Let There Be Light

There are so many people in this world that do amazing things. They create things that can change the lives of others. These can be big things. These can be small things. These can be things that look like small things but have huge, positive impacts.

Alfredo Moser is one such person.

When we were in Belgium earlier this year, we were fortunate enough to go to the Atomium. What a place. One of the exhibitions showed photos of lights made using plastic bottles. Moser had this amazing idea and is now providing light, without the need for electricity, to thousands of households across the world. What a guy!

This idea has been taken one step further, adding a small circuit, solar panel and LED light, so that the light can be used at night.

A Liter of Light website

You might want to head over to Decorator's Notebook to see how Design Can Change the World.

I think this is a great way to use waste as a resource.

I'd love to know what you think.

Take care

DIY Beeswax Sandwich Wraps

I'm so excited. You know when a little kiddo is so excited that they do a little dance on the spot and have trouble getting the words out? That's how I am feeling at the moment.

I was on the lookout for something that I could do at an upcoming expo. I am so sick of the amount of plastic wrap that is used to wrap sandwiches and then thrown straight in the bin that I thought sandwich bags would be a good activity. My two concern here are the need for a sewing machine and the fact that a lot of the material used to make these waterproof as not so healthy.

After much searching I came across that fact that you could make your own beeswax infused fabric! Who knew? (I'm sure just about everyone is now saying, "Me, that's who".)

Well I had no idea.

  tuja wellness

I knew that I had everything necessary for this so I gathered ran around and grabbed all of the equipment.

I used the pinking shears to trim a piece of fabric I bought ages ago. By using the shears I didn't need to worry about overlocking the edges. I had washed and pressed it when I bought it but hadn't known what to make at the time.

I shaved some beeswax that I had bought to make lip balm a few Christmases ago. The peeler worked well but I will keep my eye out in the op shop for a grater that I can keep specifically for wax.

After scattering the wax over the fabric, and covering with some baking paper, it was time to get the iron out of the cupboard. It doesn't really see the light of day. The great thing about using the paper is that you can see where the wax has melted. It is also easy to reuse as long as you remember which side has had the wax on it. (Please watch the video above before you have a go as their instructions are great. I didn't see the point giving the specifics as they did a great job.)

Viola!

The finished product is quite stiff but easy to fold. After a few uses I am sure that it will get a little softer.

These are also pretty versatile as they don't just need to be used for sandwiches but you could also use one to cover a bowl in the fridge. At the moment we are using plates on top of bowls but I could certainly see myself using one of these instead.

From all of the articles I read that main points to remember are to rinse off in cold water and a little detergent as warm/hot water will melt the wax, and don't throw it in the dryer if you use one.

That was so much fun and I can't wait to have a go at another one soon.

I also thought it was pretty timely with Plastic Free July just around the corner. Don't forget about the giveaway. Only one more day and only one entry so far.

I would love to know if you have a go at this project.

Take care.

Green Drinks and a Giveaway

All over the world, generally hidden out of sight, there are groups of people gathering to listen to inspirational speakers sharing their knowledge and experience about sustainability. These events are Green Drinks.

In Perth, Green Drinks take place about four or five times a year. The most recent event sounded like it was going to be amazing, so amazing that this free event booked out before I managed to register.

I had wanted to listen to Rebecca from Plastic Free July talk about how the campaign originated and how they built it to the great success that it is in three years.

Imagine my excitement when I found that some incredibly wonderful person had recorded the talks and put these up for the world to see.

This years focus of PFJ is on reducing the use of takeaway coffee cups with the campaign 'Bring one, get one tree'. To help promote this, I thought I would run a little giveaway. If you would like to be in the running for a Keepcup leave a comment below and tell me one type of plastic (apart from coffee cups/lids) that you could live without in July.  The winner will be selected at random on Sunday 22 June at 8pm AWST so that you can get the cup in time for July. Edit: Thanks for entering, ladies.

If you are interested in having a look at the other talks from the evening, try here and here.

