Interesting debate on this in FB please log in to view this image A small act can start a change eh....
My niece in Sydney, who has a PhD in Environmental Science, promoted this idea there and has organised some very successful Beach & Bush clean-ups there. The last time I heard from her, she was about to start a campaign against the likes of McDonalds & KFC in an effort to get them to swap to more environmentally friendly straws. I guess I should ask her what happens to all the straws that have been collected as a result if they're not recycled...
We use steel straws at home. They go in the dishwasher and don’t float in drinks! As well as that they don't occupy the nasal cavities of turtles.
Is using a dishwasher environmentally friendly, when you could down to your nearest river to swill out the saucepans?
From an ecological point of view, our dishwasher doesn’t use any electricity - I’ve found a way of harnessing energy from the screams of kittens.
There's no problem in using washing up water on your plants as long as there's no bleach in it and the amount of detergent is small. Also animal waste is best avoided because of attracting rats. I would think twice about using our local river Frenchie - they used to mine Zinc, Cadmium and Lead in the area and the river water is decidedly borderline.
we don't bother with a tumble dryer - just take it in turns to go to the gym and tie three dogs to a treadmill dressed in our clothes - admittedly the brushing afterwards is a bugger...
My neighbour who is eighty years old tells me of the days when he had a little cart and with his grandmother would take the weekly wash down to the river which is about 400 metres away from here. After the dip in the river it would be hung over the bushes to dry, then he would heave the cart back up the hill for her. A pair of our friends out here are true environmentalists. They bought a ruin of a farmhouse and set about making it habitable without spending more than a £1000. It required concrete, and as they had no means of getting cement they did have to buy it. However the sand all came from the river bed. Days of going down the hill, sifting the muck they they didn't want, but sand didn't cost them any money at all. Timber was found destined for the fire, tiles that had come off a barn roof and replaced with new ones, all became a source of building material for them. Today they have a lovely home, slightly odd in parts, but the total coast was within the budget.
Good for them... Sadly we have reached a stage when comforts seem to rule. Mme loves the tumble dryer.. I am hoping the new smart meter will help her see sense Sent from my G3121 using Tapatalk
News of our new speed limit on minor roads from 1st July is creating lots of discussion. Instead of the current 90 kph we are to be restricted to 80 kph. All designed to reduce pollution we are told, but the cynics believe it is to do with increasing government revenue through the increased number of speeding fines. Of course against that argument is that by driving more slowly we will use less fuel, and reduce government income from the tax on that. The figures produced also point at the cost of caring for people injured in accidents caused by driving too fast. Since regaining all my points, they take them off here instead of adding them on, I have tried to stick to the speed limit, but sometimes feel that it is making other drivers impatient to get past me. If it does reduce accidents I will be happy, but just a little surprised.
They have a campaign to reduce the very high number of deaths and injuries on French roads, double the UK's. We saw some horrendous driving when we lived there especially speeding in the countryside, they often drive in the middle or sometimes on the English side of the road. The plane trees and ditches on the sides of minor roads are extremely dangerous for any car leaving the tarmac. Best to play safe and drive about in a lorry.
Funny but when we first went to France on holiday we used to see some terrible driving but I must say that in recent years we have seen much less of it.. Sadly for us we will probably now do our long cross France journeys in the motor ways... As it will take so much longer if we stick to the country roads.. Sent from my G3121 using Tapatalk
I still have a driving licence stuck away in some attic somewhere, but I haven't used it for many years. I kept thinking about all those bumble bees that were getting splattered by the windscreen and couldn't take it any more I have no more problems with speed limits on my bike (or tractor - which I sometimes use) - I was once drunk in charge of a horse, but have nothing else to confess to. Seriously though Germany is the country where every criticism of car drivers is seen as blasphemy. No limits of any sort on the motorways - dreadfull. My angle is that they should not be building cars which can go over speed limits. I always laugh myself to death when Germans, with their fast cars, get nicked for it in other countries - particularly Denmark.
The driving is much better than it used to be, although you can still see the occasional driver who has clearly had a rather lengthy liquid breakfast. I once tried to drive from here to Le Harve without using the autoroutes. Instead of seven hours it took twelve. I have not tried it since.
Unfortunately the number of deaths on French roads went up again last year. They were steadily declining from 2006 to 2013 but have since steadily risen from 2013. This is why they have introduced extra safety measures. Nearly 3,500 died in 2016 compared to 1,790 in UK.
Good action really.. But there are so many of these roads in France and some of them are straight open roads. 20 mph limits being introduced in many residential areas in Leeds which again is very welcome Sent from my G3121 using Tapatalk
There was a local campaign in the Tarn against installing a continuous crash barrier in front of a long stretch of large plane trees, crazy.
