One Thing Per Week

hello again / concept project

2011-10-22T12:30:00+10:00

I’m currently revising a journal article, incorporating comments from my supervisor. Four of the first five comments are, ‘too wordy’, ‘needs streamlining’, ‘needs polishing’, ‘express clearly’ (the other comment was that a sentence was too technical). My first drafts tend to be full of run-on sentences (a phrase I had never heard before I started my PhD). My favourite (embarrassing) comment on a paper so far; ‘JUST PUT SOME PERIODS IN!’. That one has at least stuck in my mind, and I try not to write sentences that are six (or more) lines long anymore.

So I have been thinking about communication of complex ideas. Or communication of simple ideas, with complex justifications.

While struggling to re-write sentences for this paper, I thought of an exercise for myself, using a technique that has helped me to streamline my thinking in the past.

- might be good practice for writing better,

- also help me get my head around complex concepts,

- might develop some good ways to communicate important concepts?

So here is my plan – to write, in 17 syllables or less (haiku structure, but not haiku concepts), an expression of a concept. Or, in a series of 17 syllables, a comparison of concepts. As many as I can think of and produce. I’m not going to give myself deadlines or specific goals, because I wouldn’t meet them (obviously, with the state of this blog!).

Here is the first one.

The industrial revolution

fast strong hot machines

drink fuel and belch pollution

more and more and more

make farm tools, clothing

buildings, school books, water pumps,

now pink cowboy hats

new comments policy!

2011-10-22T00:32:00+10:00

and another thing -

Comment policy

Comments in haiku form are strongly preferred, and I promise to smile every time I read one.

Comments including profanity, personal or ad hominem attacks (such as about appearance, writing style, personality) will be ignored, or any of the stereotypical ‘isms’ (race, s*x) etc., will be deleted. Inclusive ‘isms’ such as multicultural, are welcome.

Generally, I don’t like generalisations, and these will be responded to with a standard and hopefully infuriating paragraph (see below).

On Generalisations.

A generalisation is a reference to a large group of people or other entities, where characteristics are ascribed to all individuals within the group. This fallacy has also been termed the fallacy of insufficient sample, fallacy of the lonely fact, or jumping to conclusions. Generalisations are factually incorrect*.

For research on the damaging effects of generalisations, stereotyping, and prejudice, I refer you HERE, and HERE (out of date, but still (generally) very sadly true), which are just the tip of the empirical iceberg.

No further response to comments including generalisations will be given. Feel free to repost your comment minus the offending phrase.

*Yes, I see the irony. Here is my answer: The probability of a generalisation being factually correct is so small as to be negligible, especially as group sizes increases. Therefore I feel justified including this generalisation in my paragraph about generalisations. Further justification; it’s my blog, dammit!

As illustration, in a café at UQ on the 23/9/11, I overheard someone say, “that’s the problem man, women think too much”. I assume this was in reference to thinking about relationships or some such stereotype. Setting aside the question of what criteria entails ‘too much’, an examination of the sample of women even at UQ would prove this generalisation to be false. Personally, I think that I think about relationships just the right amount, but I seriously digress.

quest for a plastic free bathroom… shampoo and conditioner

2010-03-06T16:02:42+10:00

I like framing things as quests. It makes them seem… noble (or monty-python like, less noble, but more fun). And it puts you in a long-term frame of mind. No one found the holy grail overnight.

So, my quest for a plastic-free bathroom has been progressing for the last couple of years, I think, and I am getting closer!

When I started, I figured I had a number of areas to focus on.

The big ones so far have been - hair care, skin care, and soap.

And the priorities were; no plastic in packaging, no petroleum ingredients in the products.

I'm trying to write more concise posts (and do it somewhat more often), so today I'm going to talk about hair care.

I went for alternatives to supermarket shampoo and conditioner. I wanted to stop using products that come in thousand year plastic – that thick plastic that takes a millenia to break down. Bad stuff. And to stop using products with petroleum and/or palm oil in them.

Shampoo was pretty easy - I switched to a natural shampoo bar! mmm, beer shampoo. And with one shampoo bar I was using, there was a recommendation to switch to apple cider vinegar for conditioner. I thought this sounded weird... but after a while, gave it a try.

And it's fantastic! I'm pretty sure my hair is softer than it ever was when I was using the old stuff.

I just put a 50/50 vinegar water mix into a spray bottle (plastic, but not disposable!), squirt a bit on, and rub it around. With my eyes firmly shut, because (one down-side of this regime) - it does run down your face and neck, and vinegar in the eyes freaking stings.

oh, and I have to remember to rinse thoroughly, as sometimes, if I'm in a rush, I can end up smelling like I've been eating chips and vinegar.

