Archive for January, 2009
Reduce: Summer Cooling Costs
It’s summer here in Australia, and I live in Queensland. Now, it might be South-East Queensland, but all you Far Northerners and Top Enders, don’t be thinking it doesn’t get hot here too! Ok, comparatively, not so much. But still, hot. And humid.
I really dislike being sticky. I am also not a big fan of the drying powers of air conditioning, or the corresponding cost and carbon emissions.
Don’t think it’s just Queenslanders who get hot – with global warming, temperatures are rising everywhere. We have heatwaves coming out the wazoo. So it’s really important everyone knows how to stay cool without contributing any further to the problem.
Centenery Pool in the 1930s - Spring Hill, Brisbane
So what does an eco-friendly lesbian do to stay cool in the summer?
Well first up, I dress in cool clothing. This does not necessarily mean skimpy. Light fabrics are key. My favourite item of clothing in summer is the cotton sarong. I have four of them. Yankee Elv has two. Mr Teeny-bop (formerly Mr Pre-teen) has one. Is cotton an eco-friendly fabric? Maybe not. Is it more eco-friendly than running the air conditioner all day? I’d say so. You could try other fabrics, like hemp or bamboo, but cotton is the cheapest and most readily available. That’s not to say I’m not going to try hemp or bamboo one day, cos I think they’re pretty awesome, especially hemp. Linen would be good too. I also wear flowing cotton shirts or singlets/tank tops. If I’m going out, I swap my sarong for a pair of board shorts. Yes, I live in the city – but I grew up at the beach in a house with one ancient fan. Beach clothes in summer are part of my psyche.
Another factor in my temperature maintenance is the cooling power of sweat. Mmm, sweaty goodness, you say. Ha. Sweat exists for a reason, and not just to clean out your pores. Get yourself into a breeze and the wind will cool the moisture on your skin, which lowers your core temperature. If you aren’t sweating as much as you’d like, you can simulate sweat. Jump in the shower (just for a minute, to get wet), and don’t dry off brilliantly. In fact, if you jump in the shower in your togs, you come to my third cooling step.
Wear wet clothes. Eh? Yeah. Togs are best, cos, you know, they’re meant to be wet. That being said, my t-shirt and boardies felt pretty nice a few weeks back after I bathed the dog. Mr Teeny-bop and I indulged in a 10 second spritz under the hose, just to get the dog shampoo off. Playing with the hose/sprinkler is strictly illegal in Brisbane at the moment (we’re in a drought), but you can wash the dog. I really promise it was 10 seconds each only, no kidding. For real. Mostly I do my wet togs trick in the shower – make sure you aren’t wearing wet bikini bottoms though, they’re not good for you. After I get out of the shower, I sit on the verandah and…
Catch the breeze. Queenslanders (the houses, not the people) are built to withstand the heat. We live in an imitation Queenslander, so it has many similar features. These features include:
- Built on stumps to let the air flow under the house
- High ceilings to allow the hot air to rise
- Verandahs back and front (and all around if you’re lucky)
- Lots of windows that open outwards under rounded eaves to prevent the sun shining in too brightly and the rain coming in through the open window in the summer storms.
Whirlybirds on the roofs are optional.
All I have to do is sit by a window on the right side of the house, or on the verandah, and on all but the most still days, the breeze will find me. Combine this with the light, wet clothes and I think you’re getting my picture.
Sometimes though, it’s a stinker, and these methods are not working. So what then?
- Do the wet clothes trick and sit in front of a fan – still better than the air con. Use a spritz bottle of water to keep your face cool.
- Go to the community pool, a friend’s pool, the beach, a lake or a river. Take some friends and make a day of it. Take the dog, if you’re going a place he’s allowed to go – the poor thing is probably roasting too.
- Cool down from the inside – eat icy poles, drink cold water, eat gazpacho.
- Go to the library, shopping centre or the movies. I don’t like air conditioning, but it has it’s benefits on a really hot day. It’s better to have a lot of people in one large air conditioned building, than a lot of people in a lot of air conditioned buildings.
- Do anything and everything in combination.
So why not follow in my new-age hippy footsteps and beat the heat the eco-friendly way this summer?
Or you could just go sit in the air con at work. Mmm. Fun.
Image of Centenery Pool from: espaces arts & objets.
Spotlight: Telecommuting
Hands up those who know what telepresence is. Anyone? No?
