When words fail

To prevent an increase in average Earthly temperatures of 2 degrees we need to cut the human-made carbon we put into the Earth’s atmosphere by 5.1 per cent each year for 39 consecutive years, according to PwC research group. In their report, “Too late for 2 degrees?“, PwC accounts for the carbon humans have put into the atmosphere each year for the last century. PwC measures the amount of carbon put into Earth’s atmosphere. The tumultuous weather we’re... Read More

Ask me to garden for you?

Passion fruit, Myrtle St road garden Would you like me to garden for you?   If, “Yes”, then email me here on my website.   I’ve decided to garden for others in inner Sydney who wish to grow food, create an urban farm or to grapple with the garden they have in some way.   When you email please let me know what your situation is and I’ll give you a quote for my gardening: either comment on this blog or to email me from my website go here:  http://archive.sustainablehouse.com.au/contact/   Looking... Read More

The People’s Supermarket

The People’s Supermarket In England there’s a supermarket called, The People’s Supermarket. The supermarket was brought to my attention by someone I met at one of the events to promote my new book, Sustainable Food, Christine, who also sent me some photos of it and they’re above and below. Christine wrote: “I had a great time at the People’s Supermarket when I visited it in August this year. I got a tour of the whole premises and met some... Read More

Funny thing, politics

But is this a laughing matter . . .   www.youtube.com…   M    Read More

UNESCO recognises Bali’s subak rice farming system

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation has recognised Bali’s subak rice farming system. UNESCO registered the farming system on its World Heritage List during its annual meeting in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on June 29. As the Jakarta Post put it:   “UNESCO recognized subak as a Balinese cultural landscape of rice terraces and their water temples that cover 19,500 hectares. Subak reflects the philosophical concept of Tri Hita Karana,... Read More

Big little things on a tropical island

Some observations made during my six weeks in Lombok, Indonesia, a tropical island – my first stay there.  I arrived at the end of August 2012 and left in the middle of October: Lombok has about 4 m people on an area about the size of the Sydney wider metropolitan area “villa’ is perhaps the most abused word in Lombok and Bali, especially when used in ads, the Web and promotion – don’t be confident of something out of Italy – such villas exist... Read More

New York Times – record droughts now ‘normal’

New York Times – record breaking droughts ‘normal’ from now on; will seem ‘wet’ compared to droughts  that lie ahead in the next decades. www.nytimes.com… ‘It is increasingly clear that we already live in the era of human-induced climate change, with unprecedented weather and climate extremes . . .  Read More

Planting hazelnut trees at Kangaroo Valley

Broger’s End To Sarah’s farm, Broger’s End, Kangaroo Valley, these last three days:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brogers-End/182845341773967 Seb, Sarah, Barney the dog, and bloke Four of us to plant 18 hazelnut trees and some fruit trees. Testing view from the hammock One of us to test the view from the hammock. Barney And Barney the dog, his genes abrim with the desire to chase cattle. Faith, hope and love I had the gift of staying in the old dairy, now... Read More

Smaller Aussie bees pollinate more than introduced bees

A friend, Maryanne, has let me know that Aussie native bees are more effective at pollinating than the feral introduced bees used mostly for the commercial honey market, and says:   ‘www.aussiebee.com… The main thing they mention is the smaller size (Presumably can get inside smaller spaces). Some native species , though not the one you have, can also do a different type of pollination called buzz pollination in which they release pollen by effectively shaking... Read More

And so . . . to chestnuts

A friend, Stephanie, has alerted me to a source of fairly local (near Canberra) chestnuts, and will roast some at afternoon tea this Saturday.  They’re ordered on the Net from Tweenhills Chestnuts:  www.tweenhillschestnuts.com….au  Fresh chestnuts are available direct from the farm duringApril and May.  Their website says: ‘John and Heather Kane established Tweenhills Chestnuts in 1997. The orchard comprises 1,700 grafted trees on 10 ha. Tweenhills is... Read More