EcoLife NI

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T03:38:00.000-08:00

Just a very quick post today, mostly to share this recipe with you and tell you about an upcoming event. This really isn't recommended for children on account the booze, instead, arrange into Martini Glasses for an elegant end to a romantic meal for two (recipe serves 4, but you can always keep some). It makes use of store ingredients, which are so handy at this stage in the winter, and as it's made in advance it means you're not slaving over anything too intricate and can enjoy your meal. The best thing about this, is the pumpkin isn't the main flavour component, it's just a base, so if amaretto isn't your thing you can try different flavour liqueurs such as cherry, coconut etc, garnishing with matching bits and pieces.

Chocolate, Pumpkin and Amaretto Mousse

500g of tinned pumpkin
50ml of Amaretto Liqueur
50ml of Creme de Cacao
50g of Caster Sugar
1 tablespoon of Cocoa Powder
5 large egg whites
Some Amaretto Biscuits

In a bowl mix the sugar, shifted cocoa powder and pumpkin until smooth. Add the Amaretto and Chocolate Liqueur, stirring rapidly to ensure that mixture is not too runny or curdled (it should resemble the consistency of a thick lentil or pea soup at this stage). If it seems a little too runny, you could always add more coca powder or some icing sugar to stiffen.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until white and stiff. Once done, fold into your pumpkin mix. Do this slowly and methodically, as rapid mixing will knock some much needed air out. In some glasses, crumble a few amaretto biscuits, them add the mousse. Chill for 4-6 hours, or overnight if you have time. Once done, sprinkle over some chopped almonds and grated dark chocolate (even use a heart stencil if you want to be really soppy).

So if this recipe has got your sweet tooth going and you are in the Belfast area, The Lawrence Street Workshop will be celebrating International Cake Day on Saturday, inviting people to bring cake and taste cake. The event will run at workshop, just off Botanic Avenue, from 4pm to 7pm and is open to all ages, with prizes for some of the most inventive cakes. Click on the Facebook link below for some details.

http://www.facebook.com/events/238216516265061/

Image: nuttakit / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Whale of a time

2012-02-08T07:49:00.000-08:00

Family film Big Miracle opens in the UK this week, and consequently, a wave of conservation awareness is on the horizon. Big Miracle tells the real life story of a family of grey whales trapped under the ice in Alaska in the 1980s and the WDCS (Whale and Dolphin Conservation Charity) is hoping that the film, starring Drew Barrymore and Kristen Bell, will help raise the profile of national and global wildlife efforts regarding these water dwelling mammals.

Under threat today due to more than just ice, man made hazards such as hunting and intensive fishing practices detrimental to the natural habitat and breeding grounds of whales and dolphins, are just some of the issues that the WDCS deals with on a day to day basis. The charity's UK branch is proactive in the rescue and protection of beached whales, such as this pilot whale (above) stranded off the coast of Scotland last summer, highlighting the welfare of whales in captivity and a number of political campaigns to ensure that development off UK coastlines takes into account marine life.

They also work in partnership with the Scottish Heritage fund to provide children's education via their Wildlife Centres, in addition to providing a comprehensive Kids Zone section on their website. Currently children are being asked to take part in the origami challenge, helping the charity create a huge petition made up of origami whales and dolphins as a protest against captivity in Europe, and children can also adopt their very own whale by visiting http://adoptawhale.wdcs.org/

If you have a few minutes spare this week, follow the charity @WHALES_org on Twitter and help spread the word, or visit the Facebook Page here

Advanced Look: Belfast Children's Festival

2012-02-05T05:56:00.000-08:00

After a years absence in which their (lack of) presence was well and truly felt, Young at Art's Belfast Children's Festival is back next month with a week long program of events designed to suit a range of ages. From 9th to 16th March (a little earlier than previous years, perhaps due to last years reduced activities) the festival will include the usual mix of educational and creative shows, projects and exhibitions, many of which promote the same sort of values I try to include on EcoLifeNI.

The program dropped through my letter box earlier this week, so I just thought I'd do a quick look ahead to some of the things that will be on my radar. Including my own, nearly three year old offspring, and the niece (five) and the nephew (one), this festival should be an interesting one in terms what events are suitable for which children. The Bethster is now a little too old for the Baby Rave, but we'll be taking the boys down to that, held in the Waterfront Hall on the 10th and 11th and with this years theme being Ska (one of my sister's most hated of musical genres) it should make for an interesting session of music, dance and activity.

I'll also be hoping to catch a few more plays and performance based events; the wee man has finally gotten to the age where we can attend these sort of things without worrying about him wandering off or loosing interest. So, that said, I'm currently looking at Wobble (An Cultúrlann, Wednesday 14th) a theatre experience designed specifically for under 4s and Dot (The Baby Grand, Thursday 15th), a visual performance based around shapes and colours. For the older Ms, there's Once Upon a Time (Assembly Rooms, Thursday 15th) a interactive theatre events based around fining a missing story and A Giant is coming (also in the Assembly Rooms at various times from Friday 9th to Wednesday 14th), which features installations and live performances about what it means to be a 'giant'. This event is held as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad event 'Land of Giants'.

As with previous years, the performances have a small charge normally ranging between £3-£5 and more details can be found on via the Young at Art website at the end of the article. However, despite tough funding times for the arts community, the festival is still managing to include a few free events on their program. Linking up with World Book Day there are a fair few literature based events that are free of charge, from the Tea and Tales/Sos Agus Scealta running throughout the week at the The Assembly Rooms, and a big favourite of ours from two years past, The Cardboard Cities (see video) will be making a welcome return.

Cardboard cities - a tour from caragh on Vimeo.

The Children's Festival really is a gem in the crown of Belfast's yearly cultural program and it is so great to see it back this year. You can find more information on times and tickets, as well as advice for people involved in child development and care, by visiting www.youngatart.co.uk

Just a Little Green...

2012-01-08T02:01:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas done and dusted, New Year out of the way, time to get back on the old posting horse. And what better way to start January, the month traditionally associated with fresh starts, detox, resolutions and revised healthy eating, than to take a look at the Little Green Allotments in Lisburn.

These private allotments, located on the top of Whitemountain (three miles out of Lisburn itself) make the most of organic soil, great views and a thriving local flora and fauna, and are ideal for individuals looking to grown their own and even voluntary groups and clubs, with plots and packages ranging from standard size: 20 ft x 30 ft £280/pa, larger plot size: 20ft x 40 ft £300/pa and corporate packages/voluntary sector packages. If you've ever fancied getting in on the allotment malarkey, but are exhausted by the wait for local authority plots, then the cost can be reduced by clubbing in with a few friends.

Little Green will also be starting up their Food and Craft Market from February to October this year and are currently looking for traders to take up stalls. This indoor and outdoor market is looking for people who can bring unique, fun, quirky and delicious stalls to market, at a cost of £15 per table. It starts on Saturday 4th February (10am to 1pm) and anyone interested in getting involved in the first one, should get in touch by 28th January. Each monthly market will also have a theme, so if your talent or craft relates to any of those listed below, you can make a point of getting in touch.

FEB: Valentines Saturday 4th 2012

MAR: Mothers Day Saturday 3rd 2012

APR: Easter Saturday 7th 2012

MAY: Europe Saturday 5th 2012

JUN: Fathers Day Saturday 2nd 2012

JUL: Independence Day Saturday 7th 2012

AUG: National Relaxation Day Saturday 4th 2012

SEP: Comic book Day Saturday 1st 2012

(October's Halloween date TBC)

Places are filling up fast and a short online booking form is available on request by contacting Grainne Philips woi555@yahoo.co.uk/07867568976 and for more information, as a trader, grower or potential market goer, check out the Little Green website and Facebook pages below. The market is free entry.

http://thelittlegreenallotments.com/

Facebook

I'm Dreaming of Vintage Christmas

2011-12-13T03:58:00.000-08:00

I haven't been able to get on ebay for the past couple of weeks; neither my home computer running on Firefox or my netbook on Chrome have been able to find the .co.uk or .com versions, so when I started looking for vintage clothing ideas for a Christmas outfit, I've really had to expand my horizons beyond the default setting. Is anyone else having this problem or is it just me? It's a shame it also means that I can't link to Belfast staple Rusty Zip who sell online goods via ebay.

I'm by no means a fashionista. I like clothes and love fashion as an art, but I don't have the money or the inclination to shop regularly, and more often than not when I do I go for something second hand or nicked from my sister.


50's Red and Blue Check Dress		rockit.co.uk

But here's a few outfits I've spotted that I thought I'd share. These are authentic vintage rather than inspired by classic designs, meaning that for the most part they'll be unique and looking for a second life.

I've also a few tips for making the most of second hand and older items of clothing that might come in useful.

Smells and Odours: First up if the clothing you've bought comes with a stale moth ball odour, do not immediately reach for the spray-on fabric freshener. Older and more delicate fabrics are unlikely to take kindly to this, with staining and even damage in some cases. Obviously wash according to instruction if you wish, but in terms of adding a little extra scent, rely on good old fashioned dried flowers and pot pouire. A bag of tied scented foliage is good for drawers, but can also be left in a bowl at the bottom of the wardrobe. Failing that a magic tree car air freshener isn't a bad idea either and can be hung.

Casual Jumper beyondretro.co.uk

Repairing Minor Damage: If shopping in store and you notice damage on an item of clothing, bring it to the attention of the sales person and you are more than likely to get a few quid of the item if you are prepared to repair. Basic skills like patching and darning are essential and if you don't know how to, you can check out videos on YouTube or ask a friend of relative who can to teach you. My personal tip for invisible, neat and lasting stitching would be to make sure you are using the right kind of needle and thread. Have a collection of various shades and colors, but also make sure that they suit the fabric you are repairing. If you are not sure what goes with what, ask someone at your local craft shop or haberdashery; I've always found them to be invaluable when it comes to inside knowledge. Also, invest in tube of fabric glue for any last minute solutions to loose beas, sequins etc, they can always be repaired properly later and it never hurts to have an old button stash somewhere in your home.

Reworked Men's Italian Jacket devoted2vintage.co.uk

Cleaning atnd Storage: This is a prime means of making sure all clothes, but especially older items, last longer and in good condition. Excess washing can make fabric breakdown, so only wash if you need to (this saves energy too). If something has a mark or stain on it, but is otherwise good for a few more wears, then attend to the stain only. What you use of course pertains to the fabric in question and you can get plenty of recommended stain pens by checking online, but a sponge and some water is often all you need for every day marks. You can also buy in a lint roller for dust and hairs, but remember a few strips of sticky tape can be just as effective. Clean your shoes regularly by hand though - letting all kinds a shite build up just makes then harder to do later, and it can cover up small scuffs and holes so they aren't immediately noticeable, thus giving them time to develop into something more serious. If shiny finish shoes develop stubborn black scrape marks, these can normally be fixed with a little nail varnish remover on a cotton bud.
When it comes to storage, hang up clothes that are meant to hang and fold clothes tht are meant to fold. It's simple enough but it means that many clothes retain their natural shape. For more tips on making clothes last longer, I'd recommend checking out this article on the Wise Bread site.

Revamp: Finally, if you're looking for something special for a Christmas party, but can't see anything exactly right, then consider putting revamp skills to use. Adding a few bits and pieces to an existing item can turn it into something completely new. Gok Wan's Roadshow has been doing great things in showing people how to do simply upgrades on clothes and accessories. Even if you're not a fan of make-over shows, I suggest checking them out on 4OD for some handy tips. And if you are local to NI, keep an eye out on the Rethink, Revamp and Restyle Workshops for classes

Pear Tree Christmas Apron
stardustonline.co.uk

Responsible Meat Eating This Christmas: Game and Wildfowl.

2011-12-05T05:49:00.001-08:00

Eating meat responsibility can seem like an ethical battle.Whether it’s trying to source locally and understand the conditions in whichyour meat was reared, or making the most of an animal to ensure that waste is aminimal, things are not nearly as simple as going to the supermarket andpicking something straight off the shelves. However at this time of year, with seasonalfestivities on the way and increased meat intake highly likely for most people,it makes sense to start considering the best ways to eat reduced impact meat.

No carnivorous diet is ever going to have the samereduced environmental impact as a vegetarian or vegan diet, but there are waysof improving your current habits and recently I've been looking at game and wildfowl as an alternative.

There are two types of game/wildfowl; farmed and wild. Muchof what is readily available in the UK and Ireland today will be farmed, normallystill in wide open spaces (essentially free range), but with more populationcontrol, health monitoring and depending on where you are talking about, more regular and structured means of slaughter than that of wild hunted game.

So what are the pros and cons? Nutritionally there is evidence to support that game is a healthier alternative to farmed meat; the animals are more active that domestic animals, so the meattends to be leaner and lower in saturated fats, as well as free from growthhormones and additives associated with intensive farming. It’s not without itsrisks though, wild animals are still susceptible to disease and infection, andit’s always worth checking with your local wildlife authority to ensure thatthe local population is healthy and fit for consumption. There have also beensome concerns raised as to lead exposure from the shot used to kill the animal.Hunters are advised to either switch to non lead ammunition, or to discard theportion of meat where the shot is found.

If not hunting yourself, game can be a little bit more pricyand difficult to source compared to other meats, which is perhaps a good thing for those who want to reduce intake but don't want to give up altogether. But you’d be surprised whatyou can get for your money, especially if you’re willing to buy in bulk and it’salso important to be efficient with the cuts you get. An independent butchermay be able to get game for you, but you can also ask any local restaurantsthat you know that serves game for their supplier details; chances are, if theyare in the area delivering to that establishment, they may stop off at yourplace too, providing you are willing to meet their minimum orders (and if youreally fancy pushing your luck, you could ask the restaurant to order somethingfor you within their own).

Vennison and Mushroom Goulash

I’ve cooked this a couple of times for the Shugmeister and children seem to really enjoy it, perhaps because of its sweet tomatoey base. It is ideal for tougher cuts that require extratenderising such as loin chops and neck, but it could also be used for leftovers. Obviously, if the meat is pre-cooked it needn’t be stewed for as long,simply add towards the end of the process and ensure that everything is heatedthrough. For a vegetarian alternative, simply increase the yield of mushroomsand throw in a few extra vegetables such as peppers or courgette. If you don’t have/likevenison, this sauce can easily be applied to other meats.

In this recipe I make use of the different kinds of paprikathat a relative brought back from Bulgaria, and some markets will selldifferent varieties over here - but don’t worry about it too much if you canonly get hold of the basic, it'll still make a good base.

Serves 4-6

500g of Vennison

1 large onion (chopped)

2 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped

1 ½ pints of game or beef stock

1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes

300g of chestnut mushrooms (chopped)

4 teaspoons of hot paprika (when cooking for children I usesweet paprika or a combination of both).

1 tablespoon of tomato puree

1 table spoon of black treacle

3 table spoons of plain flour

Oil for frying

In a large pan fry the onions on a medium heat until turning translucent. While this is ongoing, in a separate bowl, add chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, paprika, treacle and flour and hand whisk until smooth. Set aside.

To the onions, add the venison and garlic, turning until sealed. Once the meat is browning, add the mushrooms, then after about 5 minutes the stock. Bring to the boil, before adding the tomato mix, stirring until combined and returning to a low simmer. Cover and cook for around 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Serve with ribbon pasta.

Image: Adam Hickmott / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

School Fair Bargains

2011-12-04T02:37:00.001-08:00

So it was the Bethster's School Christmas Fair yesterday and we headed down to try and grab a few bargains. I was in luck, picking up several Doctor Who books and toys for the wee man's Christmas Box (thanks to my eagle eyed sister), a few children's books and toys, such as this 1980s Keypers Snail (I had one of these as little girl, so couldn't resist the nostalgia trip) and a wooden latches puzzle that the Shugmeister has not stopped playing with.

I've blogged before about passing on used toys and clothing rather than sending to landfill and school fairs are a great place to send your stuff, and if you're lucky, pick up some vintage toys of your own. But of course giving to charity is important at this time of year too, therefore I'm copying and pasting this post from the Nice to be Nice blog about the Day of Donation on behalf of the Simon Community:

"So it's December now, a time when most people will be getting ready to welcome a load of new stuff into their house. But what about the old stuff? Well, as it's probably a bit late for a Nice to be Nice fundraising event, I'm suggesting that Nice to be Nice members make a donation to one of the Simon Community Shops in Belfast, Newtownards, Ballynahinch or Bangor, on or around Donation Day: Thursday15th December. It's easy enough, gather up a few items that you no longer need or will be upgrading soon, and the Simon Community will pick them up from you. It really couldn't be simpler. If you'd like us to arrange a pick up for you, then simply get in touch in the comments section or via the Facebook event page here. Alternatively call 028 90 232 882 to arrange a pick up time that suits you.

This month will really started to see the cold weather hit, and thoughts start to go out to those who don't have the same comforts that the vast majority of us do. I know times are still hard for a few people, but even a donation of a few simple items can make a difference.

Or how about donating your time for a few hours in December? The Simon Community are always looking for volunteers and have a number of events lined up. Call the same number above or vistit the Simon Community website. http://www.simoncommunity.org/fundraising/volunteer/

Real Men Carry Plastic Bags? Observations from the retail front line.

2011-11-30T10:36:00.001-08:00

I’ve been working in a convenience store for the past couple of months. It’s one of those familiar, country wide franchises; bigger than anewsagents but smaller than a supermarket, located in a suburban residentialarea with a mixed clientele in terms of age, gender and social background. A few weeks ago I was listening to Frank Mitchel on the radio talking about the proposedbag tax that is in the pipe line here in NI that follows in the wake of similarschemes in Wales and ROI. It was a very one sided feature, with a representativefrom a retail association talking about the unfairness of such a tax, the extraadmin it would require and speculation about the possible charge (15p somesay). What struck me was that the focus from the retail rep was not thealternatives that such a tax would probably offer such as bags for life, cardboardboxes etc, but that he was working on the assumption that everyone would berobbed blind by having no other alternative than to buy a bag or two every timethey visit a shop. Thankfully there was some counter balance provided by one ortwo callers who praised their own bags for life, and I’m pleased to say thatthere are more than a few customers that already do so in my work.

However (and these are just observations rather thanofficial study I hasten to add), I’ve noticed some definite trends when it comes to plastic bagusage.

Women are far more likely to bring their own bag for shoppingthan men. Either using their hand bag for odd items or having a shopping bag oftheir own. I’d say roughly about ten times more women do this than men. Thoughwomen are more likely to ask for things like detergentto be double bagged or bagged separately to the rest of their shopping.
Men are more likely to ask for a bag, with men aged between 35-65 almost twice as likely than anyother customer demographic, to ask for a bag for small, easily carried itemssuch as a can of coke, newspapers and packets of crisps.
Younger customers, under the age of 35, are less likely totake a smaller plastic bag for loose fruit and veg.
By far the most likely to refuse a bag, and evenpre-emptively state that they do not need a bag, are school children, aged from10-18. They’ll either stuff their purchases into already bulging school bags orcarry it with them.
Bag usage for easily carried items increases if it is raining, even if these items are unlikely to be damaged in the rain.
People on the whole are far more likely to consider theirshopping, and ultimately refuse a bag, if you ask ‘Do you need a bag?’ ratherthan ‘Would you like a bag?’.

