2012 In Retrospect

What a year it was!  Around this time of year, I review the goals that I set way back on January 1st, 2012.

So what were the goals?  Here are the three that I talked about at start of the year;

1. Reduce our meat intake by 80%.  PASS!

Well, I am pleased to say that we met this goal easily.  In fact, vegetarian meals are now our default setting and roughly 90% of our meals are meat-free.  I still have bacon every second weekend, and we occasionally have MSC certified fish on the odd occasion, but the vast majority of our meals are veg.  

I am so proud that we have managed to commit and succeed with this goal, because when we set it at the beginning of the year, we didn't think that we would stay the distance.  Yay!  

As for the health benefits, well they have been good, but not fantastic.  My bad cholesterol has reduced slightly, which is just enough for my GP to stop giving me the evil eye at my six monthly medical examination, which was one of the main aims.  

It was certainly worthwhile and opened our eyes up to a whole new world of gastronomic delights.

2. Increase vertical growing space.  FAIL!

This goal, however, was not achieved.  The only additional vertical space as been when I plant climbing beans a month after sweet corn so that it grows up the corn stalks.  Lets put this goal in the 'must do better' category.

3. Less projects, more maintenance.  PASS!

Projects.  I can't seem to stay away from them.  If it is not teaching a workshop at least once a month, or presenting about sustainable living as a guest speaker to a community group somewhere, it is the media attention that one gets when winning the Renew Sustainable Blogger of 2012!  If that wasn't enough, I built a small solar power system in March/April, and then got a bee in my bonnet about being a real author and wrote three eBooks which I self-published via Smashwords and Amazon.  A fourth is currently in editing mode.

However, I did manage to fit in more garden maintenance at the right times during the year due to the simple fact of having an extra day off once a fortnight.  My downshift day really paid off during 2012, and will continue to do so in 2013.  Because of this extra time, I harvested things when they needed to be harvested.  Planted seeds and seedlings when they needed to be planted, and fixed things at least a month before Kim had to remind me (except for the front door).  

4.  Ad Hoc stuff.  Massive Pass!

This is some of the other stuff that I achieved during the year that is noteworthy.

• Downshift day started in early January.  Took a pay cut to enable this action.
• The blog reached its 4th birthday in February!
• Awarded ReNew Magazine Blog of the Year 2012 in March.  Ecstatic.  
• Built a small solar power system in April.  
• Published a Mozzarella video tutorial in May.
• Added more capacity to the small solar power system.
• Published the first of three sustainable living eBooks in June.
• Three of the most popular posts of the year were written in July - The Earth IS Full Of Our Stuff, How To Remove Scaly Leg Mites, and The Seven Stages Of Change.  If this blog is anything, it is diverse in topics.
• Published second sustainable living eBook - The Way Of The Chicken.
• Visited Waubra Wind Farm in August.  It was simply majestic to see this source of renewable energy in action.
• Celebrated One Million Page Views for the blog in September.
• Hosted Sustainable House Day for the third year running.
• Participated in Buy Nothing New Month during October.
• Published third sustainable living eBook - Build Your Own Small Solar Power System in November.
• Harvested the best bloody crop of Potatoes and Onions ever!  Very pleased.

When I look back at this list, I am amazed by all the things that I have actually completed in a short twelve month period.  My family have really enjoyed this year and all the pleasures that it brought.

I also found that I love writing books, which is really just one very long blog post in a different format.  More to follow on that, with the Clay Oven eBook to be released early in the new year.  Here is the cover that I designed for it.  I would love your opinion about the design.

Anyway, I would like to thank all of my readers for continuing to support me and this blog throughout 2012.  I still find it hard to believe that my musings have such a large following.  

After all, I am just an ordinary Aussie bloke, who chooses to write about things I do in my life, albeit, green and sustainable stuff.  Thanks so much for all the comments and emails, and I try to reply to each one.

On that note, the next post will be about my 2013 goals on New Years Day.      

Until next year dear reader.....

A Green Holiday To One and All!

A very Merry Christmas to all my readers!

May you all have a very green Christmas ( or whatever festival you celebrate this time of year) and a sustainable New Year.

I am taking a bloggy break for a few days, so have a read through the archives to get your dose of festive greening.  There are over 1250 posts in all to read and digest, which I know you will enjoy.

All the best to you and your families.

Gavin, Kim, Ben, dogs and chooks!

