Cluttercut

Racism and population growth: Copenhagen climate summit

2009-12-09T09:36:00.004+13:00

As part of its coverage of the Copenhagen climate summit, the UK telegraph posted an article about population growth.

The article named population growth "the issue accused of causing driving climate change that no one at the Copenhagen climate summit dares to talk about."

Attached to the article was this photo:

And it made my blood boil.

I'll tell you why.

Although population growth certainly is a key issue of resource management, equity, and wellbeing for people across the globe - as well as being a critical issue we must address in order to control runaway climate change - I am heartily sick and tired of racism in journalism.

You see, I'd be pretty willing to bet that if you pooled the resource use of every one of the struggling souls in this photograph, and compared it to, say, a typical white, two car family in western society with only two or three children, the white family would use far more resources, even though it has far fewer people.

And that's the clincher.

Resource use is the real issue - not numbers

I consider our family to be pretty heavy "greenies". We eat vegetarian, we recycle, we grow food, we track our resource use and deliberately choose environmentally sustainable and local options as a preference. On earth footprint quizzes, we inevitably have the lowest footprint of pretty much anyone we know.

Yet still my two kids would probably use a lot more resources than the children in that photograph. When was the last time any of them went out for dinner? Drove in a car? Ate a chocolate bar? Had new clothes? Was given a toy for their birthday?

As a mother, the inequity of the situation angers me. And the audacity of the journalist in using such an image of poverty to externalize the issue of population growth, instead of leading it right home - where it belongs, and should be dealt with - is beyond shameful.

This underlines the problem. By posting photographs of people we in the West so readily identify as other, we identify the population problem as belonging to someone else, not to us.

Population growth, as the caption in the article underneath the photo I'm talking about says, is "especially in developing nations".

In other words, we don't need to bother about it. Just keep on using those re-usable shopping bags and screw in a compact lightglobe or two, and that's about all we need to bother with! It's not up to us to actually limit our family size!

We can keep on buying our kids plastic crap, keep on driving our cars, keep on eating our burgers. We're not the ones with the problem. It's all their fault!

Global heating is OUR problem - as is racism!

The Copenhagen climate summit is interesting reading. But sometimes it is easy to forget that this is our lives and futures that are being debated - not someone else's.

Thus far, we humans have done a pretty piss weak effort when it comes to dealing with our atrocities. While I sit here pondering the increasing size of my rear end, others in the world watch their babies starve. It's all wrong and it's all horrific and, in most cases, it is also unnecessary.

We've done a crap job at dealing with racism. There are still huge inequities in both Australia and New Zealand for our minority indigenous populations, and we are not alone in this - other countries that were colonized also have records that are less than perfect.

Time to point the finger at ourselves

Population growth is not someone else's problem. It is ours. Depending on our resource use, even one child can be unsustainable, and that's what this article - and those who would point the finger at poverty-stricken third world families - miss completely.

We all need to change our ways. All of us. We need to manage our numbers and our resources wisely and well, and consider all members of the human community as equals and as brothers and sisters.

Because humanity now faces the greatest challenge that we have ever faced. And if we do not learn to work with the earth, and with each other - with respect, and love, and thoughtfulness - not only may we not deal effectively with climate change.

We may not actually deserve to.

--
Cluttercut - Be the change

House hunting - with a vengeance!

2009-11-23T16:31:00.000+13:00

I need your opinions, advice, suggestions and help!

Please, if you can, read the following, and offer your suggestions. I really value any input you can offer.

Over the past few weeks, I've been so busy house-hunting that I've hardly had time to blog. There are so many decisions to be made, and none of them are easy.

One of our principal decisions is choosing between the country "lifestyle" home and the city suburban dream. Trying to make the right choice, in light of what we know and what we suspect about climate change, peak oil, and the economic hardship now and to come.

Our options - country or suburbs

Country life?: If we want, we can choose the country lifestyle property, with all the trimmings. A few acres of land, ten to fifteen minutes drive from the center of Dunedin. We'd have room to grow what we want, room for chooks, room for the kids to run around, room for animals if we chose.

The downside? The cost price would be a lot higher, we'd have a heftier mortgage, and our petrol bill would go up, as would our commuting time. Debt free? Forget it.

The position wouldn't likely affect me so much, as I'm a writer and may end up working permanently from home. But my husband would have to commute, five days a week, fifteen minutes or more each way.

I'd also have to commute for all my music commitments - I sing four times a week with two separate choirs. So that's four round trips for me as well. We'd need an extra car.

City life?: Or we could choose the suburban dream with the quarter acre. Nice home, in great condition, close to everything - walkable, maybe. Smaller debt, smaller commute, smaller petrol costs.

The difference in years of payments? Probably five or more years of extra mortgage payments, and a larger mortgage every month, if we chose the country option. Lifestyle properties are a LOT more expensive.

I should, however, point out that when I say "country lifestyle" we're not exactly talking about being out in the sticks. The properties we're looking at are a maximum of 20 minutes drive into the city. Many are on bus and train lines into the city.

To drive, we're talking probably 10-15 minutes commute for my husband for work, depending on the property. Kids' schools and kindies are about 3 minutes drive away, or 4 km walk/cycle max.

The train lines are currently just for goods and tourists, but there is pressure to return the lines to being for passengers once again. The trains stopped being passenger lines in the 1970s, to my knowledge.

Over a year of looking at houses that have sucked

We've been house hunting for over a year now, and haven't found what we want. We came very close with one home, but various issues with land instability made us decide to turn it down, after making a (conditional) offer and having it accepted.

I've finally come to the conclusion that, in Dunedin at least, no-one ever sells the decent homes. The market is full of rubbish homes, and although you can look on the council website and see beautiful homes in great positions with land close in to town, these homes never get sold. The people in them never put their homes on the market. They live in them until they die, and then pass them on to their families.