Oh wait, I can’t see your hands. But with telepresence, I could.
Telepresence, a kind of virtual conferencing, is just one of the higher-end ways companies are reducing their impact on the environment through telecommuting. Telecommuting is type of work arrangement providing flexibility around work locations. Telecommuters use high-speed internet, telephones, Voice over IP, video conferencing, virtual networks and portable work equipment (like laptops) to work from a variety of locations. Most people work from home, setting up home offices and going to ‘work’ every morning there. Others, sometimes called nomad workers, travel from place to place and log in from wherever they like. Telecommuting is also used to attend to international business. This type of virtual work is really only effective in jobs where you don’t need to be on-site to achieve the objectives of your role. Typically, larger companies have used telecommuting most effectively, but more and more medium and smaller businesses are now offering options like these to employees.
So what does telecommuting have to do with the environment?
Companies offering telecommuting often cite a reduction in the environmental impact caused by travel as a major driver for the development of these arrangements. As we all know, courtesy of my handy-dandy Transport pyramid (yes, I’ll be spruiking that thing for all time, so proud am I of my artistic endeavours while tipsy), some types of transportation have more of an impact on the environment than others. The original pyramid focused on local transportation, but here’s a modified version including long-haul travel.
Transport Pyramid, mark 2
The new section, Fishes and Birds, which includes massive cruise liners and aeroplanes, is weeny and right up the top there because it’s the type of transport you should use the least. Planes and big, big boats will stuff up your carbon emissions big time – often whatever you save with all your low impact living, all the good you do, will be eradicated by one measly flight. But you need to work, so what are you going to do?
Telecommute.
Telecommuting allows people, like me, to work globally without the need for international or even domestic flights. Most of my team members are in India. They’re awesome folks. Telecommuting is great for international business. Instances when you might need to fly to attend a conference or meet with the client can be replaced by high-quality telepresence, and internal communication often occurs via phone hook-up. Many large companies also have huge private networks with forums, bulletin boards, wikis and social networking applications – all designed to make global collaboration easier.
Telecommuting traditionally works very well for regular day-to-day work conditions. People who work in niche industries or who live outside of major cities, and who in the past would have needed to move or commute long distances to get to work, can now work from their home, or verandah, or backyard. Think of the environmental impact of taking planes normally filled with fly-backers (people who commute by plane on weekends) out of the sky every weekend, and cars off the highways every morning and evening. It’s pretty awesome.
There are flow-on effects of telecommuting too. Less office space needs to be rented, which means a smaller market for the construction of the high-rise office buildings that so many of us work in. Less driving and flying means less fuel needs to be extracted from the earth. Cars and planes experience less wear and tear and so need to be replaced less often. Congestion on the roads is reduced, which means smoother flowing traffic, and less idling time – which decreases carbon emissions. Reduced travel time means happier workers, who have more leisure time to devote to family – and composting, food gardening, home cooking and other aspects of low impact living that can fall in the priority list of time-poor people.
I don’t telecommute often myself (aside from my interactions with my co-workers in the northern hemisphere). I only really work from home if I’m feeling a bit under the weather, but not bad enough to call in sick, or if I have other commitments like a parent-teacher interview. I love that I could though, if I wanted to. In my opinion, telecommuting is a win for everyone; the company saves money, the workers save time and job flexibility increases satisfaction, and the environment fares much better.
Can you tell I’m a bit of a fan? Go telecommuting!
Weekly Round-up #2
So what did we talk about this week? What has been happening in the world?
Eco Lesbo Vego
We discussed:
- The impact of meat consumption on the environment, and actions you can take to reduce this impact.
- The most eco-friendly forms of transportation – including the introduction of my Transport pyramid – and strategies on how to reduce boredom on the bus.
- Freecycle – what it is, how to use it and why it (and other groups like it) are super cool.
- Tips on recycling outside of the kitchen, including some obscure recycling ideas.
I also posted a vegan recipe – Stuffed Capsicums. Try to incorporate this meal into your menu this week – go meat-free for a meal, the day, or for good! Eat some plants and save the world. 
Environmental News from Australia and Around the World
The invention of the world’s smallest fuel cell – just 3mm across – will allow the production of smaller devices. This reduction in size will have a flow-on effect – fewer resources used. The way the hydrogen battery runs also uses fewer fossil fuels. Yay for scientific innovation!
