Save the World Wednesday: Think Green Thursday:

The water engineer suggested we went for a walk when the rain died down. I was reluctant to go as it was blustery cold, and I wore my winter parka though it is spring. I was rewarded.

We saw a family of partially protected Paradise ducks in the One Tree Hill park. This is the first time I have seen these ducks. they graze the grass so you can't find them it Western Springs. It is important to protect them before they get extinct. New Zealand once had the Moa, the biggest birds in the world. But like the Dodo, they are gone.

Putangitangi, the paradise shelduck, is endemic to New Zealand, that is it is found nowhere else in the world. It was discovered first by Captain Cook at Dusky Sound in 1773 during his second voyage. Cook called it the Painted Duck. They were not a common bird before settlement by Europeans but are now one of the endemic birds which has prospered with the conversion of native forest to pasture. They have increased greatly in numbers through this century and are now only partially protected.

They are a large duck and are always seen in pairs except during the moulting season. The drake has a black head with a greenish gloss, the body being dark grey barred with black. The undertail and tertials are orange chestnut. The duck has a white head and the body is a bright orange chestnut.

Click on the photos to get a better picture. I couldn't get any nearer to the ducks as they kept moving. At one stage, the Dad acted as a decoy so the mum could move away with the babies. Smart dad.

http://www.nzbirds.com/birds/putangi.html

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/2009/09/think-green-thursday_10.html

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/

Think Green Thursday: Bamboo

Think Green Thursday

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/

Michelle of Rambling Woods hosts this important meme.

The Perfect Non-Timber Alternative
All Green Things

Bamboo truly is a remarkable renewable resource. It is a centuries old material that has been and continues to be used by over half the world's population for applications as varied as food, shelter, fuel and clothing. These applications make bamboo a vital non-timber, non-petroleum resource. With a tensile strength superior to steel, it is one of the most versatile and durable natural resources in the world.

My ancestors in China and Borneo had bamboo farms, we ate the bamboo shoots, used them as medicine, wrapped our food, cooked our food in them, cut sticks to make joss sticks, to make satay kebabs, we weaved baskets, chicken coops, made poles, fences, walls, gates, blinds, and before toilet paper was available, used bamboo sticks as substitutes. The list goes on and on and is not exhaustive.

In Borneo, the Malay boys make their own fire crackers in the form of a bamboo canon. The boom sounds like the real McCoy.

When I went to the Mulu caves in Borneo this July, the welcome drink was served in a bamboo tumbler. The luxurious resort had a tropical theme. The head board, the chairs, tables were bamboo. The tribesman showed off his skill in hunting with a bamboo blowpipe, and the dancers danced a scary dance clapping long bamboo poles between your legs.

Now, I watch on TV that there is even eco friendly bamboo nappies or diapers.

Save the World Wednesday: Think Green Thursday:350, Chill out at Climate action Day

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

http://wo

I am passionate about environmental issues. Yesterday, I climbed up the Big Kings volcanic cone to show our committment to prevent catastrophic climatic change.
350- What does it mean?

350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide (CO2) measured in parts per million (ppm) in our atmosphere. The current concentration of carbon dioxide is around 389ppm, and is rising 2ppm annually.

350- 350 International Day of Climate Action.

This marks a world wide call for political leaders to commit to a 350ppm.

350- How do we get to 350?
In December, the world leaders will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark to negotiate a new climate treaty to reduce CO2 emission.

In Auckland, there was a 350 Big Bike Ride and events at the volcanic cones of Mt Eden, Mt Albert and the Big King.

I was at the Big King and my friend Ngarimu was also there. The Big King is a place of significance to me. Big King is part of Three Kings, but now there is only one cone left. The other two cones had been hollowed out to be a big hole.

http://www.350.org.nz

Save the World Wednesday: Think Green Thursday: Ride a bike

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

Instead of driving, riding a bike is a healthy and green activity. In Auckland, there are many cycle lanes. My son Sam rides his bike to school during the warmer months.

If you don't ride often, you may not want to buy a bike, instead you can rent one. In New Zealand, there is a company nextbike where you can rent their bikes. I was quite interested when I saw their stand in Downtown Auckland. There was no vendor to rent the bike to you.

In Auckland we have made up to 170 bikes available for you to get around on. The bikes are locked and released by making a call from a phone. They are located at rental stations at busy public sites and backpacker hostels in the major centers. You can take the bikes for a two minute trip to a nearby shop or for two weeks, you decide.

http://nextbike.co.nz/

Save the World Wednesday: Think Green Thursday: Use a Thermal Flask

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/2009/10/seven-green-tips-for-kitchen.html
http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/2009/09/think-green-thursday_10.html

In the olden days, my grand parents and my mum always boiled a big kettle of water first thing in the morning, and filled up their big thermal flask. We didn't have that piping cup of tea or coffee but there was always hot water.

Now, we put the jug on everytime we wanted that cuppa. We don't use all the boiling water and pour it out when we want the next cuppa. I still do this, but sometimes when I go for a long day trip, I make some coffee and fill up my flask with this coffee. It may not be piping hot, but it is still delicious especially on a cold winter day.

When I am sick, and often I need a warm drink to clear the throat, and it is too cold or too much of a hassle to waddle to the kitchen, I take my little thermal flask to my bedroom.

The older generation of New Zealanders, when they go for a picnic, they take their thermos and tea bags so they have their cuppa.

