Loving My Wash-Egg!

 Saving our planet one wash at a time.

It must be close to a month now that I have started using this wash-egg. In fact, I think it might be longer but never mind. At least I started using it. Thank you YouTube for letting me watch a BBC program to do with saving our planet. Shop well for the planet, the program that made me aware of this wash option.

So, at first I was skeptic but I thought that seeing the lady on the program enthused so much about it, it wouldn't harm to order one. Sadly the only place to get one was the mighty online giant, but what can one do? At least I ordered the wash-egg that is made in Germany and not one of the prolific selection available that are made in China. Would be besides the point, wouldn't it?

Anyway, the first time I used it I didn't expect much but boy, was I surprised. The washing has never come out this clean. Bearing in mind that I only washed on a 30 degree cycle and in an old washing machine. Of course, the old machines are the best as they last and last. When they were manufactured, it was made to last and just to be sure, I don't overtax the machine with different cycles. One wash cycle for all. It was a generous hand-me-down from mum and by now must be about twenty years old. 

So since owning this wash-egg I have not used any washing powder. The only extra is a vial of lemon grass essential oils for the perfumed aromas we all expect from clean clothes. The other day I rediscovered an old wool cardigan that I purchased in the early 90's and that always gave me hassles when washing it. Hand wash is all very well, but making sure the item dries well and in shape is jolly difficult. Easier not to wear stuff and with that in mind I was about to put it into the recycling bin when I thought it wouldn't hurt to put it in the wash...

This cardigan came out perfect and like new in texture, smell and shape! Absolutely fabulous. Bob's work pants which tend to be heavily soiled with mud, wine and dust, keep coming out perfectly clean. Really amazing to think that there was no washing powder involved. Doing laundry is fun again.

Apart from me loving the wash-egg are the wonderful implications for the planet. Even lone little me has made a difference by not polluting water with the chemicals entailed in washing powder while saving money at the same time. 

Imagine if ten people discover this wash nirvana, like it and spread the word of it, then perhaps another ten or more will do the same. That alone would be a whole lot of chemicals that won't be polluting rivers, oceans and our planet.

My wash-ball-egg!

Biggi 

CO2 Calculator.

 Finding out.

For some reason I stumbled upon this co2 calculator. Never knew it existed and actually it was so easy to use. No names given, total privacy.

People are fond of saying that their little bit of effort won't make a difference to this climate crisis. Let the big corporations and governments rather make changes. Aren't they the ones that caused all of this? Well, that is an easy way out, but a dodge nonetheless.

The big companies and governments are often such big polluters because they cater for and to us. Yes, we are the ones fanning the flame. Each and every purchase helps or hinders. The last few days the news organizations have singled out China and Brazil as horrible climate destroyers, but are they really?

Let's look at China. Yes, there is no doubt that they cause huge climate problems but why? Do we ever look at the cheap products we buy and where they were made? China is merely catering for our incessant need to buy bargains of stuff we don't really need. One just needs to take a peak into cupboards and wardrobes and see the useless stuff collect dust and moth! So before we blame China, we need to look at ourselves and our shopping habits.

As for Brazil, they are de-foresting ( destroying ) the rain-forest in order to plant more agricultural crop. Mainly maize and soy. Crops that are used to feed the factory farmed animals across the world. Cheap meats, which we buy on a daily basis. Be it in the form of steak, sausage, salami or ham. If we reduce our addiction to animal products, then as night follows day, less animal feed will have to be planted. So, Brazil is mostly doing horrendous climate crimes because we love to eat meat daily.

There are more ways to do our bit. This co2 calculator does a fabulous job of making one aware where one can save on co2 omissions. Food, travel, household and personal choices combined can make a difference in our individual co2 footprint. Try it and be surprised. Oh, and see your own personal score...

Co2 calculator Austria

Biggi

                     

Climate Crisis Should Be Handled By The Youth.

 The young aren't stupid.

Yesterday I got the Sunday paper in the hope of finding another discount booklet inside. They are quite addictive and even local tourists are making use of them. There are 8 stickers with  25% off  on it, four for each week only to be used at Spar. You know, they are jolly useful for buying expensive filter coffee, vegan sausages or cheeses. I love them and when I cleaned a holiday cottage yesterday I noticed an empty wine bottle from Spar with one of these stickers attached to it. Yip, nobody is above a bargain.

