Archive for July, 2009
Reuse: Rechargable Batteries
We’ve been going through batteries quite rapidly (for us) around the Elv house – we don’t mean to, but there are lots of things that use them, you know? Yankee Elv has been saving them to take to one of the schools she used to teach at, which has a battery recycling program. We just bought a recharger and rechargable batteries so we can reduce the amount we go through too.
Wouldn’t these be even cooler, though? It’s Knut Karlsen’s homemade solar-rechargeable batteries, called SolarCat (cos they lay out on your windowsill in the sun, like a cat).
Knut Karlsen's SolarCat batteries
You can recharge these batteries in the sun… anywhere! Convenient, especially when you don’t have access to a power point or don’t want to cart your recharger around. (Road trip! Road trip! In a smart car! In a smart… wait. Those things won’t fit all three of us plus the dog. Hmm. Maybe not.)
I also like the idea of kinetic (hand-crank) power, for things like torches and radios. We’re going camping later this year and they would be really handy – and we do need some more light so Yankee Elv can communicate at night. She needs to see to lip read and sign and the mini-lanterns and Dolphin torch we used last time didn’t really cut it. Something like this lantern would be pretty cool – I wonder how long a minute of cranking gets you? This one charges your mobile phone, too.
Does anyone know of other kinetically-powered items you can get? I’m keen to take responsibility for the power I use, and that’s an easy, cheap and eco-friendly way to do it.
Operation Scarf; Complete
I finished making my scarf. It’s nice and long (longer than me, and I’m not a shorty like Yankee Elv). It matches a beanie I made a while ago for Yankee Elv, which unfortunately (for her) fits my head shape better than hers. So technically the scarf is for her, but I’ll probably end up wearing it.
Knitting, crocheting and all that crafty stuff is good for the environment. You can reuse yarn, buy second-hand or unravel and old jumper very easily, and it’s a nice non-consumerist way to give gifts. It always means more to get a homemade gift which has been created especially for you, with your tastes in mind. Plus, it’s an eco-friendly way to occupy yourself. No electricity required, which is becoming increasingly rare! (She says, whilst blogging in a lit room, on a plugged-in laptop).
Anyway, here are the cats modelling said scarf. Sorry Pou isn’t in there, but she’s not into that kind of thing. She’s having a ‘don’t touch me day’ anyway (perhaps to make up for a cuddly day yesterday.. it’s all in balance). I think Diva Princess makes up for it.
I tried to get Fatso and Princess to model for me, but Fatso got so excited by the photography he had to come over for a pat. So much for that.
Princess, on the other hand, is the ultimate poser. I have been taking photos of her since she was born (actually, while she was being born), so she knows what to do.
Princess goes for a sleeping shot. Look at those whiskers! And the scarf, of course.
All lit up and pretty!
Cosy and warm, just waiting for a snuggle.
She’s so cute! The scarf looks toasty too.
Spotlight: Digital Dumping Grounds
I knew developing countries were, to a degree, the rubbish dumps for electronic waste (e-waste) shipped in from developed nations, but I didn’t know how bad it was. I watched this episode of Frontline World this morning that really made it hit home for me. Here’s the promo:
You can access the full 20 minute segment about Ghana here. Sorry Deafies, there are no captions (which annoys the shit out of me – c’mon PBS!), but underneath the video there is a transcript of the segment (if it’s not exact, it’s pretty close). You can also see some photos with captions here on Jane Hahn‘s site.
It’s not just Ghana either – Vietnam, Pakistan, Malaysia, China and lots of other third-world nations are being taken advantage of. In fact, the segment discussed how the average computer-owner (and dumper) is also being taken advantage of, by companies who say they’re dumping responsibly, but who ship out unusable computers for reuse. Clearly, since they’re unusuable, they’re only going to become scrap, but labelling them ‘for reuse’ enables their export courtesy of a legal loophole.