St Mary’s, a Brisbane-based Catholic church, faces possible excommunication due to the progressive nature of the parish. St Mary’s is home to all the ‘outcasts’ of the Catholic church and society in general, including gay people, divorced folks, hippies, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people suffering from mental illness, disabled people and people questioning their spirituality. In addition to more typical Catholic services, St Mary’s is host to a community orchard, several meditation groups, the Brisbane Gay and Lesbian Pride Choir and various other activities related to social justice, including environmental activism.
One Water, a bottled water company, has recently extended an ethical charity campaign to Australia. Essentially, for every bottle of water sold, ten cents (the entire profit margin per bottle, apparently) will go to providing clean water for people in Africa. Larger bottled water companies are skeptical, and unlikely to jump on the bandwagon. One Water supporters are derisive of similar attempts by rival water company Volvic, who also donated millions, but spent even more on their advertising campaign. Personally, I don’t think One Water are the people to talk – rather than spending money buying water unnecessarily to ensure funds are donated to the needy, why not just become a non-profit that encourages people to donate in the first place? We all have access to mains water here in the first world, so we don’t need to buy water. Donating directly would mean more money gets to the place that really needs it, and plastic is not produced unnecessarily (to say nothing of the fuel required to transport the bottled water). I agree with Bottled Water Alliance founder though – if you must buy bottled water for some reason, then at least this one is making a positive impact in people’s lives.
The storage of renewable energy may soon occur in your fridge, thanks to a new invention by the CSIRO. Essentially, the device invented by the CSIRO directs the fridges to turn on when the sun is shining (solar energy is being collected) and off when the clouds come over. The solar energy is thus stored as thermal energy (cold). The system is apparently ‘foolproof’ and won’t lead to food spoilage. Don’t get too excited with the people at CSIRO though – these guys reckon you should eat 14 serves of meat each week (lunch and dinner every day). I guess you win some and you lose some.
China plans to increase coal production by 30 percent by 2015, in a bid to meet their energy requirements. Chinese officials maintain that coal is the most plentiful and cheapest source of energy, despite the fact that the sun is shining freely all day long, and I’m sure there’s plenty of wind sweeping ‘cross the plains of the Gobi Desert. Too bad for the world. Sorry for the cynicism but this just seems incredibly self-serving and short-sighted to me. Seriously dudes, get with the program. An extra nasty kick in the pants is the fact that Australia provides a decent amount of China’s coal so we partially have ourselves to blame.
Of course, there’s lots of other news, but that’s all I have time for today! Did I miss anything particularly important? Leave a comment and let me know.
Friday Feast: Stuffed Capsicums
Yankee Elv and her mother found this recipe a long time ago in a newspaper; tried it; modified it very very slightly, and loved it! She made it for me and I think it tastes great! It’s also incredibly easy to make.
The recipe I’ve written down is for one capsicum (which is, for any American readers, a bell pepper). Usually, you’ll serve one capsicum per person – so I’ve given the recipe for a single serving. If you have two people, multiply by two. If you have four people, multiply by four… etc, etc.
You can use any colour capsicum you like, however we’ve found that green isn’t as sweet or tasty. We also like the colour contrast of the yellow or orange capsicum with the red tomatoes. For those reasons, we tend to go for yellow or orange capsicums, but red and green will work fine if that’s what you have. The capers are optional, but I recommend opting for them! They add this great little bite to the meal. Yankee Elv uses grape tomatoes as they’re a little bit smaller than cherry tomatoes, but cherry tomatoes are fine if you can’t find or don’t want grape tomatoes. You do want to use a good quality olive oil because you will taste it a bit. Nasty olive oil will affect the flavour of the dish.
Use an oven safe glass or pyrex dish to bake the capsicums in. Metal is ok, but glass or pyrex is better.
Serve on a bed of couscous (or rice, pasta, quinoa, whatever – I like couscous). It can be a main meal, or a side dish. You can see in the picture that it is on a bed of tri-colour couscous and has sweet potato casserole as a side. Yum.
Stuffed Capsicums (Bell Peppers)
Stuffed capsicum on a bed of tri-coloured couscous, with (you can just see it) a side of whipped sweet potatoes.
