Yesterday I enjoyed a sensational day in my garden. The sun was shining, there was a light breeze, the birds were singing and all was good in the land of Reg. At the moment I am preparing my garden beds for winter. There is lots of mulching and manure, pruning and trimming, weeding and feeding.
For the last few years one of the biggest and rottenest jobs has been mowing my lawns. I dislike this job so much that at times (a lot of the time) I leave it for months. It is not uncommon for me to hire a brush cutter to knock down the out of control ‘lawn’ before running the lawn mower over it. The last time I let the grass get out of control I hire a garden ‘hit man’ to come in and get it under control. Hit men do not come cheap and it cost me around $300 to get it down. Admittedly, I couldn’t see the dogs or chickens in the grass. And there is a possibility that a small village of pygmies had been set up in the backyard and I would never have seen them.
A few years ago I got the bright idea of buying one of those old fashioned mowers the push/pull lawn mowers – no engine things. However the lawn had big clumps of thick weeds and grass. And the lawn mower wasn’t tough enough to cut through them. So I put it in the shed and thought no more of it.
My petrol powered lawn mower has it’s own set of issues. As it is old it required yearly (and some times twice yearly) servicing, new blades, and the spark plugs....oh the spark plugs!! They were my problem child.
Now that I don’t have a car it is a lot more difficult to get the mower serviced. It is not easy to pop it on a bus and while I don’t mind walking the dog I am not too keen on taking the lawn mower for a walk. Plus there is the costs associated with the lawn mower including petrol and 2 stroke or 3 stroke or whatever the green stuff is that is added to the mix.
For some time I have had TW mowing my lawns, wiper sniping my edges and generally making my garden sparkle. TW runs ‘Fix My Garden’ and does a sterling job. He is efficient and hard working and without his help my garden would actually have a small pygmy tribe living in it.
However as I am trying to reduce my carbon footprint there is, as always, environmental considerations to take into account. Petrol, noise pollution, carbon pollution etc...
The big question is ‘Is a push/pull lawn cutter better than a petrol powered lawn mower?’
Pros
No petrol, no servicing, hardly any noise, no hard cords to pull, no myriad of bits that can go wrong. It is good physical exercise. I am sure my arms and legs got a pretty good work out. It is easy to start, ok there is no starting an engine or in fact an engine at all.
Cons
Grass can’t be too long, too fine or too thick and clumping. It doesn’t work well on uneven ground. It did jam a bit too. And to be honest I did use some unsavoury words (ok I did use a lot of words that rhyme with duck like mother ducker). The grass catcher at the back whilst easy to use did keep coming off. This mainly happened over uneven ground or when I went to too fast or too rough.
The Verdict
I will use it again. It works well now that my lawn is under control. If it is used similar to a paint roller (up and down, diagonal and horizontal) it cuts pretty well. The lawn looks pretty good. The chooks loved it and were not at all scared. Neither were the dogs or cats.
Attached are some photos of the lawn and the lawn mower so you have some idea of what I am talking about.
I think I like the romanticised idea of living a green sustainable and somewhat old fashioned lifestyle. The reality is quite different. And I often ask myself why I even bother and what is all this hard work for. Surely I must be an escapee from an insane asylum to go without a car, to make my own pet food, to use a lawn mower that’s main fuel source is me!
I am a little nuts but I am not insane. I like the quote “quirky but cute and adorable”. It hasn’t taken off but I am still hoping it will. But I digress. It is worth it. I do have to remind myself that this is a big picture long term project (life time). It is about preserving our resources for our life time and for future generations.
After Mr Rudd’s neck breaking turn around on our environment I have been thinking about his performance since taking office. I admired him for apologising to Aboriginals and their ancestors for our ancestors and our transgressions against them. But in a hundred years time my descendants saying sorry will not dissolve our transgressions against mother earth. I’d like my descendants to say that I did everything I possibly could to preserve the earth and ensure their future. My romantic side would like them to be proud of my actions not ashamed.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Some tips and suggestions for starting organic gardening
A friend of mine has retired recently and is looking to start an organic garden. Obviously I think this is fabulous news and I thought to help out RM I would write a few tips and suggestions for starting an organic garden.
I have been an organic gardener for some years now. My early attempts at garden design were poor and a mish mash of ideas thrown together. However I have learnt from my mistakes, increased my knowledge and skills and now have a rather good garden. There are still challenges though.
The best part of gardening is not just playing in the dirt or watching a seed grow into rock melon, carrots or potatoes etc or the satisfaction of growing my own food. It is not the therapeutic value of being outside or physically active. And it is not reducing my carbon footprint and reducing food miles, chemical usage and other damage to the environment. It is eating it!!! Oh, and sharing it with friends and family. Nothing is as delicious as home grown organic salads or roast vegetables or whatever your fancy is.
One of my favourite magazines is “Organic Gardener”. A bi-monthly magazine dedicated to...you guessed it, organic gardening. I love going through it many times over the two months, reading and re-reading articles. I have kept nearly all my copies and refer back articles over and over again.
