by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Scientists have found that parts of the Antarctic are getting colder year by year while, so it is also claimed, another part of the same continent, is getting warmer.
Despite the fact of more than half of the Antarctic Continent getting colder they still talk about temperature increase on the other, much smaller part, being a major problem.
Has anyone checked as to whether any ocean current might have changed or shifted course? For this is often the cause for areas getting warmer, or colder, as the case may be.
If it were not for the warm Gulf Stream coming into British waters the UK would have a climate akin to that of Canada at around Labrador or such, with rather cold winters, and the gods help us if the Gulf Stream current would decide, for some reason, to shift away from its current course and no longer be present here.
Looking continuously just at one set of figures and type of event that may prove one's theory, as seems to be the pet way of doing it for most of those scientists, we are going to miss the greater picture regarding Climate Change, for the climate is definitely a-changing, that much is sure.
The way of the climate is going to shift and change, however, especially in the various regions of our Planet that is another question though and another story altogether.
And it is that greater picture that is worrying me and the fact that we may just be looking at one part of the story too much.
On top of that the possibility that man cannot do anything as to changing what is happening and if that is the case then we better spend some efforts on learning how too live with the coming changes.
© 2009
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Antarctic cooling?
Call for green transport policies
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Green Party chiefs in the county of Kent have called on Kent County Council to draw up ‘greener’ transport policies.
Proposals include cutting residential speed limits to 20 miles per hour, ending major road building, introducing improved cycling and walking networks and enhancing bus services in rural areas.
To coincide with Green Transport Week – which starts on Saturday, June 13, 2009 – they are also demanding new policies to prevent a new Thames crossing and block the building of lorry parks in green areas.
Dr Hazel Dawe, chair of Kent Green Party said: “Measures like these would be consistent with David Cameron’s repeated claims of concern about climate change.
“Green rhetoric is easy, but where are the policies needed to create sustainable transport in Kent?” “We have not seen them from Kent County Council (KCC) so far.”
In a response, KCC prospective cabinet member for regeneration, Kevin Lynes, said: “Having looked at these suggestions, they appear to be something of a curate’s egg. “Some of the suggestions would be welcome.
“Some would be clearly impractical and would hamper our ability to drive ahead Kent’s economic potential in these challenging economic times.
“We will include the Green Party in the round of consultations on our integrated transport strategy when it is published later this year.”
Kent County Council, like so many other councils and the central government at a whole suddenly have an excuse not to do anything too drastic as far as the environment is concerned and this excuse is that it could hamper the economic potential in these challenging economic times. How very convenient.
How about, instead, looking at how many “green” jobs, industry and businesses that could possibly be created.
What this country need, in its entirety, is a green transport policy. One where trains and buses are actually affordable and where cycling is possible without risk to life and limb.
We need, first and foremost a proper national cycle network and cycle lanes, proper ones that protect the users, that link every place in this country and also that go through every town and city.
Examples for this can be found in other European Union countries but in Britain there are always excuses being brought to the fore again that this cannot be done because of the way the roads are and all that jazz.
The truth is that they do not want to do it. The love affair with the car is way too big – and the car is also a great revenue generator for government – and also the backhanders from the car and oil industry sure play a role there too.
One way to make cycling through towns and cities safe is for the government to simply make sidewalks shared use, for pedestrians and cyclist. It can be done for it has been done in other countries. But, alas, is there the will to do it.
© 2009
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Cooking with Cast Iron
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
A healthy way to cook for you and the Planet
Cast iron cookware, skillets of all kinds, properly seasoned, and no, you don't , use spices for that, are – basically – nonstick if used correctly.
Each and every manufacturer of such cast iron cookware has their own instructions of how to season their cookware. But whatever the seasoning process, after the pans are seasoned, before heating them to cook anything in them they should greased well and thoroughly, whether with fat or cooking oil.
All that is required is a small amount of cooking oil, for instances, to be rubbed about the skillet until it is well coated all over the cooking surface, including the sides, with fat.
Never heat the pan “dry”and then add far or oil. That will ruin the seasoning and create a mess in the pan.
Never run pan under water or immerse in water when hot. Let cool completely before cleaning.
I acquired, a couple of years back now, a set of 3 skillets by a maker called Wagner from the USA for little money in a Charity Shop in a local village here in Britain. They were brand new and still in their original box.
While cast iron skillets when properly seasoned even may be not as nonstick as say the Typhoon Green Pans from Lakeland that are made from 100% recycled aluminium and have a Thermolon ceramic coating, with cast iron you can, unlike with the aforementioned coating, use also metal utensils without any fear of causing damage.