Ingredients:
- 1 yellow or orange capsicum – split lengthwise (stem to bottom), stem and seeds removed, insides cleaned out
- 1/2 medium to large garlic clove, sliced very thinly
- 10 (or more) grape tomatoes (enough to fill the 1/2 capsicum when it’s lying on it’s side, but not so many that they overflow)
- 2 heaped forkfuls of capers (about 10 per 1/2 capsicum)
- extra virgin olive oil
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C (350 degrees F).
2. Rub olive oil all over the capsicum halves, inside and out, getting it allllll over.
3. Layer the garlic slices inside the capsicum halves.
4. Fill the capsicum halves with the tomatoes.
5. Add the capers to the capsicum halves, trying to spread them evenly throughout. Poke a few down so they get near the garlic, and leave some up near the tomatoes.
6. Drizzle some more olive oil evenly but very lightly over the whole thing.
7. Grease an oven safe glass or pyrex dish liberally with olive oil. If you have leftover glarlic slices or tomatoes, you can place them in the bottom of the dish to create a gorgeous aroma and maybe to eat on the side of the capsicums (although the garlic will likely be a little to brown to taste nice after this – the tomatoes will be good though).
8. Place capsicum halves (cut side up, of course) in the dish and bake for an hour to an hour and a half (how long you bake them depends on how soft you want the capsicums – poke them with a fork to check).
9. Remove from the oven and let cool for about five minutes, then serve on a bed of couscous.
Recycle: Get out of the kitchen!
Where’s your recycling bin? Not the big one that gets emptied by the garbage person (non-gender specific!). The little one in your house that you fill to the brim, then take down to the big bin. Where is it?
Mine is in the kitchen, in the cupboard under the sink. Most of the stuff that goes into it is kitchen recycling. It’s usually full of things like squished cereal boxes, flattened soy milk cartons, tin cans and the free local newspaper that gets dropped off every week, rain or shine. We never read it.
Sometimes I feel good about myself for recycling so much, keeping junk out of landfill. Other times I feel bad – shouldn’t I be trying to re-use some more?
But beyond both of those points is another – am I junking things unnecessarily? Is there stuff that should be in the recycling bin… but isn’t?
Oh yeah. There sure is. I just gotta get out of the kitchen.
The bathroom, for example, has lots of stuff to recycle, like:
- Toothpaste boxes
- Shampoo bottles
- Soap boxes
- Toilet rolls
- Moisturiser and toner bottles
- Conditioner bottles
- Tissue boxes.
I am making a concerted effort to remember these things. I’m trying to be innovative, so I’m emulating the most lateral-thinking person I know of. I think… what would MacGyver do?
Remember to think: what would MacGyver do?
So when I stretched my brain and tried to think like MacGyver on the Mastercard ad with the sock and the pen and the paperclip, I thought of some other less obvious recyclable stuff you might find around the place too:
- Shopping receipts
- Junk mail, if you still get it
- Dog shampoo bottles
- Notebooks
- Printer paper
- Moving boxes
- Lightbulbs (environmentally friendly fluro bulbs should be taken to a collection agency)
- Medicine boxes and bottles (take off your labels)
- School newsletters
- Paint tins
- Mobile phones (most phone shops collect them)
- Magazines
- Laundry detergent bottles
- Plastic bags (grocery stores have collection boxes)
- Envelopes
- Old posters
- Old photos (shred the photos – by machine or the eco-friendly way – by hand)
- Bus tickets (although I go paperless these days).
As great as recycling is, it won’t make a significant impact unless everyone jumps on the bandwagon, and starts committing to the endeavour. But it really won’t make a difference unless everyone remembers to recycle everything they can.
So who is the most MacGyver of all? What weird stuff do you recycle?
Note: The What Would MacGyver Do? image came from Threadless t-shirts.
Reuse: Freecycle
The whole point of reusing things is to prevent wasting unnecessary energy on recycling or to prevent things from entering landfill and becoming waste for all eternity… yeah, more like a couple of generations, but let’s not be picky. There’ll be toxic soup left for a long time, so you get my point. But seriously, landfill is nasty. Even biodegradable stuff doesn’t degrade in the anaerobic environment that is landfill. And what a way to use our earth – as a dump!
That’s why I’m like a broken record about reusing anything and everything.