Some other good mags are ‘Grass Roots’, ‘Warm Earth’ and ‘Earth Gardener’. Grass Roots has been around for over 20 years. These magazines not only cover gardening but also keeping livestock – chickens, goats, cows etc, making your own yoghurt, butter, jams, tools. They have also covered things like mud brick and are focussed on self sufficiency in general as opposed to organic gardening specifically.
Herronswood is fantastic for organic seeds, bulbs, plants and fruit trees. Their quarterly catalogue now also has a few articles on gardening, self sufficiency and the environment. I have been a member for years and have never had a problem with their seeds or trees being sent to me. I also like Eden Seeds and the Seed Saver network is well worth a look for seeds. All are organic and heritage seeds.
If you are after heritage fruit trees don’t forget the Collingwood Children’s Farm. Once a month they have a farmers market. A pretty good time to check out some of their stock and find some unique and rare heritage saplings.
And don’t forget that once your organic garden is up and running you can save your own seeds. Plus you can exchange seeds with other organic gardeners. Seeds can also be collected from organic fruit and vegetables purchased in your local supermarket.
Just a heads up too. When you go the local supermarket and buy fruit and vegetables that are not organic remember to wash them thoroughly. Not only are chemicals used to spray fruit and veg in the orchards and farms but they are also sprayed with more harmful chemicals to preserve them between the time they harvested and sold to you.
Personally, I have great reservations that washing regular fruit and vegetables is enough to make them safe to eat. Surely the chemicals must seep into the fruit and vegetables. Or is that just my scepticism?
Composting is one the most important aspects of organic gardening. Previously I have mentioned the fabulous Bokashi bin. It’s beautiful nectar is every bit as good as liquid seaweed or worm ‘juice’ (the liquid run off from the worm farm). I have all three - two active compost heaps, a worm farm and a Bokashi bin. All recycling my garden and kitchen scraps into lovely fertiliser for my garden.
Permaculture is now becoming a popular gardening method. It is a key component of the Transition Town initiatives that are popping up all over the place. Bill Mollison is considered not only the foremost authority on Permaculture but is also the founder. There are a number of courses available in Permaculture design. Permaculture Solutions in Heathmont is pretty good and offers a range of other services and advice. Their website is http://www.permaculturesolutions.com.au
I love my chickens. These little girls are a fantastic addition to my pet family and are very helpful in weeding the garden and tilling the soil. Their poo is fantastic for the garden. It adds wonderful nutrients to your garden beds. Plus there are the fresh eggs. Oh my goodness the golden yolked loveliness! My cakes are heaps better since I started using the organic eggs from my girls. And added advantage is that I have been selling my surplus eggs to friends and neighbours. The little bit of cash I get goes to buying their feed and bedding.
Apart from the magazines and websites I have suggested above I have listed below some of my favourite books. I am a big reader so I have collected a few books and as with my magazines they are well read and referred to often.
The Permaculture Home Garden by Linda Woodrow
A Slice of Organic Life by Sheherazade Goldsmith (with a foreword by Stephanie Alexander)
The Australian Fruit and Vegetable Garden by Clive Blazey and Jane Varkulevicius (from Herronswood)
Successful Organic Gardening by David R Murray
Garden Feast by Melissa King
I have been an organic gardener for some years now. My early attempts at garden design were poor and a mish mash of ideas thrown together. However I have learnt from my mistakes, increased my knowledge and skills and now have a rather good garden. There are still challenges though.
The best part of gardening is not just playing in the dirt or watching a seed grow into rock melon, carrots or potatoes etc or the satisfaction of growing my own food. It is not the therapeutic value of being outside or physically active. And it is not reducing my carbon footprint and reducing food miles, chemical usage and other damage to the environment. It is eating it!!! Oh, and sharing it with friends and family. Nothing is as delicious as home grown organic salads or roast vegetables or whatever your fancy is.
One of my favourite magazines is “Organic Gardener”. A bi-monthly magazine dedicated to...you guessed it, organic gardening. I love going through it many times over the two months, reading and re-reading articles. I have kept nearly all my copies and refer back articles over and over again.
Some other good mags are ‘Grass Roots’, ‘Warm Earth’ and ‘Earth Gardener’. Grass Roots has been around for over 20 years. These magazines not only cover gardening but also keeping livestock – chickens, goats, cows etc, making your own yoghurt, butter, jams, tools. They have also covered things like mud brick and are focussed on self sufficiency in general as opposed to organic gardening specifically.
Herronswood is fantastic for organic seeds, bulbs, plants and fruit trees. Their quarterly catalogue now also has a few articles on gardening, self sufficiency and the environment. I have been a member for years and have never had a problem with their seeds or trees being sent to me. I also like Eden Seeds and the Seed Saver network is well worth a look for seeds. All are organic and heritage seeds.
If you are after heritage fruit trees don’t forget the Collingwood Children’s Farm. Once a month they have a farmers market. A pretty good time to check out some of their stock and find some unique and rare heritage saplings.
And don’t forget that once your organic garden is up and running you can save your own seeds. Plus you can exchange seeds with other organic gardeners. Seeds can also be collected from organic fruit and vegetables purchased in your local supermarket.