Seasoned cast iron pans with a little oil or fat applied prior to heating are nearly as nonstick as coated pans with the added advantage that no coating can flake off, as happens with Teflon, and are much better for your health. Cookware coated with Teflon, once damaged, most no longer be used.
Yes cast iron skillets and other pots and pans are rather heavy but so what?
Cooking with cast iron cookware is much healthier than with any other kind of skillets, for example, as you use only very little fat for the cooking process and food cooks well and fast.
What I am going to say now i am going to say with a little tongue in cheek, cooking with cast iron also, in my opinion, imparts extra iron into your diet, which is never a bad thing.
I can but say that going over to using cast iron cookware as regards to skillets is the best move I have ever made and I would not want to swap again. It also was for me not an expensive move – and no, those pans were not review samples – as they were purchased rather cheaply, as far as I can see, seeing I paid just about USD 8 for the set of three pans.
Generally, I am well aware, sets of cast iron skillets, and whatever else, are rather costly but then again, properly cared for, they will last several lifetimes. Here is no telling how many Teflon coated pans you would go through in a shorter time even than that.
Cast iron pots and pans is definitely the way to go even though some people would say that that is not progress but...
As far as efficiency is concerned cast iron conducts heat better, with maybe the exception of copper pans, than any other material and that also on electric hobs and they will finish cooking the food with the residual heat so you can save a little on the energy at the end of the cooking too.
© 2009
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Mums in Tower Hamlets go back to bike school
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
On Saturday, June 13, 2009, Sustrans are putting on a mini bike festival for all the Mums who have completed a unique Sustrans course to get parents back on their bikes. It will also mark the beginning of a term full of activities and events helping promote cycling to the whole family.
It will take place at Cubitt Town Primary School, on the Isle of Dogs, from 10.00am onwards. The school is located at Glengall Grove, Manchester Road, London, E14 9NE.
Sustrans, the UK ’s leading sustainable transport charity have a history of working with schools to promote cycling through their ground breaking Bike It project. This unique project works with over 400 schools and around 89,000 children across the country.
Saturday's celebration marks a new angle to the project as Sustrans aims to promote cycling to Mums. The project is part of a bigger campaign being spearheaded by Sustrans to get more women cycling. A BMRB survey commissioned by Sustrans earlier this year showed that 82 per cent of women in London never cycle at all. Sustrans’ campaign includes the brand new website www.bikebelles.org.uk offering advice and support to encourage women onto their bikes.
Bike It Officer for Tower Hamlets James Scott has been offering training to Mums at one of his Bike It schools where he has already been working with the pupils.
James said: “I have been working with 3000 pupils across the Borough of Tower Hamlets and I was beginning to get parents telling me they wanted to start cycling again but just didn’t have the confidence. In response to that, myself and Sam Margolis the Active Travel Officer at Tower Hamlets Council started a cycle project for mums. So far I have had 16 women attend a 6 week training course that has given the confidence and skills they need to get cycling again. It has been so successful that two of the Mums are going onto become cycling instructors.”
One of the Mums who took part, Amina Saadani said: “I want to learn more, so I don’t feel scared. I want to be with my kids. The more people who ride the better, the safer it will be. I was never interested in cycling because my sister used to come home covered in bruises, but now I want to do it; I felt I was missing something.”
In addition to cycle training for mums, Sustrans will also be promoting cycling to the whole family with a special Saturday bike session. James along with Bikeworks, the local cycle provider will be organizing cycle training for the whole family and leading family rides around some of the fantastic safe bike routes around the Isle of Dogs.
There are 10 schools in the Borough of Tower Hamlets that are taking part in the Sustrans Bike It project. Bike It is a nationwide scheme, managed by sustainable transport charity Sustrans. Nationally the project is funded by Cycling England, and the cycle industry through the Bike Hub, locally Bike It is funded by Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust.
© 2009
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Dads and granddads pass on bike maintenance skills in North Tyneside
Dads, granddads and grandsons in North Tyneside will share the cross-generation enjoyment of cranking bikes into shape on Saturday, June 13, 2009.
The event will give parents the chance to pass on bike maintenance skills to their children with the help of trained mechanics.
The session is part of Get Moving North Tyneside - a four-year Lottery funded project led by sustainable transport charity Sustrans to improve people’s health by encouraging them to walk and cycle more often.
Project Coordinator Emma Spence said: “This is a chance for dads and their kids to wheel their old bikes out of the shed and get them ready to ride.
“Most broken bikes can be made roadworthy with a bit of work, so this will be a good way for the older and younger generations to spend some quality time together.