So to further this end, Freecycle was invented, going on six years ago. The Freecycle slogan is ‘Changing the world one gift at a time’, and essentially, that’s just what Freecycle does. Freecycle is a place to offer up stuff you no longer want, even items you may consider junk, for other people to come and take away for free. You can also place posts asking if people have certain items that you may be looking for. You might not use the stuff for it’s original purpose (for example, Yankee Elv has plans to make jewellery out of old computer chips), but who cares, as long as it’s being used again and again, right? (See my previous argument about the festy landfill).
Freecycle Logo
This communal re-use has several positive effects:
- Items that are no longer wanted don’t end up in landfill
- Unwanted objects go to new homes where these things will continue to be used
- Recipients save money as they don’t have to buy new stuff
- Givers save time and money as they don’t have to get rid of their unwanted stuff (which is especially cool when the items that are being given away are bulky and require a trailer or truck to move, like a bed, or a car – and yes, I’ve seen both of these items on my local group).
There are rules, too, but not many:
- You can’t sell anything, you can only give it away for free
- You can’t give away people or inappropriate materials
- You can’t post a Wanted post until you’ve posted an Offer post
- You can’t blither on in your posts – you have to stay severely on topic.
Freecyclers connect using Yahoo! Groups. As of today, there are 4,629 communities (Yahoo! Groups) serving as contact points for 6,098,000 Freecyclers worldwide. That’s a lot of re-use right there!
Basically, all you do is go to the Freecycle website, find your local community, sign up (make sure you go for daily digest format in your emails or your inbox will be inundated), and start Freecycling!
We have gotten rid of lots of excess stuff we didn’t want (mostly books and electrical items), and we’ve received quite a few useful things too:
- TV stand
- Spice rack (quite sizable)
- Old coffee jars we use to store our tea
- Books coming out the wazoo – so many!
- Candles
- Craft materials
- Plates
- Clothes and cloth
- Toys
- DVDs (including a favourite, What the Bleep Do We Know?, which we found at a Freecycle Giveaway, like a free garage sale. It is true that I mostly watch this movie/doco for Marlee Matlin,
but it also discusses some interesting points).
Freecycle has some drawbacks though. I am still disappointed that the above ground pool we saw listed was too big for our courtyard.
Don’t think Freecycle are the only ones getting in on the re-use act though. There are alternatives to Freecycle. A good example is Freebootr, a pirate-themed site which aims to improve upon Freecycle by not depending on Yahoo! Groups (which is nice cos I’m a bit over Yahoo!) and having just the one site for everyone, rather than separate local groups. I haven’t tried them yet as they are only new and don’t have a community in Australia so far. I like them cos they seem more personable than Freecycle – I follow them on Twitter and they have a blog.
But did I mention they’re pirate-themed? They claim they “practically invented The Three Arrrs.”
Arrrrrrr!
Reduce: Boredom on the bus
I was going to write about reducing your carbon emissions and costs when keeping cool in summer. Instead, I’m writing about reducing boredom on the bus.
Why?
Cos today I decided to reduce my stress levels by having a couple of drinks with a colleague, who is also a friend, after work. So I’m not sure that I’m quite up to a serious post requiring a bit of research… hence, boredom on the bus! The topic came to me on the bus ride home, strangely enough.
Also, my wrist hurts. Not sure what I’ve done to it. Must minimise typing requirements.
So: first up, why the bus?
Well, here’s my little transport pyramid. I made it myself. Just now.
Aussie Elv's Transport Pyramid
It has five sections – the bigger the section (towards the bottom), the more you should use that type of transport.
People Power
This type of transportation includes walking, running, jumping, somersaulting, hopping, swimming or any other transport that involves your body and no equipment to get you from one place to another.
Move it Yourself
This type of transportation includes unicycling, bicycling, scootering, skateboarding, surfing, rollerblading, sailing or any other transport than involves a piece of equipment, by which you are propelled using your own kinetic energy (muscles) or sustainable energy (wind or solar).
Let’s get Together
This type of transportation includes bus, train, light rail, tram, ferry, city cat – any transport that is accessed publicly and transports reasonably large numbers of people, and is typically powered by fossil fuels or renewable energy. This could be electricity (possibly produced sustainably), gas (including natural), diesel or petrol.
Mini-me Vehicles
This type of transportation includes motorbikes, motor scooters, hybrid cars – any private transport that runs on either a small amount of fossil fuels or uses a combination of fossil fuels and electricity, possibly sustainable. (For more about sustainable cars, see my review of the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?)
