Hine Taiao

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike!

2011-09-23T19:29:00.000+12:00

MOVING PLANET: Something big this way comes

THERE IS JUST ONE more sleep to go til a huge event taking place all over the world. Tomorrow is the International Day of Action Against Climate Change organised by 350.

I am excited about tomorrow's Moving Planet event in Auckland from 11am to 4pm when I will take part in the local part of a global protest letting our Government know that we want them to get their act together on moving away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy.

For the Auckland event, Cycle Action Auckland and Frocks on Bikes have organised a big family-friendly bike ride around central Auckland. Meet at 11am at Wynyard Quarter playground where there will be a limited number of bikes available to borrow for the right courtesy of Nextbikes. Then we'll travel up to QEII Square in Queen Street (opposite Britomart) by 1pm to join in the people-powered parade up Queen St to Albert Park.

Cyclists, walkers, skateboarder, rollerskaters and more from around the city will parade together up Queen St with signs and banners calling for action to address climate change by moving New Zealand beyond fossil fuels.

The action will culminate with a vegetarian sausage sizzle at Albert Park at 2pm. If you miss the parade you're welcome to join the festivities at any stage. For all parts of the day, the organisers are challenging us to come dressed up as your favourite fossil fuel alternative. Let's create a visual spectacle of human wind turbines, etc. Or keep it simple and decorate yourself with the unifying symbol for the worldwide Moving Planet day: arrows to symbolise moving away from fossil fuels.
I look forward to seeing thousands of New Zealanders there so take a break from the rugby and come show your support for moving New Zealand beyond fossil fuels - make your voice heard!

AUGUST PLASTIC TALLY - 8 ITEMS

But moving on from that for now. I haven't blogged in awhile and I know it's nearly the end of September. So for a bit of an aside from Moving Planet. Here is my August plastic tally. I'm managing to do OK with shrinking my monthly plastic tally but there is so much room for improvment in my attempts to live with less plastic. I'll upload a photo soon but right now the internet cafe computer I'm in is being a jerk and won't let me do stuff. So for now image to come.

PRODUCT REVIEW: Earth Wise laundry powder

2011-08-03T21:52:00.005+12:00

I BOUGHT a new brand "eco" laundry detergent recently, it was on special at the supermarket (2 for $10) and cheaper than my normal preferred brand Next Generation, which has no, as in ZERO, plastic including the scoop which is cardboard. This brand appeared to be the same too so I thought I would give it a go. It appeared to tick or the right boxes: Made in NZ, CHECK. Free of phosphate, nitrate, chlorine AND ammonia, CHECK. Fragance free, CHECK and also good for my sensitive skin.

Not to mention they are also donating 10c from every box purchased to the Red Cross Christchurch Earthquake appeal. So I' m also supporting a local charity.

But then I opened the box.

Nothing on the outside box labelling prepared me for what I found inside. And interior plastic bag for the powder and a plastic scoop. FAIL.

VERDICT:

Top marks for a quality product, bonus for being made in New Zealand and relatively environmentally conscious.
FAIL on packaging. After I finish using what I've already bought I will definately be switching back to Next Generation.

CONSUMER ACTIVISM

I also decided to not just blog about it my feelings on this here but to tell someone who cares and who could, possibly, change things. I wrote a letter to Earthwise. If you would also like to write a letter to them here is a link to the contact page on their website. The more of us that write in about something the more likely they are going to change it. This is what I am calling "consumer activism".

I will also post a copy of my email to Earthwise at the end of this blog and I will update you with their reply when I here back from them. This is the first time I have done this so it will be interesting to see how they respond.

To Whom it May Concern,

I recently purchased Earthwise laundry powder for the first time, digressing from my usual brand because it was on special at the supermarket that week. What first attracted me to your particular brand (other than the special) was that you appear to be an ethical and environmentally friendly company. For this, congratulations for providing myself and other consumers with a New Zealand made and environmentally conscious option.

However, when I opened the box I was disappointed to find a plastic interior bag for the powder and plastic scoop. I think you could become even more "green" if you ditched the interior plastic bag and replaced the plastic scoop for one made from a more sustainable and biodegradable material such as cardboard. Especially considering plastic is not truly recyclable. Yes it can be downcycled into other products, but eventually all plastic ever made still ends up in the landfill or worse, in the ocean becoming a hazard to marine life.

I will also be posting a copy of this letter on my blog. I am sure my readers will be interested in your reply, as would I.

I look forward to your reply on this issue.

Yours sincerely,

Marino Harker-Smith
http://taiao.blogspot.com
Auckland, New Zealand

July plastic tally - 7 items

2011-08-03T21:20:00.003+12:00

MAYBE I am finally getting the hang of refusing plastic. Maybe this was a lucky/successful month. But I'm pretty darn proud of myself that I managed to only collect 7 items of plastic this month. Time to up the anti I think and start getting serious about campaigning for a shift in consciousness by the public away from plastic. I'm going to start writing letters to companies (something I have previously shied away from) and actively campaigning for the world to ditch plastic for our future and for the future of Tangaroa's children.

Anyway, for now here is my annotated plastic tally for July 2011:

seedling pot - I've started a wee edible garden on our wee apartment balcony. I bought some silverbeet seedlings to start it off faster (which unnaturally came in a plastic pot). I have also planted nastutium seeds and parsley which are just starting to sprout now
straw - I was too slow to refuse, and the hospo worker was also too quick to automatically place the straw into my glass
soymilk lid - from cardboard soymilk container. I hardly have milk of any kind and since there are no 100% plastic-free options I am justifying this as an OK occasional treat
condiment container and lid - Burger Fuel has temporarily brought back beer battered chips again and you just can't have chips without aioli. Unasshamedly, I gave in to temptation and this is the non-biodegradable result. The shame!
LUSH sample pot and lid - I was given this sample of one of their cleansers when I bought some plastic-free soap and shampoo bars several months ago and it's so good and efficient that I only ran out a couple of weeks ago.

Challenges to the Plastic-Free Challenge

2011-07-23T17:22:00.005+12:00

AS you know already I have recently moved to the opposite side of the island, from the small village-like community city of Wellington to the sprawling metropolitan of Auckland - New Zealand's biggest city with about 2million people (half the population of the WHOLE country. And have started a new job up here.

One of the challenges at work is becoming desensitised to the amount of plastic we use at work everyday that are often taken for granted. Things like:

pens - plastic and disposable;

courier envelopes - I'm often sending things out to media in these such as company merchandise and programme screeners;

DVDs - to send screeners of programmes for reviewers to preview/review shows

Don't get me wrong the company is making efforts in some places. We have plenty of recycling bins located in convient places like the kitchen (for milk bottles, plastic containers) and near the photocopier, and staff have the option of having a bin for waste paper next to their desks. We have also just switched to a environmentally-friendly cleaning company - I'm not exactly sure what that means but understand that they use "green" cleaning productss. Most staff when wanting to go to external appointments, say to meet a client, have access to taxi-chits rather than taking their own car and the company we deal with (Auckland Co-op) does have a generous fleet of hybrid vehicles.

While there is still a way to go and I think a bit of a mental shift needed, the company I work for are heading in the right direction.

Meanwhile, I know it's nearly the end of July now but now that I finally have access to a computer with internet here (on the LEFT) is my JUNE plastic tally and on the right, since I'm at my halfway point is my place to date THIS YEAR:

As you can see, the shoe box is starting to get a bit cramped, but I think I'm starting to balance out with my monthly tallies - only 10 items this month. Usual suspects include confectionary wrappers, plastic window envelope, medication blister packs. There's also a plastic wrap from padlock I got for when I joined the gym and an ice cream scoop from Movenpick - I didn't realise they were going to give me one of these as it was the first (and last) time I bought a ridiculously overpriced ice cream from that shop. Give me Rush Munro's any day!

May Plastic tally - only 6 items WTF!!

2011-06-01T20:38:00.004+12:00

OFFICIALLY my smallest monthly plastic tally on record. Either I'm finally getting the hang of this or I'm just getting lazy about collecting and declaring all the plastic I use (I suspect it's probably the latter, the skeptical me says) but the eternal optimist be is giving herself a huge pat on the pack!

Now that I've managed to get it so low though I think I need to up the ante on reducing/refusing plastic. Like even to the point of avoiding tinned food and drinks in aluminium cans due to the BPA plastic lining of them - something I have been kinda ignoring (and just chucking in the recycling) but probably should face up to now that I'm down to this low for ONE WHOLE MONTH. And not even halfway into the year either. =D

Now down to the nitty gritty details:

May plastic - 6 items

1 straw - only once did I forget to refuse or not tell the bartender in time

toothpaste lid - the tube is aluminium so minimal plastic on this Weleda toothpaste

Expired car registration label - unavoidable as this is a compulsory purchase required by law, as long as I have a car that is

Plaster and two pieces of plastic backing - an0ther blister. I really should change to the fabric variety eventually.

March-April combined 2 months of plastic!! ~43 items~

2011-05-30T18:24:00.005+12:00

AROHAMAI for the lack of postings lately. Betweent moving cities, starting a new career, and moving again (into new apartment) and not to mention my laptop breaking. I have been pretty flat out busy. Although I have been meaning to post for ages now the time just comes and goes and before I knew it nearly three months have passed without an update.

So bear in mind while this tally of acquired plastic may seem alot it is TWO months worth, so still really on a par as previous months working out to 21.5 for each of March and April. But lo and behold here it is:

March-April plastic tally - 43 items

2 plastic-windowed envelopes - I still keep receiving these even though most of my bills are now emailled. With things like credit card statements my bank insists on sending out in the post.

5 pill blister packs - prescription and paracetemol when I had an infected toenail.

2 expired cards - Eftpos and community services.

1 beer bottle cap - usually I order tap beer from the bar, but obviously not this time.

3 straws and 1 straw wrapper - in two cases I was just too slow to refuse the straw and in the other, the drink was brought by someone else for me who was not aware that I was refusing plastic.

7 random pieces or plastic wrapping - I have no idea!

1 plastic case from natural sea sponge - WTF! This company just counteracted its environmentally-friendly act by packaging its biodegradable product in PLASTIC. I have seen them sold loose at a certain pharmacy in my home town (RAY LYALLS CHEMIST, WAIROA), so it can be d0ne. I might have to top up when I go home this weekend as they make nice natural make-up sponges.

11 plaster backings - I had issues with blisters due to new shoes recently and also an infected ingrown toenail.

3 clothing tags - new job, new clothes. Though I do try to buy second hand and good quality clothes that will last forever and won't go out of fashion.

1 broken coathanger - :( I have since invested in some sturdy wooden coathangers with fire hooks. About $10 for 5 at The Warewhare.

1 pottle and lid from lip balm - the acne meds I just finished taking made my lips really dry so I went through quite a lot of this.

1 pill bottle and lid - antibiotics from the aforementioned infected toe.

UPCOMING EVENTS AROUND THE COUNTRY:
(If you have any environmental themed or crafty events coming up that you would like to mention in this new feature on my blog please send an email to hinetaiao@gmail.com)

HandMade Wellington 2011 -Queen's Birthday (3-6 June) weekend, Te Papa National Museum, Wellington

National Bee Week - 30 May to 3 June plant some bee friendly flowers in your garden, on your balcony if you're an apartment dweller like myself, and just do your bit to help save the bees. And those of you that can afford to and who live in Auckland, attend this fundraising dinner at Vinnies Restaurant in Herne Bay to raise money for the WildLife Bee Rescue Fund on June 8. For $120 you get a four course honey inspired menu specially created by the chef and owner Geoff Scott, matching wines, fascinating speakers and an auction of bee-themed goodies.

Changes...

2011-03-31T22:18:00.001+13:00

IT HAS been awhile since my last post and a lot has changed since then and all so quickly. Not only am I no longer a student, but I got a new job working in television and moved cities. But I'm getting ahead of myself. To cut a long story short, about three weeks ago I managed to score my dream job working as the publicist for Maori Television. Since the station is based in Auckland I also moved up here from Wellington and started work last Friday.

So currently I'm staying with an aunt in town and on the flat hunt with a friend - hopefully this won't last too long and I will find a nice place sooner rather than later - and not to mention trying to keep on top of my plastic consumption! Since I have a knack for losing things and have already misplaced my razor on the way up I have already acquired more disposable plastic. You see I still have the cartridges from my old razor so thought I would buy the same model so they didn't go to waste - otherwise I might have gone an got one of thos Preserve razors made from recycled yoghurt cups. Below is a picture of my new razor which, as you can see, comes with quite a bit of useless plastic which will be going in my March tally which I will post about tomorrow.

In other news...

I am so excited to be going to see Usher in concert next Tuesday, and also Trey Songz! My first major concert ever that hasn't been a festival. It is also by birthday this day so a double bonus!!

YEAR 2: February plastic tally - 23 items

2011-03-09T16:42:00.003+13:00

I SEEM to be on a par for the couple of month's with my plasic tally for February with 23 items again. And looking at what it consists of - mostly incidental or "old" plastic it does not seem so bad. So anywho, you have seen the picture now here is the detailed list of last month's tally:

4 prescription pill blister packs - only one and a half month's left for this (Oratane) and hopefully clear skin for me forever after!
Lid/roller ball - from deodourant (the bottle itself was glass). I have since switched back to the Lush solid bar's (Aramaco and T-ed).
2 plastic window envelopes - unavoidable really as I just reinsured my car and was sent insurance papers. Would've thought the Green Party might have been a bit more "green" about their mailouts though - weird that they're sending me mail though since I'm not a member of there's or any other political party.
1 ball point pen - the only reason there aren't more of these is because I keep osing them. Refilliable ink pens aren't an option as, being left-handed, the ink all ends upon my hand and smudges the paper. And pencils aren't much better - usually rubbed out and illegible.
8 random bits of plastic - from ne clothese etc. One's from an umbrella I bought at Te Matatini kapa haka festival when it started raining and I was totally not prepared.
Cannister and lid from lip balm - the Oratane has been making my lips incredibly dry and chapped and I have been going through shitloads. The only reason there is not more of this is again, my talent for losing things.
Plastic shrink wrap - packaging from Windows 7 software upgrade for my laptop. I don't know how I could have got out of this one. I probably could have downloaded it and paid by credit card but I don't really trust downloads and didn't have internet access at the time.
One razor cartridge plus used razor - during the winter I don't bother to shave my legs too much since I'm usually wearing tights or long pants but in the summer I tend to go through a lot more. Thankfully at least the box the refills come in a cardboard box so the plastic is minimal.
Broken bra - the underwire came out of this bra which is made out of polyamide fabric which I believe is man-made, baiscally oil-based which means "plastic" hence I've added it to my tally. In a future post I will investigate the options, if any but surely there are, for nice looking natural fibre bra and undies.

YEAR 2: January 2011 plastic tally – 24 items

2011-02-09T18:48:00.006+13:00

Only one month gone for 2011 and already my plastic box has got a lot of items in it – 24 for January! Looks like I really need to get over this post Christmas/New Yar lull and get back into being strict. Anyhoo here are the break down of my January 2011 plastic tally:

1 plastic food container – number 1 grade but could possibly be bio-plastic (says PLIX) so don't know if I should put in recycling as I've heard that bio-plastics can contaminate the recycling process. This was from a takeaway package at local cafe, normally they have paper containers but didn't realise that they also have these as well until it was too late.

1 sticker backing – send by SAFE

4 blister pill backs – three from prescription pills and one from pain killers

12 beer/ginger beer caps – the lining is plastic. Will have to try harder to find a completely plastic-free beer, after I finish FebFast ofcourse. It was the holidays OK.

Empty dental floss container – last of the old, have started using EcoDent which has MUCH less plastic packaging

1 straw – too slow to refuse

1 plastic coffee lid – I don't even have an excuse

1 plastic tape from new jeans – this is one of the few things I will not buy second hand. The main reason being that second hand one's just don't fit right, but I'm also very particular about how they sit on my waist (not too high/not too low) and because I'm tall I need a pair with long legs and they just don't have tall girl jeans at the Sallies. Just Jeans on the other hand do.

Old make-up sponge – I'm pretty sure it is synthetic, probably plastic, so including it in my tally. I have since found a plastic-free natural alternative to this. I'm very happy about this, =D
Courier pack – from the SAFE Cruelty Free Shop. I asked them to send plastic-free, they told me they would, then my order turned up in this bag. I'll just add it to my envelope collection for reusing.

FebFast update

Got through my first event without drinking alcohol. I went to a cousin's wedding in Whangarei last weekend. Alcohol was in plentiful supply for free – this F-word is a weakness of mine – but alas I stayed true to the kaupapa (cause) and stuck to the non-alcohol punch, coke and lemonade.

FebFast: Taking a break from the booze

2011-01-27T22:22:00.004+13:00

IN THE lead up to starting back at Uni at the end of next month and as a post holiday detox, I've decided to take a break from alcohol for a while and just signed up for FebFast today. I'm pushing pause on my alcohol consumption for the month of February. That's 28 days alcohol free. It's kinda like the 40hour famine for grown ups - but obviously longer than 40hours, just a wee bit.

Not only will there no doubt be health benefits from this it will also mean no plastic lined beer caps in my February tally - there are already a few in January's bag. BUT, this is also for a cause. And you can help me out with the cause by sponsoring me.

Why FebFast 2011?

It is about pressing pause on you're alcohol consumption for the month of February. Partipants are sponsored for taking part (like the 40 hour famine) and funds raised go towards
various organisations that help out young New Zealander's with alcohol and drug problems. Some of the organisations your donations to Odyssey House's Amplify! youth intervention programme, St John of God Waipuna Youth and Community Trust, and He Toa Taumata - Growing Champions.

So to sponsor me in this challenge and donate towards helping youth with substance abuse problems please click on the sponsor me link in the side bar of my blog and at the bottom of this post:

Running for the fish and coast

2011-01-17T17:07:00.007+13:00

I wrote this story for the Wairoa Star today and thought it might be interesting to Hine Taiao readers since it covers the issues of marine pollution and unsustainable fishing:

AFTER travelling the world and seeing the golbal affects of unsustainable fisheries and plastics pollution, Alex Asher has made it his mission to raise awareness with new Zealander's this summer.

"I've seen the affects of plastic pollution and unsustainable fishing practices and I wanted to see what i could do to help protect our coastline here," he said.

On December 1 he embarked on an "adventure" to run the entire eastern coastline of the North Island from Cape Reinga to Wellington.

He reached Mahia today and is due in Wairoa tomorrow. Running 40-kilometres per day, six days a week, the 26-year-old from North Shore expects to complete the 2400km journey in Wellington on February 5.

Not even a seriously inflamed shin tendon in his second week of running could deter him from his cause. The injury prevented Asher from walking for several days, but instead of dwelling on the scenario, he instead turned to the water - swimming all 26km of Bream Bay in Northland until he was able to get back on his feet.

During the run Asher hopes to raise $5 per km, 0r $12,000 total, for Forest and Bird and Sustainable Coastlines. He is advocating Forest and Bird's Best Fish Guide which outlines a list of the most sustainably managed species and those to avoid due to overfishing or unsustainable methods. Sustainable Coastlines is a reasonably new charity focused on actively cleaning up the New Zealand coast and motivating communities to keep them that way.

"I hope to clean up what I can and inspire others around the country to be proactive in picking up rubbish that lands on our coastlines," he said.

He quotes Joni Mitchell's "Pave Paradise" for the main message of his Cape to Strait Run. "You don't know what you've got till it's gone... Let's take care of what we have today," said Asher.

Although he has only been running for just over a month, Aher already has a significant fan base with more than 300 people frollowing his journey on Facebook.

Asher's decision to do this mission began towards the end of last year when he returned to New Zealand in September. He had worked in Germany for a year before travelling to places such as Mexico and India - which opened heis eyes to the coastal pollution issues there.

"I decided near the end of last year that I not only wanted to embark on an
adventure, but wanted to promote a cause I am passionate about - protecting our
coastlines and oceans from unsustainable fishing and plastic pollution." - Asher

He has always been passionate about the environment and his concerns about unsustainable fishing practices grew the more he investigated the issue.

"The more I found out the more shocked I was. Two major problems with fishing practices in New Zealand are bottom trawling and dredging which devastates the habitat of the very fish we are trying to catch."

He said there was a need to create more inshore marine reserves as we could not keep "scraping our coastlines bare every summer" - it was illogical.

"My concern about plastic has grown from travelling in countries such as
India and Mexico where they are really struggling to grapple with the issues of
littering and rubbish washing up on their beaches. It's a serious problem when
you stumble across a deserted beach full of rubbish."

