The Greening of Gavin

Archives for December 2012

2012 In Retrospect

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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.
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!

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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

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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.