Take care

Green Cleaning Workshop

Over the last few years there have been so many new 'green' events popping up around the city. It is really promising.

There is a great green cleaning event taking place this Friday organised by ecohub. Unfortunately I can't make it but thought I would pass it on to any Perthite that might be around the city at lunchtime.

They have also compiled some information about non-toxic cleaners including recipe.

If anyone manages to go, I'd love to read about it.

Take care

Walkability

Hello

I know it has been a very long time but I think of here often. Life just seems to speed by and all too often I am climbing into bed at the end of a day getting ready for a new one to materialise.

I just wanted to leave you with a video that I saw a little while ago but has really stuck with me. Being car-free was so freeing when we lived in Berlin.

How walkable is your city? 

Try it out. Leave a comment as I would love to know.

My suburb's score is 58.

Take care.

Changing the Goal

Another Great Day at the Show

The heavens opened as the train pulled into Showgrounds station. I had thought I would get there half an hour early to have a bit of a look around, but after about ten minutes of jostling with umbrellas and showbag filled prams in the rain I decided to head straight back to the Earth Carers tent.

A fabulous permaculture display, including a hen with four 7 day old chicks.

Beautifully painted tins displayed on an old step ladder.

Salvaged teapots are a great way to show off plants.

I hope you manage to get to the display and have a look at all of the information. 

Take care

Earth Caring at the Royal Show

It's that time of year again. Third term is over and the Perth Royal Show is here.  

The weather was perfect for the opening of the 8 day agricultural show. 

In the Mouse House, one kiddo loves the Show while the other shudders at the thought of it. So after organising for him to go to a mate's place, the rest of us headed off. 

I was rostered on for a three hour stint at the Earth Carers tent so made the most of the spare 20 minutes before my 2pm start time. I knew what I wanted to see so we headed straight there. 

The cakes, jams and preserved are something that I get more and more excited about the older I get. 

You know the Show is keeping with the times when dukkah has a category. 

It was great to see the pavilion was full of interested people admiring the skill involved in each of these. 

I left Mr Mouse and Baby Mouse and headed over to where I needed to be. Another great display had been prepared by the Earth Carers groups (MRC, WMRC, EMRC) with lots to see and do. 

The garden bed and planting containers have all been made from materials found in rubbish pickups. 

The very popular worm information display. 

The wicking bed made from and old bath. 

(I am planning to make one of these. I just need to get some pipe to put in it. Bulk rubbish happening around here very soon.)

Pallet gardens are great for small areas.

It was a gorgeous afternoon spent speaking to amazing people. So many are interested in the message of less waste and are either already doing fabulous things or need that little bit if information to get started. 

I also managed to sneak a peak at the sheep dog trails opposite. 

I'm off again this afternoon so will hopefully be able to get a few more photos. 

Hopefully if you are in Perth and are going to the Royal Show you are able to wander up to the tent and have a look around. 

Take care. 

This post has all been done on my phone. Fingers crossed it works. Later today I will get a chance to come back and include some links. 

Where is 'Away'?

I was at the local supermarket this evening when I overhead a mum talking to her daughter about how she had bought plastic cups because that way she could thrown these 'away' and not have to worry about any washing.

These sorts of comments always leave me feeling a little sad. I wish I had to confidence to go and ask her, "Where is away?"

The answer to this always depends on your local council. It depends on your bin system, the plastics recycled in your area, as well as making sure it goes into the recycling bin rather than household rubbish. If these cups are used at a function at a park or the beach and put in the bin there, in my council these would go straight to landfill.

(If you live in the Western Metropolitan Regional Council in Perth and want to know more about where your rubbish goes, think about an Earth Carers course starting 11 September.)

So plastic cups come from petroleum which is transported to be processed, turned into cups, transported to a warehouse, then to a shop, then to a function, generally used by one person for that one function, thrown 'away', and either sent to landfill or perhaps recycled. This is just a very brief chain of event but I hope it give a bit of idea about the extraction of the resources, manufacture, transport, use and disposal of the cup. Remember that a lot of this transport would include vast distances perhaps to different countries for this cup to be used just once.

