Change the World Wednesday – 22nd Oct

Eye drops

I woke at 3am to check CTWW this morning, but my eyes were so rusty that I swear I could hear them squeaking as I blinked; or maybe that was tinnitis… Wait, I don’t have tinnitis Maybe I need 3-in-1 eye drops…

I went back to bed.

Now I am up, my eyes are not so rusty any more. Coffee serves again!

It’s been pretty much a do-nothing week, so there’s not a lot to report.

Monday was a typical Monday… Totally Screwed.

Brain is till on Brazilian Standard Time

Brazil entered hora do verão (Daylight Savings Time) on Saturday night. So my internal body clock needs to be recalibrated. The local roosters still crow at normal time.

Maybe that’s why my eyes were so rusty…

I hate DST.

They say that DST saves R$400m each summer, I’m not so sure about that. I mean with extra day hours, people are using more air conditioning than lights, and air conditioners use a damned sight more power than lightbulbs. In my opinion, the savings are political hype to justify DST.

So for the next 120+ days, I have to walk to work in the hottest part of the day.

We’ve just had a hot spell. More than a month with temps in the high 30ºCs with the last week 40ºC (106ºF) and above daily with no rain, and we haven’t even hit summer yet. Last two days (inc today) a welcome cool and overcast with sprinkles of rain.

Recently, before the elections we had our local streets asphalted over the parallapidado (cobblestomes). The neighbourhood looks nice. These things happen just before elections so the incumbent candidate for mayor claims that he gets things done, so a vote for him becomes more likely.

Cobblestones are more than just picturesque

One of the fregües (regulars) at the botequim is a civil engineer (very civil after a couple of beers) and he tells a different story. Cobblestones are set in sand and have a large sand base. During heavy rains (which we get often… should be getting now in fact and aren’t) a lot of the water seeps through the sand and is dispersed as well as running of into the stormwater drainage system.

Now with the asphalt that secondary drainage is blocked, he warns that our area could become more susceptable to flooding.

Another example of progress, looks nice, but what of the after effects?

Yesterday, I pickled another lot of beetroot.

My beetroot is in a pickle

To buy a jar like this of pickles, cost R$10 each. I make three jars for R$2 of beetroot and a bottle of vinegar, R$1.89 plus gas for cooking the beetroot off. The jars also get recycled for the umpteenth time.

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On with this week’s CTWW – Small things.

This week, search your life for a small difference you can make. Need some ideas? Try these:

• Don’t use a disposable straw … either drink directly from a glass or use a reusable straw.
• Use one less square of toilet paper per visit. Some CTWW participants use no more than 6 squares … can you do better?
• Turn off a light, or appliance, which you normally leave on.
• Add a living plant to your home and improve air quality.
• Go meatless for at least one day this week.
• If you’re used to taking baths, take a shower instead. And if you’re used to showers, reduce the duration of yours by at least one minute.

The idea, this week, is to dig real deep and do one more small thing which you’re not already doing … or to amp up something which you are doing (like eat vegan if you’re already eating vegetarian).

Let’s look at this list item by item…

• Don’t use straws, and refuse to use sachets of ketcup and mustard

• 

  Espada de São Jorge

• I already use little toilet paper, prefering a quick wipe and quickly wash bum in the shower with the shower hose.
• I don’t have that many appliances, and none that I leave on unncecssarily; not even on standby. The only things that are on permanently are the fridge and PC.
• Have 10 living plants in living room, no room for more. Mostly espada de São Jorge (St George’s sword) – Sansevieria trifasciata which is known for it’s air purification.
• I am still on my beefless week – week about. This week is beefless. So while it’s not meatless, it is halving my consumption of the most environmentally unfriendly meat to produce. I have been doing this for nearly a year already. There are some days that I go meatless, often not planned, they just happen.
• I don’t have a bath, just a shower. If I reduce my showers any more, I won’t even need a towel. Now that we have high temps, the shower heater is off.

So, that’s about it.

I do look at the small things in which I can make a difference.

Until next week folks.