The Big Trip Around Australia

We have made the great decision that next year we are going to clock off from "normal" life for 9 months or so and go travelling around our great country. So many reasons have led us to this point, some of them are that the boys are the right age (10, 8 & 6 yrs), Skip shopper is in the "contracting" style of work at the moment (GFC) so there is no leave to beg for, our minds are wanting more, our feet are itchy....need I go on? It feels a little like jumping off a cliff sometimes, others, it is just damn exciting!

Needless to say there are a great deal of decisions to be made, a house to prepare for rental...la la la!

Our family car, the trusty commodore, we initially thought might be OK to take, however, after a relatively short trip to Bairnsdale (4 hours) during the last school holidays, with the kids screaming at each other about touching each other & who was sitting where, put us back to the drawing board on that. Watch this space on this. Van? 4 wheel drive? We do know that we want to go with diesel as this does give us the opportunity to use bio fuel whenever possible (Yay! to the environment!).

Accommodation, well, we thought that we would go & get some inspiration at one of those 4wd & camping shows - eep! Full on! So much choice that we were both very overwhelmed. It is so hard when you are "non-consumers" to come at the idea that you are going to have to buy some stuff to get going. Looking around all I could see was gearheads buying up on stuff and I had no idea on what to "get". Left with nothing & no idea (huge pile of pamphlets of camper trailers), other than very cold, and the kids had a great time watching Monster Trucks for the first time. Super! So we are thinking/hoping that a second hand camper trailer or pop top caravan will be the right thing.

At the moment, we are trying to imagine what it will be like to live in it (whatever "it" is) for 9 months (putting it up & down, cooking, getting to the places that we want to, etc) and what is going to work for us. Talking alot, looking on the internet alot, speaking with other people alot, hoping that some great ideas come our way and that the ideas that are not going to work will just .... fade away...

Like your parks & got some time to spare?

Our parks are beautiful places to visit and enjoy, however this doesn't just happen without the help of volunteers. An email came my way that provides plenty of opportunities for people to either get their hands dirty and help in the parks or in the office to help. So, if you live in Victoria, and have the time to help out, give them a call or an email. If you are living elsewhere, check out what is happening with your people and parks to see how you can help out.

Start of email from People & Parks Foundation:

Victorian People & Parks Foundation Volunteer Help Needed

Field Day Volunteering
If you would like to assist out in the field, we have the following events running. You don’t need any specific experience, just a happy disposition an interest in conservation and wiliness to pitch in.
This is a great opportunity if you wish to gain experience in community environmental work. A free Working with Children Certificate can be obtained for volunteers.
Please let me know which of the following days you are available:

WED OCTOBER 7 GREEN CONNECTIONS School group Royal Park (9:15am – 3:00pm)
WED OCTOBER 14 GREEN CONNECTIONS School group Blackburn Lake Sanctuary (9:15am – 3:00pm)
WED OCTOBER 21 RETREAT ASSISTANCE Corporate Volunteers Caitlin’s Retreat, Eltham (9:15am – 3:00pm)
FRI OCTOBER 23 GREEN CONNECTIONS Corporate Volunteers Albert Park (9:15am – 3:00pm)
WED OCTOBER 28 GREEN CONNECTIONS School group TBC (Eastern Suburbs) (9:15am – 3:00pm)
WED NOVEMBER 4 GREEN CONNECTIONS School group Blackburn Lake Sanctuary (9:15am – 3:00pm)
WED NOVEMBER 11 SEA SEARCH School group Ricketts Point, Beaumaris (1:30pm to 4:30pm)
THUR NOVEMBER 12 RETREAT ASSISTANCE Corporate Volunteers Caitlin’s Retreat, Eltham (2pm – 4pm)
TUE NOVEMBER 17 GREEN CONNECTIONS Corporate Volunteers Werribee (9:15am – 3:00pm)

* Green Connections days consist of working in the environment with revegetation, planting, clear up etc
* Sea Search days consist of intertidal marine monitoring
* Retreat Assistance days are held at our retreat centre for special needs children and involve activities to improve the property
Email greenconnection@peopleandparks.org if interested


Friends of Caitlin's Retreat Volunteers
We are starting a Friends of Caitlin's Retreat for those that are interested in helping out on the Eltham property. Roles can include hands on assistance in the grounds, permaculture gardening, helping create programs for special needs children, networking with the local community and many other activities. The group will meet once a month at the Retreat Centre in Eltham. It is envisaged that this will be a working bee day for those that can participate and a general meeting. You can just attend the meeting, it is not necessary to assist in the working bee.