I have a bunch of e-waste here at my place that I was looking to dispose of responsibly, but now I’m unsure how I can do that if I can’t even trust the recycling companies. Plus, I want to make sure no-one has access to my data (that image of the FBI guy smashing the hard drive with the hammer also make an impression on me). Is it really best for the environment for me to be smashing stuff up, regardless of how cathartic that may be? However, is it best for me to not smash it? Ghana is one of the world’s leading areas of cyber crime, after all – there’s has to be link between that and the dumping of e-waste, it’s too convenient a co-incidence.
The one ‘positive’ thing to come out of the whole thing isn’t even very good. I wrote a while ago about the impact of metal mining on the environment (here and here). Trawling through the e-waste for scraps of copper and other precious metals does at least eliminate the need for so much mining… but at what cost? The toxic fumes produced by the burning needed to scavenge this metal is detrimental to both the environment and the unsuspecting people who participate, not to mention every man and his dog who lives nearby.
Aside from making pretty earrings, and giving away old items on Freecycle, what can we do with this stuff? Does anyone know of a recycler who actually recycles stuff responsibly without exporting it?
Reuse: Old Bras
Who has ideas on how to reuse old bras?
I’ve had my current ones for about 4 years and they are all on their way out. I’m not one to buy bras regularly as I hate bra shopping so tend to buy several at once to get it over with, which means they all tend to go caput at once as well. As a result, my bras become something of old friends – I know just what shirts they go best under and how comfortable they will be. I have favourites (doesn’t everyone?). I wash and dry them carefully to make them last (as shown below, when a rainy day prevented me from using the regular clothesline).
Regardless of my preferences, I’ve had to buy a new one today, and will be looking around for more over the next few weeks. I have one that I can salvage (it’s only 3 years old and still in reasonably good nick). The left wire broke, so I’m going to to take the wire out of the bra in the most disastrous condition, and put it into the still good bra as a replacement. That will definitely mean disaster-bra is dead though, not even able to be used as an at-home bra, so what should I do with it?
I could probably take off the hooks to use in some sewing project. I could remove the other wire and save it in case another one needs replacing. The material of the cups is black satin and still in good condition so perhaps I could make something from it? A new menstrual cup bag? I could use it as an accent on the toilet roll holder bag or drink bottle bags I’ve been thinking of making (when I get time, which is never, so really I’d just be increasing my stash). The elastic across the back of the bra is really dead, I’m not sure anything could be done with that. The straps might be ok, but I’m not sure for what!
I guess I could donate it to my sister, who is getting her wisdom teeth out soon, so she could use it as an ice-pack holder for her jaw, but she really might prefer to use her own bra!
Has anyone else had this dilemma? Is there something you can do with an old bra? What if you aren’t all Crafty McCrafterson and don’t want to sew anything?
Friday Feast: Chocolate Slice
I love chocolate slice. I first made it grade 8 home economics, and it’s been a win ever since.
Items of Note:
I find that because ovens vary, the same recipe can turn out soft, or hard, or in between depending upon the oven you’re cooking it in. I tend to just check on it a lot (unless I know the oven well) and when it feels good to me then I’ll pull it out. It will seem too soft when it first comes out but it firms up as it cools. You’ll probably stuff it up the first time, but even if it’s too hard or soft it still tastes great and the next time you’ll know what not to do… and then you’ll have perfect chocolate slice! It’s also really easy to make.
By the way, you want to use desiccated coconut, not the moist, sweetened shredded kind that’s most commonly used in America. It’s too big and too sweet – just not right. You can usually find desiccated coconut in health food stores over there. In Australia, desiccated is the one most people use anyway, so just pick it up from anywhere.
Chocolate Slice
Chocolate Slice
Ingredients:
190 grams margarine (I haven’t tried it with nuttelex but it shouldn’t make a difference)
1 1/2 cups dessicated coconut
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1 1/4 cups white sugar
3 tabs cocoa
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Melt butter/margarine on the stove or in the microwave.