“Dads are important role models in any community, which is why we have set up a mechanical session that will appeal to them. Mums are welcome to come along too, of course, and hopefully it will be a fun family morning.”
The bike mechanics event will take place at the New York Children’s Centre, near Cobalt Business Park, on June 13 from 11am to 1pm.
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E-Book Readers – what gives?
By Michael Smith (Veshengro)
It is often claimed by environmentalists that e-book readers save trees. The same is true for PDF documents which are read on a computer screen, including handhelds. So why another gadget?
For years now the makers of the various devices have been trying to convince everyone now e-books will be taking off and how one would need such a reader. Firstly, when we come to the Amazon Kindle then this device, so I understand, can only read a specified format, namely the kindle format. Rather silly, if you ask me. E-books should be in PDF; that way they can be read on any computer, whether Windows PC, Linux PC or Apple Mac, and all handhelds that run Pocket PC or such programs, including Palm with its own. To make a format so that people will have to buy from one outlet only is a great marketing idea, much like Microsoft dominance for operating system software but it is not good for the consumer.
Amazon brought out the Kindle Reader and others followed, basically, with readers and formats of their own. This, as said, is not of benefit to the consumer and reader but only to the makers and vendors.
PDF is a perfectly good system and all that is required, in all honesty, is a handheld that, say, is powered by some operating systems used to run a PDF reader with annotation facilities and such, such as, for instance, the Foxit Reader. This would be a cheaper and much more beneficial system. Not that anyone is going to do it, I know. Not enough profit in it.
I must also say that the printed book is not going to be supplanted by the e-book readers, of that I am certain; at least not in the next half-century or so. I also do not think that people are going to read entire books on those things that take batteries and could be prone to failure and are not always very responsive. The printed book will remain and will do so for a very long time to come.
PDFs on the other hand as e-books are very useful and here especially as you can cut and paste in case you want to make use of some information, you can, b y use of the right reader annotate and highlight – the Foxit Reader makes bot possible and it saves the changes – and you can print the entire document for reading and working on without the use of electronic devices.
Saving trees, they say, those devices do. Maybe that. Then again do those that make such claims know how forestry for paper works? I doubt. Most paper for the printing presses comes from well managed forests that would not exist were it not for the paper industry, to be honest, and they do not want to destroy their resources and thus the forests are managed to a very high standard.
With the exception of some companies who are allowed to ride roughshod over many things, such as Kimberly-Clark in Canada, most in the paper industry manage their own forests or purchase pulp wood from sustainable managed forests whether private or government ones.
Paper does not, however, have to be made from wood, in the first place. It can be made from many other fibers, nettles amongst them, as well as from clothing waste, as long as that are natural material such as cotton, linen, and such. Forest residue too, that currently is being left “for the benefit of the wildlife” while causing harm to the forests, could be brought into that chain of events, as could wood chippings, etc. In fact there are many things from which paper could be made so the talk about saving trees does not wash at all here.
All I am seeing as far as e-book readers are concerned is electronic gadgets that serve no real purpose, much like the “Eco-Button”, except to bring in money for some makers that ride on the green bandwagon.
© 2009
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Planto Garden Collector Bags – Product Review
Review by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Garden Collector Bags are perfect for a range of tasks. The bags are versatile, lightweight but also robust.
They are made from woven polypropylene, perfect for collecting and moving all sorts of garden refuse, and also lend themselves as bags suitable for your fire logs.
They also make suitable waste bins, especially the small size for, say, the office at home. Line them with a liner and voila – one rather snazzy waste paper basket.
Sold individually in small flat packets, the bags are supplied with a semi-rigid band that is easily inserted around the neck of the bag to keep it open and hold its shape.
It would have been good though to have an instruction with the bags to let people know what the plastic band is for in the first place and especially where to insert it. I just found the slot(s) by sheer accident.
With the semi-rigid plastic band in place and the bag properly opened so that the bottom is flat the bag stands perfectly uptight, making it easy to fill. This is always important and most bags that do not have the facility of such ring and the rigidity of the Garden Collector Bags are – at times – rather a pain to try and put stuff into.
It is this facility of standing properly is what makes those bags such a versatile tool and also allows it to be employed for uses that may not have even be thought of.
The bags are available in four sizes and are ideal for most gardening uses. They are made of 100% polypropylene at 220gsm and should withstand the rigors of gardening waste without any problems.
They come in any color as long as you chose green – so the color is green – and the prices start from £10.72 inc delivery.
The bags are made in India for Planto Gmbh in Germany and are available in the UK from www.wellingtonandbarrow.com
© 2009
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The “green” apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
by Doreen
Friday I had a proud moment. Our daughter “showed her green side”.