Hummers and Friends
This type of transportation includes cars, utes, trucks, camper vans – any private transport that runs on fossil fuels. Note – carpooling reduces the severity of this one. If enough people are in the car, it might reduce it down a level or two. (I don’t drive, so I can honestly say I’ve never been in a car and not carpooled).
What do you think of my pyramid?
So back to reducing boredom on the bus.
I take the bus because I live too far from work to walk or ride (I might be able to ride, but I’d be to buggered to work by the time I get there). I could catch the train, but the bus is more convenient. It’s not a long bus ride, and I change buses in the city to get to my workplace in one of the inner suburbs. But I gotta tell ya – the bus can be friend or foe.
Ways I make the bus my friend (aka – beat boredom on the bus):
- Sleep/nap/snooze – you’re there before you know it (this is the most common thing I do)
- Read books about sustainability, low impact living, veganism, or the latest celesbians (we all have our vices)
- Knit or crochet (I don’t do this cos I am the slowest knitter in the world and I’d knit one row before I got there, but I watch another lady do it every day, she’s very good and fast)
- Prep yourself mentally for work (this is my least favourite)
- Talk or text on the phone
- Look out the window at all the pretty trees in bloom (it’s summer here)
- Discreetly people watch (remember, public transport takes away physical and auditory privacy, so it’s unspoken etiquette to give other passengers visual privacy – to a point)
- Count your fingers (this one is for when you’re still half asleep)
- Plan your dream eco-home (mine includes strawbale construction and lots of mango and frangipani trees)
- If you have a signing friend, sign and watch the other passengers try to not look at you
- Discreetly read people’s lips if you can
- Make up stories in your head about the other people
- Do a crossword or play sudoku
- Listen to music (I don’t do this, but lots of other people do, which gives them auditory privacy)
- Read a free newspaper
- Make a friend and chat (I have bus buddies, which is cool as they all live in my neighbourhood so I see them around home too).
What do you do to reduce boredom on the bus?
Spotlight: The eco-impact of meat
I figured I’d better get this post (about why I choose to live meat-free) over with pretty early on, since I’m posting vegan recipes every Friday.
So what’s up with veg*nism and the environment? And what’s with the asterisk?
Don't eat the piggies, pat them like Mr Pre-teen does
Ok, the latter question is going to be quicker to answer. The asterisk stands for whatever you’d like to insert between the g and the n. Typically, this is either an a (vegAnism) or etaria (vegETARIAnism). A lot of people, meat-free folks in particular, have stringent beliefs on what constitutes vegetarianism and veganism. For the most part, they’re right. In an effort to keep everyone happy as clams (who live in peace without fear of being eaten!), I’m using the asterisk whenever I mean someone who is meat-free. Whether that person eats or uses other animal produce is not a factor when the asterisk is used.
Since we’re getting stuck into terminology, here’s some more – my own interpretation (of course, all of these people eat plant-based foods as well, but we’ll be here all day if I get into that):
Vegan: a person who does not consume or use animal products at all (to the best of their ability – it’s impossible to be perfect)
Aspiring Vegan: a person who does not consume or use animal products, the production of which resulted in the death of that animal, and who is trying to give up consuming or using any animal products at all (to the best of their ability)
Strict Vegetarian: a person who does not consume or use animal products, the production of which resulted in the death of that animal
Vegetarian: a person who does not consume animal products, the production of which resulted in the death of that animal
Pollotarian: a person who does not consume animal products, the production of which resulted in the death of that animal – except CHICKEN
Pescatarian: a person who does not consume animal products, the production of which resulted in the death of that animal – except SEAFOOD (including fish, crustacea, squid and octopi)
Pollo-pescatarian: a person who does not consume animal products, the production of which resulted in the death of that animal – except CHICKEN and SEAFOOD
Omnivore: a person who eats animal products – the whole shebang.
Ok, so maybe that wasn’t quicker to answer. Hmm. Anyway, I’m an aspiring vegan. Yankee Elv is an aspiring eco-vegan. Mr Pre-teen is an anti-pesca-soymilk-drinking-omnivore. Figure that one out if you can!
So now we come to the second question. What’s up with veg*nism and the environment?
To answer this, we need to ask a third question – how does the production of meat and other animal products impact the environment?