3. Mix all other ingredients in a large bowl.
4. Pour margarine into the dry mixture and mix well.
5. Press mixture into a slab tin/tray.
6. Bake for approximately 20 minutes.
7. Ice with chocolate icing while still warm. Sprinkle with dessicated coconut or mini m&m’s.
8. Slice while warm and somewhat soft, remove from tray when cool and harder.
If you want to know how to make the icing, here’s a basic recipe. You might need slightly less or more icing sugar or milk, but just experiment until you get the consistency you want. It’s roughly right. Keep in mind that this icing will taste rich, but it’s the perfect chocolate slice icing.
Icing
Ingredients
2 cups icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
1 1/2 tabs cocoa
1 to 2 tabs soy milk
Method:
1. Mix icing sugar, cocoa and milk in a bowl until smooth and sticky.
2. Spread carefully over chocolate slice while it’s still in the pan, before slicing, but while it’s still warm.
Reduce: Reliance on Transport
Lately I’ve been making a point of leaving work by about 5pm (sound normal? not for me) so that I can walk from work to the city (Brisbane CBD), where I catch another bus home. I really like it!
Normally I have been catching a bus, or occasionally taking the train, into the city. Since they’ve closed down my original bus stop due to road work though, I’ve been increasingly irritated by the need to schlep ages down the street in the wrong direction just to get to the bus. The only thing that made it worthwhile was that at the time I normally leave, it’s too dark for me to feel comfortable walking, and the traffic has thinned out enough that it’s much quicker. Last week though, I had an early mark and the traffic was so bad and it was still light, so I thought – hey, you haven’t walked into the city for ages, why not do it?’ So I did.
It was really pleasant; a nice time for me to stop multi-tasking and just think. It’s good exercise, and I liked watching the sun set over the river. So this week I’ve walked every day except today. I like it much better than my frenzied morning dash to the bus, I don’t hurry, it’s just nice and relaxed (although I do walk fast, I can’t help it). I like that the footpaths are typically quite wide and not crowded where I’m walking, so I don’t get pedestrian rage (kinda like road rage for walkers). I like that even just in the week I’ve been walking, I’ve started noticing the sun is setting slightly later as time goes by – the season is turning back to spring… eventually.
I’m very much enjoying trying different routes and discovering little quirks about this awesome place I’ve lived in for ten years. I love that this city never runs out of new things to see and explore. Yesterday when I was walking, I was looking at all the viewing nooks as I crossed the William Jolly bridge (another new route). I was also noting all the different kinds of manholes (yeah, weird, but I’ve been editing some work on manholes lately and it was actually kind of interesting to see what I’ve been reading about).
The William Jolly, or Grey St, Bridge. (Yoinked from stephenk1977's flickr photostream, full credit to him).
I like that it’s one less fuel-driven trip I’m taking. Even though it’s public transport, which I totally support, even reducing my use of that (and subsequently increasing my use of footpaths) is a good thing, I think. Tomorrow I’m going to try going along the boardwalk past North Quay.
Today I had to work late and I found myself ticked off that I didn’t get my daily walk. Looking out the window into the growing dark and seeing the silhouettes of trees, and then having to turn back to my laptop, was fairly frustrating.
I think I’ll keep it up.
Note:
Access stephenk1977′s flickr photostream here.
Op-Shop Art and Puppetry
We (the whole human Elvish family plus the Dyke Mike) went to see a marionette show tonight at the Judith Wright Centre for Contemporary Arts. It’s called The Grimstones (watch a trailer here) and was presented in English and Auslan. Yankee Elv is Deaf, so this was particularly cool as she could understand everything that was going on- mostly at least, as Auslan is different to ASL after all – which is not often the case with live theatre. I was extremely impressed, it was so well done. I really liked the way the humans (puppeteers) and marionettes interacted with each other, but not in a creepy ventriloquist way. The movements of the marionettes were life-like, and the sets were incredibly intricate. It made me imagine what watching silent films must have been like, but with voiced/signed narration between scenes, rather than text appearing on screen.