Just a heads up too. When you go the local supermarket and buy fruit and vegetables that are not organic remember to wash them thoroughly. Not only are chemicals used to spray fruit and veg in the orchards and farms but they are also sprayed with more harmful chemicals to preserve them between the time they harvested and sold to you.
Personally, I have great reservations that washing regular fruit and vegetables is enough to make them safe to eat. Surely the chemicals must seep into the fruit and vegetables. Or is that just my scepticism?
Composting is one the most important aspects of organic gardening. Previously I have mentioned the fabulous Bokashi bin. It’s beautiful nectar is every bit as good as liquid seaweed or worm ‘juice’ (the liquid run off from the worm farm). I have all three - two active compost heaps, a worm farm and a Bokashi bin. All recycling my garden and kitchen scraps into lovely fertiliser for my garden.
Permaculture is now becoming a popular gardening method. It is a key component of the Transition Town initiatives that are popping up all over the place. Bill Mollison is considered not only the foremost authority on Permaculture but is also the founder. There are a number of courses available in Permaculture design. Permaculture Solutions in Heathmont is pretty good and offers a range of other services and advice. Their website is http://www.permaculturesolutions.com.au
I love my chickens. These little girls are a fantastic addition to my pet family and are very helpful in weeding the garden and tilling the soil. Their poo is fantastic for the garden. It adds wonderful nutrients to your garden beds. Plus there are the fresh eggs. Oh my goodness the golden yolked loveliness! My cakes are heaps better since I started using the organic eggs from my girls. And added advantage is that I have been selling my surplus eggs to friends and neighbours. The little bit of cash I get goes to buying their feed and bedding.
Apart from the magazines and websites I have suggested above I have listed below some of my favourite books. I am a big reader so I have collected a few books and as with my magazines they are well read and referred to often.
The Permaculture Home Garden by Linda Woodrow
A Slice of Organic Life by Sheherazade Goldsmith (with a foreword by Stephanie Alexander)
The Australian Fruit and Vegetable Garden by Clive Blazey and Jane Varkulevicius (from Herronswood)
Successful Organic Gardening by David R Murray
Garden Feast by Melissa King
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Reflections
The news over the last week has been very interesting. And among the environmental /greenie world there has been a few musings and reflections on Eyjafjallajokull. As I sit here writing this 60 Minutes is reporting on the Icelandic eruption that brought the world to a stand still.
Firstly, may I say, that I always find volcanoes stunning. It is adrenalin pumping. All the energy that the Earth possess’ spewing forth. The spectacular smoke plumes, the lightening displays within the smoke, the eeriness of the glow at night, the molten lava slowly oozing out.... It never ceases to amaze and sometimes scare me that nature has so much power, unpredictability and violence.
It did amuse me immensely, however, when people were complaining that their flights were cancelled. Did they seriously expect planes to fly when there was a real threat that volcanic ash could get into the engines and crash a plane full of people???? The news agencies also had a field day reporting on the gloom and doom of passengers.
This incident does however beg the questions – what will happen when peak oil is reached and breached? What happens when there is no fuel available to ensure that there are thousands of flights a week across the globe or the country? I am not, of course, just referring to the transportation of people but also to the transportation of food, mail, animals, plants, etc.
We can not really afford to wait until peak is reached to worry about oil. With proper management we can stave off the time when we reach peak oil. We can also ensure that our oil supplies will last longer. At the rate we currently consume oil once peak oil is reached (and this is assuming that we have not yet reached this point however there is a large amount of evidence that suggests we have in fact reached this crisis point) our oil supplies will not last us long enough to ensure a smooth transition to an oil free Earth.
Our planet is a precarious balancing act. Tip too much one way and we have global warming. Tip too far the other way and we have a new ice age. So is this Mother Nature’s pay back for the damage, hurt and pain that we have inflicted on her? Is this Mother Nature having the last laugh at our expense? Or is it a warning of what is to come?
Firstly, may I say, that I always find volcanoes stunning. It is adrenalin pumping. All the energy that the Earth possess’ spewing forth. The spectacular smoke plumes, the lightening displays within the smoke, the eeriness of the glow at night, the molten lava slowly oozing out.... It never ceases to amaze and sometimes scare me that nature has so much power, unpredictability and violence.
It did amuse me immensely, however, when people were complaining that their flights were cancelled. Did they seriously expect planes to fly when there was a real threat that volcanic ash could get into the engines and crash a plane full of people???? The news agencies also had a field day reporting on the gloom and doom of passengers.
This incident does however beg the questions – what will happen when peak oil is reached and breached? What happens when there is no fuel available to ensure that there are thousands of flights a week across the globe or the country? I am not, of course, just referring to the transportation of people but also to the transportation of food, mail, animals, plants, etc.
We can not really afford to wait until peak is reached to worry about oil. With proper management we can stave off the time when we reach peak oil. We can also ensure that our oil supplies will last longer. At the rate we currently consume oil once peak oil is reached (and this is assuming that we have not yet reached this point however there is a large amount of evidence that suggests we have in fact reached this crisis point) our oil supplies will not last us long enough to ensure a smooth transition to an oil free Earth.