Anyway, there wasn't a discount booklet inside ( next week perhaps? ) but an interesting article about one of the off shoots of our climate crisis. There was a study done and it turned out that a lot of young people are seriously thinking about not having children because they are extremely worried about what kind of future they might have, never mind their own future. 

That really isn't rocket science and the young people get it. Our planet is on fire and unless we do something now, the burning won't stop. The kids ( well most of them ) get it and understand what kind of future they are facing, never mind their possible offspring. The world is overpopulated and barely able to feed everyone in they manner they are accustomed and aspire to. 

That is one of the reasons second-hand clothes, cycling and veganism have become mainstream. The kids are doing whatever they can to help halt the crisis now, while the older generation are still debating whether climate change is actually real ( " we had hot summers when we were young " ) and debating if they should perhaps vote for a greener Government. Well, by the time any Government, regardless of orientation, gets going, it will be too late.

That article in the Sunday paper brought home the scary truth that most adults haven't yet grasped the seriousness of climate change. At the moment many in Europe are upset at having to take in refugees, not realizing that with every further year of increasing heat, millions more will have to migrate to countries where they are able to find a safe place to live, one where they are assured of enough food to feed their families. Plain and simple...There by the grace of God go I...

I wish that the Governments around the world, and the people they govern would approach climate change the way they first approached the Corona crisis...imagine what we could have already accomplished?

Biggi 

A Few Quotes On Climate Change.

Every bit helps.

" Eat less meat and fish, drink less milk. No request could be simpler, or more consequential. Nothing we do has greater potential for reducing our impacts on the living planet. "

George Monbiot, October 2015

" Reducing meat and dairy consumption will have positive effects on greenhouse gas emissions and human health. It will also help biodiversity, which must be conserved to ensure the world's growing population is fed. Changing our diets will lead to a more sustainable future and complement food security goals while addressing global food inequalities. "

Dr Roslyn Henry, School of Geosciences, 2019 

"  Climate change  isn't an issue to add to the list of things to worry about, next to health care and taxes. It is a civilizational wake-up call. A powerful message - spoken in the language of fires, floods, droughts and extinctions - telling us that we need an entirely new economic model and a new way of sharing this planet. Telling us we need to evolve. "

Naomi Klein

" Climate change is sometimes misunderstood as being about changes in weather. In reality, it is about changes in our very way of life. "

Paul Polman

" We are the first generation to feel the sting of climate change, and we are the last generation that can do something about it. "

Jay Inslee

" You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. "

Jane Goodall

" What's the use of a fine house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on. "

Henry David Thoreau

Biggi

...And That's Why We Need Trees...

 The difference a bunch of trees make.

We all love trees but aren't really that aware of how good they are for us and the environment. Trees, which sadly most of us have grown up by associating a fir tree for the be all and end all of festivities ( Christmas ) and of course the magic place where our presents awaited. We give some reference to these fir trees but sadly for the wrong reasons and even worse, each and every Christmas we chop down millions of them for  a two week display. Is it any wonder the world's weather is playing havoc?

Now that Maxi is on the scene, I have extra responsibilities with the main one being his walks for bathroom purposes. A few times a day we don our walking gear and head outside. Outside sounds so grandious but at the moment it is a place hot as hell, especially for an aged Maltese who isn't overly fond of haircuts. 

He is feeling the heat and with that in mind I have coordinated his afternoon walks with a shady stretch of the road. And this afternoon the point of trees came home to me again. Stepping outside at about half past two ( he had given me the look, a look which makes me drop everything and hasten him outside ) I couldn't believe how hot and humid it was. Not pleasant for me or Maxi, but when we stepped into the shade created by a bunch of trees, it was like stepping into a fridge. Blissfully cool. Literally with one step the temperature dropped to a comfortable level, one where we could take the time to sniff out the perfect spot.

Look trees are just one avenue of halting climate change, but I am beginning to realize just how important the planting of trees is. We are all guilty of using products made from trees and even heat our home with it ( sadly, guilty of that too ). With each year, the summers are getting hotter despite those naysayers who are adamant that it has always been this hot and that our collective behaviour has nothing to do with it. Anything not to change... 

