Day 16 Blogtoberfest 2009 It rained most of the week

At another time and place rain would've been something to complain about ... but the drought's changed that.


The rain glistening on the plants next to my front door steps.

But now it's cause for celebration, with October this week more what it was like before the drought started.

Cold, windy and raining every day ... and even better the dams providing water to Melbourne have hit around 35%.

That's definitely worth celebrating.

Project 365 Tue 9 Jun 09

RECYCLING MOBILE PHONES
Like most people we have old bits of electrical equipment and mobile phones and goodness knows what else around the place: we purchased a new microwave last weekend and I still have to find a way to get rid of the old one and there are two broken mobile phones hanging around the house.

So how pleased was I when I discovered the Post Office is part of the mobile phone recycling program mobilemuster at www.mobilemuster.com.au.


The bag with the mobile phone for recycling enclosed.

I like to think what I'm doing is contributing to the creation of as little rubbish/debris etc as possible so I grabbed a couple of bags to use with the broken mobile phones at home.

So if you're in Australia and have any mobile phones, phone batteries and chargers around you no longer want, grab a bag from the Post Office, read the instructions and mail them off. It's free, it'll be one more thing crossed off the cleaning list and better still, the environment will thank you. Three wins! LOL

Project 365 Wed 20 May 09

MY IMPACT ON THE WORLD
Yesterday a work colleague sent me an interesting weblink; to work out how many worlds would be required if everybody lived like me.


My result.

My answer: an embarrassing 2.3 worlds would. And after I thought we were doing so well. Obviously, still a long way to go.

Try out the test for yourself.

And check out the average Victorian result: 4 worlds!

This is a scary number.

My bitch and moan: this calculator is an oversimplification of our impact on the world eg the issue of the impact of meat versus processed foods. The calculator asks whether animal products are eaten, which of course contribute to greenhouse gas through methane production, but nothing is made of the impact of highly processed food through its creation and distribution.

Having said that, though, this is a great calculator for getting a handle on your impact on the world, and I recommend everybody does it.

Project 365 Wed 22 Apr 09

EARTH DAY
I've been thinking about all the things that can be done to lessen the impact on the world. So I thought I'd make as long a list as I could of the various things we try to do:
* recyle paper and plastics (a full bin each fortnight)
* eat as much unprocessed food as possible
* use a front loading washing machine (great for water and fuel savings)
* tune the car regularly
* catch public transport as regularly as possible
* use energy efficient light globes
* use green energy (gas and electricity)
* use heating onlow and wear extra clothing to stay warm
* dry clothing naturally on the washing line
* have 3 minute showers
* turn down the hot water thermostat
* buy second hand books and use the local library
* only do full washing machine loads.

Wow, it's an amazing list.


The recycle bin and rubbish bin in the laundry.

Project 365 Sat 28 Mar 09

EARTH HOUR
Tonight was earth hour between 8.30 and 9.30pm and Horace and I did our bit. The two of us sat in the dark between 8.00 and 10pm and I tell no lie, it was hard ... and we had the TV to keep us company. What would it be like with no TV, no DVDs, no lighting whatsoever to stay up late talking and playing card games? It's a world I can't imagine.


Just one of the lamps we didn't turn on.

Project 365 Fri 20 Mar 09

RECOVERING GREENERY
It's amazing how quickly the plants and grass are recovering now we've had a little rain. Only a few weeks ago I was hand watering this tree with grey water from the shower because I thought this tree wouldn't make it. This week, it's blossoming with new growth and there's only traces of its recent distress.

The world looks so much better but it's only a start ... we still need rain very badly.


The tree on the nature strip outside our next door neighbour's house.

Project 365 Day 42 (Wed 11 Feb 09)

THE FIRES
The fires in Victoria are so terrible ... and I'm not directly affected. I can only try to imagine what it's like for those who are.

The media has been going crazy to the point of over saturation. I don't think I can take any more. I've been like a bystander watching a car crash since it all happened; I'm horrified by it, I don't want to watch it and yet I'm mesmerised.

Tonight was especially tough. On the way home I read an article about a family with young children who'd died together. At home the news was showing a board with the names of missing people ... I could only watch horrified as I realised it was the family I'd read about in the newspaper. I just wanted to cry because it's all so senseless and I could how affected Clarissa was as well.

We're all well, family and friends both. No loss of people or property. The closest fires to me were at least 50 kms away in Marysville. Mum and my siblings have no fires near them. Ballarat was completely untouched with the closest fires in Bendigo about 100 kms to the north east and around Colac around 150+ kms to the south west.

The only good thing I can take is how wonderful people are when terrible things happen. So much money has been raised and the contributions continue to pour in.

It's been the same at work too with people rallying together buying toiletries, clothing and toys for the people affected. Trevor, in particular, whose extended family is badly affected has been taking everything donated up to a distribution centre.


Trevor with two of the bags of toiletries, clothing and toys for the latest drop.

I just hope they get the fires still burning under control and the communities can start rebuilding their lives.

Project 365 Day 33 (Mon 2 Feb 09)

DROUGHT: THEN AND NOW
The heat has been hard enough for us, but despite at least two litres of water per day, sometimes twice a day, one of my trees is suffering heat and/or water stress. And I've lost most of the ground cover (violets) under the trees.