I stayed over at a friend's house recently, and used their shampoo and conditioner - and my hair did not like it one bit. It was greasy and disgusting by the end of the day! I'm going to say (with no evidence at all), that this is because my hair is now not used to being coated with all that yuck synthetic stuff that I used to use, so can't tolerate it anymore.

so, I have since relaxed the first rule to be – no disposable plastic in packaging, with the extra rule that if it is unavoidable (or unrealistic) to use any plastic that is disposable, it needs to be completely recycled in house.

this is because, I could buy apple cider vinegar in a nice glass bottle - but it was 750ml, or I could buy 2L... in a plastic bottle. I think I will go back to glass, but I weakened and bought the plastic last time. I'm going to make the bottle into one of these drip irrigation bottles (though with an added netting cap, to stop the mozzies multiplying in there).

but I'm pretty happy with this switch!

positive and negative day

2009-12-12T17:52:45+10:00

So, I’m feeling really ashamed of myself. Today I yelled at someone. In public. well, I think I did. it was all very loud and confusing. I definitely had a very heated argument. With a climate change denier.

And it has thrown me off, after what was a very good day otherwise, with a fansastic turnout at the Brisbane Walk Against Warming.

There were a number of ways that the yelling could have been avoided. And it was a useless thing to do. And if I’d just stopped for a second and thought about it, I would have come to the conclusion that common sense and all my experience have told me- arguing with delusional people is useless and stupid.

oh, how embarrassing. and counter-productive! And it doesn’t matter how rude someone else is- that is no excuse for me being rude.

So, instead of being calm and a) walking away, or b) talking in a rational manner, I did c) get all riled up and just yell about reading the science – resulting in a ‘read the science’- ‘I have! you read the science’ ‘well, I don’t think you’ve read enough’ red faced yelling match with me shaking and not coming up with anything intelligent, even to complete clunkers of lies like ‘the sea level isn’t rising, the islands are sinking into the sea!’ (I didn’t even come up with ‘why?’ or ‘what, all at once?’)

I wish I’d been my normal self- I never (really really rarely) yell. I try to listen and respect everyone’s opinion! Though I do tend to avoid rather than confront difficult issues. Because usually I realise that it’s not worth it, and have better things to do with my

So I wish I’d just asked sat the woman who was yelling at me to sit down and have a talk - and not reinforced her stereotype of ‘alarmist’ activists. As I’m sure she is a reasonably sane person (which is a good description of me also) in normal life, and we could have agreed to disagree on some issues, and maybe found some other common ground. What does she think about renewable energy? Better public transport? Air pollution and health problems? What about overconsumption and the huge levels of personal and organisational debt we have? There are things to talk about still. Yelling about the things we disagree on is worse than useless.

I guess I’ll just have to learn my lesson, remember to breathe, and not do it again. And read some of those great articles about things you can say to those kinds of arguments.

argh.

Lost Bees art and Colony Collapse Disorder

2009-09-25T12:49:34+10:00

I've been on sick leave/sabbatical for a long time again, but things have been moving along slowly within those constraints... my friend Rozina and I collaborated on a scientific art piece for a show last week, which I'd like to include some information about.

From the ART|PLAY|SCIENCE exhibition 18-22 September 2009, put on by the Environmental Art Collective, and curated by Rozina Suliman, our Lost Bees in the Biosphere installation (Rozina Suliman and Anna Cooke)

for more pictures go to my flight paths blog post .

the following is the text and pictures of the booklet we included with the piece.

Colony collapse disorder

Millions of bees, particularly bees in colonies used for pollinating food crops around the world, have been affected by Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), where bee colonies suddenly die out after all adult bees leave the colony over a few days and don’t come back, dying away from the colony.

While there is much confusion and many theories about the cause of CCD, recent research has tentatively concluded that many factors contribute, either directly, by killing or paralysing the bees, or indirectly, by cumulatively stressing the immune systems of the bees. The factors that may contribute include poor nutrition (which can be due to the bees being used to pollinate crops with low nutritional value, or from not having access to a variety of food sources), drought and other environmental condition changes, migratory stress (when bees are transported long distances so they can pollinate many crops), viruses, mites, and pesticide build-up in colonies.

Honeybees are the primary pollinator of food producing plants, and as such are incredibly important for agriculture. All bees, and all pollinators including birds and bats as well, are vital for biodiversity, as they allow plants to reproduce, and spread genetic material between plants, preserving the gene pool. Bees alone are essential for the pollination of 130,000 plants, and so CCD has implications for many species.