I was at her school for a full-day event to celebrate her school’s students reading two million minutes this year! (Bravo!) Part of the day’s activities was a book fair and so, naturally, our daughter found plenty of “Mom, can I have these” items.
As we stood in line and she noticed the kids before her having their purchases placed in plastic bags she said “Mom, do you think I can tell them I don’t want a plastic bag and I’ll just carry my books insteearth-saksad?” (insert beaming, proud smile here!) I told her “Absolutely!”, but she was shot down at checkout when they told her that all purchases needed to be in bags so they knew that the books were paid for. Happily, I can tell you that she did NOT like that idea.
Read on: http://www.momgoesgreen.com/the-%E2%80%9Cgreen%E2%80%9D-apple-doesn%E2%80%99t-fall-far-from-the-tree/
Our transport future need not be car-shaped
Our transport future need not be car-shaped, says Sustrans
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
With one in five people interested in buying an electric car, sustainable transport charity Sustrans' new book "Do Humans Dream of Electric Cars?" takes a look at the alternatives to car travel and finds the electric car solution to a fossil fuel restricted future is not quite the dream option.
"Do Humans Dream of Electric Cars?" brings together Sustrans' thinking on traveling in ways that are good for health and the environment to give a pocket-sized briefing on issues ranging from climate change to biofuels to peak oil. Taking readers on a journey to sustainable travel it debunks myths around carbon offsetting, encourages a re-think on our relationship with our cars and gives a guide on how we can all influence transport decisions that affect everyone. Its 96 lively illustrated pages are crammed with tips, advice and simple steps to get people walking, cycling and using public transport. Sustrans also suggests car sharing as a viable option, though perhaps not to the extremes of Cuba where as many as
eight people might share four wheels; this compares with average car occupancy of around 1.6 in the UK.
The benefits of cycling and walking are explored, with a handy cartoon reference chart to help calculate the time it takes to travel a range of distances. And, if the book's 'Common-sensist Manifesto' has inspired its readers to get out and make a difference in their local area there are pointers for how to make their voices heard by the people in power.
Sustrans' Policy Director Peter Lipman: "We're extremely keen for humans not to dream of electric cars. We'd encourage governments to look at the alternatives, for the £250 million investment currently earmarked for ultra low carbon vehicles, we know Sustrans could work
with 12.5 million households and reduce their car use by at least 10 per cent. This could be as many 3.5 million car trips per day taken off the road and changed to ones made by foot, bike and on public transport - surely a much more attractive vision for us to dream of?"
Consider the following: 430 car trips per per person per year (NTS, 2006) means that a 10% reduction would equal 43 car trips per per person per year replaced by walking, cycling or public transport applied to half the UK population of around 30m people, which in turn equals out to 1,290 million car trips replaced per year. This equates to around 3.5 million car trips per day taken off the road. Would be nice, would it not.
At the same time all those that are replacing the car use by walking or cycling – or even public transport – would also end up, maybe, just maybe, a little healthier, as even with public transport use there is some walking involved.
"Do Humans Dream of Electric Cars?" is published in Alastair Sawday's Fragile Earth series on 25 June. It costs £4.99 and is available from the Sustrans shop, www.sustransshop.co.uk and all good bookshops.
© 2009
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Crowds of cyclists set for celebration in Southampton
Cyclists of all abilities from expert mountain bikers to wobbly novices will gather by Southampton Water this month for a celebration of pedal power.
The Big Bike Celebration 2009 will take place at Weston Shore on June 14, as part of a city-wide project to boost people’s health through walking and cycling.
The event has been organised by StreetTread – a BIG Lottery funded project led by transport charity Sustrans. It follows last November’s inaugural event, which attracted more than 300 people despite heavy downpours.
StreetTread Project Coordinator Natalie Gledhill said: “Everyone really enjoyed last year’s celebration and this time we will have even more entertainment on offer – as well as hopefully better weather.
“This event is all about encouraging people to have fun on a bike regardless of their age or ability. Everyone will be able to choose from various activities, as there will also be some bigger challenges for more experienced cyclists.”
Guided bike rides along sections of National Cycle Network Route 2 will be led by volunteers, with bikes available for free hire.
People can get their old bikes serviced to make them roadworthy - with the help of Hargroves Cycles and the Neighbourhood Wardens’ bike maintenance group Recycled Cycles - and post-coded for security at the police stand.
The Big Bike Celebration 2009 takes place on June 14 from 10am to 5pm. For more information, call Natalie Gledhill on 02380 515206, email natalie.gledhill@sustrans.org.uk or visit www.sustrans.org.uk
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