As newcomers, our chances of finding something great very close in, and within a non-millionaires price bracket, is next to nil.

As for me, I'm fed up with house-hunting. I want OUT of our tiny rental (80 square metres/800 square feet of living space for four people) and in to something where I have a laundry NOT resembling a broom cupboard.

Country mouse, or city mouse?

So, which do I choose? What should I go for? What would you choose, if you were me? The suburbs or the open spaces? The city or the acreage? The walkability and city life and quarter acre (or less), or the horses and ducks?

I'm asking your opinion, as my readers, because I think you probably know a heck of a lot more about Peak Oil and Climate Change and Economics than the average person I might talk to.

So please, comment if you can! I need your advice and opinions!
--
Cluttercut - Be the change

My best potato salad recipe

2009-11-21T12:14:00.004+13:00

This recipe was given to me from my mum. It's my all-time favourite potato salad, and is an absolute winner for hot summer evenings.

I took it to a potluck recently for my choir (St. Paul's) and it all disappeared very quickly!

This recipe can be made gluten and dairy-free, by using a vegan, gluten-free mayonnaise. Many are available in the supermarket, if you choose this option.

Ingredients:

750g potatoes (use small ones if you can)
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs mustard seeds
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
2 tsp french mustard
1/3 cup good quality mayonnaise
1 tbs chopped parsley

Method:

Boil the potatoes with their skins on, then simmer for 15-20 mins until cooked, but still firm. Wait until they're cool, then quarter them. Don't peel them.
Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a small saucepan, add the mustard seeds, cover. When they start to pop and jump about, remove from the heat immediately. Pour the oil and mustard seeds onto the cooled potatoes, mix gently.
In a separate container, whisk together 1 tbs olive oil and the lemon juice. Add the mustard and mayonnaise. Blend well.
Carefully stir the dressing mixture through the potatoes, being careful not to break up the potatoes.
Just before serving, stir through the chopped parsley.
Serve the salad at room temperature.

I make this as a staple salad to take to picnics etc., and it's always a hit - I never have anything to bring home! It keeps in the fridge in a sealed container for 2-3 days.

And if you're one of my many friends and family reading this and suffering through the heat wave in Australia, please take care, stay cool, and look after yourself, lovelies.
--
Cluttercut - Be the change

For the beauty of the earth

2009-11-20T10:11:00.010+13:00

"The earth is my mother, my home, my life, my bliss, my joy, my heart, my rest, my soul. If it dies, I will die too."

As I look out of my window, it is the brightest, most beautiful morning you could possibly imagine.

The sky is a brilliant blue, and only the smallest whisps of white cloud drift lazily across the horizon. The sun is warm on my arms, and the birds sing in the trees. It's a morning gifted from heaven.

We take these gifts of sunshine and clouds and gentle warmth for granted. But imagine we never had mornings like this one, to make us joyful?

All we hear about it seems, in the green movement, is parts per million and carbon and sea level rise and biodiversity and global heating.

This message is overwhelmingly negative - one of denial and reduction and removal and destruction and devastation and death and decay and sterile science.

It seems no one ever talks about beauty. Which is why I want to talk about it now.

No one ever seems to talk about the fact that if we continue to treat our world like a trash heap, we will hurt our souls, and our bodies, and our children, and their children to come, and our sense of purposefulness and meaning in our lives - beyond the daily grind of our jobs and our money and our stuff.

No one seems to talk about the inherent value in the beauty of the world, and the terrible tragedy every time even the smallest, most unknown creature becomes extinct.

I do a lot of singing in my life, and a lot of writing, and even a bit of composing. All of these things give me completeness, and happiness, and fellowship, and friendship, and stimulation.

But some of the deepest joy in my life comes from the peaceful time I have outside, alone, just walking under the sun, and breathing fresh air deeply. I regain my inner peace by reconnecting with the natural world.

I love to get dirt under my fingernails, and mud on my hands, and sand and salt on my naked skin when I'm at the beach.

I love to run fast and foolish down steep hills so my legs scissor out from under me and I lose control and fall over, laughing with silliness and exhaustion.

I love to swim in the breakers, cold and exhiliarating, the taste of salt in my mouth and the slap of my wet hair against my cheeks.

More than a life-support system

Scientists are learning more about how to live long term in bubbles and space stations.

Biosphere 2 was one of the larger of these projects. It wasn't successful, but one day one of these projects will be.

I'm here to say that, sure, we might be able to live in a bubble - but would we ever want to?

If it ever came down to us having to live in bubbles and space stations to survive, I know I'd rather die. I belong here on earth, with the wind and the rain and the sunshine and the wild places.

Imagine never feeling a breath of real wind on your face, and never having the joy of being caught in a thunderstorm.

Imagine never being soaked to the skin, and laughing about it even though your fingers and face are stinging with the cold! What life would that be?

Finding balance

Our world leaders need to learn that human lives are about more than productivity. This world is about more than carbon and eco-this and sustainable-that.

We need to learn balance with the earth, not just because we should, but because balance brings unexpected bliss from simple joy and contentment.

We talk about parts per million and biodiversity, because this is the language we can use, as a tool to help us preserve what is really important - the happiness that comes from living in balance with our world.

By learning to live within the bounds of the earth, we can reconnect with its gifts, and learn to value life, and community, and every single person we know for who they are - not for who they might be if we could only force them to change.

Honouring life, accepting death: the bliss of beauty

Living within the earth also means accepting death, and honouring life, as well as respecting others - their ways, customs, and beliefs. We cannot have biodiversity without cherishing cultural diversity.

