Change the World Wednesday – 7th Jan

The first CTWW of 2015.

Small will be back in a couple of weeks.

Most of the people who read this blog are already ‘green’. As I said in a comment last week, I sometimes feel as though I am preaching to the converted, but I look at it positively, if I can reach just one more person…

This week’s challenge is something small.

Look at everything you have changed, or aspects of life that are now different; how can you can waste less of just one thing.

or

If you have already made a small change this year, tell us about it.

Over the past year, I have changed my life, in particular, my diet. I am not dieting, heaven forbid, dieting is a myth, counting calories is counterproductive; and I have read this week that ‘flushing toxins’ out of your body is a fallacy.

So what did I do?

I have changed some of the liquids that I used to drink. Previously, I wasn’t beyond drinking Coca Cola and boxed fruit juice and my milk intake was a lot, often more than a litre per day.

For the past year, I have all but stopped drinking all soda; I still have a little coke if I make a Cuba Libre, but I have had only one since I gave up soda.

Fruit juice in a box, don’t even think about it. I buy or grow fresh fruit and make my own juice without sugar,

I still drink beer. In fact my beer consumption has risen since the silly season; mainly because I have had less students and more free time. After carnival the students will return and I will have less free time.

My milk consumption is down drastically. So much that the last two litre boxes of milk went sour in the fridge before I could use them all; because I now only have milk in my coffee, and maybe one cold chocolate drink a week in the evening, whereas before it was a nightly ritual.

So, what did I do with the last box? Because I was sure that it would be sour in the morning and end up going down the kitchen sink too.

Before the milk went sour, I filled an ice cube tray with the last and put it in the freezer.

This morning I made my coffee as normal and put two milk cubes in it.

The milk cubes turned yellowish, but taste normal

Okay, that’s a small change, but it reduces waste and saves about half a litre of milk. I have enough frozen milk for coffee for the next three days.

So, what do I drink instead of Coca Cola? Sparkling mineral water! It’s also cheaper than Coke. So the saving is twofold, health and finnancial.

The end result was a weight loss without dieting and I counted not a single calorie. I just made changes.

How much weight have I lost… about 20kgs (44lbs).

I can walk easier, I have less reliance on my walking stick, I can’t yet run up the stairs at work, but I can walk up in a semi-normal fashion instead of taking them one at a time which was laborious.

So small changes can make a big difference.

What have you done, or what can you do this year?

Change the World Wednesday – 31st Dec

Last CTWW of the year.

Yes, there is a challenge, two actually.

First is have a Happy New Year!

Second, don’t use/accept a drink in a plastic glass.

Not even to toast in the New year.

Besides, plastic glasses are just so tacky.

Good wine doesn’t deserve to be treated this way.

Even beer is cheapened by plastic.

Once you have got over New Year, continue the challenge for the rest of the year. Make it a whole year of refusing plastiuc glasses.

See you in January.

Change the World Wednesday – 17th Dec

Yes, there is a CTWW today.

Don’t buy it, make it!

Do something extraordinary, totally outside your box.

An example, ham, a traditional seasonal meat (yes, I know you veges and vegans won’t like this, but there are still a few normal people left).

Everybody who does, rushes out at this time of the year to buy the expensive traditional foods for Christmas and the New Year. Prices are bumped up because the shops know you’ll buy it.

Loevly ham

Well, DON’T!

Make it.

Oh, I can just hear you all now, “make ham, don’t be stupid, that’s too hard!”

I can assure you it’s not.

Ham can be made from almost any piece of pork, big or small. I’m not suggesting that you buy a whole 20lb leg of pork, maybe half if you have a big family gathering planned, maybe a smaller piece of loin. I have made it from inch thick pork chops before.

Basically, the fresh raw meat needs to be pickled in brine. A big piece, two or three days, smaller pieces a couple of hours. Washed, dried, and baked off in the oven or simply in 170ºF water until the inner temperature reaches 155ºF; if your pork piece is about 3lb it will take about 3 hours. You’ll need a meat thermometer to measure this. There is the option of smoking, but not evryone has a smoker.

You’ll need one of these

Many recipes call for a cure, to me that just complicates things, you don’t need a cure. Other recipes call for juniper berries and others, you don’t need them, use whole cloves and bay leaves.

Check this site out for some tips and a brine recipe. Remember forget the cure.

Maybe ham isn’t your thing, try something else a traditional Christmas cake, or a steamed fruit pudding. There are plenty of recipes on the net, you just have to look.

