ABC TV Landline on food security this Sunday

The ABC TV Landline story on food security, that some of us in Chippendale were involved in, is being re-run on ABC 1 this Sunday at noon.   There was some great feedback on this piece last year, so hopefully the repeat will generate a similar response.   Thanks again to Chippo folk and the others in the programme for helping bring this complicated issue to life.   Enjoy, M  Read More

Free Estimator for Solutions for Construction Pollution

Free Carbon Calculator   Here is a free estimator.  It’s an excel spreadsheet. Any developer, builder, designer, consultant, council or person may use it to estimate the pollution and impact caused by their project. Once you’ve estimated the impact the estimator suggests how you may offset the impact by investing in carbon farming and by turning food waste into soil. When we build projects we use water, energy, food and other resources.  We sometimes use more... Read More

Eating fish caught sustainably

I recommend a new phone App that keeps you up to date with fish that are, and are not, caught sustainably.   Called, Australia’s Sustainable Seafood Guide, it’s very helpful in a restaurant or cafe or fish shop if you’re unsure what to buy.   It lists the fish and marine critters sold here and can list them in order of sustainability if you wish.   I haven’t bought Orange Roughy and other obviously threatened species for years but now, sadly,... Read More

Can I use treated pine in a raised bed garden?

I asked this question of a soil expert, Phil Mulvey, Chief Executive Officer of Environmental Earth Sciences and Phil’s advice is: In regard to CCA treated timber, there has been a lot of research with CCA treated logs and vegetables.  Slow leaching of metals does occur and impacts the soil in contact with the logs (50 mm).  Little uptake does occur to the vegetables but the same issue occurs with roots crops in close proximity to the logs as it does for lead.  The root... Read More

Interesting questions?

Last week I wanted to serve scallops at a meal I was cooking.  When my friend went to buy some for me at the place which typically has the freshest and cheapest seafood, she asked, “Where do they came from? The answer, “Chile”. So there were no scallops on the table that meal. This exchange brought these questions to my mind: When citizen-funded meals are served when: - COAG meets – the group of federal and state Prime Minister and Ministers, public servants... Read More

The best pies in Chippendale? And Sydney’s best taxi driver?

Let’s speak of two things. Pies, and taxi driver wisdom. To pies, first. It was when my son, Julian, far more fastidious than I, said, “That pie was the best I’ve ever had”, that I thought about the pies at 6,7, ate, the little cafe on the corner of Abercrombie and Levey, here. For location, see map of Chippo put up by Sustainable Chippendale, here: www.sustainablechippendale.com… Then, today, doing my best to do nothing much this long weekend, I... Read More

Food is the second biggest greenhouse polluter after power stations

This quote from the NSW EPA helps to explain why we’re growing food where we live and work in Chippendale: ‘In Australia, the food supply chain is responsible for approximately 23 per cent of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions, making it the second-highest emissions generating activity after power stations. This includes direct emissions from agriculture, and those attributed to energy, transport, food production, processing and distribution.” NSW EPA www.lovefoodhatewaste.nsw.gov….au/love-food/environmental-impacts.aspx  Read More

Salt, lies and failed regulators

One of Australia’s best selling books is the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet. It’s an eye opener (and, hopefully, a mouth closer). It and heart specialists agree; salt is killing many Australians.  They die from the high blood pressure, strokes and heart-related illnesses it causes. Combine overweight – not much, just some fat around the tummy and you’re overweight; too much salt and too much stress and it’s just a question of time until these illnesses... Read More

My plan to secure Australia’s food

In a column (Bathurst Burr) I write for an online magazine called, The Fifth Estate, I’ve offered a plan to secure Australia’s food, and it’s here: www.thefifthestate.com… Enjoy; may we have action from all that we’ve got in government now and from ourselves, no new committees or agencies  . . . beginning now, Michael  Read More

Food facts

One of my Xmas gifts was a terrific booklet, The Guide to Ethical Supermarket Shopping, published by Ethical.org….au – thanks Beth. Using it and other sources I’m adding another topic to my blog, Food facts (that’s its ‘Tag’ – to see all my blogs by topic you may search for them by clicking on a ‘Tag”). One of our greatest powers as citizens and individuals is to choose to spend our money so we do not support destruction of... Read More