This world means more to me than just being a life-support system. It is my mother, my home, my life, my bliss, my joy, my heart, my rest, my soul. If it dies, I will die too.

So today, on a day that is not dedicated to trees, or animals, or any particlar saints that I know of, I've chosen to write about the beauty of the world, and how its beauty is reflected within us.

This is why those parts per million are so important. And this is why we need to learn restraint, and balance, and a place that can nurture our world as caretakers and lovers, instead of destroying it in foolishness.
--
Cluttercut - Be the change

Come on, Obama!

2009-11-16T16:59:00.003+13:00

I don't think for a moment that the US will lead at Copenhagen. But the following is a presentation from the next generation, asking Obama to get his act together and go to the Climate Change Conference as a leader that the US can be proud of.

Time will tell.

--
Cluttercut - Be the change

Save thousands on heating and cooling - with brainpower

2009-11-13T12:58:00.005+13:00

This is the second post in a series on permaculture principles.

In my last post, I discussed how to extend your growing season, and the importance of having good access to sunwise light (northern direction axis in the southern hemisphere; southern direction axis in the northern hemisphere).

These tricks are also invaluable for selecting a house to live in, and can make a massive difference to how much you spend in heating and cooling costs.

Our house, which is long and thin with a long, north-facing axis, has heating bills one third of those of our neighbours, whose house points in the opposite direction.

We pay an average of $150 per bill on heating over winter; they pay about $450, and as much as $600.

Both houses are absolutely identical. They were purpose built rentals by our landlady, and are exactly the same plan, with the same insulation, windows, and size.

The difference is our house faces the sun, with the long axis of the house facing sunwise.

Home design is important too!

Two of the three bedrooms, plus the main living area, all face towards the north, and get great sun from dawn to dusk. This means we need to use the heater minimally. The sun does the job of warming our home for us.

In cool climates, where heating is the largest part of your electricity bill, this is exactly what you want - a home where the long axis faces north.

And the fewer south-facing windows you have, the better. Any south facing window you have should ideally be well-dressed, with thick blinds, pelmets and/or curtains.

If you get a chance to design a home yourself, aim for having your living areas and bedrooms on the sunwise side of the home (north in the southern hemisphere; south in the northern hemisphere), with bathroom, laundry, garage (if under main roof) and utility rooms on the south side making up the balance of the house.

Then there are simple common-sense issues in design, such as kitchen and dining room windows never pointing west, as these rooms are used right at the time the sun sets, and sun blindness can be a real problem.

Hot climates

In a hot climate, north/south facing homes are also better for heating and cooling. It is especially important to find homes with as few west windows as possible, as the afternoon sun in the west really heats the home dramatically and can add a lot to cooling costs.

In my first home in Melbourne, we added an interior blind to our west facing bathroom, and an exterior awning to our west-facing exterior, both of which dropped the interior temperature by upwards of five degrees. The awning only cost about $40 - I'd say it was money well spent!

In hot climates, pergolas with deciduous vines that lose their leaves in winter to let sunshine through but keep the home cool in summer are also ideal. In my home town of Adelaide, grape vines are popular, with the added advantage of yummy grapes just outside the window in summer.

Colours make a difference too. Dark roofs and exterior walls will make a home warmer, and light colours will cool. High ceilings in hot climates will enable warm air to rise, but in cold climates high ceilinged rooms can cost a fortune to heat, and be cold and forbidding places to live in. In my home town of Dunedin, most of the large mansions built in our gold-rush era have now been split into apartments and student units, largely because the heating bills became unaffordable.

All this isn't rocket science

None of these tricks are really hard. They just require a bit of brainpower, and planning ahead. Even the most poorly situated home can be improved with a bit of thinking, and the use of permaculture principles like those discussed above. But the ideal time for saving dollars is before you move to your next home.

When you house hunt, check which direction is sunwise (north in the southern hemisphere; south in the northern hemisphere). This is the direction you want the longest axis of the home to face, with rooms such as living, master bedroom etc. facing the sun. Take the time to check how many windows face away from the sun (south in the southern hemisphere; north in the northern hemisphere). These rooms and windows will be cold, and will cost you a lot to heat. And make sure that the kitchen window doesn't face due west!

By taking a compass with you when you house hunt, and learning a bit about permaculture with a great little guide such as any of Bill Mollison's books on the subject, you can make a huge difference to your power budget - and comfort - for decades to come. This is one subject it is worth learning about.
--
Cluttercut - Be the change

Extending your growing season - without glasshouses

2009-11-13T12:16:00.004+13:00

It is easy to extend the growing season, and have sun-ripened berries, well-ahead of your neighbours, if you know how. I live in a "cool temperate" climate in Dunedin, New Zealand (southern hemisphere). We're nearly 46 degrees south of the equator, so extending the growing season is really important.

I'm only growing my berries in pots, and I'm no expert gardener by any means, but if I can do it, anyone can.

Strawberries have only just appeared in the supermarket this week - flown down from the north island, where it is a lot warmer. Yet we've been eating sun-ripened strawberries, grown out of doors, for days now. I don't know of anyone else in Dunedin who has ripe strawberries growing for their dessert - but we do!

Here's the proof - beautiful ripe berries, in photos taken two days ago:

Here are some tricks on how to get your strawberries up and running before anyone else!

Find your sunwise axis. If you live in the northern hemisphere (e.g. the USA, Europe, Canada), this will be due south. If, like me, you live in the southern hemisphere (e.g. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa), this is due north.
Ensure that your crop has as much access to this north facing light as possible. A lot of people think that western light (in the afternoon), or eastern light (in the morning) is best. But in cold climates, you want the sunwise aspect.

