sharkwater

Earlier in the year I watched an amazing movie made by a young guy called Rob Stewart about sharks. Sharkwater began as an underwater documentary but quickly became a shocking expose into the horrific and illegal global finning trade when Stewart found that finning was taking place in protected waters in The Galapagos and Costa Rica. 

Shark Week

This week sees the start of European Shark Week, which aims to highlight the dramatic decline in European shark populations and the role that Europeans play in the global shark trade. Sharks are among the oceans most threatened species - tens of millions are killed every year, intentionally or as 'bycatch'. Despite evidence of overfishing and depletion, few countries restrict shark fishing. Stewart works with Captain Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to raise awareness of these issues through his film. And it's certainly well worth a watch.

Interesting Shark Facts

Sharks have roamed the oceans for more than 400 million years, making them 200 years older than dinosaurs. 

The threat of sharks is not as dangerous as we think. Crocodiles kill more people in one year than sharks will in 100 years.

Sharks play a crucial role in the ocean ecosystem as they are the predators at the pinnacle of the marine food pyramid. Populations decline and the ecosystem is thrown out of balance.

green reads

Next week sees the start of Children's Book Week on 6th October. I thought I'd post about some of my favourite green reads for children.

1. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

This was first published in 1971 and as well as being a great example of Seuss' intermiable rhyming style and fantastical illustrations, it is a book with a serious ecological message.

2. One World by Michael Foreman

This beautifully illustrated picture book addresses the problem of ocean pollution using the tiny ecosystem of a rockpool to illustrate its point.

3. Brother Eagle, Sister Sky by Chief Seattle

This book contains the powerful message from Chief Seattle of the Northwest Indian Nations speaking to the American government, 150 years ago. He believed that all life was sacred. Reading it makes me cry.

4. Spirit of the Forest - Tree Tales from Around the World by Eric Maddern

A beautiful cultural book about tree folklore from Wales to Nepal. A magical spellbinging collection.

5. Willie's Garden by Myra McGee

An inspiring tale of how one boy grows all his own fruit and vegetables, and keeps finding room for more!

6. Dear Greenpeace by Simon James

A whimsical collection of letters, which presents an introduction to this environmental charity in a humorous and enlightening manner.

7. The Flower by John Light

A mesmerising and yet slightly eerie picture book about the importance and vitality of plantlife on our planet.

8. Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon by Jules Bass

I really like the character Herb - he's a great gentle advocate for vegetarianism - he even practices NVC!

9. Big Mama Makes the World by Phllis Root

The creation story with a difference. I love this warm, joyful book with a central character that is both larger than life and down-to-earth.

10. The Song of the Trees by Kenneth Steven and Lily Moon

A beautiful story of redemption about a young girl who refuses to leave her beloved trees. A picture book with a deeper message.

There are many more of course - this is just an off-the-top-of my head list, which doesn't include the fantastic non-fiction books about environmental issues for children. Maybe I'll write about those another day...

water bottles to go

A friend asked me about water bottles today and having discovered a couple of great products over the last couple of weeks, I thought I'd post about it. 

The Reasons

Firstly, the reasons to choose tap water over bottled mineral:

• Bottled water has to be transported to stores across the country from source, resulting in thousands of water miles and an accompanying increase in fossil fuel consumption.

• 2.7 million tonnes of plastic are required to produce the world's water bottles every year.

• Dumping a plastic water bottle in landfill is no solution, they take around 1000 years to biodegrade.

What's the alternative?

The Tap water bottle comes in two sizes - 'executive' 400ml or 'biggie' 1 litre bottle. Using one of these helps to save 1000s of bottles of water over its lifetime offering clear financial and environmental savings. It is made from Tritan plastic, which is guaranteed free from Bisphenol A, found in many other plastic bottles and linked to increased risk of cancer and early onset puberty. The base and top are made from stainless steel.

A non-plastic option

For longevity I have chosen the Kleen Kanteen range for our family made from durable, toxin free, non-leaching, recyclable, stainless steel. These products are made in China although the US based company assures it customers that the factory is audited four times a year to ensure respect for workers' wellbeing and the environment. I guess the product that I have from Eco St is then shipped to the UK, adding up to make a pretty hefty round the world trip for a little metal bottle. I need to crunch some figures to find out whether this is still an environmentally sound decision, but I am confident of its health benefits. Little Acorns to Mighty Oaks also have a baby's and children's version of these stainless steel bottles.

