Green Watch

Welcome to Green Watch

2020-08-25T15:58:00.002+01:00

Over the past year I have become increasingly aware of environmental issues. Don't worry, I am no expert and have no intention of trying to tell you how things must be done. I do want to do what I can and encourage people though and I think that everyone can do their little bit starting at home. No trekking off to the ice caps and saving polar bears (although a holiday might be nice!) and no trying to run off to influence politicians all over the world (many of whom have yet to impress me I'm afraid). My thoughts are much easier but will take a little bit of effort and if you would like to join me in the smaller things in life like recycling, composting, saving energy in the home and even better saving money, then I'd love to have you along for the ride. I'll update here with things that I have tried or might be in the process of trying and as I said I'm no expert so any thoughts and comments are gratefully accepted. Come along for the ride, together we can make a great green army!

Scroll down for new stuff.

Look to a brighter future

2011-12-20T21:48:00.000Z

The long nights have been with us for a while and an even longer one is to come tomorrow. However, looking at the glass half full that means that from Thursday night on wards they are getting shorter again. How wonderful is that? So many people are travelling or have travelled up to Newgrange in Co.Meath here in Ireland to experience the sunrise tomorrow from within this historical tomb as it has done for almost 5 thousand years. There are many possibilities for building this passage tomb and aligning the passage to the morning sun so that its rays reach through to the internal back stone with its intriguing decorations and markings. One thought is that these neolithic people were celebrating new life and the promise of spring with all that that season brings. Why am I rambling on about Newgrange in an environmental blog? Well because its time to get thinking about growing your own veggies in February and getting allotment plots prepared, compost bins ready and looking towards the new year as a fresh start. The cold will hang around for a while but nothing will be right without proper preparation so get thinking now. Start planning what seasonal foods you can eat rather than buying from outside of Ireland (or outside of the country you live in) can you introduce changes in your lifestyle that will benefit the world you live in making it healthier and safer for future generations? If it all went pear shaped last year, well now you can try again and learn from last years mistakes. Make you plans now and hope for a good year to come just like our ancestors did in Co. Meath every winter solstice.

Play your cards right.

2011-12-19T18:00:00.000Z

Don't forget that if you want to do the environment a little bit of good this Christmas and you haven't sent all the cards in time for the postman to deliver them then take a look at e cards. I mentioned this last year too but no reason why I shouldn't send a reminder. I choose http://www.care2.com/ecards/ and they have a lovely range of free e-cards. There are some other fabulous sites where you have to pay on a monthly or yearly basis and if you are going to make it worthwhile then check them out. Of course send a few cards and look after the post offices but"play your cards right" and you will achieve the perfect balance

Guilt free fix in the morning

2011-12-19T17:52:00.001Z

Slurp slurp!

The holidays are practically here and all I want to do, like everyone else I'm sure is to relax and chill out. I'm writing this in the city at a very busy WiFi café sipping my hot chocolate and watching people pass by or pop in with hands full of weighty bags, no doubt full of presents. One nice surprise is that I am drinking out of a completely compostable takeaway cup. Lovely. Nice to see some people have their heads screwed on. Now I know where to come for my morning coffee before the dash to college (or work if that ever comes my way) and not feel guilty because I am gathering yet another take away (or throw away) cup. Of course it would be better to sit down with a washable cup or glass but its the next best thing for those of us always on the go. Hey even the Christmas shopper can take their fix with them til they wind down on the big day itself.

Do you read me?

2011-11-22T17:33:00.001Z

I have been pretty busy at college these past few months and my bag is full of books, bought and borrowed. I am seriously tampering with the idea of purchasing an e reader, the Kindle to be exact although of course there is a wide variety out there now including the iPad and its rivals. Part of me wants to save my back everyday, the other part says that if I can get some of these books as a download from the net then I am saving on paper. However the other side of me hates buying more plastic and encouraging its production. It is a dilemma although the reader is winning presently because of the amount of books I seem to need. This time I want your feed back on what is best to get. Do you have an E-reader and are you better off now for it or are you a stickler for a physical book. It has to be said that with all this technology, we cant really be looking after the local shops either. What do they do when people don't need them any more and turn to the Internet? Should we have a heart or should they just get with it? Gadget girl or not, I have a conscience and this is a tough one?

Mark-et down to experience

2011-09-06T17:40:00.000+01:00

Its not the first time I have written about the local market and its not likely to be the last. As you know I am very much in favor of them but for the last few weeks our local market has dwindled down to only 3 stalls and it really didn't look great. I go as much as I can to support them but they cannot live off my measly few pennies. So last week I was disappointed although not surprised to hear that they were packing up. So sad. Local fresh produce on the door step and we still seem to run to the supermarket for preserved and processed items. I had interviewed them twice on the radio to see if we could boost sales but alas, it was not to be.

I was delighted though to hear that they are going got put their heads together and try to revamp it with more stalls. There was a great buzz to begin with, with many stalls, but some of those left when they were offered places in larger indoor markets. Can you blame them? Well, forgive me but yes I can a little. If you commit to something then doesn't that mean that you stick with it? I dont want people to lose money but I think that for some of the stalls, they were lured away very easily.

"No point in crying over spilled milk". So, they are doing the next best thing by picking themselves up and dusting themselves off and getting back to the drawing board.

Can I please ask just once more, that if you have a local market, look after it. Do buy in the local supermarket as well as we dont want to see empty shops in our towns closed down and looking a sorry site but people in these markets are bringing you the best you could possibly get and with out this competition then the supermarkets win, takeover and charge you all sorts for God knows what. We have a Supervalue, Dunnes and Lidl in Charleville and now there is talk of a Tesco............HELLO, what will happen to our local small shops that have been trading for years? Do we not want any individuality anymore?

"You never miss the water till the well runs dry".

Well see..

I'll have mine without Crap please.

2011-09-04T22:01:00.000+01:00

No I'm not being rude. I was in the local supermarket recently and have started to ask for "proper" ham for our lunchtime, homemade sandwiches. Having learned that butchers and other people in the meat business inject the Lord knows what into our ham and other meat I am now specifically asking for the most natural ham supermarkets provide. So the last time I went up to the meat counter to ask for 8 slices of it and she asked me which ham I wanted (and me being a little sleepy still with brain not quite awake) I replied " the one without crap in it please" I realised immediately that I sounded a little rude but she didn't pick up on it. She was not baffled by my request, she knew immediately which ham I wanted. This is good isn't it? Well I suppose so but at the same time I thought, wow she must know that most ham contains injected fluids or as I put it unnecessary "crap". I mean she knew exactly what I meant and there was only one ham there that was in its "natural" state among a wide choice of the same type of meat, so although I am pleased, I am concerned too that there is so much meat that is interfered with and lets face it, there are a lot of foods that are preserved in many ways that we would probably be shocked to hear about
Perhaps we all need to be asking for food to come "without crap please!"

Clean Energy at last!

2011-08-13T15:20:00.002+01:00

Click the picture to go to Eamonn Ryan's website

I met a Eamonn Ryan the other day who is the owner of a company called complete alternative energy. I wanted to interview him for a radio show I was doing about energy in the house on a slightly bigger scale than just recycling, switching off lights etc. He was telling me about a device that is similar to solar but uses more energy from out side than just the sun. He even took me to a house nearby to meet a family who had just had the system installed. I was impressed by this alone as I knew then that there was nothing to hide and he was happy to show me the this system, happy for me to talk to the clients and there fore he had belief in what he was selling.

The panel on the roof is smaller than a
door

To break down what might otherwise be a very technical post that even I would get lost in, he fits a panel to the roof of the side of the building (any side but North) and this is where the similarity to the solar panel comes in. There is then a pump which needs to be fitted and this would replace in many cases the boiler under the stairs/in the hot press. This pump is large but then so is the boiler you would be replacing so, so far so good. The family I met who had just had this fitted, now has hot water all of the time without burning oil or gas or putting on the immersion plus their pressure had improved immensely. They live in the country and so are not on the mains. They are delighted with the improvement and will be saving a fortune in the long run.

Diagram of the pump and panel

Even better in my opinion is the fact that you could get 2 pumps. One to heat the water and one to replace the heating! No more gas or oil required and all because of a panel or 2 on the top of your house. You do need room for this though and 2 pumps may not fit into many houses but if you are building your own or have the room then there could be no stopping you.
It does cost a few grand and the price depends on how many pumps you are getting I'm sure but in Ireland there are grants for this to help and if you do the sums correctly, you are definitely hanging on to your pennies for the long term.
Please check out Eamonn's website by clicking the top picture and you can even ring him for advice on getting the pump and panel fitted and there is no pressure on you to buy. If you like you can join a mailing list to get tips every month for nothing. Please take a look to see if you can make a change like this in your house and if you are living too far away then maybe Eamonn can find someone fitting this system in your area to make things easier. I am happy to recommend Eamonn from what I have seen myself and from the satisfaction of the clients of his that I met.

Finally...

2011-07-26T20:54:00.001+01:00

...got out today and tidied the garden. I dont like overdoing it as I like to allow nature to enjoy the long grass and the wild flowers that grow from it but it was time for a clear up and so nice to be out in the sun and getting a little vitamin D. I have been following Gardeners World lately and in their July magazine they were on the hunt for butterflies. I must admit that they are very scarce in Ireland this year and even though I bought 2 shrubs especially to attract them into my garden I am afraid I haven't seen one butterfly. I did however find plenty of caterpillars munching away on my cabbages though last week so I am wondering, as with the flowers and other wildlife and the summer we've been having are they just a little late? If so then maybe I have something to look forward to but I hope my Buddleia (which is a butterfly favorite) will hold for them and not have died off. I do put it all down to climate change and wonder what the future holds?

Beautiful Buddleia but where are the butterflies?

Have you seen any butterflies this year? Are you trying to attract them into your garden? Let me know.

There's nothing more...

2011-07-11T10:36:00.000+01:00

...satisfying than finally being able to sit down at the table and eat some of the produce that you have been growing all summer. My cabbages need a little more space now so I thought I would dig one up and try it out. It was delicious and then I picked the few strawberries I had (granted there weren't many but it is only the first year) and they were gorgeous. I can honestly say that I never knew how good strawberries really tasted until this year and I have been eating supermarket ones all my life. I feel quite proud that there are no chemical sprays on them or preservatives and while I am in no position to feed myself long term it is still very satisfying to see and taste the results. I have a few other things that I hope will fruit shortly but if they dont it wont deter me. Not now that I know what can be done with a little nurturing. I'm afraid my taste for supermarket food will soon be lacking and I will turn my nose up at what they offer me in a while Ha! I would encourage you to grow something if you have never tried it. Ok so it's getting late in the summer now but herbs on the window sill would be lovely and sooo good for you.

Wouldn't you like a little satisfaction for dinner?

Nature carries on even when you stop.

2011-07-03T16:30:00.000+01:00

What a gorgeous day today is as was yesterday. We have just finished mowing the lawn and intend to have dinner soon outside. Heaven knows when the opportunity will come again. Anyway I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been cutting the grass and if you have been doing the same, where are you putting that cut grass? Hopefully you are putting it to good use by placing it in your compost heap. While you have finished working nature will carry on so that you can have a lovely compost in the future. If so, you are not paying for it to be carted away and giving compost mixture to another source for free. If you haven't got a compost bin or heap then take a look at starting one up if you have a garden. You can place peelings, grass, paper twigs and leaves into it and after a certain amount of time (depending on the type of heap you have and the amount of turning you do to it with a garden fork) then you will have lovely compost for your plants and flowers over the next year or two. If you do pay for the bin man to pick it up then chances are he is using for himself or maybe it could go towards making compost that could be sold on. I dont know for sure but I cant imagine someone isn't making good use of it. Are you paying for it (again) when you buy it from the garden centre next year? Think about it and see if you can save yourself a few pennies and when all that is done get outside and enjoy the sun and the garden with a nice cool drink. Cheers!

To get your composting mini guide click here from the Limerick County Council website.

Having the choice

2011-06-26T22:12:00.000+01:00

If we reduce the unnecessary wrapping then
there us no need to worry about where it goes after the shopping
is done.