Shopocalypse 2012

As the end of the Mayan long count calendar comes to an end, and another one begins, I see no sight of the predicted end of days.  Then again with only two hours to go here in Australia before the big day, I may be a bit early

If you are reading this on the 21st then, of course,  it was just another false end of the world prediction that will go down in history along with the thousands of other doomsday predictions that never happened.

However, there is one apocalypse that I see getting worse each year, year after year.  Yes dear readers, you guessed it.  It is the Christmas Shopocalypse!  A term coined by the Church of Stop Shopping and is derived from two words, shopping and apocalypse.  Quite fitting actually.  You can read more about Reverend Billy and his crew at this post "Fighting Excessive Consumerism".


Each year, the big stores try and convince us to spend up big, by putting up decorations earlier and earlier and plastering media with so called specials.  In our town, Christmas decorations went up in October.  At least they held off with the Christmas carols until late November.  Bah humbug!

Well not really, because I like the idea behind Christmas as much as the next ordinary bloke, but obviously without all the consumerism.  For us, this time of year is all about family, fine food, and small useful green gifts, in that order.

During the day we play games, laugh, eat, drink and cherish each others company, which is what it should all be about.  The giving should be a minor part of the day, not the main feature.

We tend to avoid shopping centres at this time of the year, because basically, the blatant and rampant consumerism makes us sick.  We just cannot stomach it at all.  Call me a Scrooge if you will, however what small gifts we have bought each other has been purchased on-line, away from the disease the infects people this time of the year.

Maybe it is because we know what the consequences of excessive consumerism will be.  A planet not fit for human habitation or for many millions of the species that live in harmony with the Earth. A chilling thought, seeing that this all started out with some poor bloke and his virgin wife in a manger over 2000 years ago.

Maybe the 21st of December 2012 will be a turning point for humanity.  The defining moment of just how crazy our civilization has become.  In years to come, we may look back at this time, and think "How did we let it all get this far?"

It makes you think, doesn't it.

Story Of An Egg

Every wondered what the difference between a cage egg and free range means?  Do free range chickens actually get to get to go outside?  Can they eat bugs and grass?

Well dear readers, look no further as this video from http://www.lexiconofsustainability.com/ explains the situation in the US, which is mostly the same here in Australia.



Enlightening, isn't it.

I wonder if there is a term for my chooks.  I would label them "Veggie patch destroying, go where they like, eat all my weeds and bugs, but well loved backyard chickens".  Now that is something I would like to see on an egg carton!

I believe that at least cage eggs should be banned, closely followed by free range, as well as the supermarkets that stock them.  What do you think?

Limoncello Matured

Ahh, Limoncello!  One of the most refreshing summer time drinks I have ever tasted.

I first wrote about this delightful lemony drink back in August last year in the post, funnily enough, titled Limoncello.  

The first batch I made was nice, but it was cloudy, and a slight bitter after-taste.  So I made a second batch two months later.

Now, I thought that I drank this second batch last year with Kim and friends, but it turns out that it was hidden away at the back of the pantry, all sealed safely in a re-purposed coffee jar.  

We discovered it on Saturday, so being the adventurous one, I gave it a taste test.  It was delicious, even after having infused for over a year with the lemon rind!  

What an unexpected surprise.

It was still a little cloudy, so I tried something different.  I found some coffee filter papers that were lurking in the same pantry, and filtered the Limoncello using a funnel.  

It took about an hour for all of the liquid to pass through.  I had to change the paper three times, but got there in the end.

The end result was a perfectly clear liquid, which now is chilling in the freezer, ready for our summer holiday, that will start on Saturday, here on the suburban farm.

I don't know if I would ever leave it to infuse for a whole year if I made it again, but there is certainly no hint of an after-taste, except for lemon of course.  Maybe it is worth making another batch and hiding in the back of the pantry!

We are all looking forward to relaxing days around the yards with a small glass as the sun passes over the yard arm!

Have any of you tried to make this drink, or something similar?

Keep Calm, Carry On

Just because we fear something doesn't mean we should give up the good fight.  I realise that being afraid or angry about what may pan out in the future can become paralyzing, but it is just one of the seven stages of change (stage 1 and 3).

On the contrary, we need to work harder, because the fear has helped us to articulate, in our own minds, the possible consequences of inaction. We all move through fear now and again, but we must not let it curb our determination to overcome whatever hardships we may face down the track.

By not acting when learning vital information is just asking for trouble.  No one has all the answers, especially me.  I just do what I think is right at the time.

This brings me to a comment that I received on the last post titled "I Fear That...", which I believe warranted a more detailed response.