So what have I gathered from this far from scientific study? Well first up, kudos to the kids, clearly environmental education in schools is making an impact. Secondly, there needs to be a drive to increase the number of men using their own shopping bags, particularly in the older age groups. Perhaps the image of a shopping bag is still that of a somewhat effeminate accessory (admittedly, the vast majority of designs are tailored towards traditional female patterns and colours), or perhaps women are still the principal shoppers in most families and as a result are better prepared? As to why men between 35-65 are more to likely ask for a bag for easily carried items, well that one stumps me and I'm resisting the urge to brand then lazy feckers. As this tends to happen more in an older age group, it might have something to do with a tradition of expecting a bag - 'shops have always provided them, so why shouldn't I take one?' and the associated resistance to change that comes with that attitude.

Probably what I've gathered most from my retail experience though, is that for reduction to be the key factor in how NI deals with the plastic bag levy (something that seems to be largely ignored in the endless debates about revenue and admin costs), there needs to be an effort to make people openly question whether they need or want a bag, and this has to be directed at the people who have enjoyed the luxury of an endless supply of plastic bags for the majority of their lives.

The observations noted cover the customer base in our shop; people who both walk and drive to the shop, all ages and from outward appearance appear to have no physical disability that would mean that they can't carry single or light items.

Image: winnond / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Deck the Halls

2011-11-28T07:52:00.001-08:00

Well first up, sincere apologies for the dip in posting. I had some security issues in November that interfered with my gmail and blogger, but they appear to be rectified now. Also, apologies to anyone who may have been trying to contact me about articles, ads and guest posts; emails regarding these things were more than likely affected too.

I've a few articles lined up over the next few weeks on the usual mix of EcoLife topics, but seeing as we're in the last week of November and people are starting to get that little bit Christmassy, I just thought I'd share a few of my current favourite Christmas decorations and supplies sites.

First up is Mrs Christmas. This amazing online store is a distributor of high quality baubles and decorations made by traditional methods in Germany and Poland. As well as featuring some really unique designs, they also stock retro look decorations that will have you rushing back to your childhood and welcoming ghosts of Christmas pasts to your door. They don't come cheap mind you (some of the more intricate hand blown gift set can cost upwards of £60), but they are the kind of long term investment that you can use time and again and pass down through the generations.

For something a little more modern and funky, then you certainly can't go wrong with the series of recycled tree ornaments from Nigel's Eco Store. Made from various bits and pieces including old CDs and circuit boards, they prove that recycled doesn't have to exclude style, nor does it have to cost a small fortune, with most costing around £3. Even if you're not looking to top up your tree this year, I still suggest checking out the page as it's chocked with eco friendly ideas for gifts as well.

And of course, to save on the carbon footprint of mail ordering or shopping, you can always make your own decorations, with a little bit of help from the little people if you have them (that's children by the way, not elves). Youtube is a great place to get step by step instructions, like the one below, which should mean even those who don't consider themselves all that artistic can still give it a go.

Green your Halloween

2011-10-26T11:21:00.000-07:00

Tips and advice on how to green up your Halloween from Whole Earth Packaging, suppliers of sustainable and renewable products.

There are many things to do beforeHalloween arrives, such as buying candy for trick-or-treaters, decorating thehouse and planning your costume. As you prepare, make sure you take the time tobe friendly to the environment. There are many ways you can be eco-friendlyduring the Halloween season.

Save on the garbage from candy wrappers and make homemade treats for trick-or-treaters. You can make simple chocolate chip cookies, or buy cookie cutters and make Halloween shaped cookies. Serve apple cider with the cookies for a treat they’ll remember for years to come. Pass out these memorable treats on environmentally friendly napkins and serve the cider in environmentally friendly cups.
Halloween decorations don’t always have to be scary. Place pumpkins, gourds and bales of hay around your porch and the inside of your house. These decorations are compostable and safer for our environment.
If you want creepy Halloween decorations, make sure you save them to use for next year. There’s no point in throwing out perfectly good decorations!
Instead of turning on the porch lights to welcome trick-or-treaters, light the way with candles burning in tiny bags, or using carved pumpkins.
Craft your Halloween costume out of something you have at home, or buy one from a second hand shop.

Whole Earth Packing has a variety of environmentally friendlyproducts that can help you celebrate while staying green this Halloween.You can see all of our great eco-friendly products at WholeEarthPackaging.com.

Image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Wild at Heart

2011-10-20T03:19:00.000-07:00

The Bengal Tiger is an at risk animal, with only around 1400 remaining in the world today. So one cannot help but ask, how on earth 18 of these intrinsically valuable animals ended up in an animal park in Zanesville, Ohio and in turn, why they (along with 38 other exotic animals including lions, grizzly bears and monkeys), met a bloody end at the hands of local law enforcement after being released into the wild by owner Terry Thompson?

Not that I blame the law enforcement; the 'to kill' order was made quickly admittedly and I'd like to know if sedation was viable alternative (though apparently too dangerous to do at night), but in the meantime I'll concede that it was emergency situation and once the animals were out, they proved a danger to local residents and the local wildlife population. Despite this, I doubt anyone will look upon the pictures of these dead animals (only six were captured alive) without thinking what an absolute waste.

Animals in captivity are of course a touchy subject. For the most part I am opposed to captivity, but view well maintained Zoos as a necessary evil, carrying out research, education and conservation work that is now imperative thanks to centuries of ignorance in this area. I would also hope that Zoos gave an outlet where the human fascination with wild animals could be satisfied, rather than in more underground means such as trafficking and entertainments such as circuses and stage shows. Sadly, as this story proves, this is not the case, and as long as there are people willing to by and sell animals, and legislation allows them to do so, it will be exploited by people who have no business keeping animals of such size and nature. Ohio has some of the most relaxed laws regarding exotic pet ownership in the US, and the of the highest level of deaths and injuries by them, so it is perhaps time that certain people started to wise up to the fact that these animals are simply not meant to be kept as pets or amusements. Pity that it takes an event such as this to drive that message home.

Musical Food (organic, get it..?...I'll get me coat)

2011-10-17T01:13:00.000-07:00

Root and Branch Organic is a means of bringing fresh, localand organic produce to people in Northern Ireland. Working with key organicfarms across NI (Helen’s Bay Organic Gardens, Orchard Organics, Roy Lyttle,Farmlay Eggs and Hamilton Kee) Root and Branch works under the three principalsof community, earth and wellbeing; supporting a sustainable, low carbonapproach to food production.

Boxes of seasonal fruit, vegetables and eggs varying in sizeand price (including soup boxes and boxes designed especially for babies andinfants) can be purchased online and delivered, but in keeping with the lowcarbon pledge, customers are offered a discount if they can pick up fromcollection hubs close to places they would frequently visit anyway, such as thefarm shop in Helen’s Bay or Hedonist Hair and St George’s Market in Belfast.

And for those who are in the area this weekend, the Root andBranch Harvest Festival will be taking place this Saturday at Helen’s BayOrganic Gardens, featuring family yoga (thanks to the excellent Flow studio in Belfast) and live music in the afternoon, and PotLuck organic dinner and Pumpkin Carving in the evening. Doubled up with the following day's conservation event in the Ormeau Park, it's a perfect green way to spend the weekend. For more information,visit the Facebook Event Page.

I’d also recommend checking out their excellent website formore information on produce, deliveries and a blog sharing recipes, nutritionaland lifestyle advice. In the meantime, enjoy this Eilis Philips music video filmedin the grounds of the organic garden, from the Root and Branch YouTube channel.

http://www.rootandbranchorganic.com/

Big Green Weekend

2011-10-15T06:48:00.000-07:00

Conservation Volunteers NI will be holding a free family fun day as part of the Big Green Weekend in the Ormeau Park, Belfast next Sunday (23rd October). From 12-3pm families can come along and enjoy a range of activities including face painting, bouncy castle, displays from Belfast Circus School, craft stalls selling wood and natural products such as make your own birdhouses, guided nature walks, healthy cooking and home composting demonstrations and a sponsored Tree Spotting Challenge to raise funds for important conservation projects (register for the Tree Hunt here http://www.cvni.org.uk/).

The event is part of a European wide weekend program designed to raise awareness of the work of conservationists volunteers and Green heroes. You can find out more by visiting the NI site above, or BTCV and Belfast City Council.

And closely following the Big Green Weekend, Botanic Gardens will be holding their yearly Enchanted Garden Event, nightly from 7-10pm on the 26th -29th October. Now a regular fixture on the local family events calender and part of the Belfast Festival at Queens, I've been meaning to check this out for years, but circumstances (and a dash of laziness) have always got in the way. This year I definitely going, to see fairies, goblins and a host of fantastical creatures come alive among the trees, in a display of light and music. Very popular by all accounts, you are advised to book in advance, through the festival link below. Tickets are £3.

http://www.belfastfestival.com

Stained Glass Window Hangings

2011-10-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

Here’s a great DIY decoration that you can make with thekids, courtesy of my husband. It’s suitable as both a Halloween decoration anda Christmas one if you make a few simple adjustments. I suggest adding a blackpaper crescent moon and black stars to the wool of the Halloween one, and replacing themwith a big gold star for the Christmas version.

You’ll need a glue stick, some wool, some clear plasticdocument wallets (try to go for spoiled or ripped ones rather than new, as thatway they’ll be getting a second life) and a selection of transparent colouredsweet wrappers like the ones you get from boiled sweets, Quality Street andRoses.

Draw and cut out a six circles from your plastic wallets.You can vary in size and even shape if you like. On three of the circlesstick down shards of cut up sweet wrappers to resemble stained glass or Kaleidoscope patterns, then stick down the remaining three discs, one onto each, sandwichingthe stained glass patterns between the two circles. Make sure the discs are firmlystuck together before moving onto the next step.

Then use a hole punch to make small holes in the discs. Youwill be arranging them so they hang down together in a cascade, so whateverdisc you plan to have at the top of the cascade needs to have one hole at thetop and two more at the bottom, like this:

Finally thread some wool through the holes, linking thediscs together and hanging as desired from a window, doorway or fire place. Youdon’t have to stick to the circle shape and can of course use templates andshapes to mark a certain occasion, ditto for the colours of the sweet paper(you don’t necessarily have to use transparent paper or plastic either, thisdesign with work with others textures, though the light shining through doesmake them look extra special). For Halloween why not get your child to drawaround their hands and feet to make ghost and monster body shapes that can bedecorated as you choose, and make use of craft box staples such as glitter andgoogly eyes.

And remember to save all of this season’s sweet wrappers foruse next year.

Green Scenes

2011-10-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday sees the start of a programme of environmentally themed films courtesy of the Institute for a Sustainable World at Queen's University Belfast. Screening each week between now and December in the Seminar Room, 63 University Road, the selection includes a mix of high profile documentaries and local productions. It also includes A Sense of Wonder (26th October), a look at the life and work of Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring and pioneer of the environmentalist movement.

A Sense of Wonder Trailer from Film Sprout on Vimeo.

For more information, contact Dr John Barry j.barry@qub.ac.uk, full programme details below.

5^th October (from 6.30pm): The Powerdown Show: The Powerdown Show is a 10-part TV series that takes a fresh and engaging look at the community responses to the converging challenges of climate change and peak oil.

12^th October: The Yes Men Fix the World: A screwball true story about two gonzo political activists who, posing as top executives of giant corporations, lie their way into big business conferences and pull off the world's most outrageous pranks

19^th October: Fierce Light: When Spirit meets Action: Acclaimed filmmaker Velcrow Ripper sets out to discover the power that is released when spirituality and activism meet. Sparked by what Gandhi called “soul force” and Martin Luther King called “love in action,” Ripper spotlights remarkable individuals who are taking action from the heart.

26^th October: A Sense of Wonder: When pioneering environmentalist Rachel Carson published Silent Spring in 1962, the backlash from her critics thrust her into the centre of a political maelstrom. Despite her love of privacy, Carson's convictions and her foresight regarding the risks posed by chemical pesticides forced her into a very public and controversial role. Struggling with cancer, Carson recounts with both humor and anger the attacks by the chemical industry, the government, and the press as she focuses her limited energy to get her message to Congress and the American people.

2^nd November: The Pipe: A compelling documentary film four years in the making, The Pipe tells the story of the small Rossport community which has taken on the might of Shell Oil and the Irish State. The discovery of gas off this remote coastal village has led to the most dramatic clash of cultures in modern Ireland.The Pipe is a story of a community tragically divided, and the prospect of a pipeline that can bring economic prosperity or destroy of a way of life shared for generations.

9^th November: The Corporation: An epic in length and breadth, this documentary aims at nothing less than a full-scale portrait of the most dominant institution on the planet Earth in our lifetime--a phenomenon all the more remarkable, if not downright frightening, when you consider that the corporation as we know it has been around for only about 150 years. The movie performs a running psychoanalysis of this entity with the characteristics of a prototypical psychopath: a callous unconcern for the feelings and safety of others, an incapacity to experience guilt, an ingrained habit of lying for profit, etc.

16^th November: Capitalism: A Love Story: Michael Moore's didactic documentary style is actually a source of inspiration in Capitalism: A Love Story. This film, which explores the history of incongruence between American capitalism and democracy. Here Moore employs his trademark tactics to make a satirical documentary that functions as a film-based, grassroots political strategy meant to provoke revolt.

23^rd November: Inside Job: This priceless documentary presents a devastating expose of the staggering Wall Street swindle that caused the economic meltdown of 2008.

30^th November: Supersize Me: Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, rejected five times by the USC film school, won the best director award at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival for this alarmingly personal investigation into the health hazards wreaked by our fast food nation. Under extensive medical supervision, Spurlock subjects himself to a steady diet of McDonald's cuisine for 30 days just to see what happens. In less than a week, his ordinarily fit body and equilibrium undergo dark and ugly changes.

7^th December: Century of the Self: The Century of the Self tells the untold and sometimes controversial story of the growth of the mass-consumer society in Britain and the United States. How was the all-consuming self created, by whom, and in whose interests?

14^th December: What would Jesus Buy?: Follows Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir as they go on a cross-country mission to save Christmas from the Shopocalypse: the end of mankind from consumerism, over-consumption and the fires of eternal debt! Through retail interventions, corporate exorcisms, and some good old-fashioned preaching, Reverend Billy reminds us that we have lost the true meaning of Christmas.

Handymen, Austen and lots of cat's piss

2011-09-22T04:26:00.000-07:00

Last winter’s heavy December snow meant that my in-laws heldoff sending over Christmas presents at the usual time, so it was a nice summer treatto pick them up when we were across the water for a visit a couple of monthsback. As well as the wee man being spoilt rotten as usual, I got a couple ofhouse and home books dedicated to longevity and making the most of traditionalmethods and techniques, the highlights of which I’ll share with you today.

First up is Make It Last: 1000 Ingenious Ways to Extend theLife of Everything You Own. Written by Earl Proulx and the editors of YankeeMagazine, it is a comprehensive reference guide to ensuring that what you buy, salvageor make is long lasting and less likely to be heading to land fill before itstime. Conveniently separated into 11 sections, covering Kitchen &Household, Fabrics & Clothing, Land & Garden and Cars and Motor Vehiclesto name but a few, the book is well written ‘how to’ guide, complete withplenty of instructional illustrations so that even someone with a very basicknowledge of DIY can try the vast majority of the practices detailed. Proulx, ahandyman with 65 years of experience shares a wealth of knowledge and insight,and the book comes with a selection of first-hand accounts and recollections,giving the whole thing a personal touch. Some elements, such as how to repair andsecure roofing, are perhaps for the more adventurous, and the book has a distinctNew England feel to it, meaning that not everything in it will apply toeveryone everywhere (not to mention requiring a little bit of conversionknowledge for us metric folk). It was also written in 1996, meaning that someelements, such as advice on VCRs are dated. That said though, it is well worthkeeping the book to hand and has the potential to be one of those publicationsthat are passed down from generation to generation, as you never know what yourchildrens’ children might be in need of.

Top Tips:

When repairing furniture with glue, mix a little sawdust with the glue to make it stronger.
Add uncooked rice to a salt cellar to prevent the salt from forming lumps.
Human hair (either your own if you’re a home cutter, or from a salon if you’re bold enough to ask for it) is a great addition to a compost heap, pre-mulched ground and in planting holes for fruit trees, as it builds up nitrogen levels in the soil.

Next, Illustrated Wise Words and Country Ways by RuthBinney. If Make It Last is the more rustic of the two, then Wise Words is themore gentile. Think Jane Austin meets Mrs Beeton over tea and scones on a chintzchaise longue nestled in a candy floss cloud in the sky and you’re about halfway to comprehending just how twee this book is. That’s not to say it isn’tvery good, on the contrary, it’s a lovely read, but it is perhaps moreconcerned with history and culture behind the practices as much as thepractices themselves and is a lot lighter in terms of practical usefulness thanthe other book. Of the tips included, there were more than few that I’dconsider to be common knowledge, but in most cases you also get a snippet ofinformation as to origins and history (much of which I’m sure will come in handyin a pub quiz situation one day), so instead of a ‘how to’ guide, Wise Words isreally more of a record of traditional folk law and method. The best feature isdefinitely the intricate teal coloured drawings that decorate near enough everypage and coupled with the easy reading style it makes this book the perfectcoffee table companion.

Top Tips

Diluted cat urine makes a great slug repellent. Yes, I don’t know how they discovered that ether, or how one goes about getting cat piss into a receptacle to dilute in the first place, but I challenge you to find out.
Bagging and freezing expensive items of clothing for 10 days will help make them moth proof. Unfortunately nothing accept maybe Godzilla will make them Mothra proof.

What the frack?

2011-09-13T03:58:00.000-07:00

First up, apologies if you have arrived at this article via Google expecting a montage of Battlestar Galactica's favourite expletive. This is actually about the environmental process of Hydraulic Fracturing, that has become a matter of local interest in recent months following the awarding of licences in Central Larne, Lough Neagh Basin, Lough Allen Basin, Rathlin Basin and Rathlin Island. Now I'll be the first to admit that my scientific knowledge in this area is pretty thin on the ground. It's a fairly new process in this part of the world, though fracking has been used for several decades in other parts if the world including the US and it's never been anything I've had to brush up on in the past. So today I thought I'd do a very simple guide to fracking, with a couple of videos approaching the process from different points of view. Hopefully this will get the basics down and lay the ground work for any future debate.

So, what is fracking?
The wiki definition states: "hydraulic fracturing, often called Fracking, Fracing[a] or hydrofracking, is the process of initiating and subsequently propagating a fracture in a rock layer, by means of a pressurized fluid, in order to release petroleum, natural gas, coal seam gas, or other substances for extraction"

Simply put this is the process of breaking up rocks using water and other chemicals, creating more opportunities to release fossil fuels such as gas and oil from between the fractures created.

Why the fuss?
I guess this depends on what your values are. On the one hand this process does increase the amount of fossil fuels you can extract, which in turn increases availability and some would argue reduce cost. In the US this process is credited as being a key process in the increased use of natural gas, and as a means of weaning the nation off (foreign) oil. However, it can also be seen as a means of further investing in a dependence on fossil fuels, when money could be spent on renewables.

There have also been some concerns as to the safety of fracking on the surrounding natural environment and contamination of water supply, as demonstrated on this report from the BBC.