Pollution
Animals, particularly ruminants like cows and sheep, cause pollution. A single cow produces 80kg to 110kg of methane annually. When you consider that globally there are about 1.2 billion large ruminants (like cows), that means 96 million metric tonnes to 132 million metric tonnes of methane is released from ruminants annually. The vast majority of these animals are domesticated for food production. Keep in mind that methane has between 20 to 25 times more impact on the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, but it degrades about 20 times faster. This means that by going meat-free or even reducing your meat consumption, you help create a much more dramatic reduction in global warming, in a much shorter time, than you would by reducing your carbon emissions alone. Another gas that is not often considered is nitrous oxide, which is 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Approximately 65% of nitrous oxide released globally is produced by meat, dairy and poultry industries. None of these statistics take into consideration the gas released from solid waste, either, and it’s a big contributer (discussed below). A side effect of all this gas and poo is that the air becomes stinky to the point of causing illness in nearby residents. And let’s just remember, when you smell something, what you really smell is tiny particles of that thing you’re smelling. So if you smell pig poo… you figure it out.
Damage to waterways
Dairy cows produce approximately 55kg of wet manure every day. That’s more than twice the weight of Mr Pre-teen… every single day. Pigs also create a lot of manure (much more than the amount of gas they produce, as they’re not ruminants). There are so many chickens in the world these days that their manure piles up as well. What’s so bad about poo though? It’s natural, it will break down, and makes good fertiliser. That’s true – in small portions. Doing the math tells us that the amount of manure produced by cows annually is in the millions of tonnes. That’s not counting the manure produced by pigs, chickens and sheep – and in Australia, we have more sheep than people (back off, Kiwis! lol). This much manure introduces heaps of nitrogen and phosphorus into the ground water, which seeps into waterways and contributes to the excessive growth of blue-green algae. This algae can degrade water quality until it’s no longer potable, have significant health impacts on humans and animals who swim or drink the water, and also reduces oxygen to the point where fish and other aquatic species can die.
Damage to land
Farming, particularly the farming of ruminants, requires significant land area. This land is typically free of trees, leading to significant deforestation. In Brazil, for example, home to much of the Amazon rainforest (the largest rainforest in the world, and thus a significant carbon sink), 65% of land clearing between 2000 and 2005 was due to the creation of cattle ranches. Not only does deforestation reduce the number of carbon-absorbing trees, but it also produces carbon, which is released as the trees are cut down. The removal of this vegetation and thus the binding root structure also leads to soil erosion. Land is also damaged by the waste excreted by factory farmed animals, which often contains heavy metals from the growth supplements they are given.
Water Use
Producing animal products uses a lot more water than producing plant-based products – up to ten times more water, thousands of litres. Approximately 70% of the fresh water humans use globally is used in agriculture. In Australia, only 4% of the 60% of the country used for agriculture is used to grow plant crops. That means the remaining 56% of Australia is used for farming animals, using most of the water in our drought-ridden country.
I could go on and on (for example, reduction in biodiversity, impact on human health, pollution from transportation and slaughter of animals) – but I think you get the point. From an environmental perspective, meat and other animal products are seriously damaging. Apparently, the official handbook for Live Earth (the concerts – a well-renowned source if there is one, I’m sure) says that ‘refusing meat [is the] single most effective thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint.’ Going veg*n is also lower impact than driving a hybrid car.
Although reducing your consumption and use of animal products entirely is ideal (and what I’m aiming for, even if I’m not there yet – damned cheese), even reducing your meat consumption is a good thing. Although Mr Pre-teen is an omnivore, in actuality he only eats meat once or twice a week. Sanitarium, for a while, tried to get Australians to go for ‘Meat-free Mondays‘ (the original site isn’t active anymore – wonder why they gave up on it). I’ve decided to do the same for myself, making Fridays a vegan day. Some other days might be vegan too, as I’m a very strict vego all the time, but on Fridays I’ll make a special effort. Yankee Elv is keen, which is good cos she cooks on weekdays!!
Every little bit counts.
Weekly Round-up #1
So what did we talk about this week? What has been happening in the world?
Eco Lesbo Vego
We discussed:
- The impact of traditional funerals on the environment, and then explored a greener option.
- How it’s possible to reduce – in fact, entirely eradicate – your dependence on disposable menstrual products, and I shared my experiences with menstrual cups.
- Ways to reuse a common household item – the jar.
- Living an eco-friendly life at work, as well as at home, and how to start – with recycling.