We are deciding whether the meeting will be held on a weekday or a weekend. If you are interested in being involved specifically in the Friends of Caitlin's Retreat please let me know your preference by emailing volunteer@peopleandparks.org

Office Volunteers
Do you have a day or two spare and would like to volunteer? We have the following skilled activities that require volunteer assistance.
Event Calendar Creator Volunteer needed for 1 day to conduct internet research and put together forward calendar of environmental events that People & Parks Foundation can participate in.
Park Database Creator Volunteer needed for 2 days compile information on Victorian parks and community groups including maps, photos and contact details for future volunteer projects.
Graphic Design Brochure Volunteer needed for 1 day to create brochures for volunteering days.
Writer / Marketing Volunteer needed for 1 -2 days to write copy for corporate and school volunteering programs.
Survey writer Volunteer needed for 1 day to write survey questions for volunteer groups
eLearning Creator Volunteer needed for 2 days to create induction PowerPoint for volunteers. Option to evaluate interactive elearning opportunities if interested
Data preparation We are transferring to a new CRM system(salesforce) and would like 1 days assistance in preparing and cleaning our data for this

If you are interested in any of the above activities, our preference is for volunteers to help on one or more of the following weekday dates during business hours.
October 9, 12, 13, 15, 19, 20, 22, 26, 27, 29 or November 6, 9, 10, 13, 20, 27. Email volunteer@peopleandparks.org if interested.
** Please note that we have attempted to have volunteers work remotely, however, with a small staff we have found this difficult to manage this successfully and projects have become drawn out. We realise that this is not ideal for volunteers and I have therefore set the above dates aside to work with volunteers directly on projects in our offices.

Current Volunteers
Thank you for to those volunteers who have been helping us out already. We are working through some of the projects that people have started for us and this assistance has been very useful for us.

Next Volunteer Meeting
Our next group volunteer meeting is at 5:30pm on Wednesday 28th October at Level 10, 535 Bourke St. This is a great opportunity for you to meet other volunteers and to find out about the work People & Parks Foundation will be undertaking. Please RSVP to volunteer@peopleandparks.org if you are attending so that I can ensure there are enough biscuits!

End email quote from People and Parks Foundation

I hope that you can find something interesting in there!

Ad hoc planting

I love holidays, especially as the boys are getting slightly older (10, 8 & 6), and are happier-ish, to play/fight amongst themselves and we regroup as a family. We have been having some brilliant spring rains here and I have been really enjoying my gorgeous bulbs that I stuck all over the place, in the middle of the lawn and in the vegetable gardens. I really do love taking advantage of the weather whilst it is here so the boys and I have been madly sticking vegetable seedlings in before they die (I forgot about them for a couple of weeks), and then we started going crazy with all of the seeds that I have lieing around the place. Part of the thinking was that because we are going to be travelling around Australia for most of the year next year, so let's use up those seeds, and part of it was over zealous behavour from the younger members of the family (I'm not going to stop planting power), and part of it was a curious thought of mine.

This curious thought went a little something like this. I was wondering what would happen if all of these seeds did just happen to get planted all over the place (did I mention that they were not planted into garden beds?) and it ended up looking like a bit of wild meadow of herbs and vegetables... That is the visual artist in me, I just wanted to paint a wonderful picture! Yummy and crazy?!!?! I was also wondering whether if there is more plants then, perhaps, just perhaps they might support each other through the drought of summer...? I love to test things out... I will have to wait and see : )

Get your Trashbag

Trash bags! I love these bags for many reasons and one of them is because by buying, you would know that the money goes to the people who have laboured over it, and it would help support the communities throughout the Asia Pacific region who are using recycled materials to make these fantastic useable (and some of them very flashy) bags. The bags grew out a very important problem in the Asia Pacific region which was the rising amount of garbage. This is just one of the many bags that they have on offer on their website or at some of the retail outlets.

The company has very strong ethics with the bags all being made using fair trade practices (ensuring amongst other things fair pricing, fair pay, prompt payment, gender equality, safe & healthy working conditions) and an active role in environmental sustainability. Something that we can get behind and support. Thanks to Amber for pointing Trash bags my way!

save your seeds

I don't know about you, but I am always stuffing seeds in paper bags and old takeaway containers, either because I'm or because I love growing from seed. Anyway there will be some experts talking about, and showing how to become a seed saver if you are at all close to Randwick in NSW this weekend. If I was up there, I would go and then maybe more of my seeds might actually work!

Here are the details.