Whether these problems are an inevitable consequence of fracking or a result of irresponsible drilling companies is still being debated (see below), but either way it raises further questions as to how the process is monitored and regulated, and due high levels of concern, Fracking has already been banned or suspended in several countries.

When it comes to Northern Ireland, I suppose my biggest concern aside from those mentioned is the amount of water that is required to carry out industrial scale fracking. From www.hydraulicfracturing.com;

'Drilling a typical Chesapeake deep shale gas and oil well requires between 65,000 and 600,000 gallons of water. Water is also used in fracking where a mixture of water and sand is injected into the deep shale at a high pressure to create small cracks in the rock allowing gas and oil to freely flow to the surface. Fracking a typical Chesapeake horizontal deep shale gas or oil well requires an average of 4.5 million gallons per well.'

This is stated as a one time spend, but figures and fracking amounts vary from source to source (and will depend on the scale of individual projects I'm sure), so I'll try not to cling on to one particular figure. Regardless, I'd love to have more clarity on any project that relies heavily on, or is known to affect our water. It is less than a year ago that NI Water was failing to meet demand as a result of bad weather, and significant chunks of our recent election were dedicated to the prospect of water charges and the urgent work that needs doing to our ageing treatment and delivery systems, not to mention the preservation of wetland and marine areas. Awarding licences for a process that will increase pressure on these systems and possible have an adverse affect on supply, just seems a little flawed to me.

But like I stated earlier, this is a relatively new area for me, so if you have any more expertise to add, please do so in the comments section, and check out the following links to learn more.

http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/whats-fracking
http://www.what-the-frack.org/
http://www.frackcheckwv.net

Easy Apple Crumble

2011-08-22T02:15:00.000-07:00

The British and Irish Apple season is just about under way, with early season harvests hitting the shops right now, and much more to come. Apples and Pears are something we do very well on these shores, and there is really little need to be sourcing apples from overseas at this time of year. This week my local Sainsbury's had British Bramley apples on offer, so I spent yesterday afternoon getting the wee man involved in making a crumble. Crumbles are incredibly easy to make, and are great fun for kids to get involved with, as a the crumble topping itself is made by rubbing by hand, so you can con them into thinking it's mucky, playful work. You can also make it dairy free by replacing the butter with vegan spread. For a twist on the traditional topping, I replace half the flour with some porridge oats.

750g of peeled, cored and chopped cooking apples (or pears if you prefer)
75g of caster sugar
100g of plain flour
100g of oats
75g of butter or spread
Half teaspoons of ground cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger (optional according to likes/dislikes)
1 tablespoon of Demerara Sugar

Place the apples in an oven proof dish and sprinkle with 25g (aprox 1 tablespoon) of the caster sugar and the ground spices. Mix and set aside. If you want you can add a small glug of apple brandy at this stage for a more grown up touch.

In a mixing bowl add the flour, remaining caster sugar, butter and oats and rub through your hands until it resembles course breadcrumbs. Press onto the apple mix and sprinkle over the Demerara sugar.

Bake in an oven pre-heated to 200° C for 40 minutes until the sugar on top is browning.

Is your teacher great at being green?

2011-08-18T02:54:00.000-07:00

Well after a wee break over the past month, I'm back, and with only a week or so before kids in NI head back to school, I thought I'd give some much deserved promotion to Belfast Harbour/Action Renewable's search for the Best Green Teacher of 2011.

Primary school pupils are being asked to nominate the teacher they think deserves this years award, telling Action Renewables in no more than 100 words how and why their teacher is the most eco friendly around; whether they are the best at recycling and teaching others to do so, or perhaps they have organised a school garden and encouraged children to get involved.

Children should send their entries to ‘Belfast Harbour Green Teacher of the Year 2011', Action Renewables Block C, Unit 1, Boucher Business Studios, Glenmachan Place, Belfast, BT12 6QH or email education@actionrenewables.co.uk by October 21st. Six finalist and their classes will be invited to an all expenses paid fun challenge day on the 16th November.

To find out more and to see details of last year's winner, visit http://www.actionrenewables.org

Fairtrade Awards 2011

2011-07-19T02:30:00.000-07:00

Belfast City Council are currently searching for the best people, businesses, dining establishments and employers who have done the most to promote and advance the spirit and ethos of the Fairtrade concept over the past year.

Nominations are now open, and you can recommend the following in the Belfast City Council Electoral area:

Best Fairtrade independent retailer
Best Fairtrade supermarket
Best Fairtrade café
Best Fairtrade employer
Best Fairtrade bar or restaurant
Outstanding individual contribution to Fairtrade

The closing date is 31st August, and you can nominate online at http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/AF/an/default.aspx/RenderForm/?F.Name=mqYgvZjZn4H

Huffington Post UK Launched

2011-07-07T03:15:00.000-07:00

Following the launch of Huffington Post Canada, Huffington Post UK launched earlier this week, the second biggest expansion outside the US for this unashamedly liberal online media site. From Arianna Huffington herself, came a gushing statement of affection for the UK, writing in her inaugural UK blog post:

"I am delighted to be in London today for the first Huffington Post launch outside of North America. Britain has always held a very special place in my heart. I started (and finished) college here. I started (and finished) my first serious love affair here.."

If you don't know Huffington yet, the site is a mix of politics, media, business, entertainment, lifestyle, green and world news and several blogs. Huffington UK promises much of the same, albeit with a domestic angle.

For many this will be a welcome addition to UK's news market, especially in light of recent events surrounding the unethical methods employed by News of the World 'journalists' and the implications for News International on the whole, that have been such a hot topic this week. While for others, it has been met with a rather more mixed reception, with the Guardian criticising the apparent lack of invention and poor aesthetic appeal, though one can perhaps speculate that elements of rivalry and competition have had much to play in that assessment.

I'll be waiting to see how the UK version works out, but as it stands, welcome a little bit more liberal competition to UK web. In a week where we are lambasting the awful techniques employed by newspapers to feed an appetite for scandal, it is perhaps worth remembering that it is also readership and response that shapes the face of UK journalism, not just the results of official inquiries and bouts of public outrage.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/environment/

Looking for the New Environmentalism?

2011-07-05T15:50:00.000-07:00

Mark Lynas argues that the green movement is dying and that it's time for a new kind of environmentalism. But perhaps he should stop revelling in opposition and catch himself on to the fact that this new movement is already under way...

Two articles in the Guardian this past week from former green poster boys Mark Lynas and George Monbiot, have apparently ruffled a few feathers due to their critical approach to the environmentalist movement. The continuing 'I was wrong' approach of Monbiot on the subject of nuclear power and yet another 'Green's have lost their way' j'accuse from Lynas via the pen of Susanna Rustin, strive to highlight perceived problems regarding the environmentalist lobby's attitude to particular issues, and have resulted in a wealth of comments from the congratulatory, to the eco-reactionary, and everything in between.

Personally, I welcome these pieces as means of debate and growth. But when it comes to Lynas I can't help but think that he secretly wouldn't want my or anyone's approval if it meant facing up to the fact that his much publicized revolutionary take on the movement, isn't that revolutionary at all.

Has the Green Movement Lost its Way? Anti-nuclear, anti-capitalist, anti-flying: the green movement may have alienated more people than it has won over, and there are now calls for a new kind of environmentalism

Guardian, 2nd July 2011

My biggest issue with this Rustin/Lynas article, aside from it being a shameless book plugging rehash of so many other Lynas pieces, is that Lynas appears to have appointed himself a lone Archimedes; the self proclaimed one eyed man in the kingdom of the blind, the bastion of insight and foresight among us whimpering and confused greenies, whose blindness to the science of nuclear power and anti capitalist tendencies are simply keeping us in the dark.

What he fails to mention or understand (not sure if it is an omission of intent or ignorance) is that for so many of us, the realisation that we couldn't live in the past and expect a Luddite-esque attitude to the future is something that we came to terms with a long time ago, while for others, it was wasn't even a case of 'realisation', with reasons for being or becoming green never really steeped in the same sort of fight the power (or in his case, fight the sweetcorn and sugarbeet crops) direct action that characterized the 1990s for Lynas. Instead, for us there already exists a new kind of environmentalism, one that if Lynas wasn't too pre-occupied with discovering, he would, well...discover.

The new green movement may not be as keen as Lynas to cast off it's traditionalist/purist/radical (call them what you will) roots, but instead views them as something to retain and continue to build upon, practising the very organic nature of progress that we preach. Still anti-capitalists? Well that was a far too simple an accusation to begin with. Instead how about capitalist critical with a strong sense of social justice and fairness to boot - willing to work with industry rather than against it, and looking to improve rather than overthrow. And anti nuclear? Again, sweepingly general and ignores an openness to debate that you do find in the green movement. The anti nuclear lobby is of course is still in the majority, but that's not to say we don't want to be convinced. Only recently George Monbiot decided that he had been, and has since proceeded to write about his conversion with vigour, with the below article being a prime example:

The nuclear industry stinks. But that is not a reason to ditch nuclear power. The debate is skewed by distrust of big corporate interests. Under proper scrutiny, new plants can give safer, cleaner energy.

Guardian, 4th July 2011

Now I won't be reaching for the stones and looking to condemn Monbiot for these views. I actually enjoy his articles. They are for the most part well written, well researched and presented, with a credible amount of frankness and even though I have certain issues with the particulars, I respect the views therein. However on one point I will call him out. Like Lynas, I think think he has a tendency to overstate the opposition to his views, and I'd be quick to advise any existing or would-be greens that resistance is not as fiery his Twitter feed would like you to think is the case. Yes, the practical nuclear argument might not win over the majority at the moment, but nor are those who present it hounded for their views, and this is perhaps where Monbiot the self promoter takes over:

"Calling all opponents of nuclear power: sharpen yr pitchforks for tmrrow's live online Guardian debate with me at 10am BST."

C'mon now George, I know you're plugging your latest gig, and I hope that your tongue is firmly in your cheek, but seriously pitch forks? That wouldn't be you trying to play the victim in an attempt to inspire a defiant underdog persona would it? Been watching a little bit too much Glenn Beck me thinks.

"Fascinating to see how few opponents of nuclear power are making specific rebuttals in comment thread"

There are plenty. But what you are failing to grasp/choosing to ignore is that with any debate regarding nuclear, the rebuttals will seldom be specific. People are more likely to respond with more questions and do so out of a concern for risk. Risk being the operative word. Risk perception, risk assessment, these will always dominate any discussion about nuclear power, and the very body of your article implies risk involved with poorly regulated nuclear companies and governing bodies.

While I've no doubt both writers have experienced the head banging frustration of verbal conflict with more extremest factions of the movement, I think what they are ignoring is that across the board the revolution has already happened, the treehuggers they so readily fingered as holding us all back, have in fact, already moved on. And even those who haven't, needn't be seen as dragging the movement back, just there to lend a certain amount of perspective.

It may well suit Lynas and his publishers (and to a certain extent Monbiot's) agenda to present the idea of a failing and progress resistant green movement, but for many of us working from within, the move forward or die attitude has long since been taken on board. Preaching to the choir is one way of looking at this approach... failing to notice that the choir have gone on ahead, is perhaps more fitting.

Small Hats, Big Knit

2011-06-27T01:26:00.000-07:00

The Age NI Big Knit are once again appealing for knitters across Northern Ireland to help support the important work they do with older people and senior groups, by donating little wool hats to adorn the tops of Innocent Smoothie products.

For every hat knitted and sold with an Innocent product in Sainsbury's, 25p will go to Age NI. Last year volunteer knitters managed to knit 41,000 hats, with this year's target up to 50,000. The charity are asking individuals and groups to get involved to help meet the amount and there will be prizes for the most original and creative designs. It's a great chance for the local arts and crafts community to show off their talents, or perhaps for parents, a great time to teach a valuable skill to children (or even brush up on their on own lapsed skills, as is the case with myself).

Anyone interested in contributing should register by contacting Dorothy McConkey in the Fundraising Team on 028 9024 5729 or email dorothy.mcconkey@ageni.org, and should look to have their hats finished by the beginning of October. Knitting Patterns ( beginners, intermediate and advanced) and more information available online, by visiting the website

Age NI are also in the middle of a search for Northern Ireland's Grandparent of the Year 2011, in association with Conswater Shopping Centre. The contest asks children to nominate grannies and grandas they feel deserve to be recognised as the best, outlining why in no more than 200 words and attaching a photo or drawing. You can find out more information by visiting the website linked above.

Breastfeeding Awareness Week

2011-06-24T03:29:00.000-07:00

As Breastfeeding Awareness week draws to a close, I want to write about my own personal experience of the most sustainable and environmentally friendly way to feed your baby in the early months.

I was incredibly relieved when I was able to breastfeed. Both my mother and sister had difficulty doing so, and the first day in the hospital after having Shugs, I tried, but he simply wasn't taking. The direction I was given was okay I suppose, but I saw a different nurse on every occasion and wasn't given the chance to relay any concerns or issues with the same person twice. I was also disappointed with my level of pain relief, which was making sitting and lying in certain positions for any length of time extremely uncomfortable. After nearly 24 hours of trying and getting incredibly frustrated (not to mention having to contend with a rather awkwardly placed nipple blister on account of him latching onto to the wrong bit) I was almost in tears when the night nurse offered to take him away and give him a bottle so I could get some rest. At first I saw this as defeat, but she assured me this didn't have to be the case, and being tired and emotional I took her at her word.

It worked. In the early hours of the next morning I was able to give him what I considered my first proper feed. It was such a relief, and while the next few feeds weren't easy, once my milk came in fully we were on our way. I found feeding lying down on my side a far easier way, and that wasn't recommended to me until I was almost ready to leave hospital. It meant that both me and Shugs could excuse ourselves from a room and relax, occasionally having a wee snooze together. It actually felt like a break, rather than a chore and the angle meant that he needed very little burping (a fine family tradition of extreme arse trumpeting has been passed on, I can assure you). I did use a feeding ring occasionally and expressed a little after a while, but for the most part I fed exclusively by breast for the first couple of months.

Not having to worry about cleaning and sterilising bottles in those early stages was such a relief, as was not having to buy tubs of food and deal with the rubbish afterwards. I did use bottles of expressed milk when Shugs got a little older, as I'll admit I was never able to get comfortable enough to feed out in public. Not a modesty issue you'll understand, rather not being able to position myself right. And when at about 5 months we started to wean the wee man, we also started to wean him off breast milk.

So the pros and cons? Well as mentioned there was less clutter and mess feeding by breast, and for Shugs it seemed to do him the world of good (he get the sniffles like most kids occasionally, but is in great health otherwise - nothing slows the wee bugger down). He also has a fantastic appetite and is a good sleeper, both of which I put down to good habits picked up in the early stages. The cons? Well for me it was exceptionally tiring, especially in the 3-6 month period as he got bigger and increased in need, and despite being told the weight would fly off me, I found the opposite to be true. I was too tired to get much exercise and constantly starving. In a mixed blessing sense, it was also starkly apparent when at 4½ - 5 months Shugs needed weaning. His need for milk sky rocketed, interrupting his sleep and affecting his mood. No matter much I fed it was never enough, but I had been told over and over of WHO recommendations to wait until 6 months before weaning. Thankfully, I finally saw sense and listened to my mother for the first time in twenty years and started weaning at that point.

I know it's not for everyone, but I'm glad I was able to make it work for me for as long as I did. So to everyone currently, trying or hoping to breast feed, all the best.

*In other news, central funding for Breastfeeding Awareness Week is withdrawn after 18 years. Very disappointing.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jun/17/breastfeeding-awareness-week-dropped-government

Image: koratmember / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sustainable Picnic

2011-06-19T05:02:00.000-07:00

So the summer solstice is almost upon us (you remember summer don't you, the legendary forth season we used to have in Norn Iron, believed to involve sunlight and entire half hours without heavy downpours). Well anyway, if you're looking for a way to mark the occasion, hoof it on over to the grounds of Stormont Castle where Baglady productions will be holding A Sustainably As Possible picnic on the hill, from 12-3pm. For more information and poor weather contingency plans, visit the Baglady website or Facebook page.

If you haven't heard of Baglady or the ASAP possible campaign, then here's a brief outline. Working with schools to promote and educate on ideas for sustainability, and with governments to discuss and lobby for environmental issues, Baglady Productions also make films and organise workshops around Northern Ireland, with emphasis on what we can do to make our daily lives have less of a detrimental impact on the environment. The As Sustainably As Possible (ASAP) pledge campaign encourages people to sign up and agree to give up one unsustainable practice, whilst taking up another beneficial one, with pledges designed for both adults and children.

http://www.bagladyproductions.org/asap-world/pledge/

I've written about ideas for environmentally friendly picnics before here, but if anyone has any other tips, please add them to the comments section. Tomorrow I'll be doing a special feature on picnic friendly food, but in the meantime here's a Baglady Production video about the urgency of the sustainable message.

Strawberry, Balsamic and Poppy Seed Muffins

2011-06-18T00:52:00.000-07:00

Despite the rubbish weather, local and localish strawberries are on the market if you look hard enough, so today here is my dairy free recipe, which makes twelve large cakes in the bigger muffin style cases.

Okay, so these aren't the most healthy snacks for kids, but the occasional treat at parties and summer BBQs won't kill them. You can also add some extra goodness by adding some flax or linseed to the mix (a teaspoon) and being selective in your choice of flour and oils. Most oils will other than olive oil will work in the context of this recipe.

230g of plain flour (+1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda)
210g of light brown sugar
300g Strawberries (if choosing to do so, set aside 6 small strawberries for decoration)
150ml of oil
2 tablespoons of poppyseed
1 tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar

Preheat the oven to 180C. Coarsely chop the strawberries and place in a bowl and mash until soggy with occasional lumps. Beat in the sugar, oil and vinegar, then add the poppy seeds and sieve in the flour and bicarbonate of soda. Mix slowly, making the figure eight with the spoon until combined. Spoon out into twelve muffin cased and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven when done and allow to sit in baking tray for a few minutes before setting out on a wire wrack.

Optional topping: Two large table spoons of dairy free spread, mixed with several large tablespoons of icing sugar. I haven't given specifics here as you can make this to personal taste in terms of consistency. Spoon on or use a piping bag to add a generous blob to each cake. Cut your reserved strawberries in half and add to each of the cakes. Finally sprinkle over a few poppy seeds.

Image: Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Celebrating the Father Role

2011-06-17T06:57:00.000-07:00

It's Father's Day this Sunday and as a result I thought I'd throw some light on Man Matters, a Northern Ireland partnership project run by the Workers’ Educational Association, Home-Start NI, The Men’s Health Forum in Ireland, Ballynafeigh Community Development Association and Parents Advice Centre.

Established in 2009, the group works on providing advice and support for individuals and men's groups on issues of health, family and community.Yesterday I was fortunate enough to be in attendance at their Stormont event entitled 'Celebrating the Father Role' an insightful collection of talks that addressed the personal, psychological and cultural impact of the role of fathers and father figures in the lives of children and their impact on the community as a whole. Without sounding too much like a patronising douche bag, it was really nice to see so many fathers present and itching to get up and talk about the most important people in their lives.

The event also saw the launch of the Staying Connected Programme from Parent's Advice Centre, designed to encourage non resident father's to maintain important contact with sons. This comes about in the midst of June's Focus on Fathers drive from the Parents Advice Helpline, who state:

"Fathers have a crucial influence on their child’s development. Research shows that strong relationships between fathers and children are associated with higher levels of happiness and excellent health and when fathers are positively involved with their children before the age of 11, the children are more likely to escape a criminal record by the age of 21."