Biggi

Saving The World One Jacket & Wilted Vegetable At A Time.

The many aspects of second-hand.

There is nothing nicer than to do one's bit to stop climate change. An easy one is shopping at second-hand stores or accepting hand-me-downs. Once we get over our ' oh no, I could never wear someone else's stuff ' the hard bit is done. 

About nine year's ago I was given a quality winter jacket of The North Face variety ( a hand-me-down ) that is as warm and comfortable as can be. I love it and wear it every day in winter. My walking jacket and because I love it so much it sets me apart from most others. They tend to wear two or three different winter jackets per season and often I catch them speculating why I still wear the same jacket year in and year out.  If only they knew how many resources get used ( and therefore wasted )  for a jacket alone...is it any wonder that the weather is so out of kilter? Floods and wildfires don't happen just for the sake of it. There is always a cause.

My other new find is a beige tweed jacket from the Caritas shop. It cost 2,5 euros and is absolutely divine. In fact as you might have guessed...I wear it all the time and I have seen speculation in folks's eyes about the state of my finances. At least everyone knows that it's me!

Today was another milestone in saving the planet. At Lidl I managed to get two of those rescue boxes at 3 euros each. One for mum, one for us. There were so many goodies in it that I was thrilled to bits at my purchase and as I was standing at the till, the couple behind me looked enviously at the variety of this box. When they found out that it only costs so little, they were amazed and cross they hadn't  seen it earlier. Next time, they told me, they will buy it too.

               Stupidly I have forgotten to take a picture, but our box contained the following:

                   A net of red onions, a big white radish, a bunch of small red radishes, two organic                                     aubergines, a yellow pepper, red  & green pepper, twenty mini bananas,

                   two punnets of mushrooms ( 500g each ),  

The world can be such an overwhelming place (  especially now with corona etc ) that focusing on the small and easily done things makes all the difference. One step at a time makes me feel better and hopefully helps in changing the trajectory we are on...

Biggi

Bildein Festival-Seether, Heatwave & Leather Pants.

A weekend of fun for some...

Goodness, even President Obama has mentioned that the world is hotting up and that we have to do something about it. Of course, in politics, time is not of the essence. Is there a sense of time warp in this type of arena? The time frame of 2030 is used and personally, I tend to lean more towards that being too little too late. Reducing the carbon emissions by about 30% in 2030...get real, get with the program and do it sooner!

We are currently into the third heatwave of this summer and it seems to be here for at least another two sweltering weeks, according to the weather frogs. I wish I hadn't seen this forecast because it does dwindle my hope of cooler days chasing those awful 30 somethings. It is rather comical how everyone complains about the incessant heat, yet they studiously persist in denying that it is caused by our collective selfishness...

" Of course it's not Climate Change because back in 19.. we had a hotter summer! "

be like an ostrich then...The heat is so energy draining that with each progessive year, we might consider morphing into that rather attractive lifestyle of the Spanish...a siesta makes sense all of a sudden.

Each year, the village of Bildein ( just three villages over ) holds a festival in the Glastonbury style, called Picture-on. Camping, loud music, and hanging out with your friends. Thousands descend on our area and it has already been sold out for weeks. Imagine! Well this year, a taste of South Africa is present in the form of Seether...they are originally from Pietermaritzburg after all.

Bob and I aren't going to the Bildein Festival but there is always a hope of running into a fellow Maritzburger in the local shop or more excitingly, local Buschenschank.

As for the leather pants...after yesterday, most of us will view men wearing leather pants with a bit of dread. A dread that they might attempt to do those rather comical lunges like Mr Kravitz did. Really the worst time for your leather pants to rip and to be caught out sans underpants!

With this heatwave at the moment, I doubt that any of the Bildein Festival bands will wear a tight pair of leather pants. But just in case they do, a few women in the crowd might yell:

" Do some lunges!"

Men, if you do insist on wearing leather pants...at least wear the original Bavarian / Austrian type. They are made for lunges...

Biggi

Greece, A Storm In A Tea Cup Compared To Global Warming.

It won't help us to say: " If only we'd listened..."