Nothing drives me more mad than having to buy produce with a plastic wrapper. Yes, of course there are exceptions to the rule such as buying a pound of mince that simply cannot be thrown into a basket unwrapped for obvious reasons besides the fact that you would get some very odd looks, and also probably end up being quite ill. I went to my local supermarket today to get all the bits and pieces that are not so readily available in my own small town. I buy all my meat in the local butchers and visit the farmers market when I can but you know how a trip to the supermarket is unavoidable still. I try to buy as much fresh fruit and vegetables as I can so that I can stay away from the frozen food and ready made dinners. I'm not a fan unless I'm in dire straits! I made a vow to myself that wherever possible I will buy all of my fruit and vegetables loose so that I keep away from the plastic. It was impossible today. Absolutely impossible. The leeks were packaged and so were the mushrooms, lettuce, potatoes and everything else I needed. Oh, with the exception of 2 tomatoes and 2 onions which I found for myself. What is it with supermarkets? None of these items need plastic to grow and they come from the ground-yes soil or even MUD you could say. Its hardly to keep them clean. Most of the wrapping advises washing before use anyway. I was really mad today that I couldn't even make the choice of picking up loose veg over wrapped. Ok so there were brown bags in which to place loose mushrooms but they were gone, and all other types of which there were plenty were wrapped, and I could have had loose carrots from Spain instead of Ireland but my other half prefers new carrots and he eats so little veg anyway that I buy whatever he'll eat in order to give him the nutrients that keep him well. Anyone trying to look after a family would do the same. How long is it going to take before the supermarkets and the government (and the people in between) use their heads and make the change? It's so easy and without as much wrapping we have less to throw away and that includes food. I mean I might need 5 mushrooms for example but have 10 or more in a pack that usually go off in the end as I dont need so many.

Here is a challenge for you;

Next time you go the the supermarket let me know if you were given the choice to pick loose fruit and veg over packaged. If you buy packaged take everything out that doesn't need a cover to stay fresh and see how much wrapping you have acquired at the end of the shopping run. Just put it on your table and look at how much you have.

Could you change the way you shop? Will you ask the supermarkets to allow you to choose loose, fresh foods?

I really would like you to comment on this post and let me know your opinions. Dont mention brands of supermarkets but maybe by doing this other readers will follow suit in the battle against plastic and unnecessary waste. Its up to you to do your bit.

A touch of Magic...

2011-06-17T22:22:00.000+01:00

I saw this little beauty quite a few months ago and lets face it alot of these items disappear just as fast as they come but this intrigued me. I picked it up to take a look at the ingredients but couldn't find any. I wondered was this because there is something in it that the manufacturers would rather I didn't see or was it that the ingredients were so simple that they are afraid I'll be able to concoct it myself. Either way I read that it is eco friendly and as this mighty "Doktor Power" product from JML that is supposed to clean a multitude of items it ended up in my basket. Here is how it got on.

The main reason I wanted to try it is that I have an oven in dire need of cleaning but I have left it so long that none of my other products really do the job. Way back, I used a very harsh product often seen on the shelves to clean ovens but when I used it and it touched my skin I really felt the burn and this was one of the reasons I started to think "green". If that small amount hurts my hand what is it doing when I rinse the full amount down the sink?
So recently I scoured with vinegar, bicarbonate of soda etc. but it just didn't do the job no matter how hard I scrubbed. Yesterday I tried Doktor Power and with a good scrub I began to see the result. The oven is much cleaner and the glass is now pretty transparent again. It didn't give me 100% results but 95% will do nicely and I have to say part of it is probably my fault for leaving it go for so long. I didn't take too much notice of the price but it wasn't expensive at around a fiver and I would recommend it to you for those stubborn little jobs.
It also did a nice job on my mum's silver without damaging it and it is
supposed to clean trainers well too which I might try later. I'll put a photo on here for you to see the result

Before

After

Did I miss something?

2011-06-11T16:44:00.000+01:00

Has summer passed me by? Was I asleep? No apparently not. Its June 11th and its cold. I am still in my winter gear and not impressed. I know I am not alone. I have spoken to many people this week who, having switched the heating off for the summer months have now switched it back on and I must admit I am there with them. I have even lit the fire once or twice in the past two weeks. So where am I going with this? Well you can be a little bit wise with the heating if you keep the following in mind....

Make sure you work that thermostat and turn to the degree you need. Dont just ignore it. If you need to turn it up then do but if you can put on and extra layer and turn it down then choose to do that. Its bad enough getting the heating bill in during the winter without having to pay out in the summer too!

If you have the type of heating system that I have where you can heat one area or "zone" in the house then think about where you need heat and just heat that area. If you need heat during the day whilst watching TV then just heat the downstairs. Heat rises too remember. What is the point of heating the house all over if you are not going to appreciate it. This is really throwing money down the drain. It may make sense during the winter when we need to protect the whole house from the frost but now we should only send the heat to the particular location that it is needed.

I've mentioned it before but there is a reason for having the heating on a timer. Dont but the heat on and then go out and forget about it. Boost if for half an hour and see does that do the trick.

Keep these in mind and keep your fingers well crossed too in the hope that the summer will arrive and the sun's natural warmth is all we'll need

Do we have the power?

2011-06-05T23:55:00.001+01:00

I was at my mother in laws this weekend and we had the usual catch up on what has been going on since we last met. She knows that I have my blog and radio show and asks how I am doing. Somewhere along the way we got onto electricity and the cost of. She has one of the old house meters and has been noticing lately what electrical goods in her house are using the most electricity in seemingly large amounts each time she uses them. Here are the main 3 items that stood out.....

The Kettle.
We all use the kettle a lot in this country but when we switched it on we really saw the cogs turning in the meter very quickly. I suppose if you think about it, there must be a vast amount of electrical power required to boil water in such a short amount of time. Tip: In order to save pennies here, only boil water when you are going to use it. I have often boiled the kettle thinking I would have tea and then gone off and done something else only to come back in an hour and do exactly the same thing. What a waste! Only boil what you need and use it. Extra water requires extra power.

The Microwave
A great invention I know but use it wisely because it costs you! Tip: If heating up a cup of coco for the evening then see if someone else wants one and put two or three in and make them all together. Don't let dinners go cold so that you have to heat them up and use electricity unnecessarily. If someone goes to the bother of cooking for you then tuck in and enjoy asap. Use the microwave minimally.

The Iron.
Not the favourite chore in any household I bet. Tip: pick a day once a week, and just do it. Plugging in and out every five minutes and having to heat it up regularly uses up electricity. Also if you are not fond of this job then hand washing out carefully or if drying it on the heater then flatten it into position so that it is dried into place. No ironing required and it only takes a few more minutes. 2 birds, 1 stone ring a bell? Don't iron towels and flannels. Look at your ironing basket and see what can be left out.

I am also guessing that anyone with a tumble dryer is also going to pay more than necessary. Hang your clothes out to dry. Only use the dryer in emergencies.

Convenience is ...well...convenient, but do your pocket a favour and you will do the environment one at the same time! The power really is in our hands.

Oh dear what can the matter be...

2011-06-02T22:39:00.000+01:00

...well it would appear that my lettuce have taken a turn for the worse as you can see below.

"Lettuce have a look"

These have been growing since mid April and to be honest you wouldn't think so. They have been fed, loved and .... over watered, OOPS! I only realised this when I decided to put them in bigger pots to try and give them a boost only to find that they were drenched and then I understood what was wrong. Disappointed? Yes. Giving up? No. Well I dont know if they'll pull through but I'll do my best to turn it around. I mean I never professed to be a pro at this but I have certainly learned from it. I feel like someone from the Neolithic (but in modern surroundings!) they didn't have libraries and gardening books to teach them-neither could they read but that is beside the point. They learnt how it all worked by trial and error and so will I. Mind you I have had much more luck else where if you want to see....

I got myself a grow bag for some carrots, cabbage and onions and these seem to be doing superbly. The cabbages have really grown large and strong although they have been attacked by slithering slugs during the night on occasion so I have now put down some beer so they can really have a party tonight if they want to. OK so that is interfering with nature but I really want to have successful veg. I have tried really hard and making a pigs ear of one or two things is to be expected but I would like to do well with other veg and plants.

Carrot lefts, cabbage middle and onions on the right.

My tomatoes and strawberries are a little behind and straggly but we've had little or no sun so far this year and plenty of wind so I can only hope. I did plant in a couple of other plants last year and they looked a little sad throughout the winter (no wonder with the winter we had) and not all of them survived but the wild daisies (I have no idea what they are actually called) really came up a treat this year and are lovely to look at from the kitchen window.

Bloomin' lovely

So its not all bad. I have planted some more lettuce and carrot seed this evening in the hope that I may do a better job second time around although where I am going to put them I just dont know but its always good to stagger them anyway. Well you cant eat everything in one go no can you?.

"I love it when a plan comes together"

2011-05-28T22:00:00.000+01:00

I'm always encouraging people to recycle and be self sufficient whenever possible....as if you hadn't noticed already! I do however put my money where my mouth is .....theoretically speaking as cash is not exactly growing on my cherry tree. So the sun came out today, for a change, and I thought it was time I started on the back garden. I have the berry bushes, herbs and other plants ready to go but they need me to dig a trench and get going. So I thought it was about time I popped over to the parents and asked for my share of compost that we have been working on over the past 2-3 years together. I wasn't sure if it would be a success or not. Would it be too wet or even have broken down at all? I dont know why I was so pessimistic as I had followed the instructions, so to speak, all along. I knew that the top half of the compost wouldn't have broken down as we continually top it up and I didn't expect too much out of it either but I was really happy with our family efforts as I was able to shovel out a very nice amount of perfect compost. There were plenty of worms in there and squirmish or not, I knew that this was a really good sign as it's these little chaps that do all of the work

There was no bad smell which was fabulous and I didn't find anything in there that I wouldn't like. Not all of the egg shells had broken down but I knew that would be the case and it makes no difference when using the compost. Pat on the back? Well yes thank you, I will. The amount of waste that we put into it over the past couple of years was considerable and it composted down to nothing. That was a real saving on the rubbish bins and such a feeling of elevation (yes elevation indeed) that we had allowed nature to do what had originally been intended and we could use this compost without having to pay out for it. Also because I know exactly what went into the compost bin I am happy that there are no chemicals involved or any other nasties. It was no trouble to compost as all we did was collect the waste from peelings and so on and throw it in the compost bin instead of the normal bin and give it a mix every so often. I wont have enough compost for the job that I want to do so I will mix it into some that I bought and now I cant wait to get stuck in.
Let me know if you have tried composting and how it went for you. Would you try it now?

P is for ....

2011-05-25T21:02:00.026+01:00

Have been wondering for a while about recycling plastic's and have always been confused about those codes that are on plastic products all over the place. I searched the web to try and find a chart of some sort to help me with these codes and I must say that trying to find something that I thought would be useful was quite hard. So in the end I looked onto the Cork county website but no, nothing could I find. Perhaps I wasn't putting in the right words into the search engine but personally I think that information on finding anything that help's the environment appears to be non existent. Of course, it isn't, but I don't think that you should have to trudge through the Internet in vain considering it should be a top priority issue. Information should be easily accessible and easy to find. So I rang up the environment department of the Cork County offices and a spoke to Claire Kelly who I have to say listened carefully to what I was looking for and then went on a hunt to find a "Plastic Identification Chart" for me. Within 15 minutes it was sitting in my email Inbox. Result!

Click on image to print off and keep.

This chart is great because it helps me to see what type of plastic I have in my house already but more importantly what plastics are harder to recycle or can cause some harm by recycling it. I can choose to shop with more care and try to bring less plastic into the house and even eliminate some plastic altogether.

It all comes of having the right information. Apparently there is a chart on the Cork City council website too but I have to say I could not find it easily, or maybe I was having a bad "search" day! I did suggest to Claire that a chart was added to the Cork County website (even though they no longer collect waste themselves) so that people can print of a copy and try to do their bit. This can be popped onto the fridge and held in place with a magnet quite easily, always to hand. Another idea would be to create a smaller version that you can put in your purse and take shopping with you just in case it comes in handy. If I cant find one then I will see if I can put something together and add it here for anyone who wants it. For now though I hope you will find the chart on this blog useful and feel free to print it off for pride of place on the kitchen fridge.