Means and methods of celebrating Father's Day were discussed, and from an eco friendly angle, I have to admit that nothing says I love you dad, I love the planet and we're pretty skint, like a home made recycled card. So hoke out the PVA glue, dried pasta, old newspaper and fabric, and sacrifice a clean house for a few hours to ensure that the dad in your or your child's life, gets a piece of emotional tat.

http://www.manmatters.org/

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Available in Kid Size

2011-06-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

A new campaign is under way to encourage hospitality establishments in Northern Ireland to improve the family dining experience. Available in Kid Size is urging restaurants, cafes and food serving pubs to promote healthy children’s options, the chance to order smaller portions from the existing menu and to emphasize a commitment to seasonal and local produce.

It is hoped that the campaign will promote a culture of family dining that relies less on the typical goujons and chips staple of the average children's menu, will encourage children to try new things, help parents maintain the good eating habits of the home when eating out, while at the same time help businesses appeal to parties with young children and reduce food waste.

The group aims to see the values of the AiKS Stratagem adopted and supported by both businesses and parents and you can sign up to support the following points at http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/available-in-kid-size-stratagem-2011-2012.html

Offering parents the chance to opt for children’s sized options from the main menu
Sensible portion sizes, to reduce left overs and waste
Option of children’s starters or canapés, so that parents and children can eat together in the same sitting.
Choice of children’s side orders such as vegetables and salads, as alternatives to chips.
Children’s table activities that encourage healthy eating, such as puzzles and colouring sheets with a fruit and vegetable theme
Children’s meat free options
Child friendly (non- breakable), reusable cups and glasses
Smaller/beginners cutlery on request
Seasonal and local produce incorporated into the children’s menu and clearly identified as such
Free tap water to anyone who asks
Any new or on-going projects recommended as a means of improving the family dining experience

Meanwhile businesses, parents and consumers can find out more about Available in Kid Size, by visiting the website, which includes news, information and resource tools for encouraging healthy eating habits in children.

http://www.availableinkidsize.org/index.html

On yer bike

2011-06-15T10:11:00.000-07:00

Bike Week (18th - 26th June), is almost upon us, and as part of this year's event people are being encouraged to fix up old or broken bikes, in an attempt to get those who own a bike but rarely use it, back on two wheels. Touted as Britain's Biggest Bike Fix Up, the aim is to get groups such as schools, charities and community groups holding Bike Week events, to offer the added incentive of 'Dr Bike' consultations, providing tips and services that promote up-keep and maintenance such as properly inflated tires, checking break pads for wear, wheel truing and other repair and recommendations for care. There are three Bike Clinics taking place in Derry in the next week:

Lettershandoney Bike Clinic 20th June 2011
Tullyalley Bike Clinic 22nd June 2011
Newbuildings Bike Clinic 23rd June 2011

Email thomas.mccallion@derrycity.gov.uk for more details of these events, and in the meantime check out this handy Bike Doctor video.

As for Bike Week itself, well there's plenty going on around Northern Ireland, including the Co-Operation Ireland 2 day 220 mile return bike ride between Dublin and Belfast taking place over the last weekend of June, and the family friendly Bicycle Scavenger Hunt and BMX Stunt Rider Demonstrations in Newtonabbey on 24th June (click)

And of course you can check out the the event map for more details by visiting http://www.bikeweek.org.uk/event_search.php

On a personal note, if anyone has a second hand bike going spare give me a shout, as I'm on the look out.

Airtricity for the home

2011-06-07T02:12:00.000-07:00

Well after what seems like years of faffing about, deregulation for home electricity supplies in Northern Ireland has finally started to get off the ground, meaning that residents can now benefit from more choice in how we power our homes. For me it's meant that I have finally been able to switch to Airtricty, the wind turbine company that I was so impressed with when working on business properties and have been itching to get sorted on a domestic basis.

In many ways the launch of alternative power supplies in the home has been quite muted. It was only when a sales rep came to my door that I realised that this was now possible in my area, after years of being told that it would happen soon, so I thought I'd give them a wee shout out here for anyone who wants information on greener technologies.

Wind energy can still be a divisive subject, for those who question the extent it can meet our overall needs and for those people who simply don't like the look of them big 'ol turbines, but in many cases it can save money (up to £149 in some cases) and as it can be adapted to existing systems (NIE still own all the in house meters and delivery systems) it is a fairly straight forward process.

Along with sister company SSE, Airtricty has a total of over 800MW of onshore and offshore wind farm capacity in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in construction or with consent for development. They also offer a yearly Community Fund, intended to support community projects in the locality of our wind farms, presenting £12,000 in March this year to groups in the locality of the Bin Mountain and Tappaghan Wind Farms.

Obviously no one is under any pressure or obligation to change their suppliers, but its nice to know that the option is now there and if you'd like to find out more call Brian on 07837853573 or check out the Airtricty website http://www.airtricity.ie/uk/home

Go Folic!

2011-06-05T08:09:00.000-07:00

The Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (ASBAH) launched Go Folic! last week in Belfast, a major new campaign urging all sexually active women who might become pregnant to take the correct dose of folic acid everyday.

The campaign aims to improve womens’ folic acid intake and in doing so reduce the incidence of Neural Tube Defects such as spina bifida, which occur in the early weeks of pregnancy. Every day in the UK, an average of two babies conceived - 900 each year - will go on to develop a Neural Tube Defect (NTD), of which up to 72% are preventable if women took folic acid tablets at the right time and dosage.

Anyone who has had children will no doubt have been told of the importance of folic acid in the early stages of pregnancy, but ASBAH are striving to inform more women of the need to take pre-pregnancy supplements as the majority of NTDs occure in the first 28 days of pregnancy, before many women even realise they are pregnant.

ASBAH Northern Ireland Director Cathy McKillop has called on everyone who can influence women on this critical issue to get behind the campaign and help reduce the often tragic consequences of NTDs stating:

"NTDs are a serious health threat which can lead to enormous challenges and painful decisions. The most serious form, anencephaly, means that the baby will not live beyond birth, and many babies born with spina bifida face a life with serious, multiple disabilities. We can drastically reduce the incidence of NTDs if we can get women to take folic acid correctly. We need a concerted effort from everyone - not just health professionals - to get this message across to women: If you are sexually active and might become pregnant, take a folic acid tablet everyday; it's simple to Go Folic!"

So if you or anyone you know is considering getting pregnant, please help pass this important message along by sharing, tweeting or discussing this article. You can also check out the important work being done by ASBAH by visiting their website at http://www.asbah.org/

Big Lunch Weekend

2011-06-01T02:49:00.000-07:00

In 2009 the Eden Project started the Big Lunch, a national event aimed at getting as many people as possible across the whole of the UK to have lunch with their neighbours in a simple act of community, friendship and fun. This year, due to a change in date, Northern Ireland is getting in on the act, with around 100 street parties, picnics and community events planned across the country this Sunday, the 5th June.

Below are just a few of the featured events. You can check out the rest by visiting the Big Lunch website

Big Lunch, Big Picnic (12-2pm, Ormeau Park, Belfast)

The 5th June is also World Environment Day, and this Picnic in the Park will have an eco theme. Participating in the Big Lunch Big Bunting challenge, children and parents will have the chance to create unique and alternative bunting from old material, and spot prizes will been given out to those who can offer some of the best tips and ideas for green living. There will be music, story telling and demonstrations and samples from local businesses, traders and producers.

For more information check out the Facebook event

Playtrail Big Lunch Fun Day, (Starts at 12-5pm £5 per family, Racecource Rd, Derry)

Playtrail will host their 1st 'Big Lunch' Event to bring families together to inspire a deeper sense of community and build on existing community activities. The event will have a Family Fun Day appeal, offering something for all, from toddlers to grandparents. Activities will include play activities, bouncy castles, clowns & face painters, themed Forest School activities, international cookery demonstrations, team challenges and wildlife & well being projects.

The Consortium hopes to work closely with a range of local community groups and Derry City Council to highlight the wealth of local talent and the diversity within the rich and vibrant local community. The focus is on children & young people. Details are available through the Playtrail website and Facebook page.

Parkanaur Garden Centre, Dungannon

Parkanaur GC are organising a little get together as a Grow your Own Big lunch event. Along with the local college they have organised a day where people can learn a bit more about growing their own vegetables and get some free gardening advice. Please contact 07801 849884

Eco Chic: The Fashion Paradox

2011-05-31T05:38:00.000-07:00

First of all I'd like to thank the publishers Black Dog who were kind enough to send me a copy of this book for review and apologies that it has taken me so long to get around to doing so.

Eco Chic: The Fashion Paradox, is an excellent read for anyone looking to adopt a environmental fashion style. Written by Sandy Black, author of Knitwear in Fashion, it is a comprehensive and detailed look at the fashion industry's green credentials, from equating the very durable nature of high fashion with the ideals of green living, to the progress being made in design and on the high street to change production and purchasing habits.

More of a text book than a coffee table light read, the four chapters 'The Greening of the Fashion Industry', 'Redesigning Fashion', 'Fibre to Fabric' and 'Fabric to Fashion' give a stimulating insight in to the practices of garment production world wide, all illustrated by beautiful fashion photography. A number of well known brands are profiled throughout, as are innovative ideas from lesser known artists. There is also some industry insider information, so if you've ever wondered about how cotton makes it from the field to the shop, or the waste products of various dyes, then you'll get an insight here.

Well written, with a good balance of fashionista and activist elements (discussing Fair Trade and ethical shopping) Eco-Chic makes a great resource, but also a great read for those who want an good introduction to the subject matter. I'd also recommend this for anyone studying textiles or fashion design, regardless of their eco outlook.

You can buy online by clicking on the following link, and do take a moment to check out the other environmental and green living titles available through Black Dog, as they do have quite a good collection in these areas.

http://www.blackdogonline.com/all-books/eco-chic.html

New Environment Minister is where it's Attwood

2011-05-31T03:07:00.000-07:00

So Alex Attwood has been appointed Enfiranment Manystur at Starmount, bringing sharply drest Trandy Palitics to the green mofement...

The SDLP took the environment ministry earlier this month, with former Social Development Minister Alex Attwood taking on the eco ticket on the hill. Many people will view this as a natural transition, a testament to the growing consensus that the natural and social environments are intrinsicly linked, while others will see this is a far safer option than more contentious, money spending ministries, such as the dreaded Health Department (picked by DUP on the ninth elective). From a greenie perspective, I think it's safe to say that the job could have, and has been, in worse hands (cough, Sammy, cough cough) and it bodes well that like most parties the SDLP made a point of expressing just how green their portfolio was in the run up to the election. But based on past form and current promises, what can we expect from Attwood and the SDLP over the next four years?

In the role of Social Development Minister Mr Attwood was very much on the forefront of the fuel poverty debate in Northern Ireland, an issue with one foot in the social and one in the environment. Critism was levelled against him when he admitted that he wouldn't commit to Warm Zone implementation in NI and did not think it was possible to eradicate fuel poverty here entirely. However at the launch of the fuel poverty coalition in April where Mr Attwood sat with myself and Anna Lo (new Environment Committee Chair) he did focus on the deregulation of oil prices in NI to make energy prices more affordable, great for the consumer, but an attitude that did lead to accusations of short termism and to the detriment of discussing issues relating to over dependence on oil. But that was of course in the vein of his role in social development, we may well see some changes in attitude and more scope in his environment role.

And what of the SDLP policy on environment?

The SDLP is absolutely committed to this sustainability and job creation plan. Not only will it help manage climate change, the Green New Deal has the ability to help lift vulnerable people out of fuel poverty, and crucially provide significant jobs within the next three years. Manifesto 2011

In this year's manifesto the party voiced commitment to the Green New Deal, to a sum of £75 million, though, correct me if I'm wrong, I can't see any details in the manifesto of where this money is coming from. What they do believe is that the implementation will result in three times the revenue in private industry and would be part of ongoing attempts to tackle fuel poverty. However much of the environment role with regards to fuel poverty is defined by the relationship between the MOE and the Housing Minister, who this time around will be Nelson McCausland. Whether Mr Attwood and Mr McCausland will be able to work together in the way the SDLP had envisioned remains to to be seen, it may be the case that Alex will have to ensure the playing of gospel music, creationist displays and pro Israeli sentiment in all of their coffee mornings to keep the DUP's outspoken minister on side.

The final aspect of SDLP environment approach can perhaps be best summed up by Conal McDevitt in his O'Connal Street blog, that being the hope that the SDLP Minister will be able to introduce Climate and Marine Acts, coupled with the understanding that the environment knows no border. Much can and should be do on an all island basis to deepen cooperation.

So we should, judging by these comments, be expecting more cross boarder co-operation on environmental and bio diversity issues, something hoped for by many campaigners. Though it would of course be the long term hope (and one stressed by audience and participants at the Environmental Link hustings in April) that environmental issues, particularly those relating to bio diversity and climate change take on not just an all Ireland or even UK/ROI, but an all European and world wide scope. For while talking environmental issues on a localised basis might go down well at election time, some of the most pressing environmental issues require global thinking and international cooperation. Is Mr Attwood prepared to branch out and make the Northern Irish voice heard, beyond Stormont? Not easy given the limits of a legislative assembly, but in his role as Social Development minister he at least showed elements of thinking outside the little white box on the hill. Lets just hope he brings that attitude to the green room.

You can follow Alex Attwood on BBC Democracy Live
Alternatively, you can catch up with all the trandy palitics and all the going on down at club SDLP by following parody Twitter @AlexAttwood (Nat). I recommend that you do.
http://oconallstreet.com/

The Problem with Packaging

2011-05-24T01:17:00.000-07:00

Last week I wrote about the Rethink Waste event and mentioned the Eco Living discussion group. One of the issues raised within that group was the excessive amounts of packaging used by supermarkets and the disposal responsibility this imposes on the shopper. My advice would be to leave anything you think is excessive at the till, making the supermarkets aware of the fact that not everyone is happy with the methods they use, but even then this does not really address the initial problem of excess, unless people do this on mass and management really start to take notice. Damien Clarkson, wrote an excellent article last week on Tesco's Green Package, featured below:

On the few occasions that I wander into a Tesco store I feel agitated. There are a whole myriad of reasons for this; amongst them are the following:

1) Self loathing because I am actually shopping there (rather than supporting small local businesses)

2) The way they treat in store employees

3) Poor quality vegetables from halfway across the world

4) Greenwash (Tesco are main propagators of this)

5) BUT most of all food PACKAGING!

Almost every item of food is caked in packaging in an attempt to try and entice us into purchasing the slightly more expensive product. You are encouraged to purchase bananas and courgettes in plastic bags and it seems that more packaging the more expensive the product. The main question this poses for me is why? I suppose the underpinning reason is profit.

Packaging itself has become a big business, with the global yearly foodpackaging industry estimated to be worth around 100 billion dollars a year and growing at a rate of 10% a year.

Another reason for the amount of packing could be because as consumers we have become accustomed to excess packaging. Lack of packaging has become associated with cheap value brands in supermarkets. It appears we have become far removed from the food manufacturing process. If food is hidden in multiple levels of packaging it allows the consumer to detach themselves from buying inhumanely killed and processed food. Instead consumers go through the process of buying a package. Deep down we all know that to produce food on the grand scale that Tesco does and at the prices they can offer is going to mean some pretty unethical production.

Recently “Hugh’s Big Fish Fight” exposed Tesco’s reliance on unethically caught Tuna with the pressure leading to a switch to 100% pole and line caught fish for its own brand Tuna. This a prime example of unsustainable un-green practice Tesco specialise in...

To read the rest of this article click here

http://damienclarkson.wordpress.com/2011/05/18/tescos-green-package/

Image: Keattikorn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Rethink, Revamp, Restyle: Rethink Waste Event

2011-05-20T03:47:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the Rethink, Revamp and Restyle showcase event as part of the DOE/Belfast City Council Rethink Waste initiative. Due to issues with Blogger going haywire last week, I wasn't able to advertise the event in advance, but here is a quick summary of what was involved, including a highlights of my key note speech, and issues raised in the Eco Family Discussion Group I hosted.

There were was an amazing showcase of work on display at the Europa Hotel, that came about as a result of the Rethink, Revamp and Restyle workshops held in Belfast over recent weeks. These 32 free workshops offered classes in various community centres in north, south, east and west Belfast, demonstrating how to restyle and re-purpose old clothes and revamp outdated items of furniture to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill. Alyson McElroy Jaones, organiser of the Fashion and Home Souk events that have now become a staple part of the Belfast lifestyle, fashion and vintage clothing scene, was quick to highlight the wealth of talent and ingenuity displayed by those who took part, many of who discovered otherwise unknown or dormant talents, and have been able to apply these in the home.

There was also a chance for visitors to see examples of revamping in progress from the Salvage Sisters, who did a stage by stage make over of a piece of furniture, while other do-it-yourself stalls offered tips on natural cleaning products and home made crafts.

In my key note speech, entitles 'Rethink the Recession: Making Waste Work for You' I addressed the ways in which learning or developing a new skill can have both financial and environmental benefits. Discussing the current economic climate and how this can cause us to reassess the way in which we value waste, I also debated the need to retain certain skills such as growing your own, sewing and knitting, as a means of ensuring that these are not lost to future generations. In the Growing Green Children from Scratch discussion, myself, Belfast City Council representatives and attendees, discussed the challenges, frustrations and advantages of adopting an Green Living approach in young families.

"As the realities of the economic crisis have started to hit home, more and more people are beginning to realise that from an environmental and financial perspective, taking stock of what we throw away and realising what we can re-use can have long term benefits on our pockets as well as the planet. And I couldn’t be happier that the shift in thinking is being driven as much by the bank balance as it is by the conscience. Yes, as an environmentalist I’d love to say that the values and ideals of the Green movement will be what encourage a change in the way people behave towards the planet. But as a realist, I understand that wide spread adoption of the Green vision will only come about when people believe that it will make them more comfortable, right here and now."

Rethink the Recession: Making Waste Work for You.

For me the event was a fantastic opportunity to shares ideas and to get feedback from how other parents, grandparents and individuals go green in the home. It was also an great means of getting some professional insight from those who work in waste management, and kudos to Naomi Palmer from the Belfast CC Education Team on fielding some of the more specific industry questions.

If you would like to know more about Rethink Waste in Northern Ireland they have a great online presence via their website at http://www.rethinkwasteni.org/ or on Facebook.

This week they are observing Compost Awareness week, so for everyone who is looking for kitchen and garden tips, I suggest you get in touch.

To keep up to date with the Rethink, Restyle and Revamp program and any subsequent events organised by Alyson and her team, you can also apply to join the Facebook Group.

National Walking Month

2011-05-16T02:37:00.000-07:00

Living Streets, the national charity that stands up for pedestrians and works to create safe, attractive and enjoyable streets, have launched Walk to School Week.

Running between today and Friday 20th, the initiative is part of May's National Walking Month, to encourage people to leave the car at home and walk whenever possible.

The Living Streets website is full of ideas for children, parents and teachers to get involved, through organising walk together pools and classroom activities, including road safety exercises and advice on the health benefits of trying to walk once a week.