Anon said;

"I'm wondering Gavin  do you really think that what you are doing is making a difference to the environment? do you really think that ripping out lawns and ornamentals and replacing them with veges and fruit trees is making an impact on our environment? even if every single house did the same thing? do you really think you're being kind to our environment by buying milk to make cheese? or building a pizza oven?

I'm not trying to be critical of you personally- because I personally do a lot of the same things that you do yourself (I have a vege garden and fruit trees that I'm trying to sustain my family on- I try and limit my consumerism and buy second hand whenever I can, I recycle etc), yet really I don't feel like it is contributing at all :( and it's frustrating me."

The simple answer is a resounding Yes, but not directly.  Let me explain.

My family's personal environmental foot print reduction is but a drop in the ocean, and in itself will not make on iota of difference to our changing climate.  This is the plain and simple truth.  I am a realist, after all.

However, by setting an example and showing people around me that it is possible to change behaviours and lower consumption, for the better I might add, then anyone else can do the same.

It is from many little changes that big changes happen.  Being vocal in what you believe needs to change influences others, who then, when they change their behaviours, go on to further influence other people in their lives.

As far as I am concerned, it is this type action at the local level that will help all of us get through this mess.  We need to stop thinking in our western hyper-individualistic manner and re-build community action, whether it be a group of like minded people who try to convince governments to man-up (or woman-up) and grow a pair, and start drastically reducing GHG emissions to reduce our impact.

Or as an individual, teaching others how to grow their own food, or build their own outdoor oven, or raising chooks for the time if or when the crunch does come.

Each person has a part to play in this effort to transform and transition away from our destructive economy.

So go ahead readers.  Make your individual actions, and be proud of them, but I ask you to take the next step.  Tell others about your actions, how they make you feel, and why you going to the effort to make them in the first place.  This will make others stop and think, because people trust those they know, more than they would some politician or celebrity giving them the same message.

What are your thoughts on this type of change?  Do you think individual actions make a difference?  Have I made a difference to the way you think?

I Fear That .....

....our world has changed in the span of one human lifetime, and we are making it uninhabitable for ourselves.

....our governments, companies, and citizens choose not to act to prevent catastrophic consequences that approach us like a bullet train.

....we have failed to change and will not open our eyes to the reality around us because it is just too damn inconvenient to do so.  Seeing the problem means that we have to get off our collective behinds and do something that we are unaccustomed to.

....unless something miraculous happens very, very soon, I worry that, well, we are up shit creek without a paddle

....I worry about what she worries about.

....that she is right.

[contains minor nudity]

"eXtinction is an environmental art short that brings together powerful storytelling and stirring imagery.

It reveals that the most pressing environmental issues are not happening thousands of years from now, but are in fact happening within our lifetime — and specifically, on the timeline of one young woman’s life, from birth to death.

CLAYTON HASKELL (director) takes viewers on a visually stunning journey through space and time, while SUMMER RAYNE OAKES (Producer/Writer/Actress) breathes fervent passion and emotion to the piece through her own personal story and life.

eXtinction highlights ten of the most pressing environmental issues in the world and it’s up to all of us to take action. Visit the website http://extinctionfilm.tumblr.com/impact to find out how you can make a difference."

Clean Again, Naturally

What would you say if I said I could save you at least $20-30 off your fortnightly shopping bill by following some simple cleaning tips?

Just by using natural cleaners that you can make yourself, you will save money, and keep nasty chemicals out of your waste stream that would otherwise make its way into our waterways.  Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

Since our family started the journey towards a more sustainable lifestyle, our cleaning methods have changed towards non-toxic products with obvious benefits.

Laundry

We started using grey water at the very beginning of the journey to water the garden, so we needed to change our laundry powder to one that had no Phosphorous and no Sodium so that we could use the water neat in the garden.

The phosphorous would have damaged the native Australian plants, and the sodium tends to make the soil repel water, and increases the salinity.

Also, any run-off that the plants don't use, does not contaminate the ground water. We found, after trying a couple of NP brands, that the Planet Ark Aware laundry powder worked the best for us.  Earth Choice came in at second when we can't source Aware.

After reading an article in Choice Magazine, we found that it was not made from any petrochemicals, but there are probably similar brands now around the world. Kim raves about it to anyone who will listen, because a 1 Kg box lasts her approximately 8 weeks for 4 peoples clothes as you only use 3 tablespoons per wash. We also use a NP fabric softener, but don't use it very much, and have been substituting with white vinegar in the last two months with great results. When washing towels, Kim pops in a few drops of eucalyptus oil to kill of any bacteria. It makes them smell nice too.