The world has been hanging on with bated breath onto every minute detail and act of this current Greek Saga. The bail out is a new catch phrase that previously was only used by rich parents, lending a hand to their errant children.

Fear of what might happen if Greece were to be cut loose, is foremost in everyone's mind. What would happen to the Eurozone or even further afield, the rest of the world. The big money flitting about silently in the various markets of the world, is of course knitted into their fabrics and thus a Grexit would make a difference to the owners of this big money.

Being an avid reader of suspense novels and the odd conspiracy magazines, I wouldn't be surprised if there existed a club of ultra wealthy, that met every now and again to make sure the rest of us toe the line and make more money for them.

Anyway, it seems that the Grexit has morphed into a Greentry and the reporters of the world can focus on other plights.

It has been mumbled by those in the know, that 2015 is the year, or rather the last year, that we can rewind our stupidity and start to save our planet. Yet, nobody seems to care. Compared with the destruction of our planet through our collective laziness and selfishness, the Grexit is small fry ( maybe not the the Greek people, but I only mean in comparison ).

I am beginning to suspect that perhaps, the various news channels of the world are possibly funded by big business and industry. When whole forests are used up to print everything but the most urgent cause of all of us, the old suspicion antenna is awake.

Saving our planet in such a way that we can grow old in moderate comfort is what should be foremost in anyone's thoughts. Yet, saving our planet would most certainly mean a return to a different lifestyle and that popular ( yet rather senseless ) consumerism lifestyle would be history...

The irony of all our collective stupidity in regard to Global Warming is that a lot of us aren't happy, despite consuming as if there is no tomorrow...

Biggi

Disco Soup Or Schnippel Disko Should Be Held In Every Town.

A brilliant concept to highlight our collective folly, while saving our planet.

What is it? Well, I only saw a snippet of it on the news this morning, but it is a big cook-up / food party in a park for example, where meals are being prepared with food that would have been thrown away or is out of date. Everyone can eat for free. A Foodstock...

This whole concept of sell by date is obsolete because most of us know that even a week past the sell by date, food is far from bad. In fact, it is rather fun to shop for marked down food in the supermarkets. Why buy at full price, if you can buy it at half price?

Buying and using food products that might have otherwise been throw out or destroyed, means that they are now eaten and haven't been grown or produced for nothing. Imagine how much precious water we could save world wide, if we just stopped throwing out food. Or at least part of it.

• Next time you shop, perhaps make a point of buying at least one almost past its sell by date product. You'll live...
• Perhaps the producers should be made to increase the sell by date by a few days.
• Supermarkets should give food to the poor and needy instead of throwing it out.
• Dumpster diving should become a main stream activity. Don't forget, that dumpster-divers save our world, one food item at a time.
• When you think you've got no more food in your fridge / larder, make yourself delay your grocery shop one more day...you'll be surprised what you can magically cook in a seemingly empty larder!
• Try and make sure to have a few liters of long life milk in your larder...don't most of us rush to the supermarket because we've run out of milk...and who is disciplined enough to only buy milk when you are at the supermarket? Not me!

Back to the Disco Soup. What a fabulous way to kill a few birds with one stone...we get to see how good out-of-date food can taste and we can save our planet and some money at the same time.

Biggi

Dear Pope Francis, You Are A Godsend.

Will he help turn the tide?

It has been said that the year of 2015 is our last chance to make a change and reverse climate change. Just in time this brilliant Pope, Pope Francis, has made his appeal. Like all important decisions taken for the good of mankind, it didn't and doesn't please everyone!

In fact he has told us off and I so hope that people will sit up and take notice. The way we are polluting our precious planet is out of control and as he has said, partly due to our constant need to consume and toss away as we get newer stuff.

Oh, he has called out capitalism and if we were living back in the 17th Century I could imagine a dawn duel...The blustering from politicians has started. Mutterings about the Pope and ...what does he know ?.... have made their appearance and if you read between the lines, it is mostly by those who stand the most to lose should we consume less.

If your wealth is made from oil and other polluting materials, of course you need to pretend and profess that climate change doesn't exist. By the by, how much more wealth does one need?

But back to the Pope and his divine missive. Yes, this will make a lot of people sit up and start to ponder how they consume and if it is necessary. He didn't preach that we have to stop consuming altogether but only that we become more aware and that we use what we have already before buying something else.