While many of us may find the Northern Irish weather doesn't always provide the best conditions for getting out and walking, especially if you're in rush to get the kids to school, why not think about putting aside one day a week dedicated to walking when you'd otherwise drive or take the bus. You never know you, and the kids, might just enjoy it.

Photo Credit: Atif Farooq

Help us help you - organ and blood donation legislation.

2011-04-11T04:34:00.000-07:00

An article in last week's Belfast Telegraph reported that less than 5000 people from NI have joined the NHS Donor Register since the beginning of this year, a paltry number when placed in context of the reduced number of donors from traditional groups such as road traffic victims and brain haemorrhage patients, who thanks to road safety and medical improvements are more likely to survive their ordeals.

So what influences the decision not to sign up to the register? For some there are personal reasons regarding post mortem organ ownership, however, for others it is the same old story (and one we're probably all guilty of in some aspects of our lives), we simply haven't gotten around to it / never thought about it / can't be bothered [delete as appropriate]. There will also be a fair few people who carry a card, but haven't signed up to the register and haven't expressed their wishes clearly to their family.

I've also heard a few people dismissively state that their organs wouldn't be worth anything due to the fact that they are smokers or drinkers. What few people realise is that in the case of a plentiful register, less than perfect organs still have their use. They can be used for research, or in some cases given to people who's transplants are not life saving but might allow them to undergo treatment for other illnesses. Under normal circumstances they would be excluded from transplant programs or be repeatedly overlooked.

So what of the op out system of donation? Will the future of a successful organ donation society rely on this or at least a comprehensive debate into it? When a person comes of age, should they be automatically added to the register, whereby it is up to them to remove themselves from it if they feel the need? The choice is still there afterall, no one is forcing anyone to donate, and you should be helped in any way possible by your local health adviser (GP, School Nurse etc) to make an educated and informed decision, along with the option to donate to medical research if you so wish.

The British Medical Association (BMA), many transplant surgeons, and some patients' groups and politicians are keen to see Britain adopt a system of "presumed consent", where it is assumed that an individual wishes to be a donor unless he or she has "opted out" by registering their objection to donation after their death. http://www.uktransplant.org.uk

So it appears the idea has some level of support, but what stands in the way? When opt out has been on the agenda before there have been concerns regarding personal choice, but also the practicalities. For example, seeking the consent of family members could reveal some important family medical history, perhaps not known to the donor, and for this reason many countries that have a 'presumed consent' policy still try to contact families before taking organs.

But it seems that at the moment UK legislation is putting the responsibility to sign up on the would be donor. To me this seems to be making the process of doing a good thing like donation that little bit harder. And that is before we even get to the quite frankly ridiculous limitations currently being imposed on gay men who wish to donate blood.

As if rubbing salt in the wounds of those want to help and adhere to the 'no excuses' advertising jargon, limitations on men with same sex partners were addressed recently, with the ban on giving blood apparently 'lifted'. Read the small print however and you'll find that there is a 10 year no sex clause (read Neue Politik and Stephen's Liberal Blog for responses to this insulting compromise).

Health care is on the election agenda this week in Northern Ireland. I've just outlined two examples that can easily be addressed to your local candidate if this is something that is important to you (it was certainly important to one dialysis patient I spoke to in the Village when canvassing this weekend). The time is here to tell our legislators, help us help.

http://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/ukt/default.jsp
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/allow-gay-people-to-be-blood-donors-uk/

Sneaky Cupcakes

2011-04-08T03:01:00.000-07:00

At the Children’s Book Swap Event that I attended last week, I sold a number of Fruit and Veggie Cupcakes and had a couple of requests for recipes, so here over the next few days are a few of my tried and tested methods for making what I like to describe as sneaky cakes - where you can shove in a whole lot of goodness in without the kids knowing about it. It's also not a bad idea to consider individual cupcakes for kids birthdays. You can still decorate them to theme, but you normally end up with a lot less left overs and waste.

Each recipe makes around 12, but you will get variations on that depending on how big your cake cases are and the consistency of each cake mix. You can make all of these cakes without an egg if you want them to be completely free of animal products. However, two things tend to happen if you're not using egg and you have decide if you can live with it. Either you have a smaller, crumblier cake, or you have a denser cake that is harder to get our of it's wrapper.

Standard Content

115g of plain flour

115g of sugar

75ml of oil

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

Butternut Squash and Ginger

Use golden caster sugar and sunflower/rapeseed oil for this recipe.

Take 120g of thinly sliced Butternut Squash and a large finger sized amount of root ginger, very finely sliced. Lay on a baking tray with a touch of oil and bake at 190C for around 30 mins, with a loose foil cover, until soft (turn your oven down 180C) Add to a blender or mash until a chunky salsa like texture (you can puree to smooth but this can make your mix a little on the sloppy side.

In a bowl add the sugar, oil and squash mix, and 1 egg if you are using. Beat together to avoid curdling then slowly shift in the flour and baking powder, making a figure eight shape until combined. Take a tablespoon and put heaped amounts into cake cases. These cakes are perfect with a soft creamy icing (see below), but he you choose not to ice, add a little sprinkling of ground ginger to the tops of your cakes at this stage.

Bake in the oven for 15mins, turn out on to wire rack to cool.

Simple Dairy Free Icing.

Using a Vegan or Dairy Free Spread is an incredibly easy way to make a simple soft icing for most cakes. Spread is a lot smoother than hard butter and you don't have to spend as much time beating out the lumps. Measurements are always a bit hit and miss and will depend on the texture you want. I normally start off with a heaped spoon of spread and two heaped spoons of icing sugar, with a small squeeze of lemon, and go from there.

Tomorrow: Apple and Courgette Cakes

Demand for wind power on the rise

2011-04-05T05:39:00.000-07:00

As the debtae about Nuclear Power continues, guest blogger Kristina Zelisko working with Redstone College (which offers a wind turbine training program), writes about the rise of a mighty wind...

As we all sit back and watch in horror as tragic events continue to unfold in Japan, quiet conversations are taking place all over the world about the future of nuclear power. The situation in Japan, the most earthquake prepared nation in the world, reminds us that when things go wrong in the world of nuclear power, they don’t just go a little wrong.

Alternate energies such as solar or wind turbine have been steadily gaining positive momentum through the years and a disaster such as a nuclear meltdown within a densely populated area only serves to put a spotlight on why. If one had to find a silver lining in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, it would be the heightened interest and new sense of urgency to implement these alternative methods of generating our power.

Businesses of all sizes that deal with alternative energy sources are suddenly becoming very popular around the world and this is excellent news for anyone currently taking training such as a wind energy technology program, solar energy or any of the other many green energies. As popularity increases, jobs and new careers are beginning to open up as are educational options.

Reputable universities and colleges across the country are adding entire curriculum and degree programs based on wind energy training, water based technology, solar energy and many other natural methods for creating or capturing the energy that we need. Students that are getting on board early will find themselves in the fortunate position of near endless career opportunities. The emerging industries will very quickly need well trained professionals to service the growing demand.

Like any profession or business that experiences global demand, new education and programs like wind turbine training will begin to supply the industry with the new people that it will require to meet that demand.

Whether a tragedy like in Japan or an ever dwindling supply of the fuel and energy that we are currently using, the market is being forced to consider alternatives. Those alternatives mean a wealth of opportunity for us all, and also for the planet.

Kristina Zelisko // Web Promoter // W 1-888-818-4917 // kristina@buzzpromote.net // www.buzzpromote.net

Spring into Action Week 4: Get Reading

2011-03-28T08:22:00.000-07:00

Not every day in Spring is going to be suitable for outdoor activities, and even if it were, it's nice sometimes to spend some time reading and supporting your child's interest in books. This Saturday is the birthday of Hans Christian Andersen and International Children's Book Day. There will be events to mark the occasion all over the world, but here in Belfast I've organised a Book Swap and Family Fun day in aid of the Simon Community.

A great way encourage reusuability, children bring along a book or books, get a token and can redeem these against other books donated. In doing so they save paper, save trees and discover some amazing literary favourites and recommendations from other kids and parents.

My friends and I organised the event because we realise the importance of promoting second life in a society where it is easier, and more often than not, cheaper, to replace and upgrade rather than repair and re-use. This event is designed to encourage children to place value in second hand books, toys and other recycled items.

But we also understand just how vital the children’s arts community is here in Belfast. In light of recent cuts many children’s and charity events are struggling. Therefore we are working with artists, social development groups and charities to the mutual benefit of all involved. There will be puppet shows, story telling, toy jumble sales, craft stalls and music, but there will also be pedal powered smoothie makers from Suffolk Lodge that aim to raise awareness of healthy eating and childhood obesity. Plus, all door proceeds will be going to the Simon Community, along with other fundraising events on the day.

I'm also very excited to announce that the Book Swap will be held in association with the Big Lunch. The initiative, organised by the people behind the Eden project, aims to get as many people as possible across the country getting together with neighbours for lunch on or around the 5th June, helping to strengthen community relationships. Big Lunch representatives will be on hand on the day for anyone who wishes find out about taking part and you'll be able to read more about the Big Lunch on Greensheen Kitchen in the next day or two.

The Book Swap will also link up with the Big Lunch’s World record attempt to produce the longest link of bunting, made by children from pieces of old material. The hope is that this will work in some respect to tackling the negative image of bunting in Northern Ireland, proving that it doesn't simply need to be about sporting tribal colours, but also about revamping old textiles through children’s creativity.

Event 12-3pm, Saturday 2^nd April, Black Box, Hill Street, BELFAST. Entry is £2 per adult and FREE for children (all children must be accompanied by an adult) and you can learn more about the event via Facebook

Raw Meal

2011-03-25T12:27:00.000-07:00

Many of you might be taking part in the Earth Hour Big Switch Off this Saturday and might be choosing to mark the occasion with a meal for family and friends. But there is a way you can make the event even more low tech - by opting for a raw food feast.

Raw food is becoming a popular trend here in the UK, with people realising the benefits of not roasting/boiling the shit out your food and draining it of important nutrients. It's certainly something I'm trying to do more often, if for no other reason than a lot of raw food is quick and easy to prepare, which is very handy if you're busy.

Some of the stuff mentioned below might not be entirely classified in the raw food range, due to pre-purchase preparation and processing. If you have an interest in eating raw and want to know a little bit more, I suggest you check out Karen Knowler's Raw Food Coaching Page for the basic introductions and Raw Amazing for some great recipes.

And while I've said this meal is low tech, some of it might require pre or post refrigeration. Don't worry though, no one expects you to switch off your fridge for Earth Hour. It is after all about making a statement of intent and commitment to energy saving habits.

Starter: Pink Grapefruit and Carrot Salad

Great as a side salad or starter, this can be dressed up with a few small leaves or herbs such as cress, lemon thyme or rocket.

2 grated carrots
1 Pink Grapefruit, peeled, sliced and cut into bits (a bit like toblerone triangles)
1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard
1 teaspoon of olive rapeseed oil

Drain off any excess juice from the grapefruit in a sieve or colander. Put into a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix with your (clean) hands. Feel free to up the mustard dosage, but taste first as this combination should be enough. Add any desired leaves and serve.

Main: Tabbouleh Stuffed Sweet Peppers

The Bulgur Wheat used for tabbouleh needed be pre-cooked so long as you soften and clean it of starch first. Steep it in lots of cold water for around 30 minutes - 1hour, depending on how much time you have. Then place in a fine sieve and run under the cold tap until the water running off it runs clear. Break up with a fork and set aside.

4 large sweet peppers
200g of Bulgur Wheat
2 large beef tomatoes, chopped
4 spring onions, chopped
75g of fresh parsley
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the tops off your peppers and remove any internal seeds or flesh. Mix the prepared bulgur wheat with rest of the ingredients. Add a glug of olive oil and pack the tabbouleh into the peppers. You could add a clove of garlic to the miss, but be careful as some people really can't stand raw garlic.

Dessert: Apple, Almond and Apricot Glory

Again this recipe can use yoghurt or a soy based alternative, and depending on whether you're cooking for children or adults, you can sharpen things up a bit by swapping the apple juice for apple brandy for those who like their fruit a little boozy.

2 large apples, peeled and chopped
400ml of yoghurt or vegan alternative
100ml of apple juice or apple brandy
100g of rolled oats
50g of ground almonds
50g of Fairtrade dark brown sugar
60g of dried apricots, blitzed in blender
1 tablespoon of almond oil

Peel, corr and chop the apples. Sprinkle with roughly half the brown sugar and the apple juice and leave to steep for around 30 minutes. Afterwards, drain the excess and divide into four separate into glasses, such as Martini or Champaign glasses. Top up with the yoghurt, leaving at least 2 inches of space at the top of the glass. In a bowl mix the oil, oats, almonds, chopped apricots and the remainder of the sugar until it forms a coated, flap jack type mixture. Add this as topping to glasses.

Image: Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Spring into Action Week 3: Get Walking

2011-03-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

Walks and hikes, if planned out properly can be suitable even for families with very young children. Great exercise, great for making the most of national forests and parklands, by following a few simple guidelines from hiking dynamo Jeff Alt, you and your kids will be out and about in no time.

Start Early. Even if they can't walk themselves take newborns and small children out on walks and hikes. Check with National Trust or similar for pram and pushchair friendly routes.
Let the child lead.This helps you focus on what they’re interested in and keeps you from leaving them in your dust. Encourage them to point out insects,animals, plants and flowers that interest them and pick up safe and removable objects like stones, twigs and leaves to take home, as souvenirs.
Take the kids to local orienteering course and learn how to use GPS & compass together.
Involve the kids in planning out all trips and adventures. Older children can use the computer to research your destination or sport. (all national parks and most other destinations have websites chock full of facts & info., maps, wildlife). Plan ahead – especially when you have younger children. Choose a trail that offers easy access to domesticated amenities. Having a base camp or prearranged lodging allows you to be a parent, not a Sherpa.
Let the kids (especially teens) bring along a friend. Get permission from parents and make it a club adventure.
Research the destination & activity (Have your youngster help you with this-google, park websites, library, bookstore travel section, outfitters, etc.) Make sure you have plenty of pit stops for younger children.
Pack your kids favorite snacks. Desirable food will help encourage your kids to eat and stay energized. Pack more food than you think you will need.
Acquire the Right Gear. Get everyone properly fitted into essential gear particularly boots and packs. Clothing- Dress in layers (fleece, wool, and waterproof breathable items. Bring what you need for the weather and conditions you will encounter.
Most importantly, bring plenty of water in re-usable and refillable containers, with knowledge of fill up points along the way.

In addition to walking the 2,160-mile Appalachian Trail, Jeff Alt has walked the 218-mile John Muir Trail with his wife, and trekked across a 50-mile path of Ireland with his wife, young daughter, and extended family. He and his wife emerged from the church doors on their wedding day with backpacks. His son was taken on his first hike at 8 weeks.

Alt is a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA). His adventures have been featured in media nationwide including: ESPN, Hallmark Channel, the AP, CNN-Radio, NPR, and more. Alt's award-winning books, A Walk for Sunshine and A Hike for Mike, have been reviewed in Library Journal, Chicago Sun Times and more.

For more information visit www.jeffalt.com

Photo Credit: James Manisty http://www.jamesmanisty.blogspot.com/

Can I get a ReFound?

2011-03-20T07:17:00.000-07:00

So last week we had World of Kitsch's Clare blogging about the wonders of retro furniture, but today we're taking it to the next level in re-usability with a focus on an amazing project for upcycling and second life items for the home. Based here in N. Ireland ReFound takes the old and turns it into new, with the help of some very talented, visionary artists. Visit their website and you'll see the ethos "one man's trash is another man's treasure" as the basis for the ReFound concept. Furniture found in auctions, markets, car-boot sales or donated by friends and supporters, is given a new home until a ReFound artist has chosen a vintage piece to be restyled with a more contemporary feel. The group will also revamp personal items that people know have seen better days but can't bare to part with.

Below, with before and after pictures, ReFound artist Ryan O'Reilly talks about the piece he prepared as part of the initiative.

"In an ongoing photographic and printmaking project called ‘Day or Night’, I have been documenting remnants of signage, typography and geometric patterns found amongst urban and post-industrial environments, creating prints based on these forms and fragments.

This piece immediately interested me with the opportunity to turn a tarnished commercial object into a decorative piece of furniture. I wanted to reference it's original purpose as a retail shipping crate and included lettering collected from shopfronts and factories across Belfast.

I enjoy the juxtaposition of the traditional and modern in interior design. The painted lid and additional tapered legs are inspired by atomic age furniture while the piece is finished with a Victorian letterpress block (a 288pt Gothic N by DeLittle, York for those interested)."

Ryan O'Reilly is a designer and illustrator based in Belfast. Interested in combinations of music and visual art, he has curated audiovisual exhibitions ‘Oh No! Ulster’s Hidden Reverse’ at the Black Box and ‘Warm Moving Bodies’ at Ormeau Baths Gallery. Ryan has also initiated a broad range of events in his home city including the monthly Black Market art and craft fair, Bop Yestrum club night and many live music performances as a member of the Ordinary Days collective. He is founder and curator of Oscillations, a festival of new international music, art and film.

Contact: ryan@rinky.org

You can help support starving artists like Ryan, by visiting http://www.refoundonline.com/available.php and purchasing items on offer. The arts always gets hit hard at times of recession, so supporting initiatives like these that are both creative and eco friendly, is doubly important. The artists also provide a little insight into what inspired them with regards to each piece, a nice little touch to what is a rather lovely sight.

Spring into Action Week 2: Get Festive

2011-03-16T06:50:00.000-07:00

In the second part of Spring into Action I'm encouraging families to get festive. Yes, as the nights grow longer and the sun heats up, festival and carnival season is approaching. There are tonnes of child friendly events here in Belfast, though we're sadly lacking this years Children's Festival, which will return in March 2012 (don't worry though, Young at Art are still staging a few events this year, including the awesome Baby Rave).

Tomorrow is of course St Patrick Day and Belfast will be staging their annual carnival parade in the City Centre, and there will be events held in other cities across the world to mark the occasion. There will also be a Leprechaun Hunt taking place in the Ormeau Park in South Belfast on Saturday, proving that there is more to St Patrick's Day than major piss ups and can be about families too.

And on Sunday (20th March) why not dance away that hangover and experience Ireland's largest Holi Festival at St George's Market. The traditional Indian festival marking the arrival of Spring is organised by Arts Ekta and will feature a packed, show-stopping, fun-filled day of entertainment including live music and dance, international food and a craft market. Among the performers are Desi Brave Hearts, Scotland's top Bollywood fusions group, Balle! Shava!, an energetic Punjabi folk dancing group, as well as ArtsEkta's very own South Asian Dance Academy.

The main highlight of the event will be the colour powder party, where visitors will get the opportunity to throw brightly coloured powder at one another in a party atmosphere among friends. So don't be wearing anything fancy, for things will get bright and messy.

The event runs from 1-6pm and admission is £1 (under 16s must be accompanied by an adult and you are advised to come early to avoid disappointment).

You can find out more by visiting the Arts Ekta Facebook Page

Photos used with kind permission by Arts Ekta

Organic Brews, just for you's...