Some of the highlights of Asher's journey include rescuing a distress gannet from a fishing line at Great Exhibition bay and watching it "soar off into the blue ocean". He also learned bone carving from Jon Moke at Ruatoria, who also provided Asher and his support crew with a place to stay there.

"I'm constantly being shown true generosity and hospitality by New Zealanders down the county, expecially from local Maori communities and campsite owners."

People can follow Mr Asher's journey on the project's website - Cape2Strait - or subscribe to his Twitter or Facebook feeds.

December plastic tally & wrapping up Year 1

2011-01-08T12:05:00.002+13:00

SOOO my first year of ditching plastic for Tangaroa's children is officially over eight days ago. While I got a bit lazy with the challenge in the last couple of months - due to a couple of accommodation and transport issues as well as a busy end of year schedule - I have had my ups and downs and learned a lot on the way.

The main changes I've made this year are as follows:

Oral health - Using the biodegradable Environmental Toothbrush made from bamboo, EcoDent vegan floss, baking soda as toothpaste and mouthrinse, and Weleda toothpaste in aluminium tube (with plastic lid)
Drinks - I'm getting better at refusing straws, and try to remember my take-out mug when I get coffee or go without. I still need to find a beer that is completely plastic free (including the cap) though I am starting to embrace (not literally lol) natural cork wine bottles. Oh and I use a glass bottle for water during the day
Clothing - Found a pair of plastic-free stockings to keep my legs warm during the cold Wellington winter.
Personal hygiene - Lush deodourant bars, or other deodourants that come in a glass bottle with plastic lid and roller; Natracare organic cotton tampons (biodegradable)
Food - Have stopped buying tinned food and gone for glass jars instead because of BPA; am trying not to buy takeaways except for fish and chips (paper); and cooking from scratch where possible; even take my own bags to supermarket and farmers' market; and I buy in bulk where possible
Baking soda - is my friend for virtually all things cleaning
Knitting - I have stopped using acrylic and manmade yarns due to the petroleum/plastic ingredients and have switched to natural fibres, also wooden or aluminium needles.

When you put it that way it seems like a lot. But I know there is a lot more I can do to improve, just check out San Francisco's Beth Terry's My Plastic-Free Life website for more inspiration for living plastic-free and the extremes she goes to. That women truly is an inspiration. Another inspirational plastic-free warrior worth mentioning is Canadian Taina Uitto, with her blog Plastic Manners. She started her year without plastic at the same time as me - at the start of 2010 - yet has achieved SO MUCH MORE. Learn how to take part in her REFUSE! challenge.

My future challenges - where to from here?

Now that one year is over, I am not going to merely go back to my old ways. I don't think I could if I wanted to anyway. But I think I will up the ante on my plastic-freeness this year. Instead of only collecting incidental plastics monthly I'm still going to do monthly tallies but I will try to keep my plastic for the whole year confined to no more than can fit in a shoe box. There you have it -that's my goal for 2011!

But meanwhile, here's my December 2010 plastic tally - 15 items (0.2Ib)

3 bags of plastic from individually wrapped candy canes - I used these to make Candy Cane Sugar Scrub to go in my pressy parcels for Christmas. I couldn't find any that weren't packaged like this
1 plastic case from body shop Christmas pressy - a bit of a pain but I understand the Body Shop has a take back policy on its product packaging if you have no recycling facilities available locally
1 tube of toothpaste - freebie from dentist stepmum and dad's business. will go back to Weleda and baking soda now.
3 prescription pill blister packs - Oratane, only a couple more months to go
1 tape from back of new jeans
1 drink lid from Maccas (McDonalds)
5 beer bottle caps (steel cap with plastic lining) - not bad considering it was the festive season.

Last minute Christmas ideas

2010-12-22T17:30:00.002+13:00

IF anyone else is like me and leave all your Christmas present shopping and making then you are probably also stressed right now. Every day this week I have been sending parcels to people - although not as many this year.

So while I've got a wee break from the busy festivities I thought I'd make mention of a few quick homemade gift ideas from ingredients that can easily be bought from the supermarket or you may already have in the pantry.

Last year Crunchy Chicken's Candy Cane Sugar Scrub was a hit. A batch of homebaked biscuits also always goes down well. Never underestimate the power of the Edmonds Cookbook. Shortbread is a simple recipe and slightly Christmas themed. And if you're talented, fruit cakes are great - especially for sending overseas (but it's probably a bit late for that now anyway.

If you're a really fast knitter there are loads of quick knit patterns at Ravelry - it's free to join - including this easy cotton dish cloth. It knits up really fast and only uses garter stitch. I've made them as face cloths which would be great as an exfoliating cloth due to the stitch.

Other than that. Have a happy Christmas and New Year. Without sounding too preachy, don't forget the mantra - refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle in that order.

November tally - 27 items

2010-12-15T21:16:00.002+13:00

APOLOGIES for the irregular blogging lately. Inbetween finishing Uni for the year, moving back to Wairoa for the summer, starting a summer job, getting ready for my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary (last weekend), and last minute Christmas presents I have been just a tiny bit busy.

But alas, here is my plastic tally for November even though it is halfway through December now meaning only a couple of weeks left of the first year. I was a little better than the previous month though with a total of: - 27 items of plastic.

Unfortunately I don't have a photo this month but here is the list (and my sad pathetic excuses for some of the items anyway, sadly I have been a bit lazy this past month):

7 prescription bill blister backs
1 plastic window envelope - They seem to just keep coming even though I've changed MOST of my bills to electronic now
1 shaving razor - only the second time this year I've had to change it, so definately a reduction there
1 beer bottle cap - metal lid with plastic lining, will have to find one that's completely plastic free
straw - too slow to refuse
1 plastic case from free lip gloss
2 plastic (silicone?) straps cut off from dress - actually old plastic as I've had the dress for awhile, the straps were just pointless and getting annoying
4 clothes tag pin things
2 stickers with tape from new clothing
1 plastic bag from new laundry bag - free with a couple of new bras I got last month, was too slack to refuse
3 plant pots and 3 plant labels - bought some eggplant seedlings to plant, was too late to sow from seed.

All of the list is pretty much incidental except for the plastic bag, straw, and lip gloss, which could have been refused with a bit more will power. Also maybe the beer bottle cap too must try harder to find one that's completely plastic-free.

WEEK 43: October plastic tally - 31 items

2010-11-12T13:44:00.002+13:00

IT'S been a couple of weeks since my last post and November's halfway over but nevertheless, here is my plastic tally for October. Between finishing university for the year, moving out of my term flat and back to sunny Hawke's Bay for the summer I haven't had much time to blog. The moving flats part has probably accounted for a higher than normal tally as I started the pre-move declutter which resulted in the discovery of plastic trash such as the envelopes with plastic windows stashed around my dorm room.

Total for October 2010 - 31 items

7 plastic window envelopes
1 styrofoam meat tray - I have since got up the courage to take my own container into the butcher in Kelburn. I don't eat meat much anyway. But turns out this particular Wellington butcher very supportive of my request and even told me that quite a few of his customers (some from the other side of the city) often brought their own meat containers.
1 cling film - from meat tray + plastic price sticker
1 meat pie wrapper
9 pill blister packs - from prescription for Iron supplements and Oratane (acne meds which are only for six months but a shit load of plastic. Don't know why they don't just count the pills out into a bottle like with antibiotics.)
1 coffee cup lid
1 ginger beer bottle cap - it came in a glass bottle with steel cap, then I realised the lining was plastic
1 name tag badge - end of year volunteers function at Uni, forgot to return it before I left (was possibly a bit tipsy from the free wine)
1 finiky bit of plastic - broke off my sunscreen bottle. Living in New Zealand and being fair-skinned, sun-protection is something I can't afford to lax on, especially since I started the Oratane meds
1 nasal spray bottle and lid - from Alanase I got ages ago in winter. Might have to try and track down one of Fake Plastic Fish's Netti Pots for a plastic-free blocked nose solution
2 broken forks
2 candy bar wrappers - the sweet tooth strikes again
1 price tag from new organic cotton tights
1 plastic packing shell from new miniSD car for cellphone - FlyBuys reward, had some points expiring and have been thinking about getting a memory card for my phone for awhile
1 empty skin balm sample pack - gift

WEEK 41: Plastic-free pantyhose

2010-10-29T17:02:00.005+13:00

THIS week's post is a bit late, considering it's halfway through week 42 now but oh the wells. But I have some good news for all you eco-conscious Kiwi's out there who still like to wear stockings but can't find any that aren't wrapped in plastic. Yesterday, while shopping in the hosiery deparment at Kirk's I came across these (pictured) ecostyle organic cotton opaque tights. I bought the cable rib design for a bit of variety. And at 100 denier they are nice and thick matte opaques - great for extra warmth on cold winter days.

Ambra EcoStyle - green credentials

It appears to be an Australian-based company, although manufactured in China. The environmentally sustainable claims this company makes is that the stocking are made from organic cotton, and use no chemicals or pesticides and only mild dyes in the manufacture process. They are also tipped as having fast moisture absorption and allergy free (natural fibres?). The allergy free one is specifically important for me as I have just discovered that my skin has become sensitive to certain synthetic fabrics (e.g. acrylic).

Packaging details

As I mentioned earlier in the post, the packaging is almost completely plastic free. The pantyhose come with a recycled cardboard packaging. The only plastic was a tiny bit of cellotape and the barcode sticker holding the cardboard closed and a store price sticker. There is also a polyester/elastic waistline.

These stockings cost about $26, so aren't cheap. But as they are cotton as opposed to nylon, and are quite thick, they will no doubt get plenty of wear out of them. I have also been informed by several people that Kirkcaldies is the place to go for a good quality pair of pantyhose.

WEEK 40: Update on the oral health front and prescription drugs

2010-10-21T14:16:00.004+13:00

A COUPLE of week's ago I wrote about finding a nearly plastic-free dental floss. Though I'm still going through the remainder of my existing packet of floss, I have used the GentleFloss once. I have to say though that I'm not 100% happy with it.

First up, this American produced brand is the most plastic-free I can find. The only plastic it has is a sticker on the outside, a little plastic baggy that seals the roll of floss in, and the floss itself is wrapped around a plastic ring.

On trying it the first time I have to note that the floss is a bit thicker than normal and the "vegan wax" does not seem as effective at gliding the floss along my teeth and gums. It's not as smooth. And the floss does not seem to fit between my teeth as well as the Colgate one I have been using.

Now, this could be a matter of adjustment to something new, so I'll try it a few more times before I give up. Since there are no other plastic-free floss options that I know of I might just have to get used to it as my fragile teeth cannot afford to not be flossed at least once a day. And I can't think of any other options. Though I have known of people using a strand of their hair (off their head) in emergency situations. I can't see myself doing this though, sounds wrong to me on so many levels.

My other beef today is about prescription medications and blister packs.

I have a couple of prescriptions at the moment and both are in blister packs. Do pharmacists not use pill bottles at all anymore? Because although the pill bottles are still plastic as well, at least (in most cases) they can still be recycled or reused. Alot easier than blister packs anyway. What is the deal with pre-packaged pills anyway? Especially for prescription only medication? I mean the pharmacist (as part of their job) has to count out the drugs for the patient anyway. And since you need almost a medical degree to be a pharmacist, then arithmacy troubles cannot be the issue? So what is it then? Paranoia? It is so very bad that global western society has got to the stage that we are this worried about people tampering with our food and medications that things are now pre-packaged (often in plastic), sealed, double, and triple sealed before leaving the factory.

He Wai, He Oranga - Water is life

2010-10-15T15:54:00.004+13:00

TODAY is Blog Action Day and this year's theme is "water". With my plastic-free project, I was originally going to write something along the lines of the perils of bottled water and something ocean related. But then I saw this article on the New Zealand Herald website about some research from the Otago University saying how alcohol was now cheaper (per unit) than bottled water. So I will still be in a sense blogging about bottled water today, but the main focus will be about the commodification of water, a substance that is all over the planet, essential to life on earth, and basically a fundamental human right.

According to research co-author Dr Fiona Gunasekara, they found discounted cask wine to cost as little as 62c per standard drink, discounted beer as low as 64c, discounted bottled wine 65c, and spirits 78c. This was compared to the 67c for a 250ml glass of bottled water.

My first reaction to this was: wtf! I understand that not everyone has access to clean water, even here in New Zealand, but why are people paying for something that they can get for free from the tap. Yes, some may argue that we pay water rates so are still paying for tap water. But that just makes it even worse. Why are we buying bottled water in plastic bottles when we've already paid with our rates for free following and clean water that comes out of our taps.

Fizzy drinks: Coke vs Water

No one can argue which of these two is the better one nutrition and health wise. But for those of you who might be a bit confused I'll just say this: Water won't rot your teeth, make your kids hyper or dehytrate you. It is however the best type of fluid to have to satisfy thirst.

So why is it then that I can go into a supermarket and find that a 300ml bottle of water will cost be about $3.50 whereas a 1.5L Coke or other fizzy drink will be on special for less than $2, sometimes even less than $1. With price markdowns like this its no wonder the struggling working-class or benefiitiary family will most often choose the latter cheaper option. This "cost saving" choice however has detrimental effects on the health of children from low socio-economic areas where the rates of childhood obesity and diabetes are much higher than in other areas of society. I won't even get into the amount of people in these poorer areas who would have lost all their teeth before they were thirty due to cavities from a diet high in sugar and acidy carbonated drinks.

What's the alternative?

People who are follow my blog regularly will know that I am strongly opposed to plastic pollution and especially single-use plastics. So in light of that my main argument is that if you live in an area that has good cleaning drinking water available from the tap, then why buy it? You're already paying rates for tap water, why pay twice by purchasing bottled water on top of that.

If you're water is not quite up to drinking standard, and by this I mean there's a strong chance you can get sick if you drink it. Well maybe take a leaf out of what the people of Christchurch were doing after the earthquake last month and boil your water before you drink it. This is a much cheaper option than investing in a filter and even people the most hard up households in New Zealand should still have a kettle, or at the very least a pot and a stove/cooker. If ther is no chance of your water making you sick then there is no excuse not to drink tap water.

What about on the go?

If you're the kind of person who is out and about and leads a busy lifestyle. Well take a bottle with you that can be refilled. If there's plenty of room in your handbag, an old glass wine bottle (the kind with the screw lids) or an old glass water bottle is good. If you're a bit more active, saying going hiking or walking/running then maybe invest in a stainless steel or aluminium water bottle with a sipper lid. Kathmandu has a range of water bottles, both steel and plastic (BPA free) in their stores or online. Or you could also check out ECOtanka stainless steel water bottles which come in a range of sizes to suit everyone in the family from babies to adults.

But doing this, not only will you save money on buying bottled water, but you'll also save lives, with many marine animals like this one and this bird meeting a tragic end after getting entangled or mistaking plastic debris (plastic doesn't biodegrade) for food and basically starving to death all because of human's excessive consumption habits.

All the plastic ever produced still exists somewhere in the world today. Only a tiny percentage of it is actually recycled, and plastic is not even truely recyclable anyway. Rather it is downcycled into products of lesser value, really all plastic downcycling does is delay the inevitable - ending up in the landfill or in the ocean, or - as worse case but unfortunately quite possible a scenario - in the mouths of birds or fish leading to their tragic end.

This blog was part of Blog Action Day 2010. Be The Change.

Blog Action Day 2010: Water from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

Photo credit: Glass of water photo from liveearth.org/en/save/water

September plastic: The Spring Clean-Out and Sweet Tooth Edition

2010-10-07T14:45:00.008+13:00

SPRING is in the air so naturally last month I thought I would have a bit of a "Spring clean out" in an attempt to declutter my university flat room before I move out at the end of the trimester. As a result - and also as a result of my sweet tooth getting away from me - last month's plastic complete tally resulted in a whopping 36 items of plastic trash.

So here is my list and explanations starting with the "old" plastic items that had been hanging around for quite awhile but only just discovered or used up last week, then moving into the "new" list of those more recently acquired:

"OLD " Plastic

1 plastic sewing needly set packaging - I think I bought this from the $2 shop last year when I needed a needle to fix a hole in a T-shirt

Old library card - It was a young adults card from the Wellington Library, so obviously been hanging around for a few years.

Plastic calling card - I will get this topped up and reuse it. It's alway good to have for calling home/emergencies etc when I've used up my cell phone minutes

Medication dropper - from some skin treatment serum I bought like two years ago. The jar is glass so will be recycled, but I may reuse the dropper as an ear dropper, save buying a new plastic one

2 old deodourant bottles - I used up the last of these and have recently started using a plastic-free Lush deodourant bar

lid and roller from glass deodourant bottle - Nivea Rollon has minimal plastic packaging in a glass bottle. Only the roller, lid and I suppose labels are plastic

bottle and lid - piercing lotion from when I got my nose pierced last year (or it could've been when I got my lip pierced the year before) doesn't matter because neither piercings are still open anyway

Notebook cover - This was the cover of an old spiral bound notebook I used for jurno interviews.

"NEW" Plastic

Ear candle packing - three pieces (wrapping and piece to go in each ear). I've always had problems with E.N.T and frankly was getting sick of the blocked ears. So since the doctors won't syringe my ears I went for the homeopathic remedy instead

Straw - this showed up in my glass. I didn't ask for it. Maybe I forgot to refuse

Meat pie wrapper - a moment of weakness combined with craving and not bothered to walk ~~all the way~~ down the hill to a bakery that sells them in paper

Toothbrush - hopefully this is the last toothbrish to be in my plastic tally. since I've recently found a New Zealand based online shop that imports a wooden 100% compostable toothbrush from Australia. I hope SAFE's Cruelty Free Shop continues to supply this product

Plastic butter single serving packet - This arrived with a muffin I ordered at a cafe. I assumed the cafe would have served the butter on a plate. In hindsight, maybe I should have spoken up and refused

5 prescription pill blister packs - usual iron and birthcontrol, but I have also just started taking Oratane/Accutane in a final resort to rid myself of the acne that has plagued my skin since I was 16.

Condiment container with lid - From sour cream with wedges I ordered at a campus cafe. Apparently they've changed their policy and no longer think its appropriate to scoop the sour cream straight onto the chips. They have done the same thing with tomato sauce, changing to single serves. I now try and avoid that particular cafe

Broken fork - I acquired this accidently a few months ago and had been reusing it for cut lunches. But alas it broke in my bag last month so into the "vile pile" as Taina at Plastic Manners likes to refer to it

5 x chocolate wrappers - including my favourite pinapple lumps. I feel really guilty for succumbing to my sweet tooth and not waiting to be able to buy some from a bulk bin store. But still it was very delicious

Beer bottle cap - I have just recently realised that the steel caps on the glass beer bottles have a plastic seal underneath them. I will continue (mainly through trial and error) to find one that doesn't have any plastic bits on it and will report back when I do. Only drinking at the pub and ordering tap beer isn't really an option for me as it's too expensive and also you're limited to location. Sometimes it's just better to crack open a bottle outside in the sun.
Plastic cup - from the spring luncheon the hall of residence put on last month where everything was served on plastic. Managed to reuse the plates and am still reusing the cutlery but the cup was far too flimsy.

WEEK 38: New deodourant sans plastic

2010-09-28T13:13:00.004+13:00

A COUPLE of weeks ago I used the last drop out of my last remaining bottle of ~~excessively-over packaged~~ plastic bottled deodourant (pictured below left). So for the last week I popped down to Lush on Willis Street and brought a block of one of their solid bars. They also sell these spiffy little metal containers which are grate for when travelling but if you don't want to by their container I'm sure you can get your own or use one you've already got at home.

I was originally aiming to get the T-ed bar which is tea tree oil based and meant to be the most efficient. However, it was sold out, and looking on the website it appears to have been discontinued. However, on the recommendation of the friendly sales staffer I ended up buying a small block of Aramaco which is patcholi based for the scent but also contains baking soda (a strong deodouriser) and witch hazel and chamomile vinegar which both act as astringents. If, like me, you were like WTF is an astringent I'll save you the time on Googling the definition. According to Wikipedia it is "a chemical compound that tends to shrink or constrict body tissues".

I have been using it for about a week now and it is GREAT. Best move ever. It is a tad pricey at $12.90 for 100grams which is ALOT more in price than the plastic-packaged varieties. Which leads me to my burning question: How can something with less packaging cost more than something with excessive packaging?

But I'm hoping that this 100grm block will last for atleast 3 to 6 months so that I only have to buy it a couple of times a year. But I will definately buy this again as it is actually really quite good.