As I have been saying all along, each and everyone of us can make a dent in the reversal of climate change. Let's vote with our money and where we spend it...

Once we realize that inner happiness and contentment aren't a result of consumption & our outer trimmings ( or should they be called trappings? ), it gets easier and easier to do the right thing for our planet.

Biggi

G 8...Gee Whiz...Addressing Global Warming / Climate Change!

Is it really going to happen?

As a population we are incredibly obtuse and self serving. Do we really think that we can go on partying with no care for tomorrow? Building, consuming, throwing away, using chemicals in just about everything and fighting wars. If we ever going to round the corner and start the long process of healing our planet ( or at least not depleting it ), then we need to stop, and stop now!

A war is a horrid horrid thing and by rights we should only know about it from history books. Wars kill people, destroy everything and make one question humanity. I am so very grateful that I've never had to experience a war the way that we see so many people living amid the evil of it.

We can send a man to the moon, but we can't stop a war. Apart from all the tragedy and loss, sadly a war also means big business for industry. Someone is making a mint, manufacturing the various implements of fighting a war ( for either side ). Could they have enough influence to keep fanning the flame of hatred and discontent?

Rebuilding a war torn area is necessary of course, but if a war had been avoided in the first place, Nature wouldn't have to be depleted of of all the ingredients needed to build. Never mind all the carbon emissions. Once a war is over, a lot of fortunes are made in the rebuilding of that which it has destroyed.

I was surprised to hear Global Warming being addressed at the recent summit. Could it be that Governments are coming on board?

As for a waste of time and resources, one needs to look no further than FIFA. As I have mumbled in the past, I thought not all was right in ' Soccer-Ville ' and now, we hear of corruption of such a scale that it boggles the mind.

Talk about a real disregard of Global Warming & Mother Nature: Having to build new stadiums every four years in different locales is a waste of such gigantic proportions, that I get cross just thinking about it.

There are so many only-used-once FIFA -standard stadium littered around the globe, gathering dust or providing a place for weeds to sprout, that it is a crime against nature to keep building more of the same...

Biggi

Let's Get Paid For Not Re-Inventing The Wheel!

A different approach to stop climate change perhaps?

You'd think we were living in the tropics the way the weather has been recently. Mornings already in the mid-20's is not bad at all. Coupled with lovely sunshine and blue skies it is fabulous unless you consider the sweltering side of a hot day. And it is not even Summer yet...

Bob and I are lucky in that we live in an old farmhouse. An old farmhouse built in the beginning of the last century and sporting 60 cm thick walls and not too many windows. They knew their stuff back in the days of yore. In fact, the one side of our house has no windows...the stormy side!

Our house is usually cool in summer and warm in winter and could be much more so once we insulate the roof better. But life is highly livable in it.

The other day, also extremely hot one, I was in a modern house. A very nice modern house with big and many windows and an open plan layout. Hot as blazes though and it was hard to hide from the sun even inside the house. That got me thinking about our constant need to change things. Why?

Our worldwide obsession to have big, better, different and best of everything, might turn out not to be that clever after all. Apart from changing that which has worked for ages, we have collectively chained ourselves to constantly run on that notorious treadmill of life. Most would love to come off it, but alas they need to carry on to fund their ' newness '

You know, even in this department our previous generations knew best...they only bought things if & when they could pay for it in cash...

. Of course the other side of the spending coin is climate change / global warming.

Each new thing we buy, has to be produced somewhere. Produced with perhaps a few harmful chemicals used in the process and later discarded into our precious EARTH.

Most of our homes are bursting at the seams with stuff in it. Finding clothes in our over filled closets is far from easy yet we still buy new ones.

Have you ever thought about how much water is being used to make one item of clothing? For example, a pair of jeans uses over 6000 liters of water. The humble T-shirt about 1500 liters....Interesting article worthwhile reading.

It is no secret that most of us are driven by the mighty and powerful buck. So here is a different way of approaching this whole debate of how to save our planet.

The governments should put a premium on reusing stuff. Let's be paid for using up already existing houses, clothes, cars etc.