I believe that Seventh Generation also have a good product rain in the US and Canada.

Kitchen

With the laundry sorted, we looked to the kitchen. We buy an earth friendly washing up liquid for the kitchen dishes that is also low in phosphates and sodium. We still use the dishwasher occasionally when we have a mountain of dirty dishes. We use bi-carbonate soda (baking soda) instead of dishwashing powder, and vinegar for the rinse aide.

We have found this to be very effective, even on some of the tougher dirt. To get rid of a smelly dishwasher we give it a thorough clean with vinegar and bi-carb soda, then put it through a cycle. So we are not only saving a fair bit of water, and about 8 kWh of electricity a week, and caustic dish washing tablets, but we have also realised something profound.

When you wash dishes by hand, and you have someone drying them with you, you actually talk to each other and everything is cleaned far better than it would have in a dishwasher. Not only do you have quality control via an instant feedback loop, you can have a laugh and a joke around at the same time. There is only one rule that we stick to, and that is that the cook does not wash up. You can shotgun for the rest of the washing, drying or putting away!

Lemons and bi-carb soda are also great for getting rid of stubborn burnt on food at the bottom of pots and pans.  When life gives you lemons, scrub a pot with them!

Glass

Cleaning windows and mirrors is a cinch with white vinegar in a spray bottle and the free local newspaper. Not only is it cheap, but it keeps mould away, and prevents mirrors from fogging up. It gives a nice clear finish without any smell. You can throw that Windex away now!

Surfaces

We also use white vinegar as an anti-bacterial to wipe the kitchen surfaces when dirty. Stubborn stains are dealt with by a paste of water and bi-carb soda. I would rather have a small child accidentally swallow vinegar than some of the other nastier cleaning products kept under the average kitchen sink!  If I have an abundance of lemons, I use one cut in half to clean chopping boards before giving them a coat of olive oil.

Drains

About a month ago we had a bad smell coming out of the kitchen sink, so it was out with the bi-carb soda, and down the drain with about 4 tablespoons of the white powder. After about a minute I followed it up with a quarter of a cup of white vinegar and let it all fizzle. Let it go for about 3 minutes and then flush with some very hot water. Our drain have never have smelled so nice, and I may have gotten rid of a lot of built up grease as well.

Bathroom

The last cleaning thing I can think of is that my daughter Megan gives the shower a weekly once over with some paste made up of bi-carb and water, with an micro-fibre glove and old rags, which gets rid of the soap scum that collects there. A little bit hot water afterwards washes it all away. Oh, I forgot the toilet. We use bi-carb soda to clean it as well, with a little white vinegar in the final flush.

Personal Hygiene

As for washing ourselves, we all use pure, home-made soap.  I even wash my very short hair with it.   Kim uses an organic shampoo, but I have heard that bi-carb works just as well in very small doses.

I shave with a pigs bristle brush, having given away shaving cream in a can (just use our home made soap to lather), but am having trouble finding an alternative to disposable razors or blades. I don't shave very much, as I have a goatee, so I would not use as many blades as the average guy. I might investigate a cut throat razor in the near future, as they last for a very long time, and you sharpen (or is it blunt-en) it yourself.  Sweeney Todd eat your heart out!

Summary

Well that is about all I can think that we use. We simply asked the question to see if the answer was that if things were safe for us, they would be safe for the planet. We made the changes slowly over the course of about a year. If you have a couple of bottles of white vinegar and a big box of bi-carb soda, you have almost all you need to clean the house up.

I did get most of the tips originally from reading Greeniology: How to Live Well, be Green and Make a Difference. Tanya Ha wrote a whole chapter on green cleaning. It helped finding all the good tips in the one place, and the tips were simple to implement (I even met her once (more like stalked), and got my copy of this book autographed).

We save so much money on cleaning products (vinegar and bi-carb are cheap as chips), we feel safe when we clean, and know that it is better for the planet.

Simply the simplest and greenest products we could find make a hell of a difference!

Do you use a natural green cleaner?  Do you have any tips that you can share?  I am sure readers would love to know.

Living Like Tom and Barbara? - Part 2

In part one of this post, I liken the two main characters from the 70's TV sitcom "The Good Life" to Kim and myself.

In this post, I will talking about some the successes and failures that have made us laugh and cry, just as Tom and Barbara often did.