I hope that the chart will be easy for you to download and print off. If you have any issues though please let me know in the comment section below an I will see what I can do.

What are you waiting for?

2011-05-24T01:31:00.001+01:00

What do you see, Planet earth or Home?

I finally sat down this evening to watch a few of the programmes I recorded whilst I was studying and taking exams recently and therefore couldnt watch until now. For most of today I was trying to figure out what I was going to talk about on my radio programme on the environment this Saturday but having watched a programme from RTE 2 on Al Gore and "An Inconvenient Truth," every other thought I had so far seems insignificant now. I've known for a while now that it is important to make changes in our daily lives in order to help our planet but I never realised how much more of an effort is needed to reverse the damage already done and how urgently this needs to be done....NOW!

The ice has melted and is almost gone

Al Gore who was Vice President of America has been travelling around the world trying ot pass on his message that we all need to act together now and make a difference. It's not a trend or the latest cool gimmick that we should all be into, it's vital for our survival and I would recommend trying to get a copy or some how watch a part of the programme; "An Inconvenient truth." The pictures that I include here are not mine and have been copied from the web but I do hope that who ever they belong to the owner will see the significance and the importance of my pasting them here.

Looking for the ice

The polar bears need the ice and it allows them to migrate safely with their cubs each year for food. Without the ice, polar bears have been known to try and swims hundreds of miles in search of land or ice. They often drown trying.

I remember Hurricane Katrina.
I was too close for comfort.

Warming waters mean more hurricanes, tornadoes and storms. Have you noticed any increase in these over the past few years in comparison to the majority of your lifetime?

Crumbling to nothing

Rising sea levels mean that a large are of Manhatten will be under water, large areas of Greenland will be under water, parts of Australia too. Not bothered? If these areas are affected then your area will be too. Live in land and not too worried. What about all of the immigrants/refugees looking to relocate in your area to try and survive now that their homeland is gone. Over populated, fighting for food, water, jobs, life!

Ever heard the saying,"It could be you?"

Why are we ignoring the signs

Many people dont want to believe that Global warning is happening and will happily tell you its a scam. Do these people have wealth that is built on oil, gold, burning fuels into the atmosphere? Might be interesting to look into. Looking after the environment now means a better place to live in future either way. Doing nothing means NO FUTURE.

Stand up and be counted and don't let good advice fall on deaf ears. In another 10 years or so saying "I told you so" wont make any difference.
I recommend you log onto Al Gores blog for a full update on what is going on in our world.

Eco Friendly holidays

2011-05-20T00:12:00.006+01:00

I've looked at some areas locally that people might like to visit but as always there are those of us who love to travel abroad and so if you want to travel but not forget the environment, there are ways of doing this too. We went to Berlin last year and I thought it was one of the best holidays ever and we booked the Circus Hotel because it had the environment in mind from the work GO!

Circus Hotel, Rosenthaler Platz, Berlin

Our room

This hotel is somewhere I would recommend to anyone in a heartbeat. No, there is no gym, swimming pool, or spa but You dont need it. Trust me. If you want anything like this the staff will organise it for you so its not out of the question. But the friendly and welcoming atmosphere from the time you walk into the hotel until the time you leave is fantastic.

The ensuite..naturlich!

We got an economy room last year and it was perfect. Clean tidy bright and comfortable with an an suite with large shower. We were looking out onto the main road which you can see in the picture above so there was some noise but it didn't bother us, although perhaps if you wanted somewhere quieter in the hotel you could mention it when booking. They also dont have air conditioning as they dont think it is required in Germany and we were there in June with lovely weather and we had no problem.

The evening meals, which we partook in, on one evening, are cooked with local organic food to the highest standard so you can be sure that it can be traced back to source. They have WiFi in the hotel lobby and will happily lend you a net book to use so you dont have to lug yours along with you and you dont have to go out to find an internet cafe. There is also a mini library in the lobby and bar area so you can easily pick one up and read for the evening if you fancy reading over a drink.

You wont find shower cleansers in the bathroom but you can ask for them at reception and they are given out freely and this will encourage you to use them sparingly. I mean, how many times do you want to go down the reception to ask for more? Definitely works. They will gladly organise train and bus tickets for you and you can hire these out too for however long you want so you can use them over and over and save a packet. Its like having an underground ticket for as long as you want. We thought this was a great help even though we walked most of the time.

Within the hotel

Once in Berlin there is so much to see and so many sights are free.

Obviously there is the Berlin Wall and that is a must do
Checkpoint Charlie
Topography of Terror
Walking the Tiergarten
The Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate
Bebelplatz-Book burning....

........ and so much more.

All of the above were free and well worth doing. Many of the museums have student and teacher fares if you have the right cards to prove your status and on a Thursday evening many of them are free apparently.

Click picture to read some
reviews on this book

Now before you rush off to book flights and see these places for free check out the latest travel books to see if there have been any changes. We used the Rough Guide to Europe on a budget and found it invaluable.

There are organised tours on Bicycles, foot and buses and everything is within walking distance if you are mobile.

Honestly, if you want a great holiday with plenty to do then take my advice and check out this hotel. There is even a hostel belonging to the same people (the Circus hostel) opposite the hotel so if you want a cheap dorm instead, it can be done. You will be gob smacked I'm sure. We're thinking of going back this year so we might see you there.

Check out the Circus website for full details by clicking Here

Posing in Berlin 2010

St Josephs lead the way....

2011-05-12T17:33:00.000+01:00

Some of the Team from St. Josephs Foundation, Charleville Co. Cork

I met up with Mary Hayes recently for an interview for my Natural Instincts show on BCradio and learned about some of the work that the Green Committee who are service users based in St Josephs in Charleville are doing. To say that I was highly impressed is an understatement and so I am dedicating a whole blog just for them because they most certainly deserve it. These guys and girls are on an environmental mission and not only do they tell us how it should be done but they practice what they preach and I have the photos to prove it....

The Green Committee as they are known in St Josephs are on their 4th Green flag which is Travel and Transport and many of the services users have train and bus passes and always go out of their way to make use of them, taking more cars off the road and when they only have a short way to go I hear that their slogan is:

"Got someone to meet, travel with your feet!"

and they can certainly be seen out and about in Charleville doing this. When asked if they would like to help out with the Agenda 21 project in Charleville they didn't think twice and got out shovels, trowels and the Lord knows what else to get the new trees planted up there. If you look at the blog I wrote on Agenda 21 you will see how beautiful it looks now thanks to them and other schools that got involved. This also helps them to think about the next flag that they are going for which is on biodiversity.

Getting involved in the projects in the community doesn't stop there though as they are ready and willing to give a hand with any work that the Tidy Towns do and and really keep the Memorial Park in tip top condition every Monday. It doesn't matter what needs doing this troupe of people are always on hand and a huge asset to the area. If only there were people like this in every town and village in the country.

As if that wasn't enough they go out of their way to check out the accessibility for people travelling via the train or the bus, as can be seen in the first picture, especially those who may be wheelchair users or have other needs and requirements that may not be taken into consideration. Even checking out the condition of pavements and road crossings. No stone is left unturned and I have to say as a fellow citizen I really appreciate this as I'm sure do many others, we just often forget to say thanks.

The Green Committee of St Josephs should give us a boost to get up and out there to look after that environment and make the place look good too. I know that every once in a while we all get a bit lazy and we just need that little kick to get back in there.

Thanks for all the hard work St. Josephs!

Pictures by kind permission of Mary Hayes form the St Josephs foundation Spring Newsletter 2011

If you would like to learn more about the An Taisce Green schools flag please click here

Would you care to take a turn with me?....

2011-05-01T10:45:00.002+01:00

Doneraile Park, Co. Cork

With the summer on its way and school holidays on the horizon we will all be wondering what to do with ourselves. I want to be out and about as much as possible especially when the weather is good and dry. We are in often enough in the winter sitting next to the fire. I want to take in the fresh air, enjoy the wildlife and not have it cost a fortune if I can help it. So if you are in the same frame of mind and are in County Cork this summer why not take a glimpse at Doneraile Park.

I went this morning and after being glued to the computer and the kitchen table for the last 2-3 months revising for exams I thoroughly enjoyed it. I forgot how nice it was to be out on my own time with no watch calling me and being with my husband on the medium walk as we call it I was able to spend valuable time chatting with him and Lord knows with the recent college madness I really haven't been able to give him the time he deserves. It's a miracle really that he remembers who I am.
There are several lengths of walks that you can take and the long one of about 4 miles (just under) takes around an hour if you are walking at a good pace. The park now belongs to the OPW who look after it very well and considering the present economy too and there is a bit of history behind it if you want to look it up. At present it is free to go in although during the summer months they used to charge about €2.50 but that hasn't been the case for a while although I wouldn't begrudge them a few euro for the upkeep as there is a lot of land with it.

Here you can bring a picnic and sit on the lovely grass facing the river which flows through the park and the parking facilities have been improved recently so there is plenty of space. The wildlife is a joy with deer dotted around and if you are there at the right time of the day and year you can see the rabbits running about like wildfire all over the fields. One of the highlights for the children is visiting the swans at the small lake/large pond, whatever you decide, and there are plenty of conquers around September. The trees are shady to walk among and the paths are clear and if all of that isn't enough to tire out the younger visitors then there is the newly built playground for under twelves as long as they are accompanied by an adult. Unfortunately the magnificent house is not open for visitors but being in these surroundings you could nearly expect Mr Darcy to turn up!

Open til 5pm in the winter months and until 8pm in the summer. For further details please click here

one two TREE!

2011-04-28T19:35:00.003+01:00

Click to hear Natural Instinct Show and Agenda 21, Tree planting.

I often say "I'll let you know how it goes" so I thought I had better do just that. I'd like to cast your mind back to a previous blog called "wonderful result" here on Greenwatch (http://greenwatch-lesley.blogspot.com/2011/01/wonderful-result.html#more) when I spoke about a project for Charleville and a lovely green space with new trees and bird and bat boxes. Well it is almost completed with the help of Agenda 21 and wonderful community of people. They applied for funding under Agenda 21 and were successful and have been as busy as Easter Bunnies planting new trees and putting up bird boxes in the park in Charleville. It's also nice to know that in these hard times too, groups such as Agenda 21 realise the importance of helping communities and their environment. I went up there last week to do an interview with Ted Bradley and Tommy Kavanagh for my radio programme, "Natural Instinct", and it was glorious. So nice to see that people are interested in the Environment still and it wasn't just the 2 of them but several groups from the community such as St. Anne's Primary School, the Christian Brothers School secondary school and St. Josephs foundation with the Green Committee group there.

Ted Bradley & Tommy Kavanagh at the park in Charleville

A Walk in the park!

I'd love to put up pictures of all of the contributors but as many of them are under 18 I'm afraid I cant. For those at St Josephs foundation I do have permission to up load some photos from their magazine and so I've decided to dedicate a whole blog to them. Just wait till you see the work they have been doing. Still I can tell you that some of the younger kids were only in 4th class and knew so much about the environment; how to plant trees, mulching and wildlife in general. It would do your heart good. It's great to know that our schools are teaching Maths, English, Irish and the other school subjects that are important but I can tell you that they are learning about nature and science outside the class room and environmental issues and boy can they fill you in with the details. They aren't just spouting out learnt lines, but really know what they are on about. The CBS also came on the radio and with people often giving teenagers a rough ride I am proud to say that the boys from 1st year, 2nd year and higher were really cool to work with. With kids of all ages like this in the education system right know and teachers clued in to what is important, I can tell you they really deserve a thumbs up.

Well done guys!

To listen to the interview on Ballyhoura Community Radio click the link under the picture of the tree at the top of this page.

"One flew IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION of the Hornets nest!"