This is because the further away from the equator you are (the further north or south), the closer to the sunwise horizon the sun travels. So by placing your crop facing sunwise (south if you live in the north; north if you live in the south), you'll get as much heat and light on your crop as possible.
Plant your plant up against a dark, sunwise-facing wall. In my case, I am growing my strawberries in a strawberry planter, which is dark and has the same effect as a dark, sun-facing wall. The dark colour traps heat, and helps keep the plant against it warmer.
Drip water the plant; don't drown it. Plants develop stronger root systems with drip irrigation. Lettuces do particularly well when planted under trees, with the droplets from the leaf tips falling onto them.

The lettuces below are all planted underneath a sapling feijoa (pineapple guava).

Feijoas are marginal crops in our climate, but once again, because I am keeping mine warm up against a wall, and facing north (south for the northern hemisphere when trying this trick!), mine is doing very well.

I am also growing lemons and olives, using this same trick, and expect fruit next season from my trees. And I've just planted some avocado seeds, which I am expecting to grow well, using the same, "warm them up" principles.

People spend a lot of money on glasshouses. While they are a great investment, the best investment is buying a home that is sunny, in a sunny position, then using your brain and learning to plant wisely in smart positions.

I believe I can also grow lemons, feijoas and even avocadoes in Dunedin, although no-one else else. What do you think? Only time will tell, but if the permaculture principles I've talked about in this blog post are spot on, like I think they are, I'll be sitting down to home-grown avocadoes while my neighbours struggle to get their spinach growing, just a few short years from now!

This post is in a one-of-two series. The next post will discuss how to cut your heating bills by a third, by selecting your home wisely when you buy, rent or move house.

--
Cluttercut - Be the change

Green cleaning your dishwasher - here's how!

2009-11-06T15:38:00.001+13:00

You don't need any of those fancy dishwasher cleaning products. What you do need is a quarter cup of bicarbonate of soda.

If you use a product called "baking soda" check the ingredients to make sure it is pure bicarbonate of soda, and doesn't contain any fillers, such as cornstarch.

To clean your dishwasher, simply sprinkle the bicarb soda into the base of the dishwasher, underneath the roll-out trays. Then run it through a full cycle, without any dishes in it.

You're done!

Check out the inside of your dishwasher, and you'll find it is nice and shiny clean. Too easy!
--
Cluttercut - Be the change

A pirate birthday cake for a bunch of young pirates! Yarrrr!

2009-11-04T18:27:00.006+13:00

I've been hiding from the internet over the past few days. My son (five years old tomorrow) had a Pirate Birthday Party on Sunday. And the grandparents have been here to help celebrate.

So life has been chaos.

Pirates ahoy! Yarrr! (Click on the photo for a full-sized version)

Half a dozen pirate friends came dressed for pirate party games, food, and silliness. As a parent doing a birthday party for the first time, I found the whole thing a bit hair raising. But it all went well.

I especially enjoyed making a Pirate Birthday Cake for my son. Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian pirate cake! Tricky, but not impossible. And it tasted and looked great!

Cannons to the deck! It's a crocodile! Where's Capt'n Hook? (Click on the photo for a full-sized version)

Now the party is over, and I'll be taking the rest of the week off from music and blogging - to recover! I apologise for the break in transmissions.

Blame it on the pirates.

Yarrr!
--
Cluttercut - Be the change

Why bottled water sucks

2009-10-28T14:14:00.002+13:00

Bottled water sucks.

Beth Terry at Fake Plastic Fish has snapped Jackson Brown ranting about why bottled water sucks.

I couldn't agree with Beth - or Browne - more.

Bottled water really sucks.

I haven't bought bottled water for - it is years now? It's certainly months. And now, as part of my Water Challenge, I don't buy drinks in any form of single use plastic packaging. I'm best friends with my stainless steel water bottle, and happier than ever.
--
Cluttercut - Be the change

I'm not alone, but sometimes I wish I was

2009-10-26T11:45:00.008+13:00

A recent study in the US has found that among 8 year old children, 1 in every 100 has autism.

For boys, the figure is 1 in 58. If there isn't a child with autism in your son or daughter's class, he or she is in the class next door. Or maybe it is your son or daughter. Like it is my son.

And the numbers are rising.

Read it here: CDC find higher incidence of autism.

As a mother of a boy with autism, that's frightening.

We're lucky - my son is on the mild end of the spectrum. But if you think it doesn't impact every single moment of our lives together, think again.

I know I'm not alone in battling this thing, but sometimes I wish I was. Because the thought that so many people are out there battling, and struggling too, is beyond horrific.

My thoughts and wishes go out to all families - and especially the kids - who are struggling with autism.

May we find a way through this thing, together.

--
Cluttercut - Be the change

Excuses, excuses!

2009-10-21T14:52:00.003+13:00

I have two small excuses for not doing things in my life.

One will be having a "Pirates And Princesses" Birthday Party in a couple of weeks, when he turns five.

The other is aged two and a half, and was reduced to tears this morning when her balloon blew away.

Having a young family means life is full of excuses.

When friends come visit, they step through the door, and my opening line is: "Excuse the house being in such a mess..."

The washing triffid

When I don't get things done: "Excuse me for not getting around to [whatever I said I'd do], the kids have kept me busy."

When I'm late for choir: "Excuse me, the traffic was bad." (Which really means that one or other of my kids needed a change / had a tantrum / took their shoes off just as we were heading out the door.)

St. Paul's, where I sing

I don't knit or sew. I tried to knit, but there was nowhere in our tiny house I could keep it safe without my daughter finding it and tearing it apart, pulling the wool from one end to the other, and rolling it around, having huge fun.

Nothing to see here...move along, move along...

And when my son pulled the paper patterns off the sewing pieces, I was worried he'd stab himself with the pins he kept stealing.