One of the most infectious things about the TV show was Tom and Barbara's eternal optimism and determination to succeed, even when things were not going to plan.  It made you feel for the characters in a way that meant something meaningful to the viewer.

Let me describe some similar events that happened to us whilst on a similar journey.

During the first season, Tom re-purposed an old diesel generator to run on pig manure, so as to provide electricity for his home (even though they would have required a lot more manure than their two pigs could have been able to produce).

He was ecstatic and enthusiastic when he was showing his handiwork to his neighbour, Jerry.

This takes me back to the day that I first turned on our Solar PV system that generates electricity for our home, and the time that I build a small solar power system of my own.

Back in 2007, this was quite a big deal, because even though I didn't know it at the time, I was well ahead of my time in our area.  In fact I was the first installation in our town.

No one I knew had seen a residential PV installation let alone seen one functioning.  I was just like Tom showing off his new invention, every time someone visited my home.

On the downside, I remember how sad Barbara was when Pinky and Perky were sent to be slaughtered.  Even though Tom told her that this was what being self sufficient was all about, she still didn't like the fact that two animals that she personally raised were going to be no longer.

This has happened to us as well   Raising chickens for eggs means that even though you do not have to intentionally despatch the animals in order to gain the food, the fact remains that you do get very attached to the girls and when one dies, it affects you.

Kim gets really upset, and I have a tear in my eye if one passes suddenly.  It never really gets easy digging a grave for a feathered friend.

Living the good life each day has its own rewards and it is the simple things that surprise you the most.  For example, Tom and Barbara had no idea how to grow food when they first began, and Tom read books to learn the basics.

This is the same way that I learnt how to start growing our own fruit and veggies.  Lots and lots of library books were required reading.  I would visit twice weekly, and borrow at least six books at a time.  Some about gardening, preserving and many about self sufficiency, even though my initial goal was to reduce food miles.

I then wrote down every tip that I thought would work in our climate and just started gardening.  I learnt from my failures and successes as I went along.  If I didn't grow something very well, I tried to figure out the reason and made a note (via this blog) to prevent it from occurring in the next season.

Another thing that we learnt from the TV show was never to give up.  On a few occasions  both Kim and I have looked at one another when one of our plans went pear shaped, and think is it all worth it.  However, we do know that it is worth the effort, even if it is only to set an example for our kids.  Tom and Barbara were the same on occasion.

Deep down they just knew they were doing a good thing.  When one of them became despondent, the other reminded them of whey they shouldn't give up, due to the daily rewards of living the good life.

Margo and Jerry were a big part of the Good's life, and we also have friends that remind us of the Good's next door neighbours.  They are still our friends, who we respect, and they also admire all that Kim and I have achieved since becoming green.  They haven't taken the leap towards the simple life because it doesn't suit their consumerist lifestyle.  Time will tell.

However, I do have many other friends and good neighbours who have started to make lots of small changes for the better.  We are often encouraged by many of the things that they tell us they are doing, growing, or changing.  They are very proud of their achievements, as they should be!

Even though Kim and I don't live the full blown good life as Tom and Barbara did on the show, and probably never will, we have the same outlook on life that these characters did.  It is this outlook that keeps us going day after day, because as the Good's found out quickly, it is difficult to swim against the flow, when so much (or many) are pushing in the other direction.

You find that you just have to swim harder, that's all.

Spuds and Onions

Home grown potatoes and onions are easy to grow and harvest, and have more flavour than supermarket bought stuff.  They are also much, much fresher as those bought can be up to a year old before you get them.  They both need full sun and lot of water to help them grow big and fat.

Anyway, today was spud and onion harvest day at the house of TGOG.  My fingernails will attest to all of the digging!  I planted this lot back in August and you can see how I prepared the bed in this post titled "Potato Planting Time".

The potatoes that I planted this year were Royal Blue.  You can see that the plants have mostly died back, with the far end totally brown.  All of the plants flowered, but no berries formed.

I didn't really know how many I would finally get especially after last years failure, but the first plant looked promising as it yielded more spuds than last years entire crop!

To my delight, I harvested a very large bucket (15L) of potatoes.  The small white ones are from a Nicola that went to seed in my pantry, that I decided to bury about a month after I planted the main crop.

I am ecstatic.  This is the biggest spud crop I have ever grown.  Next year I will be planting in the front yard into the three garden beds that I am building over Autumn.

Then it was over to the main veggie patch, and to harvest the brown onions.  These came out a lot easier than the spuds, as onions grow on the surface of the soil, not underneath.  These onions will dry for a week in the greenhouse to let the stalks go grown and to form a protective skin around the bulb.