There are Lush stores scattered around the country (and around the world), mainly in the main cities, but you can also buy online if there is no store near you. Just make sure to request no plastic packaging when you do. A complete list of New Zealand's locations is here.

FOUND: One plastic-free toothbrush and minimal plastic floss

2010-09-24T15:30:00.008+12:00

TODAY'S post is brought to you my the letter T for teeth, and the letter E for excitment. I know I must sound like a big time geek when I say this but I am quite excited by the fact that I have managed to actually find a toothbrush that is compostable and plastic free. You may have read my previous posts documenting my annoyance at the lack of plastic-free varieties of toothbrushes and dental floss products available in New Zealand. I found two such products a couple of weeks ago while browing one of my favourite Auckland-based online shops. When I ordered it I also made a note in the comments section of the order form that my order be packaged without plastic and I can happily report they did do this very well (apart from a couple of courier stickers which would've been out of their hands although I suppose they could find a courier that does offer environmentally friendly packaging.

Here's a photo of my oral health purchases and the minimal plastic packaging it was sent in:

The plastic-free/minimal oral health products:

Environmental Toothbrush

While this product is not made in New Zealand, it is made close to New Zealand - just across the

Tasman sea. And it is under half the price of another wooden and natural bristled toothbrush I have seen advertised on a British website.

Looking at the website for the company which makes the Environmental Toothbrush, it seems like this is a company that actually does have a concern for the environment, i.e. they're not just greenwashing. The website says that this toothbrush was invented by a Brisbane dentist and the wooden handle is made from bamboo - a fast-growing self-renewing plant. The bristles are made from a biodegradable nylon polymer resistant to microbial growth. It is 100% compostable - including the packaging which is a fibrous paper pouch sealing the brush packed inside a cardboard box. To quote from the promo website:

"The Environmental Toothbrush can be disposed of safely by returning it to
earth in compost or landfill. Both the bamboo and bristles will biodegrade into
soil, without pollution."

I found the bristles a little soft compared to what I'm used to but soon got used to it. It advises on the packet to replace monthly, which can be quite costly at $4.50 each from the SAFE Shop. Though dental recommendations are to replace every 3 months, but the higher frequency may be due to it being made of natural bristles. I will see how it goes after a month but at this stage I am extremely happy, no ecstatic with this plastic-free purchase.

Eco-Dent Gentle Floss

I have been aware of this American product for awhile now but only just discovered that it can now be purchased in New Zealand (again the SAFE shop). At $13.99 it's a tad pricey but that's for 100 yards which is apparently twice the length of normal floss products.

Apparently it is also vegan in that the floss is only waxed with, to quote from the website, "100% vegetable waxes". The floss itself is also made from nylon rather than silk, which is apparently just as effective without the problems of chemical sterilization and child labour associated with silk production.

While it's not completely plastic-free it is a lot less then virtually every other dental floss product available in New Zealand. It comes in a cardboard box, but has a plastic sealing sticker and bag which the floss is packaged in inside the box.

I haven't had a chance to use it yet as I still have some of my old plastic-boxed floss to get through yet. But I look forward to making the transition to Gentle Floss.

My Dad's wife is actually a dentist, so I'm thinking I might do a little pitch of these two products to them to see if they would be interested in selling these products in their practice. Hopefully I can convince them by stressing that more and more people are starting to demand environmentally friendly products and so also demand that businesses become more concerned about providing a environmentally sustainable service.

August plastic: Getting back on the wagon

2010-09-22T15:06:00.004+12:00

BETTER late than never but here is my August plastic tally. After the previous couple of month's when I went awol from my plastic-freeness it has been a struggle to get back on the wagon. Since I am still using up some of the plastic items I already had, I consider this first 12 months to be kind of a Plastic detox in which I gradually get rid of the plastic in my life. Hopefully, by the end of the first 12 months I will be down to minimum, if not zero, plastics in my life.

So here it is for August 2010:12 items

Details:
1) Styrofoam food container from when I forgot my lunch one day (I have gradually been getting better at taking my own lunch to Uni)
- However, I am thinking of the possibility of an upcoming oncampus campaign to promote taking your own containers to campus cafes or just putting pressure on the campus shops to provide more environmentally friendly alternatives. I might get in touch with GECKO (the uni environment club about this maybe).

2) Styrofoam meat tray and gladwrap + label - I don't hardly eat/buy meat so this is a rarity. Still I should really get up the courage to taking my own container to the butchers and buying fresh cuts from there.

3) Plastic rice bag - This was a freebie. I don't normally buy rice either but would normally buy in bulk using my own paper bag or the one's that come in cotton bags at Moshim's in Newtown.

4) Yoghurt sachet - making yoghurt from powdered cultures is way less plastic per litre than buying it ready made. I did attempt to make it from scratch but so far my attempts have been unsuccessful. Will try again eventually using some of the tips I received on my earlier post about making yoghurt.

5) Instant noodle wrapper and flavour sachet - Another freebie that's been hanging around in the flat pantry for ages now. Was on a bit of a tight budget the last couple of months so thought better use it rather than waste perfectly good food.

6) Plastic clothes hook - this was already in my room when I moved in at the start of the year. It fell off last week so alas went into my plastic tally.

7) Contraceptive pill blister pack

8) Lid from toothpaste tube - I had been using Weleda, which comes in an recyclable aluminium tube but the lid is still plastic. However, currently I am using up a whole lot of plastic tubed toothpastes I have before I order another tube of the Weleda.

9) Empty Moisturiser tube - I cut open this tube to make sure I used every bit of it but alas, I finally ran out of tinted moisturiser last month leaving me makeup-less (apart from a tube of Thin Lizzy concealer. I'm thinking I might invest in a refillable Moisture Mist compact beauty cake or this brand new product from Lush.

WEEK 37: Assertiveness is key

2010-09-21T17:40:00.006+12:00

ON SUNDAY the uni hall of residence that I'm staying in this year held a celebrating start of spring feast. Ofcourse, being a poor student, I'm a sucker for a free meal and a hearty meal it was too. But as I made my way to the venue I never even thought of the possibility that they would probably be serving up the food using plastic utensils. So when I arrived I was kicking myself for not, at the very least, bringing my reusable coffee cup. Alas, I am adding a plastic cup, plate and cutlery towards this month's plastic tally.

Mind you, the plastic knife and fork were actually the most sturdiest of plastic utensils I've seen in awhile so I've decided to keep those to take for my uni cut lunches (read: until they fall apart) and the plates our flat is keeping since we don't have many at the moment and they're good for storing leftovers in the fridge. But the cup was pretty floozy as plastic cups are so while I might get a couple more uses out of it I think it's ultimately going to end up at the dump.

It just goes to show that when you're trying to set an example about plastic consumption you really need to be assertive. I really need to be assertive. Just keep remembering to put my travel mug and my lunch utensils into my bag before I walk out the door. I need to make it a part of my routine like brushing my teeth or making my lunch. Maybe make my lunch in the evenings after tea and then packing my bag to save a rush in the morning (cos I'm not a morning person and will most often sleep in).

But moving on, for New Zealand readers: this week is:

National Clean Up Week

IT is sponsored by charitable organisation Keep New Zealand Beautiful. They provide resources (gloves/rubbish bags) to individual groups or organisations who wish to arrange a clean up day in their area. Whether it be beach/river/lakeside clean up.

Some people argue that beach clean up days give people a false sense of accomplishment in that they ignore the core issues of the rubbish in the first place - excess consumption and single-use plastics. But I think it is still important to address all angles of the consumption change from production to disposal and these sort of events help to give people an idea of how the current system of disposal is failing. If done right, it could also be a way to reinforce the importance of the 3 R's: Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

So if you haven't already registered an event, you can click here to take you to the National Clean Up Week page and find an event near you. Or if you're in Wellington, there is a South Coast Clean Up being organised in Lyall Bay which I'm going to be heading down to this Saturday between 11am and 2pm. Hopefully I might see some of there.

WEEK 36: Knitting and Christmas DIY

2010-09-12T15:34:00.004+12:00

I KNOW Christmas is still a few months away, but really it's only THREE months away! And since I've decided this year, as with last Christmas, in an effort to avoid the over-packaged and plastic products of large-scale businesses, I'm going to try and buy handmade or make myself Christmas gifts.

Knitting

As you can see in the photo to the write, I have reintroduced myself to knitting thanks to the Southern Cross Knitting Circle and this website. The photo on the right is my first EVER attempt at arm warmers (something I've been wanting to make for awhile now but all the patterns I had previously found used either cabling or circular needles - both of which I'm still a little scared to try). The pattern for the pictured arm warmers uses seed-stictch and ribbing and is really straightforward - the pattern can be found here, or you could also click on the photo on this post which will take you to the free pattern.

Another cool and simple handwarmer pattern is available here. I started one of these ones yesterday but it came out huge! So I unravelled (frogged) it and will probably start again with less stitches and less repeats of the double-moss stitch pattern. Mind you, I did use 4.5mm needles when it recommended 4mm, but that ain't much difference right?

I'm also almost finished a baby blanket for one of my preggers cousin who's due around Christmas time (Just need to sew the last two squares together). At the moment I've just started knitting a Jah Rasta beanie for my brother's pressie.

Handmade gift ideas

If anyone else is keen to join me in my DIY Christmas Challenge, leave a comment on this post with your pledge and here are some ideas to get you started.

Felt is a New Zealand version of Etsy, and features a great range of products handcrafted in New Zealand - from knitting to crochet, felt, embroider, woodwork and painting... etc etc.

Deanna Duke at The Crunchy Chicken has a few ideas including a super simple recipe for Candy Cane Sugar Scrub (which I made last year and went down really well with my family) as well as Peppermint Bark for the sweet toothed friend/relative (or maybe a treat for your work colleagues) - both of those recipes are available here. You could also have a go at her Caramel Covered Homemade Marshmallows.

As a pressy for someone younger, maybe you could go ala Martha Stewart and have a go at repurposing an old woolen jersey into a stuffed toy.

Or if you're also a knitter/crocheter/weaver, and you haven't yet joined Ravelry. Do so NOW, there are LOADS of free patterns available there for a hugesly diverse range of skills from absolute beginner to pro.

So there are some ideas to start you off. Are you going to buy or make handmade this Christmas? What are your ideas on Christmas pressies this year?

To end this post. Here's a clip from YouTube featuring Dan Carter and a couple of his All Black team-mates supprising the Dunedin Knit World ladies - look out for a shot of Dan Carter having a go at some stitching:

WEEK 34: Infamous kiwi innovation strikes again - recycling plastic

2010-09-01T12:57:00.003+12:00

FOR awhile now I have been wondering what has happened to the great kiwi inventors in recent years. Once upon a time New Zealander's were renowned for their innovation and the many creative uses for number 8 wire - but in recent years the Kiwi number 8 wire attitude seems to have faded. Back in the heyday once when Burt Reynolds (as documented in the Sir Anthony Hopkins starring film The World's Fastest Indian) broke records with his highly modified Indian motorcycle and Sir Ernest Rutherford first split the atom, paving the way for nuclear energy (ironically NZ is now nuclear free)... There were a few other margionally interesting ones that don't really jump out at me I guess but over the years its like the innovativeness phased out.

Then I saw on Campbell Live last week about a bloke who'd invented a machine that could recycle all types of plastics out of the landfills and make them into plastic bricks which could be used for, amongst other things, retaining walls and emergency shelters. While I only caught the end of the news item (I was watching Shortland Street on the other channel) it also seemed kind of inspiring. Apparently this bailing machine washes and shreds all kinds of plastics and bails them together into these large bricks. (This also featured on One News 4.30pm slot a few days later - I'll try and find a link to the story but neither news site seems to have one yet).

While I think something is better than nothing - i.e. at least this is making an effort - I'm inclined to believe that it is not really true recycling but rather downcycling or merely delaying from eventual placement in a landfill. It's still a really good invention but I think Campbell Live (in typical John Campbell style) may have overhyped it a bit by portraying it as the NEXT BIG THING in plastic recycling. And atleast it is actually something we can DO IN NEW ZEALAND (I understand all our plastics are currently sent to China).

So what are you thoughts on plastic recycling?

WEEK 32: Failed yoghurt making attempts, lemon honey, peanut butter cookies and stitchin' and bitchin'

2010-08-17T12:26:00.005+12:00

SO I WAS on a bit of a cooking/baking/craft buzz this past week. It started with me attempting to make yoghurt from scratch using Leanne's recipe here. This was the second time I've attempted to make this yoghurt, using "cultures" from bought premade or Easiyo Greek yoghurt. The first time I made it it sort of worked. After being in the insulator overnight nothing had happened, so I reset it and left it in for another 12ish hours, took it out and there was a little bit of seperation going on but after remixing it in it was definately some kind of very runny yoghurt - I will call it Yilk, or Yogilk - somewhere between yoghurt and milk. So I figured that was the best I was going to get and put it in the fridge. It was still yum with porridge and brown sugar. Then after talking to my Mum she said that made this way it was usually not AS thick as bought yoghurts for some reason.

Then the second time I tried to make it last week. This time was really way worse, it still had the yoghurty taste but the texture was really watery (still okay for porridge but nothing else). This may or may not have something to do with the fact I used low fat milk this time???

So anyway, I've come to the conclusion that I'm just not cut out for making yoghurt and am just going to try and go without - or at least cut down to keep the plastic to a mininum. As far as I know there are no yoghurts sold in glass bottles/jars anywhere in New Zealand.

Lemon Honey

However, I did manage to successfully make a large jar's worth of lemon honey, using up some lemons one of the flatmates had sent to her that had since been abandoned. After ringing my grandparents hoping to get a magical heritage recipe for it, my grandfather pointed me to the magical ~~holy bible~~ Edmond's cookbook which turned out to be a really straightforward exellent recipe. Good old Edmond's has everything!

So here's my Lemon Honey all bottled up. Half out it as already been consumed now even though I only made it on the weekend:
Peanut Butter cookies

Moving onto my baking forays now. I had a bit of ingriedients left over and thought I'd give peanut butter cookies a crack ('cause I'm a peanut butter nutter... - sing with me if you remember this jingle). Only I didn't have a recipe. So I got out the cooking bible again and used the Afghan's recipe as I guide. I figured peanut butter's like butter so can replace the butter in the recipe.

It was kinda random. I put roughly (read unmeasured) 200g of PB, 1 1/4 C self-raising flour, 1/2 cup sugar and a dollop of regular butter to mix by hand in a bowl. It was still a bit dry so I added a little milk to mix in until it was moist enough to roll into balls and put on greased oven tray evenly spaced. Pressed with a folk. Then in the oven at 150 degrees Celsius for about 12 minutes and took them out. And...

IT ACTUALLY WORKED!

Next time I probably will look for a proper recipe. But it's good to know I am actually capable of making somethings successfully. Mind you, I do bake rewana bread now so not complete fail.

Stichin' and bitchin'

In another news, I recently joined a local stitch and bitch knitting group, last night in fact. A great place to meet other knitters in Wellington and of a variety of ages and skill level. The ladies meet at the Southern Cross Bar in (Abel-Smith??) St, corner of Cuba St anyway, opposite Real Groovy. It was all women their last night, but I don't think that necessarily restricts male knitters from coming. It's an inclusive group.

WEEK 31: The end of my tinted moisturiser supply

2010-08-10T11:34:00.002+12:00

LAST week I scraped the last bit of tinted mosituriser I had left from its plastic bottle - literally, I cut the bottle in half even so I could make sure I'd got every bit of it! So now I am officially make-up less. Which I'm okay with, during everyday situations, but when it comes to going out I, like probably most other girls my age, like to do myself up a bit. Fortunately, it's winter at the moment so I haven't been going out alot. But winter is almost over and now that I'm out of tinted moisturiser and foundation the search for a plastic-free (and preferably also natural) foundation begins.

I have to say though, the last tube lasted a pretty long time (since I used it sparingly), maybe almost a year. I know you're meant to throw these things out after 3 or 6 months or something but whatever, I just don't go through make-up that fast. And I do have a bit of Thin Lizzy concealer (also chemically-laden) left to dot on my spots when I'm feeling really self-conscious about them but I am booked to see a dermatologist next month so hopefully that spotty problem would be almost sorted soon.

But yeah, back to finding a plast-free natural alternative. I've been a bit of a cash-strapped student lately but later this month when I do get some money I will definately be hitting the shops to check out what products there are on offer. Some places I will probably check out are Lush, The Body Shop, Commonsense Organics and other health stores in town which sell cosmetics (and probably charge through the roof for their natural products, mind).

I will keep you documented here on how I go and if I find anything.

And the winner is...

2010-08-07T12:01:00.002+12:00

SINCE there was so much interest in my CD giveaway, drawing the winner of the Susan Rose - This is my story album was really hard. Okay, so only one person ~~made the effort~~ showed that that really wanted to win the album so in that case the much deserving winner is: (da-da-da-dum-drum roll...)

Hinenui Tipoki-Hawira

So Hinenui, can you please email your mailing details to:

marinoharkersmith [at] gmail [dot] com

and I will post it off to you as soon as I can. Congratulations.

WEEK 30: "Ouch!" I fell off the wagon + CD giveaway

2010-08-01T20:23:00.005+12:00

JULY was a bit of a dip in my plastic free challenge resulting in my falling off the plastic-free wagon a few times this month. But alas, I am determined to succeed this new year's resolution/lifestyle change and get right back on. In the words once song by the talented late songstress Aaliyah, "if at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again".

The main culprit was the evil styrofoam food containers, which I can't seem to get away from. Well, to be honest if really tried I probably could - I could've just made more of an effort to cook extra food at home and take a packed lunch into uni each day. But heck, I only live about two minutes walk from campus, I could've just gone home for lunch and had ZERO PACKAGING. But alas, I guess I was just having a bit of a don't give a f*** months. Really just concentrating on keeping up to date with my course work and all the neverending pile of readings for each paper. I'm actually in the process of writing my first 2000 word essay due tomorrow - which I'll be glad to be done with.

But I digress, so back to the topic at hand. July's plastic tally. I will upload a photo soon, although it is probably not representative of my true amount of plastic consumption this past month since the styrofoam food packaging as well as the two plastic forks I picked up over the course of July are not included in there.

July's official plastic tally: 15 items PLUS atleast five styrofoam packages and two plastic forks.

In light of that, I am pleased to report that I am officially back on the plastic-free wagon now. I suppose the past months failings have also resulted in be being even more aware of the amount of plastic junk that we don't really need. So from the time I reclaimed my place on the plastic-free bandwagon, I envisage that it is all up from here. I will probably be even more stricter on being plastic-free than before my little stumple. Here's to continuing the battle against plastic!

Te Wiki o Te Reo CD giveaway

There is still time to enter my first ever competition, giving away a copy of Susan Rose Tipuna's new album This is my story. To enter click on the link - here - and post the name of one of the songs featured on the album in the comments section of that post. Ignore the deadline given on the post, as I will extend it out till next Friday (August 6) so more people can enter.

Whakataetae puoro: Susan Rose - This is My Story

2010-07-30T15:33:00.008+12:00

Here is a review of 2009 Homai Te Pakipaki finalist Susan Tipuna's (aka Susan Rose) debut album This is My Story. I have one copy of the album which I am going to give away to one lucky reader.

You just have to read the review below and answer the question: He aha tetahi o nga waiata ki runga tenei kopae?(Name one of the songs on this album). Put your answer, and name, in the comments section by Sunday night (August 1). I will draw on Monday.

So brush up on your te reo, read the post and answer the question to be in to win. Kia kaha! (NB: Competition open to NZ residents only, sorry expatz and international readers).

Susan Rose - This is My Story
4/5

Tērā pea ka maumahara koe i tēnei manu tīoriori mai i te hōtaka o Homai Te Pakipaki i te tau kua pahure. Engari, inā kāore anō koe kia mātakitaki i taua hōtaka, i tae a Susan ki te pō whakamutunga o taua whakataetae. Nā tērā, i huaina ngā kūaha o te ao pūoro ki a ia. I ngā marama whai atu, ka pukumahi a Susan kia whakataka i tōna kōpae waiata tuatahi i tēnei tau.

He tino ngākau nui a Susan Rose ki tōna kāinga a Mill Pā, Te Kapu (Frasertown), ki Te Wairoa. A ka whakaatu ia i tēnei kōingo mō tōna tūrangawaewae ki roto i te waiata Haukāinga. Ahakoa ōna haerenga ki roto i te ao whānui, kei Te Kapu tōnu tōna manawa. Nā kōnā, he tika tōnu tāna kia whakataka i tana kōpae tuatahi me tētahi konohete ki te tāone o te Wairoa.

