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In Focus: How to use “Furoshiki” [MOE]
Great way of gift wrapping. Use a spare piece of material, bandana, tea towel, scarf…you get the idea!
Blogged with Flock
NSW Govt urged to reveal GM canola farmsThe New South Wales Opposition says farmers need to be told where the state’s first genetically modified (GM) crops will be planted.The move became legal in New South Wales yesterday.Nationals MP Rick Colless says it is now up to the Government to inform people where the first GM crops will be grown.”If there are neighbouring farmers they need to know if they are going to have GM crops next door to them,” he said.”I think Mr Macdonald made those locations public so that we can make sure that all farmers, both GM and non-GM growers, can take the right precautions to make sure there’s no mixing of this material.”Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald says he does not know where the first crops will be planted, because it is not something he is required to give approval for.Asked whether anything had come across his desk that would suggest where the crops would be grown, he replied: “No, and I wouldn’t be involved in that.”A spokeswoman for the Federal Office of Gene Technology says it is up to the industry to regulate GM crops and she says they do not have to give advance notice about where they will be planted.
NSW Govt urged to reveal GM canola farms - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Monsanto really have the NSW government in their back pocket :(.
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The Everlasting Bagstopper bag.
Originally uploaded by GeoWombats
I love the Knitty website.
This was my first time for knitting with circular needles.
Allhemp yarn is not easily available in Australia so I started this using hemp twine with the idea of making a produce bag. For all of those little fruits that roll around inside a larger bag. It’s not finished yet but it’s definitely doable for a beginner.
Check out my progress with this on Ravelry.com.
Originally uploaded by GeoWombats
Heating and Cooking Energy - this is divided into 3 categories, gas, wood and oil. Your household probably uses one of these, and they are not interchangeable. If you use an electric stove or electric heat, this goes under electric usage. Natural Gas (this is used by the vast majority of US households as heating and cooking fuel). For this purpose, Propane will be calculated as the same as natural gas. Calculations in therms should be available from your gas provider.
US Average Natural Gas usage is 1000 therms PER HOUSEHOLD, PER YEAR. A 90% reduction would mean a reduction to 100 therms PER HOUSEHOLD PER YEAR
Heating Oil (this is used by only about 8% of all US households, mostly in the Northeast, including mine).Average US usage is 750 Gallons PER HOUSEHOLD, PER YEAR. A 90% cut would mean using 75 gallons PER HOUSEHOLD, PER YEAR. Biodiesel is calculated as equivalent.
Wood. This is a tough one. The conventional line is that wood is carbon neutral, but, of course, wood that is harvested would have otherwise been absorbing carbon and providing forest. There are good reasons to be skeptical about this. So I’ve divided wood into two categories.
Locally and sustainably harvested, and either using deadwood, trees that had to come down anyway, coppiced or harvested by someone who replaces every lost tree. This is deemed carbon neutral, and you can use an unlimited supply. This would include street trees your town is taking down anyway, wood you cut on your property and replant, coppiced wood (that is, you cut down some part of the tree but leave it to grow), and standing and fallen deadwood. You can use as much of this as you like.
Wood not sustainably harvested, or transported long distances, or you don’t know. 1 cord of this is equal to 15 gallons of oil or 20 therms of natural gas.
http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/?page_id=13
Starting with gas…
Like most Darwin homes we have a gas stovetop. Much better than electric both for the food and for the pocket. One tank [42 l of LPG] tends to last over 3 years.
Other cooking takes place in a convection microwave oven. The old one recently died so I replaced it with the current model. A few things that I don’t like - when the oven goes off a fan starts to cool the oven. At this point I usually shut the whole thing down at the powerpoint and open the door. And who is the wally who didn’t allow for oven racks! Some of us do make biscuits! BAD design fault.
I also have a breadmaker, jaffle maker and crockpot. These actually aren’t that bad re energy consumption.
Heating? Ding, ding we have a winner! None required. Sure it gets “cold” during the Dry but nothing extra clothes or a blanket can’t fix.