Marionettes from The Grimstones
Another thing that really impressed me was that most of the sets were made using reused materials. For example, an old candlestick was revamped (cushion added, painted etc) to make one character’s sewing stool. A bottle in the apothecary was made from an old bottle top. I liked the sustainable nature of it all.
It wasn’t commercial, the way so many types of mass-produced forms of entertainment (like movies) are, which also appealed to me. Afterwards there were drinks (including a really nice Cabernet Merlot from Kissing Bridge) and fancy nibblies, such as cute, tasty cupcakes. We wandered around backstage, looking at posters outlining the production of the sets and marionettes, and at the book the artist published. We also had time to chat with the artist, Asphyxia and co-star/partner, Paula (they met as circus performers in Melbourne years ago), while Dyke Mike was cornered by a lady talking very determinedly about perfume, and Mr Teeny-bop vacillated between the snack table and the posters. We rounded off the evening with a rather expensive tapas dinner (a send off for DM, who is leaving the country on Thursday), some fruity sangria and a silly train ride home.
When I got home, I briefly looked up Asphyxia’s blog, only to find out that she’s a big environmentalist. No wonder the show was sustainably produced! We’re everywhere, I tell you.
All in all, a good night was had by all.
Preaching to the Choir
I read a couple of interesting blog posts the other day, written by the Change.org bloggers.
The first is a post called Animal Rights is a Mainstream Movement, by Stephanie Ernst on the Animal Rights blog. She discusses how she doesn’t like the way people, including herself, dismiss her concerns about animal rights as too extreme or radical to take seriously. I know where she’s coming from – I do it myself sometimes, playing down the seriousness of veg*nism and other animal rights issues because it’s too confrontational for most people. I had a rant the other day about how people were all wigged out about cows loose on the Gateway bridge after a cattle truck turned over. Considering they were probably going to be slaughtered for meat anyway I found that incredibly hypocritical, (not that I can talk, what with the cheese I still eat), and I said so to my co-workers. The got a funny glazed look in their eyes and sort of nodded and smiled until it was over.
It’s not normal to talk about things like that, and I know I often try to present the friendly veg*n face as I’m of the opinion that you catch more flies with honey, so to speak. I understand where Stephanie is coming from though, and empathise with her frustration. I also find it interesting that it’s far more socially acceptable for me to be an outspoken tree-hugging leftist greenie lesbian than it is to be a hardcore vegan, even though going veg is one of the most important things you can do for the environment, and you would think it would be standard for ec0-friendly folks. I guess we’re a fringe group within a fringe group.
Pigs should live happily, like this cute piggy I saw in Mooball, NSW. He came when I called to him! So cute.
The second post is called Living the Animal Life, and it’s by Natasha Chart on the Sustainable Food blog. The topic is different to the Animal Rights post, but having read it immediately after Stephanie’s post, I got a similar message from it. Whether that was the message the author intended to convey is debatable, but one particular line sounds so like something I have said in my ‘carrot or the stick’ approach that it kind of hit home to me, especially in contrast to the horrible descriptions that followed. Natasha was talking about a law that would limit the use of anti-biotics in cattle, which Obama supports, and she said:
‘It won’t pass. Even that’s okay I suppose, considering how the discussion is off to such a good start.’
Later in the same article, she talked about how the animals are living in their own effluence – conditions so bad the anti-biotics are all that’s keeping them alive – and so introducing laws limiting anti-biotics really means changing the way animals are farmed, which is why the bill is so contentious. Now, remember the line from the start of the article? She doesn’t think it will pass, but that’s ok because it’s sparked off good discussion. Isn’t that awful?
At the same time, that’s so something I would say. (I promise I’m not dissing you, Natasha).