Our planet is a precarious balancing act. Tip too much one way and we have global warming. Tip too far the other way and we have a new ice age. So is this Mother Nature’s pay back for the damage, hurt and pain that we have inflicted on her? Is this Mother Nature having the last laugh at our expense? Or is it a warning of what is to come?
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Bin Night
Tonight is bin night. Part of my endeavours with going green is reducing the volume and content I add to landfill. Sounds easy doesn’t it? Well it isn’t. I have significantly reduced my weekly contribution to landfill. On average I add one plastic shopping bag a week to landfill but being results driven I would like to continually reduce that.
My most recent reduction to my rubbish was the pet food wrappings. The food I was purchasing was in those little foil satchels. The cats are still resisting my tempting offerings however the dogs are devouring every last morsel. Yay for my cooking!!
In 2008 Whitehorse City Council believed that residents in their area sent a whopping 20000 tonnes of food to landfill a year. The problem with sending food to landfill, apart from being wasteful, is that it contributes methane gas to the atmosphere. Methane gas is a major contribute to climate change. It can also be toxic as residents of Cranbourne found out.
Last year I got a Bokashi Bin. It uses a fermenting method to compost ingredients you wouldn’t normally put into a compost bin or worm farm. Ingredients like meat, bones, onions and dairy products. But you can put anything into the bin; it is just advantageous to be able to compost bones for example. Each week you mash it down and sprinkle a little of the Bokashi mix, which looks like a grains and herbs mix, over the top.
I also found this great little site www.onyabags.com.au They sell heaps of different bags that all tuck down to small little pouches. Each one has a caribiner clip so it is easy to hook onto your handbag, back pack, pants etc. They also come in funky colours too. My favourite find on here was onya weighs. You can use them when buying fruit and vegetables. Because they are made of light netting material you can wash your fruit in the bag. The bags dry quickly and wash well in the washing machine. I also have an onya back, onya side (came in very handy when I was last at Salamanca Market!!), dump it onya and an original onya bag. And onya is an Australian company.
One thing that had me stumped for a little while was my sandwich or biscuits. Normally we wrap our lunch in cling wrap or foil (really bad for alzheimers). Well, now you don’t need to. www.4myearth.com.au has washable and reusable wraps for sandwiches, muffins, nuts, you name it. I have been using mine for nearly two years now. While I don’t take a sandwich to work I do take nuts, muffins and biscuits. I have small and medium pockets and small and medium wraps. They wash easily with all my clothes and tea towels. I no longer have to worry about my goodies being wrapped up in plastic and adding to landfill and I bet you thought I was gonna tell you about my Tupperware.
There is also a shop in Croydon that sells bulk flour, pasta, lollies, cereal, nuts etc. You can take your own containers to be refilled instead of purchasing disposable non-reusable packaging. They also make their own fresh peanut butter – very yum. And there is also their bulk honey and molasses. There is also organic and gluten free options.
I have also been reducing my dependence on plastic bags to line my bins. Now I use newspaper. I fold it around the inside of the bin so when I take the rubbish out I can kind of wrap it up. A lot of the plastic garbage bags on the market claim to be biodegradable. The hitch is that even though they claim to be biodegradable in actual fact they are not. Plus there is also the manufacturing process, petroleum used in production and the energy and water utilised. Paper has its environmental drawbacks however from a composting, degradable viewpoint paper is streaks ahead of plastic.
These few steps plus taking my lunch in reusable containers, using ‘green’ shopping bags or string bags for shopping, picking products with less packaging all help to reduce my contribution to landfill.
My most recent reduction to my rubbish was the pet food wrappings. The food I was purchasing was in those little foil satchels. The cats are still resisting my tempting offerings however the dogs are devouring every last morsel. Yay for my cooking!!
In 2008 Whitehorse City Council believed that residents in their area sent a whopping 20000 tonnes of food to landfill a year. The problem with sending food to landfill, apart from being wasteful, is that it contributes methane gas to the atmosphere. Methane gas is a major contribute to climate change. It can also be toxic as residents of Cranbourne found out.
Last year I got a Bokashi Bin. It uses a fermenting method to compost ingredients you wouldn’t normally put into a compost bin or worm farm. Ingredients like meat, bones, onions and dairy products. But you can put anything into the bin; it is just advantageous to be able to compost bones for example. Each week you mash it down and sprinkle a little of the Bokashi mix, which looks like a grains and herbs mix, over the top.
I also found this great little site www.onyabags.com.au They sell heaps of different bags that all tuck down to small little pouches. Each one has a caribiner clip so it is easy to hook onto your handbag, back pack, pants etc. They also come in funky colours too. My favourite find on here was onya weighs. You can use them when buying fruit and vegetables. Because they are made of light netting material you can wash your fruit in the bag. The bags dry quickly and wash well in the washing machine. I also have an onya back, onya side (came in very handy when I was last at Salamanca Market!!), dump it onya and an original onya bag. And onya is an Australian company.