Save the World Wednesday: Think Green Thursday:keep warm

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/2009/09/think-green-thursday_10.html

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com

We are having an exceptional cold weather for this time of the year for spring. It is a 25 year cold and we have freak snow fall. Last night, I wore two layers of winter thermal and I was still cold. So I got out of bed and put on another duvet on top of my winter downs duvet. Finally I fell asleep.

As the weather heads to Jack Frost's domain in the northern hemisphere, remember to keep warm and save the world.

These photos of Sam are staged. We just bought this duvet cover. He chose the Ahoy Captain and jolly roger pattern. This was why I took the photos. We chose a queen size for him, so he can tuck the duvet in the sides to keep the warm. Last night, he slept under two duvets. He felt snug and warm.

Save the world Wednesday:Think Green Thursday: Cup of worm tea for your plants

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/2009/09/think-green-thursday_10.html

My school's kids join the environmental club. The teacher in charge Kieren teaches them to be green. Here is their worm farm "cafe". Food scraps from the classrooms and the staff room are collected daily to feed the worms. In return the worms produce yummy tea for the plants. This tea is organic fertiliser for the vegetables and fruit trees tended by the children.

Our school, Pt Chevelier school is in collaboration with WWF. All the children are allowed to harvest the crops whether or not if they have any input in the growing.

Save the World Wednesday: Think Green Thursday: Heating your house.

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/2009/09/think-green-thursday_10.html

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com

I link these two memes because I think they both are doing a great job for our Mother earth.

My school is building new class rooms. I follow the development of this project with enthusiastic interest because it is a green class room. They line big 8 inch thick slabs of special Styrofoam slabs. On these slabs, they line pipes which is filled with water. This water will be heated. Concrete is poured over this, and the class rooms will be very warm with the carpet laid.

Some of the rooms are completed, and we can feel the warm. The kids take their shoes off. Kiwi kids love not wearing shoes, and this is just great for them. The kids don't feel cold and wear bulky clothes.

Here is an article I wrote earlier, before I started blogging.


Are double-pane home windows worth the expense?

Yes.

The price of oil has just gone up to almost US$100 a barrel. This has a trickle down effect of price rises in the power bill. To save our power bill, and also save the environment, double glazing our windows will help keep our bill down..

Initially, installing the insulated Glazing Unit or simply called double-pane home windows. It may appear an expensive exercise. But over a long term, it is worth the expense. These windows will not leaky and let cold air to seep in and waste the heat generated by your heater. They will work the opposite in summer. They will keep your house cool on a hot sweltering day..

Double –pane windows is having two lites of glass spaced apart and hermetically sealed to form a single glazed unit. There is an air space between each lite. The purpose of this is to improve the thermal performance of glass. The gap is filled with air or an inert gas, such as Argon, which will increase insulation.


Double-glazing reduces noise, prevents draft and keeps the heat so the house is warm in winter. As the noise from outside your house is reduced, your house is nice and quiet. It will be a more pleasant place to live. Another added bonus is double-pane windows give your house a modern look and your house value will go up. You will recoup your investment should you decide to sell your house.

Think Green Thursday: Vege Garden

I have never grown spring onion from my own seeds. This year, I am going to experiment.



I germinated these rocket salads on potting mix for my girl who has turned vegetarian.


Now I know what they mean that mint plants can grow profusely and smother other plants. Mint is the only plant in the patch that has survived the smothering of the weeds. I got so many tiny mint plants growing outside the patch. I offered some to my elderly neighbour.


Now you see the neglected patch. It looks a daunting job to clear the weeds.


I started raking a little. My neighbour comes to chat. H e says it's too hard for me and calls me daughter. He suggests I sit down on a stool and use a little fork, and proceeded to go home and lend me his tool. A fork I suspect.


It is contagious, the more you dig, the more you want to eradicate the obnoxious weeds. So you see a beautifully dug garden.


The prize, forty baby potatoes for Sam's dinner tonight.

I just came across this Think Green Meme and thought to myself that this is the kind of meme I would like to join. Many of my posts are already on being green.

I am in New Zealand, in the Southern hemisphere. When you are having fall, we are having spring. This winter had been especially cold and I had abandoned my veg garden. Last summer, I had tomatoes, chillis, potatoes, kumaras aka sweet potatoes, potatoes, spring onion, salad greens and pumpkin.

The garden is over grown and in a sorry state of affair. It is still too cold to grow any thing because we can have a cold snap anytime. The tradition day to grow tomatoes is in October on out Labour day. My retired neighbor had started his garden in preparation.

As you can see, the garden is in a mess, the spring onions and some salads have seeded. All there is left is some mint that has grown outside the garden. It was hard work. I intended to clear a small part of it. What do I see? Some baby potatoes that had grown over the winter. The more I dug, the more I got. In all, there must be forty tiny potatoes. Baby potatoes are gourmet. Sam would love them and he had grown them.

Now, I have a clear patch, 6 feet by 8 feet of nice black volcanic soil. The compost will come out of the compost bin, and all I need to do it to wait for the sun to heat up the soil. The rest of the 60% of the garden will be clear indefinitely.

As I was digging, and finding more and more baby potatoes, I remembered an old fairy tale. The old man had two lazy sons. On his death bed, he told them that he had buried his gold in the field that had been abandoned. The sons dug out every inch of the field and failed to find the gold. Swearing at the old man, ( I think he had died), they looked at the field and decided to grow some crops. The well dug field produced a bumper crop. The sons realised what their late dad had done. They would never have dug the field if he didn't them this "white" lie.