2011-04-24T18:00:00.000+01:00

Hornet's nest and one busy wasp at the entrance

While I like to think I am "One with nature" at times, I realise that I am a lover of all nature most when it is outside. My shed is my little get away where I sit and read or think and relax. Imagine looking up and seeing this little beauty in the above picture, staring back at me this morning. I am lucky it was only the beginning of the hornets nest and very small although the picture was taken on my phone and close up so it may look big to the viewer. Thankfully only a couple of centimeters in size and one busy wasp! Beautiful and perfectly formed but briskly removed.

A growing adventure

2011-04-24T16:17:00.005+01:00

"Mmm Quite a lot of berries here then"

It's been a busy spring for me, trying to get everything organised. College exams coming up in a few weeks require study and with the radio station I am with finally due to go on the airwaves (at last) and not just on the internet I am trying to get programme ideas ready to record. Last year as you may have read I grew my lovely cherry tomatoes and was really chuffed with the result. So I am back on the bandwagon and growing them again and at present they are on my window sill and growing "mighty fine too!" But I did have ambitions of trying a few other, dare I say, crops this year and time was running out....

Tomatoes on the windowsill

...So I took the bull by the horns and headed off to the local garden centre. Yes this was going to cost me money as I was starting out and didn't know much about what was required. In fact I had to ask for help almost as soon as I go there. There were so many veggies to choose from but I didn't want anything too complicated and in the end I went for a selection of seeds that in actual fact were geared for kids...about right for me then. These seeds consisted of lettuce, sweetcorn Carrots and ....more tomatoes. Well extra seeds are always handy and most important of all, I eat all of those so there wont be a waste. So having bought my seedling boxes and a grow bag that will go into the back garden as I dont have a good soil there, I headed of to the potatoe seed section and was advised as to what to get there.

Lettuce and sweetcorn up and coming

Potatoes in a grow bag with some of the
seaweed I collected

So I also have potatoes to care for and look after. I recently went to Inis Meain on the Aran Island where I learned that they put seaweed on the soil to fertilize it and as I have access to seaweed I have placed some over the compost and crossed my fingers.

Do I know what I am doing? No but I am doing a good impression of a hen keeping her nest eggs warm (without actually sitting on my seeds) and so now all I can do is wait. I'll let you know how it goes.

Finally I am trying to get some sort of a garden on the go this year just with flowers and bushes so I decided to pop to Lidl and get a blue berry, red berry and blackberry (i think) hedge and you can see one of them displayed at the top of this page. I hope to use some of the compost I have been making too over the last 2 years as I will need a lot for the plant bed and it would be nice to see it in action after all this time "brewing".

Will it be worth it all? We'll just have to see.

My Local.....

2011-03-27T22:08:00.000+01:00

The old library in Cork City.

...library! I have been a member of my county library for some months now and I am always delighted with the help I receive from them every time I visit and call and Lord knows with the college projects I have to complete I need all of the help I can get. Anyway, I was in Patrick's street in Cork last week and popped into the city library as my dad had suggested I join so that I can take out DVDs and Cd's as he often does. So with a few minutes to spare, in I went and boy was it worth it.

Spending money is at the forefront of our minds at the moment and I am very conscious of it. Last time I enquired as to the price of membership it was €40.00 for the year for both the book section and the music section. This is a good price if you are into your music but I didn't have the cash for it then. So this time I was delighted to hear that it is now only €20.00. Yep, half price. Well chuffed, but it gets better. A student membership is only €10.00. €10.00 for the use of the whole library. I jumped in so fast it may have been considered a belly flop. It was easy quick and the service for friendly and very helpful. I borrowed 7 Cd's straight away and you can borrow 10. 10 items in total between books and Cd's. I'm looking forward to getting back next time to see what else I can borrow. More importantly, I am not filling up bookshelves with books that I will only read once and then need to find a good home for and the same goes for the Cd's. If I take something and decide that the book or CD isn't much good, it just goes back. Organised recycling. Obviously I am in the city often enough for it to make sense but if you want to do the same get to your local library and make use of it. We need to wise up a bit and mind the pennies and well as the environment and the library enables us to do this.
Let me know if you use your library or if you will give it a go. Go on, I dare you!
If you want to find out more Click here

The cost of colour...

2011-03-19T01:23:00.001Z

The cost of colour

The thing about college is there are a lot of assignments throughout the year and of course there are the projects that have deadlines ever before you need to study for the end of year exams. I ran out of colour ink today just when I wanted to start printing out one of those projects and have it completed and ready to go. Well I suppose its better to find out now than the night before which is always a possibility. Ink can be an expensive thing to replace now depending on the printer you have and what it demands. I wonder is it really costing the earth?

I started thinking about wasted ink a while back as I learnt from people that some printers are set to "run out" after a certain number of pages whether it really has run out or not. Cheek, I say, having payed my money in good faith that I am getting the best value from the printer brand and ink recommended. Well I started visiting my local Recharge Cartridges and I have to say I am really happy with the service I get there. The owner is cheerful, chatty and always bends over backwards to help me. Even if I have a printer problem I can ring him up and he is more than happy to help. He may not necessarily be making a wage from me at the time of my call, but you can be sure that I will spend my money at his shop in return. I get my cartridges refilled and for less and they work perfectly fine and whats more there is a guarantee if something goes wrong with the cartridge which you don't get with every other brand you purchase. Once out of the box and wrapper shops are not inclined to take them back as who is going to buy a used cartridge? I am happy in the knowledge that when the ink runs out it really has run out and so none of it is being poured into the environment. The plastic casing gets used over and over until it burns out and although I am not sure of this (must ask him), I believe that that cartridge is recycled somewhere and also not thrown onto the landfill. Because Recharge Cartridges have lots of shops around and mine is only in the next town, I can also shop locally and keep car pollution down and local businesses open. Yes all in all, a good days work I think.
So, next time you need an ink cartridge for your printer take the empty one to Recharge or if you don't have a Recharge nearby see if someone else is doing the same thing under another name. It will save you pennies and make you feel better and you will get more out of it than buying new I'm sure. If you are in a business you are helping the boss save money and he/she can brag about doing their bit.
You see there are pots of gold at the end of colourful rainbows!
Let me know if you have tried this and what your thoughts are by leaving a comment.

The best things in life are free.

2011-02-10T19:23:00.006Z

The Glucksman Gallery

Its a great time of the year when the spring is springing and the evenings are definitely getting longer. It is also a time for us students to get swatting for upcoming exams hence I havent been on here for a bit but I was out and about yesterday on a field trip in Cork City when we visited University College Cork (UCC) and learned a little about a wonderful building on site that anyone can visit......

Beautiful view of Cork City

Its the Glucksman Gallery, an art gallery. Normally I am not a gallery sort of person but this building gave me more than art. One of the things I liked about it is that it is as Eco friendly as possible as it clad in redwood and tries to keep in with its natural surroundings of tall redwood trees and if you look carefully, as we did yesterday, it actually resembles a tree house.

The beauty and calm within.

The interior is spacious and clean with beautiful windows that allow for a wonderful view of the college grounds and the city around. This cost a bomb to build I'm sure but its been so well thought out that its worth it. I can think of several buildings with a hefty price tag that dont do what it says on the tin! It's even got me thinking about making a tab on here of Eco friendly places to visit. This gallery is free to visit and open to all and indeed from here visitors are able to visit the Honen Chapel and call into the Áras na Mac Léinn for a coffee or tea. The Glucksman cafe is closed at the moment due to the terrible floods last year but keep an eye open as I'm sure it will re-open asap. So if your coming over here on holiday and are looking for

something to do keep UCC in mind. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Although the pictures here are a little dull it due to the weather, imagine what it would be like in summer. I haven't put in too many pictures as I think you should view it for yourself

For further information on UCC please click here,

to find out what's happening in the Glucksman Gallery click here

Let me know what you think!

Introducing the Vernacular...

2011-01-28T00:55:00.001Z

Thatched roof & stone walls of a house on the Aran islands.

..the what, I hear you say? Well it all comes from studying heritage I suppose and looking to the lives people who lived before us. I don't mean centuries ago but our parents and grandparents lived in a world where vernacular activity and recycling may have been much more the norm. I hate being a child of the plastic age and would love to get back to the basics but as said before plastic is pushed in our faces and we don't have a huge choice, partly because we have forgotten or were simply not told how to use the natural tools around us. The vernacular. My understanding is;

a response to need. If we need something now we pop to the shops and get it. Where does the item come from? We cant be sure half of the time. Years ago people used straw in Ireland to make costumes for Halloween and these gave a wonderful disguise without going out to buy the Frankenstein mask. Straw, thatched houses, made hens nests so that the hens would lay their eggs (and they did because they liked the nests), mattresses and fed cattle. Iron gates and concrete walls were originally stones walls-yes individual stones placed one on top of the other like in Galway and on the Aran Islands and it was aesthetically pleasing and earthy I think. Willow and hazel used to make baskets, the very thing we need today instead of the plastic bag. Something reusable and once it has collapsed you can compost it and simply make another with the material grown locally. Even the idea of growing your own which I have mentioned previously in other posts is, I am glad to see creeping back into peoples lives. I love it all and so want to bring these things into my life. Why? Well partly because I'm sentimental I suppose but also because these things answer a need. We need items but are searching for easy solutions to reduce waste. Some of the answers are staring us in the face but we don't see them because the tradition of using them has died out.

joehoganbaskets.com

St. Brigid's Cross

I have been learning today how to make the St. Brigid's cross ready for St. Brigid's day on Feb 1st. A small example of the vernacular. In years previous, and maybe in some homes today, there was (or is) a need for a Brigid's cross. Something to represent the saint or the pagan goddess, something to celebrate life and the birth of another year of growth, to protect and heal or whatever the reason. The crosses are hand made from reeds and very easy to do too. In fact I enjoyed it so much that now I have crosses to give as presents and may help keep a tradition alive.
I didn't go to the shop to buy them, they are made from nature and while I don't expect people to suddenly buy hens in order to make a hens nest which may or may not be practical, I want to point out that there is a need to look around us and use the natural material around us, before we go off to the shops to buy items made in Taiwan.
Test yourself. The next time you need something and I mean need, not just want, see if you can find the material (natural if possible) nearby and not dash to the shop out of laziness and convenience. You might surprise yourself.

Wonderful result!

2011-01-15T12:48:00.001Z

Soon to be "Lovely old Town"

I received some great news this week! Always welcome. Charleville is a a busy little town in North Cork which is always full of jolly hustle and bustle and cars and lorry's and all sorts passing through on the way to Dublin or Galway as Charleville is very much the gateway to a lot of towns and cities further north. I'm not complaining too much as we need all of the business we can to pass through and stop to keep people in work and the town alive. However it has built up with the Celtic Tiger so much that people have forgotten the importance of green grass, trees and wildlife. At present there is not enough of it in Charleville by a long shot. Here is what some locals are doing about it...

There is a great Tidy Towns committee who do a wonderful job and have involved Diarmuid Gavin to promote and improve it via the Dirty old Town series and RTE. Still, not leaving it all to the minority we (a few more locals from nearby) decided to get together to see if there was something we could do to help. We tried to think of ideas to get wildlife back into the town and to get a nice relaxing area to walk around and enjoy being out and about among a greener area of the town. So one day Ted Bradley, a local environmentalist called us together and we put our ideas down of paper.

Hello!

Once we had decided exactly what we would do we sent of

an application for Agenda 21 to try to get a grant to complete it. I don't want to get all technical and bore the socks off you but just to say that it was fairly straight forward really. That was perhaps almost 9 months ago now and we hadn't heard anything. This week Ted told me the good news that it had all gone through. We hope to have a green area with trees and bird/bat boxes and anything else we can sneak in I'm sure, although I must confess I forget some of the notes we added but it's all there somewhere. How lovely to be able to enjoy a little bit of the country in the town. Lovely for the locals and lovely for the tourists to enjoy if we can only encourage them back and not charge a million dollars to come! More importantly, lovely for the wildlife to be invited back to what was rightfully theirs in the first place.

I'll let you know how it all pans out.

If you are interested in a future project for your area Click here to find out about details regarding Agenda 21.

Splish Splash I was taking a bath!