One thing that had me stumped for a little while was my sandwich or biscuits. Normally we wrap our lunch in cling wrap or foil (really bad for alzheimers). Well, now you don’t need to. www.4myearth.com.au has washable and reusable wraps for sandwiches, muffins, nuts, you name it. I have been using mine for nearly two years now. While I don’t take a sandwich to work I do take nuts, muffins and biscuits. I have small and medium pockets and small and medium wraps. They wash easily with all my clothes and tea towels. I no longer have to worry about my goodies being wrapped up in plastic and adding to landfill and I bet you thought I was gonna tell you about my Tupperware.
There is also a shop in Croydon that sells bulk flour, pasta, lollies, cereal, nuts etc. You can take your own containers to be refilled instead of purchasing disposable non-reusable packaging. They also make their own fresh peanut butter – very yum. And there is also their bulk honey and molasses. There is also organic and gluten free options.
I have also been reducing my dependence on plastic bags to line my bins. Now I use newspaper. I fold it around the inside of the bin so when I take the rubbish out I can kind of wrap it up. A lot of the plastic garbage bags on the market claim to be biodegradable. The hitch is that even though they claim to be biodegradable in actual fact they are not. Plus there is also the manufacturing process, petroleum used in production and the energy and water utilised. Paper has its environmental drawbacks however from a composting, degradable viewpoint paper is streaks ahead of plastic.
These few steps plus taking my lunch in reusable containers, using ‘green’ shopping bags or string bags for shopping, picking products with less packaging all help to reduce my contribution to landfill.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Last night I began my foray into the world of pet food manufacturing. For the first time I have ditched mass produced tinned pet food and begun cooking my own.
There are numerous reasons for this, not the least being financial. However I was concerned about the volume of waste that was going to landfill from pet food containers and packaging. Canned food smells disgusting. I am also sceptical about what the ingredients actually are in pet food. Each individual sachet was not recyclable. As I have two dogs and two cats that obviously equates to four packages a day that can not be recycled, or reused. So, as I normally do, I began to add on the cost of virtual water, energy, carbon emissions, food miles, supporting Australian manufacturers….the list goes on.
I researched websites that have pet food recipes. There are a plethora of websites dedicated to everything for a pampered pooch. Recipes cover everything including, shampoos, soaps, flea powders, biscuits, treats, birthday cakes. You name it and you can find it.
Being me though I did not follow any of the recipes I found. I am saving them for later to add variety and for when I am feeling more adventurous. Although, in saying that, I am going to try making doggy biscuits over the weekend.
So how did all this go? Well, for those of you who know me well, you can imagine that there were a few mishaps and ingredient exchanges with my dinner that I was cooking at the same time. However I can guarantee that I did not nearly set the kitchen on fire!
The cooking itself went well. One stock pot was used for the bulk of the cooking and the gravy was made in a jug using the microwave. I was able to multitask while cooking for ‘the little ones” by cooking my dinner for that night and the next. I have never cooked gravy before and my first experience of doing this was by no small measure a success. It was lumpy and the bits that weren’t lumpy were runny . There was enough food to fill 6 ½ x 750ml containers.
Tonight I fed the dogs their first home cooked dinner. They loved it! Plus they were looking for more. Poppy gulped it down so fast that she nearly choked on it and there was a minor skirmish over the few crumbs around their bowls. The container holds enough to fill four bowls so enough for my 2 cats and 2 dogs. However please keep in mind that my dogs and cats are about the same size (so all small).
There are a few things I will refine to make the cooking more environmentally friendly but for now while I am experimenting I will make do as best I can. For this recipe I bought the frozen no-name vegetables and no-name pasta. These are usually imported and have high food miles, energy and virtual water content. The financial benefits for my purse are huge. On average I spend a minimum of $4 a day to feed the dogs and cats. Over a 6 day period that would be $24. This recipe will feed my four pets for 6 days and cost a total of $6 or $1 a day. The most expensive ingredients was the mince meat and that was $4 for a kilo.
The round up of all this? I am pleased with the pet’s response to my cooking. It was simple and used very few pots and not a lot of mess (most of the mess caused was my clumsiness). The savings are pretty good too. The reduction to landfill and other environmental impacts are bonuses too. It does require planning and I will need to try a few different recipes. But so far so good.
So here is my recipe for basic cheap pet food.
Reg’s Delicious Doggy Dinner
Ingredients:
1kg cheap mince meat
Olive oil
Large packet pasta
1kg frozen mixed vegetables
Garlic powder
Mixed herbs
Gravy
Utensils:
1 stock pot, 1 colander, two spoons, jug, storage containers
Method:
1. Bring to boil water in stock pot. Add pasta and cook until tender. Drain.
2. Bring to boil water in stock pot. Add frozen vegetables and cook. Drain.
3. Heat oil in stock pot. Add mince and brown. While meat is cooking add garlic powder and mixed herbs. Remove from heat.
4. Add pasta and vegetables to meat in pot and stir.
5. Make up gravy.
6. Divide the mixture into the storage containers. Pour over the gravy.
7. Freeze or refrigerate. Serve only once cold.
There are numerous reasons for this, not the least being financial. However I was concerned about the volume of waste that was going to landfill from pet food containers and packaging. Canned food smells disgusting. I am also sceptical about what the ingredients actually are in pet food. Each individual sachet was not recyclable. As I have two dogs and two cats that obviously equates to four packages a day that can not be recycled, or reused. So, as I normally do, I began to add on the cost of virtual water, energy, carbon emissions, food miles, supporting Australian manufacturers….the list goes on.