Ko Nei Ko Au – This is my story te ingoa o te kōpae nei. He wheako whaiaro te āhua o ngā waiata ki runga i tēnei kōpae pūoro. Nā tēnei ka tika tōna tīmatanga me tētahi karakia whakatuwhera, hei whakatau i te hinengaro. Ka whitiwhiti haere ia i ngā reo e rua – arā te reo Māori me te reo Ingarihi.

Ka kōmitimiti a Susan i ngā momo pūoro e tāngia ki tēnei kōpae, pērā ki te āhua bluesy/jazzy o te waiata ‘This is my story’ me te waiata ‘What about our son’ ki te discoey-poppy ‘Mr. Right’, anō hoki te RnB/roots āhua o te waiata ‘Haukāinga’. Heoi, nā te kaha o te hiere o te reo o tēnei wāhine māia, he tino mahana te āhua o tēnei kōpae. Ka rongo hoki te māia, te aroha hoki, i roto i ōna waiata.

Ko tētahi o ngā mea tino pōuri o te kōpae nei ko te waiata o Goodbye. He waiata tangi tēnei ki tōna Pāpā i mate tūkino i te wā he kōtiro tōnu a Susan. Ka waiata ia mō tōna mamae me te mamae o tōna whaea me tōna whānau anō hoki.

Ki ahau nei, ko ngā waiata autaia o tēnei kōpae, ko This is my story, Mr. Right, Goodbye, anō hoki ko Haukainga. Engari, ko tāku he rawe rawa atu te katoa o tēnei kōpae. Anō hoki, te waiata whakamutunga At Last, he tāruaruatanga o te waiata aroha nā Glen Millar mai i te tau 1941.

Kupu hou (glossary)

kōmitimiti - blend/intergrade/combine

kōpae pūoro - music CD/album

Image supplied

Arotakenga kiriata: He Ao Wera

2010-07-29T10:09:00.005+12:00

AS this is Maori language week, a week to celebrate the Maori language it is appropriate that I acknowledge it on my blog. So as promised, my posts (apart from this intro) this week will be in Maori. Today I have a review of a documentary He Ao Wera, which looks at the issue of climate change from a uniquely Maori perspective. If you cannot read Maori I will have a glossary of keywords at the bottom of this post. An online Maori language dictionary is also available here, here, and here. The last link is for people already fluent in te reo and provides definitions for Maori words in Maori.

He Ao Wera 4/5
Kaiwhakarite: Mike Smith rāua ko Hinekaa Mako

I ēnei rā te ahua nei ko te mea nui e raru ana i a tātou ngā tamariki a Tāne ko tēnei mea e ki ana ko te “whakamahana o te ao”. Inaianei ka tautoko te nuinga o ngā kaiputaiao te whakaaro nā ngā mahi o te tangata e whakatere ana tēnei wā whakamahana, ara te Climate Change. Inā noa nei, kei te ahua pukuriri a Tawhirimatea - te atua o nga mea huarere - me te maha, te kaha kino hoki o ngā āwha e tau nei ki nga pito o te ao.

Ko te hua o tēnei kiriata a He Ao Wera, e ai ki nga kaiwhakarite a Mike Smith rāua ko Hinekaa Mako, hei whaimohio nga iwi me nga hāpu huri noa i te mōtu mō tēnei take tino nui. Hei arahi hoki i nga rōpu me pehea te whakarite i ō rātou hāpu/whānau/iwi mō ngā hua o te Climate Change. Ko Hinekaa te kaikawe korero mō tēnei kiriata. Nānā i tuku atu ngā kōrero kātoa i roto i te reo Māori, hāunga i ētahi o ngā kōrero patapatai o ētahi o ngā kaiputaiao.

I roto i te kiriata, ka haere ia ki ngā pito ō Aotearoa hei whakaatu i ngā mahi e mahinga ētahi hāpu hei whakarite i tā rātou haukainga mo tēnei mea te whakamahana o te ao. He take nui mo Ngai Māori mēna ka whakamahana te moana arā, ka tere whakarewa nga awa kōpaka, i te mea ko te nuinga o ngā haukainga e tau tata nei ki te tai, ki nga awa hoki. E ki ana te whakatauki: “Ko te wai te oranga o te tangata”.

Ka rongo tātou mai i ngā tāngata whenua o ētahi o ngā haukainga hurinoa i te motu, me pehea ō rātou raruraru, anō hoki ngā mahi kua whakarite ki ētahi rohe hei whakarite mō ngā raruraru ka tau mai. Ki roto i tēnei kiriata, ka hīkoi tātou ki a Bridge Pā i te Matau a Māui, ki Parihaka, ki Te Hokianga, ki Te Taitokerau anō hoki. Ka ako hoki tātou mō ngā raru e pā ki ō tātou whanaunga i Te Moana Nui a Kiwa.

E ki ana ngā kaiputaiao huarere, ka whakamahana te ao, ā, nā tēnei ka waikawa ngā moana. Mā te kawanga e tino raru ngā mātaitai pēnā ki te kūtai. Arā, ko te hua o tēnei kiriata hei whakaatu ki ngā whānau, hāpu, me ngā iwi Māori katoa kia whakarite ai o rātou haukainga mō tēnei take nui rawa atu.

He māmā te rere o ngā kōrero hei whakamarama i ngā take o te Climate Change mō tātou ki Aotearoa. Ki ahau nei, he tino pai ki te mātakitaki, he rawe hoki te waiata patoto, arā he rap song, i te mutunga.

Kupu hou (glossary):

anō hoki - also
arotakenga - review
kaiputaiao huarere - climate scientist
kiriata - film/movie
kūtai - mussell (a shellfish)
mātaitai - seafood/shellfish
tāngata whenua - indigenous people
waikawa - acid
whakamahana o te ao - global warming

WEEK 28: Plastic free fatigue?

2010-07-23T16:07:00.005+12:00

I'VE passed the halfway mark of my year of cutting back on plastic and while I am starting to get the hang of it - finally - I suspect I have come to the halfway climax plateau. I'm beginning to suspect that my associates, friends and whanau are starting to get sick of my continuous doomy rants on the ~~evils~~ perils of plastic. I'm even starting to get sick of it myself.

So why do I continue?

Apart from the fact I'm trying to actually stick to my New Year's resolution this year, I feel that I have to continue the momentum. If I don't who will? I mean there are several other plastic free bloggers out there - you only have to read my blogroll on the side bar. But nevertheless, all this people are northernhemisphere based, actually mostly America-Canada based. Awareness is only just starting to arise in downunder. So someone has to lead. And anyway, I can't just ignore what's going on in the world with plastic pollution. What's happening at Midway and more importantly, the oil industry which the plastics industry is dependent on - particular the BP Oil Spill. - Once you know something you can't just shut it off - knowledge is power.

So I pursue my challenge. And I continue to get the plastic out of my life.

And I remember what started me on this journey in the first place, with images like these:

And this:

And I continue ditching plastic for Tangaroa's children, like that albatross and that turtle and others like them, and I will continue blogging about it until the message is out there to the masses.

Moving on though:
Next week is Maori Language Week and the theme is Te Mahi Kai - The Language of Food. Since one of the aims of Hine Taiao is promoting a Maori perspective on environmental issues and also Maori kai (food) then it is appropriate that I whakanui (celebrate) this initiative.

So next week I will endeavour to write my posts in te reo Maori. I will include a kupu hou (glossary) of the key words from that post. I encourage you to become acquainted to a Maori-English dictionary of some sort though from next week. I recommend Ngata for English-Maori and Williams for Maori-English.

There are also online Maori-English dictionaries available. These two I recommend:
Te Aka - clickety
Ngata Online - clickety

Images supplied

Assistance wanted for new layout - calling web ninjas.

2010-07-09T12:36:00.004+12:00

NO you're not imagining it, I have actually changed the background of this blog. Yesterday I just thought I'd play around with the settings to give Hine Taiao a bit of schiz. Because I'm by no means an IT graphics whiz though, I just settled on a new default design already loaded to blogger.

I would ideally like to eventually upload an original photo and are more personalised layout but I don't know how to do this? If anyone out there reading this would like to give me some advice, or help me out with that please do get in contact with me. Email: marinoharkersmith at gmail dot com. Help would be much appreciated.

But until then? What do you think of the new layout? Is it easy to read/navigate or shall I go back to the old?

A green pen! Or is it?

2010-07-08T15:20:00.000+12:00

WHILE buying books to get ready for second trimester of Uni, I came across this pen being sold at VicBooks. It claims to be made from plastic bottles. So out of curiousity, and looking for an environmentally option for writing - I bought it. ($4.50 at VicBooks, so not the cheapest).

In week 10 I blogged about ditching the pen and changing to pencils, but in reality as a tertiary student it has not always been practical to use pencils all the time. For example exams have to be written in pen. I did write my lecture notes in pencil for awhile but its not fun when you're going through some of your notes to find patches almost completely erased making it near indicipherable! So I have been looking for an environmentally friendly option for awhile - whilst using up various ball point pens I already have. And no refillable fountain pens are not an option for me as I am left handed and would end up smudging the ink as I write and getting it all over my hands.

But anyway, back to the pen. It is called a B2P From Bottle 2 Pen and is made in France by Pilot, as part of the companies Begreen range - its my understanding that Pilot is a British company. So after my purchase I thought I'd do a ~~Google search~~ bit of online research.

Apparently the pens in the Begreen range are made from recycled water bottles. This one inparticular is the retractable gel ink pen which Pilot claims is made from 89 percent post-consumer recycled bottles. It also claims to be refillable too but I wouldn't know where to buy the cartridges in Wellington, I didn't notice any at VicBooks when I bought it. It comes in red, black and blue ink.

Information on Begreen's environmental credentials, including a detailed diagram of their recycling process are available here. It also claims that their products are all retail priced at equal to or less than their non-recyclable counterparts - which at $4.50 for a refillable gel pen I suppose is on a par, although I've definately seen cheaper gel pens before at like $3.

Pilot pen's environmental statement appears to tick or the boxes in making it seem like its legitally concerned about the environment. But the sceptic in me wonders if this may be another case of greenwashing. Yes its refillable. But refill cartridges seem to be hard to come buy and the website even states that refillable parts are not recyclable. And also, I'm not sure if the pen's can be re-recycled after being used so when the ink runs out it still seems that it would be easier to buy a new pen than to hunt high and low for a refill.

While buying these products will help ensure a market for plastic recycling, the lack of ongoing recycling of the product means it is merely delaying the plastic from entering the wastestream.

Will I continue to buy?

If I can find refills cartridges on sale in Wellington then yes, but only until I find a better alternative.

Photo borrowed from Office Works Australia - linksky

WEEK 26: The true cost of plastic

2010-07-07T13:38:00.000+12:00

SOOOOO, I've reached the halfway mark of my year of attempting to live with less plastic. There have been ups and downs, highs and lows. In the past six months I have discovered that the more I learn about the depth of the plastic pollution problem and the true cost of plastic I find the evidence harder and harder to ignore. It's not like you can forget a new piece of knowledge once its acquired, it's forever in the back of your mind and that knowledge will always be framing any future decisions.

Recently, I had a conversation with a family member about recycling and how a lot of products come packaged in plastic that in most areas is not recyclable. She suggested to me that business owners need to be more responsible about the waste their product produces and should not package their items in products they know cannot be recycled - I'm talking about things like styrofoam on meat packs and plastic shrinkwrap film. Or companies should at least take responsibility for the waste they produce, not just in the factory but to the end product, by having some sort of take back system. I have heard that Cyclops Yoghurt does, or atleast did at some point have such a campaign in Auckland. I don't know much about this as I don't live in Auckland.

So why do so many companies choose plastic packaging over more environmentally-safer and biodegradable options? The only logic I can see is economic as in cost-saving. Not to mention various plastics industry spin that plastic is supposedly more environmentally safe to produce.

Maybe if companies were forced by some sort of personal responsibility legislation to take back empty containers, especially where they cannot be recycled, they might start to access the true cost of plastic. Maybe then they would start to reassess the true cost of this supposedly cheap yet highly polluting form of packaging and a shift might begin towards truly biodegradable packaging.

I look forward to further discussion on this issue if you would leave some feedback on the comments of this blog.

In the meantime here is my June plastic tally: 15 Items.

June confessions:

Old plastic:

- Used up one bottle of deodorant, still have a couple of other roll-ons to use up though before I have to go find a plastic-free alternative. The bottle is #2 Plastic so can be recycled here - not sure about the ball though but it can't be unscrewed though like some brands.

- Used up tinted moisturiser and lid, still have one more. Non-recyclable bottle unfortunately.

New plastic:

- Plastic window envelope: the bank still insists on sending credit card bills out by post. I have now cancelled my credit card in favour of debit card so hopefully no longer will receive these. Will try and reuse this envelope anyway.

- Empty Nurofen pill thingy

- Plastic wine cork. Totally didn't think this through.

- Pie wrapper

- Pill packet - I take birth control pill for Acne and various other symptoms of PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome)

- Toothbrush - still haven't found plastic-free alternative.

- Fluoride rinse container, lid and measuring cup - as prescribed by dentist. Dental hygiene is one thing I can't afford to skimp on.

- Razor blade - I use schick quadro trimstyle so only need to replace the blade, and the refills come in cardboard packaging so the only waste is the used razor. Since it's winter I don't tend to shave as much since I'm covering my legs most of the time so that extends the life of the blade. There is the small issue of the AAA battery on the trimmer part of the razor, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

- plastic from inside Cocoa box: I couldn't see the plastic inside the box. But alas, will now be buying in bulk either from Moshims Newtown or Commonsense Organic.

WEEK 24: Plastic [BPA] lined tin cans

2010-06-23T12:45:00.000+12:00

I'VE known about it for awhile and I guess I've kind of just been ignoring the fact that tin cans are lined with plastic. It's just that canned food is real convinient when you're a student and even when you just can't be bothered cooking from scratch. But just recently I was reading the a article in Good magazine from the US about President Obama naming Bisphenol-A [BPA] a "chemical of concern" due to the fact that "more than 130 studies have linked BPA to breast cancer, obesity and other disorders". And even with those studies, the US Food And Drug Administration, as well as Food Standards Australia and New Zealand and the New Zealand Food Safety Authority maintain that BPA doesn't pose a significant health threat.

The article goes on to say that BPA is most commonly used as a plasticiser in food can linings, microwave safe plastics, credit card receipts and even some baby bottles (another reason to breastfeed..). All stuff food is kept in (except the receipts of course) and all heatable stuff and previous articles I've read have all stated that BPA leaching into food increases when the plastic is heated.

A quick internet search of articles about BPA came up with this story from Organic Grace says BPA even at low doses has been linked to cancer, birth defects, miscarriages, obesity and insulin resistence leading to type II diabetes and recommends avoiding #7 polycarbonate (PC) plastics.

Another article I found on Treehugger lists five ways to beat BPA from canned food and includes: buying in bottles not cans, not eatting canned food when pregnant, avoiding canned baby formula, and cooking from scratch.

Even though alot of scientists are still insisting that BPA in canned food is not enough to be considered a health risk, I think I'm going to err on the cautious side there and start buying food in glass jars instead. It's a shame because aside from the BPA, steel is actually apparently the easiest and most profitable resource when it comes to recycling and uses alot less energy to produce than glass. I will also be trying to eat a lot more of my food fresh too, which has to be better for me in terms of health benefits and optimum nutrient absorbtion right?

Things on TV that piss me off.

2010-06-15T14:06:00.000+12:00

SO I was watching Breakfast this morning as usual when Pippa announced that they were having this American shopping "expert" on air this morning to tell viewers how they could shop wiser. At first I was like yeah, just another clone reciting the usual rules of shopping the perimeter of the store and avoiding the "fake" foods in the middle. All stuff I've heard before a gazillion times.

But I still watched. And was shocked to see that the first thing he pulled out as a really good thing was a precooked, individually shrinkwrapped then wrapped again in plastic over the individual plastics, packet of 2 corn cobs. Yep he reckoned this plastic loaded convinient snack was the bees knees, was quite stoked actually cos reckoned they didn't have that kind of innovation in the USA where he was from. The first thing I noticed, that also sickened me slightly, was the amount of completely unnecessary plastic. I mean, how hard is it to cook corn anyway. All you need to do is peel off the leaves and chuck the cobs in a pot of hot water to boil.

It got worse.

He then went on to tell Pippa what a great idea this was and that this was the way things were going. demand for convience fast food was increasing. As saddening as it was to hear, it's probably true. Everyone wants stuff NOW. But it doesn't have to be this way.

And to make matters worse he also actually advocated the fake foods in the middle of the supermarket.

What do you think? How do we convince the general mass who want stuff NOW, NOW, NOW that they need to learn to appreciate what they've got?

Four years. Go

2010-06-15T13:59:00.000+12:00

JUST watched a video about this campaign on the Cluttercut blog. Watch this video clip to see what a difference four years can make in committing to maintaining quality of life for mankind.

If you can't watch it probably cos bloggers cutting off the edges heres the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_6iTCo5Ci8

WEEK 23: The only two (natural) cleaning products you'll ever need

2010-06-14T15:47:00.000+12:00

DITCHING plastic for me also means ditching chemicals and especially when it comes to cleaning products. In recent years I have discovered two natural, and even edible, products that everyone will have in their pantries that are great for cleaning just about everything. They are... (drumroll) dadumdadadada......................

...BICARB (BAKING SODA) and VINEGAR (preferably white but I've found cider also works fine if that's all you've got left in the cupboard, plus it smells nice). These two ingredients can be used instead of almost any other household cleaning product. This post will just list a few that I already know and have tried but if you know of anything else I have missed out here please add your bicarb/vinegar cleaning innovation to the comments on this post.

Shower/bath tub:
- sprinkle baking soda generously over the base of the shower, and using a rag or scrubing brush, wipe it down. The baking soda acts as a buffing powder to bring out the shine on steel surfaces. The same principle applies when cleaning around faucets to polish them up. Can also to the same for removing stains and soap scum from the bath tub.
- soaking the shower curtain in diluted vinegar helps kill the bacteria (fungis?) that causes mildew and mould to grow on the curtain. Also hang on the line on a sunny day till bone dry - the sun also helps kill the nasties.

Toilet:
- Sprinkle baking soda generous around the inside of the bowl. Leave to sit then grab the toilet brush and scrub-scrub as you would normally scrub a toilet bowl. The soda also acts as an odour neutraliser taking away smells and whitens the bowl too. (My Nan swears by this method)
- With an bucket of diluted vinegar (approx 1 part to 3 parts water but can just dab vinegar straight on the rag if you prefer) and an old rag, wipe down the seat and outside surfaces for a white and clean finish.

Sink/vanity and mirror:
- As with the shower, sprinkle baking soda around the basin and faucets and scrub away.
- Use diluted vinegar and newspaper (for no streaks) to wipe down the mirror. Same method can be used on windows.

Floor:
- In a bucket of hot water add approximately 1/2 to one cup of vinegar, depending how strong you want it. Use this to mop the floor.

Dishes:
- I have heard that plastic free campaigner Beth Terry uses baking soda on the dishes. I haven't tried her method yet but if you have then please let me know your results. But I do know that baking soda is GREAT for cleaning burnt pots to make them new again. Method: sprinkle baking soda over the bottom of the pot, add water, place on stove element and let it boil gently. Take off heat and let cool then proceed to scrub away as usual and the burnt buts come off easily with the pot looking like new!
- I've also heard that baking soda is good for polishing silverware. I don't have much silverware but has anyone tried this?

Laundry:
-Add about a teaspoon of baking soda, along with your regular laundry detergeant, and your washing comes out whiter and brighter! It's a great stain remover too.

Carpet stains:
- For fresh stains the first thing is to add water, lots, and dab at it. If the stain is still there sprinkle baking soda on it and leave for around 5-10 minutes. Add more water and dab dry.
- For redwine stains I still stand by that the best way for it not to stain is to put water on in straight away.

Air New Zealand reuses its plastic cutlery "quite a few times"

2010-06-10T11:57:00.000+12:00

JUST read this news story at Stuff in their travel section about airlines - namely Qantas and Air New Zealand were the focus - admiting to rumours that they reuse their plastic cutlery "up to 30 times.

Although in practice they reckoned it was more like "a few more times" to 10. But aside from the fact I think that the airlines should not be using plastic cutlery at all - there are alternatives beside metal like potato starch for example and wood - I'm all for reusing. It's not like they're handing out dirty cutlery to their customers, I mean, they do wash their dishes after each use. As quoted from the story: "the items were washed by the airline's catering supplier in a commercial dishwasher and had a "life cycle of around 10 uses, depending on use", he said". Personally I don't see what the big upcry was about - I mean you wash your home cutlery and reuse them at home don't you? I take it your also occasionally have guests over and the odd dinner party who also use your cutlery so you can't say it's only your family using them.