My kids have taught me more than I could have imagined, from the moment when I first held my son in my arms and heard his baby cries.

I've grown as a person, learning patience, and love, and forgiveness.

I've also learned that I'll do anything on this earth to keep them safe. Which means doing everything I can to keep our world safe for them.

And no excuses.

--
Cluttercut - Be the change

My own 350.org action: planting 350 seeds of food plants!

2009-10-20T12:57:00.005+13:00

My kids and I are planting 350 seeds of food plants on October 24.

In my garden, on my "nature strip" (which is just overgrown grass and never gets mowed by our landlady!), in pots, and in tubes to be given to members of our community and to families freely on Freecycle.

This is my stand as a Guerilla Gardener in training. *lol*

Here are my seeds, ready for action:

If you love this action, why not do the same in your own town, with your own family, and join me?

You can find our action registered online at 350.org by clicking here.
--
Cluttercut - Be the change

Our Cathedral will rock the town!

2009-10-19T14:37:00.008+13:00

As part of the 350.org International Day Of Climate Action, our Cathedral will be joining other Dunedin churches and ringing our bells 350 times!

Now this might not win friends and influence people (especially our neighbours in the Octagon), but I think it's pretty cool.

You can find the 350.org node here to read about it. We're not alone - Knox Church will be joining us.

Zooming in at 350.org will find our action

Our Dean announced this to the congregation on Sunday, and a lot of people seemed very pleased that we will have a (very loud and musical!) voice on 24 October.

I'm going to talk to the Dean, find out the exact time of the event, and ask if I can film it.

If I manage to (despite the handicap of two preschoolers to manage), I'll Youtube it and post it to this blog.

If you're a member of a Church or social group, why not suggest a similar action? We need every single community gathering behind this that we can get.

UPDATE: As of the afternoon of Monday 19 October, Dunedin, with our population of just over 120, 000 people, has 18 actions on the map, and rising :-)

--
Cluttercut - Be the change

Seedlings grow up!

2009-10-16T10:18:00.002+13:00

Do you remember a few weeks ago I posted an article called "Seedlings On the Cheap"?

And the photos were all of egg cartons. Filled with soil, nothing to see?

Take another look!

Lettuces - outside, and cruisin' for a bruisin'!

Lettuce, grown from seed

Pumpkin growing big and burly, and ready to face the elements!

Pumpkin coming up

Ummm...I think these are tomatoes. But I forgot to label them! Any ideas, readers?

Tomatoes...maybe?

Peggy gave these to me. I think they're marigolds.

Mystery flower. Maybe marigolds, but could be triffids

Gourmet lettuce mix, ready to face the elements.

Gourmet lettuce mix

Cucumbers, not quite out of their infancy.

Crystal apple cucumbers

That's the whole kitchen windowsill nursery. I'd have more if I could, but this is the only windowsill the kids can't reach.

More babies

I still find it miraculous that what was earth can become green leaf, fruit, bud and bower.

The living world is truly a miracle, don't you think!
--
Cluttercut - Be the change

24 October 2009 - International Day of Climate Action

2009-10-15T09:27:00.005+13:00

View Actions at 350.org

You don't have to be a "Green Blogger" to add this to your blog. If you want to send a strong message to our political leaders, prior to Copenhagen, add the Map Of Actions to your blog by visiting here

--
Cluttercut - Be the change

How to turn your kids into farmers and gardeners

2009-10-14T10:41:00.005+13:00

My kids are only four and two. But you know what - they're already keen gardeners and farmers, thanks to a few tricks in gardening that I've stumbled upon.

I want to share them with you.

If you have kids, I hope you can teach your kids the joys of food gardening. My kids are loving it, and I get so much joy from learning with them.

Have a garden, and get outside as much as possible in public gardens.
Choose days when the weather is fine.
Bring yummy food and drink with you.
Play games outside, like Hide And Seek.
Smell the flowers. Hug the trees.
Go to the Botanic Gardens and feed the ducks.

On your marks.
Get set.
No, Herman! Don't look at the camera!

If it rains, bring the umbrellas and play with the kids in the rain.

I'm glad you can't hear the soundtrack
Sing "Singing in the Rain" together. It doesn't matter if you're a bad singer - I am, but my kids don't mind!

All of this is teaching kids to love the outdoors from an early age. Get them running around, and run with them. It's fun - it really is!

Hugs for the winner - and the loser!
We have races up and down the Cherry Walk in the Botanic Gardens, and give hugs for prizes to the winner, and the loser!
Take cuttings wherever you go.
Take cuttings of herbs, flowers, trees - anything you fancy, wherever it is allowed. Put them in pots when you get home with the kids.

My kids love these experiments, and they especially love watering them.
Get a pretty watering can, and take turns watering the garden.
We bought a beautiful tin watering can, in lime green, for only a few dollars from a discount shop.

The kids love to take turns watering the garden - it's a game they love to share in.

What might have been work has become a joy to them!
Choose as many productive plants as possible.
Kids might like flowers, but they LOVE strawberries!

Grow anything that gives a good, fast, yummy yield! And grow it in pots - the kids find potted gardens so much more manageable, and kid-sized.

My son goes out every day to examine his blueberries, checking to see if any berries have developed yet.

I keep finding lettuce leaves missing from our baby lettuces - yet our kids aren't keen to eat the shop bought ones!

Heirloom rocket
The mint, rocket, and baby spinach all take a beating from nibbling kids, who can't seem to keep away from anything we grow ourselves! Growing these foods is promoting healthy eating!

My son's baby strawberries!
And my son is so proud of his baby strawberries!
Ask the kids what they'd like to grow!
I go to the garden center with the kids. When I'm choosing plants, I ask for input.
My son wanted the blueberries. He's got them!
My daughter wanted cucumbers, and now ours are growing from seed really well!
Kids need to own a project in order to learn from it. There's no point teaching from books, but if they can get their hands dirty and help, they'll remember what to do and how to do it.

