Biodiversity debate - Australian Museum

I came across an advertisement on the Australian Museum's website for a Biodiversity Dinner debate. I am so intrigued by the topic they are going to be debating and wish I could go along. The topic is "If we humans disappeared overnight, the world would probably be better off." - David Attenborough.

It is being held in Sydney on the 14 May 2010. Unfortunately I live in a different state and I'm not sure I would fork out the entrance fee ($160), but I would love to go to hear the arguments and just be involved. I am hoping they are going to record it either via video or a podcast type arrangement so I can experience it without being there.

If anyone does end up going to this I would be excited to hear about it. Pin It

Worm Farm constructed & in action

What to do on a long weekend? Implement something that you have thought about for a while....for me construct a worm farm. I had done the background research...I knew what I needed to do, the equipment required, the motivation to do it and finally a place to put the end product (the veggie patch).

I had purchased:

1 box of 500 worm farm worms
1 hessian bag

I had obtained from hand-me downs and things around the house:

3 styrofoam boxes
1 flyscreen
1 local newspaper
1 roll of plastic masking tape
some food scraps (fruit & veggie)
1 bucket of potting mix

With all the right ingredients I started work. I patched up the holes in one of the styrofoam boxes with the plastic masking tape. Hope this is enough to ensure that the worm juices don't get lost out of the bottom of the box. The other two boxes I lay a piece of flyscreen on the bottom keeping the holes exposed. The flyscreen ensures the worms don't fall through the bottom of the box but their fantastic worm juice can pass through to the collection box. I then placed damp shredded newspaper in the bottom of one of the boxes, added the potting mix, then the worms and finally some yummy worm food (ie the food scraps).

If you're wondering what the second box with flyscreen in the bottom is for. Well, it is a back up location for the worms. Once they have created enough poo and sludge in the bottom of their current abode I can place them into the second flyscreen lined box with some potting mix and damp newspaper again and then clean out their old digs.

Once the worm farm components were complete, I put the 'spare' house/styrofoam box on the bottom, the plastic taped box in the middle and then the worms' box on the top level of my styrofoam box stack. Over the top I placed a damp hessian bag ensuring the worms have a nice, dark, damp place to hang out in. All this now lives under a hedge in my front yard, near my veggie patch, close to the kitchen and in the shade.

Let's see how we go. Now get to work little munchie worms! Pin It

Tyre pressure & the environment

Did you know that having the right car tyre pressure can make your car more fuel efficient?

Therefore if you have the right tyre pressure you will be doing something 'good' for the environment in our 'car-dependent' society. Even if you aren't thinking about the environment it has got to make sense because it means that you will be buying less fuel and spending less money! Apparently it also extends the life of your tyres again leading to better environmental outcomes (less landfill with old tyres) and more money in the hip pocket.

The nitty-gritty:

• apparently tyre pressure isn't standard and you will need to check your car's specifications....I think these are generally located on the frame of your door or the engine bay;
• check them when they are cold or near cold;
• check it regularly, as it changes over time (RACQ website suggests weekly).

I know this doesn't sound like doing something grand to save the environment, but I am currently looking for little things I can do to make my current footprint a little smaller and a little greener. Maybe once I have conquered these little things, bigger and better will be easy! Pin It

Becoming green

I am overwhelmed with the ideas of becoming greener in my life. The thoughts flood in most of the day, am I using too much dishwashing power, is the powder I choose to purchase just a green branded product or is it really better for the environment than some of the leading brands that dominate the supermarket shelf, should I turn the light on, how long is too long to have the fridge door open, is my economical car truly the most economical and most efficient for the amount of money I can outlay, blah blah, blah, blah. The thoughts just keep coming.

Then when I get two minutes to myself of an evening (after the toddler is in bed) I don't seem to be motivated enough to research any of this stuff that takes up the back of my mind most of the day.

Maybe the day will come when I can provide some insight, but presently it takes all of my energy just to jot down what I am doing or trying to do. I'll get there, but will it be in time?

Look forward to hearing of other people's experiences and efforts. Pin It

My veggie patch

I love gardening, although I am fairly lazy! The idea of having my own veggie patch is something that I have desired for a long time. Last summer my partner and a mate were instructed to rip up the front lawn and construct me a veggie patch. After some long weekends, I ended up with a three bed veggie patch. It isn't in the best location regarding sunlight, particularly during the cooler months, but it is doing well.

Food fresh from your own veggie patch is satisfying on both a personal satisfaction level (producing your own products) and for its fantastic taste! Who could therefore complain about this relaxing past time.

Currently I have pumpkins, eggplants, carrots, capsicums, watermelon, cucumber, snow peas, cherry tomatoes and basil in my veggie patch.

I am really just fumbling through the learning process and think that I probably have my first bug issue - leaf suckers on my eggplants. But it has been an entertaining, relaxing, educating and productive exercise. Pin It

Compost

What is is and why is it important?

I know I have read a lot of short articles on the internet and in gardening magazines about compost. Prior to vegetable gardening I did have a compost bin, but what was I ever going to do with the small amount of compost I was creating, there certainly wasn't really any need to put the type and quantity of compost I was generating into my native garden. But now the vegetable garden is going I don't have enough compost....in my eyes....to keep things going.

My compost bin is just a black plastic type bought from Bunnings. Basically just a tube with a lid. I put all my vegetable and fruit scraps (not citrus or onions....worms don't like these) from my kitchen into this. The one problem with only including these waste items from your kitchen I have found is the compost becomes too wet and a magnet for cockroaches! It is very important to put dry materials into your compost as well. The articles I have read recommend old leaves, etc from around your garden. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of trees that lose their leaves and the ones that do they just all go into the garden as mulch. So the substitute I have found is the weekly local newspaper that gets delivered in your mailbox. Just shred it and put it in. Also put paper towel every time I put something in from the kitchen. Another tip, turn the material in your compost over as often as you can. Weekly is probably best to ensure enough air is getting through the material and all the good bugs can access the new stuff you're pouring into the bin each time.

Still not generating enough compost in my garden...think this is due to heat availability. Another thing that I would change would be to buy a compost bin that had some sort of easy access type contraption at the bottom so I didn't have to basically disrupt the entire bin each time I needed to access the compost at the bottom.

Will keep learning though. Pin It

Green cleaning

I am not much of a house cleaner, except for putting stuff away and the occasional dishwashing adventure, but I know that I do use some nasty chemicals around the house when it comes time to undertake some of the cleaning chores.

There are green products on the market, some of which I have bought but I don't know whether they are just greenwash or just a combined product of numerous things I might already have around the house or a combination of more expensive ingredients I could buy from the supermarket and produce my own 'green' cleaning products.

So what are some good, clean, cheap alternatives to the commonly used nasty cleaning products around the house? Isn't vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda or bicarb some of the ingredients you can use? I think this is something I need to look into. Pin It