2011-03-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

After last weeks focus on local booze, I've been doing a bit of research into beers that market themselves as organic, traditional method or natural ingredients. And by research I mean me and the husband sitting in last night and chugging down on a few bottles while giggling at the Prince/Batman hybrid presenting on QVC (don't ask).

Anyway, in all our infinite wisdom, here's the low down. I haven't included any prices as I imagine this will vary from place to place and be dependent on whether you are paying bar prices or off sales. I've also tried to keep local once again - all these beers are brewed in the UK.

(from left to right)

Natural Brewing Company Premium Ale

4.3%

Ingredients: Barley, Hops, Spring Water

Claims to use only natural ingredients from sustainable sources and is brewed in small batches in a traditional tower brewery. Not unlike the Brew Dog also sampled, this had a fruity taste, though it was a far lighter affair. Pleasant enough.

Lincolnshire Best Bitter (Exclusive to M&S)

4.9%

Ingredients: Malted barley, Malted wheat, Hops, Water.

This was the only beer we tested that had the Vegan stamp of approval. Though one might assume that all beers should be free from animal products, many contain Isinglass, a substance obtained from the dried swim bladders of fish, while others fail to be awarded the stamp due to using animal based glues on the labels. So this was actually quite a find.

It had a definite caramelly (again, I'll defend this word, it's in Rebenectionary) light taste. Personally I found it a little on the bland side, though Damien liked sweetness, and the fact that it left no noticeable after taste. Out out of all drinks tested this was what we deemed to be the most palatable, in the sense that you could drink this all night and not feel sickened.

St Peter’s Organic

4.5%

Unusually didn't have a traditional ingredients listing (I thought everything had to these days?) but it noted as being made from malted barley hops.

This brew carried the soil association stamp and is prepared to 'organic standard'. It was light and golden in colour, more like a lager or European beer. Best bottle design of the night by a country mile, like a big medicinal bottle you'd expect street urchin's to be swigging their gin out of in a Dicken's novel. Kudos for that alone.

Scottish Ale (M&S Exclusive)

4.5%

Ingredients: Water, Malted Barely, Malted Wheat, Dried Thistle, Dried ginger and Yeast 4.5%

This dark ale had a really distinctive ginger taste, without technically being a ginger ale. It was fresh and crisp but had a denser flavour than you'd expect given the percentage. I've never really chowed down on thistle before, so I couldn't honestly tell you if that came through or not, though there was a noticeable twang in the after taste, so perhaps that was it. Damien thought that is had quite a weird smell, but I didn't notice it. It was certainly my favourite of the night. I'd recommend this if you like ginger ale, but find the sweetness get too much after a while. This has the flavour without the sugar.

BrewDog, Punk IPA`

6%,

Ingredients: Barely Hops, Yeast and Water

Light amber in colour, this had an initial apricotty (it's a word, really it is) taste and aroma, and a dry/bitter after taste. Both Damien and I agreed that it reminded us of something else, I thought a special edition Oktoberfest brew I'd had a few years back. It was strong, but not overwhelming in flavour; as Damien put it, 'like Arnold Swartz in a teddy bear suit.' Now that he's in his 30s, old man Damien was put off by the packaging initially, it's not traditional enough for his liking, but it didn't sour him against it and I rather liked it.

South Wold Winter IPA (another M&S exclusive - this doesn't make me posh by the way, it's just my local shopping centre only has a Sainsbury's and a Markseeees)

6.7%

Ingredients: Water, Malted Barley, Wheat, Hops, Yeast, Carbon Dioxide

Not bad, a fruity pale ale, with a slight sharpness. Was drank last and as a result didn't really make that much of an impact.

The morning after the night before...

One thing you're often told, especially when you're a student and will drink pretty much anything, is that the additives and artificial ingredients in a lot of drinks, especially the likes of alcopops, cheap cider and drain cleaner, can lead to worse hangovers. So how did we feel this morning? Well admittedly we didn't drink that much (but lets face it, since having a baby all it takes is a pint of water and packet of wine gums and I'm half cut), but there was no noticeable hangover. I did however feel thirsty most of today and received a text from Damien complaining about noxious gasses - perhaps that's the price to pay for a clear head.

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

2011-03-15T01:46:00.000-07:00

As you've no doubt heard, last Friday a mega quake measuring a massive 8.9 on the Richter scale hit just of the coast of Hoshu, Japan, resulting in a tsunami that has devastated the country. We've probably all seen the footage, heard the reports of loss of life and home, and are no doubt keeping a keen eye on the situation at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Above all, I imagine we're all thinking about the people of Japan at this very difficult time.

Many charities and aid organisations are trying to do what they can in the face of extremely worrying circumstances. One organisation that I have mentioned before on this site and one that is already hard at work in Japan is Shelter Box. They provide emergency shelter and life saving supplies to regions hit by disaster and aim to help 500,000 people each year. Each large green shelter box is tailored to the type of emergency situation being addressed but typically contains blankets, water, purification and cooking equipment, and activities and toys for children.

I will be displaying the Shelter Box Donation Banner on my blog for the next few months so that visitors can donate to this very worthy cause. You can also find out more by visiting the website at http://shelterbox.org/donate.php and by viewing the information video below.

Retro Savers

2011-03-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

Economical, stylish and a great means of tackling the trappings of our disposable culture, second hand and vintage furniture can be a money maker and saver. So if you're kitting out a starter home, or cleaning out attic space, remember something doesn't have to be new to be right for you or somebody else.

60s Green Velvet Chair

I’m sure you’re tired of hearing about the recession. It’s bad enough living it, without every aspirational, glossy magazine’s oxymoronic feature reminding you that we just don’t have the cash to splash these days.

For young people setting up their first home, second-hand furniture is now sometimes the only option, rather than a style choice for those who love all things retro.

I fall into both categories, as one half of a young married couple, and also a retro furniture enthusiast. My own blog The World of Kitsch features the curiosities and treasures from my home, for the adventurous interior designer to draw inspiration, and for everyone else to wonder how my poor other half can put up with my odd collections.

Over the past few years I’ve been able to track down some fantastic second hand pieces of furniture, although I go for the very unusual, such as my 1960’s boat shaped cocktail bar.

For the shopper with more taste, there are still lots of pieces out there you can find, often at very reasonable prices. 1960’s and 70’s furniture isn’t considered antique yet, so many families doing clear outs simply give them away, and charity shops are a good place to look for one off buys.

Ebay is another great source, you can find beautiful tables and cabinets selling for under £5, but remember to search locally. Gumtree for your nearest city is a great place to find larger items of furniture that people wouldn’t think of putting on ebay.

Here are a few items I’ve seen on ebay this week, all currently selling at under a tenner. Hopefully they’ll inspire you to get searching.

60s Drawers

Claire Smyth is the author of World of Kitch, the blog of retro wonders & curiosities and winner of Highly Commended Blog in the Cosmopolitan Magazine Blog Awards 2010. Check out her site, but be warned, it is highly addictive.

www.theworldofkitsch.com

Twitter @rudedoodle

Sleazy come, sleazy go.

2011-03-14T05:29:00.000-07:00

The real sleaze behind Iris Robinson's downfall is not the tabloid titillation, but the non disclosure of business and personal interest. But can we really expect transparency from a politician whose party opposes the notion at every turn?

Lost among the endless column inches dedicated to the exposure of Iris Robinson's affair with Kirk McCambley was the initial fact that Mrs Robinson helped raise some £50,000 in investment funds on McCambley's behalf which she did not declare to either Westminster or Stormont, and failed to disclose her personal interest when Castlereagh Council awarded him a cafe lease. It's perhaps not that surprising really, Mrs Robinson outspoken comments on morality issues, in particular her opinions on homosexuality meant that her extra martial activities were seized upon. But following the Public Prosecution Services decision last week not to bring charges against her, one would be forgiven for thinking that the real political issue has been swept aside amidst the personal life gossip and speculation.

The PPS does not go into detail as to why charges are not being brought and there is still an Assembly Standards investigation outstanding, but whatever the legal outcome there remains the issue of a serious breach of trust between Mrs Robinson and the constituents of Castlereagh who expect their council representatives to declare invested interests in the awarding of licences, tenders and leases. At the time the Council itself saw criticism levelled at it for its slow and limited online publication of council minutes - had anyone known of the existing relationship between Robinson and McCombley, could they have raised objections to the award if details of council meetings been more readily available? For a couple of weeks, clarity and scrutiny in local authority dealings became topic de jour, unfortunately this was mostly in the independent and freelance writing sphere, from online bloggers and in political forums, as much more attention was paid by newspapers and mainstream media to the 'sex scandal' aspect.

But is the now resigned Mrs Robinson's behaviour merely a symptom of a culture of non disclosure that has infected certain areas of NI politics? Though no longer a member of the DUP, while in office Iris Robinson was arguably the poster girl for the party; a long standing councillor before becoming MLA and MP, married to the First Minister and mother of party member. The criticism she and her husband faced during the expenses scandal admittedly damaged this reputation somewhat and later her non disclosure of funds and interest would most certainly have been condemned, but her affair made a far more convenient objection, deflecting from the obvious question of how do you protest against one woman's failure to volunteer personal interest, if she represents a party that refuses to publish it's own party donations, and therein, its own vested interests.

In January this year the DUP, along with the SDLP and UUP, openly moved to preserve for a further two years, the current legislation that conceals the public identity of party donors and lenders. Transparency it seems is not something that should be led by example. While we cannot cast any aspersions as to donors and subsequent decision making by party representatives, we cannot have open, clean politics until donations are declared. There is even a substantial argument that you cannot have impartiality until business donations are taken out of the equation all together. In the meantime though, I'd just be happy to see the books opened and let the public decide whether the decision making process for tenders is as fair and honest as it should be. One woman's marriage indiscretions simply won't provide a long term smokescreen on this issue...

Wacko Nuts and Cyclepaths

2011-03-10T14:43:00.000-08:00

Just days after writing about some inspirational women in environmental politics, I read about the current law case being brought against the city of New York by a group of residents opposed to a bicycle lane in a wealthy area of Brooklyn. The case raises objections to the creation of a segregated two way cycle lane in the area in 2010, and claims that the city mislead residents about the benefits of the lane and safety statistics, while working with bicycle activists to silence local opposition. That the path reduces resident parking, restricts views of the park and could adversely affect property prices I imagine is on people's minds, if not their court documents.

But what struck me about the subsequent reporting was not the environmental issue, or even the social aspect (the practice of taking road space from motorists to give to cyclists and pedestrians has been labelled a 'Robin Hood' practice), no, what is noticeable is the particular focus on Janette Sadik Khan, NYC Transport Commissioner, and the women responsible for the recent cycling initiatives in New York that have previously been lauded for improving cyclist and pedestrian safety, time efficiency and adding to the general worker mobility of money areas such as Wall Street.

As others have highlighted, the action against the city has started to take a very personal tone. While the case in question calls for the removal of a single cycle lane, reporters and opposition groups have been quick to jump on the idea that this is a long over due backlash against Khan. Reporting, in particular from the New York Times, has focussed on her personality and management style, speculating about her 'brusque, I-know-best style and a reluctance to compromise' as well her aggressive attitude. One wonders if these aspects of character would have been so freely commented upon if Khan had been a man, and even then, would that have been seen as entirely negative. And that's before we even get to the undignified comments of gossip columnist Cindy Adams which refer to Khan as a 'wacko nutso'.

But this is hardly the first time that a women in high public office has seen objections about her politics turn personal, and in some cases overtly sexist in tone. Sarah Palin faced high levels of criticism during the 2008 election, much of it turned personal (yeah, that's politics for you, regardless of gender, I'm not that naive), but some of it turned sexist and sexual. Huffington Post contributor and screen writer Michael Steitzman in his insightful 'Sarah Palin Naked' article stated 'She's really is kinda hot. Basically, I want to have sex with her on my Barack Obama sheets while my wife reads aloud from the Constitution.' C'mon people, Palin's politics alone should be enough to ridicule her, there's no need for that, or the photoshopped bikini pictures, or the Palin porno for that matter.

At the moment Khan's critics have focussed on attitude rather than sexuality, yet the fact that the argument has shifted away from the issue and onto the public servant either speaks volumes for the weight of the original argument or reveals more about the growing resentment towards Khan. Is it personal? It is certainly starting to look that way. Is it gender related? Perhaps not across the board, but some inherent attitudes seem incapable of distinguishing between the woman and the job she holds.

Image: Rawich / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Local Liquer

2011-03-10T03:11:00.000-08:00

St. Patrick's Day is just a week away and while I'll be posting nearer the time about some pre-session stomach liners, I thought I'd take a moment to celebrate the very best in local and environmentally friendly alcohol.

Buying local reduces the travel miles of your drink and also supports local industry. I'm a firm believer that all pubs and bars, regardless of brewery agreements, should make the effort to stock and promote some local samples. In the meantime I'm happy to champion those bars that do, so feel free to leave recommendations in the comments section.

Of course Guinness is the big drink on the 17th March and my personal tipple of choice. The best pints I've had have come from the Pavilion Bar and Rose &Crown, both on the Ormeau Rd, Belfast - the worst was served in an excessively tall glass in Honolulu Airport and was all kinds of wrong (seriously, some places just shouldn't bother). When down in Kerry years back Murphy's was actually the nicer option for a lot of places in and around the Dingle Bay area, but you'd be hard pushed to find this on draught in Belfast these days. Then we have local whiskey's of which there are a shit loads. Can't think of any? Then click here.

If stout or whiskey isn't your thing however there are plenty of other local options available. Whitewater Brewery, an award winning micro brewery in Co Down, produces a good range of ales and lager, including Snake Drive, a special pale ale brewed especially for St Patrick's Day. A few of the range, Belfast Ale and Coltworthy Dobbin in particular, I've seen in a couple of bars around town, but you can contact the brewery direct for a more comprehensive list: http://www.whitewaterbrewery.com/index.php/beers

If you're one of those sick in the head people who actually prefer cider, then of course we've Magners, the geniussssess who realised that if you encourage people to water down their pint with ice you can single handedly rejuvenate the apple fizz business and make a fortune. Why? I've no idea, I assume the sugar rush achieved by drinking the stuff makes people forget that they live in Ireland where it's cold and pisses down all the time, instead fooling them into thinking that they're in the tropics where ice is essential.

For the more refined pallet we have drink of champions and all awesome people, Buckfast Tonic Wine. You'll get this served by the glass in one or two bars, though it is definitely more of an offy drink. A fortified wine, it's localish - produced at Buckfast Abbey in Devon. It's not for the faint-hearted, and if you're a first time taster, don't let the initial foulness put you off. Drink through the nastiness, as it's about to get soooo good. And if you've ever been curious about the difference between the green bottled normal stuff and the different (and therefore wrong), brown bottle concoction drank predominately in the ROI, then wikipedia has the low down here.

Of course not everyone is from the same local area, so you've probably got your own favourites and feel free to give them a shout out in the comments section. You can check out your local breweries by licking on the following directories:

http://www.quaffale.org.uk/ (UK)

http://www.beerinfo.com/index.php/pages/breweries.html (USA)

http://www.tastingbeers.com/directory/regional/canada/breweries/ (CAN)

But it's not just the travel miles attached to booze that concern the eco friendly drinker, there are more and more producers starting to offer organic and Fairtrade options. I'll be doing a taste test of a few of these over the weekend and will report back.

http://pdphoto.org
Oh and it goes without saying: Always drink responsibly!

Operation Wild

2011-03-09T08:05:00.000-08:00

I was once savagely attacked by a seagull. It swooped down from a building just off Wellington Park and tried to take the glasses right of my face, no doubt enticed by a glint of sunshine off the frames. It was a terrible experience and one that required an immediate detour into the local bar and several drinks to settle my nerves. I am not the first person to fall fowl of these daemons in the sky. Over the years, the streets around the Malone and Eglantine Avenue area of South Belfast have been plagued by a gang of psychotic no good gulls, hanging about in groups, loitering, and no doubt chewing gum and spitting.

I tell you this sad tale today, because this is without a doubt the most danger anyone from this neck of the woods is likely to find themselves in with regards to local wildlife. However, across the pond in Florida they have alligators and crocodiles! And I assume that it takes more than a couple of pints of Guinness in Ryan's Bar to settle the nerves after dealing with one of these babies.

And those that do, the good men and women of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), are currently the focus of Planet Green's Docu-Series Operation Wild. Set in Florida’s delicate and diverse natural ecosystems, the show follows real law enforcement officers as they go about the business of protecting, patrolling and maintaining the area and it's beautifully diverse wildlife. Featuring rogue crocodile captures, run-ins with drunken sailors (whatever shall we do with them) and life-or-death swamp rescues, you can watch the action from the comfort (and safety) of your own home thanks to tomorrow night's Animal Planet two hour marathon in the US, 2-4pm (see local time listings and don't worry they'll be on UK and Ireland screens at some point too).

It goes without saying that man and nature have to find a way to co-exists, and this show gives some insight into the ways in which environmental laws are enforced, the problems those working on the issues face, and also the amazing sights and situations that come as part of a very unusual vocation in life. And of course, alligators and crocodiles - after the seagull, some of the deadliest and fascinating creatures on this planet of ours.

To find out more about the show, how it is filmed and some of the important conservation aspects, check out http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/operation-wild/operation-wild-show.html

Spring into Action: Eco Activities for Kids this Season.

2011-03-08T03:33:00.000-08:00

The last couple of days, while still a bit nippy, have been bright, sunny and remarkably dry here in Belfast (cue torrential down pour the minute I post this). Though it's a couple of weeks before the official equinox, spring is definitely on the way. So every Tuesday for the next eight weeks I'll be posting a regualr feature on the best Eco Friendly Activties for kids that make the most of the new season. Enjoy x

Picnic In the Park

Kids love picnics and kids love parks, so combining the two is a bit of a no brainer. If it's still a bit too chilly to be lazing around on the grass, don't worry. You can pack smaller snacks such as fruit, nuts and cereal bars, and eat them on mini pit stops as you walk around the park. There are plenty of things you can do to make this an activity with particualr focus on the environment, such as;

Support your Local Park - While some days you may want to explore further afield, making the most of your local parks is one of the best things you can do. If the park is in walking or cycling distance you save on fuel, and you can feel happy about the idea that you are making the most of a local annimity.

Make the food yourself (let the kids help too) - This will have far less packaging than shop bought sandwiches and crisps. Transport it in re-useable containers, with drinks in bottles or flasks., and carry in a rucksack or similar, rather than plastic bag. If your kids are helping, see if they can come up with good ideas for recycled lunch boxes, from old tubs, container and the like.

Teach the importnace of maintaining a tidy environment - Making sure the kids pick up any litter when done and lead by example in making sure you leave your own area tidy too. If the park doesn't have it's own recycling units take stuff home with you (after all you had room to bring it with you). Also pick up after any animals you may have with you too - unaddressed dog fowling is not only ganking, but dangerous too.

Organise a treasure or scavenger hunt - Get children to collect or spot (a game of nature eye spy perhaps?) various items from around the park, teaching them their names and role in the local environment. You can also use this as a chance to ensure that kids are aware of park boundaries and safety, and the right and wrong ways to engage with the surrounding wildlife.

Image: Evgeni Dinev / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

International Women's Day: Women in the Business

2011-03-08T03:01:00.000-08:00

In honour of International Women's Day, today's post focusses on women in environmental politics and social campaigning. Of course they're working hard every day, but it doesn't hurt to take a few moments today to give them some much deserved kudos.

