Bottled water - pure drink or pure hype?

Bottled water - pure drink or pure hype?   
 
I don't consider my self to be the greenest of greenies but I'll do what I can where I can and on the waterfront my biggest bug bare has been bottled water. Not so much the water (though the article below would suggest I should) itself but the plastic containers it comes in. So it was with in mind that I recently purchased a 1l. stainless steel water container that I take everywhere with me and refill whenever I can.
Apart from saving anywhere between 20 and 30 dollars a week I'm now not contributing any extra plastic to land fill or energy  intensive recycling programs.


I also figure I'm preaching to the already converted here but just in case your not then here is some argument for giving up bottled water supplied from the Warm Earth magazine e-newsletter (www.warmearth.com.au) SNIPS & TIPS - OCTOBER 2010 


Despite research showing that bottled water is no better than tap water, Australians spend more than half a billion dollars a year on the bottled product. Producing and delivering a litre of bottled water emits hundreds of times more greenhouse gases than a litre of tap water. Australia's annual use of bottled water produces more than 60,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions - the same amount that 13,000 cars generate over the course of a year. For many brands, a litre of bottled water costs more than a litre of petrol.


The Department of Environment and Climate Change estimates that 200 ml of oil is used to produce, package, transport and refrigerate each 1 litre bottle, so it's like filling a fifth of every bottle with oil. It also takes water to make water. Treehugger.com estimates that bottled water uses 6 times the amount of water actually in the bottle to produce it! Australia recycles only 36% of PET plastic drink bottles and even if bottled water is recycled, it uses a huge amount of water and energy in the process. So, what can we do instead? If you're concerned about the quality of your tap water, invest a little bit of money in a water filter for your home. You can then use one bottle and keep filling it up and re-using it. This is a very eco friendly practice that can help curb the amount of damage being done to our earth as a result of bottled water.

Also if your not too keen on the taste of your town tap water supply then there is a myriad of water filters available and more than affordable with the money you save from not buying bottled water.

So far I have managed to give up my car, take-a-way coffee in paper/plastic cups and now Bottled water. If I can do it anyone with half a will can.

Cheers

Stewart

Beans means Brown Beauty.

Just planted, approximately one square meter of Mr Fothergill's dwarf bean, 'Brown Beauty'.



From the liner notes on the back of the seed packet.

Bean, Dwarf, 'Black Beauty':

(Phaseolus vulgaris)

An excellent quality, fine flavoured bean that continues to crop over a long period. Particularly suited to later plantings as this is a good hot weather variety. Full of flavour and vitamins. Halfhardy annual.

When to plant: Spring and Summer.
How to grow Sow 25mm (1in) deep in dark, damp soil - avoid watering for a day or two afterwards. Sow 7-10cm (3-4in) apart, allowing 50cm (20in) between the rows. Ensure the danger of frosts has passed and protect plants from wind. Plant in 3-5 metre (10-16ft) rows and remove weeds regularly. Water well during dry periods and spray flowers with a fine rose on your watering can, this will help the pods to set.
Harvest: 8-10 weeks

Lets see how they go. I've never had trouble growing beans here before so it should be straight forward. I'll  plant successive sowings every four or five weeks so I can maintain a continuous supply of beans over Summer and early Autumn.
Preparation was basic as beans don't require much fussin over. I added a couple of handfuls of blood and bone and a small hand of sulphate of potash to a previously used bed. Turned the whole lot over with a fork, measured out  three rows, bunged in the seeds, covered them over and watered them in.

Too easy.

Cheers and happy bean planting, growing and eating.

Stewart.

A flower a day for September #29

 Oops, it's been a week since I've posted anything. It's been a hectic week.

Anyways, I was walking to knitting class last Tuesday and came across this little beauty cascading down a stone retaining wall and decided it would be a worthy addition to my 'A flower a day for September', series of posts.

 Convolvulus mauritanicus; Burke's Backyard has a bit to say about  convolvulus (not often called by its common name, 'bindweed')

Cheers for now and I'll see if I can get back sooner.

Stewart

A flower a day for September #28. A drive by shooting.

Yes it was a drive by video shooting. Just a small side garden that caught my eye.

Just some Ranunculus and small annuals enjoying the sunshine after all our fabulous rain.

Beanie and pom pom meet.

When beanie and pom pom meet. (Short and sweet)

A flower a day for September #27. Happy Snappy

Probably the greatest influences on me to be a gardener or for my love of gardening would be my Grandmothers. One had the flowers and the other had the veggies.

My mums mum was the flower one and as a child I loved going to visit (it wasn't all about the biscuits and lollies) and walk around her garden and find out about all the colourful flowers she had planted in her garden. Just thinking now I realise that I never really gardened much as a child but I must have been paying attention.

And as that child I remember liking the Snappy the most. Three main reasons for this; the first is the colour, say no more, 2nd is the size of the flower and 3rd is you got to play with the flowers and play make believe dragons with them. What more could a kid want?

 Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do.  Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children.  ~Alex Haley

Cheers and happy dragon slaying,

Stewart.