2011-01-12T22:41:00.002Z

Nothing nicer than a good long soak in the bath to unwind and clean up. This week my hubby and I have been discussing baths. Why? Well because we need a shower actually. Still not got one but saving hard now to get tiles and doors and all of that so that we can save water and stop having to put the immersion on each time. Anyway, my other half had a strange conversation with friend who said that he always has a shower when having a bath so that he isn't wallowing in dirty water. My first question is: " How dirty is your friend getting into the bath if he is wallowing in dirt in his bath?" and my second question is "How precious?" From here a larger discussion came about and he discovered that many of his friends do the same. Forgive me but, there are many problems because of this. Firstly, what a waste of water! I have a bath or a shower (when I get to a shower) and not both. I am not so dirty that I am lying in disgusting water and yes, I do wash my hair in that water. If I need to, then I rinse my hair in water from the tap via the extended shower from the tap or a jug or something. I can promise you I am clean. I realise that every one is allowed to have their opinion but I strongly advise thinking about what you are doing if you are like my husbands friends. In many cases we are too clean now and get rid of the friendly bacteria as well as the bad and cant fight off simple colds. "Chaps and chapesses", let me tell you that we need some bacteria.We are constantly on the antibiotics and now even they dont work so well. We want organic and natural substances for our bodies but over washing means we are no longer 100% natural ourselves. When the water was turned off this winter how did we cope. Very well thank you because we had to. Our parents and grandparents had a bath once a week on a Saturday night in preparation for mass the following morning and they survived perfectly well. How do I know? Because we are here to prove it.
Bathing regularly is a luxury that not all countries have. Our water is clean although perhaps not as clean as it was as I feel we abuse it. Lets appreciate what we have and use it sparingly.

Keeping the candle burning in 2011

2010-12-30T12:00:00.002Z

Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times,
if one only remembers to turn on the light
-Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Another year is coming to an end and we start afresh all over again. I look back over the year now and realise just how busy it has been and so many changes have taken place. I hear about New Years resolutions too and remember that I haven't made one in 2 or 3 years at least. I'm not sure why really as it is always good to aim for improvement somewhere in life and it never has to be advertised. It can be as personal and private as you like. So I think this year I will be making up for it and having at least 2 resolutions.
However, as far as this blog is concerned,...

...I resolve to keep doing my best to encourage people everywhere to do what ever they can for the environment around them. I am not a knowledgeable book on the subject of being Eco friendly as I stated on my main home page but I still dont believe I have to be, just that I need to keep trying my best and learn and apply where possible along the way and if I learn, then pass it on.

I received a battery operated candle this year as a gift to put on my windowsill as I didn't have one. My way of keeping the light burning for he weary traveller and as we have no light in our estate it is perhaps even more significant because there are times when we need a bit of help and guidance and we can do this by helping each other. So sticking to the Eco friendly side of things I have placed the candle above to remind and ask you to keep the Eco Friendly candle burning for another year and give yourself a pat on the back for trying your best so far. Forget the few failings along the way and remember the achievements. We should be proud of them no matter how small.

Happy New Year!

Tapping into our conscience...

2010-12-28T18:49:00.001Z

Pure, clean and precious

We are at last in the land of the Forty Shades of Green again and its good to be back! The rain has been falling and dare I say I've missed it and the temperatures have risen. So whats next? Well according to the weather forecast, floods! Still, we're not there yet so lets keep fingers crossed that perhaps it wont happen, but it reminds us that things are fast changing in this world of ours and maybe there is nothing we can do to stop the change. Or is there?...

I was speaking to a relation of mine who thinks our fears of Global warming are not worth it really as the change is going to happen no matter what we do. Well, he may be right to some extent but as I pointed out to him that doesn't mean that we should treat our world with disrespect and not make any effort to protect it. What we do may tip the balance. Anyway, back to the present. Water seems to be involved in this global warming crisis and it occurred to me this week that we still don't appreciate it. Here at the moment the water has been turned of in our homes overnight so that we can preserve it due to the reservoirs being low.

The Gearagh near Macroom

How can they be low in Ireland you may ask, I know what you mean as usually, we cant stop the rain. Well, with the recent freeze, we have had burst pipes and frozen pressure gauges ( i think) all over the place, hence some people (my parents included & inlaws) haven't had water for a week. But what concerns me a little more is that to prevent frozen and burst pipes people have been leaving on their water all night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know, I know, rock and a hard place comes to mind but this is water we are wasting. The lovely stuff that people in the third world just cant get hold of for a high percentage of the time, and if they do get hold of some it is unsanitary. Here we are just watching it go down the drain. Criticism? A little yes, but I too have filled up my sinks as I dont have water tonight and dont know when it will be back on for sure. I wont be leaving the tap running though but I do realise the problem of cost should I have a burst pipe some very cold night.

Not mine thankfully but check out
www.rainwater-barrels.com/blog

In the summer I put out my barrel to fill full of rain water as did my parents. What happened last week? It froze and couldn't be used. So whats the answer. I thought that I could use that water in our barrel to flush toilets at least. My intentions were good at the time but it looks like I may have to rethink if future winters will be the same. I dont know the answer but I do know that the cogs need to keep turning in my brain. If I find the answer I'll let you know but I would ask you sincerely to think about your actions. If you need to leave the water running all night from your tap make sure you are fully aware of what you are doing and have you thought of an alternative action or is this just the most convenient for you? Can we be bothered to at least try to think of an alternative? What will we do when we are charged for our water?I know there are many readers from all over the globe reading this blog and if you can offer some advice then please do. All you need to leave a comment is to own a Google account and you dont need to use it much after that if you dont want to. Remember, we are in this together and should work together. Leaving problems for the next generation to sort out is a cop out from us.

We're better than that, I know we are :)

"Beautiful to look at, Lovely to behold, But when the winter comes, consider it COLD!"

2010-12-27T22:45:00.003Z

Winter wonderland

Its been a really cold Christmas for us Irish who are neither ready, equipped, or able to cope with 6 inches of snow and have much to learn from our North American and Canadian friends who would only laugh at us locking ourselves indoors for days on end avoiding work, school or everyday life, because of our fear of the white stuff. Well I tried to take a leaf out of their book this Christmas and got out the shovel (more like a spade actually) and brushed and cleared the driveway so that at least we could attempt to get out. I was chuffed with my human snowplough abilities. Outside sorted! Inside however was not so good...

Picture of natural beauty

Send the heat back into the room

...We live in what would be called a new house. No more than 5 years old and so everything should be hunky dory and warm right? Wrong! Our house is freezing and no more so than the ground floor. We have heating and a coal fire so what is the problem? I dont know, but it's awful. I would love to get environmentally aware people in and insulate the house more and get better double glazed windows or what ever it may need but in all honesty that just cant happen right now. So shall I moan about the economy and the price of things? I cant be bothered. Turning on the heating to constant isn't the answer really so I've put my thinking cap on and decided to have a 2nd, very casual and low budget sitting room....upstairs... in one of the bedrooms. Yes I know its a bit odd but this way we can be warm, as all the heat goes upstairs, and not have to have the heating on any more than normal which I hope will be a bit Eco friendly and by moving the furniture around and putting the bunk beds back one on top of the other there is room. It's not for show, just us, and there is always the proper living room for when the Queen comes, as no doubt she will. So whats the point? Well by using a bit of common sense (I think thats what it is), I can get what I need, keep the bills the same by not having more heat on and not sit shivering in front of the TV for the night. Granted I have had a massive clear out from under the beds, nooks and cranny's but ultimately this will give me more space and that fung shui feeling.... isn't that what its called?

Guard dog drafted in !!!

So if any of my fellow Irish men and women are in a similar predicament perhaps you can have a close look to see what you already have in the home. Maybe a few draft excluder's or lined curtains will make a difference. Although I am in favor of loft insulation etc, there are other ways (not perhaps as rash as mine) if you put your mind to them. And any tips to help keep my house warm on a budget, would be very welcome thanks.
So keep warm and shovels at the ready guys, I think there's more to come!

My Christmas wishes to you all...

2010-12-24T15:21:00.002Z

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a Goodnight!"

xxx

A greener Christmas...

2010-12-16T23:35:00.002Z

Just in the process of writing my Christmas cards. Well, typing actually because this year I am sending e-cards. No I'm not being lazy, there are several reasons for it but one important one is that I have seen where all of the cards go to after Christmas....

...the bin. By sending an e-card I am still taking the time to send my Merry Christmas wishes to those that I care about wherever they may be and I will admit that by doing it this way I have a better chance of sending it on time. I will be sending some cards by post and they will be for family and relatives and those who I think my hold onto the cards because it is from someone close to them and I do believe in supporting the local post office and so will carry this tradition on. In tough times too e-cards can help and I know of a lovely site that I use and by using it I not only find very nice e-cards but they are free too. I sent a card to myself once to see how it would arrive before I took the plunge and was really pleased with it. It is an American site called Care2care and so a lot of things there such as the adverts etc are American and may not be of use to people in different countries but the cards are great and there is a nice choice considering it is free. I did find another site too that you have to pay for but it isn't much. One card was so beautifully animated that I was very tempted. Still, you sign up on line for a month or however long you want but then have to write to them to end the contract. Too much like hard work for me but I am sure that many of the greeting card sites work in the same way. Anyway, my point is that you should check them out for yourself and see what you think. If you stick to the paper cards then please recycle them after you are finished with them but if you dare to send a few e-cards as well then you are preventing waste in the first place. Happy hunting!

Click here to view a gorgeous animated Chrstmas card from Care2care.com!

2010-12-01T16:41:00.000Z

It's been a tough couple of weeks feeling under the weather to be honest and I haven't had the strength to put finger to keyboard. Still on the mend and not quite there yet either. So I wondered if there is anything that I can suggest with all these rotten colds around. There are the usual home remedies of course: the honey and lemon, garlic if you can stomach it and of course to help you sleep I would suggest a hot whiskey or brandy providing you will not be driving for 24 hours of course. Still it often happens that we need something stronger and even have to go to the doctor on occasion. If your sick, you shouldn't take it lightly and there comes a point when you have tried everything but must give in and trek off to see the family GP and get the big boys in to fight the infection.

Whether its a bottle of pills or a liquid medicine or a host of things there isn't much you can do here to prevent buying more plastic or whatever it is. Your too sick to really take in much more than the basic information and anything you've been given is received gratefully (even though you have paid a fortune for it probably). So at the end of it all you are feeling back to normal thank goodness! Maybe you have been told to take all of the medicine and maybe not but I'm sure you have put all the pills and bottles out of harms way and maybe after a time have forgotten them altogether. So now it's out of date. DONT throw it out. The chemist will gladly take back any medicine that is out of date, so have a look in the cabinet and get down to the chemist. I'm nearly sure that they would take the empty bottles too. Well, where do they get them from in the first place! Would it not help them if they could reuse them? I bet it would.

Thats better!

So now, there is a way of being green here too and of course at worst any plastics might be recyclable so check out the type of plastic used on the bottle and if it's glass well then that's easily sorted. So out of the doom and gloom of being ill, your now feeling on top of the world and also getting a little boost because you've managed to avoid the landfill again. Well done you, so now all you have to do is to keep warm and well for the rest of the year!

A warm compromise

2010-11-13T19:09:00.003Z

In the lead up to Christmas and the following winter months, there is nothing like the warm glow of a natural fire and I must admit that one of the requirements for us buying our house was that we wanted a coal fire which we had become accustomed to growing up. For a year or so we bought our coal bags and enjoyed sitting close to the fire after dinner and were content. Then I began to consider the environment....