Part of the secret of this challenge is returning the spirit to Christmas, taking power back from the companies and commercial interests.

Have a Merry Christmas, and I’ll be back next week… maybe I’ll have a surprise.

Change the World Wednesday – 10th Dec

Running a bit late today.

Small is still away and will be until mid-January, but I will try to keep the CTWW idea afloat.

But here’s a CTWW for you for Christmas celebrations.

Avoid all softdrinks and soda this Christmas, no Coca Cola, no Pepsi, no processed fruit drinks in a box, no diet, no lo-cal, no zero.

Instead buy fruit and make your own juice, and offer sparkling mineral water.

This challenge doesn’t apply to Christmas cheer for adults. They’re not the issue. The issue that we’re fighting is HFCS and artificial sweetners like sucralose and aspartame.

You can have a Happy Christmas without these beverages.

You do not need these additives in your, or your kids’ diets; they are the principle reason for obesity and other health problems.

See you next week.

Change the World Wednesday – 3rd Dec

Small is away, but, I am going to try to keep CTWW alive.

A small challenge this week as we head for the silly season.

Christmas has become a time for spending, it has lost its original meaning. Today Christmas is all about commercialism; making you buy unwanted stuff as presents.

My challenge:

Avoid the commercialism this Christmas. Don’t shop for presents.

or

If you must shop for presents, consider the green impact, the safe ingredients.

Here’s my plan.

Many of us have old stuff at home. Yesterday I touched on kitchen stuff in Simple Green Ideas post. Today, I am suggesting old sports stuff.

Most of us have stuff like this cluttering up the place

It would be a rare family that did not have at least one sportsman in the house, most households finnish up with used sport gear tucked away in closets and nooks around the house.

Try some arty ideas as presents…

Old tennis rackets

A golf club bottle opener

Use your imagination for whatever sports gear you have around.

Try to avoid commercialism this Chritmas.

If you have other ideas, share them, leave a comment.

Change the World Wednesday – 26th Nov

A sure sign that it’s Christmas… Small is taking a break until the New Year.

It’s been a quiet week, not a lot has happened.

We’ve had some rain since last CTWW, and are expecting more today, possibly a storm. The weather change over the weekend left me all stuffed up, but getting over that now.

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This week’s CTWW is not so much a CTWW as a plea for help by Small.

What would you like to see on Reduce Footprints in 2015?

Pop on over to see the rest on her blog and add some ideas.

Me, I don’t have much. I rather like her blog. I don’t follow product reviews, nor Special offers, not on any blog. Some of the recipes I like, even though they tend toward the vegan. Meet & Greet, I think that needs a facelift. I must admit since it was reduced to once a month, I have been rather lax about participating because I forget it.

However, I am going to throw out a challenge.

Once Thanksgiving is over people begin thinking about Christmas trees.

A slow Christmas death

The last thing the world needs is another dead tree.

Please don’t do it. Don’t kill another tree.

If you must use the imitation tree you saved from last year, but don’t buy another.

Think outside the box; in fact you can use the box, or just branches, or just your imagination.

If you don’t like this, search ‘alternative christmas tree’ on Google, there are plenty of ideas there.

But please don’t fall victim to commercial products, or become a serial Christmas tree killer.

Change the World Wednesday – 19th Nov

Is it too early for seasons’ greetings?

Christmas is just five weeks away. Somehow, I don’t seem that excited any more.

We finally had two days of rain, not torrential stuff, but it wet the ground and brought some new life to the praça.

The plants I donated to the botequim are doing nicely, better than they did alongside the house where they only got sun for half the day. They are all showing new growth.

My herbs are also doing well. The guava tree is full of fruit and I have harvested three lots of chillies. The passion fruit vines are growing prolifickly and I watch each day for signs of the first flowers

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With the silly season nearly upon us CTWW is seasonally appropriate.

Cheers!

If you are planning to entertain friends and family this season, and plan to serve “adult” beverages, do a little research and plan an Eco-friendly bar. Here are some things to consider:

• Wine is the most Eco-friendly alcoholic beverage. Choose organic varieties which don’t include preservatives. While boxed wine may not look classy, it is the most earth-friendly of wine packaging options. Glass bottles would be the next choice.
• If you’re serving beer, cans are better than bottles because they weigh less which gives them a lower carbon footprint.
• Opt for liquors and wine with natural cork instead of synthetic corks or metal tops.
• Avoid frosted bottles. Chemicals are used to create them.
• Look for beverages which are distilled locally and check that the company uses minimal energy and water to create their libations.
• Serve drinks in glass rather than plastic and use glass straws.
• Use cloth cocktail napkins instead of paper.
• Use local, organic fruits and herbs in mixed drinks. And don’t forget organic “munchies” to go along with the cocktails.
• Make ice in an ice tray rather than use the automatic ice maker in the refrigerator. You’ll use less energy.