When I was studying politics some years ago I came across a worrying statistic that showed that women in Ireland were proportionally less represented in elected politicians than The Sudan. Yep, you read that right, The Sudan. That was some years ago and from what I can remember represented only the ROI, but it was still a shocking figure. Have things improved much? Last months ROI elections saw 24 women elected to the Dail, two more than 2007, but that is out of a possible 166 seats. Ireland still trail behind The Sudan, Kazakhstan and Iraq in world league tables. Here in N.Ireland representation isn't much better, with 18 female MLAs elected to Stormont in 2007, a paltry 16% of the total seats.

Of course there are some great female politicians and candidates, victories in 2010 Westminster elections for the likes of the Alliance Party's Naomi Long, against First Minister Peter Robinson no less, and Sinn Fein's Michelle Gildernew in the tightly contested Fermanagh seat, prove that female politicians can do the business come voting time, and it may be simply a case of ensuring that more women are encouraged to stand. In this year's Local Assembly Election's I'm extra pleased that the environmental option in South Belfast lies with the Green Party's Clare Bailey (pictured). I'll set my impartiality aside for a moment and state that I've been canvassing with Clare in recent months and I can safely say that my vote has never been in better hands.

Of course a great deal of political involvement starts at school or university, and I'm also please to say that the QUB Feminist Society is now up and running as an active society for students in Belfast. Recognition should go to co-chairs Ashleigh Simpson and Judith McGimpsey for making such head way in recent months.

Finally I'd just like to highlight three inspirational women who have influenced me in their politics, dedication and commitment to eco and female issues:

Caroline Lucas: The first English Green Party MP on her election last May, Caroline Lucas's leadership of the party over the past three years, and eleven year stint in the European Parliament, have seen the profile and image of eco concious politics in the UK raised significantly. She's also done more than her fair share for women, campaigning on issues of domestic violence, breast cancer, sexual health and maternal care.

http://www.carolinelucas.com/cl.html

Petra Kelly: Instrumental in the creation and development of Die Grünen, her tragic murder in 1992 may have meant that she never fulfilled her full potential, but what she did manage in her life was extraordinary and she is truly as inspiration and role model to environmentalists across the globe, male and female alike.

Harriet Lamb: As Executive Director of the UK Fairtrade Foundation, I guess Ms Lamb is having a busy time of at at the minute as we're right in the middle of Fairtrade Fortnight (check out Fairtrade Pancake recipe of Greensheen Kitchen). She is also the author of Fighting the Banana Wars and Other Fairtrade Battles, which is available via Amazon.

Fair Trade Pancakes

2011-03-07T05:45:00.000-08:00

Well we're about half way through Fair Trade Fortnight, and what better way to show your support than by making this Pancake Day, a fair trade event. When you can't buy local, try and buy fair, for a better deal for workers across the globe. Here are two fantastic recipes for pancakes with a twist and an extra treat for anyone planning to put their sweet tooth on hold for lent. The basic batter recipe will make approximately between 4-8 pancakes, though this will of course vary depending on pan size and you often have to allow for a few spoils.

Fairtrade Banana Pancakes with Raisins and Madeira:

100g of plain flour
225ml of milk
1 egg
Good Pinch of Salt

3 large Fairtrade Bananas
100g of Fairtrade Soft Brown Sugar
Good handful of Fairtrade Raisins, nuts of other dried fruit
60ml of Madeira Wine
50g of butter

Sift together the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the egg, lightly beaten. With a balloon whisk, slowly combine the flour/egg mix, while slowly adding the milk. You should get a batter of thin to medium consistency, perfect for crepes, as opposed to American style or Scotch Pancakes. If you have time, chill the batter in the fridge for about 30 minutes prior to use.

Peel and slice the bananas in half. In a shallow pan melt the butter, sugar and Madeira until a caramelised sauce (around 5 minutes), then add the raisins and bananas, cooking for about 1 minute on each side.

Remove from the heat, cover in foil and set aside. In another frying pan, ideally one suited to crepes,(or remove the bananas completely, quickly clean the pan and reuse if you're short on utensils), add some oil or butter on high heat until pan is very hot. A ladle or jug is the best way of doing this, you only need a little and you should spread it our on the pan as much as possible. I mentioned 'spoils' earlier, as it might take a few turns to get best results.

When done, place a banana, some raisins and syrup into each pancake and roll up. You can serve as it is, though this would be extra nice with some Fairtrade Vanilla Ice-cream, such as Ben and Jerry's which uses 100% Fairtrade Vanilla and Sugar.

Fairtrade Chocolate Pancakes

Using the same batter recipe and preparation method as the Banana Pancakes, you can make a wide range of Fairtrade Chocolate Sauces to complement. If you have a microwave, a very simple means of making a chocolate sauce is simply adding 100g of Fairtrade Chocolate (broken up) and 100ml of milk into a jug and heating for 1 minute. Some mad bastards even use condensed milk, these tend to be American and don't have to rely on being able to find a NHS dentist. If you don't have a microwave you can melt chocolate easily in a pan, rested over a pan of simmering water, adding any cream, butter or even a touch of almond oil to thin out.

The key in all of these sauces is choosing your favourite chocolate flavours. Here are some of the most tempting Fairtrade Chocolate offers I've come across online, though many will be available in stores such as The Co-Op and other supermarkets.

Seed and Bean's Organic Fairtrade Chocolate with Chilli and Lime: Yum

Palmil Fairtrade Organic Chocolate: A Gluten and diary free alternative to milk chocolate, suitable for Vegans. For information on dairy free pancake recipes, check out the this site

Plush Fairtrade White Chocolate Petals with Raspberry. Gorgeous and with their own cute packaging. If you can't bring yourself to 'waste' these on a sauce, they would make an ideal gift or wedding favour.

Green and Black's Maya Gold: The first UK product to be awarded the Fairtrade stamp in 1994.

You can find out more about Fairtrade Fortnight by going to http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/

Celebrate... St David's Day

2011-03-01T09:48:00.000-08:00

This warming Leek and Soba Noodle Broth, is the perfect meal for the 1st of March St David's Day Celebrations (the leek, along with the daffodil being the symbol of Wales). It's also the perfect type of dish to signify the move into spring; hot, but a lot less stodgy than most winter staples. Also, due to it's small ingredient selection, it really doesn't take that long compared to other vegetable based soups.

Serves 4

Two Leeks, washed and chopped
Two bunches of Soba Noodles, broken up into small shards
1 red chilli pepper
2 cloves of garlic
1 thumb sized piece of garlic, crushed or finely grated
1 stalk of lemongrass, finely chopped
2 tablespoon of light soy sauce
A few mixed pepper corns
1 pint of vegetable stock (or chicken if you prefer)
75ml of dry white wine

Add the leeks, garlic, chilli, lemon grass and ginger to a pan with a little oil on a medium heat. Stir occasionally until the leeks begin to soften, then add the white wine, turn down the heat to it's lowest setting, cover and simmer for five minutes.

Then add your soy sauce and pepper corns, stirring well before adding your stock and bringing to the boil for five minutes. Cover and turn down the heat, leaving to simmer for approximately 20 minutes and adding the broken up soba noodles in the last 5 minutes.

Serve with rice or cream crackers.

Be a star, give a car

2011-03-01T07:07:00.000-08:00

Many of us try and do our bit for charity, everything from dropping some spare change into a collection box, to giving old clothes and toys to charity.. But did you also know that donating unwanted items needed be confined to the home? Rather the thing that sits on your driveway outside your home could be just as important to the third sector.

Charities are always hit hard at times of recession and voluntary groups and special care organisations that rely on public funding are in dire need. I've written on more than one occasion of the benefits of linking resuability, recycling and charity, and couldn't be more impressed when I heard about the efforts of social enterprise Giveacar, the organisation that helps people donate used and scrap cars for the benefit of charity groups. Giveacar works in conjunction with the largest nationwide car recycling network - any car that is donated will either be sold in a salvage auction for its salvage value, or disposed of at an Authorised Treatment Facility. 75% of proceeds go to a charity which the donor themselves can choose.

When it comes to giving old and unwanted goods a 'second life', this is perhaps one of the best examples of just how literal that terms can be, with the UK charities that benefit from the funds raised include Marie Curie Cancer Care, RSPCA, Shelter, Sight Savers and Oxfam. In just over a year the scheme has been incredibly successful, raising over £200,000 and has extended its collections to motorbikes. It also works in conjunction with a number of local councils.

Below is a information video on behalf of the group, and you can get more information from the website at http://www.giveacar.co.uk/

Giveacar - The UK Scrap Car Donation Provider from Tom Chance on Vimeo.

Giveacar is also environmentally friendly, ensuring that all scrap is converted and recycled with the environment in mind, and takes a strong stance against unauthorised scrapping facilities and illegal dumping. You can read more about car recycling and Giveacar's role in this article from the Ecologist.

We and They...

2011-02-06T15:36:00.000-08:00

... or how Cameron's empty rhetoric demonstrates just why choice of language and substance behind it, is something we must judge and hold our politicians accountable by.

Yes everyone's least favourite Moomin David Cameron made a speech this weekend at the 47th annual Munich Security Conference, that has sparked quite an uproar. The issues, about the threat of terrorism and extremist behaviour, are as you can imagine, quite sensitive topics and were handled with all the grace and gentility of a hand gliding hippo. And just for good measure, the timing turned out to be such a magnificent balls up that it could have been a scene right out of The Thick of It, coming just hours before the EDL marched on Luton in an anti Islamic Extremist demonstration.

The speech was of course picked apart by the press and Cameron critics to reveal it's weaker, more contentious aspects. Do not image that the entirety actually involved Oswald Mosley style black shirting, with fatwa baiting, jihad taunting slurs, arms flapping, foaming at the mouth and much gnashing of teeth. It did not. Yet from what I've just written, I bet you were picturing what such a scenario would be like, even just for a second. You see that's the power of language, it inspires and creates, and can be used to great effect, both in the positive and the negative. So when Mr Cameron, the leader of the coalition, stands in front of the world and spouts, we pay attention to the language, terminologies and analogies he employs, both as a means of revealing his own agenda, but also to see what message he is sending to the rest of the world as a representative of this country.

And it really doesn't read well. I'm afraid to say that this man, who couldn't even get a country united enough against one of the most unpopular Prime Ministers in recent years, to vote him and his party into unshared government, is now lecturing on the need for a national unity in the face of 'failed multiculturalism'. And how does he go about this? A small excerpt;

"We have failed to provide a vision of society to which they feel they want to belong. We have even tolerated these segregated communities behaving in ways that run counter to our values."

In one sentence Mr Cameron has made harmful and counterproductive distinctions between segregated communities or 'they' as he so tactfully puts it, and 'we', what he later goes on to describe as the mainstream, and 'our values'. The language is alienating to say the least, talking as if the dreaded 'they' will not hear such utterances and assuming the like-mindedness of his audience.

But it goes so much deeper than this ham fisted language, which given it's tone was not surprisingly taken up that day by many EDL marchers as a sign of unity. There are startling failures in the speech in terms of content. At one point he speaks of the 'passive tolerance' of recent years. I can only assume he means the passive tolerance of New Labour, that saw some of the most regressive attacks on civil rights and freedoms in modern times all in the name of fighting extremism, and legislations which were opposed at the time by members of this coalition no less, on the grounds of civil liberties violations. Are we now to understand that these were too soft?

Then there's the sweeping assumptions that segregation leads to extremism and that extremism and forced marriage are intrinsically linked - to me Cameron's isolated and misplaced sentence on the issue of forced marriage in the midst of a speech on security, ignores the complexities of the issue and seems more like moral point scoring. Add to that the notion that there is such a thing as 'British values', that the mainstream is identifiable and attainable, all the while maintaining that there are problems with state sponsored multiculturalism and powerful segregation groups, but without going into any real specifics, and you have a speech that is holier than a nun at Easter.

Yet more importantly Cameron lacks real resolution; ensuring language attainment and National Citizen Service may sound nice, but this presumes that extremism is solely the responsibility of so called segregated community and reeks of assimilation rather than integration. In amongst the misrepresenting, the 'us and them' suggestiveness, are there solid plans to tackle poverty rates or immigration geography trends that one would assume lead to segregation (if of course this is even what causes extremism)? Not really, not unless you consider getting everyone in the country to hold hands at the proms to the chorus of Rule Britannia a plan, though even that might also be a slight issue Mr Cameron - as before you start on your venture into the Islamic community, you may well be wise to venture to Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, hell, even half the north of England, where I think you'll find very different versions of national identity and 'our' values.

Celebrate... The Superbowl

2011-02-06T03:55:00.000-08:00

The Packers are in this years Superbowl - just under 12 hours time ( a sociable 11.17pm kick off time here in the UK for those who are wondering) and to celebrate here's a selection of game snacks, ideal for small parties. Green Bay is of course in Wisconsin, Americas Dairyland, so there are a few dairy and cheesy snacks included. There's also a very definite colour scheme going on, some of the best best Green and Yellow dishes I could think of, to really get in the spirit.

Mix and Match Snack Platter:

If you have a large serving plate or bread board, simply arrange the following, with the dips in the middle. Make as much or as little as you like, depending on party size, though the dips have a set amount and will make a small bowl full.

Cheese and Pesto Toasties, with Leek: The nicest bread to use for these toasties is a good quality seed bread, such as Burgen's Soy and Linseed Loaf. Spread green pesto onto one side of each slice of bread, add grated cheese of your choosing and some finely sliced Leek. For extra crispiness, spread a little butter or spread on the outside of each sandwich before adding to the toastie maker. Cut into quarters when done.

Guacamole with yellow cherry tomatoes:

Scooped out pulp of 2 ripe avocados
Small bunch of scallions, chopped
2 medium green chillis, chopped (seeds optional, included they make a spicier dip)
2 gloves of garlic, crushed
Juice of half a lime
Pinch of salt
Pinch black pepper
5-6 small yellow cherry tomatoes, chopped

Fire all ingredient into a blender and until mixed, you can choose your own level of smoothness. To bulk out the Guacamole for a larger party, or to make extra smooth, you can add 50g of cooked peas (or a great cheat, add 50g of tinned mushy peas). However this can dilute the heat, so you may want to add some additional chilli powder.

Yoghurt and Cucumber Raita: If hot and spicey isn't your thing, then this cooling dip makes a welcome alternative.

In a bowl place 300ml of natural yoghurt, 200g of finely chopped cucumber, a pinch of garam masala and a good pinch of salt. Beat with a fork, garnish with thin disc or two of cucumber and sprinkle with cracked black pepper.

Homemade Bread Sticks: I've never attempted my own home made bread sticks as yet, but I feel that they would be fitting with this platter (you can of course buy some if you can't be arsed). I therefore point you in the direct of Lorraine Pascal and her Big Fat Salt and Pepper Bread Sticks, which look extremely tempting.

Stuffed Green Peppers with Yellow Rice:

Two versions of this dish, one for veggies, one for carnivores. Both use pre cooked rice, as this is the most effective way of turning the rice an even yellow. Simple add one teaspoon of turmeric, or saffron if your rolling in money, to your rice while it is on the boil.

8 Green Bell Peppers, tops cut off and seeds and white flesh removed.
350g of yellow rice.
Around 32 slices of cheddar cheese

Meat Version
400g minced beef or lamb cooked to you usual bolognese or tomato based sauce recipe for twenty minutes. If you don't have a usual recipe, the standard is 1 white onion, 1 glove of garlic, 1 can of chopped tomatoes, and optional spices such as 1 teaspoon of oregano, 1 teaspoon of medium chilli powder, 1 teaspoon of HP Sauce or Marmite and 1 teaspoon of ketchup. You can of course play around with this recipe, but make sure you taste often and don't add too many spices or they will cancel each other out.

Veg Version
1 can of Adzuki beans cooked with 1 can of chopped tomatoes, 1 white onion, 100g of chopped button mushroom1 teaspoon of medium chilli powder and 1 teaspoon of Marmite (optional) for around 10 minutes.

Half your cooked rice, mix half with the meat mixture and half with the beans mix.

Place Bell Peppers in a roasting dish with a good glug of oil. Into each pepper add around two tablespoons of rice/bean or rice/meat mix, followed by a slice of cheese. Repeat this process until all pepper are full and topped with a final slice of cheese. Into the pan add three tablespoons of water. Cover with foil and add to a hot oven for around 45 minutes on 200°C, removing the foil and finishing uncovered for the last 10 minutes.

Smother in warmed BBQ Sauce to serve if you're feeling well dirty.

There are of course some other essentials you may feel you need, such as: Loaded Nachos, Potato Skins, Chicken Wings and for the sweet tooth Lemon Meringue Pie and Grasshopper Pie, so just click on the links.

GO PACKERS!!!!!

MITCH SPINACH …The Veggie Superhero!

2011-02-04T11:42:00.000-08:00

There's a certain transition period that loads of kids go through between the post weaning/early toddler phase where they will eat just about anything, and the starting to talk, starting to say 'no' to certain things period. This is of course very natural; boundaries are pushed, authorities asserted and habits formed, but you may very well despair if your child suddenly starts to push their peas aside, cast out their carrots and turn their noses up at turnip. After all, you know it's good for them and if you're hard up, like many of us are at the moment, you don't really want them wasting food.

There is very little reasoning with a toddler and the temptation to wait until your child grows up a bit before you try and push the veg agenda is one that most of us will probably give into. However this is very much a catch 22 situation, wait 'til they're older and yes you can explain the importance of vegetables and a healthy diet, but by that stage they can be stubborn little buggers and all to quick to explain in their own genius logic why they don't do green.

But we will try nonetheless. And there are plenty of resources out there to help. A recent example being Mitch Spinach, the brainchild of children's authors Hillary Feerick and Jeff Hillenbrand, in collaboration with family physician and best selling author Joel Fuhrman, M.D. The series is designed specifically with the idea of creating a positive message in regards to a healthy eating and an aspirational hero who practices what he preaches and the books relate to everyday situations such as school meals, albeit with a superhero twist. There are also some great illustrations by Andrea Vitali.

The books are available through the Mitch Spinach Website and Amazon.com (no UK outlet yet as far as I can see), however even if you're not ordering books, I urge you to check out the website, which is a great source of information and very child friendly, with loads of games, activities, food facts and some amazing recipes, including Super Smoothies and a healthier take on chocolate cake.

http://www.mitchspinach.com/

Junk Fail

2011-02-03T01:39:00.000-08:00

Apologies if I have ranted about this before, it's a particular beef of mine that has seen little sign of improvement despite my best effort over the past year. You see yesterday we did a bit of a pre Spring Clean, a blitz about the house mopping, scrubbing, re-arranging and mammoth recycling. Our Kerbie boxes are busting at the seems, as are our wheelie bins and the worst part of it? Most of the paper waste isn't even ours.

The level of junk mail, flyers and periodicals we receive to our house is quite frankly ridiculous, made even worse by the fact that most of it is either unsolicited rubbish, or documents pertaining to previous occupants. On a weekly basis I'd say that we receive approximately 20 items matching the junk mail description that we ourselves haven't signed up for. Then there is the additional paper guff that our bank, phone company et al send out, despite the vast majority of our business being conducted online.