I have stored the potatoes in a wicker basket, so that they have airflow, at the bottom of the pantry which is nice and dark.  At our normal rate of consumption, the spuds and onions should last until April.

Who else has potatoes in the ground?  Have you harvested them yet?

Living Like Tom and Barbara? - Part 1

When I was a kid in the 70's we used to watch a UK TV show called "The Good Life" (in the US they changed it to "Good Neighbors").

The show was about Tom and Barbara, a married couple of 40 somethings, who decided to totally drop out of the rat race and go self sufficient in a somewhat posh suburb in London.  They rotary hoed the front and back lawns, planted veggies, got chooks, a milking goat (Geraldine), raised two pigs (Pinky & Perky), and lived a hard, but very good life.

Tom and Barbara also had neighbours called Jerry and Margo, which were the total opposite.  Jerry was a brown nosing executive working in a company that made plastic toys for cereal boxes, and Margo was the lady of the house, and was well, just Margo.  Both had respect for Tom and Barbara after a get together over a bottle of pea pod wine or six.

Here is a clip to set the scene.


I really enjoyed it as a kid, but as I already lived on a dairy farm, I really didn't understand what the fuss was about.  I thought that everyone lived like we did.  How wrong was I.

Now I am older and wiser, I still love to watch episodes of this show which was well ahead of it's time.  I also live in the suburbs.  Starting to sound similar?

So how does Gavin and Kim compare to Tom and Barbara?  Well lets see, shall we.

Tom Good
(from Wikipedia)

Tom has worked as a draughtsman, a job he disliked. He feels his life is meaningless, nothing more than work and consumption. Becoming self-sufficient is his idea, but Barbara, after expressing concerns, supports him. Tom is determined to succeed at self-sufficiency, and is mostly cheerful about his new lifestyle. Tom is obstinate and pigheaded, often to Barbara's detriment or irritation. On the few occasions that he is pessimistic, Barbara becomes the optimist.

verses

Gavin Webber

Gavin still works as an IT professional, in a job that pays the mortgage.  He woke up one day and felt like his life was off the rails, spending all his dosh on crap that didn't make him happy.  It was his idea to cut his family's carbon footprint, and initially Kim supported him begrudgingly   Gavin is determined to keep living a sustainable lifestyle, also trying to cut his family's cost of living.  He is cheerful about his lifestyle, singing to the chooks when he can get away with it.  Gavin is obstinate and sometimes pigheaded, full of hair brained ideas, always to Kim's irritation and resistance.  When he gets down in the dumps, Kim kicks him in the arse and motivates by telling him to look around at all the great work and to wake up to himself, in a most loving manner of course!  

Well this comparison exercise surprised me.  Our personalities are quite similar, with the big difference being that I did not give up my job, and attempt to become fully self-sufficient in the suburbs.  We have achieved partial self-sufficiency with minor reliance on the big AG to feed us, and money from the job to keep paying off the mortgage.

Lets see how Kim compares, shall we?

Barbara Good(from Wikipedia)

Barbara is a normal, middle-class housewife when the series begins. While she sometimes wilts under Tom's determined and dominant nature, her sharp tongue puts her on an equal footing. She is the heart of the enterprise, while Tom's engineering brain designs and builds what they need. She yearns for lifestyle and luxuries but her own determination to succeed, with Tom's single-minded persuasion, keeps her going.

verses

Kim Webber

Kim is a normal, middle-class housewife when Gavin has his green epiphany.  Whilst reluctant at first, she soon saw the benefits of living a simpler life.  She is the queen of the house, with Gavin maintaining the outside, providing the home grown produce, which she harvests willingly.  Kim  realises that that the old lifestyle did not make her happy, and was just full of consumerism.  She is now determined to educate others, and to reap the benefits of their new lifestyle.  Occasionally Kim slips into Margo mode, and tells Gavin to clean things up, and make things look nice around the garden, which he reluctantly does.

Kim is quite like Barbara, sexy without the dungarees, and loves harvesting produce.  Whilst Gavin does most of the hard graft with the help of his kids, Kim is the ultimate designer and supervisor.  She excels in home-making including arts and craft, which is a full time job when Gavin is at work.  She has been known to sing to the dogs and chickens, water the veggie patch, throw scraps to the hens, all with a smile.  However, it is her Margo side that makes me laugh the most, but with concern about things that are the opposite of what Margo would have worry about.  Instead of worrying about what the front yard looks like to the neighbours, Kim is more concerned on how pretty the veggie patch looks for guests, and whether the compost bins are clean, or if the chickens are well looked after by Gavin.  She cares deeply about all family members and animals, and secretly wants a Pinky and Perky of her own, just as pets.

