Urban Garden sessions - Brisbane 2011

The State Library of Queensland is about to hold the 2011 Ideas Festival (19-22 May). As part of this initiative, they will be holding a number of sessions entitled "Urban Garden". It is being advertised as a family activity aimed at learning about food, where it comes from, how far it travels to get to your plate and how to become involved in growing your own food.

The State Library website has some information available about the session. Their website also has a short video clip showing the construction process for this urban garden (would love some of those hard-working hands in my garden). According to the library's information the garden is based on permaculture principles and is an active learning event for the family.

Get your hands dirty, 20 & 21 May 2011, at the State Library of Queensland, SouthBank, Brisbane!

Booking are required. No cost. Pin It

Why it is great to have frogs!

Having frogs in your backyard, parkland or ecosystem is a great sign. Frogs are very sensitive to toxins in the environment, as they have highly permeable skins and therefore are often labelled as bio-indicators. 

If you don't have frogs currently in your backyard, don't worry there are ways to encourage them to share your lovely patch.

Methods to encourage frogs

• habitat - some species require permanent sources of water, whilst others primarily spend most of their time within the cover provided by trees and/or shrubs
• limit your use of toxic chemicals around your house and garden - stop using chemical pesticides and herbicides in your garden and turn to organic practices, where possible
• food source - encourage attractive insects into your garden. Instead of spraying mosquitoes or spiders leave them around. Also if plan on having a pond include plants in the waterbody
• keep your pets away - they just don't mix, although the old lap dog probably won't affect the balance

Why have frogs?

• indicates that you have a healthy ecosystem in your patch
• means other processes in your area are likely to be functioning - if the frogs are there, then many of native species will be present too
• indicates that you will be less exposed to toxic chemicals, because where there are frogs there are unlikely to be a plethora of chemicals
• reduction in nasty insects, such as those biting mosquitoes
• lovely night time choruses

Just as a heads up....if you're planning on encouraging frogs with a pond in your backyard avoid having shallow water on the edges and where possible have more vertical walls as this will reduce the likelihood that cane toads will call your pond home.

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Useful Native Plant Identification Books

Here are three readily available and easy to use native plant identification books useful in South-east Queensland.

• Wild plants of Greater Brisbane - Queensland Museum
• Noosa Native Plants - Noosa Integrated Catchment Association Inc.
• Mountains to Mangroves (there is a new edition available that combines the previously available two volume set) - Logan River Branch of Society for Growing Australian Plants

These are all photographic plant identification books and group the plant species into their supporting habitats/ecosystems. Easy to flip through to identify and no keys or fancy terms necessary.

Great reference texts and if you're keen it is a great idea to carry at least one of them in the field with you (if you're back can handle it) to help expand your knowledge of native plants in South-east Queensland! 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

Fairtrade Fortnight 2011

Currently we are in the middle of Fairtrade Fortnight (7-22 May 2011) aimed at bringing awareness about fair trade products and the associated ethics and benefits. This week also recognises the effort and rewards that result out of people in developed countries buying fairtrade products.

You might ask what are fairtrade products?

These are products that assist in providing appropriate work and trade conditions, including fair prices, to producers and associated businesses and families in developing countries. 

What type of fairtrade products are available in Australia?

• coffee
• chocolate
• clothing
• fabrics
• rice
• grains
• tea
• sugar
• oil
• jams & spreads
• herbs & spices

Another useful tip is where to find these products here in Australia. The Fairly Local website has a list of sellers that stock fair-trade products. This is not an exhaustive list, as I have even noted some fair-trade products in the big supermarket chains. So keep your eye out for them. 

There is also additional information available at the Fair Trade Organisation of Australia and New Zealand's website. 

It is important to remember that a little action either during your grocery shopping or becoming aware of the conditions in which your food and clothing are made can result in not only better outcomes and products for you but also great change for people on the other side of the world. 

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Weed wash down

Weeds are significant issues across Australia and I often think about what the country would look like with intact vegetation and no lantana or the many other weeds that are invading natural bushlands and in some cases smothering them. 

There are numerous pieces of legislation which outline declared pests. Here in Queensland, we have the Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act. Local councils also quite regularly identify lists of environmental weeds, these are usually invasive species that are non-native but widespread and unlikely to be completely removed from Australia without significant effort and investment. 

Weed control in your own patch of land is important, but where opportunities present themselves it is important to undertake weed seed spread prevention methods where available. I came across a public wash down facility when I was in North Queensland a couple of years back. 

 

I thought this was a great initiative but I don't think many other drivers on the road where even aware of the facility (it wasn't mandatory and you almost had to know it was there to see it) and certainly didn't seem to be using it. Therefore it probably wasn't very effective at this location, but you never know.

Here is a photo of the wash down facility in action. 

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Ever heard of being an Ecotarian?

I hear a podcast on ABC radio the other day which discussed the concept of being an ecotarian. I had never heard this term previously. The guest on the show discussed their previous vegetarianism which transcended into veganism. Their food choices were based on their concerns for the welfare of animals and the manner in which they were produced, transported and slaughtered. However, this all changed when their neighbour offered them a couple of fresh eggs from their free-range chickens that lived on their neighbour's lovely rural property. At this point the guest on the show thought about this offer and couldn't really justify (based on their previous parameters) why they shouldn't take the eggs from their neighbour.

Many people's choice to become vegetarian or vegan is primarily based on animal welfare issues, but when you produce your own food and know the full process of how the animal was cared for, its environment and potentially how and where it was slaughtered many of the welfare issues fade into the background and become irrelevant. People's food choices might therefore change solely from animal welfare to sustainability issues relating to the production, transportation and sale of food products brought into their lives.

I am not suggesting anyone change their eating strategy I just found it an interesting concept which I hadn't discovered previously. Pin It