“A few species were locked together in forms of symbiosis so intricate that to pull one out would bring others spiralling to extinction. Eliminate just one tree out of hundreds…and some of its pollinators, leafeaters, and woodborers will disappear with it, then various of their parasites and key predators, and perhaps a species of bird or bat that depends on its fruit – and when will the reverberations end?” -Edward O Wilson

Biodiversity

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth, from the diversity of species of all kingdoms including all plants, animals and microorganisms, to the genetic diversity within this multitude of species, and to the vastly varying ecosystems all over the planet.

Biodiversity is often used as a measure of the health and resilience of an ecosystem. One example of the value of biodiversity is that a larger range of species, and larger numbers of individuals within those species, will mean it is more likely that some species or some individuals will have genetic adaptations to meet threats to and stressors on their ecosystem, such as disease or drought.

Biosphere: The sum of all life, in all ecosystems on Earth

Biospheric awareness: An awareness that all life is connected and that actions can have far reaching, sometimes unintentional and unknowable consequences.

Connectedness

The connectedness of ecosystems means that damage to one species will most likely damage other species, and the ecosystem itself. But connectedness is also where the strength and resilience of the systems come from, as the co-evolution of species has resulted in ecosystems perfectly suited for their environmental conditions.

However, no environment is resilient enough to deal with the rapid changes to environments that are occurring due to human impacts, most pervasively from climate change.

Through an awareness of the connectedness of life and our reliance on natural ecosystems, and by making an emotional connection to the natural environment and the plants and animals around us, we can develop ways of living which minimize harm, and build our personal resilience by seeking experiences of nature to restore us.

Connectedness is a fundamental human need, and through building strong connections within our own species we build resilience and competence for action. With the knowledge that all of our actions have consequences, and can set off chains of events long past our knowledge or direct influence, we have the opportunity and choice to set positive events in motion.

“and when will the reverberations end?”

Earth Hour! March 28! 8.30pm!

2009-03-18T16:45:06+10:00

Hey, it's that time of year again, Earth Hour is coming up! I love EH, last year I had a lovely party by candlelight, and much cheese was eaten. This year I'm very sad, I'll actually be at an unrelated Art event (I'm writing haiku on demand, scarily!), but be sure I will have unplugged everything before I leave. Mum and I were talking about doing Earth Day, where we try not to use electronics for the whole day, which would be fun.

And maybe I'll write some earth hour/environment related Haiku.

Earth Hour is spectacularly massive this year too, so many cities participating! So many people! Yay!

Anyway, here is the email I'll be sending around our department at uni to promote and expand on Earth Hour.

Vote Earth this Earth Hour!

Vote Earth by turning off your lights on March 28 at 8:30 pm, and joining hundreds of millions* of people around the globe, sending a powerful message to leaders around the world that we, as communities and nations, are ready to fight climate change!

And if you want to Vote Earth every day, here are two other easy steps you can take.

1. Sign up for the Qld Government’s Climate Smart Home Service

at http://www.climatesmart.qld.gov.au/or by calling 13 20 40

The ClimateSmart Home Service is specifically designed to help Queenslanders contribute to addressing climate change by reducing their carbon footprint.

During the ClimateSmart Home Service, a licensed electrician will visit your home, install a wireless energy monitor for you to keep, and conduct an energy audit of your home.

Where suitable, the electrician will supply and install a free water and energy efficient showerhead, and supply and install up to 15 free energy efficient light globes - all in less than an hour.

The service costs $50, but if you live in Brisbane there is a $50 rebate available from the Brisbane City Council.

2. Switch to GreenPower

Through your current energy provider you can switch to renewable energy, which is usually as easy as applying online, and costs as little as $4 dollars a month (for 25% GreenPower) up to about $22 a month extra (for 100% GreenPower).

GreenPower is electricity that comes from a new renewable energy generation source like solar or wind. Sources must have been built after 1997 to be accredited, encouraging continuing investment in Australias renewable energy.

Origin Energy -

http://www.originenergy.com.au/1544/Origin-GreenPower

Or call 13 GREEN

Thank you!

* Earth Hour organisers are hoping for 1 billion people in over 1500 cities to take part this year! http://www.earthhour.org/

Craft Therapy vs Retail Therapy or, Embroidery as peaceful protest.

2009-02-20T14:41:14+10:00

Consumerism is insidious. Sometimes I have to really fight to resist its lure.

Because I do like novel things. They don’t necessarily have to be new, just new to me. It’s exciting to have a new dress! But then within a couple of weeks, I’ll be back looking through my (overstuffed) wardrobe thinking that I don’t have anything interesting to wear, and the desire to buy something new returns.