Introduction to Seed Saving Workshop
This is a rare opportunity to learn everything you need to know about seed saving from two of Australia's best...
Jude & Michel Fanton, Seed Savers' Network, Byron Bay - www.seedsavers.net

WHEN: Sunday 20 September 2009, 10am to 3pm
WHERE: Randwick Community Organic Garden
Northern End Paine Reserve Cnr Rainbow & Botany St Kingsford (enter via Botany St)
BOOKINGS: essential as numbers are limited.
Contact Emma Daniell on 9371 1602 or mobile 0402 287 393 or emmadan13@gmail.com
COST: $60 - please pay cash or cheque upon admission at the workshop.

You will learn about:
seed identification & collection
seed gleaning and storing
germination testing & isolation
and much more

WHAT TO BRING:
a plate of food to share for lunch (morning and afternoon tea provided)
BYO hat, water, gloves and secateurs (optional).

ORGANISED BY:
Randwick Community Organic Garden (RCOG) - www.rcog.org.au
Australian City Farms & Community Gardens Network (ACFCGN) Sydney - www.communitygarden.org.au

A win for Fairtrade and Cadbury Australia

On the weekend I got an email from my mother who was part of a group who campaigned very hard for Fairtrade chocolate from Cadbury's, and from my brother whose company helped Fairtrade to negotiate the outcome. Following is the statement from Danielle Johnson, Community Program Coordinator, Cadbury ANZ that she made on Wednesday:

"(Today) Cadbury Australia and Fairtrade Labelling Australia & New Zealand have announced plans for our Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate to achieve Fairtrade Certification by Easter of 2010. This move will more than triple the amounts of Fairtrade product sold throughout Australia and is part of Cadbury's ongoing global commitment to Fairtrade. Consumers in Britain and Ireland are now able to buy Cadbury Dairy Milk Fairtrade Certified chocolate in store and today's announcement coincides with confirmation of similar plans for Cadbury Dairy Milk in New Zealand and Canada.This groundbreaking move means cocoa farmers and communities can look forward to a better and brighter future as Fairtrade cocoa sales increase in Ghana and new Fairtrade opportunities open up for cocoa growers across South East Asia and the Pacific.I have personally been privileged enough to visit Ghana and see first hand how we are working with the local farmers to help their communities provide a sustainable living so I am extremely proud of this milestone.The uniqueness of the Fairtrade system will provide them with a fair price for their produce, increased funds to grow their businesses and a better deal for their families through the Fairtrade 'social' premium - which delivers additional investment in schools, healthcare and other much needed infrastructure within their communities. "Fairtrade Certification enables Australians who buy Cadbury Dairy Milk to make a real difference for cocoa farmers with every purchase." Steve Knapp, Fairtrade Executive Director.Our Managing Director, Mark Callaghan, had this to say "Cadbury has a long tradition of being pioneers in sustainable chocolate production and using Fairtrade Certified cocoa for our Cadbury Dairy Milk products is another example of this commitment."So, by Easter next year you will be able to purchase a block of Cadbury Dairy Milk, knowing at the same time that you are supporting Fairtrade.I have attached a fact sheet on some of the more commonly asked questions around Fairtrade although I am sure you are well conversed on the subject. For more information on Fairtrade Certification please go to http://www.fairtrade.com.au/ Kind regards, Danielle Danielle Johnson Community Program Coordinator Cadbury ANZ "

Great news for chocolate lovers, and even better news for those who farm cocoa.

All power to you...What is the best source of power

This is something that has really been bugging me, and I haven't any answers yet, in fact, I feel like there are so many answers out there that I am overwhelmed by them. What I am talking about is, what is the best source of power. My first choice would be to have our own solar panels to provide us with sufficient power for our needs. After that, what is next and how do we choice the right provider? All providers seem to say that they are providing renewable energy. But are they really? And how much are they?

The Green Power site (which is a government website) provides all of the information about, how to "buy in" to the green power, either as a home or as a business. As a Green Power user you can choose how much green power you would like to buy (between 10-100% of your electricity account) and this will then be offset by GreenPower. Obviously, the more you buy, the better for the environment.

There are labels with different percentage amounts help you to work out what you are happy to "buy into". This is the percentage of your household’s electricity consumption your accredited GreenPower your energy retailer is buying on your behalf that will be renewable energy.

ie. You choose 10% GreenPower you can offset 10% of your household’s electricity consumption with renewable energy. This 10% is added then to Australia’s electricity grids. The more people who choose to buy GreenPower the more renewable energy Australia can produce.

If you live in Victoria, you could go to this page and find all of the retailers who supply GreenPower. When you then click on their logo, it will then take you to their website where you will be able to see the different percentage choices that they have on offer. They have listings for every state in Australia. I suspect that other countries may have something similar?

The green power comes from sources like mini hydro, wind power and biomass which produce no net greenhouse gas emissions.