.....So for me that meant finding something safer to burn and I have given up the coal bags in search of something else. I took to the compacted sawdust and this worked a treat as once it is burnt down to ash I can happily discard it without worry as it tells me that is safe to do so and will even feed the plants. 2 birds, 1 stone. Great! However, I have to admit, much to my disappointment, that it is more expensive than coal "pound for pound," even though I am getting value by using the ash on the garden and not paying for it by weight in the bin. Some people throw ash from coal and all sorts of things from the fire into the garden !!! and it makes me cringe at the harm they may be doing. Still, I can only be responsible for myself.
Anyway, as it was pointed out to me on several occasions by my very supportive husband, that it is burning too quickly and we are spending more. He is happy to support my green ideas and in fairness then, I must try to find a compromise. So I am now burning compact sawdust and natural timber. This will also happily go back into the ground and help with the garden. I must say though, that we think now very carefully before we start a fire. Burning all day, even with environmentally friendly substances is a no no, both because of cost and smoke into the air, so the heating shares the load and is on a timer. This fuel still burns faster than the coal but I am working on finding other things that will help and anyway it's not good to rely always on just one substance. Look at the peat bogs and what we know now on the harm that we have inflicted because for years we relied solely on them.
It just goes to show that sometimes you have to rethink some ideas because;

you might learn something new or a better way of doing something.

And,

lets face it, if it costs and arm and a leg, who is going to keep that up? When times are difficult money wise, we need to be as efficient as possible.

Take a look at my post on The Simple Things to get a few more tips for winter. Please let me know what you use on your fires to try to be green, via the comment section below.

Squirrelling away

2010-11-12T13:40:00.000Z

I've been talking to a friend of mine this week who like me is doing everything he can to be good to the environment. The cogs are always turning in his head to see what else he might do. "Good on you" I say and "keep it up" but then there is the little disappointment that creeps into the conversation. "I cant get my family to go along with me and they do their own thing and cant be bothered with being green". This obviously niggles at him because he knows that what he is doing is right. Being green can really be a battle and if you are fighting to do your bit and the rest of the family aren't interested then it can feel like a losing battle. Your not losing! Everyone counts and can be added to the great green army that is only multiplying no matter how slowly. It will build up momentum and we will make a difference, we just have to be patient. Eventually other people will realise this difference and importance and will join in. It will just have to take it's course. It's all of those people who are doing the environment a favour right now that will ultimately lose out and if we give up. If that happens, then one day we will be living in a rubbish pit and who wins then. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and am going to keep reaching for it. I'm the lucky one because I know it's there, and so do you. So be like the little squirrel quietly working away collecting nuts for hibernation. He knows that his work will pay off in the end.

Thinking ahead....

2010-10-26T18:30:00.005+01:00

I know this is not what you want to hear right now and we are still only in October but, if I don't say it now it will be too late. On my radio show for this Saturday (Natural Instinct on Bcradio.ie 2-3 pm) I have decided to talk about gadgets and Christmas presents...Urg! ...well yes, I suppose it is too early but I have trouble finding Eco friendly pressies and last year was the first time I tried. I did manage to get a Trevor Baylis radio online for me and the parents and in laws, which was a great success. A wind up radio with infra red torch and an ordinary torch. No batteries or mains required. Lovely. Happy days but, here I am again as I need to get ordering before everything is sold out and remember I need it delivered in time. Some shops do sell Eco friendly stuff but not many and I usually end up purchasing online. Ideally from within Ireland too if possible, and I was very disappointed when I realised the the Eco shop in Dublin had closed down. So back to work I went and found a few other shops, one in England and one in Ireland. I will leave the links below. So if your looking for a good stocking filler or even something a little more expensive read on ...........

H2O Maxi clock

Always handy is a little clock and this one is a trendy little thing. The H2O Maxi clock. Trés cool and runs on water and a squirt of lemon juice. Brilliant or what. You can get all types of styles of clocks like this so if this is too "hip" then check out the rest. I've also found this on eBay so don't buy the first one you see, you may get a better deal elsewhere.

Blue Sun Jar

I really like the Blue Sun Jar too as it is a lovely night light for indoor or outdoor use and is solar powered. Just leave it in a sunny spot and it will shine brightly for you at it night. You can switch it off altogether if you like and just power it up which is handy as we don't get a hell of a lot of sun here. Still I think it would be lovely for next years Garden party as the evening wears on and handy too if you have kids that need a little light left on at night. You can get this in blue or yellow.

Efergy Elite Electricity Monitor

Something a little more costly but overall worth it I think is the Efergy Elite Wireless Electricity Monitor. You can really keep track of how much energy is being used in the house and keep an eye on the bills before they even fall through the letterbox. I'd like one of these myself but will have to start saving as it's selling at €59.99 on www.gadgetireland.ie I still think it would be worth it over all.

For the kids there are always the wooden toys and puzzles for the younger ones but you can teach them about the environment and have a bit of fun too. I love the Duck and Frog shower tracker which can time the length of your shower. You can set it too so that an alarm goes off when your time is up. The kids will soon understand how precious water is and we will be paying for water here soon!

And not forgetting the adults....we know how long we can spend in the shower....

Efergy Shower Time

and this little beauty can tell you how much water you have used too!

Home made pressies.

There are so many great green gadgets and stocking fillers out there and it's always good to give something that is useful and wont just get left on the shelf. You can also make some great home made presents too, sweets and biscuits, jars of pickled foods and I love the idea that you could buy a lovely book and write in your own recipe and give it to a friend who simply loves cooking. Even more special if those recipe's are handed down from previous generations. So get thinking and see how green you can be this Christmas no matter where you are in world. Check out the links below and maybe you will impress others so much that they will become greener for next year.

Happy hunting!

Check out www.gadetireland.ie, http://www.thegreenstoreonline.co.uk and dont forget good old eBay

A Sweet Review...

2010-10-20T21:36:00.004+01:00

A cheerful and welcoming Dan Linehan

What an absolute delight to find this sweet shop up in Shandon in Cork. I met Dan Linehan today who owns this shop and it has been a family tradition for years. A once very busy area near the Butter Market and the Firkin Crane. Now a lot quieter but Dan is keeping the candle burning still. I mentioned in a previous page that we all need to support our local shops and markets and once again today I was reminded of the importance of this. How lovely to enter a shop where people are interested in how you are and what you have to say. How lovely is it that they want to tell you all about the history of their shop and its workings because they are so well crafted in what they do and are delighted to spend a few moments socialising with you. Yes they are salesmen and women but being interested in their customers is just as important. Many shops these days are polite and efficient but not too many even have the time to stop and spare you a minute. This is the sort of shop where you can almost step back in time. I have already decided that I will get a few jars of sweets as Christmas presents because the people they are planned for will instantly be reminded of their childhood in a very good way. Sweets are made in this store and so you know where the produce is coming from and Dan takes a swift look behind the counter as he serves me to check that everything is in good running order. If you live in the city of Cork then you really should go and investigate Linehan's.
Within walking distance so no car journey or costs, a lovely historical trail of buildings to see on the way and supporting your local shop. If you live outside of Cork I suggest you find your own little piece of heaven before it's too late and these little shops are lost forever and if anyone of you reading this abroad ever comes to Cork City in Ireland for a holiday then you must ask for directions or take a tour that will include Linehans.Sweets that are very well priced and you can buy your bag of Bruss (the bits of broken sweet that are left over) for 30cents. Its perfect.
All I can say is I'll be going back again so get a few bags of sweets ready for me Dan!

Wake Up America - Miley Cyrus - Eco-Friendly Song

2010-10-19T23:49:00.001+01:00

How about playing this for the kids?

Hubble Bubble toil and trouble....

2010-10-17T21:41:00.003+01:00

Not one of my better pictures thats for sure but what a great night we had last year for Halloween! I hadn't dressed up in years before this but I would highly recommend it. I couldn't get the green face paint off for days!!! But its that time again when the little ones are all excited and half terrified but love it at the same time and some of us grown ups are just as bad. So why am I writing about it here in this blog? Well we can do this with the environment in mind too and so I thought I would put a few pointers out for those of you who might be interested.

If you have little ones make sure you give them a bag that can be recycled. There are lots of plastic tubs that can be bought for Halloween trick or treating but its just another piece of plastic and be honest, are you really going to keep it safe for next year? You might find that sitting down with the kids for half an hour could do the trick. You might be able to decorate a cloth bag with some bits of fabric to personalise it and make it as scary or pretty as you like. Great for creativity and family time.

Kids do love the trick or treating and I am delighted to see the parents out with them keeping an eye on them. Its fairly straight forward in the town but if you live in the country and have to drive to complete the trick or treating process then maybe try car pooling. Less cars on the road and maybe the family whose kids you take out this year will do the driving next year.

Treats. If you are waiting for the kids to come to the door like me you will have a plethora of sweets and goodies mounting up by the door ready and waiting to fill their little bags. Half the time I buy too much in the hope that there is plenty left over for me. Still, all those sweets? Maybe we could throw in a small pack of crayons or pencils or something. If you are giving sweets try not to give too much wrapping so that there will be little rubbish and a little fruit is always appreciated, even if it is only by the parents who pay the dentist bills! Don't forget that kids may be allergic to some things that we wouldn't know about.

Decorating the house. This can easily be a fun family time and why not save a few bob and see if the kids can do a few scary drawings to hang up or make black and orange paper chains to hang up. Go the whole hog with a pumpkin lantern. You can make a pumpkin soup and even throw the waste and the lantern when its used into the compost.

The OUTFIT! Good lord the outfit. Sometimes it feels as though every celebration requires us to dress up to the nines and spend a pretty penny on it too. Well if you can and would like to then go for it but as you can see, my "get up" last year was pretty straight forward and I only bought face paints, a hat and a wig. Everything else was borrowed or saved from the back of my wardrobe. It was much more fun having to work out what I was going to put together rather than just buying it and I kept everything for this year so I only need to adjust it a little. Dont forget the bed sheet can be a ghost or toga or Lord knows what else. Well it only comes out once a year so I hardly need something new.

A taste of home...

2010-10-09T14:14:00.004+01:00

The English Market, Cork, Ireland

I have had a great week this week and as part of college our class went to look around the English market in Cork City. I go to my local market every Saturday unless I am away and love getting the fresh local produce. No travelling too far to do the weekly shop and even better, the food hasn't been travelling too far either! No preservatives or any nasties put into it. Just pure food, the way it should be. I must admit I never really go into the English Market when I am in the city but our trip really made me think twice. A market full of stalls containing fresh produce, butchers who know exactly where the meat comes from and prepare it from scratch unlike at supermarkets where with some products we probably cross our fingers and hope we are getting the best we can for our stomachs, but can never be too sure. Yes I know a lot of supermarkets are great and I'm not saying otherwise, just that knowing what farmer or farm the food comes from is a huge plus.

Saturday Farmers Market in Charleville, Co.Cork

Along with all of this healthy eating and local support, it brings us back to a time when we actually spoke to and got to know our local butcher, baker or candle stick maker! The people at the English Market really went out of their way to help and educate us about their products. It wasn't all about making a fast buck. Ultimately of course they are there to make a living but if you wanted to learn about some other type of fish that you haven't tried etc, some of them will even go as far as telling
you a great recipe to put together. How nice is that? The same thing happens at my local market but it's on a much smaller scale. Have you noticed how the little, farmers markets are cropping up everywhere? Maybe it's because of the recession and our interest in growing our own or supporting locals, but either way its a great thing and it helps the environment whether we know it or not. So the next time you are out shopping take a look around your local farmers market. You dont need to do the whole weeks shopping there but you might learn a thing or two, enjoy the fresh taste of local food and make a few friends while your at it. If you go to the English Market you will be adding your 10cents worth to its history too and helping to keep it going for generations to come.

Take a look at the Slow Food website too: Click Here

Watch this American documentary if you can get it, but it is long. Failing that watch the trailer attached. It could really open your eyes to what can happen if we allow others to think for us. Click Here

Winter Warmer Mmm..

2010-09-27T21:41:00.000+01:00

I have just made my favorite soup which really is a meal in itself. I love making this as it really is wholesome and good but what I also love about it is that there is no real waste. Because its all vegetables the only things that gets thrown away are the peelings an the other reason it's a winner is that it easy to make and I get 2 nights out of it (or one night if feeding four people). You need a blender though. So, although this is not a recipe blog, I thought I'd share this with you as not only will it make you feel good inside, it will make your Eco conscience feel warm and cosy too.
Get stuck into this winter warmer...