But I fight this, because

1. buying new clothes is against my beliefs. I feel that strongly about it. Most new clothes are sweatshop made, and all contribute to carbon and other pollution outputs. There’s always an environmental cost of goods, no matter how cheap in dollars they are. My wardrobe is stuffed with second hand, handmade from vintage, and hand-me-downs (plus some old stuff I bought before I made this decision).

2. I hate feeling that I’m not in control. That pull to shop? That’s been ingrained in us through years of living with advertising and popular media. It’s a cultural thing, and it’s wrong! We hardly ever ‘need’ new things, we’re just told that, because retailers want more profits.

so FIGHT THE SYSTEM! (I get a bit riled up about these things).

3. plus most clothes in shops are boring and I don’t like looking like everyone else.

This is where craft therapy comes in!

Much more satisfying that shopping is creating. Oh so much more. Plus you get more compliments (reinforcing the satisfaction) because things are unique.

See www.craftzine.com for ideas, and links to many more pages full of ideas. And of course http://flightpathsforpaperbirds.com

And that is how embroidery can be a peaceful protest against consumerism. Long term, it really adds up.

(I’m making this more overt- designing embroidery with slogans, but they aren’t ready yet. soon! ‘I mend my clothes and I vote’, ‘Nannatech over nanotech!’ …?)

Here is some of my freeform embroidery… I’m learning!

Babies, life, the world...

2008-12-11T22:33:52+10:00

Hello all, long time no see...

I'm getting back into the swing of things after a long time on sick leave/sabbatical, so more posts will start trickling through soon.

this one is a comment I wrote on Colin's No Impact Man Blog- about the issue of procreation, and the strain it puts on the environment, and the way this is a kind of taboo issue for many people/groups. It is a difficult one, here are my (pretty personal) thoughts.

you can see the original post and other comments at http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2008/12/individual-acti.html

Thank you for the post Colin, I think it is an issue which needs a lot more discussion, and like many such topics, it is hard to approach- it is incredibly emotional and personal, but I think, equally important.

This question is one that I have grappled with a lot, and actually led to one of my lowest points in the last few years, when at one stage I decided that I would not have children, because as well as not wanting to add to the strain on the earth’s resources, I didn’t want to bring a small person into a world where I might not be able to protect them, or provide them with a stable environment where they could lead a happy and meaningful life… and this was a very sad decision to come to. It makes my heart ache.

And a friend accused me of giving up on the world, she saw it as not investing any of myself in the future. I took some offence to this, as my career and most of my personal life is spent in researching and promoting pathways to sustainability. I saw it as a decision from a realist point of view. We don’t know what the future holds, and many predictions look bleak, at least.

But loving children and wanting to be part of the life of one of my own is such a huge part of how I picture my future, how a lot of us picture the future I think- that thinking about this was incredibly painful.

So I have decided to wait a few more years and if I feel the same way, and if I still decide not to have children, definitely give my love and the knowledge I’ve gained over my life to children I bond with, possibly through fostering children or adoption (if this is feasible), as well as to my cousins and the babies of friends. I think I would burst otherwise. Too much love!

on a separate note, I think we should continue to celebrate the motivation and passion that parenthood brings to so many people in this area- my mum, who has been my greatest inspiration in environmental action, was initially motivated to seek information and take action when I (her oldest child) was born- and this is a story we hear over and over- that it is the point for many people when denial or distraction is no longer viable- having a baby is when long term futures become real in our imagination- and we are suddenly hugely invested in them. And this is a fantastic thing.

Ps. Happy Birthday Mum! thanks for being so inspiring. and for just being you.

email subscribers= whoops!

2008-07-08T15:24:02+10:00

Yesterdays post was mainly for the pictures, so if they are not showing up in your email (and you are curious about the captions I have given, possibly frustrated because that email didn't make sense...) , please click on the post title to go to the site and see!

Also, I have included some photos of the building of the greenhouse in my photo album here-

http://onethingperweek.typepad.com/photos/greenhouse/index.html

thanks!

People vs. Wildlife, or, The Greenhouse

2008-07-07T19:09:13+10:00

Round 1- leaving anything on the table out the back - Result- Wildlife 1, Anna and Britt 0

Round 2- mixing compost. Result- Wildlife 2, Anna and Britt 0.

Round 3- The seedlings were under the house while the greenhouse was built... still not safe. Result- Wildlife 3, Anna and Britt 0.

Round 4- The end of the longest living parsley. Result- Wildlife 4, Anna and Britt 0.

Round 5, Take that wildlife! Checkmate!