But, what is the cost? Well, I am not exactly sure about this. The GreenPower site tells me, and I quote "the few cents extra you pay in addition to your electricity account each day is invested in the renewable energy sector." I suspect that each energy company charges their own thing...so investigation is going to be key. Watch this space!

So, now I just have to look at the choices between AGL, CountryEnergy, SimplyEnergy, Australian Power&Gas, Jackgreen, powerdirect, EnergyAustralia, Red Energy, Origin, Momentum, energy, neighbourhood energy, Victoria electricity, TRU energy....shouldn't be too hard ;)

Does this help?

Monday night rush - Dinner in a hurry - Sausage and Chickpea casserole

Monday nights are a little crazy in our house. One kid goes one way, another stays to eat, then goes, whilst the third tries to eat in all three shifts of tea. I have had to learn how to make dinner that can be ready for a 5pm shift, 6.10pm shift and still ok for 8.2opm... Tonight it was sausage and chickpea casserole that I made up on the fly because I always seem to run out of time as well. You can make this really, really quickly.

less than 1kg sausages chopped into smallish bits

3 cloves of garlic chopped up (this will help keep them healthy)

Chuck these in a heavy saucepan (I use the cast iron pot), and brown them off.

Then throw into the pot:

800g tin of diced tomato

4 carrots chopped up

1 head of broccoli chopped up

4 or 5 stalks of celery chopped up

2 tins of chickpeas (if I had thought of it earlier, I could have used dried chickpeas)

Pop the lid on & leave for about 1/2 on med-high heat on the stove top or pop it into the oven on 180 degrees celcius.

Serve it up with couscous. Boil the kettle. Throw 2 cups of dried couscous into a big bowl, and pour 2.5 cups of boiling water over the top of the couscous. Cover with a dinner plate until you are ready to serve up dinner, then fluffy up with a fork.

Done. Iron, vitamins A & C, protein...and many more things, good flavour, lots of colour & everyone is happy.

New Curtains for an old cupboard

This is the horrible old cupboard that we have in our kitchen that I really cannot bear the look of. It once had doors on it, however, they were even worse, so they were removed. We have looked at this for a very, very long time and I hate it. I hate looking at everything in it & I hate the dirt that gets into the things. I know that we could go & get the kitchen "redone", however, we always want to find a way around things first, so as the sink is still kinda working, and the shelves still work, I came up with an alternative.

I have a mountain of well made, well loved and handed down hand embroidered tableclothes that I couldn't have enough tea parties to even start getting through (and in reality, I probably wouldn't use them with my three boys around!), so I came up with this idea of the "changable curtain". I have use that plastic covered spring curtain wire (I am not sure of the name of it - it's about 4mm wide) and put that across with hooks. Then I simply hung a couple of tableclothes over. When they get dirty-ish or every week or so, I will just give them a wash.

I think that it has brightened up a pretty dreary place in our house & I don't have to look at the stuff in the cupboard & it is no longer getting dirty. Yay! What are you doing in your place?

Green Cleaning Day

Have just finished cleaning the house & by the sound of this blog, you would think that I really like cleaning. In fact, I really don't like cleaning. I dream of have a cleaner, a genie, a magic wand, a self-cleaning house, or a house that just never needed cleaning. I do also sometimes get hooked on the idea that maybe it would be easier if I used bottles of this that & the other to help me clean the house. A spray of this, a squirt of that & ta-da, sparkling clean. But no; I always come back to the choice of walking out of the supermarket with just 3 items to help me clean, vinegar, bicarb & borax for a few reasons:

1. everything else seems really complicated and I would need a different bottle for everyroom & every surface
2. everything is artificially fragranced and after years of not using it, I really notice the fragrances in other people's homes & find it quite irritating
3. it is unneccessary having so many bottles, and those bottles add up to so much wastage...
4. having kids with asthma & ezcema, things with chemicals & fragrances may make things worse for them
5. I don't want to be putting unneccessary chemicals down the plughole when there are other choices

and at the end of the day, I actually find it really easy to just:

1. dust all the surfaces with my damp cut up nappy with a few drops of cedar essential oil & orange essential oil (to ward off the beasties - moths, beetles, bugs - & make the room smell fresh & happy)
2. whip around with the HEPA vaccuum
3. and then follow with the microfibre mop that only water with it.

I use the vinegar & borax to clean the toilet, spray the vinegar wherever I see any mould, and use the bicarbonate soda to make a paste with water for cleaning kitchen benches & sinks & oven & stoves. The bathroom I use the microfibre bathroom cloth that I have with water I find that works a treat.

Simple, but easy, and it works, every 7 days.

I think that if I, the housecleaner hater, can do it...then...