Personally, I think Air New Zealand and Qanta's motivations are more economic than environmental but nevertheless even if they are just doing this to save money. They are also setting an environmental example and making the most of the so-called disposable plastic products they utilise and delaying them from entering the waste streams and eventually the world's oceans and the stomachs of fish and albatrosses.

So next time you fly internationally and use Air New Zealand, try and take care with your cutlery so it can be suitable for reusing again. Ofcourse it would be better still to take your own cutlery onboard but I'm not sure just how possible that is due to regulations on what can and can't be taken on in your hand baggage.

Kudos to Air New Zealand and Qantas. And in other news I hear Air New Zealand is striving to have biofuel flights in the next couple of years? Anyone know where things are at with that plan?

Use less plastic video

2010-06-08T09:15:00.000+12:00

Use Less Plastic from TakePart on Vimeo.

Found this on Jeanne's blog and thought it was a good easy to digest way to highlight why it's important to be aware of how much plastic you're putting out. Also to highlight World Ocean's Day, which is today (June 8).

Environmental fatigue? How to freshen up environmental movements?

2010-06-06T13:57:00.001+12:00

WORLD environment day came and went yesterday (NZ-time), pretty eventless really - just another day. Which leads me to my concern? Is the average person dealing with enviromental fatigue?

In recent years we've been bombarded globally with the pressing issues of environmental sustainability, clean energy, recycling, Global Climate Change from all angles - support this Greenpeace campaign, recycle here, donate to this caus... And now when the issue of living in balance with the resources of Papatuanuku* is more important than ever there seems to be a general trend that people are "Over it".

Yes. There are still heaps of people involved in campaigns and movements towards leading a lifestyle that is kinder to Papatuanuku but in terms of gaining critical mass it seems we have plateaued. What we need is some PR overhaul on putting a new spin on climate change and the importance of respecting Papatuanuku and her children. I'm going to be frank now, but us human's can be a selfish bunch and maybe we need to nevermind the polar bears and penguins and the polar ice caps and the albatrosses at Midland digesting on plastic soup. Yes those are still important issues but I think the next campaign needs to be more a long the lines of the human impact of climate change?

Don't get me wrong, I still care very much about the polar bears and the penguins and the albatrosses. But I think more people will may attention to the movement if they can see what's in it for them and how it will affect them PERSONALLY?

Any ideas on how to achieve this and to get the critical mass growing again?

*Maori word glossary:
Papatuanuku = earth mother.

May plastic - 19 items

2010-06-03T20:55:00.000+12:00

THIS month's plastic seems to be getting better, but I'm starting to notice patterns in where my weaknesses are, which I suppose is the purpose of having the monthly tally. Anyway, this month I thought I'd take a leaf out of Beth Terry's blog in that she distinguishes between newly acquired plastic and "old" plastic that came into my life before I started ditching plastic and have just broken/run out and I can't fix.

As you may have noticed. I do not include every bit of plastic that comes through my household, since I'm in a flatting situation, just the personally acquired plastic. I don't want to force my flatmates into this lifestyle I've chosen since ditching plastic just because I am. However, if they ask, I happily explain what I'm doing and so far they are okay with it, maybe the odd strange "are you nuts?" look at first but ok. Sometimes they do actually ask me questions and do seem generally interested in my many ethical/environmental habits which is good. In short, I'm not one to force people to change, but just carry on doing what I'm doing and hopefully people notice, ask questions, and decide they agree and start doing the same thing.

Here's the break down of May's plastic trash:

OLD PLASTIC:

Water bottle and broken lid - I have since stopped buying bottled water (except one time) but with the bottles I already have I have been trying to reuse them for as long as possible. This was containing my cider vinegar hair "conditioner" until the lid broke last month. I've since replaced it with another water bottle I already had. It's a shame the lid can't be recycled here so will be going to the landfill but the bottle is PET plastic - the easiest to recycle - so hopefully might become someone's ecofleece jersey.
Broken sunnies - I will keep them for awhile and try to get them fixed but they are cheap sunglasses I inherited somewhere along the line, so if they cost more to fix than they're worth I just won't bother. I have another pair for now anyway.
Expired community services card - self explanatory. For non-New Zealanders reading this, it is a card for low income people (i.e. students) to show I qualify for discounted health services.

NEW PLASTIC:

Drinking straw - Can't remember exactly, but I think I must've been too slow to refuse that time.
Coffee lid - I actually ordered the coffee to "dine in" but for some reason they brought it to me in a takeaway cup. The cup was one of those new compostable cups that have been popping up around Wellington - anyone say greenwashing?
Pie wrapper - Had a class fieldtrip that day. Forgot to prepare lunch. Bought a pie instead. Guilty as charged.
2 plastic window envelopes - the IRD for some reason has to send me Student Loan balances all the time, is once a year not enough? I will keep these envelopes for reusing.
Plastic ring from cream - bottles are recycled, even lids, plastic rings not so.
Measuring cup - I recently underwent a anti-cavity treatment programme under dentist orders as my teeth are quite prone to acid attacks. So in their obvious weak condition, oral healthcare is one of the areas I'm not prepared to put at risk.
2 bottles and caps - From the anti cavity rinse programme. Bottles are P.E.T so can be recycled easily. Will try not to think about what happens to the lids after they are collected with the rest of my flats rubbish.
3 clothes shopping tags - beware of these even when at hokohoko shops - especially the Sallies, all their prices are pinned on with these ghastly one-use plastic things.

WEEK 21: Taking care of the flow, sans plastic **(NB: Girly post)

2010-06-01T16:29:00.000+12:00

MATE wāhine, mārama, your monthly friend, your moon, whatever the euphenism you prefer to give to your monthly cycle. I'm in week 21 of Ditching Plastic For Tangaroa's Children 2010 and as a wahine (woman) of reproductive age it was about time I got to discussing plastic-free menstural products. I mean, if you look in the sanitary section of the average supermarket virtually everything their is PLASTIC. Pads pretty much are plastic, are wrapped in plastic and come in plastic bags, probably no different from disposable nappies and washable cloth nappies are almost common place these days - at least babies are eventually toilet trained - every women will go through several every month for the a good part of their lifetime. Tampons come in a cardboard box, alright, but then that's sealed in plastic, and not to mention each individual plug is shrinkwrapped in its own plastic - lots of evil single-use plastic there - and I haven't even got to what the actual tampon is made from.

So now I'm going to go through a few plastic-free alternatives listing in order from the extremely radical to the sorta radical to the not so radical but still OK options. I myself am no quite brave enough to try out the extremely radical ideas yet, like enviro-blogger The Crunchy Chicken, who is very vocal about her support for the Diva Cup.

Te List:

Extremely radical
Moon cup: (Also sold as Diva Cup, The Keeper in the US) This is a silicon "cup" worn like a tampon that is reusable. People who use them claim they've never looked back, but personally the idea sounds a tad messy. They just need to be sterilised in boiling water between cycles. The idea of boiling something that's been inside me in a pot on the kitchen stove also grosses me a bit but I suppose if you have a special pot only used for that and kept seperate from your other cooking pots it wouldn't be so bad. The Moon Cup costs about $40-50. A bit pricey but its a one off purchase for multiple uses. I've seen them sold at Commonsense Organics but they may be available at other Healthfood stores.

Sea Sponge: This has got to be the most extreme of extremely radical, in the fact that it is was a living organism. Okay, so it is fully biodegradable and compostable. Works like a tampon but apparently way more absorbant - for more information click here.

Sorta radical
Cloth pads: You can buy washable pads at http://poppyspads.co.nz but I've also seen various other types sold at organic/health shops such as Commonsense and Chantals (Napier). But if you've got a bit of skill with a needle and thread or you own or know someone with a sewing machine, there are heaps of sites on the internet following an online search for DIY pads.

Not-so-radical but still OK
Natracare: Sold in New Zealand at the SAFE Cruelty Free Shop and at Commonsense Organics. It seems to be an American company that has a range of pads, liners and tampons made from natural resources, and claim to be free from plastic. I believe they use cellulose which is biodegradable, I think it comes from trees or something. The applicator tampons come completely in paper/cardboard packaging and are made from organic cotton but the non-applicator ones seem to be shrinkwrapped in a plastic like substance than may well be plant-based as in cornstarch but bioplastic is still plastic right?

Tampax: Although not technically a green company, their applicator tampons (except maybe the compact version) are 100% paper/cardboard packaged. What I'm currently using, but I may eventually graduate to Natracare when it's affordable to me - i.e. I'm not subsisting soley on student allowance - and maybe try out the cloth pads one day for at home/over night use. I don't think I'll ever be quite radical to feel comfortable with the Moon Cup though.

So to my female readers: what are you using for your once-a-month? I'm interested in your comments and views on some of the things I've listed and maybe you know of others.

WEEK 19: What happened to the cream in cardboard cartons?

2010-05-18T11:53:00.000+12:00

IT MAY be a symptom of living in the time trap that was my former small town home, but since coming back to the city I can't find cardboard cream cartons anywhere at the shops down here! Admittedly, the only grocery stores within walking distance from my flat are New World, New World Metro and 4 Square so maybe Pak n Save and other stores still stock different bands. But it seems these days that all that's in stock is cream in plastic bottles. I know tetrapaks haven't gone out of vogue, because I can still buy milk that way and without the plastic screwtop lid that soy milk in same cartons come with.

I am so sure that back in Wairoa you can still buy cream, if not in the little boxes, in the 1 litre ones. This may be thanks to the Gisborne Milk branding the Fonterra continues to use even though Gisborne Milk the company, and it's child company Wairoa Milk, brand ceased nearly two years ago when Fonterra bought it out and shut the Gisborne factory. But that's another issue.

The point is, since I'm trying to reduce my plastic consumption - especially single use plastic - I have been trying to find the tetrapaks for the few times I buy cream like the other day when I wanted to make bread pudding to use up all the borderline stale bread at my flat. I know there are issues with the recyclability (is that a word??) cardboard pack due to waxy lining. Actually, while I'm writing about it does anyone know what that is made from? I'm pretty sure it's not plastic but am wondering if it is chemical or plant based substance?

So alas, I did buy cream this one time. But at least cream bottles and lids are recyclable. I probably will try and stay away from cream in future until I can solve this issue, will be better health wise too :D. I know I live in central Wellington, but if anyone knows of a lifestyle farmer nearby with a couple of milking cows who's happy to sell me fresh cream please leave a comment with the details.

Meanwhile, hereth ends another weekly plastic-free rant from Madz. In other news, I have managed to get one of my flatmates hooked on knitting. I gave her a brief lesson last Saturday and after a few attempts where she ended up unconsciously doubling her stitches halfway through, I think she has now nailed it and is halfway through a nice wee green and gold scarf.

Buying fair trade

2010-05-15T16:36:00.000+12:00

THE past two weeks in New Zealand has seen Fair Trade products pushed thanks to the annual campaign by Trade Aid, which provides an avenue for products made by underprivileged people in developing countries where the workers get a fair price and wage for their product. One of the main requirements for things to be Fair Trade certified is also to be produced to set environmental standards - so it's doubly good for conscious shoppers.

Pictured right is my wallet which I purchased from Trade Aid earlier this year. In addition to being fair trade, it is also good for the earth in the sense that it is made from woven foil milk powder wrappers so it is taking items out of the waste stream for atleast one more use.

Fair Trade Fortnight runs from May 1-16, but that's not to say you should stop buying fair trade after May 16. The campaign aims to draw awareness with the idea that people will continue to buy fair trade after the fortnight is over. Trade Aid has also launched an online shop so if there is no store near you you can now order online! There's heaps of gift ideas there for all ages.

Plus alot of supermarkets are now starting to stock more fair trade food products as demand rises. Products such as coffee, sugar, cocoa, spices, seasonings, chocolate... The best I've seen so far is Chaffers New World in Wellington CBD which is an entire aisle dedicated to organic and fair trade products. Unfortunately, alot of this also comes wrapped in tonnes of plastic so where do I draw the line between ethical or green choices when shopping?

WEEK 18: Big FAT plastic confession

2010-05-10T14:22:00.000+12:00

I GOT sucked in bad. Suck in bad by the sales pitch of the Seacret rep at the mall last week. But damn it I wanted shiny strong nails! Because I've never had shiny strong nails. And Latal the Israeli sales rep for Seacret was promising me that and delivered with the sparkly shiny and ridge free nails I had after her demonstration. And all without any artificial and no doubt chemically ridden polish.

So of course when she offered me a package for the very special student price I fell for it, forgetting that I had made a pledge this year to take in no new plastic to my life this year. Ofcourse the products all came packaged in a plastic in a nice box with a plastic window - yes even the buffer had a plastic film wrapped around it.

But lesson learned and at the end of it I AM happy with my chemical-free shiny, smooth and stronger looking nails. And I did get a really nice Mother's Day present for my Mum out of it. And Mum, since I know you read this blog occasionally, the second part of your present is a mini manicure next time I see you. So you too can experience the joys of shiny, smooth nails.

Moral:
Trying to live plastic-free is testing my assertiveness. I need to be quick and more decisive on my decisions. But at the end of the day, I don't regret buying the Seacret nail kit. I like the effect it has and I no longer need nail polish. Another bonus!

GUEST POST: The People's Climate Change Summit, Bolivia

2010-05-08T14:44:00.000+12:00

THE following is a summary from Maori environment campaigner Mike Smith, of Tuanuku.com, who recently returned from Bolivia in South American where the People's Climate Change Summit was held at the end of last month:

Tena koutou ... I'm currently writing up a full report on the People's climate change summit in Bolivia but I thought I'd write a quick summary for the members of "Tuanuku".
Even though I averaged 2 hours sleep a night during the hui it was still impossible to get around all the meetings, workshops and other activities, however I shot over 15 hours of film and once my report is finished I'll begin editing the footage and will post the results up on the "Tuanuku" site so that you get an idea of what happened.
The conference occurred over a three day period and there were an estimated 30,000 people who attended the workshops and events. The purpose of the conference was to bring people's organisations together to share ideas and strategies on how to deal with the impending catastrophic effects of climate change, based upon the belief that many world governments are so compromised by big business interests that they will not take the necessary steps to reduce green house gas emissions to safe levels for humans and other life forms.
The conference organisers and many others in attendance believe that it is now the responsibility of human communities around the world to take political action to demand a greater effort from governments. Toward this goal a number of working groups have put together a series of recommendations for global action and organisation. It is therefore very important that networks such as this one begin to organise and empower communities to understand the causes of climate change, its effects on the land and all creatures, identify the causes of the problem and confront them on all levels including challenging the government to stand up against the narrow self interest of various economic sectors and rise in the defence of the planet and all forms of life.
I know this all sounds dramatic, but believe me the things we heard from various delegate around the world about how critical the environment is getting and how the continued resource plundering that is occurring is pushing many peoples to the brink of existence is no joke.
As Maori we have the responsibility to protect Papatuanuku from the rape and pillage being inflicted upon her by those that seek to amass as much of the world's wealth into private hands... and this includes other Maori whom are pushing this economic model upon our people. Over the next couple of weeks I will be posting up concrete and positive ideas about what needs to happen, along with the dates for united wordwide action that is being planned.
Mauriora ki te Ao!
Join Tuanuku on Facebook to keep updated on the latest campaigns - click here

Thread yo' face

2010-05-07T16:36:00.000+12:00

WELLINGTON is a lot more multi-cultural than the small East Coast town I grew up in and since moving here for university last year I have become a lot more aware of global trends. Step in threading, an Indian style of hair removal similar to waxing, like a cross between waxing and plucking, but using only a simple cotton thread. It's most commonly used to tidy up eyebrows, but it is not uncommon for people to get their whole face threaded - as a friend recenly posted on her Facebook status looking for somewhere in New Zealand that used this process.

While plucking is probably the most waste-free method of hair removal, being that all you need is a solid pair of tweezers, to me it's also the most painful. Usually I get my eyebrows and waxed once every couple of months, really just to tidy up the odd strays. Yesterday I got them threaded. It was wonderful. And also cost half the price of waxing at only $7 for eyebrows and lip at a modest threadding salon set up at the back of the book store in Newtown mall. Also in Newtown, Grishma offers threading too from $5 for just the brows to $15 for the full face treatment - there's always people waiting there so obviously she's quite popular.

The other good point. It is way less pain than waxing, and that's saying something coming from someone who used to take waxing over plucking because it was less painful. Some people I've spoken to on the topic of threading have said they experienced quite a bit of redness afterwards but I guess that depends on the skintype. I have sensitive skin and when I wax my eyebrows they would go red but after they were threaded yesterday no tell tale red eyebrows and lip afterwards!

I'm hooked.

No mining: Biggest protest in a generation

2010-05-04T15:50:00.000+12:00

WITH 50,000 people descending on Auckland's Queen Street, last weekend's Greenpeace organised mining on Schedule 4 conservation land has been dubbed the bigest protest in a generation. This debrief from Greenpeace here.

And to the dicks pro-(capitalist)economists who say that we're stupid for opposing progress for something they see as providing more jobs in a time of recessiong. Well I say post-recession is the best time to start thinking about investing in sustainable economy. Yest mining might provide a few 100, maybe 1000, jobs in the short-term, but the Government's only guessing as to the true value of the minerals in these areas. Once they've been exploited the jobs will be gone but the land and bush and wildlife that once called that bush home will be stuffed if not wiped out completely.

Why not take advantage of thhis countries natural beauty, something Tourism NZ has been doing for a while with its 100% Pure image, and continue to promote the growth area of Eco Tourism. This country is home to some of the world's last untouched forests. We should be preserving our 1000s of years old virgin forest not destroying it.

April's plastic blow out - 26 items

2010-05-04T13:32:00.001+12:00

FIRST things first, I bought a laptop last month, a HP Mini netbook to be exact, which added significantly to April's plastic tally of 26 items.

I'm justifyng the netbook purchase, as I do need it to help with university studies. Yes the University does have several computer labs on campus, including some that are open 24/7 with ID entry, and yes I only live 3minutes walk from said campus. But truth is somedays the lines for computers can be HUGE and I think I've already elaborated enough on my lack of patience. I could have got a full size laptop but for two reasons. 1) A netbook was all that was in y price range at the moment, and 2) It's more potable and I figure will also be useful or when I eventually decide to go travelling after I finish studying.

Bur on to the tally: In addition to several items of plastic within the netbook box there was also:

1 plastic window envelope and 2 courier post packs all of which will be put away for reusing when I need to send mail, like this weekend for Mum's mother's day present.

1 used toothbrush and plastic from new toothbrush: When I have to buy a new one, along with floss, I plan to get Preserve toothbrushes made from recycled yoghurt containers and GentleFloss - both available at The Cruelty Free Shop.

1 little plastic bag from a fair trade hot chocolate sample I got at O-Week

1 empty retractable eyeliner I recently dug out from my toiletry bag to discover was empty. Have to eventually find some more. Maybe just an ordinary wooden charcoal eye pencil will do? If I can find one that's not shrink-wrapped in plastic (something even The Body Shop seems to do).

2 plastic pasta bags: Something I no longer have to worry about since finding a shop that sells it in bulk bins.

1 finiky bit of plastic from around the wheels that go with the Heely's I bought my nephew for his birthday. Completely unnecessary in my opinion especially has it doesn't appear to be recyclable and can't be used again so really just goes straight to the rubbish dump.

2 styrofoam meat trays and accompanying shrink wrap: Although since I made the conscious decision to eat less meat, hopefully this will not be a problem anymore. I will try taking my own container to a butcher sometime soon and let you know how I go.

1 soda lid Mcdonalds strikes again. Actually to be honest there was one more soda lid and a straw that's not in the photo but should be added to the tally, but I was out of town at the time and just made a mental not of it rather than keeping the plastic for the monthly tally.

WEEK 17: Buying in bulk

2010-05-01T10:29:00.000+12:00

THE saying goes that it never rains but it pours. That's true today because I've found not one, but TWO bulk bin food shops in Wellington. I've only checked out one so far, Commonsense Organics, in Wellington CBD, but they also have stores in Kilbirnie, Paraparaumu and Lower Hutt. It's a tad pricey though, personally I think they milk the word "organic" as an excuse to overcharge on some items but they DO have a good range of bulk bins which aren't too bad in price. And they sell Pasta in the bulk bins there, an item which can now be crossed off this list, as not only is it in bulk but instead of plastic bags they have brown paper bags for the dry bulk product. Okay it was only spiral and penne pasta (no fetuccine yet! dam might have to get a pasta machine and make it from scratch) but pasta's pasta to me. I also got a bag of flour from their to trial but I think it will be way cheaper to continue buying it from New World.