Once people realize that there is a way off that extremely tiring and exhausting treadmill of life, they might grab it with both hands and hopefully start a trend...The Retro Is Cool Trend.

Biggi

Saving The Rain Forest One Face Cream At A Time.

The hunt for Red October is minor compared to finding an appropriate face cream!

Of course it is so much easier to just grab a tube of " instant radiance " as described on TV and even then, the choice is endless and really, how do we choose? Surely advertising shouldn't be the clincher of this particular deal?

As you know, I have recently read an article on how the usage of palm oil in cosmetics ( and a myriad of other uses ) is slowly but surely destroying the rain forest. Why should we care? Well, we do want to live in and leave a healthy planet for the next few generations.

Collectively our lives have become more and more lazy and selfish. Anything that is a tad more laborious, is eschewed with the well worn excuse of:

" Why the heck should I do it, when XYZ isn't doing it? Let them start first, and then I'll do something too! And anyway, if it was so bad, the government would tell us! "

...sadly, politicians who should lead the way, are answerable to lobbyists and those who helped them get into office ( not only the electorate but those who might have paid the piper? ).

Here is a thought: Let's only elect politicians who are under 35! They will want to have a comfortable retirement 50 years on, sitting in a green garden surrounded by fruit trees and a healthy air...

But, back to my face cream adventure. If you ( hopefully ) want to follow suit, might I suggest you take a magnifying glass with you and a lot of patience. As per usual, the devil's in the fine print.

I have used a range of skin care products, where I knew it was palm oil free ( and free of a lot of other chemical additives ) but I thought that maybe I could find other ranges too.

Well, 30 minutes later and a pacing husband outside the shop ( cheekily he shouted through the open door and told me he would while away the wait in the shop next door! Nudge nudge, hint hint... ) I was back to this skincare range I had used before, NONIQUE, and surprisingly, it is not expensive at all. NONIQUE is so far the only skincare range I found, that clearly states on the packaging that it does not use palm oil.

Honestly, I did hover with my hand over a product touted on TV as being the elixir of youth and beauty, but then my conscience made itself known...once you know what damage an ingredient does to the planet, only a fool will keep on buying and using it.

Biggi

Cook Your Own Food From Scratch And Help Save The Planet!

Try and give frozen foods a rest for a while.

As you know, I was lamenting about the use of the microwave oven and what it means for real food. Of course a lot of you are extremely tired and exhausted when you come home from work and still have to tackle homework, household chores while producing a meal for your loved ones along with an occasional peep at your online social life.

When you buy any frozen pizza and notice how inexpensive they are, do you ever wonder where they are made and where their ingredients are sourced from? Most frozen pizzas have more air miles ( carbon footprints galore ) to them than your favourite celebrity.

Grace Foundation: Taking a bite out of Climate Change.

The cunning factory management source the cheapest components for that pizza, because they have to make a profit for their owners ( shareholders etc ) . They kind of absolve themselves from any blame, by merely saying that we, the consumer, wouldn't buy a frozen pizza made with less well traveled ingredients. In other words, they think we are cheapskates...and you know, they are not that wrong either...but we can change, can't we?

• Tomatoes usually from Italy. When a pizza costs less than a Euro or two, how much do you think the tomatoes cost? Remember, they need to be harvested ( using cheap labour ), collected and transported to the pizza making factory.
• Garlic, is grown cheaply in China and that adds a lot of miles onto your pizza.
• Salami and ham on top...draw your own conclusions. Maybe it is time to return to our neighbourhood butcher, because he can tell you for sure where and how his salami or ham is made!
• Flour and the stuff that makes it plyable and moist...Palm oil.

Palm oil is one of the worst contributors to climate change. Reading up on this Article from World Wild Life Organization, made me see that each of us can make a jolly big difference to help stop climate change.

Did you know, that our buying habits fuels the palm oil industry to such an extent, that in order to grow more, the Rain Forests get the chop, as this is a good place to grow palm trees.

There is only one force stronger than any government...

The consumer, each one of us has power.

and somehow, we have forgotten how powerful our own opinions and behaviour is. At the end of the day, it is we, who have to make a choice whether we buy well traveled food, or whether we buy local, or at least closer to home.