I researched websites that have pet food recipes. There are a plethora of websites dedicated to everything for a pampered pooch. Recipes cover everything including, shampoos, soaps, flea powders, biscuits, treats, birthday cakes. You name it and you can find it.
Being me though I did not follow any of the recipes I found. I am saving them for later to add variety and for when I am feeling more adventurous. Although, in saying that, I am going to try making doggy biscuits over the weekend.
So how did all this go? Well, for those of you who know me well, you can imagine that there were a few mishaps and ingredient exchanges with my dinner that I was cooking at the same time. However I can guarantee that I did not nearly set the kitchen on fire!
The cooking itself went well. One stock pot was used for the bulk of the cooking and the gravy was made in a jug using the microwave. I was able to multitask while cooking for ‘the little ones” by cooking my dinner for that night and the next. I have never cooked gravy before and my first experience of doing this was by no small measure a success. It was lumpy and the bits that weren’t lumpy were runny . There was enough food to fill 6 ½ x 750ml containers.
Tonight I fed the dogs their first home cooked dinner. They loved it! Plus they were looking for more. Poppy gulped it down so fast that she nearly choked on it and there was a minor skirmish over the few crumbs around their bowls. The container holds enough to fill four bowls so enough for my 2 cats and 2 dogs. However please keep in mind that my dogs and cats are about the same size (so all small).
There are a few things I will refine to make the cooking more environmentally friendly but for now while I am experimenting I will make do as best I can. For this recipe I bought the frozen no-name vegetables and no-name pasta. These are usually imported and have high food miles, energy and virtual water content. The financial benefits for my purse are huge. On average I spend a minimum of $4 a day to feed the dogs and cats. Over a 6 day period that would be $24. This recipe will feed my four pets for 6 days and cost a total of $6 or $1 a day. The most expensive ingredients was the mince meat and that was $4 for a kilo.
The round up of all this? I am pleased with the pet’s response to my cooking. It was simple and used very few pots and not a lot of mess (most of the mess caused was my clumsiness). The savings are pretty good too. The reduction to landfill and other environmental impacts are bonuses too. It does require planning and I will need to try a few different recipes. But so far so good.
So here is my recipe for basic cheap pet food.
Reg’s Delicious Doggy Dinner
Ingredients:
1kg cheap mince meat
Olive oil
Large packet pasta
1kg frozen mixed vegetables
Garlic powder
Mixed herbs
Gravy
Utensils:
1 stock pot, 1 colander, two spoons, jug, storage containers
Method:
1. Bring to boil water in stock pot. Add pasta and cook until tender. Drain.
2. Bring to boil water in stock pot. Add frozen vegetables and cook. Drain.
3. Heat oil in stock pot. Add mince and brown. While meat is cooking add garlic powder and mixed herbs. Remove from heat.
4. Add pasta and vegetables to meat in pot and stir.
5. Make up gravy.
6. Divide the mixture into the storage containers. Pour over the gravy.
7. Freeze or refrigerate. Serve only once cold.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Peak oil and transportation
This week I have been thinking about transportation and how to get from A to B. In England this week there was a meeting “Policy Response to potential future oil supply
constraints”, which was run by the Energy Institute and Department of Energy and Climate Change. The question being asked in environmental circles is 'Is this the day that the British Government started to acknowlegde Peak Oil'. But what does this have to do with us in Australia so far away? Well lets start with 'Peak Oil'.
What is 'Peak Oil'? It is the point where production hits it's highest level and then starts to decline in production. Basically the Earth's supply of oil begins to petter out.
And why all the fuss? Because everything in our home is there because of oil. Oil was used in the manufacture and transportation of everything in your home. And lets not forget our own transportation - cars, taxis, buses, trains and trams, boats, planes, tractors, trucks etc...
Prices are expected to soar when peak oil is reached. It is expected that not only production but also transportation costs will rise dramatically. In the supermarket at the moment you can buy oranges from USA, canned tomatoes from Italy and pineapple from Queensland. However it is envisaged that with peak oil the cost of transportation of these items will make them too expensive to import or to transport. But it is not only food that will be affected.
Last night was Earth Hour. We were asked to turn our lights off in a global union of recognition of climate change. Some people turned their lights off and lit candles. Romantic! But stop for a minute and think about the candles you lit. Were they normal wax candles? For most of us - yes they were. But the manufacture and production of wax candles is heavily relient on oil for the production and manufacturing process plus there is also the transportation miles added on (and lets not get into the amount of water and the carbon emissions that simple wax or tea light candles use to make them but I digress).
Natural soy candles do not have the same environmental effects as their wax counterparts. I am lucky that there is a local shop, Burning Passion, in Yarra Glen that make and sell soy candles. There is also Conscious Candle Company but they are located in WA. The drawback with that being they are located on the other side of the continent however preferable to 'cheap' imports. With Peak Oil being in mind purchasing an item from one side of the continent or purchasing local becomes an important point to take into consideration.