Commonsense Organics also has a range of cooking oils and cider vinegar that can be refilled in glass bottles and a wide range of pulses that can also be filled into the paper bags.

Okay, so I said there were two shops right. The other one I mentioned in my previous post, Moshims in Newtown. Haven't been in there yet, although I used to walk past it everyday last year thinking it was just another Asian superette. But talking to Dad yesterday, they get their rice there in cloth bags, he said they sell EVERYTHING in bulk there including "every kind of spice you've heard of and some that you haven't". And he also said that it is miles cheaper than Commonsense. Oh and I also got me some cloth bags sussed for buying in bulk so I don't have to keep using the paper ones, the bags that Dad and Sue get their rice in.

Anywho. That made me happy and made plastic free shopping much easier!

WEEK 16: Newtown's the place to be...

2010-04-27T18:08:00.000+12:00

...FOR environmentally conscious people. Or so it seems according to the Yo Momma Shoulda Told Ya This column in last week's Salient. The author of the column's name escapes me, but I want to say Rebecca??. Anywho, last week she wrote about reducing the amount of packaging in consumer products and endorsed buying in bulk. According to her column, which may or may not be published on the Salient website, Moshims in Newtown (which I believe is a Asian market/bulk food barn) has flour, sugar, pulses - pretty much everything - available in their bulk bins. She also said the Newtown Halal Butcher was also good about people taking in their own containers when ordering meat. Big ups to these too businesses. Shame I moved out of Newtown a couple of months ago, having never got to experience these two shops.

I am running a bit low on flour at the moment, very essential for making te rewana. Now I just need to get s0me sort of tightly woven cloth bag so I can head down to the bulk bins and top up.

In other Eco-suburb goss, so while Newtown seems to be the place to be for environmentally conscious students and yuppies, I do believe that Island Bay is the home of the Eco Mamas and Papas.

Plastic-free shopping guide

2010-04-18T15:30:00.000+12:00

IF ANYONE following my plastic-free journey is inspired to follow my lead I have started compiling a New Zealand friendly plastic-free shopping guide. Since virtually all the plastic-free bloggers I follow are northern hemisphere (America/Canada mainly) based I thought it would be a good idea to start compiling one for this part of the world since alot of our products are different and I also want to try and find local alternatives where possible.

Click here for My Plastic-Free Shopping Guide.

WEEK 15: Oral healthcare update

2010-04-17T16:55:00.000+12:00

BACK IN JANUARY I blogged about oral hygiene and trying to find a plastic free toothbrush. Specifically, in that post I mentioned Preserve toothbrushes in America and how I was disappointed that I couldn't find an example of "kiwi innovation" used to make a natural toothbrush.

Well fricken great news today! Just randomly browsing the internet when I came across Safe's cruelty free shop and suprise suprise what do I find.... sorry not a NZ-made recycled plastic toothbrush, but the Auckland and online based store are now distributing Preserve toothbrushes. VERY happy about this find!

As I previously mentioned in that post, Preserve toothbrushes have handles made from recycled plastic and also come in a reusable container. Preserve also runs a takeback campaign and will take used toothbrushes back where I believe they are then recycled into picnic tables or something - great too hear of a company taking ownership of its post-consumer waste. I must find out if SAFE will also take back the used toothbrushes on behalf of New Zealand customers to ship back to the US.

The Cruelty Free Shop sells both adults and junior toothbrushes although are a bit pricey at $5.50 each, but maybe the extra cost is worth the lower environmental impact or one use plastic ones. This price is also much cheaper than electric toothbrush heads which are usually around $20 for two and I don't see any of these ones made from natural or recycled resources.

Also at the Cruelty Free Shop is my answer to dental floss dilemmas with Eco dent gentle floss, which SAFE describes as Vegan "free from beeswax and artificial chemicals". The site also boasts that: "Ecodent containers are biodegradable and reduce waste by storing 2-3 times more floss per package than other brands." Cruelty Free Shop sells the floss for $13.99 for a 100yard pack. The packaging appears to be cardboard.

On checking out the Eco Dent website I also discovered that they sell toothbrushes with replaceable heads, another great rubbish minimising product.

It's a shame I just bought a new disposable plastic toothbrush and floss but I will definately be ordering the gentle floss and a Preserve brush from here for when my existing supply runs out/needs replacing.

SPCA
Just an end note to this post. You've probably noticed the new SPCA widget on the top right of my blog. I have recently been volunteering at the Newtown (Wellington) SPCA shelter and the widget has some of the animals their looking for homes. Clicketyclick here or on the widget for the full list of animals available for adoption into good loving homes or better still donate either money or other items such as cat/dog food (especially wet food), newspapers, shredded paper old blankets etc everything helps!! They go through tonnes of newspaper and shredded paper as its used to line the puppy run beds. Better still become a volunteer, its fun and very rewarding.

And if you read this before tomorrow (Sunday, 18th) the Newtown shelter is having an open day so get down their sometime during the day to check out what they do and how you can help. You might even find your next house pet to take home.

WEEK 14: Becoming flexitarian

2010-04-12T16:34:00.000+12:00

I'VE TRIED being a vegetarian, I've also had a attempted being a vegan. Both were short-lived frankly because; a) I got bored, and b) I'm lazy and hate cooking and frankly, couldn't be bothered with the effort in preparing good vegan/vegetarian meals. So now I'm back to eatting meat (except pork, for my own ethical and taste reasons) but this week decided to make a middle-of-the-road compromise and become Flexitarian.

Before I explain what I mean by this, I'm going to leave you thinking about that for a minute while I go through a couple of accidental plastic uses I experienced last week that are really annoying me. First up, went out for brunch with my Dad and step mum on my birthday which was last Monday. 'Twas a good plastic-free meal except for one thing. I ordered a glass of orange juice as my drink which was fine except when it arrived it arrived with a plastic straw in it. Mental note that I really have to be more assertive in stressing the NO STRAW PLEASE request at cafes/bars/restaurants. Secondly, ran into my sister-in-law and two nephews in town the next day and decided to have lunch with them at the Willis Street foodcourt. This time I made a conscious to order a meal without plastic packaging and on a real plate. Then I went to buy me a bottle of juice, which was in a glass bottle. I assumed the bottle would also have a steel cap. But after purchasing and as I walked back to the table and opened it up, I realised it actually had a plastic lid on it as well as a plastic ring seal on the neck of the bottle.

Really annoying but I guess I just need to be more vigilant when buying things like this. Ideally, I should avoid buying bottled drinks altogether and just stick to water in a refillable bottle. But for now these three items will be added to my April plastic tally which is already getting quite high.

Anywho, back to Flexitarianism, as the Wikipedia page explains, it is where someone is almost vegetarian, also known as almost-a-tarian, but still eats a bit of meat. What I mean by this is that from today I am starting to make a conscious effort to eat less meat and more fruit and vegetables and nuts in a bid to be more healthier. As a result I also expect it to help me consume less plastic as meat all seems to come wrapped in plastic (although I haven't been to any of the local butchers yet, they may be the exceptions).

I am also fascinated my the notion of raw food dieting though I don't think I will go completing raw foody as there are some food nutrients - such as licopene in tomatoes - which are heat-released, i.e. cooked.

Plastic-free face cleanser

2010-04-07T16:02:00.000+12:00

YESTERDAY I found a really lovely product at the Lush Wellington store. Herbalism cleanser from Lush. And the best part? They were very happy to weigh up some of the product for me and put it in the glass preserves jar I brought into the store with me. Infact they encourage it, the shop assistant actually said to me that it would be great if more people took advantage of that opportunity. Although the store does provide plastic containers to put the product in, which they cut and weigh to order, they actually want to reduce their environmental impact as much as possible and encourage people to bring their own containers.

If you click on the photo on this post it should take you to the Lush NZ website which list products and all their ingredients. As far as I can tell though Herbalism is made up of pretty much all natural products except for the perfume obviously. But the main thing for those health conscious shoppers is that it has NO PARABENS. It is also VEGAN for readers who are that way inclined and the company has several other Vegan products marked with a green V.

Okay, this is an international company and alot of their products sold in New Zealand are manufactured in Australia. However, the shop assistant told me that their solid cleansers (such as Herbalism which is suited for oily/combination skin) are made in their New Zealand kitchen. It's a tad pricey at $17.90 for 100grams, but you only need a bit about the size of a small pin head per application and it feels really nice and as well as cleansing does also gently exfoliate.

There are a whole heap of other products available plastic-free at Lush too such as soaps, deodorant bars, shampoo bars etc. I will probably trial some of these when I eventually run out of what I'm currently using. Will let you know how they go when I do.

Has anyone tried any of their other products? How do you rate them?

Photo: http://www.lushnz.com/

WEEK 13: March's plastic tally: 13 items

2010-04-01T17:38:00.000+13:00

I'M A BIT slow on the uptake, since I started the challenge 3 months ago, but since all the other plastic-free bloggers up north seem to be doing it I thought I better authenticate and start keeping a monthly tally of plastic I somehow managed to still collect each month despite trying to avoid it. For March there was 13 items - a bit of a blowout I know. But if it weren't for the challenge there would probably be a WHOLE LOT MORE, especially straws and drink lids.

So to outline each item/s:

1 piece of cling film from a meat pack. Ieat meat very occasionally and am still trying to find a good free range butcher where I can hopefully take my own container, kind of supporting the American-based Take Out, With Out campaign to reduce restaurant waste by BYOing your take out dish and cutleries - a campaign which I'm hoping to extend downunder (c'mon Kiwis lets lead the way in environmental responsibility).

2 McDonalds drink lids - in the future I am going to trial asking them to put the drink into my reusuable take-out cup. Better still, I will try and avoid McDonalds and other takeaway outlets for my health and the planets.

A take-out coffee cup lid - I had an assignment due and was on the university computers late writing it at the last minute. I forgot my reusuable cup that day.

A straw - with the Maccas, the second time I remembered to say "no straw". I am currently trying to source stainless steel or glass straws in New Zealand.

Plastic packaging from dental floss - as stated in my previous post I am yet to find any dental floss that's NOT plastic packaged and am not willing to give up a VITAL part of my oral hygiene regime. If anyone knows of plastic-free dental floss then do let me know please.

Plastic sauce container and lid - I had Burgerfuel one day and although everything house comes in paper and/or recycled cardboard I forgot that their aioli was in plastic.

Tissue pocket pack wrapper - Got caught out in town without a hanky. Really got to invest in some cloth hankies as I often get sniffles.

2 sticker backs - one from Tuesdays mining protest and gawd only knows what the other one was from, maybe O-week.

1 plastic window envelope - still working on getting all my mail send electronically, but some organisations insist on sending them out in the post. I will however, and have for some time, keep all my envelopes and packaging boxes for reuse - you never know when you need an envelope.
1 Nurofen pill tray - every now and then you just need something for pain - headaches, monthlies, etc. Still working on a way to get the plastic out of my painkillers though.
1 plastic resealable baggy - I was hanging out for pineapple lumps one day and couldn't resist (If you've ever had pineapple lumps lollies you know what I mean). In future I will buy from bulk bins at the supermarket and take my own bag.

Plastic things I'm not prepared to give up yet.

2010-03-31T17:17:00.000+13:00

SO here's a list of plastic things I am still using, either because I'm not quite prepared to give them up yet or just have yet to find an alternative. If you do know of a plastic-free alternative please do let me know in the comments where I can find it or find more info on it.

Dental floss - It appears that in NZ this only comes in plastic containers, and I won't even get into what the actual "floss" is made from but I'm sure it must be synthetic. My teeth are already not the most strongest anyway so I'm not prepared to ditch it altogether and risk losing my teeth - I know people with falsies and they tell me it ain't comfortable.
Toothbrush - I mentioned a couple of options in this previous post including a toothbrush made from recycled yoghurt containers and another wooder one with natural bristles, but both of those are a tad pricey and have to be shipped halfway across the world as they are UK and American based companies. I am still trying to look for a NZ based company that sells environmentally-friendly toothbrushes at a reasonable price.
Snapper card - the plastic bus pass is an essential for getting around Wellington, it is reloadable though so atleast I only have to buy one and just keep reusing it.
Milk bottles - New Zealand closed it's last glass milk bottle factory in 2005, so the only option here is plastic or tetrapak cardboard. There are issues with recycling and degradability of tetrapaks here at the moment (they can't be recycled here), where as the milk pottles (Plastic HDPE #2) is universally recycled, including the lids. I don't really drink a lot of milk anyway, but every now and again I do like to use it for baking, with breakfast and in coffee.
EFTPOS/debit cards - If I'm going to mention my Snapper card, then I better mention my cash cards too. I figure it's more environmentally friendly though to use electronic transactions for post things than all that "plastic" money notes we have here.
Make-up - specifically, foundation. I don't wear it much of it and not very often but when I go out I like to "put on a face" so to speak, and look nice. So one bottle tends to last quite a while with me, though if someone knows of a plastic free alternative - or even better a paraben free alternative - then DO point me in the right direction.
~~Pasta~~ ~~- I love pasta, one of my favourite dishes and easier to cook (which is a bonus). Okay, pasta itself is not plastic. But I am yet to find any pasta that is NOT in a plastic bag or packaging.~~ I FOUND bulk pasta!
Sunscreen - This goes without sunning. I'm fair-skinned and skin cancers run in the family on my Dad's side so I don't want to risk it. Skin cancer should also be a concern for Maori people as Polynesian's have a proportinately high rate of melanoma compared to other races. I suspect this is due to Oceania's location in the southern hemisphere near the harsh sun's thanks to the thin ozone thanks to the industrial/commercial pollution from the north.

Okay, well this list was alot shorter than I anticipated, but I suppose I will add to it as I remember things. Coming soon on here will also be my NZ plastic-free shopping guide.

Don't mine paradise - protest on parliament tomorrow

2010-03-29T17:29:00.000+13:00

"DON'T mine paradise!! - National parks not National's parks."

THIS is just a quick post to inform anyone who happens to read my blog before tomorrow that there is a protest action being planned on parliament at lunchtime tomorrow (Tuesday, March 30) for people who do NOT want to see our section 4 conservation lands converted into coal mining operations.

If you don't want to see Aotearoa's most precious pieces of paradises ripped up into mines -places such as the Coromandel, and Great Barrier, to name a few - then be at the Parliament forecourt in Wellington tomorrow at 12.30pm.

WHEN? Tuesday March 3o 12.30-1.30pm
WHERE? Parliament forecourt, Wellington,
NZ

WEEK 12: Looking for a plastic-free drinking straw

2010-03-28T18:02:00.000+13:00

YESTERDAY I made the mistake of attempting to drink a mocha frappuccino without a straw - the lengths one goes to avoid plastic. I had already asked the Starbucks lass to make it in my reusuable mug (which does actually contain plastic although is 83% recycled plastic as stated on the mug) so did not want to ruin my efforts by taking a plastic drinking straw to sip it with. Needless to say it was a big chocolatey mess resulting in me getting chocolate all over my face as I tried to drink the thick and creamy slush as I walked the streets of Wellington City! Not a pretty sight at all! BTW, a big thanks to the kind gentleman who provided me with his hanky when I asked if he had any paper napkins on him to wipe my face (obvious, I have NO shame).

So it got me to thinking, sometimes there just really is no avoiding the need for some form of sipper to drink through. On telling my Mum, who I met up with not long after the incident, of the embrassing event, she told me how she recalled back in ~~the dark ages~~ her day before plastic was common she remembers sipping drinks through waxed cardboard straws. This sounds like a good idea to avoid plastic, but at the end of the day, cardboard straws still end up in the rubbish after one use so are not really a long term solution.

Awhile back, I read how Fake Plastic Fish blogger Beth Terry strongly advocates Glass Dharma glass drinking straws. However, knowing my lack of co-ordination, I know I am likely to break a glass straw and end up with glass sherds through my handbag, even though GlassDharma straws do apparently come with a nice little case to protect it.

A stainless steel drinking straw on the other hand would be perfect for cluts' like me. A quick search on google for stainless steel drinking straws however did not get me the results I was hoping for but if anyone knows where in New Zealand I can get my hands (or more appropriately lips) around a stainles steel drinking straw could you please leave a comment with the details on this post or on the Hine Taiao Facebook page.

I have also failed to find a New Zealand stockists of GlassDharma straws and am reluctant to have one straw shipped all the way from the US. Honestly, I thought Kiwis were meant to be innovative! I'm suprised no one in New Zealand has started making them yet. My views of Kiwi ingenuinity is increasingly sliding, I hate to say this but it seems to me that the USA is quickly surpassing us on the number 8 wire innovation that New Zealanders were famous for once upon a time. Do enlighten me if you know otherwise?

WEEK 11: Refusing plastic dilemmas and making Iced Tea

2010-03-25T14:38:00.000+13:00

JUST a quick post on the plastic-free crusade update this week. I have been getting quite busy again, not only with course assignment deadlines starting to loom, but I have also been volunteering at the SPCA two-days a week. It has turned out to be quite an interesting place to volunteer. Mainly I have been cleaning the cat/kitten and puppy runs but I also get to play with the cats and puppies which is neat! I haven't had a pet at home since our dog Pukerua died when I was 16.

Anyhoo, back tot he plastic free kaupapa and the dilemmas I mentioned. Again my sweet tooth and appetite for fried foods has come to bite me on the bum again with a lot of McDonalds and various fast food meals consumed by me in the past couple of weeks. It would be all good according to the Plastic-free for Tangaroa challenge if not only for the plastic drink cup lids and straws. And with the kind of cups they have at McDonalds it's a bit hard to not use a lid or straw without making a right mess! So I think a bit more will power needs to be done on my part. Especially since I've joined the campus gym and am set to begin a healthier diet/exercise balance.

Speaking of the gym, I just got a call from Exodus gym in Wellington's Tory Street saying that I had one their latest free 7-day trial draw. Shame I just signed on to a 3-month membership at another gym. It's free though and anyone knows I seldom turndown freebies so I'ma go check it out tomorrow anyway!! :D :)

So meanwhile, I have recently become addicted to Teza iced teas, which fortunately are sold in a glass bottle with steel lid so happily (for me and Papatuanuku and Tangaroa) plastic-free. More specifically, the Mango juice and iced green tea flavour. Unfortunately, at $4.60 a bottle from Wholly Bagels, it's a tad pricey. So the other day, after Mum's frugal suggestion, I decided to give making my own iced tea ago. Actually, it's more like chilled tea since I didn't actually put ice in it, since we don't have an ice cube tray at my flat. One of my flatmates was also helpful with iced tea recipes, she's Hawaiian and everyone knows iced tea is one of the drinks in the US of A.

So here's my recipe:

In a large jug I poured boiled water over teabags of green tea. While still hot
added a little sugar for sweetness (you could also use honey if prefered) and
put it in the fridge to chill. Once chilled I added the juice of one lemon and
mixed before bottling into some empty Teza bottles (reusing!).

It tasted delicious, great. Will add a photo of my iced tea on here soon so you can see.

Avatar much?

2010-03-16T12:41:00.000+13:00

IT SEEMS the Na'vi of Pandora aren't the only indegenous people fighting mining of their sacred areas. Ever since finally watching Avatar 3D last month, I have drawn comparisons with the way the world is today, the way it has been and the way indegenous populations have historically been ~~ripped off~~ cheated and exploited.

Then when I read this latest media realease from Greenpeace commentating on the New Zealand Government's determination to start setting up mining operations in our National Parks and Conservation protected land it seemed to me like the battle over Unobtainium suddenly got closer to home.

I have pasted a copy of the Greenpeace press release on the issue at the end of this post. But meanwhile, Victoria University environmental group Gecko is planning a protest March against mining on conservation land on March 30. I will post more information on that as it comes to hand but I do encourage you to stomp your feet and make your voice heard on this issue especially if you don't want our pieces of paradise turned in to gaping coal mining operations!!