Ironically, buying closer to home, might reinvigorate jobs, jobs that had left for foreign climes... Shopping responsibly is not often easy and gosh, I have bought plenty of well traveled stuff.

Even if we only buy one or two things responsibly per day, just imagine the outcome for our planet...and how many local jobs we would re-create!

Biggi

Just to show that we make our own pizza...Bob is the pizza chef in our house and his pizza taste divine.

Let Us Charge For Garbage By The Gram!

A possible great solution to Climate Change.

The latest report issued by the IPCC this week on the effects of Climate Change is just too darn scary to contemplate. The scientists in the know say that this report is flashing red lights on all fronts and that is frightening.

Politicians around the world have had plenty of time to do something meaningful, but for some reason they haven't. Could the solution on that front be a mandatory age limit to leading a country? 40 being the cut off age limit? You know, at 40 or under one is still worried about the future 20 or so years down the road. Oh yes, because it affects them personally.

Consumption or rather conspicuous consumption is one of the main culprits. We are all at fault. Those big companies only keep producing what we keep buying. A sad fact but true.

It is jolly difficult not to buy things as we need them, because for one thing they are so inexpensive. Why re-use what you have when the new lot is so affordable? But, here is my train of thought:

What if all of us ( yes, all of us ) had to pay for disposing / throwing away garbage or rubbish? You know, when the big truck comes along they would weigh your garbage bin before it gets tossed into the back of the truck.

If we make it expensive enough to hurt our pockets ( such as let's say, 10 euros / dollars per kilo ) all of us would start to re-use or even use up all of our things. Can you imagine how much stuff will be saved from rotting needlessly. Just the food alone would make a huge difference. We are all guilty of not using up all that we buy. Often our fridges are crammed full that we tend to overlook things like containers of joghurt, leftovers or the odd wedge of cheese.

All of us are responsible for this climate disaster and all of us need to get behind lessening the carbon footprint of our society. Instead of fighting wars with each other, we should all pull together and fight the war on Climate Change.

Biggi

Naysayers: How Are You Going To Explain This Bizarre Weather Pattern?

Let's all pull together and have a future...

Are we irritated enough by the weather yet?
Is it affecting us in a negative way yet?
There is surely no way the naysayers can still profess that there is no such thing as Climate Change?
Gosh, we are all feeling it right now!

At the moment the weather is nice and pleasant for some of us. No extreme cold. But others have had to experience a freezing of unimaginable proportions, such as the polar vortex that was inflicted on the eastern United States and Canada. Yet, at the same time the other side of the country ( West Coast ) is experiencing a horrendous drought. A drought so severe, that it is affecting the food supply. Some farmers can't afford to irrigate their crops and thus leave some fields fallow; and the rest of the meagre water supply is being used to put out wild fires.

Apart from being irritated by the climate change, it will hit some of us where it hurts...our wallet. Growing our own vegetables and fruits in our backyard will be the trend of the future. Subsistence farming. Forget about bragging with our beachfront property ( with the rising sea levels, are there still buyers for those ? ) Oh no, the real wealthy will be the ones who have property with ample land to plant for own-use. If they have their own water well...well those are the lucky ones!

Please everyone, let's be proactive. Even a small change in our life will collectively make a dent in this awful carbon emission business:

• Wherever we can, let's take public transport. If it is not feasible, let's try and plan our drives more efficiently. Car pool if possible.
• Try and incorporate the Slow Food Movement into some part of our week. You know, only cook foods that were grown in our area. i.e No travelling of the foods.
• Use up left overs. I am guilty of this and often forget that there is a Tupperware with yummy leftovers in the fridge.
• Separate our garbage. Plastics / glass / paper / tins.
• Make do with our clothes. Don't keep on buying new things because they are not fashionable anymore. Try and wear pants for more than a season or two.( If it is a pair of skinny jeans...trade them in! )
• Switch off lights when we leave a room.
• Bring our own basket / packet to the supermarket. Don't buy a plastic packet every time.
• Shower smarter...Water Saver Shower Head.

There are so many changes we could make, but I just wanted you to know that even the little changes help. Remember, there are so many of us. Think of it as the compound interest of the green movement.

By the by, the green movement that a lot of people used to laugh and point fingers at, is the movement that will make sure we all have a chance to experience old age....

Biggi