I think, in the years to come, knowing how to grow food will be one of the most useful skills a person can have. I think humanity is headed for tough times.

But even if we're not, what better way to teach kids about respect for nature, love for everything living and green, and healthy eating and exercise, than by doing food gardening and farming from an early age?

I love my garden time with the kids. It is a precious gift I never expected to receive. And for that I am grateful.

--
Cluttercut - Be the change

Turkish-style beetroot dip

2009-10-12T13:55:00.005+13:00

This is my version of the lovely beetroot dip ("pancar dip") I used to get at Alasya Turkish Restaurant in Melbourne, Australia, on Sydney Road. They're famous for their dips and desserts.

The finished dip - Yummy!

Now I live in Dunedin, New Zealand, it is just a bit far to commute for their dip! So I've developed my own version that is so quick and easy it's a scandal not to try it.

You can use fresh beets, and it is better - just boil about 3 beets in some water, drain, then use the rest of the recipe as per normal.

You can do an easy dairy-free version of this recipe, by replacing the yoghurt with soy yoghurt.

I serve the dip with flat bread, or fresh home made bread.

Ingredients:

1 tin of beetroot
1/4 cup of plain, unsweetened yoghurt
1 small clove garlic (I use two cloves, but I'm a garlic fiend!)
Fresh mint, for garnish.

Method:

Crush the garlic, and place it in a small blender bowl, together with the beetroot and yoghurt.
Pulse until smooth.
Garnish with the fresh mint.

For this dip, I used our home grown mint and home grown garlic from Peggy, as ours is still a bit too small. Thanks Peggy!
--
Cluttercut - Be the change

A day at the gardens

2009-10-11T18:13:00.003+13:00

The weekend has been absolutely beautiful.

I could talk about how the sun shone, how we were able to get out and enjoy the weather, and how it really, truly, feels like Spring is here.

But I'd rather show you the photos.

We took the kids to the Botanic Gardens again yesterday morning.

Everything was in full bloom.

In the afternoon, after a spot of house-hunting, there was a little shower of rain. Just enough for two preschoolers to get out the umbrellas.

And run around on the daisies.

I love Spring. You can almost hear the earth laughing for joy.

When the green woods laugh with the voice of joy,
And the dimpling stream runs laughing by;
When the air does laugh with our merry wit,
And the green hill laughs with the noise of it;

when the meadows laugh with lively green,
And the grasshopper laughs in the merry scene,
When Mary and Susan and Emily
With their sweet round mouths sing "Ha, ha he!"

When the painted birds laugh in the shade,
Where our table with cherries and nuts is spread:
Come live, and be merry, and join with me,
To sing the sweet chorus of "Ha, ha, he!"

- Laughing Song, (from) Songs Of Innocence, William Blake

--
Cluttercut - Be the change

A new Rubik's Cube for our toddler

2009-10-11T12:54:00.002+13:00

We just bought our daughter a new Rubik's Cube.

She lost her old one, and we've been really struggling with getting her to stay in bed ever since.

You'd think that a Rubik's Cube is a weird bedfellow for a 2 year old, but she loves it. Better yet, it meant that she would stay in bed, and we didn't have to deal with a toddler escaping, opening her bedroom window (in the middle of winter!), coming out every five minutes to say hello, and making her way into her brother's bedroom (and his bed!).

Now the new one has arrived, we're hoping it will keep her happy.

She lies in bed, twiddling the thing for ages, until she falls asleep.

And if she manages to solve it, yes, we'll be sure to sell the story for mega-bucks to the garbage magazines and Sixty Minutes!

--
Cluttercut - Be the change

Composting our lives

2009-10-09T09:33:00.010+13:00

As I walked out to the compost bin last night in my gumboots, loaded with vegetable scraps, past a long row of food plants, I couldn't help but think how much I've changed.

And how fast - and slow - the process has been.

When you first realised that we all needed to learn sustainability, if you were like me you went into a state of shock. Did you? I sure did.

The movie "A Crude Awakening" scared the hell out of me.

"An Inconvenient Truth" finished the job off.

I remember being frightened at what I might have to do, and learn.

I remember being afraid of failure.

I remember being angry at people who seemed intent on not changing, and on maintaining their current, unsustainable ways.

Most of all, I remember feeling helpless at my inability to change government policy, inspire others, and create transformation - even in my own parents!

Time to absorb: think, learn, grow, transform

But time has passed, and I have got older. I'm staring at the first grey hairs in my temples. I'm looking at the first few lines around my eyes. I'm finding unexpected beauty in these things.

In my life, I've been faced with challenges I never expected to face. A son with autism. A challenging daughter.

Moving to a different country, and having to learn different cultural norms, and different modes of behaviour.

Leaving my friends and family behind. I miss them so much.

But here I am, half a decade after first learning about finite resources and sustainability. And I barely recognise the person I was when I return to my old diaries from that earlier time.

You can't buy green

I used to think you could buy green. I thought that if you only bought the right products - sustainably harvested this, ethically produced that, everything would be fine.

I used to figure that all we had to do was live in funky eco-homes and wear the latest bamboo fibre fashion and drive electric cars around, and - hey presto! - problem solved.

But the hole we've dug for ourselves with our consumerism can't be solved by simply spending more, despite what any bailout supporters might think.

Composting our lives

I'm starting to learn that sustainability comes from an open mind, and the willingness to power down, challenge authority, and challenge ourselves.

Power down: Powering down by reshaping our resource use.

Growing our own food, and supporting locally produced food.

Living lower on the food chain with fewer animal foods in our diets.