All you need is:
Blender
1 Butternut squash (believe me its divine)
Knob of butter
1 onion (I use red but it doesn't matter)
2 potatoes
1 big teaspoon of paprika (powder, probably near the herbs and spices in supermarket)
Vegetable stock ( I use 2 for extra flavor)
Teaspoon of chopped chives
Few tablespoons of cream (Optional)

The hardest thing to do here is peel the butternut squash as it's a toughy so carefully do this will a strong and sharp knife and then take out the centre with all the pips and pop into the compost bin. Dice up the squash & peel and dice the potatoes. Do all of the above first.

Chop the onion and heat in a large saucepan with the knob of butter until onions are soft.
Throw in the butternut squash and potato and cover with 2 pints (or just under) of boiling stock. Veg should be just about covered.
Pop the teaspoon of paprika and allow to boil over the heat/hob.
Once it is boiling turn down the heat and simmer for 35 mins. When it has cooled slightly, whiz it in the blender and reheat. Add some chopped chives (and cream if you want to be bold although it's not necessary) and serve.

Last but not least Enjoy!

"Mistakes? I've made a few, but then again..."

2010-09-26T23:11:00.000+01:00

....well perhaps not too few to mention but this is something that is going to happen along the way. You know, like when you go into a shop and see something that you really love, and without a thought, little old you goes and makes the purchase and leaves with a big satisfied grin on your face. Once your home and it's time to think about being the environments Green Friendly Giant, it dawns on you that you have made a big mistake and bought something like PVC leggings that cant be recycled or wont break down or whatever. Your heart drops and you wonder if you should give it or up and throw in the towel. Don't do it. I have made this mistake too and so have several others. The retail world does not always cater to our Eco friendly efforts and it can be tough to get it right sometimes. Here is my confession.

Do you remember those straps of plastic from the 80's that you would "braid" into a cool thing that merely attached to your key ring? Scoobies they're called now anyway. I went into a store the other day and saw them, and I remember a fondness I had for them when I was young (and couldn't braid the damn things to save my life) and in the name of childhood memories went and made the purchase. Even got as far as making the first braid before it dawned on me what I had done.
What in heavens name was I doing purchasing more plastic, and not only that, plastic that I blatantly don't need. Here I am writing a blog about being Eco friendly and now I'm doing the very opposite. I was more than disappointed with myself but, I can honestly say it wasn't meant and I didn't think "Nobody will know so it doesn't matter." It does matter but I'm not going to kick myself constantly everyday. I'm going to pick myself up and start again and hopefully having done this once I will be more aware next time.
So whats my message? Mistakes happen, we're human and when mistakes happen just try again. Isn't that what we were brought up with in school? If at first you dont succeed try, try and try again.

The Simple things

2010-09-19T19:55:00.000+01:00

It's September now and everyone is back to the usual work and school routine and thoughts of holiday's are put aside for the moment. Still my brain is working overtime with things that I can keep doing to make sure I am not wasting energy, money and time. I too am going to be back on course tomorrow as everyone is back to college I think. So for me I think that routine will need real organisation and discipline. The next few months will be a test as I am sure I will come in the door most evenings exhausted. Will I throw all my hard effort down the drain? I really hope not. So I remind myself that the little things I do will matter.
Dark evenings that arrive around 4.30pm over the coming weeks mean more lights on, and wintry days that continue through the night mean heating, hot dinners that use electricity and gas and ultimately more money!!! So what can I do to help myself and save a few pennies which will also help the environment? Lets see....

...turn off the lights when I leave a room
I can be as lazy as I can be organised. You know, just pop out of the room for "2 seconds". Leave the light on 'cos "I'll be back in a minute". Then something else comes to mind and I've gone for 10,15, or 20 minutes. I know it may seem like nothing but when I think of it "I'm paying for that!" If someone else was wasting my money I'd be quick enough to let them know about it so I really need to practice what I preach. Do the same with the TV too. Nothing worse than programmes being shown to Mr. Invisible. He certainly hasn't got a wage. If your not watching it, turn it off.

...Set the heating on a timer

I'm pretty sure most people do this. Whats the point of having the heating on when your not there. OK so I set mine on for about 15-30 minutes before I get in the door if I'm at work or college. Nice and warm when I get it in, good thinking. However, my times are going to change a little this year so I need to change the timer for each day if arrival times will be different. Again "I'm paying for that" so let's save the extra pennies to go toward a break or a treat next year. Spend 10 minutes figuring out the times you will need the heating on, set it and forget about it. Done! Probably for the whole winter too.

...Prepare dinner before hand

This will be a bit of a chore as I intend to get the potatoes peeled and carrots chopped and ready for the next day. Perfect house wife you say? No I'm not, I'm afraid. I'll need to do this as I will be coming back usually at the same time as my husband and if I am late or tired, ultimately this will help as I come in the door, bang on the gas rings and we're on our way. Surely this is just organisation and not necessarily being Eco friendly? Well I'm thinking that by thinking ahead towards dinner each week (as I plan to know what we will be having each night when I go shopping every week) and sorting out portion sizes (of course I wont always get it right) I am hoping to cut down on waste. If the portion is too big, cooked food gets thrown away and it cant go into the compost as it will attract rats! Also by deciding on what we are having in advance maybe I can make dinners that don't always need hours of cooking and using electricity. A good home made soup for four will do the 2 of us for 2 days and only requires a quick reheat. Good for when you just cant wait.

...Keep the washing machine to 30 degrees

I always wash at this temperature and never have any problems. Keep it as low as you can and have washing days that everyone knows about so that you dont have to put the machine on more than is needed.

...Extra Layers

I love being warm and snug and love the coal fire but keep it to a minimum. We tend to have a fire once a week or when the weather is particularly bad and we are staying put for the day. Makes it worth while. We found a fuel to burn which is basically logs of compacted sawdust and it is fine for burning and has no pollutants. The other great thing about this is that, provided thats all you've burnt, once it has burnt down to ashes, you can collect and save them for the garden. Popping it onto the the soil is really good for the plants. No waste here then. Success!! You can find these in some Super value, Centra or even your local market where I get a big bag full.

Snuggie

Still, it is best to burn as little as possible on the whole so if its cold and I am am home all day I dont want to have the heating on non stop. Simply put on some extra layers.

It doesn't cost anything and if you are on your own, who cares if you look like the Michelin man, your comfy. I got one of those Snuggies last year and they are just lovely. You can get them from Heatons in Ireland and a few other shops and an they are the business.

Also, just because winter is on the way it doesn't mean that we should all stay locked in. If it's dry then a good walk is going to keep you warm and fit and you can always treat yourself on the way if you pass a coffee shop! Well, Why not?

Most of these things will only take a second of my time so they will be at the top of my "To Do list". There are so many other things I can mention but lets not get inundated and then give up altogether because there is too much to remember. If I take things step by step, I'm fairly confident that I'll see results step by step too.

Back to the Nitty Gritty!

2010-09-13T18:55:00.001+01:00

Going back to my recycling post I mentioned getting used to what you throw away and becoming aware of different items that can be recycled. Still there is something else that can be done to reduce the amount of waste that gets thrown in the bin and can be a huge help to you. Composting! "Yuk!" I hear you say? No no, it really is easy so listen up. There are plenty of things that can be composted such as grass, newspaper, egg shells, all vegetable peelings, egg cartons (although I prefer to give mine back to the market for re-use) and citrus peelings (in moderation and these I find help to keep the flies away too). Lets face it I bet there's plenty in this short list that goes into the landfill isn't there? Why not compost it and then when the summer comes you wont need to buy the expensive compost.

"It's too smelly. It encourages rats and vermin. I cant be bothered..."

..are some of the usual reasons I hear for not composting. Really, none of these are true as I have found out.....

The composter I use is shared. Well as I mentioned before my garden is new and mostly lawn with a few wild flowers that need to be planted into the ground and I need to sort it out so, I share one with people that have a mature garden. If I ever want some compost I can have my share but I'm not adding to my normal bin so we all win. I do my share of looking after it though. The composter is a normal bought one that you see in garden centers or Lidl and Aldi from time to time like the picture above (right). I think it cost about €30 but you can easily make one from wooden pallets as above (left). I just chop up the waste into small pieces so that it breaks down faster and chuck it in at the top.

pop peelings into the compost

Every week or two you should turn the mixture with a garden fork to aerate it and this will really help it to break down. It isn't compulsory but if you want compost sooner rather than later I'd recommend doing it. I remember the first time I went to do that job. I was not looking forward to it. I admit I was imagining terrible things running out from it! I whacked the bin a bit with the fork to scare any monsters living inside and opened the lid. It was perfect. Nothing in there that shouldn't be and best of all no smell. Phew, what a relief and I found turning the mix with the garden fork strangely therapeutic. There wasn't even a fly and although I knew we had all put in a lot of waste, it reduces in size and now, after nearly a year of filling the bin it still isn't full. All I do most of the time is wait and hopefully by next spring I'll open the door at the bottom of my (oops i mean "our") bin for some lovely compost.

OK so things can go a bit awry if your not careful and here are a few pointers to remember:

Don't throw cooked food in as this will draw vermin.
Try to throw in as much cardboard and paper (brown waste) as peelings and grass (green waste) etc. If the mixture is soggy, it needs more brown and if too dry it needs green waste. You need to find a happy medium and wet mixtures will encourage flies but this is easily sorted as I just mentioned. (take a look at the PDF link at the bottom of this post)
Citrus peelings are fine and will help keep flies away but don't add too much as it's not good for the compost.
Get yourself a mini bin or large pot to put peelings etc into in the house so that you are not in and out to the compost heap every 5 minutes.
Keep your compost out in the garden quite far from the house and try to have it in a warm sunny spot as the heat will help the breakdown process.
Dont put in magazines of heavily printed paper, save that for the recycling centre.

I'll be your friend

If you live in an apartment or flat and want to compost well you can either share as I do or go for a "Wormery" which is a different method. However, rather than go into this other method now I'll chat about that again and give it a post of its own. I'm not the best when it comes to creepy crawlies but I am beginning to realise that they are so important to our compost and our garden. Worms should be praised from the hill tops I've learned, as they chomp through our garden waste improving the soil for our plants and if you see them in your compost then dance for joy. Yes actually dance because your doing things right.

Anyway back to the subject at hand. Your recycling all of your recyclables and now putting all of those peelings etc in the compost. Whats left for your landfill bin? Not a heck of a lot really and whats more if you pay by weight, well, you should start saving a few pennies shouldn't you? Surely that's enough to make you think isn't it?

For the home composting "Mini Guide" PDF printed from the Limerick Co. Council Click here. It doesn't matter where you live, composting is composting ..well it might be a bit different in the Arctic or Antarctic...I couldn't say!?

Mobile friendly or mobile trendy...

2010-09-05T21:02:00.005+01:00

Samsung S7550 Blue Earth

I must confess that for most of my life I have been a gadget girl and a mobile phone was top of the list for some years. It was my treat to myself and every 12 months when my phone was due an upgrade, off I went to the phone company I was contracted to and upgraded to something swanky with extras that could bring me tea in bed, clean the house and let me have conference calls, all at once whether I needed those extras or not. I paid quite a price for this unnecessary luxury of extras when I could have got something much cheaper which did everything I needed. "How did we manage without mobile phones" people always say. Lets be honest, we managed perfectly well until the late 90's when, as I recall, they seemed to shoot up everywhere. Still, I am one of those people and I really do think that mobile phones or cell phones (depending where you are) are quite important and productive. We see "the latest model" every year and we go through them so fast even though, 9 times out of 10, they are still functioning perfectly when we buy the next model. What a waste you might say? What a waste indeed!

Well I usually pass on my phones to someone who wants them and I don't bin them, not that that is really the answer though but at least it's being used. For the last few years I have tried to be less wasteful and a lot more sensible. (Jack and Jill will take all old mobiles in Ireland in any condition so please make sure you recycle them). But I can see that my phone is starting to veer toward retirement and the battery life slowing down so with that in mind I have been window shopping and was delighted to find my phone company of choice selling the Samsung S7550 otherwise known as the Blue Earth as shown above. It has a solar panel at the back to help charge it although you do also need to plug it in for faster charging, a built in pedometer called the Eco walk to track steps (which is a nice incentive to get you out and about) and and Eco mode to set the phone to save as much energy as possible.

