Like me, you've probably been hearing a lot about how we must live in a sustainable environment, or face a bleak future. For me at home, it means recycling, re-using, repairing, growing our own organic food (currently parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, strawberries, lemons), catching, storing and reducing water consumption, not buying packaged products where possible, using cloth shopping bags, wrapping rubbish in newspaper (like our Grandmothers used to) instead of using plastic, turning off the lights (just so you know - beeswax candles are the purest to burn, environmentally speaking), walking where possible, practicing frugality ..... there are so many things that can be done. I have not been a perfect example of these things in the past, but I know I must give it my full attention from now on. No excuses, dedicated passion is required!
I have just filled an exercise book with plans for a Vegie garden i.e. permaculture, water storage, composting, fertilizing, mulching, planting - I hope to use the phases of the moon (see also the back pages of the Australian Women's Weekly if you're an Aussie), pests will need to be controlled by natural means (eg coffee grounds to deter snails, squishing or re-locating :) , not spraying).......
If you're a gardener like me you'll appreciate how exciting this is! At the library I found some great inspiration in 'Lawns into Lunch - Growing Food In The City' (not certain if it's still in print). It is all about creating a vegie garden in an Australian suburban backyard, taking into account the challenges of limited space, sunlight and council regulations. The people contributing to this book are not horticulturalists, they are ordinary people like you and me, from many different cultural backgrounds, some with only apartment balconies and small backyards. One Uni student even turned a nature strip into a community vegie garden! How good would that be?!
If you're a gardener like me you'll appreciate how exciting this is! At the library I found some great inspiration in 'Lawns into Lunch - Growing Food In The City' (not certain if it's still in print). It is all about creating a vegie garden in an Australian suburban backyard, taking into account the challenges of limited space, sunlight and council regulations. The people contributing to this book are not horticulturalists, they are ordinary people like you and me, from many different cultural backgrounds, some with only apartment balconies and small backyards. One Uni student even turned a nature strip into a community vegie garden! How good would that be?!
All good for the environment, our health and our pockets. If only we could all do this at home, no matter how small the effort, imagine the impact it would have .....