And lastly, best of all has to be this idea from No Impact Man - a glass jar - cup and water bottle rolled into one!

moon time

Well, I just got sent a femmecup in the post this morning - thanks to their PR people! I am intrigued - it is almost identical to my beloved mooncup but a smaller version. The press info that comes with this silicone menstrual cup says that we use 3 billion disposable sanitary protection items a year in the UK. And of course these are flushed away, adding to marine pollution or dumped in landfill sites. Choosing reusable products like a menstrual cup, sea sponges or washable pads means pretty much zero waste; a mooncup lasts for ten years, the femmecup lasts for five. Femmecup's website is all yoga and ladies drinking wine, with lots of information including the fact that women have been using this sort of protection since 1896. In addition to switching to reusable products I recommend keeping a moon diary as well; recording your cycle helps you to get in touch with your body and provides a useful indicator of health and wellbeing. I like to mark moods on mine as well so that I have a better idea of what sort of frame of mind I'll be in on any given day. Then I can organise parties/meetings/duvet days accordingly!

heartening news

According to a new study nearly half of Australia is untouched by man. 40% of the land or 1.1 million sq. miles (equivalent to twelve times the size of mainland Britain) make up one of the largest pristine areas of wilderness left in the world, alongside the Amazon and Antarctica. The edges of this area are predominantly peopled by Aboriginal communities who have managed to stem the growth of plants brought by colonial settlers, such as mimosa, in order to allow native species to thrive. However the report also highlights the high rates of extinction of endemic species in Australia and hence the Pew Environment Group and The Nature Conservancy have joined forces to protect this wilderness and the wildlife that it supports. Let's hope it's not a case of Whitey thinking he fix everything by waltzing in, conducting a survey and hammering in a few signs. I know I'm a cynic - I try not to be.

environmental photography

Photography is a powerful medium through which to raise awareness of environmental issues. Images can speak directly to our soul, replacing reams of text that might not have as great an impact. Which is why I am excited about the Environmental Photographer of the Year awards that have just been unveiled. The award winning entries for the category Changing Climates show clearly the impact that global warming is having on our world and depict climate change as a human rights issue, which I think is an important distinction. It's not just about the devastation of plants and wildlife; we are all connected and human populations are already being affected. This beautiful picture of a woman and her child in Abhijit Nandi, India is the winner of the Quality of Life category. From 17th Sept to 11th Oct, visitors to the Art Pavilion at Mile End Ecology Park, London can view an exhibition of some of the entries.

new challenge!!

It's World Water Week this week so I figured it would be a good time to turn my attention to the way we use water in our homes. We often take this essential resource for granted and can be very wasteful in our use of it, so I want to look at a few simple changes that we can make that might get us thinking about water's true value. Here are the week's challenges:

• If you have a conventional toilet (not a low flush or an ultra efficient loo) pop a brick or a hippo in your cistern. This will save around 3 litres per flush.

• Take the Aussie attitude to waste and follow the 'if it's yellow, it's mellow' rule. You could even put a little sign on your loo to explain this to guests!

• Ditch bottled water - globally we drink over 150 billion litres a year! In the US 86% of plastic water bottles end up in landfill. The remainder were incinerated, causing toxic off gassing or sent to China for recycling. Buying water like this costs up to 12,000 times the cost of tap water and according to Gomestic, around 40% of bottled water originates from our ordinary tap water supply. Fill a glass or plastic bottle with water when travelling and water plants with any that is left over at the end of the day.

• If you don't have one already, buy a small washing up bowl to fir inside your sink - this can save several litres per washing up session. It is also useful to have in the sink to collect the excess when you run the tap to get cold water. Use it to water plants.

• Get a water butt to collect rainwater and if you already have one, install another. You are sure to accrue plenty of rainwater at the moment, which will come in useful if we have an Indian summer. Fingers crossed!

Let's get saving!

hot day in office

Wow - its been baking here today. Luckily I only had a half day in the office as it gets a bit close working on a computer in the heat. This morning we had friends over and we went on a treasure hunt, which turned into a bit of a litter pick, due to a bunch of concerned kids. On the way home, laden with crisp packets, bottles and cans, I overheard my eldest and her friend talking about polar bears. Her friend claimed that we're killing them with all our litter (according to a TV programme she'd seen). I was surprised at how eloquently my daughter explained that that is an indirect result, the more immediate one being the threat to British wildlife. Although we do talk about global environmental issues, we tend to focus more on what's happening at home and in our community so it's good to know that she has managed to fit her views into a wider context as well. For us, so much of our home educating experiences centre round conversations. We always eat together, at least once a day, and a lot of family conversations take place round the table after dinner. Our youngest is intrigued by economics and how small scale independents compete with the multinationals. A wee socialist in the making? We have been talking around the subject of the Nestlé boycott and artificial milk marketing in the developing world. I am trying to present just the facts to ensure that they can make up their own minds - sometimes not so easy to avoid a biased opinion. 

A new daily ritual is the bike ride after dinner - tonight we discovered a magical oak wood and went off-roading - feels very liberating to be able to cover such distances and explore our surroundings in a completely different way. Vive le velo!!

fridge news

So I pulled the note right out of the door with no trouble whatsoever. Yep, my energy efficient A rated fridge (with a little icebox at the top - my children are deprived of ice cream and burgers and all other frozen stuff) that I only bought several years ago is not so clean and green after all. I have emailed the manufacturers and the place I got it (Currys - whisper) to find out whether I need to replace the seals or they need to buck their ideas up. 

