05 November 2009
Swallow this
03 November 2009
Making a compost bin - Home composting
Making your own compost is really easy and doesn't take very long either. It benefits your garden by providing it with nutrient super-rich compost that enriches and boosts your plants. And its free!
All you need is a bin, a drill and some garden waste( like leaves, grass cuttings etc ) or newspaper and/or some dirt.
1. Get a new or used bin to suit your family size. In my household between 3 of us we use a bin about 80cm high that you can just about wrap your arms around. It takes between a month and 2 months to fill up. For more than 3 people who eat alot of home cooking it might be worth investing in 2 bins or a bigger bin.
2. Drill a few small holes at the bottom of the bin for aeration, and a few along the sides of the bin no bigger than the one in the picture.
3. Line the bottom of your bin with a shredded newspaper or leaves. Fill it about one eighth full and add a bit of soil if you have.
4. Your compost bin is ready! Now simply add your food scraps and start composting! DO NOT EVER add meat, fish or any derivatives of these to your compost bin. ONLY add plant materials ( fruit/vegetables/nuts), egg shells are ok but no dairy products. NO synthetic foods either (sweets, cakes, biscuits etc)
5. Its always good to give your compost a good stir every few days to speed up the process. Keep your bin in the shade so as not to dry out the contents. Also be sure to add soil on top of food scraps to prevent hoards of flies hanging out at your bin. If you don't have soil, grass cuttings or garden waste helps. Mixing it in also helps. Spray a bit of water to moisten the heap. This doesn't need to be done every time.
Cool links relating to this topic:
www.50simplethings.com/compost
ecocycle.org
20 October 2009
350 International Day of Climate Action - 24 October 2009
24th October is International Day of Climate Action. In Cape Town a hike up Table Mountain has been planned for this weekend (on the 24th) to raise awareness around climate change. The idea is to form a human “350” at the top of the mountain which will be filmed form the air and shown at the Climate Change conference to be held in Copenhagen in December. This is part of a global initiative.
350 is the number that scientists have indicated is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide—measured in "Parts Per Million" in our atmosphere. 350 PPM—it's the number humanity needs to get back to as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change.
IF you are interested in participating in the hike visit the following link http://www.cap.org.za/view.asp?ItemID=37&tname=tblComponent1&oname=&flt=&pg=front\
For more details on the 350 initiative visit http://www.350.org/
02 October 2009
What's in the number?
Below is a detailed table of all the plastic types
Symbol | Plastic Type | Examples | Recycled into |
PET (polyethylele terephthalate) | clear coke, coldrink, water and juice bottles, plastic jam, spread and salad dressing jars. | Polar fleece, fiber, tote bags, furniture, carpet, paneling, straps, (occasionally) new containers. | |
HDPE (high density polyethylene) | White or coloured milk, juice or shampoo bottles, trash and shopping bags. | Laundry detergent bottles, oil bottles, pens, recycling containers, floor tile, drainage pipe, lumber, benches, doghouses, picnic tables, fencing. | |
PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) | Cling films, some juice and shampoo bottles, PVC piping, bottles used for turpentine, methylated spirits etc. | Decks, paneling, mudflaps, roadway gutters, flooring, cables, speed bumps, mats. | |
LDPE (Low density polyethylene) | Most plastic bags, frozen food bags, squeezable bottles, cling films, flexible container lids. | Rash can liners and cans, compost bins, shipping envelopes, paneling, lumber, landscaping ties, floor tiles. | |
PP (polypropylene) | Some yogurt containers, bottle caps, straws. | Signal lights, battery cables, brooms, brushes, auto battery cases, ice scrapers, landscape borders, bicycle racks, rakes, bins, pallets, trays. | |
PS (polystyrene) | Disposable plates and cups, meat trays, egg cartons, CD cases, takeaway containers. | Insulation, light switch plates, egg cartons, vents, rulers, foam packing, carry-out containers. | |
Other (includes Polycarbonate or ABS) | Three- and five-gallon water bottles, 'bullet-proof' materials, sunglasses, DVDs, iPod and computer cases, signs and displays, certain food containers, nylon. | Plastic lumber, custom-made products. |
Parts of this article have been sourced from:
http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_recycling
10 September 2009
Recycling 101
Recycling is
- doing yourself and the environment a favour
- the right thing to do ( its your rubbish you are responsible for it)
- really easy! Follow some of the steps below
You will be amazed when you find that you can recycle most of your waste. I've listed some of the basics below:
1 - Find out where you can take your recycle rubbish, unless you are lucky enough to have a service collecting or recycling bins where you live. Look up local government sites and dig around for info (I'll be happy to add your links to this page if you know of sites) Here is some info for Cape Town:
No Standing is a private company offering residential and business pickups in Cape Town for a small fee
Think Twice is an initiative by government to collect household recyclable waste
Wasteplan is another company that has a very convenient drop off at the back of Bayside Center in Tableview. Very convenient because they have a team that will separate everything for you. They also collect for a small fee.
Here is a handy grid with all the depots and contact details in Cape Town at the local government website
More drop off depot information for western cape here. Different depots accept different materials so first find out what you can take where
2 - Store your recycling waste separate to your rubbish. Use separate bins if you have space. Some places will take mixed items and sort them for you but some don't so its a good idea to separate before you drop off.
3 - I wash my recyclable food containers with my dishes. If you are sending your recycling in once a week or less frequently the bin could get smelly and attract unwanted visitors. Also, it's just more hygienic, think about the massive recycling bins that have to store all these items and the people who are working with them. Also some of the recycling companies will not accept very dirty materials.
4 - So What can you recycle?
- Compostable waste : Vegetable, fruit and garden waste ( Make a compost bin or dig a whole in your garden to put it in) (remember not to put any proteins into the compost bin, not only is it not good for your compost bin, but you will also not enjoy the smell of meat going off!)
- Polystyrene
- Tetrapack
- Paper & Cardboard
- Glass
- Metal
- Aluminium & aerosol Cans
- Oils
- Plastic ( there are at least 60 different types )
not to mention any household items that can be given to the needy.
Recycling is only one form of waste minimisation. Others you can practice are reuse and reducing consumption.
You can adopt a Zero tolerance attitude for production of anything that cannot be re-used or recycled, or is costly to the environment.
Recycling starts with YOU. Be your own example to your own environment.
(if you find any of this information to be inaccurate please mail me so that I can rectify it)
12 August 2009
Hello everybody!
I have been wanting to start an environmental awareness blog for ages because I want the whole world not only to be aware of global warming but for everyone to WANT to do something about it.. I hope this blog will inspire people to do just that :)
Lack of awareness is scary enough, but MOST distressing is that thousands and thousands of people are aware but have no inclination to do anything about it. Complacency is easy and that is probably where the biggest potential for a massive shift in attitude lies.
So I hope you find this blog informative and inspirational!