Do you know what a ghost net is?

Ghost nets are discarded fishing nets. These nets can be deliberately discarded or lost at sea during fishing expeditions and end up traveling around the world on ocean currents. Here in Australia, the northern shores of our continent are significantly impacted by these nets, with particular effects on marine wildlife. These nets are known to capture, injure and kill a number of our marine species, including threatened marine turtles and sawfishes.

What can be done about this situation? There is certainly room for improvement to netting and fishing technology and restrictions to locations where nets are permitted. But as many of these nets are released or lost in countries other than ours, these solutions won't help the Australian marine wildlife in the short to medium-term.

So, here in Australia the majority of attention and funding is on the removal of these nets from our coasts and waters. Ghost Nets Australia is an alliance of indigenous communities across northern Australia which are funded to remove ghost nets from our shores. What a big job! Their website shows many initiatives that have been generated from this project, including recycling and art programs and scientific research.

 (Source: Cairns Indigenous Art Fair 2011)

This is certainly a big problem, particularly for northern Australian marine species and one which is generally out of sight of the majority of the Australian population.


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South East Queensland Food Network

There is a new push in south-east Queensland to promote local opportunities to producers and connect them to their local markets. The Queensland Business Review published an article this week entitled: Farmers Take Control of Local Supply Chain, which can be found at http://www.qbr.com.au/news/articleid/77703.aspx.

From my review of this article it looks as though producers, tourism organisations and local Councils have established the South East Queensland Food Network as an attempt to promote local produce to people visiting areas and to develop alternate supply chains.

I'm not sure what the outcome will be, but it sparked my interest as there certainly will be opportunities to find out more about your local producers (including who they are and what they produce) and potentially establish direct links to them or alternatively promote their use through your local supermarkets.

It is always great to find out more information about food that is available in your local area and where you can purchase it from.


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Clancy of the Overflow

A great Australian poem by Banjo Paterson is "Clancy of the Overflow". If you'd have asked me anything about this poem I would have remembered the name of the poem, that an Australian movie in the 80s was based on it, but nothing else.


On borrowing a children's book with this poem in it, it has re-ignited my interest in the poem. I have felt very connected with the poem and despite being written in the late 19th century still has much appeal and realism to it. Thought I would share the poem with you all to see whether it brings back some childhood memories or stirs something from within.


"I had written him a letter which I had found, for want of better knowledge, 
sent to where I met him down the Lachlan, years ago, 
He was shearing when I knew him, so I sent the letter to him, 
Just 'on spec', addressed as follows, 'Clancy, of the Overflow'. 
And an answer came directed in a writing unexpected, 
(And I think the same was written with a thumb-nail dipped in tar) 
"Twas his shearing mate who wrote it, and verbatim I will quote it:
'Clancy's gone to Queensland droving, and we don't know where he are.' 
In my wild erratic fancy visions come to me of Clancy
Gone-a-droving 'down the Cooper' where the Western drovers go;
As the stock are slowly stringing, Clancy rides behind them singing, 
For the drover's life has pleasures that the townsfolk never know.
And the bush hath friends to meet him, and their kindly voices greet him
In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars,
And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended, 
And at night the wond'rous glory of the everlasting stars. 
I am sitting in my dingy little office, where a stingy 
Ray of sunlight struggles feebly down between the houses tall, 
And the foetid air and gritty of the dusty, dirty city
Through the open window floating spreads it foulness over all
And in place of lowing cattle, I can hear the fiendish rattle
Of the tramways and the 'buses making hurry down the street, 
And the language uninviting of the gutter children fighting, 
Comes fitfully and faintly through the ceaseless tramp of feet. 
And the hurrying people daunt me, and their pallid faces haunt me
As they shoulder one another in their rush and nervous haste, 
With their eager eyes and greedy, and their stunted forms and weedy, 
For townsfolk have no time to grow, they have no time to wast.
And I somehow rather fancy that I'd like to change with Clancy,
Like to take a turn at droving where the seasons come and go, 
While he faced the round eternal of the cash-book and the journal --
But I doubt he'd suit the office, Clancy, of 'The Overflow'."  Pin It

Is environmental concern just a first world, middle class concept?

As the title suggests there is some belief that concern for the environment (and things that fall under this umbrella term) is just something the middle class, wealthy and first world countries can be concerned about. I have mixed feelings about this but came to some realisation the other day that if you're fighting hard to put food on the table and provide clothing and shelter for your family, the fact that there is a hole in the ozone layer, the soil from productive farmlands is running in the ocean, the climate is warming, etc, etc is really of little concern to you.

I think this is an important frame when considering the environment, other people's impacts and their ability to address these and also how you approach such concepts with other people. If you want to bring awareness of environmental impacts and betterment for future generations to other people of different backgrounds, ethics, wealth, race, country, etc you have to have an awareness of other people's circumstances.

Asking people to buy organic, fair-trade, locally produced food or other goods and services may not be an appropriate way for all people to address their environmental footprint or not meet their relevant circumstances. Perhaps alternative approaches relate to teaching people about soil conservation, appropriate farming techniques, how to address government, working with their systems and circumstances to make a difference. It just might be a different approach to the one that you take in your home, neighbourhood or country but doesn't make it any less worthy.

Obviously there is a bucket load of environmental issues and this concept is likely to be applicable to them all, just perhaps with different approaches (isn't that the key message). Food for thought. Pin It

Bike riding

Well we are on the move and hopefully with the move we might be a little less car dependent (at least will have shortened commute times). I am in fact hoping to embrace my bicycle. The location we are moving to is probably considered more undulating in its topography but hopefully the country atmosphere will lead me to the footpaths with my bike and result in a more sustainable choice in regards to my transportation.

I think the biggest inhibiting factor for me will be that most of the surrounding roads are high speed (80km/h) and not particularly wide roads meaning cars will have to go around me on my bike rather than being capable of passing me within their lanes. Also I am likely to be carrying my toddler in a seat on the back of my bike and if collecting anything from the shops my bike trailer as well. All leading to a not so friendly road sharing option, but we will see how we go.

Certainly the areas of Australia that I have experienced which have a mix of rural/residential styles of living don't often provide great options for those not wanting to rely on their cars. Maybe this could be addressed by the local council, State governments, etc in the future. Will writing emails/letters to these people may a difference? Pin It

Farm Day

Watching the telly tonight, Getaway was on. They had a piece on "FarmDay". This is apparently where city families (which we are) travel to farm to visit farms and country families. The idea is for city families to learn about farms and farming activities. Whilst the country family in the Getaway piece said that they get to see their lives through the eyes of people fresh to such experiences and remember the reasons why they are on the land.

The Farm day website (www.farmday.com.au) allows you to register your interest for the next farm day weekend (29 & 30 May 2010). The organisers of this service then coordinate the farmers and city families based on interests and children's age groups.

Let's see if we are successful in getting a farm. Keep you posted. Pin It