So back to transportation. Last year I wrote off my car in an accident. I was faced with the decision of replacing my car or not. For a number of years I had been toying with idea of purchasing an electric push bike. I was idealistic and romantic in my vision of going car-less. But after the car accident I thought it was perfect timing to forgo a motor vehicle.
I have had my electric push bike since October 2009, so 6 months now. I use public transport for nearly all my trips (have great friends and family that give me a lift home). I love it! And while my romantic notions of riding a push bike have been blown out the window I think I would be reluctant to go back to a car.
For starters I have significantly reduced my carbon footprint by not driving. I am fitter and I am now off my diabetic medication (Yay!!! because I was looking at going onto cholesterol medication and insulin injections). Through the summer months it has been tough. Anywhere I ride or walk I end up sweaty and smelly. Not too good when you are going on a first date. Now winter is coming there will be more challenges to uncover. On nice warm days it is a pleasure to ride anywhere.
Don't get me wrong I love driving a car and they are incredibly convenient. My short journey to work takes 9 minutes by car door to door. Using public transport it takes about 40 minutes. So why do it?
I want to be prepared for peak oil. It may not happen this year or next year or even the year after. Heck, it may not happen for another 20 years. But when it does happen I want to be as prepared as I can be. It is not panicking about what will happen. I like being proactive rather than reactive. I want to be in a better position to meet the challenges of the future. My next challenge is making my own dog and cat food....stay tuned.
constraints”, which was run by the Energy Institute and Department of Energy and Climate Change. The question being asked in environmental circles is 'Is this the day that the British Government started to acknowlegde Peak Oil'. But what does this have to do with us in Australia so far away? Well lets start with 'Peak Oil'.
What is 'Peak Oil'? It is the point where production hits it's highest level and then starts to decline in production. Basically the Earth's supply of oil begins to petter out.
And why all the fuss? Because everything in our home is there because of oil. Oil was used in the manufacture and transportation of everything in your home. And lets not forget our own transportation - cars, taxis, buses, trains and trams, boats, planes, tractors, trucks etc...
Prices are expected to soar when peak oil is reached. It is expected that not only production but also transportation costs will rise dramatically. In the supermarket at the moment you can buy oranges from USA, canned tomatoes from Italy and pineapple from Queensland. However it is envisaged that with peak oil the cost of transportation of these items will make them too expensive to import or to transport. But it is not only food that will be affected.
Last night was Earth Hour. We were asked to turn our lights off in a global union of recognition of climate change. Some people turned their lights off and lit candles. Romantic! But stop for a minute and think about the candles you lit. Were they normal wax candles? For most of us - yes they were. But the manufacture and production of wax candles is heavily relient on oil for the production and manufacturing process plus there is also the transportation miles added on (and lets not get into the amount of water and the carbon emissions that simple wax or tea light candles use to make them but I digress).
Natural soy candles do not have the same environmental effects as their wax counterparts. I am lucky that there is a local shop, Burning Passion, in Yarra Glen that make and sell soy candles. There is also Conscious Candle Company but they are located in WA. The drawback with that being they are located on the other side of the continent however preferable to 'cheap' imports. With Peak Oil being in mind purchasing an item from one side of the continent or purchasing local becomes an important point to take into consideration.
So back to transportation. Last year I wrote off my car in an accident. I was faced with the decision of replacing my car or not. For a number of years I had been toying with idea of purchasing an electric push bike. I was idealistic and romantic in my vision of going car-less. But after the car accident I thought it was perfect timing to forgo a motor vehicle.
I have had my electric push bike since October 2009, so 6 months now. I use public transport for nearly all my trips (have great friends and family that give me a lift home). I love it! And while my romantic notions of riding a push bike have been blown out the window I think I would be reluctant to go back to a car.
For starters I have significantly reduced my carbon footprint by not driving. I am fitter and I am now off my diabetic medication (Yay!!! because I was looking at going onto cholesterol medication and insulin injections). Through the summer months it has been tough. Anywhere I ride or walk I end up sweaty and smelly. Not too good when you are going on a first date. Now winter is coming there will be more challenges to uncover. On nice warm days it is a pleasure to ride anywhere.
Don't get me wrong I love driving a car and they are incredibly convenient. My short journey to work takes 9 minutes by car door to door. Using public transport it takes about 40 minutes. So why do it?
I want to be prepared for peak oil. It may not happen this year or next year or even the year after. Heck, it may not happen for another 20 years. But when it does happen I want to be as prepared as I can be. It is not panicking about what will happen. I like being proactive rather than reactive. I want to be in a better position to meet the challenges of the future. My next challenge is making my own dog and cat food....stay tuned.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Getting around and peak oil
This week I have been thinking about transportation and how to get from A to B. In England this week there was a meeting “Policy Response to potential future oil supply
constraints”, which was run by the Energy Institute and Department of Energy and Climate Change. The question being asked in environmental circles is 'Is this the day that the British Government started to acknowlegde Peak Oil'. But what does this have to do with us in Australia so far away? Well lets start with 'Peak Oil'.
What is 'Peak Oil'? It is the point where production hits it's highest level and then starts to decline in production. Basically the Earth's supply of oil begins to petter out.