I love Kim's split Barbara/Margo personality, because it keeps me very grounded.  Some days she is just like Barbara, ready to get mucky in the garden with me, and other days Margo takes over, and I keep my head down and do as I am told, just like Jerry did.

We love each other, just as Tom and Barbara do, and laugh along when we think of all crazy things that happen to us as we bumble along our way towards a more sustainable lifestyle.

This has been an interesting exercise, and I want to continue the comparison in the next part in which I will describe our version of the good life more closely with some amusing stories of successes and failures along the way.  That should be a laugh.

[Here is the link to part two]

Giving Some Back - Donating

Donating makes me feel good, especially to a worthy cause, such as sustainable living education.

I joined a not-for-profit group, the Alternative Technology Association back in 2006 as one of my first actions to learn about sustainable living.  This association has always provided helpful green living advice, and technical and practical information via their two wonderful magazines, ReNew and Sanctuary.

It is because they have given so freely to me, including a blog award, that I want to give something back (besides this plug of course).

I will be donating 50% of the royalties during the month of December 2012, from the recently published ebooks, "Build Your Own Small Solar Power System", and my short memoir  "The Greening of Gavin - My First Year of Living Sustainably", which are available on the My eBooks tab above.

If you have been thinking about purchasing these fine eBooks, or have friends that you think would like either of these titles, then share this post freely, as there is no better time to buy.

Gavin

Cover Your Windows

Did you know that glass can be the cause of around 10-20% heat loss in winter and around 25-35% heat gain in summer. 

Windows are not a very good insulator at all and are a bit of a mixed blessing. You can let a cool breeze flow through at the end of a hot day and it can let out VOC pollutants and cleanse the internal air. 

Double Glazing

So what can you do about this potentially unwanted heat loss and gain. Well, one solution can be double or triple glazing but it is an expensive fix to this problem.  Its benefits are that the pocket of air trapped between the two/three panes of glass prevent most of the heat loss/gain.  In colder climates it is well worth the capital expense over the longer term, and can save you a small fortune on your energy bills.. 

DIY Double Glazing

A much cheaper alternative is fixing a layer of bubble wrap, bubble side to the glass over the window frame.  It acts like a simple double glazing without the cost associated with it.  This works well, as my mate Mick demonstrated on his blog post titled "Cold Feet".  He reports that it works very well.

As we have sliding windows in an aluminium frame (more heat loss through the frame) I could not place bubble wrap up against the windows as we still wanted to open them. 

Awnings

We did not choose to replace our windows with double glazing because there is a cheaper alternative which we already had installed, which is to cover the windows inside and out.

In summer we pull down heavy canvas awnings to the ground to prevent direct sunlight from entering the house from the north, and the east and westerly windows are underneath verandas. 

This stops most of the heat gain due to the pocket of air trapped on the outside of the windows between the glass and the awning.

In winter we roll the awnings all the way up to let in maximum light and heat causing a mini greenhouse effect in the living areas at the front of the house.

Natural Coverings

Since the photo of the awnings was taken, we now have two pear trees in pots that are growing well in front of the windows.  As these are deciduous  the leaves will block the heat in summer and let light through in winter.  A larger tree planted in the ground will have the same effect.  Do not plant an evergreen in front of you sun-ward facing windows.  This natural cooling/heating effect is lost.  

Curtains

Also with the aid of curtains, we also cover the insides of our windows on hot days and cold nights to stop heat transfer either way.  However, curtains must have a very important feature in which to work more effectively and that is to install a box pelmet.  

Closed Pelmets

Closed pelmets fitted to the top of blinds or curtains stop the air from flowing over the window pain and reduces heat loss in winter, and heat gain in summer.  Heavy curtains were the norm a while back, and are still a great option, but you can modernise with these options.

This example is a Holland blind with a closed pelmet in Kim's office, which was installed during the last retrofit.  This room is on the south side of the house, but stays quite warm in winter.

The rest of the house has Vertical blinds, which are not as efficient as the Holland blind due to the many gaps.  All of these were installed before our greening, and had open pelmets.  We closed them off with some long pieces of cardboard and some duct tape.  This stopped the airflow behind the curtain and I am happy to say that it works well.