I think that using a ceramic mug or a glass is a much nicer way to consume a drink anyway. I still have some that I was given when I left home 20 years ago!

I have come across some great graphics talking about waste produced and energy used. Although the data is from the US with a much higher population that Australia, it still gives a good picture about the extent of the problem on this one planet.

Steelys

The Plastics Breakdown

Savings in a Cup

So my questions to you, where is your 'away'? Do you know where your household waste goes? Where is your recycling sent?

If you don't know the answers to these questions, please contact your council and ask. They may even have a tour to show you your local landfill site or recycling facility.

Take care.

Every Last Drop

I just had to share this gorgeous website with you.

http://everylastdrop.co.uk/

Take care

Banning the Bag

Last year the Fremantle Council started making plans to ban single-use plastic bags. It seems, that following a State Government ruling yesterday, this will become a reality. Woohoo!

Last week I was able to go on another (this was my third) tour of the Tamala Park landfill. These tours are always incredibly informative and a huge eye-opener. The people that deal with our waste do such an amazing job. One of the aspects that always amazes me is the number of single use plastic bags that are at the site. These are so lightweight that once they get caught on the breeze they seem to be off on their own adventure.

I strongly urge you to get in touch with your council and ask if they operate tours of your facility. The rubbish truck that comes around and empties our bins is not a magical fairy that can make the waste disappear. It all needs to go somewhere.

Even recycling in an interesting topic. Many think that because they are filling their recycling bin that they are doing a great thing for the environment. Now, it is so much better to recycle than have it buried in a hole, but please be aware that this all needs to be transported, sorted, a buyer needs to be found, and then transported again (sometimes overseas) to be processed. Paper and cardboard can be dealt with easily on-site (at home) through compost. Why buy bags of compost for your garden when you could be making your own? Paper and cardboard are great sources of carbon, something very important for healthy compost. Please reduce, reuse, (repair) and then recycle.

I will now get down off my soapbox. Gosh, I went off an a bit of a rant there.

Remember that I will draw the winner of the giveaway tomorrow morning so if you want a chance to win Homemade Pantry leave a comment on the last post.

Take care

Conscious Living this weekend

http://www.ecoxpo.com.au/#

I will be heading down to the Claremont Showgrounds on Saturday as part of the Mindarie Earthcarers. I can't seem to find a great deal of information about the Expo to share with you but this might be enough to inspire you to head along.

Take care

Assembling My Dalek Army

This year I have undertaken a bit of study and decided to do a Diploma of Sustainability. I'm not really sure what I want to do at the end, but needed a bit of a change in direction.

The current assignment involved designing and implementing a program the supports a behavioural change. I have decided to go with a topic that I am really passionate about; composting. For my assignment I am hoping to change the behaviour of five households and get them to eliminate all food scraps from their kerbside collection.

This is where my Dalek Army comes in.

In the weeks leading up to the assignment I kept my eyes out on Gumtree, the Quokka and even bulk rubbish pickups, and managed to collect five preloved bins for less than the cost of one new bins.

Asking people to undertake this sort of change could have been a little tricky but being able to tell them that I had everything ready to go made it a little easier.

With the barrier of 'not having a bin' sorted, I am now going to each household armed with a bin, newspaper, straw, food scraps, cow manure and some of my own compost to help select a site and get the program started.

It is interesting that when I was trying to find people to be my guinea pigs participants, quite a few said that it was something they had thought about but weren't really sure how to get it started. With the chance to get someone to come and help them take the first steps, all four people I approached said yes straight away. My fifth 'composter' overheard one of the conversations and actually asked to join!

There are so many great sites out there offering suggestions on how to get started, but I am a big fan of these girls.

Each of us has some amazing skills that can be passed on to others. Perhaps you could see if a friend if they need a hand getting a compost bin started. Help them overcome that first hurdle of not knowing how to start.

One setup complete, four to go.

Take care

Update
I have just returned from the morning school run and managed to score another bin in the bulk rubbish collection. Woohoo!