The idea, this week, is to plan ahead to ensure that your home bar is “green”.

OR …

If you aren’t including alcohol in your celebrations, make plans to “green” any get-togethers you are hosting or attending. Consider local, organic foods and reusable serving pieces. If you are traveling to an event, share a ride with others. Use natural elements to decorate. Supply visitors with comfy slippers or socks so that they will feel comfortable to remove their shoes at the door.

 

OR …

If you’ll be spending quiet time at home this season, plan to make the experience green. Use all the ideas above, on a smaller scale, to make your personal time fun and Eco-friendly.

Well, the purple bit doesn’t apply, that’s just plain silly. Imagine Christmas and New Year without a tipple ot two, takes all the fun out of it.

I’m not planning on anything extravagant, so I’ll do the blue bit with the green bits added.

Screw tops I leave on the shelf

Yes, wine will be included. Some orgnic wines are appearing here in Brazil, but they are invariably stoppered with synthetic corks or screw-tops, both of which I try to avoid, particularly the latter; I hate them. When I buy wine, it sometimes sits for years before I get to drink it, so cardboard is out; besides, I think that is so tacky. Boxed wine also has a plastic bladder, so I wonder at the environmental value of boxed wine.

I refuse beer in cans, mainly. With the exception of three options; Guinness, Murphy’s Stout (both imported as cans) and a São Paulo beer that is only available in cans. Beer cans are lined with BPA or BPS, and for that reason I avoid them.

Non-alcoholic drinks, soda, etc don’t feature in my celebrations, unless for the kids, that’s unavoidable. But I do make fresh fruit juice with no added sugar.

There are some beers here in Brazil that are made with GMO corn, I refuse to buy them as well.

Plastic, wouldn’t consider it.

Plastic cups… I continue in my crusade at the bar to get the regulars to return to glass. Even at work, I encourage my students to drink from glass rather than the disposable cups provided by my bossette.

At the botequim, if there is a spill, we use cloths to wipe up. Generally speaking serious drinkers don’t spill their drinks, but it does happen, and there is the condesation that drips of bottles and glasses, that also gets the cloth treatment.

Pestiscos (bar snacks, munchies), I prefer to make my own at home and take to the bar, which I share around of course; they are always welcomed. Organic they may not be, but they are better than the flour-based commercial ones.

I wouldn’t consider using an auto-ice maker, all my ice is made in ice trays. Domestic appliances like this I consider a waste of resources that panders to consumerism.

So within limits, I do adhere to green principles, even for the silly season; and beyond.

Change the World Wednesday – 12th Nov

Oh boy, the year has all but gone.

One minute it was January and now we are facing Christmas.

Gone is the brief rains of last week, we are back to hot. The plants in the praça had a brief respite, but are already wilting sadly. I am still watering Clorinha’s guava tree daily; it is the only perky plant there.

São Paulo had enough rain last week to maintain the low reservoir levels, but not to raise them

I haven’t been posting here as regularly in the past, I have had a heap of things to keep my mind occupied.

But last Friday, I moved some of my plants from the backyard to the front of the botequim beside my place. I felt that while the bar sold beer which is in itself inviting, it needed to be more inviting.

The new face of the bar

I always thought it looked a bit bare, now it has a new face, and one that has been welcomed by the locals. The tins are a bit grotty, but they will be painted.

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On with this week’s CTWW.

Unhealthy Things

This week, opt for products which come with no unnecessary additions. For example, rather than buy processed foods (like canned soup) which contain added salt, preservatives, etc., make your own using whole foods. If a cleaning product has a “freebie” attached to it, be sure it meets your environmental and health standards before adding it to your shopping basket. The idea, this week, is to examine everything we buy to ensure that it comes free of unnecessary “extras”. While packaging certainly falls into this category, it is not our focus this week. We’re looking for added ingredients or free samples which will make the original product less than desirable.