Shutters

Internal plantation shutters are another option which trap a pocket of air in the window frame acting like double glazing.  A little bit more expensive than fabric blinds, but work in the same manner.  

Summary

If you want to keep the heat in winter, and cool in summer, then you could do not better by covering your windows.  

Hopefully you now have some ideas to work on to save on those energy bills!  It certainly has helped us to reduce ours.

Readers Choice Month

"If you don't get feedback from your performers and your audience, you're going to be working in a vacuum." ~ Peter Maxwell Davies

I am always grateful for the feedback that I receive via the comments section of this blog, and attempt to reply to as many questions as I can.

So today, I have decided to reach out for the ultimate reader feedback, and give you some choice about some of the things I am going to write about over the next few weeks leading up to the holiday break.

This idea began on the way home tonight.  In a crowded train carriage, I began listening to one of my favourite bands, The Cure, and started to jot down all of the possible blog post titles that I observed or heard around me.

The list panned like this;

1. The Lazy Gardener
2. How Not To Suck At ......
3. Living Like Tom and Barbara
4. The Cure For .....
5. Home-grown Herbal Teas
6. Cover Your Windows
7. All that Glitters is ..... Water
8. 3 Ways To Grow Veg Without A Garden
9. Climate Breakdown
10. Alone With You
11. One World. No Planet B
12. The Look
13. Bad Boy
14. Clean Again
15. Active and Angry
16. Never Enough

I create blog post titles like this quite often and find it a very effective of generating detailed ideas and effective articles.  I know they are a bit random, but I usually manage to fit one of the aspects of my lifestyle into the post and just start to write.  What comes out at the end is sometimes even a surprise to me as well.

So what I am going to ask of you, dear reader, is to pick one of the titles, and briefly expand on what you would like me to cover in the post.  Leave your response via comment, or a more detailed one via email if you wish to remain private.  I will then attempt to weave your response somehow into the post.

Now, don't get me wrong, I do have the beginning of thoughts of what each post will be about, but your feedback, as always is most welcome and in this case, respectfully and eagerly solicited.

As is always my philosophy, if you don't ask, you don't get, so here I am asking.

I am really excited about what may happen!

Podcast 29 - eBook Reading, Gavin Style

Back after a long, long break, I start off the podcast again with a bang! This episode is a special eBook reading from my book titled "The Greening of Gavin - My First Year of Living Sustainably".

I wanted to do this podcast for a while now, because so many people have asked me how I perform a book launch for an eBook.  Well this puzzled me for a while until a mate mentioned that I should just read a few chapters of my first book like they do on Radio National or at a normal book launch in a bricks and mortar book store.  

Cool idea I thought, so here it is.  Enjoy my dulcet tones.

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Until next time, happy listening!  Now that I have my recording mojo back, expect regular podcasts every few weeks.

4 Lessons I Learnt Today

Learning is an essential part of living.  As Henry Ford once said "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young."

During my morning meditation, it came to me that I learn every day.  Here are four random lessons I learnt today.

1.  Never chase an escaped dog down the road when you have a sore and swollen knee.
Holly escaped today, and stupidly, I chased after her, knowing full well that I had twisted my knee earlier on in the day.  Yes dear reader, I did catch her, but only after a good 500 metre dash, and now have a throbbing knee that put the kibosh on any further gardening activities this afternoon.

2.  Pepino melons keep for a very long time in the fridge.
We picked two pepino melons off our bush a couple of months ago and stored them in the crisper section of the fridge.  Today, for dessert, along with loganberries and strawberries, I am enjoying home grown sliced pepino melon.  It tastes as nice as a freshly picked melon.  Something to note for next year.

3.  Vegetables grow twice as quick when watered by rain.
Very objective and unscientific but I would like to share this observation.  I had been watering all my vegetables with mains/tank water for the last month and a half due to the lack of rain.  They were growing well enough but not very quickly.  Over the last few days, we have had about 25mm (1 inch) of rain, and I swear that all the veggies have nearly doubled in size.  It must be the dissolved nitrogen that the water absorbs as it falls from the sky that helps them to take off.

4.  Scaly Leg Mites must be rife.
This afternoon I was checking my blog statistics and one of the most searched posts over the last few months has been about removing scaly leg mites.  It must be a big of a problem out there in backyard chicken land, so my post about How To Remove Scaly Leg Mites has been very helpful indeed.

Well that is the four things I learnt today.  What is the one sustainable living thing that you learnt over the weekend?  Was it new or re-learnt?