Comments portiafaceslife has made

  • There is a gleam of hope that, as with the global financial meltdown, appealing to the greed of the money markets might see the necessary action happen. FIRST, we the people have to lead - hence Hopenhagen (http://www.hopenhagen.org/hopenhagen), & get the decisions taken at Copenhagen, even if the formal ratification happens later. AND the smart money makers have to see the potential of the green economy - which I believe is already happening in China. Renewable energy sources and industries based on them will save the planet and our f'ed up economic system. Mayb we won't leave the world in such a s-awful state for our kids and grandkids after all!On Copenhagen panic is premature posted 1 week, 2 days ago 5 Responses

  • I carry a (clean) hanky with me everywhere I go.  I have post nasal drip which tends to strike without warning, & I definitely get social anxiety if I'm out without a hanky! I throw the hanky in the dirty laundry when I get home, and wash them in the hot wash with the towels (the only hot wash I do) to kill the germs.

    A cotton hany is a definite advantage when you wash your hands  at a public washroom.  No need to waste trees (paper towel) or electricity on handdriers that take ages and seldom dry your hands effectively.  Just dry on your clean hanky & out the door!

    With the fears over H1N1 influenza, I definitely think a cotton hanky that can go through the hot wash is superior infection control to soggy paper tissues that sit around in public wastebins.  What's more. even with regular hot washes, my cotton hankies last for years - I have some that are at least 10 years old.

    On Ask Umbra on public peeing posted 6 months ago 20 Responses

  • In Australia we've had dual-flush toilets for about 20 years - we invented them! When my kids were young, in the 80s, we lived in the bush for a while on a hobby farm - our only water supply was the rainwater tank, so the 'mellow yellow' rule was strictly followed. Even though dual flush loos are widely available in almost every shopping mall & most homes, I still practice 'mellow yellow' at home.  But it's not appropriate when you visit someone else's home, or a public loo!  Think of all the water you've saved, and be prepared to 'spend' a liitle of it in the interests of courtesy.

    In Germany & Sweden they have toilets that separate the urine at source for recycling.  Urine is a valuable source of the non-renewable element phosphorus that all plants need for growth.  I save a cup of pee a week to water my herbs onmy balcony with.

    On Ask Umbra on public peeing posted 6 months ago 20 Responses

  • baked potato version

    Great idea!  Gets around the soggy gluten-free pasta dilemma.On While food prices rise, here's a stick-to-your-ribs pasta dish that won't cause sticker shock posted 1 year, 7 months ago 14 Responses

  • Great minds think alike

    This is very similar to a chilli dish an American friend posted to me last year! (It was the original beef version.) I did it two ways on rice, but have yet to try it on pasta,  because as  I am wheat-intolerant I have to use gluten-free pasta.

     Gluten-free pasta is much less al dente (bitey) than the true pasta made with durum wheat.  Leftovers tend to be rather soggy the next day!

    I shall try the bean & chickpea version for a change, as I too, am trying to cut down on meat.On While food prices rise, here's a stick-to-your-ribs pasta dish that won't cause sticker shock posted 1 year, 7 months ago 14 Responses

  • Eating meat is a complex equation

    Thank you - these were very helpful comments.  I live in Australia where meat is high quality - even the 'industrially' grown stuff - and relatively inexpensive, although getting costlier by the day.  Organic meat is available - delicious lamb, chicken and beef - but way above my ability to pay for it!

    I grew up at a time when Australians ate meat 3 meals a day - mostly lamb. We came from English,  Scottish or Irish stock, and the ability to have that much meat was one of the positive factors for our immigrant ancestors. Then we had the post-war (World War 2) waves of immigration - first southern & northern Europeans, then people from all over South-east Asia, and our cultural and culinary tastes changed to a much more varied diet.

    The Mediterranean incomers taught us new ways with fruit and vegetables, and new vegetables to try, pasta and rice, all diversifying our diets from the basic 'meat and two veg'.  Chinese, Vietnamese, Koreans brought us even more exciting food options.

    It's thanks to our Asian citizens that many of us have learnt to enjoy vegetarian meals and even vegan ones.  Beef and lamb consumption are down - not from ethical reasons, but because the lighter Asian dishes, even when they use meat, use so much less of it.

    What we eat is a complex mix of culture, taste (as in liking how particular dishes taste), personal finances, ethical and ecological considerations. Vegetarianism and veganism just do not suit everybody or everyone's body!

    I balance my equation as best I can, buying organic eggs from a food co-op (they won't sell meat so as not to offend others). I buy organic meat when I can afford it.  I eat a lot of rice, pasta, pulses, but temperamentally, I still like the taste of meat, & do my best to make sure it's ethically OK when I get it.

    I also eat fish - & there's another ecological conundrum!

    portiafaceslife

    On In case you'd forgotten, industrial meat is a friggin' nightmare posted 1 year, 10 months ago 46 Responses

  • Novel eco-friendly yarns

    I just this week wrote a story on Australian researchers discovering the molecular construction of bee and ant silk, with a view to producing bioengineered fibres.  (You can read the story here.

    Who knows, in a few years we could be able to knit or crochet our own ant and bee silk clothing!On Knitters seek out eco-friendly yarn posted 1 year, 10 months ago 2 Responses

  • Don't ban the bags!

    While I agree plastic bags are a menace to the environment in all sorts of yucky ways, banning plastics is a knee-jerk reaction, & I'm sorry our 'Minister for Wombats' has gone down this path.

    I take cloth bags with me whenever I go shopping, yet once in a while, especially when buying frozen food, meat, milk or yoghurt, I REQUEST a plastic bag.   Why?  So I can reuse it to line my rubbish bin.  My bin doesn't hold much ( I recycle as much as I can), but what it does hold is usually runny, smelly or otherwise unpleasant to handle.

    Instead of banning plastic bags, Minister Garret should be mandating biodegradable ones.  That way everyone is happy.On Australia will phase out plastic bags posted 1 year, 10 months ago 14 Responses