If I hadn't posted the photo of the garden (on Day 15) before the heat wave and had something to compare with I wouldn't believe how much damage was done in only four days.

Weather update 28 Jan 2009

In honour of the most amazing heatwave in 101 years, coupled with the worst drought in Victoria in recorded history, I thought it was worthwhile recording the temperature this week.

The good news for us is that, although hot, the temperature has been slightly less than predicted. And even better, the overnight temperature last night was a lovely 17 degrees with a cool onshore breeze, which definitely explains why it was so cool inside last night that Wini turned off the overhead fan because she was cold!

Drum roll, please, and the temperatures have been:

Tuesday 27 January 2009
Predicted temperature: Max 38, Min 11
Actual temperature: Max 36.4, Min 16.8

Wednesday 28 January 2009
Predicted temperature: Max 41, Min 25
Actual temperature: Max 42.9, Min 19.5

Project 365 Day 26 (Mon 26 Jan 09)

FEELING HOT, HOT, HOT
The weather this work is going to be scorching, with 40 degrees and above predicted for later in the week. In the old money this is over 100 degrees. This is the first time this has happened during January for over 100 years; since 1908.


The thermometer around the corner with the temperature.

The expected temperatures for this week will be:
Today: Max 30, Min 11
Tuesday: Max 38, Min 20
Wednesday: Max 41, Min 25
Thursday: Max 40, Min 24
Friday: Max 40, Min 24
Saturday: Max 40, Min 24

And even when the cool change comes through the weather is only expected to drop by about 10 degrees:
Sunday: Max 31, Min 23
Monday: Max 30, Min 23

All in all a long and very difficult week, weather wise.

Before I left for work this morning I hurriedly watered the garden with grey water from the shower, and I'm going to have to do this evening and night without fail. Without the extra water I'm sure the trees will die, and much of the ground cover under the trees has already died.

And it's not just the plants the heat will affect. The nights at home are going to awful (not to mention bad for Horace during the day) because after two days inside will resemble Hell and all we have are ceiling fans to help with the heat.

The trains--probably better not to get me started on them! Whoever chose new trains for Melbourne said "air conditioning that doesn't work over 35, not a problem!" needs to be shot because all of them are pulled from service as soon as the barometer hits 35 and we suffer mass cancellations. Or, and this is the better option, they're replaced by a lesser number of old unairconditioned trains that will be so crammed Japanese commuters will think we have it easy!

Clarissa drives her airconditioned car to and from work so she'll be ok. Wini and I both take the train. I don't know about Wini, but my plan for this week is to leave after 6pm and to hope not too many trains have been cancelled at that time.

And I'm already planning a few trips to the beach at night to get some relief from the heat.

Project 365 Day 15 (15 Jan 09)

DROUGHT
Melbourne's in the grip of the most amazing drought and it amazes me how much worse things might get if we don't get rain. I've added a link (see above) to see two photos of the Thomson Reservoir; one in 2008 and another almost ten years ago. The reservoir is part of the water catchment area for Melbourne, and the photos terrify me considering the purpose of the Thomson is to provide additional water during dry years.

Melbourne is currently on Stage 3A water restrictions, and we're also asked to limit our water usage to 155 litres per person per day. That sounds like a lot of water to me as my family of four used to use about 180 litres per day in mid summer, and we've managed to cut this even further without using grey water on the garden or installing a tank!

As well as owning a front loading 4 star water saving washing machine, I think the thing that really saves us is that we have very little garden. But even what we have is suffering, and we lost a tree a fee years ago because I thought the garden would survive (just near the front door).

But this year I'm a lot more organised and I'm using soft drink bottles full of water at the foot of every tree and it's making a huge difference to both the trees and the ground covering around them.


Looking towards the front steps; you can see a soft drink bottle in the bottom left and the dead tree is centre top (the reddish bit).

Every second day I collect the water from the shower before the hot water comes in and I use this on the garden. This generally captures more than half a bucket of water (because our gravity fed hot water takes a long time to arrive), and this small act is making all the difference. Our little patch of green it suddenly looking so much better and I feel as though it will easily make it easily through this summer, and all for the equivalent of 5 minutes per day.

The importance of recycling

I am into recycling big time--I religiously sort my glass, metal and paper and put them in the appropriate bins. So when I discovered computer and other household goods can be recycled I gathered together the various items we need to get rid of and it's quite a list:

• TV
• computer monitor
• computer tower x 2
• DVD player
• VCR recorder
• mini Hi Fi system with two speakers
• assorted keyboards, mice & remote controls

In fact it's quite a boot full ; there's no room for anything but this stuff in my boot until I get rid of all this stuff.



The only thing is that it isn't free; quite the opposite. It's $13 alone to recycle a TV and computer monitor--each mind you, not for both. Apparently lead is mixed with the glass and needs to be sent to the Netherlands for extraction. And then $6 each for any other stuff.

The nice thing is the woman I spoke to yesterday at SIMs E-Recycling (8586 7777) said she was so happy I was prepared to recycle they'd charge only for the TV, monitor and towers and she'd take the rest off our hands for nothing. So if you have anything electronic to recycle speak to the nice people at SIMS E-Recycling on Boundary Rd, Braeside and remember that not only will you feel better, but the world will thank you as well.