I've tried return to sender, yet still they come. Unfortunately this is down to laziness and bad manners on behalf of the previous tenants, who even after 6 months still tried their luck calling around our house for an 'important document' that they had forgot to change the address from. Sadly they were out of luck. We kept their mail for 3 months after moving in, something I think was even generous by most standards, but simply couldn't keep storing it after that. It's not as if they even left a forwarding address. And to make matters worse, much of the stuff we get for them, and others before then, doesn't look like junk, much of it appears to bills and bank documents. Most goes into recycling, but sadly there is a portion of which comes in the traditional manilla window envelope that out recycling company doesn't treat at present.

Yesterday I read an article from US site GOOD concerning the fact that the Yellow Pages have re-launched their 'opt out' service online and provide information on disposal and recycling of their book. I've had a quick look and their doesn't seem to be a UK equivalent so far, but you can cancel via a site called www.stopjunkmail.org.uk that allows you to opt out of the following:

Royal Mail's Door-to-Door
Your Choice Preference Scheme for Unaddressed Mail
Mailing Preference Service
Yellow Pages
Thomson Local
BT Telephone Directory

Now this is a start and can help reduce some of your junk mail issues. However I think it is tragic that something like the Yellow Pages, something only occasionally useful, with many online alternatives and something many of us put straight in the bin is 'opt out', while something infinitely useful and vastly important to society on the whole such as the Organ Donor registrar is 'opt in'. Somehow I can't get my head around that.

Image: Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The Watermelon Slur: Why it says more about the accuser than the accused

2011-02-01T07:24:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard the term already, a Watermelon in this context, is someone who is apparently 'Green on the outside, Socialist (and therefore red) on the inside'. It's a lazy and ineffective attack for a number of reasons. Firstly, those who throw the term about probably think they are being oh so clever, when it is in fact nothing more than a bastardization of another tasteless term, the 'Coconut', used to question the essential 'blackness' of some people (in pop culture terms, the likes of Tom from The Boondocks and Carlton Banks from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air were often accused of a 'black on the outside, white on the inside' characteristics).

Secondly, while the 'Coconut' is rightly offensive, its lame cousin the Watermelon is rather more of a venomless snake, given that for most Greens the concept is neither new, surprising or by any means an insult. The English Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, when questioned about her Watermelon credentials on last weeks BBC Politics Show, simply replied 'well I don't have a problem with that' and I doubt many others would argue.

Being Green is about so much more than treehugging, it's about concern for our social environment too. This does not make us afraid of progress or change, but it does make us concerned that when this change comes about that it not done at the cost of the vulnerable. Want to cut our over reliance on the public sector Mr Wilson and Cameron? Go ahead, I'm sure we'd all welcome alternatives, but who exactly will pick up the slack? Private industry? What private industry? Only an idiot cuts the rope before the safety net has arrived. As a member of the Green Party I support the Green New Deal and I feel that investment in this area is one of the only workable alternative economic solutions. Once in place, then, and only then, can we be confident that our workforce has alternatives. Is this socialist? Perhaps, and I don't have a problem with that.

Finally, the idea that one should be embarrassed, ashamed or in any way hide one's socialist or leftist tendencies, reveals far more about the accuser them than it does us. Clearly, like the Tea Party protesters in the US, these people still live in their own bubble where they see a social outlook and concern akin to to the loopy left, communism or erm, Nazism. This is certainly not the case. If you can't admit to any social concern, and that is concern for the weakest and poorest people in your country and the world over, then you have no business in politics... well you do, just join the Condems, DUP or the Republican Party.

I was out protesting on Saturday in Belfast against the EMA cuts and compared to previous efforts the turn out wasn't great, especially given that the university fees issue in Northern Ireland is still very much up for debate. I imagine that in part this was due to the mass student exodus that takes place at weekends in Belfast, but also the unfortunate reputation that these protests have gained following violence in England. However, another protester from People Before Profit, summarized that in the protest movement is in danger of forever being labelled as a socialist niche and that success will only come when the notion that people can change their society for the better by speaking out against the unwise decisions of their officials, appeals to a broader range of people. As a socialist himself, he understood the need for support from more middle/central political groups, who have voiced disapproval of current government actions, but refuse to get their hands dirty. I think there's a lot to be said for this, as it seems in the face of flying Watermelons, that some people are still very much afraid of reds under the beds.

Celebrate... Chinese New Year

2011-02-01T05:58:00.000-08:00

I really love Chinese food, and making your own at home can be a great way to keep an eye on sodium and additive levels. The following are two ideas for popular family friendly Chinese dishes, and great way to get some fresh vegetables into the kids.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

With a heritage in both Chinese and Southern States cooking, there are loads of variations on sweet and sour sauce, but I'd say this definitely one from the Chinese camp. Obviously chicken and pork are the meats best associated with sweet and sour dishes, but if your not a meat eater this can make a great glaze for vegetable kebabs (perhaps add a dollop of honey for extra stickiness). Pineapple seems to be one of those love/hate ingredients; personally I love it, but if you're a hater, this recipe will do fine without. This will do enough sauce for four people.

100ml of soda water
2 tablespoons of rice vinegar or failing that, white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of light soy sauce
2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons of tomato purée
2 tablespoons of sherry
1 tablespoon of corn flower
Zest and juice of half a large, unwaxed lemon.

Optional Stir Fry ingredients
50g pinapple, cut into chunks
1 Green Pepper, sliced
1 small onion, finely chopped

In a bowl mix together the cornflower, lemon zest and soda water with a balloon whisk or fork until combined. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth.

In a wok, stir fry the onion and any meat you are using until browned (extra crispiness can be achieved by tossing the meat in a little seasoned cornflower first). Add the peppers and pineapple and cook for an additional 5 minutes on medium heat. Finally add your sauce, stirring continuously until thick and shiny. This should only take a few minutes.

Spinach Fried Rice

A great accompaniment to Sweet and Sour dishes, and an excellent means of vegin' up the dish. Normal rice cooking instructions would say 50-75g per person and will have range of cooking times depending on what type of rice you use. Follow the packet's instructions and have the rice just cooked, drained and ready to go into this dish. When cooking your rice, in order to get a great flavour and fluffiness, I recommend covering in plenty of cold water, bringing to the boil, squeezing in the juice of half a lemon or lime, giving a rapid stir, leaving the lemon or lime in pan, putting the lid on and turning right down for the remainder of the cooking time.

Cooked rice for 4 people
Four handfuls of fresh spinach
Two cloves of garlic, crushed.
Four or five scallions, finely chopped
Generous amount of rape seed oil (aprox 4 tablespoons)

When cooking use a good quality non stick pan or wok. Fry your scallions and garlic on high heat in about half the oil until soft. Add the remainder of the oil and add your cooked rice. Immediately turn down the heat to a low setting, stir the rice continuously, making sure it is all being coated and absorbing the oil. If the pan and oil are hot enough this should only take a few minutes - any longer and you risk burning the rice. Finally remove from the heat and stir in the spinach. Put the lid on the pan, let rest for a minute or two before serving, breaking it up with a large fork before hand.

If you can, make an event of celebrating Chinese New Year. Use chopsticks, which the kids will love and is a great skill to pick up at a young age. There are many variations when it comes to using chopsticks, in terms of regional etiquette, dining location and chopstick design. Asia Recipe has a great 'how to guide' that is worth checking out. Put more than anything, enjoy the family event and maybe slip the kids a bit of lucky money if they've been good (perhaps as a reward for trying something new?).

Image: Carlos Porto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

For Health and Home

2011-01-28T01:41:00.000-08:00

Going green isn't just about helping the planet or reducing your energy bills, it can also have additional health benefits too, as guest blogger Krista Peterson, a graduate of University of Central Florida writes:

Being green is worth it in both the short and long run. By now, most of you know that remodeling your house or buying a new, greener house, can save money and the environment. In fact, about half of the energy used in your home goes toward heating and cooling. By sealing your heating and cooling ducts, updating old appliances (preferably to Energy Star or other green products), or buy relocating to an already green home, you can save hundreds of dollars in energy costs. But turning green can do more than save the planet and save you money. It can save your life.

Through the process of removing older heating and water appliances, you may solve a health issue you didn’t know existed. Lead is commonly found in water and soil, and in old paint and heating and cooling pipes, and when ingested can result in lead poisoning. The risk of lead poisoning is much higher for young children and they may suffer from more severe symptoms than adults. Lead poisoning symptoms include irritability, trouble sleeping, abdominal pain, and memory loss.

If you live in an older house and desire to relocate to a greener home, you may be running from another toxin. Asbestos is found in the dry wall, insulation, tiles, and heating appliances of older houses. When the fibers are disturbed and released into the air, asbestos fills the lungs or is ingested, leading to a sever cancer. Mesothelioma diagnoses are rarely positive, partially because the symptoms of this cancer are latent for 20-50 years, allowing the cancer to metastasize. So, if you still live in a non-green house, schedule an inspection, especially if it was built in the 1970’s or earlier. Living green actually lessens the chance that asbestos will go undetected.

Finally, a greener home means less cracks and holes in the foundation of your home, again reducing the costs of energy and minimizing the need for repair of costly leaks. Some non-green homes may put their inhabitants at risk for radon poisoning. Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from the breakdown of uranium in soil and water. Radon finds its way into the air and into your home through cracks and holes in the foundation. Once radon enters the home, it is often trapped inside. Though any house can be subject to radon leaks (1 in every 15 homes, to be exact), keeping your green thinking cap on helps. Testing for radon and sealing your home may prevent you or your family from lung cancer in the future.

So, if you’re thinking green, you’re probably thinking safe. Updating your heating and cooling system can eliminate risks of lead poisoning. Relocating or remodeling can expose asbestos for what it really is. And keeping your eyes open for leaks and cracks, as well as having a test done, can save you from radon poisoning. Green is always better.

Krista Peterson

Image: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Celebrate... Burns Night

2011-01-25T11:35:00.000-08:00

Well tonight is Burns Night, a night that celebrates the life and works of Scottish poet Robert Burns. I grew up not that far from the Scottish borders, and my family has Scottish heritage, so I guess that's why we often celebrated the night when I was younger - my sister and I even kept up the tradition ourselves after leaving home. There are a few variations on what is eaten for Burns Supper, but it almost always includes a Haggis, served with tatties and neeps. Here however, I'm sharing a traditional boarder region side dish that was a favourite of mine when I was younger. It has a great name and is also a great way of using up left overs. The below instructions are non portion specific, just a rough guide to preparation - you can play about with it to suit you.

Rumbledethumps: Mix cooked shredded onion and cabbage with mashed potato, and plenty of salt, pepper and butter. Place in an oven proof dish with a quality hard cheese (Mull of Kintyre Cheddar is excellent) on top and heat in the oven on 200C until cheese is golden and bubbly.

And that's it. Serve as a side, along with the best Scotch you can get your hands on (my tipple of choice, Glen Morangie). Failing that, go all Glasgow and hoof a bottle of Buckfast into you.

And for an added blend of Scottish Culture, here's a wee video from You Tube of the classic Still Game

Image: Darren Robertson / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Earth Creations Clothing

2011-01-23T11:31:00.000-08:00

An interesting wee promo dropped into my Inbox this week, courtesy of Earth Creations. Their range of T-shirts, sports and leisure clothing for men, women and children are made from sustainable organic cotton and hemp, but employ a novel means of printing, namely the Clay-dyed method.

This means that the clothes have a softer, pastel hue (low impact colour is the term used I believe) and are limited in selection, but as a result are kinder to the environment compared to chemical, synthetic dyes and their bi-products. They also use no additional salt which can be disruptive to the eco systems in and around textile dying factories when released in to the surrounding areas and waters.

A US based company, the clay used in production is taken primarily from Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas, but the company have been sent samples from interested parties, eager to help expand the colour pallet (Earth Creations only started out with two) and these have included people's gardens, car parks and even from an Alabama potter who still uses traditional pulley methods for extraction.

If you're in the US, you can find your nearest store/supplier by using the locater on the website. The company also ships overseas, which is great for those who would otherwise miss out, but worth bearing in mind that this will go some way to increasing the carbon footprint of your clothing.

http://www.earthcreations.net

Courgette Cupcakes with Pistachio and Lime

2011-01-22T08:07:00.000-08:00

Adapted from an existing recipe in the Susannah Blake's Cupcake Heaven (see below) I have made a few adjustments to ensure that this is a full vegan recipe, yet still holds together without the addition of an egg. The tangy lime topping is what really makes this an usual cupcake variation.

Image: zmkstudio / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Oven 160C, makes 12

Seeds from 3 cardamom pods, crushed
70ml of ground nut oil
50g of caster sugar and 50 g of dark brown sugar
100g of courgette, coarsely grated
50g of chopped pistachio nuts (I do these until a fine, almost breadcrumb like texture in the blender, but chopping will suffice)
120g of self raising flour
Half a teaspoon of baking powder

Mix together crushed seeds, oil and sugar until thick and sandy in texture. Add the courgette and nuts, then sift in the flour and baking powder.

Spoon into paper cases and cook for 20 minutes, checking after 15. Skewer centre of cake to ensure it's done, turn out onto wire rack to cool.

To decorate:

Finely grated zest and juice of two limes
85g of caste sugar
50g of shelled pistachio chopped (more coarsely than for the cupcake mix)

Gradually heat the zest, juice and sugar in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved (rolling the lime under hand for a few seconds before cutting and squeezing makes juicing easier).

Whack the heat right up and boil rapidly for about a minute, before removing from the heat. Allow to cool slightly, stir in the nuts than as it begins to thicken, spool onto the cupcakes.

The original version and other great cupcake recipes can be found in Cupcake Heaven, available via Amazon.

Extreme Weather Contingency Plans

2011-01-20T07:54:00.000-08:00

In the past ten years Northern Ireland has seen a mixture of extreme weather conditions, from localised summer flooding to recent examples of record cold winters. If the past five years are anything to go by, we're far more likely to experience our 'summer' months in May and early June, rather than July and August, where cloudy, wetter conditions have made these traditional holiday periods a bit of a wash out.

There have been calls recently, most notably from Cadogan Enright of the South Down Greens for a cold weather contingency plan, to ensure that public services are better equip to deal with the problems associated with heavy snowfall and ice, and that local enterprises, particularly those in retail and hospitality, are protected from the adverse affects. Stating with regards to the recent impact of the snow on the streets of South Down, Mr Enright comments:

"The deplorable response of our Down Council and the Road Service to the fortnight’s snow was only one piece of a general failure of top civil servants and Ministers to create a “Weather Emergency Plan”

As someone who experienced issues with delayed and missed domestic refuse collection here in Castlereagh in December, I whole heartily agree with this and Mr Enright was protesting almost prophetically just a few weeks before things went tits up at NI Water (I was among the lucky few whose water supply was not affected after Christmas but know plenty unfortunate people who were). But I do think it is important that we extend this 'back -up' to all times of year.

As the recent bout of snow has barely left us, it is only natural that it is high on the agenda. However let us not forget the problems we experience in the summer months too, such as our 'rainy season' when flooding has damaged homes, roadways and our local parks (the Ormeau Park in particular looks like a Cajun bayou after heavy rainfall and some grassy areas are rendered unusable for days, even weeks afterwards). There needs to be well thought out plans in place to ensure that all aspects of extreme weather are catered for, from help and support if you have been affected by storms and high winds, to post flooding clean up, which in residential and shared areas, should be quick and efficient.

I think it goes without saying that an improvement in communication between authorities and the public needs to be part of any plans formed. If you were one of the many people frustrated by the crashing of the of NI Water website, or simply unable to get an response/straight answer to your wheelie bin pick up question from your local council, I probably don't need to tell you the value of informed and helpful telephone staff, who themselves are supported by their superiors in times of heavy communication. And even if you local authority is not directly responsible for the issues you face, we need to ensure that they are able t provide help and advice in order to point you in the right direction.

Of course many plans to prevent flooding and ensure water supply are long term development issues that aren't going to be as easy to organise as short term solutions like grit supply and road maintenance, but it would be re-assuring to know that government departments, councils and public services are prepared for the fallout in the meantime, perhaps forming emergency management group during periods of snow, flooding or drought. Surely it's better to have a plan and not need it, than to need a plan and not have one?

Photo Credit: Atif Farooq Photography, Belfast

Mushroom and Kale Grain combo.

2011-01-18T07:03:00.000-08:00

This vegan recipe is very similar to risotto, but uses Soya milk instead of cows milk, cream or cheese. The key in bringing out the flavours is in the limited selection of ingredients and this needs very little seasoning other than salt and black pepper - so no onion, lemon or vinegar (soy milk tends to have a sharpness that doesn't need these additions). You can use rice, barley or almost any grain cooked to instruction, but for this quick version I've used bulgar wheat, which is generally lower in calories and relatively inexpensive too. You could also serve this as a side dish

Serves 4 as a starter or light lunch

150g of Bulgar Wheat
200g of woodland or chestnut mushrooms, whole or halved.
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed/chopped
300ml unsweetened soya milk
Half a courgette (medium) grated.
Aubergine pesto, two heaped tablespoons (if buying store bought pest, check that it is egg free)

Two large handfuls of kale, chopped
Toasted Sesame Seed or Ground Nut Oil
A sprinkling of mixed sesame and linseed to finish each plate.

In a large pan heat up your oil on moderate heat, add your mushrooms and garlic and stir gently until the mushrooms are soft and browning. At this point you may want to add a little more oil as most of it will have been soaked up.

Rinse your bulgar wheat in a sieve until the water runs clear then add it or partially cooked rice/grain to the pan and stir rapidly for a few minutes, making sure it is fully coated with oil and not sticking to the pan. Add your pesto, courgette and milk, gradually. At this point it will probably look a little greyish, but don't worry, it'll brighten up as the excess oil is combined.

Turn down the heat to a gentle simmer, but continue to stir and add the Kale, making sure first that any tough stalks have been trimmed. Keep stirring until the kale is well mixed, shrunken and the mixture is soft and lighter, porridge-like colour. If it seems dry, you can add a little more water or soy milk. Cooking time will vary depending on grain used, but in this case it takes around 7-10 minutes.

Serve in bowls, drizzled with a little oil and sprinkled with the sesame and linseed. Season to taste.

Image: Graham Maddrell / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Something to keep the wee ones occupied...

2011-01-13T02:42:00.000-08:00

Well after a longer than expected Christmas break, I'm back. The snow may be gone but the view from my window is still pretty grim and I've been looking for something to keep the wee man busy on the days when it's just not feasible to be out and about.

One home made activity that I discovered last year and one that uses ingredients that you'll probably already have in the house, is Salt Dough. This is a great method for making your own craft or play dough, and the end results can be left to harden in the hot press, or in the microwave or oven (if you do choose to oven dry it must be on a very low heat for a couple of hours and you should brush the pieces with oil to avoid cracking - in the microwave you only need about 5 seconds).

The basic end dough is degradable and made without chemicals, so you can be confident that your child is playing with something safe and eco friendly (if they do decide to chow down it will taste unpleasant, but it's not toxic).

There are loads of recipes and methods out there, but I have included a simple video from YouTube that shows you how to make a batch pre-coloured with red food colouring. You can also paint it afterwards.

From past experience making Christmas decorations with Salt Dough I'd also advise that you gloss any pieces that you want to keep long term, as over time they can go soft and even mouldy depending on how you store them.