I also posted a vegan recipe – Chana Masala. Try to incorporate into your menu this week – go meat-free for a meal, the day, or for good! Doing so will help save the planet.
Environmental News from Australia and Around the World
The world’s fastest, most eco-friendly boat (powered by biofuels) is currently visiting Sydney. How eco-friendly are biofuels really though? The burn cleaner, but some use up lots of food resources in their production, as they’re made from plants like corn. Of course, there are other biofuels that are more eco-friendly. Like cow farts.
A Korean clothing manufacturer has announced a boycott of Australian wool until muelsing (cutting skin from the backsides of sheep without anaesthetic) is banned. Australia is the world’s largest produced of wool.
Obama announced his green focused economic recovery plan for the USA, and Australian groups called for a similar plan here. A focus on five million new green jobs, increased work on renewable energy plans and efficiency in construction, and most impressively the promise to cut carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 make this a sharp departure from the previous (current?) administration.
Climate change will not only alter the face of the physical world, but the social and political aspects as well. Climate refugees and potential conflict over oil and gas reserves which are becoming increasingly accessible due to Arctic melting are just two of the potential impacts. Partially to blame is the Australian coal industry, which, as the world’s largest supplier of black coal, provides over a quarter of the coal burned globally.
Japan will launch a greenhouse gas observing satellite on January 21st. The satellite will monitor carbon dioxide and methane levels from more than 56,000 sites on Earth in an effort to help curb climate change.
A study of polar bear poo by Canadian scientists indicates that over a third of polar bears are not getting enough food. This could be due to the rapid decline in sea ice due to rising global temperatures. Less sea ice means fewer seal habitats and thus fewer seals (the main food source for polar bears) and fewer ice platforms from which to dive in to get the seals.
A group of young Indian people are making a 3,500 kilometre road trip across India to raise awareness about climate change and the human capacity to take action. They are driving alternatively powered vehicles and are accompanied by their band, Solar Punch. Read more about their journey at their blog, India Climate Solutions.
Niels Bohr Institute researchers in Denmark, England and Finland say that sea levels may rise much faster than predicted – up to one meter within 100 years – if climate change goes unchecked. They research was based on investigation of what has happened to sea levels in the past, rather than on what’s happening now. This ties in with the Sydney Morning Herald article about the impact of climate change on the social and political world – the higher the sea levels, the greater the demand for resources and land.
If climate change continues unabated, food supplies could be drastically affected on a global basis. Increased temperatures caused by global warming may wreak havoc on harvests and rainfall, as they have in the past. This combined with the use of food for biofuels really encourages me to try to become more self-sufficient with my food.
Of course there’s lots of other news, but that’s all I have time for today! Did I miss anything particularly important? Leave a comment and let me know.
Friday Feast: Chana Masala
This is the first Friday Feast post. Basically, on a Friday after a long week at work, I anticipate needing a break. A vegan recipe is a helpful, yet quick and easy post. And reducing your meat, dairy, poultry and seafood consumption helps the planet!
So here’s the first one: Chana Masala.
Yankee Elv found this recipe on Vegweb, but modified ages ago it so it suited us better. She’s made it lots of times now, and it always works well (unless you get a dodgy can of chickpeas, so they don’t soften up properly, but that’s not her fault and besides… it still tastes good, just the texture is a little weird).
This is a totally vegan recipe.
Chana Masala
Ingredients
2 tabs olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 – 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tab curry powder (we use Keen’s)
1 tab tomato paste
400g can chickpeas, drained
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
1 tab vegan margarine
1/3 cup coconut milk (approximately – it’s 3 tabs at one point, and 5 tabs later)
Method
1. Heat oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat.
2. Fry onions until slightly brown.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add garlic, curry powder and tomato paste. Combine and simmer for about 2 mins.
4. Add chickpeas, 3 tabs of the coconut milk, lemon juice, salt and pepper to the pan. Simmer for 5 -6 mins, stirring occasionally.
5. Add margarine and stir to melt and combine.
6. Add the other 5 tabs of coconut milk and stir to combine. (Add more or less coconut milk than this depending upon how creamy you would like the dish to be).
7. Simmer for about 5 more mins, or until the chickpeas are softened.
8. Serve with basmati rice (and enjoy the yummy goodness, according to Yankee Elv).
FYI: tabs means tablespoons. tsps means teaspoons.
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