t use any chemicals of any description in my life except for gas in my small, economical car, which I try not to drive too much, (there are no buses here). I am a part of several community groups which are trying to move us to a more sustainable, self-sufficient future. I have a bathtub outside!

I was part of an amazing group of women called The Bag Ladies. Together with our community, we worked to establish New Zealand’s first plasticshoppingbagfree town. Now it’s catching all over the country and the world. Many places are banning these destructive and unnecessary petroleum by-products

But I am just an average gal. My green goodness has been a long unfolding journey fuelled by a passion for something that makes sense and makes me feel spirit. And remember… it’s not really the ‘planet’ we are all trying to save. That giant rock upon which we live will probably always be here, but it’s everything on it which you cherish. Your mother, your child, your lover, your dog, your favourite cottage by the lake, that quiet spot under the trees, the morning chorus of birds outside your window, snow dusted mountains, a pride of lions, MANGOS, hazelnuts, and cocoa beans, the still of the evening and YOU! (don’t forget you.)”

Alison’s Tips:

Banish Apathy: Apathy by default has become a global epidemic. Don’t be one of the sick. You CAN make a difference and you WILL. Go out and do something fantastic!

Go Organic: It’s green, it’s good. Banish all chemicals from your life and your home. You will feel, look, think and be healthier and so will the planet.

Know Thine Enemy: Get informed! Get into politics, watch The Corporation, read Noam Chomsky, get to know Michael Moore. These people are our heroes and our social/environmental warriors.

Knowledge is Power: Get stuck into it. Subscribe to the Ecologist magazine. This is a big one. If you want to get informed and don’t have a lot of spare time, this is your answer. Voted best global environmental magazine of the year. If you do fancy a good read, books by authors like David Suzuki, Rachel Carson, Toni Jeffries, Weston Price, etc. Take yourself on a journey.

Get Out Into It: Sit in nature for a while. Breathe. Meditate – whatever… just sit. And not in a city park - not in nature that has been manufactured by man - in real, natural nature. Watch it. Listen to it. Touch it. Roll around naked in it. Give and take energy from it just by breathing. Spend some time.

Inspired by Alison and the Bag Ladies? You can do it too! For their story and campaign strategies, visit them at www.plasticshoppingbagfree.org.nz.

Got someone green and sexy in your life? Send us their profile to spotlight (at) greenissexy dot org for a chance to be the sexy green person of the month.