Govt
reneges on mining promises
March 14, 2010

New Zealand — The Government’s assurances of "boutique", "surgical" mining
in areas with low conservation value seem to have disappeared down a mine shaft,
says Greenpeace.
Forest and Bird today released information on the areas the
Government intends to open up to mining. They include: Great Barrier Island,
Coromandel Peninsula and Paparoa National Park. "There's no way these areas
could be considered low conservation value and there's no way the minerals
sought will be mined by anything other than highly destructive mining techniques
like open-pit mining,” said Greenpeace Political Advisor Geoff Keey. "This is a
huge blow to New Zealand's clean green values and brand, and another example of
the dangerous direction in which this Government is heading in terms of
environmental management. It’s a rip shit and bust mentality which is out of
step with the rest of the world. "Mining these areas would increase New
Zealand's already very high greenhouse gas emissions because of the massive
amount of fossil fuels needed for the kinds of mining required. "Coal mining in
Paparoa National Park would be a triple hit for the planet, destroying valuable
natural areas, creating massive emissions from mining and then even more
emissions when the coal is burnt. “New Zealanders will be furious over this.
Focus groups and polling has clearly shown New Zealanders don’t support these
proposals. They will have every right to feel angry and betrayed."

Contact information
Geoff Keey – Greenpeace Political Advisor
021504486
Kathy Cumming - Media and Communications - 021 495 216

WEEK 10: I'm ditching the pen and bringing back the pencil

2010-03-12T16:34:00.000+13:00

THE HUMBLE biro pen is something that's largely taken for granted these days, and it is also a stalwart symbol - along with plastic lighters and takeaway coffee cups - as a simple of modern disposable society. They are also full of plastic.

However, as a university student I need writing instruments and other stationery items for taking notes in lectures and assignments. One option is ofcourse to invest in a laptop and dictaphone and transcribe direct to computer, but since I often find there are graphs and diagrams to take down in lectures this isn't a practical options. Another option is a refillable foundation pen, which can be quite costly initially, but maybe cheaper in the long run and something I will probably eventually look into - such as a fountain pen as in this one used by fellow plastic-free blogger Beth Terry at Fake Plastic Fish.

But for now the cheapest practical option for me is to just ditch pens AND highlighters altogether and make the switch to pencils - both standard and coloured for highlighting texts. No I won't be just tossing all my existing pens that I've accumulated over the last few months because it would be wasteful to chuck out a perfectly good pen. I will keep the pens I've got which will be needed for exams anyway because I don't think pencils are permitted to be used for those I s'pose because answers can be erased and changed.

At this stage I'm just using Staedler pencils because its a quality renowned brand, but I have heard that apparently Office Max's environmental brand Eco-Max (get it?) has a range of pencils that are made from recycled newspapers in India. I'm yet to find anywhere in Wellington that stocks ECO-Max pencils but if anyone has come across them here or anywhere in New Zealand for that matter please do leave a comment with the details...

WEEK 8: Plastic freebies - accept or reject?

2010-03-02T13:22:00.000+13:00

A COUPLE of weeks ago while walking through central Wellington I came across a More FM promo guy handing out the new Fruju ice blocks. At the time I thought, "mean free ice block" even though it was an overcast day and a bit breezy. Afterwards though, plastic remorse kicked in when I was left with the plastic wrapper and wooden stick. - So was it worth letting my principles slip for the sake of a freebie?

This issue is particularly relevant for me with this week being O-Week, the first week back at university. Information and promo stands have been set up around campus all week ~~bribing~~ enticing us cash-strapped students with prizes and free giveaways to encourage us to check out what they've got to offer. The other day alone I scored a free pair of jandals, a key ring and a couple of pens - all of course wrapped in plastic bags.

At the moment I'm working off a case by case basis. I didn't really need the jandals, but thought they were nice to have and would be good for kicking around home. This year I've also tried to avoid accepting as many free pens as possible (I developed a bit of a collection last O-Week) and I've avoided most stickers - unless its a really, really, really, cool one that I absolutely must have.

I'm not perfect but I AM tryinging to make a difference and tread a little lighter, be a little kinder to Papatuanuku. That's why I starting writing this blog and what I hope for you reading this to get out of it - you don't have to be a eco-warrior, just make some adjustments to your life. Start with baby steps and work your way up at a comfortable pace.

On the other hand though, I won't disregard the fact that Climate Change is an urgent matter and we shouldn't spend too much time debating the fine points and just start taking acting NOW.

Sites you might be interested in:
http://tuanuku.com
http://350.org.nz/
http://fakeplasticfish.com
http://frugalkiwi.co.nz/

WEEK 6: Plastic is all around me...

2010-02-13T14:37:00.000+13:00

"PLASTIC is all around me, and so the pollution grows" - Okay, so I just ripped off Wet, Wet, Wets lyrics to that song. Calling it jumping on the Valentines Day bandwagon (which is tomorrow) even though I don't typically buy into that compulsive consumerist event.

Anyway, since I couldn't get to a computer to post last week this is sort of a week-5-and-6-two-weeks-rolled-into-one post. I'm back in the city and the struggle to live plastic-free AND on a student allowance budget has gone up a few levels. It's like everywhere I look the plastic is right there wrapped around everything almost.

Which leads me to the topic of this post: challenges to ditching plastic #2: budgets

One of my resolutions this year is to stick to a budget and take better control of my money. I'm starting to notice that this will sometimes conflict with the less plastic resoloution. For example, laundry powder: Ideally I would buy Next Generation which is 100% cardboard packaging, even the scoop. But it is also like $8 a box whereas other cheaper brands might cost as litlle as $3 for the same size box. But since the other brands are mostly plastic-free (ony the scoop is plastic) I have made a compromise to go for the more affordable option. I'm not perfect. I am human and I do have very limited funds being a full time student.

So while I will still endeavour to find the plastic-free option in all cases, if budget doesn't allow it then I'll just have to get the cheapest. However, I'm starting to replace most cleaning products with baking soda and vinegar now and have heard of people who just use a bit of baking soda in their laundry. I know baking soda as odour neutralising properties: -

Has anyone reading this used or heard of someone using baking soda in the washing machine? What were the results and how would I go about it?

WEEK 4: The DIY shampoo and conditioner experiment

2010-02-01T22:06:00.000+13:00

FOR the past couple of weeks I have experimented with making my own shampoo and conditioner using two simple ingredients everyone probably has in the pantry - baking soda and apple cider vinegar. Why? Because so far the only hair products I've seen in shops come in plastic bottles, an I'm trying to get away from plastic. OK, I could just go to the bulk bins and just refill. But bulk bin stores aren't available to everyone and why should I when I already have these two wonderful products in the pantry.

So I have always known that cider vinegar makes a great conditioner. Infact, my dad sometimes uses it. But it was through reading Beth Terry's blog that I found out more of the magical properties of baking soda. Not only is it a great buffer on stainless steel sinks and showers and a deodouriser for getting rid of smells from cat/dog poo on the carpet. But apparently it's also good for cleaning hair.

So, according to Beth's instructions, I got to work to premix some "shampoo" and "conditioner" in old Pump water bottles (I might has well make the best use out of plastic I already have):

NB: Make sure to using baking soda NOT baking powder.

For the shampoo: About 1 tablespoon of baking soda per cup of water.

For the conditioner: About 1 tablespoon vinegar per cup of water.

VERDICT:

With the shampoo, I have been using almost every day, or every second day, as my hair is naturally quite oily and can get really greasy if I go too long without washing it. I've found with some commercial shampoos tend to dry it out a bit too much though, or make it frizzy. At first, because the baking soda doesn't foam like regular shampoo I kinda felt like I was just pouring water on my head. But then when I started scrubbing I could feel the baking soda getting to work and afterwards really did feel clean. Baking soda, an alkaline substance, also acts as a great deodouriser as it neutralises any odours like say from sweat.

As for the conditioner, I decided to only use it once a week so haven't really tried it much in the past couple of weeks. At first I was a bit worried my hair would wreak of vinegar for the next day but alas, the vinegar smell doesn't linger too long after it has been rinse out - maybe this could be the result of the baking soda wash?? The first thing I noticed after using the cider vinegar rinse the first time was how shiny my hair looked as a result. It was also very effective at detangling my locks. But then again, my hair is quite fine so doesn't get too knotty. If you have quite thick frizzy hair then I'd recommend to test it out for yourself first but if it works then this is a very cost efficient alternative.

Plastic minimising shopping tips:
- Murdoch's baking soda is sold in cardboard boxes in NZ with a plastic bag inside the box, so if you have a bulk barn such as Binn Inn handy then I reckon go and buy it in bulk. Remember to take your own bag to refill. UPDATE: Murdoch's is also a NZ company.

- there are a few kinds of apple cider brands in New Zealand. Some, such as the Healtheries brands, can be a tad pricey. The cheapest one (DYC Cider Vinegar) is just fine. Unforunately it does come in a plastic bottle. I'm yet to find a brand that doesn't. Again, if you have a bulk barn handy that you can go to, take an old bottle with you and get refills.

Making rewana bread (a pictorial post)

2010-01-28T21:45:00.000+13:00

First up: mixing the bug/starter into the flour/sugar mix to get the just-right texture to start kneading (those are Nan's hands by the way, she did that bit). The next part is the kneading but I didn't take a photo of that.
Kneaded dough prepared and put in the oven pan to rise before placing in the oven (about 200 degrees) for an hour

Voila! One cooked paraoa rewana loaf!

I'M continuing the process of learning Nan's paraoa rewana recipe and have now had several goes at it and made several loaves as a result. I think I'm getting the hang of it. I made my first bread completely independently and without Nan in the wings supervising me incase I made mistakes - I reckon the texture of the finished bread has improved each time.

The pictures above was very brief pictorial guide outlining the process of making a rewana loaf.

WEEK 3: Attempts at a plastic-free road trip

2010-01-27T20:35:00.000+13:00

EXCUSE my week 3 post being a bit late, I have just returned home from the weekend road trip to Rotorua for the Raggamuffin reggae music festival. The show was awesome, especially the chance to see Lauryn Hill and Julian Marley live, and Shaggy again. Sean Kingston was also suprisingly good, as I have never really been a huge fan but I loved his set.

Anyway, week 3 of the challenge I thought I'd write about the trip. Growing up in a rural community, trips anywhere have always involved a visit to a fast food chain like Maccas or KFC - places we don't have in Wairoa - places that have lots of plastic. So this time I decided with the roadtrip to Raggaz last weekend I was going to try and make it my first plastic-free road trip since starting this challenge.

All went well on Saturday morning when I left, after picking up my cousin who decided at the eleventh hour that he wanted to come too. I had my stainless steel reusable sippa bottle all ready and filled and fruit to snack on for the journey. There was a wee bit of Gladwrap as I had nothing else to wrap the homemad rewana bread I was taking to give to a friend. Even at the concert I managed to not buy any takeaway foods although I did buy a bottle of water to support The Good Water Project - of which 10 percent from the sale of each bottle goes to the Sir Peter Blake Trust. However, these bottles are actually made from biodegradable plastic made from natural plant sugars. I am working on a post on this subject in the near future so keep posted for more on these "good" plastics. My plastic from the concert also included the pill pallet from a packet of party pills I bought in an attempt to keep my energy up for the evening since I had already decided that I would not be drinking that night.

Apart from what I've already mentioned, the plastic free challenge went fine until the trip home where I ended up with an extra two passengers with my cousin and her friend coming back to Wairoa for the week. But that was fine. It was when we stopped in Gisborne for dinner that I caved and we ended up having a munche of KFC, which ofcourse is loaded with plastic packaging - drink lids, drink bottles, potatoandgravy pottles etc.

But anywho, on another note I ordered a tube of the Weleda salt toothpaste. As I mentioned in that post it comes in a recyclable aluminium tube. It also comes in a cardboard box (also recyclable) although the tube has a plastic lid. I had to compromise there since it was minor compared to buying a normal plastic tube. When the package arrive I was a wee bit disappointed to find what appeared to be plastic styrofoam in the box (which I thought unnecssary since a tube of toothpaste is hardly fragile), so I emailled Weleda about this and received a reply the next day telling me the "styrofoam" chips were infact made from cornstarch and also dissolved in water. They also said they had trialled using shredded paper instead but found it gave their packing staff asthma and allergies. I kind of find that a bit hard to believe but then again, I don't get asthma so wouldn't know.

Verdict on the toothpaste

On trying the toothpaste I found it quite strong on the salty flavour, although it says on the packaging that essential oils have been added to neutralise this. It did however leave my teeth and mouth feeling very refreshed. It also did not have the foamy lather of regular toothpastes, which I don't like much anyway which was another plus for Weleda. Only other problem is its a tad pricey at nearly $10 a tube but since I'm the only one that uses I should be able to make it last.

Climate change: A people's movement

2010-01-18T20:16:00.000+13:00

THE world's leaders failed to come to an agreement in Copenhagen at the end of last year, so what now? Well I'm proposing that if mankind is going to have any shot at saving ourselves from global climate change it's up to us, the people, to form a people's movement from the grass roots up to fight climate change. We should start with "the man in the mirror" and make changes starting with ourselves. We also need to actively advocate the desperate need for humans to change their lifestyle for one that is more harmonious with the planet and its eco system. Lets get together and make some noise, keep making noise, until the people in power finally start listening to their people - fixing the dodgy Emissions Trading Scheme, and putting in place a proper National Climate Change Plan.

But where to start?

First of all you can get involved with other networks of people passionate about this issue in your home town, in your country or internationally. Here are a few such networks:

Since Hine Taiao focuses on Māori issues I'll start with Tuanuku, a Māori focused network and tool to help whānau, hāpu and iwi organise a climate change risk analysis unique to their area. Tuanuku was created activist film-makers Mike Smith (yes, that one) and Hinekaa Mako who were inspired by Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth to create He Ao Wera, a documentary that takes a Māori perspective on the climate change issue facing humankind at the moment. So if this sounds like you, sign up to Tuanuku. If you're on Facebook, you can also sign up to the Tuanuku Facebook group by clicking here.

The next group is Intersect, a network for young New Zealander's passionate about sustainability. As the tag line on the network page states, "young professionals - leading the change", and is mainly Wellington-based although they are starting to get members from other parts of the country. I think now there are also branches in Auckland and Christchurch. To join Intersect you can either click on the link at the start of this paragraph, or you may have noticed the Intersect badge in the side bar of this blog.

Then there's The Long Song, created by the youth delegates, including myself, who attended the Digital Earth Summit on Sustainability held in Auckland in 2006 as a way to keep the conversations going and start taking some actions to lead more sustainable lives.

350 has to be the biggest international movement of people against climate change. The 350 Aotearoa initiative is part of an international movement to "unite the world around solutions to climate change. Our mission is to inspire communities across New Zealand to act on the climate crisis with a sense of unity, urgency and possibility". The New Zealand movement was launched on December 6, 2008 at the 350 Climate Action Festival in Wellington and has grown from there.

The 350 movement was founded by author Bill McKibben and 350 Aotearoa is now co-ordinating action groups in nine regions across the country, with their main office in based in Wellington. As stated on the 350 Aotearoa website:

Our vision is for strong and inspiring action on climate change, led by
our world leaders and starting in Copenhagen! 350 Aotearoa is about using
creativity and fun to tackle this, the most serious and pressing of
the challenges that we collectively face.

Why 350?
The figure 350 is because comes from climate scientists who say that 350 parts per million is the safe upper limit of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere for humanity. According to the 350 Aotearoa website, the current estimate from scientists is that we're already at around 380ppm and growing. So according to these figures, we've got no time to waste and need to act NOW.

There are loads of other groups around the country focusing on different areas of environmental action against climate change and pollution and as far as I'm concerned the more the merrier, as in the more people we can get joining the army for the ultimate battle against climate change the better. To close of here are a few more environmentally focused sites you may want to check out: Greenpeace, The Crunchy Chicken blog, and Fake Plastic Fish.

Foraging: blackberries are ripening

2010-01-18T16:02:00.000+13:00

BLACKBERRY season is coming and I just found a wild patch in town to get my fix. This blackberry bush, pictured ripening up nicely, I happened across while going on a stroll this afternoon. They are located on an empty section on Campbell Street (I think number 20).

One of my fondest memories of summers at Waimarama beach in Hawke's Bay was of picking blackberries from the gigantic bush with my cousins and little brothers and then having purple juice stains all over our faces from scoffing the berries by the ice cream container. mmm blackberries...

Week 2: Finding a plastic-free toothbrush in New Zealand

2010-01-17T16:54:00.000+13:00

...Or atleast a recyclable one.

I'LL BE needing to replace my toothbrush in a month or so which will lead to one of my first major plastic-free dilemmas. The reason being that I am yet to discover a toothbrush in a New Zealand shop that is not plastic. Last night I spent a few hours on the internet searching for plastic-free oral hygiene products and, while I didn't find any New Zealand-made non-plastic toothbrushes, here's what I did manage to come up with:

TOOTHPASTE

Mathew and Waveney over at Rubbish Free Year recommend Weleda's range of natural toothpastes which, according to the website, has almost 100% recyclable packaging. It looks like it does however have a plastic lid but the tube is aluminium - which is also apparently, along with steel, the most profitable and marketable recyclable material. Weleda is also a wellknown and trusted New Zealand brand in terms of natural health, another strong point.

My one concern is that their toothpastes use an alternative fluoride-free formula. I know in Wairoa that water-supply is still fluoride-free but I'm pretty sure Wellington water is fluorodates so hopefully that should balance it out.

I briefly experimented with brushing my teeth with baking soda last year, but found it too abrasive. However, on consulting my dentist about using a baking soda and water solution as a mouth rinse she said "go for it". It is really refreshing and because baking soda is a neutraliser it also acts as a deodouriser if you've got a bit of bad breath as well as neutralising mouth acid.

TOOTHBRUSHES

Although an American based company, Preserve seems like the best option as not only are their toothbrushes made from recycled plastic yogurt cups, they are also recyclable by sending them back to the company to be recycled into picnic tables. They're made from #5 plastic so if you're fortunate to be living in a community that recycles this grade you can put it out with your collection. They cost US$2.79 each.

In Wairoa they collected grades 1-7 for recycling but unfortunately Wellington only takes 1 and 2 plastics. Contact your local council to find out what plastic grades are collected in your area.

Preserve states on there website: "Handle 100% recycled #5 plastic; bristles new nylon, Easy-to-grip curved handle, Tiered bristles for gentle, thorough cleaning, Completely recyclable after use, Toothbrush replacement subscription service available, BPA free."

Then there was the wooden toothbrush with natural bristles at Cebra Online, a UK-based ethical shopping site. At 4 pound 42 pence, it seems a tade pricey when converted to NZ currency but looks like it would be value for money.

They are made from sustainable wood and a reported to last longer than a plastic toothbrush, can be easily disposed of in an environmental way. The head of the toothbrush is wrapped in a small piece of bio degradable plastic held with a 100% recyclable metal/cardboard clip.

SUMMING UP

It's a shame there's no one in New Zealand at the moment marketing non-plastic or recycled plastic toothbrushes because in this age of environmental awareness it could be a good profitable business - People are always going to need toothbrushes.

The obvious problem of ordering from the otherside of the world for these products is the carbon footprint especially if I only ordered a couple at a time. So I'm contemplating doing a bulk order in the next week or so. So if you're interested in ordering a Preserve toothbrush then please leave your email contact details in the comments of this blog and I will send out an email with further details.

Challenges to ditching plastic #1: MY SWEET TOOTH

2010-01-14T19:32:00.000+13:00

MAIN OFFENDER - The office snack box

WITHOUT a doubt one of the hardest things about my New Year's resolution of trying to live with as little plastic as possible, ultimately ditching it altogether, is giving up my beloved chocolate. As many fellow chocaholics would know, it's not an easy vice to give up, infact I personally reckon giving up chocolate is on a par with giving up smoking or coffee. It is a vice I am yet to overcome but for the sake of saving the world and also my health (diabetes runs in my family) I must give it up or at least try to eat less.

What does eatting candy have to do with living plastic free you ask? Aside from the obvious health benefits, there is the small matter that all my favourite sweets are wrapped in plastic wrappers. Not only that but the plastic used for candy wrappers is not recyclable or atleast so difficult to recycle that few recycling businesses bother.

Browsing the internet though I did find some clever craft and business projects reusing candy wrappers such as the laptop sleeve made out of Skittles wrappers featured in this post. New Zealand fair trade shop chain Trade Aid has a variety of products made from reused candy wrappers, juice and snack bags and milk powder foil. All of these products, as with everything sold through Trade Aid, come from entrepreneurial programms in third world countries designed to help empower the impoverished people there by providing them with employment. Some of the things that are produced as a result of the programmes are actually quite cute and quirky too.

Well that's my two cents and that also almost brings week 2 of the plastic-free challenge to a close.

Future Goal:
Give up chocolate and sweets. Or at least save for a sometime snack and buy from bulk food bins to avoid the packaging, I have to get my pinneapple lump fix somewhere...