OR …

Are you already avoiding ALL unhealthy, unsafe ingredients and products? If so, let’s kick this challenge up a bit. As companies sell out and/or change their products, things which we once considered Eco-friendly are no longer safe and healthy. For example, a popular lip balm company (I won’t mention the name here) sold out to a big conglomerate. Their lip balm, which had been natural and safe, was modified to include unhealthy ingredients. Unless consumers continued to read the label, they wouldn’t know about the change. So this week, re-evaluate everything you believe to be safe and Eco-friendly to determine if it remains so. This part of the challenge is all about diligence and ensuring that our favorite products remain worthy of our shopping baskets.

I very rarely buy products that have special offers or novelties attached. In recent times I can remember two. One was a bottle of Cointreau with a piddly little totally useless shocking pink cocktail shaker; it was the only one there and the price was a genuine special. The cocktail shaker never got used, it went out for recycling. Similarly, Ovalmatine came with a plastic milkshaker, once again I got it because the price was much cheaper than the original product, and the shaker also went out for recycling unused. I mean, what’s wrong with a spoon? Or, if you want a fluffy milkshake, what’s wrong with the blender?

Freebies and knick-knacks to not interest me, nor influence me to buy a product. And I can’t understand why people are so weak that they buy them. It is really another sad indictment on the consumer society that we have become.

I don’t buy canned products, not even soft drinks (sodas).

Lunch for example today. I could buy a ready packaged frozen paella. Instead I bought the frozen seafood, mussels, squid and shrimps and have just made a white sauce, added black sesame seeds, chopped parsley (from the garden) and tumeric, pepper and salt to taste. The whole process took 15 minutes and it’s getting cold while I am writing here. What I can’t understand is that people buy the frozen option to reheat in the oven or a food destroying microwave and that actually takes longer.

People need to get real. They need to understand that preprepared products are not time-savers. And, they certainly aren’t as healthy as a good home cooked meal.

That’s my offering, I’m off to enjoy lunch.

Next week folks.

Change the World Wednesday – 5th Nov

Buds on Clorinha’s guava tree

I’m not really ready to do this post, it’s 10 o’clock and already I am sweating.

I need more coffee, but it’s too hot to use the stove.

In Rio de Janeiro we are approaching 110 days without meaningfull rain. Really that is a drought, when we should be having the daily spring rains

The plants in the praça are wilting badly. I have just taken a bucket of water over to the patch of bushes in front of my house and poured a jug of water at the base of some.

I water Clorinha’s guava tree daily, and it is thriving, it even has the buds of four blossoms developing.

If the small bushes respond to my water, I’ll do it again tomorrow.

The heat of the past weeks has become oppressive, broaching 40ºC (106ºF) daily, with the thermal index even higher.

São Paulo had a lot of rain over two days, but not enough to fill the reservoirs, just enough to stop them from getting any lower.

The bushes are wilting sadly

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Time to move on with this week’s CTWW on laundry detergent.

This week, please do an honest review of the laundry detergent that you are currently using. Do a little research on the list of ingredients to find out which are safe and which are not. Talk about how the product performs, especially in cold water. What kind of packaging does it come in. How does the price rank compared to other brands. If you’d like to mention the brand, please do so. The idea this week is to share information on laundry detergents so that we all benefit.

I am currently using Ypê. Although I sometimes use Ariel, the deciding factor is the price.

And, I admit that I haven’t given a thought about what’s in it.

So, let’s have a look. Wow, the printing is so small I can’t read it even with my glasses. I had to take a photo to see it clearly on screen.

Okay, so the content is listed in Portuguese, English and Spanish.

OMG! I just had a FireFox crash… luckily it restored my post.

• Anionic surfactant – biodegradable surface acting agent that lowers surface tension
• Suspending agent – helps to active pharmaceutical ingredients stay suspended in the washing water.
• Chelant is basically a natural water softener like citric acid
• Alkaline agent – is actually delicate laundry detergent; specially formulated with Polymer-A (an anti-redeposit agent)
• Inorganic salt
• Optical brightener – synthetic chemicals added to liquid and powder laundry detergents to make clothing appear whiter and brighter, and thus cleaner. May be potentially toxic to humans and “Aminotriazine- or stilbene-based whiteners…may cause developmental and reproductive effects.”
• Active Ingredient: Linear alkylbenzene sulphonate – rapidly biodegrades, but initially toxic to fish. (See note anionic surfactant above)

NB: the Portuguese list does not equate with the English translation.

Many Brazilians use cloro (chlorine) to soak clothes before hand washing. I have found that this practice rots the material and reduces the life of garments.