Taking the middle road is a valid action in some cases. I’ve been known to tell people who are against same-sex marriage that all I want is my legal rights. That’s not true. I want to get married – I want the social status that comes along with marriage, all those intangible things that have nothing to do with law. I’m not going to convince anyone with that argument though, so I water it down. I do the same with the environment at work. I tell people if they have to print, to at least do it double-sided. Really I want to tell them to read on the screen, gosh darnit, since they have their computers turned on anyway. There are some people who still review on paper. Seriously. I tell people it’s a great effort if they just cut back on meat one meal per week, when I really wish everyone would give it up for good.
I’m very good at taking the middle ground, and there are times when that’s appropriate. When we’re preaching to the choir, however – even just talking to ourselves – why can’t we be upfront? Sometimes, I want to have the freedom to say what I mean and not get that funny, glazed, nodding and smiling look.
So! Onward to same-sex marriage, reading on-screen and giving up meat for ever!
Sustainable Sunday
Today was a busy day, at home. Not in that horrible frantic busy way, like when you’re at work trying to keep up with a million emails as well as your regular work, plus the five other things your boss has given you to do just cos they know you can, and the printer is beeping and you have fifteen people all trying to talk to you at once, not to mention the seventeen people from the other side of the world all instant messaging you and your partner texting your phone. (I love you, honey!) I’m talking about the kind of busy that involves doing stuff you want to do. The constant, solid busy that makes you feel like you achieved something at the end of the day. Physical work. What can I say, I like doing things with my own hands.
What with work though, I don’t get as much time as I’d like to spend on those types of things, plus just time to de-stress. I always try to set my weekends up so one day is absolute relaxation, nothing else. Inevitably, that means the other day is full of chores. Yesterday was relaxation day (which included a trip to the shops, admittedly), so today was chore day.
Today, I:
- Washed clothes and a quilt; full loads in a front loader, line dried (I had to start early so the quilt would dry)
- Brushed and bathed the dog, then gave him his peanut butter kong ball, which is his favourite part of the bath routine
- Read a book on making jams, jellies, marmalades, preserves, liquers, pickles, relishes and chutneys – there is a really good-looking recipe for an Indian style chutney with green mangoes and a interesting watermelon rind pickle recipe (the book is Preserves by Lindy Wildsmith)
- Planned where I’m going to set out the carrots, onions and snow peas I’m planting next weekend, with the help of a handy dandy gardening site which tells you what you should plant when, based on your climate. We’ll need a trellis. Might see what Freecycle yields.
- Scrubbed a bunch of plant pots (picked some nice ones to keep in the house, put some on the rack on the front verandah for herbs and planted veges in some others)
- Planted some spinach and onions in aforementioned pots, from seed. I’ve never grown plants from seed before!
- Made some final decisions about how to set up the compost bin. We’re going to use the old concrete laundry tubs under the house, but we still need to work out how to make a lid for it (anyone have any ideas?). Then we need to get some buckets to put under the plug holes and clean it all up
- Hung out some solar lanterns to absorb some energy… we’ll see tomorrow if they work or not. They unfortunately got soaked by a torrential downpour in April so I’m not sure how functional they are going to be
- Sorta kinda cleaned the bathroom cabinet
- Worked on a scarf I’m knitting (will do this later tonight – it’s going to match a beanie I made about 3 years ago).
So all in all, a productive day! Plus Yankee Elv made a super yummy dinner of pumpkin and baked ricotta couscous and mixed roasted veges (pumpkin, zucchini, eggplant, capsicum, french shallots, onion and carrots), which was fantastic and just what I felt like. She is the best girlfriend/partner/wife* ever.
I had a good day.
Loodle's opinion of bath time is not high, as opposed to his opinion of his peanut butter kong ball.
*Sometimes I struggle with terminology, but the sentiment is the same.
Review: True Green @ Work
I’ve recently been reading this book I got from the library, True Green @ Work.
Cover shot of the book 'True Green @ Work
Check out the review I wrote today if you want to know more about it!
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