Fan me on Facebook

2010-01-11T20:09:00.000+13:00

HINE TAIAO is now on Facebook. Click on the link to go to my Facebook page and become a fan of Hine Taiao on Facebook. Chur.

WEEK 1 plastic-free for Tangaroa challenge

2010-01-11T16:00:00.000+13:00

The second week of 2010 and the first official week of my challenge of Ditching Plastic for Tangaroa's Children.

I did alright, mostly, for the first week until Friday with a total of four pieces of plastic collected including two produce stickers from apples I bought for lunch one day from the supermarket, one styrofoam container from the Chinese takeaways, one empty plastic spray container for the oral neutraliser from the dentist, and plastic wrapping from around the oral neutraliser mouthspray.

Unfortunately my plastic-freeness went out the window when I got temperary amnesia on Saturday, when on a trip to southern Hawke's Bay to help my Mum and her husband transport things that had in storage in Gisborne back home. On that day I accumulated a coffee lid from a takeaway coffee on the way down, despite asking the barrister kindly to not put a lid on it. Then on the way home I was taken by the site of my favourite Rush Munro's on sale at a fruit store in Bay View which ofcourse came in plastic containers with plastic spoons. Although the store did have paper bags to pack the loose fruit and veg in there, the cheeries, which I was also craving that day, came in a plastic container with a plastic film lid sealing the cherries in.

Fortunately, I can still recycle the ice cream pottles and I'm looking into if styrofoam containers can be recycled in Wairoa.

Future Goals
- I will make a more concerted
effort to prepare my lunch before work,
either by getting up earlier or
doing it the night before. Since home at the
moment is a 7km-each-way drive
then going home isn't really an economical or
ecological
option.

- I will resurrect my reusuable takeaway
coffee mug and give it a
permanent spot in my handbag to avoid takeaway
paper-plastic cups in the
future.

- Since I'm living
in the fruit bowl of New Zealand
(Hawke's Bay) I will try to buy straight
from orchards or raid relatives fruit
trees to avoid produce stickers used
on the suipermarket bought
fruit.

On a secondary note to this blog. I started learning how to make Rewana Bread last weekend, thanks to Nan supporting my new-found enthusiam to learn her recipe. Because, as I said pitched to her last week, someone in my generation has to keep the our family bug/starter (which she reckons has been kept active for over 100 years) going and since I'm the oldest in my generation it might as well be me to start with anyway.

So far I have made two big loaves, and one small loaf yesterday. The first one I mostly observed Nan and did a bit of kneading. The second time I did most of it myself, although mixed the bug into the flour-sugar mix a little fast initially but this was fixed by kneading twice. The third time was much better and I think I'm starting to get the hang of this bread making thing. I'm hoping to take a bug back to Wellington with me to continue making rewana when I start back at Uni in March.

New Year's Resolution: I'm ditching plastic

2009-12-30T13:11:00.000+13:00

WELL today is December 30 (nevermind what day Blogger reckons it is on this post header) which means there is officially only one-and-a-half days left of 2009 and, as I write, I am busy making preparations for New Year's Eve as well as finalising the final edition of the Star newspaper for the year.

I've never been good at keeping resolutions, I'm the first to admit that. Take my 2009 resolutions for example. While I have been spending more time with family this year and did walk more (to save money on busfare to uni, I was broke so technically I had no choice), I'm yet to read the bible, and didn't really stick to the try something new everyday or atleast every week. I also still haven't really gotten over my overly cautious thing so the take more risks resolution went out the window also.

So this year I'm only going to make one New Year's promise for 2010. And here it is: I'm ditching plastic for Tangaroa's children. That is also going to be the title of my campaign and I encourage anyone reading this who feels inspired to join me on my crusade to lessen my impact on the planet. But first an explanation:

Tangaroa is the Maori guardian of the sea and his children are all that live in the sea including seabirds, fish, shellfish etc. But what does plastic have to do with Tangaroa's children? Well you can read about the great Pacific garbage patch here or view a film clip here. Some scientists also reckon that there's a plastic mass like at Midway in the middle of almost every ocean and sea on the planet.

The problem with plastic is that, apart from the fact it is made from oil - a finite resource - it doesn't biodegrade, it photodegrades which means it breaks up from light exposure into tiny pieces making it dangerous to fish and seabirds who mistake it for the tiny plankton that they eat. Unfortunately, the tiny bits of plastic don't digest through the animals and seabirds and fish carcasses have been found filled with plastic - they literally starve to death because the plastic fills them up but is devoid of nutrition.

As part of my new year's resolution for 2010 I'm going to help out Tangaroa's children and take a pledge not to consume any new plastic. Existing plastic in my life I will endeavour to recycle it or reuse in appropriate ways. I will also support useful products made from recycled plastic to ensure a sustainable market for the plastic that is recycled. I know that some plastic is unavoidable - such as milk bottles in New Zealand which only come in plastic - but as part of my New Year's pledge I will keep readers posted on here as to where to find plastic-free alternatives to things in New Zealand. American plastic-free bloggers such as Beth Terry at Fake Plastic Fish and Life Less Plastic both have lists of plastic-free everyday household items which I know I 'm going to find useful. As does Almost Mrs Average's The Rubbish Diet - although her goal is general zero waste, she has plenty of tips for reducing your waste in general and some of those include using alternatives to plastic such as in packaging.

If after reading this, you are inspired then I encourage you to join me in my pledge to ditch plastic for Tangaroa's children. Remember this plastic pollution doesn't just affect the fish and seabirds, it also effects YOU & ME - US. We eat the fish (unless you're a vegetarian I suppose) and other mammals eat the fish and birds etc so no doubt it's already in the food chain.

As Beth Terry says in the intro to her site Fake Plastic Fish, if we don't solve our plastic problem fake plastic fish will be the only kind we have left.

Buy Nothing Day Boxing Day '09 - let's start a revolution

2009-12-21T21:52:00.000+13:00

I'M starting a revolution and declaring December 26, 2009 the a nationwide Buy Nothing Day. What better day to stage a protest against wasteful consumerism than on New Zealand's busiest shopping day of the year - December 26 (Boxing Day).

Buy Nothing Day is usually observed in North America on November 27, the day after Thanksgiving (?), as a way to draw attention to the needless overconsumption which is rife in the developed world, and growing in many developing countries. But I reckon it will have more impact in New Zealand if we hit retailers' where it hurts on one of their busiest day's of the year - Boxing Day. If I can, through this blog, gather a critical mass of people around the country to contribute to this cause and "unshop" by buying nothing this Boxing Day hopefully it will send a message to the big businesseses who stock these unnecessary, disposable items that usually end up in the landfill, building up and polluting our planet.

I have to emphasise though that although this initiative may seem anti-consumerism, I am infact not anti-consumerism in general. What I am against is unnecessary buying - over consumption and basically the whole keeping up with the Joneses thing where everyone's trying to outdo each other buy getting the latest gadget, the latest trend etc. Be happy with what you've got for a while and just use this Boxing Day - which just like Christmas Day is a statutory holiday so most people will be off work - to kick back and enjoy what you've got and spend time with the people that you care about.

So if you're reading this, tell a friend, link this post to your Facebook, Bebo, Twitter, MySpace statuses. Help me start a revolution and get a critical mass to join me and Buy Nothing this Boxing Day.

OMG Christmas is next week!!

2009-12-16T23:41:00.000+13:00

SO I've just realised that Christmas is only a week off and I haven't even started on getting presents, yet alone sent out any of the Christmas cards I bought last week. Since I've also pledge over at The Crunchy Chicken to buy or make handmade presents this year, one week is a pretty tight schedule to arrange gifts for everyone.

Anyway, in a mad rush tonight I got busy today using some of Crunchy's ideas, such as this recipe for a Christmasy themed homemade sugar body scrub. The recipe is easy as, although I used wheatgerm oil instead of vitamin E oil but I'm told it's the same thing anyway, the former is a natural version. I also used olive oil because I couldn't find any almond oil. The pepperment essence gives it a devine smell! I tried a bit on my hands and it feels great too! Made a few batches. Here is my scrub:

I also intend to have a go at making the peppermint bark later this weekend and will make up some shortbread giftpacks - one of the few things I can bake successfully.

I also had a go at making a wallet from used plastic shopping bags. I loosely followed instructions found on the internet, thanks to the almighty Google, for fusing plastic and proceeded to sew it to my desired shape with needle and thread to get the finished item in the last two images in this blog post.

The white shopping bags were ironed together and I then glued, then sewed, a piece from a black plastic bag over the front for a better appearance other than the New World logo. On the inside I sewed on a couple of card pockets with some clear packing plastic I found in the warehouse at work.

The finished product was a slightly big, men's size wallet. I'll have a go at a smaller kind tomorrow.

The process of using plastic bags to make into other items such as this wallet, as well as other things like hats, clothes, purses, totes is known as upcycling. Google upcycling plastic bags and you'll find a whole raft of things people can make by either fusing and sewing, crocheting or even knitting plastic bags into different arty creations.

In the meantime, if you're also like me and left your Christmas shopping till the last minute then avoid the 11th hour rush to the shops and have a go at some of the ideas here. While some of them might be time consumning, others, particularly the food/sweet recipes should be easy enough to whip up in a hurry.

Merry Christmas and have a happy holiday!

NZ in Copenhagen

2009-12-14T15:24:00.000+13:00

SO glad to see our prime minister has his priorities right in Copenhagen (sarc). It was one thing that he finally decided to attend the UN discussions after flip-flopping on the decision for ages. Now we hear he won't even be delivering New Zealand's speech this Thursday night because of the much more important dinner with the Danish royal family. Climate minister Nick Smith is giving the speech instead, which leads me to the question - what was even the point of John Key going if Mr Smith is doing all the work.

It seems to me that Mr Key is not taking the issue seriously at all, merely treating it as a photo op. So c'mon John, listen to your country and get serious about climate change.

A wee rant about plastic wine bottles

2009-12-11T23:16:00.000+13:00

IT was the story on the 6 o'clock News tonight about the Marborough winemaker whose switching from glass to plastic wine bottles that got me amped enough to right a post about the problem with plastic on here. See I've been thinking about plastic for awhile and the ocean of plastic in the middle of the Pacific, and it's effect on the eco system. It is believed that every ocean/sea in the world now has one of these in the middle of it, which is wreaking havor on fish and seabirds who mistake the tiny bits of plastic for plankton that they normally eat. Because plastic doesn't biodegrade (it photo-degrades into tiny pieces which make it more dangerous to wildlife) it fills the animals up so they can't eat and literally starve to death. Dead seabirds and fish have been found with bits of plastic in their stomach. And don't even get me started on the copious amounts of oil that is used to create plastic...

But back to the wine bottles for now, Peter Yealands launched his new range of plastic savignon blanc bottles, citing environmental concerns as being the reason for him switching from traditional glass to modern plastic. You see Yealands is aiming to be the world's most sustainable winery and has also got miniature sheep on his vineyard to help control weeds around the vines as part of this goal.

Okay, so he might be right about plastic being easier to recycle than glass and taking less energy to produce. But as far as I'm concerned the benefits stop there. While P.E.T plastics might be easier to recycle, the bulk of plastic collected for recycling here is sent to China as there's no plastics recycling plant in New Zealand. At least there are glass recycling plants in New Zealand. And realistically very few of these bottles used are actually going to make it to the recycling centre so we can't really be counting on that to justify the environmentalist reasons for the change.

Ok , I know there's chemical and high-energy concerns with recycling glass, but it costs less energy to reuse glass bottles. In fact, a better thing for this winery to do is run a take back service for the bottles similar to the Swappa Crate system with the beer breweries in that people who return their bottles to the store get a discount on their next bottle as an incentive to bring them back. The bottles are then collected and sent back to the winery to be sterilised to be reused. My theory is it works for beer then why shouldn't it work with wine?

Then there's the other problem with plastic which is that some kinds, usually those used for drink bottles and other food consumption, contain BPA. While I don't actually know the technicalities about BPA apart from that it is potentially toxic, this link explains it.

This wine critic might reckon it has no effect as to the taste-quality of the sav blanc. While I commend Yealands for his passion for environment sustainability, as far as I'm concern with the environmental problems with plastic I don't think plastic wine bottles are the best solution.

Please don't tarnish our clean green image Mr Industrial Farmer..

2009-12-08T07:13:00.000+13:00

I WAS disappointed to see this story all over national news yesterday about the details of a resource consent application by three companies wanting to build a dairy farm development in Canterbury that will manage nearly 18,000 cows living in indoor cubicles for 24 hours a day for 8 months of the year.

New Zealand has already come along way from countries such as America, the Kings of industrialised factory farming, and rely on promoting our pasture raised free range stock overseas. It's our main advantage in the international market. With global consumers growing more concerned about the carbon footprint and food miles of their food, we've already got our isolation from the rest of the world against us. This was our advantage. Major dairying company Fonterra are also saying that this plan could tarnish New Zealand's reputation for free-range dairy products.

First of all, I'm glad that we do have a resource consent application. But we also have a National government and everyone knows they're all for the big businesses - just look at the bogus document they recently tried to pass off as our Emissions Trading Scheme. But the PM John Key is also Tourism Minister and we all know how this countries clean green image is what Tourism NZ depends on when promoting NZ to overseas. If he has any sense he's not going to let this tarnish our 100% Pure image. In addition, it won't be good for existing dairy farmers and National should know that the agriculture industry generally vote National, not to mention that they are the backbone of this country's economy.

Secondly, the location of this development is on the East Coast of the South Island, an area that's prone to drought nearly every summer. We all know that dairy farming requires a lot of water. There's already a shortage of water in this part of the country. Where are they going to be taking their water from? And what will they do with all the effluent from this large amount of cows?

This blog post is my plea to the powers that be to reject this resource consent application. It is not only bad for New Zealand's environmental reputation, but will also be bad for our agricultural reputation and will no doubt see international trade opportunities for our diary products go down.

Meanwhile, The UN Copenhagen climate conference opened today. It's good to see Mr Key decided to attend after all, even if it was just because people like Mr Obama were also going. So please Mr Key, go in there with an open mind and use this opportunity wisely and be willing to negotiate something better than the bogus ETS that your government recently passed. Sign On for a 40% emissions reduction, because there's is NO Planet B.

BLOG ACTION DAY: Kaitiakitanga - conserving our resources

2009-10-16T11:35:00.000+13:00

SO Blog Action Day '09 is here and the theme is Climate Change. After mulling for ages -in between finishing my Uni assignments for the year - about what I was going to write about I decided to stick to the kaupapa Maori aspect and right out Maori resource management and how in this changing climate it is now more important than ever to conserve our resources not just in Aotearoa but worldwide. It is time for Maori to re-embrace their role as kaitiaki (guardians) and protectors of this land.

A Maori proverbial saying says "Manaaki Papatuanuku, manaaki tangata": look after the Earth and it will provide for its people. Currently the Earth is being raped of its resources. Fish are being overfished by greedy big corporate fisheries, this is despite New Zealand supposedly having one of the best fisheries management quota system in the world. Deforestation is at an all time high internationally with forests being destroyed to make way for palm plantations, agriculture and biofuel crops.

Maori are still the tangata whenua (indigenous people) of this land and it was always our role to ensure the sustainability of resources here. Traditional methods worked for generations and we need to reclaim that responsibility because the current capitalist system of exploitation is not working, resources are still depleting because big companies are taking more than they give back.

Stand up and take make the mana whenua promised under the Treaty of Waitangi. For my final words on the subject I'll turn to our indigenous cousins in North America where they have their own proverb about the way we are exploiting the land and resources in the western world: "Only after the last tree has been cut down, only after the last river has been poisoned, only after the last fish has been caught. Only then will we see that money cannot be eaten."

More on a handmade Christmas

2009-09-30T15:16:00.000+13:00

SINCE registering for Crunchy's Buy Hand for the Holiday's Challenge I have started thinking about how I can tackle the challenge of how I am going to do this this year and be a lot more successful than last year's attempt at a homemade Christmas. Since making things from scratch takes time and already there are only a couple of months till the big day I better start now. Here's some ideas I have come up with so far:

Beanies - I think I've finally got my needles around a proper finishing for a couple of versions of a knitted hat. Still takes me a week at the shortest to do so my fingers will be busy depending how many I make. I have already made one rasta-strip loose beanie for my cousine Pire which prooved popular. I have also made myself a fitted one and rasta is a popular design with most of my cousins and brother so those could fill a few stockings. I know it's summer at the moment but people could always use extra warmies for the upcoming season and not all beanies have to be winter thick.
Recipe book - I'm at the moment attempting to glean family recipes from different members of the family including hopefully some from my great-grandparents to compile into a family recipe book and distributing copies to each family in my wider family. At the moment I might just start with Mum's side and perhaps next year do Dad's side.
Mixed CD - of favourite songs. Good for the one's who don't really appreciate my homemade craft attempts like say my teenage brother. OK the chemical ridden CD is not all that great for the environment so not sure about this one. Maybe iTunes credit instead? - Anyone with ideas for an environmentally sustainable alternative to the mixed tape please come forward.
Baking - Last year I made my Dad and Step Mother a batch of shortbread and presented it in a re-used biscuit tin that I'd decorated. Shortbread is one type of biscuit that is really quick and easy to make and great for someone on a very limited budget. Plus they taste great too! A former colleague once did a similar thing but dipped half the biscuits in chocolate, and packaged them up neatly in cellophone to gift to her co-workers. I thought this was really neat and a nice gesture to workmates without going to overboard. By the way they were presented she clearly also put a lot of effort into each package too.

A global conversation...

2009-09-30T15:01:00.000+13:00

OCTOBER 15 is Blog Action Day 2009, where so far more about 2300 bloggers in 103 countries have registered their interest to join the conversation on that day. This year's topic is Climate Change.

Since the essence of Hine Taiao is about environmental sustainability and self-sufficiency issues and I happen to feel strongly about this issue I have registered to take part in Blog Action Day 2009 and on October 15 will join the conversation to discuss Climate Change.

Although I'm not really sure what angle I will take for my October 15 entry I think I will definately stick to the Aotearoa (New Zealand) context on how Climate Change will this and other small island nations in the South Pacific Ocean. Ideas such as:

Rising sea levels and Pacific Islands
Maori kaitiakitanga (guardianship) of natural resources and what traditional practices show about respecting the land and resources and being one with nature
Rahui
Everyday changes I am trying to make.

Check out the clip below for more info on this year's Blog Action Day and register your blog to help spread the message on Climate Change.

Christmas is coming

2009-09-25T11:30:00.000+12:00

IT'S that time of year again. Excuse what the date of this blog post says but today is September 25th meaning exactly three months till Christmas Day. Which also means that time is ticking away so although it seems like there's plenty of time to do your Christmas shopping the day will be here before you know it.

Last year I attempted to make all my Christmas presents. It was easy for people like my Mum, Nan and aunties who appreciate the work that goes into handcrafting a gift for them. But for my young nephews and my teenage brother I ended up buying there presents.

This year I'm going to try again and hope for a much better result. Hopefully I can get some tips from Crunchy Chicken's Buy Hand for the Holiday's Challenge which I am taking part in. You can also sign on to Crunchy's challenge by clicking here and adding your name to the comments.

The goals of Crunchy's challenge is that participants have to to one or more of the following:

hand-make your gifts
buy your gifts that are handmade by someone else (like from Etsy or a local craftsperson)
buy it used either at a thrift store, yard sale, Craigslist, Trade Me, Freecycle, etc
barter for your gifts

Kia Ora, welcome

2009-09-24T15:03:00.000+12:00

KIA ORA and welcome to my new blog, welcome to both new readers who happened across my readings and also to former perusers of Manaaki Papatuanuaku.

Hine Taiao will continue the legacy of Manaaki Papatuanuku in discussing and informing about sustainablity and environmental issues in my part of the world - Aotearoa (New Zealand. It will also document my efforts to be more self-sufficient on a students budget, growing my own vegetables, as well as learning about Maori kai (food) from my Mum, Nan and other whanau (family). You can look forward to some food recipes as well as some fun challenges for readers to participate in.

I would also like my posts here to open discussion for readers and therefore invite you to post comments on entries and continue the discussions I have started. Your comments may also inspire future posts.

But first in Maori custom I will introduce myself and where I'm from:

No reira, ko Takitimu te waka,

ko Whakapunake te maunga,

ko Te Wairoa te awa,

ko Ngati Hine Hika te hapu,

ko Ngati Kahungunu te iwi,

ko Putahi me Te Reinga nga marae,

ko Marino ahau.

I am Marino

Thank you and until my next post,