It is also made from recycled bottles and the packaging is recycled too. The manual I believe is not enclosed but can be found online. Of course it does all manor of things that other phones do and probably makes the dinner as well but at least someone is thinking of the environment. So after seeing this little number I looked for other brands and found one or two but nothing more really and the others I believe are only in America or not as Eco friendly as they seem. I thought I would like to see this phone for myself so headed to the shops.
I was really disappointed to find that none of the shops had this phone or any Eco Phone in stock so I inquired why. Well at almost €300 for the Blue Earth, I understood instantly. "How Much!" People were not buying them and so they took them off the shelves and sent them back. This is no incentive for consumers who can buy a good phone for €50-€100 thank you very much. I can buy this online line for €169.00 at what is called a bargain! Well to be fair I know of people who have happily forked out €300 per phone but I wouldn't be one of them. Would I reach for €169.....I'm not entirely sure. If I won the lottery tomorrow than yes I would. I have read various reviews and most are very good with the expected one or two disappointed consumers. I could get it for free if I do a 12 month contract deal but I don't think that will save me money in the end.
I suppose I am disappointed that more companies aren't pushing Eco friendly phones. You know, more competition and all that and I think the government might push for them too. Everyone I know has a mobile phone but it seems that trend is winning over as it does most of the time and with economic difficulties still hanging around I cant blame people for not reaching into their pockets to do what is perhaps best for the environment if they'll need a second mortgage. I think it is better to leave you with a very good you tube link and you can decide for yourselves.

Click Here if you would like to learn about the Blue Earth phone.

Click Here to learn about Jack and Jill and recycling phones.

Love to know what you think or if you know of another Eco phone, so feel free to leave a comment

Growing my own

2010-09-02T20:28:00.001+01:00

"The Good Life", Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal

Have you ever watched The Good Life on the G.O.L.D. channel, which was a nice evening telly series created in the 70's for BBC 1 I think? The idea of a married couple giving up everything to have a life of self sufficiency intrigues me and watching them grow their own vegetables and practically running a mini farm in the back yard in "suburbia" with varying degrees of success (and hilarity too) makes me want to throw caution to the wind and join in! How simple it is made to look and how happy they are with their lot. Surely I could do the very same couldn't I?

Well, once I came back down to earth I realised that perhaps this project might be a little too much to take on in one go, not to mention that the neighbour's may finally believe I had lost the plot (of course I have but they don't need to know just yet). So I took on a much smaller project last March which consisted of tomato seeds, compost and hanging baskets. These little seedlings were sown in their bed and allowed to grow on the window sill and when things were a little cool they went for a little holiday in the hot press for a day or two until the warm sun returned. Watering them everyday and willing them to grow for me and not make me a total green fingered disaster. To my delight they began to grow and progressed to individual pots and then came the day when they went to college....or really the hanging baskets! By now they were like children and I had put basil into one pot and parsley into another to see how they would get on.

Happy days!

All summer I tended to them and I'm sure some neighbours must have thought I was growing some illegal substance at first, as they could not see the lovely colourful flowers that usually emerge from baskets. But flowers, although lovely, are not much use really and I felt tomatoes would be much more beneficial to me in the end, if it worked out of course. Well, you can imagine the delight when after the little flowers died I saw the first little tomatoes. All my effort seemed to have paid off and they grew quite large some of them. Still in mid August when everyone else seemed to have lovely red tomato's mine were determinedly green. A friend of mine said that although they were lovely and big and healthy looking, they may not come through and I may have to make ~Green tomato chutney.
Tragedy! It felt like an episode of ER or Casualty, such was the drama. I persevered for a few weeks longer and then last week when the summer nights were more like Autumn nights and I thought it was time to give up, there I saw the glimmer of red on one tomato. Sheer joy.
I've continued on with my watering can and tomato feed everyday or if that wasn't possible, certainly every other day and this evening I picked my first harvest. I took a few tomatoes over to my parents and have a few here for me (well, the hubby doesn't eat them). This is the first thing I have grown from scratch and I am very proud. Next year I will do the same although I hope to save a few seeds from the tomatoes this year and not have to purchase anymore. After all, you don't see mother nature popping into the garden centre- not our one anyway. Next year potatoes and some other easy growers I think. It doesn't really matter if they don't grow for some reason. It's been a joy trying and the satisfaction of "reaping the harvest" is out of this world. I dare you to give it a go.

There's a lot more where these came from.

Please send me a comment if you have grown something this year or do it every year or just let me know what you think about growing your own.

On yer bike!

2010-08-31T18:19:00.003+01:00

Cycling has to be one of my most enjoyable past times and, it seems, very trendy right now. I took it up again about 17 months ago having not cycled since I was a young teenager. I joined a local club too in order to meet a few more people and this way it is a social leisure cycle and I'm keeping fit without it feeling like a workout. I was in Berlin this summer and the amount of cyclists in that city was a real eye opener and I don't just mean during the day, there are as many cyclists biking their way through the city at 1am, 2am and so on! How wonderful to apply that lifestyle here in Ireland or any other country for that matter. I continued to ponder on that thought and realised that we have a lot to do to catch up with certain European towns and cities. Kids love their shiny new bikes from Santa or for their birthdays and wouldn't it be great to be able to go cycling safely as a family rather than having to drive to the nearest park so kids can cycle (as a single cyclist) in safety?

Get the essentials

It could be that you simply want to get back on the bike again and once again the question of "What kind of bike do I need" or "Where do I go to get started", crops up. You might have a bike hidden away in the garage that is still good enough to cycle but if not it is worth investing in one and although you can spend as much as you like on your new hobby, it doesn't have to cost the earth. The bike to work scheme is for anyone who wants to cycle to work (and a great money saver) and if its a long journey then you can drive some of the way and cycle the rest. I've just created the "Park and Cycle." Take your time and go to a recommended cycling shop. I believe in word of mouth. All you need is a bike and a helmet (don't scrimp on the helmet, trust me you need one) and that's it! Off you go!

The country side is a gorgeous place to enjoy the freedom and buzz of cycling. You can join a club but find out if they are a leisure or racing club. You don't want to pick the wrong one but simply going out with a few friends is the absolute tops. However in this country we need a little more support. We need safety and we need it in the form of cycling lanes.

Dublin has started the rent a bike scheme and I am determined to give that a try to see how effective and safe it is. The government totally applaud and promote this and then.....well,.. not a a lot for the rest of the country as yet. Do we have to wait several years before our towns and cities are included? It's time we took a stand. The government want less pollution in the air and they are looking toward Eco friendly cars which is great but HOW EXPENSIVE? The recession isn't quite over yet and cycling will take some cars off the road. I know it will happen eventually but patience is a virtue I don't really have and I would like to see it happen before I retire please (quite a long way to go there I assure you). So what am I going to do to improve things? I'm going to get involved with a group of people in a town near me and we will put our heads together and push for a change, not just sit around and moan about what we don't have but really try to make a change. Get cycle lanes so that people can cycle to work everyday if they want. Get enough bike parking racks so that people are easily encouraged to cycle. Ooh, look at all the money we'll save on fuel and as for the nation turning obese....Ha ha we'll laugh at the idea! Still, first things first, get yourself a bike and get going or even try borrowing a friends and see how you get on. This hobby is definitely a keeper.

Post a comment if you have improved your area with cycle paths and let me know what your thoughts are on the subject.

Kids training in Charleville, Co.Cork 2010

For information on the Bike to Work Scheme in Ireland click here
For a recommended cycle shop in South Limerick and near Cork border click here

The Right Bike

2010-08-31T18:15:00.005+01:00

It's essential that you get the right bike so, you need to know whether you want to go mountain biking, just cycle to work or do leisure tours. Your cycling shop should measure you for your bike. If it's not your size then it is dangerous. If your salesman is happy to let you buy any old bike just because you like the look of it and isn't interested in or doesn't know how to measure you for a bike, Run a mile! YOU MUST HAVE:

The right bike for the right type of cycling

and

It must fit you correctly

Word of mouth is a great advertisement.

Never cycle without a helmet, it could save your life!

2010-08-29T22:18:00.005+01:00

Where you do you start when you decide to go "Eco Friendly"? Difficult I know. You can start to think that there is so much to be done that, little old (or young) you couldn't possibly change the world and therefore give up before you start. Well I started when I found a book written by Feilim Harty called "Get rid of your Bin" and I was so inspired that that is exactly what I did. I took a long hard look at recycling and gave myself 6 months to try to recycle most of my rubbish (this was also when the next "Bin man" bill was due) and went for it. (As it happened I lost my job at the same time the bin man bill was due so that helped with the decision! ) I'm delighted. Now I recycle approximately 85-90% of my rubbish by taking it to the recycling bank myself. For €5 every 8-10 weeks I trek off to the recycling centre. Here is how to start:

Don't make an immediate changeover as it will seem too daunting and you will give up straight away.
Become aware of what you throw away.
Separate as you go. Have a different bin for paper, plastic, cardboard etc.
When your bins are full, empty them into bin bags and put them in the shed and start again. You want to fill your car full to the brim to get the best value for your money.
If you have a lot of waste that can't be recycled then share a bin with your neighbour or family member. My parents let me use their bin as I have so little it's hardly noticeable (Thanks mum and dad).
If your at the early stage and thinking of whether to make the change or not, then also think of composting- I'll talk about this another time.

I'm not saying that bin collectors should be avoided, many do a great job and the company we used were really good. It was just the right thing for us to do and I know exactly where my rubbish goes.

If anyone has any suggestions or has tried something else let me know. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Remember I'm still learning myself.

Recycling Tips

2010-08-29T22:17:00.001+01:00

Recycling should save you money as well as caring about the environment. You dont need to buy fancy recycling bins to separate your rubbish (unless you want to of course). You can use cardboard boxes stacked one on top of the other and labelled, like I do (sorry mum-she has great style and taste you know). If they fall apart after a bit then they can go into the compost. Hey presto!

Feed the Birds

2010-08-28T14:21:00.007+01:00

Who are you looking at?

I absolutely love feeding the birds and do it every winter. Some people say you can feed them throughout the summer which will give them the extra energy to hunt for their young and others say they should fend for themselves. I don't know, but today I decided it was time to get out the peanuts and fat balls and remind them that there is always a place here for them to stuff their little feathery faces! My parents live in the country and while I was there today I put the food out and waited...

...It wasn't long before a robin with a nice round belly popped onto the fat ball. These hardy little fellows are very territorial and brave and he (or she) wasn't too bothered about my presence as I got closer to take a few photo's. I find that the birds usually feed around first light and about an hour or so before dusk and watching them never gets boring.
A few years ago I put up some little bird houses around the my parents garden among the trees (as they have several trees and I have one scrawny one). I don't think the birds have used them but they are there for them if they want and I don't charge rent. The one below only cost €2-3 and has lasted a few years. It also looks quite natural which I like but I haven't seen theses for quite a while.

The birds keep the slugs and snails down to a minimum and so get a free bed for the night if they want it and give me hours of pleasure just watching them enjoy the feast. Seeds, peanuts and fat balls should be available now at hardware stores or pet stores if you want to give a try. It may take a few weeks for the birds to come if you have never done it before but I'd be very surprised if you aren't glad you did it.

I hope to try and make some bird recipe's at home some time, I'll let you know how it goes.

Labels: wildlife,birds

2010-08-27T21:07:00.004+01:00

Keeping Buzy

I've spent a lot of time this summer trying to get my garden sorted. We live on a housing estate and haven't touched the garden since we moved in. I knew I wanted as many wild flowers as possible, something that will attract the insects, bees and butterflies that I would like. At a festival recently I was told that a certain type of honey bee are a dying breed, and so I thought I would try to help them along...I have a lovely pot of lavender outside my front door and they seem to love this. Whenever I go outside this summer there is a gentle buzzing and unlike wasps I am never wary of them as I know they just want to be left alone to get on with their work. I made friends with a lovely lady this year who is really green fingered and she has given me some lovely plants to help me on my way. I popped out today to take a look at how my garden is getting on and here are some photo's...

Another day at the office.

Too good to miss

I do believe that's another type of bee, all in a days work.