Living in smaller, more efficient, better designed homes that are cheaper to heat, cool and maintain.

Living within cycling and walking distances of our workplaces, schools and parks.

Challenge authority: Speaking out against companies, corporations and governments that destroy our world.

Being strong enough to take a stand against what we believe is wrong.

Fighting for what we believe in, even when we don't think we can win, or when we know we will lose.

Speaking out loud for those who cannot speak, and being strong for those who are weak.

Challenge ourselves: Learn that politics is a tool that divides people on the areas where we all need to see our similarities. The way that "green" issues have become partisan in the USA is a striking example of this.

Learn that inside our most hated enemy is a person in whom we may, if we are patient and willing enough, find a friend.

Learn that many, many disagreements are based in foolishness and an unwillingness to back down, rather than anything actually worth fighting over.

Learn that there are two sides to every story, and sometimes we are actually wrong!

Learn that labels for people, ideologies, religions and groups are divisive rather than helpful. A person may be gay, Muslim, right-wing or extremist - but they're a person first - and if we see them as a person rather than the label, maybe we'll understand who they are, rather than hate what they are not.

Challenge ourselves to clean up messes that we didn't make, extend a hand of friendship to people who never extended it to us, build community in places where no community exists, and love those who have no one to love them.

Being green isn't just about compost, but the compost is a big part of green!

Over the coming years, I think we'll see a hard sell on green. We'll see it modelled and styled, and packaged to us in "designer green" forms.

We'll see more and more "greenwash", with every product from "clean coal" to "clean nuclear" being hailed as the latest planet-saving miracle must-have.

In the end, to see the truth, all we need to do is look at the compost! If a product creates mess - especially mess that is talked of in half-lives and millions of years - we're not talking ethical or green.

There's nothing fair about fouling the world for future generations, millions of years into the future. And there's nothing clean about coal.

I'd be happy to have a wind farm or solar cell in my backyard, but I think I'd say no to mountaintop removal or a nuclear storage facility. Wouldn't you?

Taking out the compost in our lives

So I'm starting with the compost.

Getting our waste down, just as others have before me. It has taken me years to reach a point at which I "grok" sustainability.

And I understand now that if I want my world to be beautiful, I need to take care of my own backyard. And my own compost pile.

And when I start to see worms writhing in happiness, and smell fresh, rich earth instead of decaying food scraps, then I know I'll be doing okay!

--
Cluttercut - Be the change

Pyrrha's fabulous homemade hummus recipe

2009-10-08T15:35:00.004+13:00

Here it is, in case you missed the recipe in the "comments" section of the blog.

Ingredients:

One can of chickpeas
1 tsp minced garlic
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp tahini
a little salt

Method:

Put in the blender together, along with enough oil to get to a smooth creamy consistency (add through the funnel while blending for best results).
Then transfer into your own re-usable container.
You can experiment with the amounts of the ingredients to try to come up with the same taste as this purchased dip.

Pyrrha adds:

"Cans are recyclable, but better still, you can cook your own chickpeas.

I cook up a batch of a kilo of dried chickpeas all at once, then freeze them in usable portions in re-usable containers. I also do this with red kidney beans."

Pyrrha's Eggplant Dip

Pyrhha adds this yummy dip recipe:

Roast eggplant dip is just as easy - roast an eggplant in the oven at 180C for 30 mins, turn it over and 20 mins on the second side.

Transfer it to a plate to carefully peel off the skin (knife and tongs), catching the juice on the plate.

Throw out the eggplant skin.

Transfer everything to the blender, and add the same lemon, garlic, tahini and salt.

You probably won't need the oil as the eggplant juice will do the trick.

You can visit Pyrrha's blog at Princessi Stitch N Bitch.

Better yet, if you live in Melbourne, Australia, go hear her sing at Gloriana, which are an excellent choir!
--
Cluttercut - Be the change

Ditch the disposables: The Hummus Strikes Back!

2009-10-08T15:16:00.007+13:00

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been tackling the issue of sustainable hummus.

After a fair bit of thought, I wrote the following letter back to Lisa's Hummus, explaining my decision about their product to them.

Thankyou for your quick email response to my concerns about the plastic packaging of Lisa's Hummus.

I have read what you had to say on the matter, and talked the issue over with a large number of friends, and after a fair bit of thought and discussion have reached a conclusion.

I thought you might be interested to know what I have decided.

In your email, you said,

"In my opinion consumers need to make a sea change in their purchasing patterns so that manufacturers of plastic and products like ours are forced to change."

I think you are right.

Therefore, I will no longer be buying your product.

From now on, I will be making my own hummus from scratch, buying the ingredients in bulk, and freezing portions. I'm no great chef, but I think it is worth a bit of effort to avoid trashing our world, don't you?

So I guess you could say that I'm one of the first "waves" of the "sea change" you talked about!

I think that manufacturers have claimed that everything is the responsibility of the consumer for far too long. As a result, we consumers feel guilty and are blamed, yet such small changes from large companies could make massive differences in the health of our world.

In many cases, consumers do not have a choice about whether to buy a sustainable option or not - there are simply no sustainable options around, and you give us no choice at all but to refuse to buy, and effectively "boycott" your product. As in this instance.

I think Lisa's Hummus is missing a great opportunity to be the vanguard of sustainability.

By offering glass packaging that is 100% recyclable - and perhaps even returnable packaging with a deposit option! - you could gain a whole group of new customers, keen to do the right thing and buy sustainable products from ethical producers. If you were wary about taking this step, you could trial it on a percentage of your products, and see how it goes. Do a "green line" of products on a trial basis.

Instead, by leaving us no option but to not buy, you lose customers and, I feel, credibility.