Apparently the coils have been recently dusted by the man of the house and I have yet to stuff the ice box with paper but will do so tomorrow to reduce energy needed to keep it cool in there. As for finding a cool spot for my fridge it already sits in the best (and only) possible space, temperature -wise. And I promise not to leave the fridge door open, staring at the contents, desperately hoping for a wisp of inspiration when 6 o clock rolls around. Anyone else up for this sorting-your-fridge-out mission? The first step in taking positive action to reduce your family's carbon emissions. It'll be fun, I promise!   

get a free sub to The Green Parent...

... when you switch to Ecotricity, the green energy supplier. This is the biggest single step that you can take to reduce your emissions and protect the environment and it only takes five minutes. In order to prevent the most severe effects of climate change we need to curb emissions of CO2 and other harmful gases to well below that of today. And with our exciting new partnership you can green up your house and get a free year's worth of inspirational green news, all for the same standard price charged by your current regional electricity supplier. Cool huh!

more wind power

Gordon Brown yesterday unveiled the Renewable Energy Strategy to a general fanfare of approval from many environmentalists. It proposes that 15% of energy needs will be met by renewables by 2020. Plans include thousands of wind turbines, both on and off shore, solar panels on millions of buildings and a surge in electric car ownership. Greenpeace calls the plans 'visionary', Friends of the Earth (FoE) are pleased to see the Government slide out of the slow lane and show willing to 'shift up a gear'. But there is some concern over the costs of implementing this energy strategy; it is suggested that homeowners will have to foot the bill with rising fuel costs, and FoE still feel that the targets are 'un-ambitious'. The proposals also rely heavily on biomass energy from crops and biofuels for transport and conservationists fear that swathes of our remaining green and pleasant land will be razed to make way for giant wind turbines and crops, that will be burnt to keep us in the manner we have grown accustomed to. I feel frustrated by the 'business as usual' approach to green energy plans - why isn't the Government making big noises about the ways in which we can dramatically cut our energy usage? More on this later... 

natural decorating

I get zillions of emails every day from people who are doing exciting green things. Today I received a press release about these new natural paints. They look really interesting - a new range of natural paints, available in nearly 100 colours, that come in powdered form in paper packaging - how cool. Free from petrochemicals, phthalates and formadehyde, they are made from natural extracts and minerals with non-toxic pigments. You simply mix the dry powder with water and then apply, and apparently they are quick drying and easy to use. Naturepaint founder Ross Harling says, "Even the clean up process it easier [compared with regular paints], as it rinses out with water and any leftovers biodegrade with garden compost - and no tins means nothing is added to landfill sites." Prices start at £10.66 for a 400g bag, which makes a litre of paint. Ooh, there's even a YouTube video on how to mix up the paint - reminds me of those poster paints you get at playschool!

Ice-less North Pole

Polar scientists predict an ice-free North Pole this year. It seems unthinkable but in one of the gravest environmental news stories this year, it was reported in the Independent today that the Arctic ice is melting at such a rate that it could be open water at the North Pole this summer. Polar regions are experiencing dramatic temperature rises caused by global warming and scientists are concerned that increasing ice melts mean that the ocean will absorb more heat and raise temperatures still higher. Professor Peter Wadhams of Cambridge University said, "Last year we saw huge areas of the ocean open up, which has never been experienced before. People are expecting this to continue this year and it is likely to extend over the North Pole. It is quite likely that the North Pole will be exposed this summer." Witness reports from Inuit people living near Boffin Bay between Canada and Greenland say that the sea ice is disappearing earlier this year and that unusual wide cracks are appearing in the ice. We can only hope that this news spurs governments and individuals to take green issues even more seriously. Although the time has passed for us being able to turn the tide of climate change, we need to think big and take some decisive action if we are to lessen the impact of global warming on our planet.

Put it to bed

Well we have just finished another edition of The Green Parent, which will be published next month. It's a green homes special issue and we have featured some really fabulous eco houses and natural decorating tips. It was great fun to work on, though the subject matter gave me itchy feet, which I tend to get in the summer months anyhow. So, now the office is relatively quiet and the computers will be getting some rest at night. We recently got an Efergy Energy Monitor that shows how much electricity you are consuming and it's quite addictive. When we first got it, I rushed around turning plugs off at the wall and have now worked out a few tricks to keep energy consumption down. The kettle uses a surprising amount of power so I am going to try making sun tea while the weather is so gorgeous. I'll let you know how I get on. The coffee machine that we were given by a friend in an exchange for a subscription to the magazine, is actually more energy efficient than the kettle, probably because it's quicker and only boils a small amount of water. There are some interesting looking eco kettles available now but I don't think buying an entirely new product is really the most green of solutions. Let's hope that sun tea tastes good...