My big beef, is that they use generic terms for the ingredients, and not specific terms that can be identified.

Brazilians basiclly don’t give a shit about this information, besides, if they did, generally they don’t have the education to remotely understand it. Which, of course, suits the manufacturers fine.

From my point of view, I am really none the wiser. I have understood that some of the ingredients are basically not so good for the environment, but because of the generic names I can’t pursue the matter and be more specific.

But it has prompted me to buy Ariel next time and compare the ingredients.

Both are usable in cold water and come in a cardboard box with some kind of glossy lining.

That’s my lot for the day.

Change the World Wednesday – 29th Oct

I was reading  CTWW at 2:30am this morning, such is the power of an elderly bladder.

So intrigued by the idea of this week’s post, that 20 minutes later I had finished my first coffee and I have Simon & Garfunkel’s tune “Hello darkness, my old  friend” running through my head as I gaze into my empty coffee mug. Ever since yesterday’s post Pusillanimous, I’ve had the song running through my head like a stuck record. I love it, but I just wish it would go away.

Eyes are not so rusty this morning. Last week was a bad case.

I was, and am still, adjusting to this damned DST. Russia has done away with it after adopting it as a permanent feature, they put the clocks back to normal for the last time.

Onions and jars ready for pickling

This weekend I was round at the sacolão (fruit & vege shop), and they had a bin full of tiny onions. After rummaging through the bin I had a sack full of roundish onions, enough to make a couple of big jars of pickled onions. That’ll be my project for when I wake up.

My new herbs are doing well. I put a kebab stick (used and recycled) in as a small stake to support the spindly plant, and it is already twice the height. Yesterday I had to put in a bigger stake (a piece that was used to frame a discarded election poster I found on the street).

Good news! The owner of the botequim (bar) nextdoor, has finally been convinced to put his empty glass bottles out for the Tuesday recycle collection, instead of just in the normal rubbish. Now I have to work on him to do the same with all the PET soda bottles… *Evil grin*

He has cans too, but catadores (poor street collectors) often pass by and he lets them rummage through and take them. They sell them to the ferro velho (scrapyard), so they get recycled.

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Okay, it’s time for this week’s CTWW on dealing with our Comfort Zones.

I like my comfort zone… it’s comfortable.

This week, step out of your comfort zone and try something new. Need some ideas?

• Turn off your heat or A/C for a day.
• Experience life without a refrigerator for a day (or a week) by refusing to open/use yours.
• Turn off the computer for a day.
• Go grocery shopping and only buy organic.
• Skip taking a bath for at least one more day than you normally would.
• Eat raw, vegan food for day or longer.

The idea, this week, is to force ourselves out of our comfort zones and try something which we’ve hesitated to try in the past. Who knows, it could open us up to a whole new world.

Steeping our of one’s comfort zone is a big deal because we have developed that zone over many years, and it’s, well… where we feel comfortable.

It becomes entrenched in our lives and we rarely step out of it.

But it’s not too late to change.

The awkward stage is taking that first step, and that’s what Small is suggesting we do in this CTWW.

I did it recently. My comfort zone required that I eat sushi in a restaurant where it has become incredibly expensive. I dithered with the idea of making my own for ages; why? Because even though I am a chef, I was scared of using raw fish. I finally took the leap across that awkward zone when one of my students told me that she regularly made sushi at home. Now I reject the idea of restaurant sushi, and my comfort zone has been expanded, and cheaper. Plus I get the satisfaction that I am doing something different.

Let’s have a look at Small’s list:

• Air conditioning and heat, don’t apply. I use neither.
• Not using the fridge… how will I keep my beer cold? That would be a real step outside my comfort zone. I live in a hot climate, and most food is kept in the fridge, even vegan-like food.
• Turn off the PC for a day. I am 24/7 on the PC. My step outside my comfort zone is my time out for my daily walk around the park. Besides, I need the PC for work communication as well.
• Very difficult to find organic here, but it is appearing. Could be done.
• I shower daily, in hot weather, more than once. Okay, cool days, I can skip a shower.
• Eat raw food, I already do that sometimes.

The fridge and the PC would be the hardest. The others are doable.

But there are other areas where I have made it out of my comfort zone. Incandescent light bulbs, for example. I like them, but slowly I have become at ease with CFLs, changing one at a time. I have only the bathroom light to go. I would prefer LEDs, but they are terribly expensive here.

I’m off back to bed… It’s 4:40am.

See you next week.