I have no complaint with your product - it is a great one - but I think you need to reconsider your packaging. I am sorry to reach this decision.

When you finally switch to 100% sustainable packaging, I'll be very happy to return once again to purchasing and recommending your product.

Sincerely,

Leanne Veitch

Boycotting a product

In effect, I'm boycotting Lisa's Hummus. This wasn't what I wanted to do, but I feel it is appropriate action.

However, when we decide to stop using a product, I do feel that the company in question has the right to know why. Especially when we stop buying a product for environmental reasons.

Otherwise our action is just a tiny, tiny part of the huge up-and-down of regular sales fluctuations.

Where next?

From now on, I'll be making my own hummus. Just as I should have from the start. Yummy!

I'll post Pyrrha's faaaaaabulous homemade hummus recipe in a separate post, for ease of searching.

Previous hummusy content:

Ditch the disposables: The problem with hummus
Ditch the disposables: The return of the hummus

--
Cluttercut - Be the change

Excess and moderation: Renewing the Water Challenge

2009-10-07T15:22:00.008+13:00

I've decided to continue The Water Challenge. But I've also re-assessed the restrictions of the Challenge.

For want of a better name, I'll call it the Sustainable Drinking Challenge.

With The Water Challenge, I think I tried to do something that I wasn't tough enough to do. I thought I could do it, and in my failure I made myself miserable and guilty.

What's more, I let others down when I had a drink before choir. Because I'd become an alcohol lightweight, even one glass affected me a whole lot more than I expected it would. So my performance was substandard, and I was ashamed and disappointed in myself.

Decision reached

I've decided that I will continue The Water Challenge, but in a revised, easier form. Maybe this is failure, or perhaps it is simply me learning about moderation.

Here goes:

The basic rule of the Challenge is to drink Tap Water as a default. However, if I (and anyone else doing the Challenge) feel the need, the following drinks are okay:

OK to drink when I need to (although water is still the default):

Home-squeezed juice from in-season, home grown and/or local fruit
Herbal teas, including green tea
Organic, Fair Trade tea, coffee and hot chocolate
Home brews of any description
Non plastic-wrapped or packaged drinks
Locally produced wines, beers and spirits in moderation (wines from your own region or local area)
Home made soft drinks
Tap water (d'oh!)
All drinks served on planes, or where there are absolutely no other options (like, REALLY no other options!)
All drinks served at friends' places, when you are invited

Finally, there's the Sanity Clause, which says, if there's a choice between feeling guilty and having something you feel you need (Nevyn, you can call this the "Pepsi Max" clause!), you have it. In moderation.

The Sanity Clause is because I'm starting to realise that there's something in life called The Middle Way. Buddhists talk about it a lot.

Finding moderation, finding balance

Although I'm not Buddhist, I think other religions can learn from Buddhist wisdom.

Being on such a restrictive Challenge made me realise that restricting ourselves to excess isn't a good thing, although restricting ourselves a little sure is.

Everywhere you look in our society, you see examples of excess. People so overweight they can hardly walk. People so rich they don't even know how much money they have.

People so greedy that they're planning their next holiday while they're still on their current one. People with so many consumer goods that they don't even know how many clothes they have in their wardrobe.

Over the past few years, I've learned to restrict what I own, what I buy, what I use, what I eat, and what I need.

In general, this has made me happier, much happier than I was before. I moved from being one of those excessive people, to one who, I thought, had found balance.

However, The Water Challenge taught me that sometimes we can swing too much the other way, when we're searching for balance.

My life goal is to not only be happy, but to live a sustainably happy life, and hopefully share my joys and learning and experiences with others who are also on the path to sustainability.

Our Dean at the Cathedral calls what I am trying to do the attempt to live deliberately. He's a pretty smart man. And I think, no matter what your religious path - or if you have no religious path at all - that this is a great way to think of it.

So is The Water Challenge still a Challenge?

I'd say YES. Here is a list of the drinks I will be avoiding over the rest of the year:

Off-limits:

All multinational-produced non-Fair Trade hot drinks e.g. supermarket brand tea, coffee and hot chocolate (such as Moccona, Nestle, Maxwell House, Starbucks, Gloria Jean etc.)
All colas and other packaged soft drinks (e.g. Coke, Pepsi, 7-Up, Sprite, Fanta, home brand fizzy drinks, Tang, cordial etc.)
All "diet" drinks
All packaged juices of any description, including organic in-glass juices and colas (e.g. Phoenix)
Water from a plug-in water coolers (why? Because I've never met a water cooler yet that wasn't close to a tap!)
Anything with single-use, single-serve or throw-away packaging.

So yes, I'm making a lot of concessions. You could call it a Reality Check. Reality is full of them. But I'd rather be real, and adapt the Challenge, succeeding where I can, that keep at something I know I'll only fail.

Thanks to everyone who supported me through this, and who emailed me and wrote such supportive blog posts - Nevyn and Chile in particular. You're awesome.
--
Cluttercut - Be the change

Home made spray cleaner

2009-10-07T11:13:00.005+13:00

I've stopped buying those expensive and dangerous "Spray and Wipe" products, since getting this recipe from a friend at choir.

You can make it at home, it's safe, cheap, and environmentally-friendly. All good news!

All you need is your own spray bottle. Discount shops like "The Warehouse" sell them for a couple of dollars each.

Ingredients

2/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup water
20 drops of eucalyptus oil.

Don't forget to label the spray container with an indelible ink pen, and give it a shake before use!

This is great for bathrooms (all surfaces) as well as kitchens. So you don't need a swag of bottles cluttering up your cupboards. It even smells nice and fresh.

Tie an old soft cloth around the neck of the bottle, so you're ready to go when you need to clean.

Too easy!

--
Cluttercut - Be the change