And why all the fuss? Because everything in our home is there because of oil. Oil was used in the manufacture and transportation of everything in your home. And lets not forget our own transportation - cars, taxis, buses, trains and trams, boats, planes, tractors, trucks etc...
Prices are expected to soar when peak oil is reached. It is expected that not only production but also transportation costs will rise dramatically. In the supermarket at the moment you can buy oranges from USA, canned tomatoes from Italy and pineapple from Queensland. However it is envisaged that with peak oil the cost of transportation of these items will make them too expensive to import or to transport. But it is not only food that will be affected.
Last night was Earth Hour. We were asked to turn our lights off in a global union of recognition of climate change. Some people turned their lights off and lit candles. Romantic! But stop for a minute and think about the candles you lit. Were they normal wax candles? For most of us - yes they were. But the manufacture and production of wax candles is heavily relient on oil for the production and manufacturing process plus there is also the transportation miles added on (and lets not get into the amount of water and the carbon emissions that simple wax or tea light candles use to make them but I digress).
Natural soy candles do not have the same environmental effects as their wax counterparts. I am lucky that there is a local shop, Burning Passion, in Yarra Glen that make and sell soy candles. There is also Conscious Candle Company but they are located in WA. The drawback with that being they are located on the other side of the continent however preferable to 'cheap' imports. With Peak Oil being in mind purchasing an item from one side of the continent or purchasing local becomes an important point to take into consideration.
So back to transportation. Last year I wrote off my car in an accident. I was faced with the decision of replacing my car or not. For a number of years I had been toying with idea of purchasing an electric push bike. I was idealistic and romantic in my vision of going car-less. But after the car accident I thought it was perfect timing to forgo a motor vehicle.
I have had my electric push bike since October 2009, so 6 months now. I use public transport for nearly all my trips (have great friends and family that give me a lift home). I love it! And while my romantic notions of riding a push bike have been blown out the window I think I would be reluctant to go back to a car.
For starters I have significantly reduces my carbon footprint by not driving.
Don't get me wrong I love driving a car and they are incredibly convenient. My short journey to work takes 9 minutes by car door to door. Using public transport it takes about 40 minutes. So why do it?
I want to be prepared for peak oil. It may not happen this year or next year or even the year after. Heck, it may not happen for another 20 years. But when it does happen I want to be as prepared as I can be. It is not panicking about what will happen. I like being proactive rather than reactive.
constraints”, which was run by the Energy Institute and Department of Energy and Climate Change. The question being asked in environmental circles is 'Is this the day that the British Government started to acknowlegde Peak Oil'. But what does this have to do with us in Australia so far away? Well lets start with 'Peak Oil'.
What is 'Peak Oil'? It is the point where production hits it's highest level and then starts to decline in production. Basically the Earth's supply of oil begins to petter out.
And why all the fuss? Because everything in our home is there because of oil. Oil was used in the manufacture and transportation of everything in your home. And lets not forget our own transportation - cars, taxis, buses, trains and trams, boats, planes, tractors, trucks etc...
Prices are expected to soar when peak oil is reached. It is expected that not only production but also transportation costs will rise dramatically. In the supermarket at the moment you can buy oranges from USA, canned tomatoes from Italy and pineapple from Queensland. However it is envisaged that with peak oil the cost of transportation of these items will make them too expensive to import or to transport. But it is not only food that will be affected.
Last night was Earth Hour. We were asked to turn our lights off in a global union of recognition of climate change. Some people turned their lights off and lit candles. Romantic! But stop for a minute and think about the candles you lit. Were they normal wax candles? For most of us - yes they were. But the manufacture and production of wax candles is heavily relient on oil for the production and manufacturing process plus there is also the transportation miles added on (and lets not get into the amount of water and the carbon emissions that simple wax or tea light candles use to make them but I digress).
Natural soy candles do not have the same environmental effects as their wax counterparts. I am lucky that there is a local shop, Burning Passion, in Yarra Glen that make and sell soy candles. There is also Conscious Candle Company but they are located in WA. The drawback with that being they are located on the other side of the continent however preferable to 'cheap' imports. With Peak Oil being in mind purchasing an item from one side of the continent or purchasing local becomes an important point to take into consideration.
So back to transportation. Last year I wrote off my car in an accident. I was faced with the decision of replacing my car or not. For a number of years I had been toying with idea of purchasing an electric push bike. I was idealistic and romantic in my vision of going car-less. But after the car accident I thought it was perfect timing to forgo a motor vehicle.
I have had my electric push bike since October 2009, so 6 months now. I use public transport for nearly all my trips (have great friends and family that give me a lift home). I love it! And while my romantic notions of riding a push bike have been blown out the window I think I would be reluctant to go back to a car.
For starters I have significantly reduces my carbon footprint by not driving.
Don't get me wrong I love driving a car and they are incredibly convenient. My short journey to work takes 9 minutes by car door to door. Using public transport it takes about 40 minutes. So why do it?
I want to be prepared for peak oil. It may not happen this year or next year or even the year after. Heck, it may not happen for another 20 years. But when it does happen I want to be as prepared as I can be. It is not panicking about what will happen. I like being proactive rather than reactive.
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