The Greening of Gavin

Archives for July 2013

The Secret of My Success

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I often get asked by readers, how I find the spare time to blog, podcast, make videos, garden, and be a more sustainable person.

Usually I don’t give it a second thought because I love my lifestyle and wouldn’t have it any other way, however I do have a big secret that I am willing to share.  Yes, a secret.

What would you say if I told you that this secret can give you back over 720 hours a year?  That’s nearly fourteen hours a week, or just over two hours a day.  Every single day.

What would it feel like to suddenly find 30 days of spare time per year?  Time that you could build a more sustainable lifestyle, and spend with family and friends.  Quality time to do the things that matter.

Wouldn’t that be simply amazing?

Well folks, it is.  Here is my little secret that changed my productivity.

I stopped watching television.  Yes, it is as simple as that!

On average, Australians watch between 2 and 4 hours of television a day.  A 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics study found that;

“TV watching/listening was found to be the activity which took up most people’s leisure time. On a daily basis 87% of Australians watched or listened to TV for an average of just under 3 hours (179 minutes)”

I realise the the readership of this blog is probably in the 13% that don’t watch that much telly, but those stats just blow my mind.  It may have changed a little since the survey, but not by much I reckon.
Personally, I have so much free time to do all the things that I do.  
And so can you!  All you have to do is pry yourself off of the couch or sofa, walk over to the screen and turn it off.  It is as simple as that.
So that is what I did. 
Don’t get me wrong, we still have a screen so I can watch eco documentaries, and the odd entertaining movie (and Star Trek or Dr Who), but that is it.  It also runs on minimal electricity for the short time we use it.
 Kim does watch the odd show, but she tells me that is just to make sure that it is still crappy as ever!  A kind of a regular reality check for her.

So I watch no commercial television, ever.  It makes my skin crawl with its advertisements and product placement, trying to suck people into buying rubbish they just don’t need, with money they don’t have, to impress people they don’t really like.
Wendy Brown  recently discussed television advertising in her post “Five Easy Ways to Save Money“;

“So, how does this save the average person money? Well, in a lot of ways. First, television commercials are designed to make us want. They appeal to our emotions in ways that are hard to ignore, making us feel like we are inadequate of we don’t have A, B or C product, or that we are depriving our children the key to their eternal happiness, or whatever the emotion the commercials evoke. Make no mistake, advertisers are professionals in psychological manipulation. It’s their job to get you to want whatever it is they’re selling, and they are completely unscrupulous in the actions they will take to make you believe that what they have is what you need.”

Ne’er a wiser word said about television advertising.

So how have you rid yourself of television and become more productive?  I am sure I am not the only one holding the reins of this secret.  I would love to hear your story via comment.

Cheese Making Podcast Episode 7 – Starter Cultures

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This podcast episode is all about starter cultures. There are two main types, Mesophilic and Thermophilic. But did you know that there are many different properties to these cultures. I attempt to explain these properties during the show.

The cheese news for this episode is titled Cheese business saves dairy. Kudos to Julian and Dianne Benson for saving their dairy farm during hard times and producing cheese with some of their milk.

Cheese of the episode is Cream Cheese.

Listener questions were about what is the process of drying after pressing but before waxing, where do I buy my cheese making supplies from, and what to do with oil after marinating feta.

So do yourself a favour and pop on over to Little Green Cheese, have a read of the show notes and listen to this episode by clicking on the link below.

Listen to the podcast over at Little Green Cheese.

The Diminishing Returns of Technology

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Technology.  It surrounds us.  It is in all facets of our lives.

So is technology getting so complex that it becomes no longer useful?  Especially when it comes to performing useful tasks around the home.

Here is a very simple example.  Is it quicker to squeeze a glass of lemon juice by hand with a simple juicer, than use a kitchen appliance to do the same job?

I would contest that it is far quicker to juice by hand, if you take the following into consideration.

  • Time take to manufacture the two tools – the appliance is a more complex and takes longer to make
  • Cost and purchase of the tools – a hand juicer costs no more than a few dollars, whereby an appliance may cost well over $50.
  • Materials consumed during use – an appliance relies on electricity, which may or may not be reliable.
  • Time taken to clean after use – a hand juicer takes a lot less time to clean, and therefore less water.
  • Designed obsolescence – appliances are designed to fail soon after warranty or do not readily have spare parts, so that you have to consume more.
  • Detrimental effects of disposal – eWaste (electronic waste) has known to contaminate groundwater.

This is just a one of many hundreds that I could cite just from observing around my own home.  It is clear and evident that a simple tool beats the more complex technology hands down.  You may think that it is more convenient, but if you take everything into consideration, there are diminishing returns in time, materials, cost and waste.

Using the criteria that I have listed, can you think of other simple examples that you care to share?  Can you think of any examples where the opposite is true?