tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60251536888875053282011-04-22T04:22:28.448+10:00Mandarinanoreply@blogger.comBlogger241100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-36999368963842809722007-09-14T20:56:00.000+10:002007-09-14T22:04:14.879+10:00

Last month, Jack Gray gave a presentation on happiness.The upshot is that happiness increases with income, but more or less plateaus beyond an annual income of about $20,000. That is, once you've got your basic needs met (food, shelter etc) it makes very little difference to your happiness whether you make $30,000 or $3 million. It's a robust and reliable finding. It's an interesting public

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-74478403675845336692007-09-13T21:28:00.000+10:002007-09-13T21:29:39.542+10:00

I'm not sure I've ever seen a more beautiful colour than the colour of a beetroot sprout.

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-14205324190256534582007-09-13T16:58:00.000+10:002007-09-13T21:28:34.957+10:00

THe combination of my urban professional self (financial complexities, lots of paperwork) and my private commitment to reduced domestic footprint (labour intensive, low on escapism like entertainment, TV and retail therapy) make for perhaps the worst of both worlds. I'm far from unique in this, and suspect many working parents (in particular) find themselves in similar binds - working a 10 -12

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-76165660344235666232007-08-29T21:34:00.000+10:002007-08-29T22:10:25.383+10:00

I gave a presentation today about companies increasingly being recognised for their sustainability initiatives.  One of the (MBA) students in the audience - which included execs from companies - asked how we get around the fundamental problem that companies need to you to consume and consumption underlies all our problems.  Growth capitalism in my view, is indeed a problematic paradigm.  But

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-32183081908450766752007-08-29T21:16:00.000+10:002007-08-29T21:30:16.629+10:00

Hmmm.  More than a month since my last post.  What's been going on?I've been working hard at work and harder at home with all the usual attempts to replace energy (fossil fuelled) with labour (mine).  Whinge moan.I've bought a bike - actually four bikes though none of them second hand.  I really need to lose a car now to make up for that.I've got a whole lot of seeds, and some big pots and soil,

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-78733182611793290792007-07-24T19:45:00.000+10:002007-07-24T19:56:32.463+10:00

The lovely Bryan wondered whether my silverbeet was dying. It isn't. And though my last post (gee, it's getting a long time between posts) was despairing, it wasn't to do with failing on my small domestic front. The pep talk to self:We've still not bought a heater, and I've not turned on the one we've got - including last week when temperatures dropped to an icy 3 degrees Celsius in Sydney.

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-77104558490095252442007-07-17T19:29:00.000+10:002007-07-17T20:00:05.468+10:00

My partner, trying to teach the tots about clockwise and anticlockwise, gets annoyed with me when, trying to join in, I get confused about whether I'm supposed to "be the clock" or "mirror the clock". Being the change I want to see in the world (and I'm not, by a long way) has had me wrapped up for a long time, but I'm getting confused as to whether that's really where I should be. I want to know

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-79256179507959337492007-07-02T19:04:00.000+10:002007-07-02T19:30:17.890+10:00

These entries are a wee bit out of order, what with diarising offline and then not being able to get those entries from computer A at home to computer B on the net. So anyway, you've so far been spared the whinge about the cold, the extra effort, the rain and all that. But I will paste it inHow's it going? (asked the lovely, encouraging Brian). The answer is I really don't know. Over the

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-66460314533433676822007-06-28T13:45:00.000+10:002007-06-28T14:42:57.658+10:00

It's been a while since I've posted, what with illness and moving and not having a net connection set up at the new house. I'm pretty amused by the helpline for our internet service provider, whose recorded message repeats, deadpan that I need to send an email to such and such if I want service (well...that's pretty hard without internet service...;)Work is crazy, we're selling our old place (I

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-77205555500290662032007-06-07T22:29:00.000+10:002007-06-07T22:45:31.959+10:00

I tell you what, moving house is a salutary experience. This will be my 8th abode in 11 years, so we have downsized significantly and repeatedly. But there's still just so much STUFF!In Don Delillo's (sp?) book White Noise I remember him doing these fantastic lists of what the main character threw out when cleaning out their attic. We've never been big buyers or hoarders (never had the

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-1791401667103448292007-06-07T22:05:00.000+10:002007-06-07T22:27:40.458+10:00

Having been a second-hand-only (almost) buyer for some months now, I'm starting to understand a few things about brands and how they evolved into such powerful beasts. Because when I search on eBay, there's little to distinguish wool jumpers - other than the brand. If new, I can judge by the price (though not reliably) whether this wool will be scratchy, or that one wearable next to the skin.

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-42683235062611586312007-06-04T14:33:00.000+10:002007-06-04T17:04:33.686+10:00

We moved offices and my route to work now takes me through several retail precincts instead of just a food court. So I bought something. I did genuinely need tops (whatever that means) and had been scouting Ebay for some months for them (without success) but needless to say, when the time came, it felt like an impulse purchase (fashion chain, multinational). Nor did I beg friends, search op

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-39434178135256125462007-06-04T13:02:00.000+10:002007-06-04T13:58:13.816+10:00

A very brief history of my attempts at 90%.I started out trying to get in touch with www.acfonline.org to see if their footprint calculator could be updated to fit the 90% reduction parameters discussed at Casaubon’s Book. Inflation (particularly for food) means even a couple of years can give a distorted picture. No reply after a couple of weeks. Busy working on their own save-the-planet

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-4379204663495892372007-06-04T11:26:00.001+10:002007-06-04T11:27:10.170+10:00

Test - blogger has not let me add a new post for a couple of weeks. If this one doesn't work, I'm moving to wordpress.

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-7736536171655785542007-05-18T11:34:00.000+10:002007-05-18T11:46:32.877+10:00

The compact encouraged me to go down a path, and although I'm far from declaring victory on that front, it isn't enough.The warm and fuzzies were nice for a while (and it's lovely to be part of a community that acknowledges these issues) but it ISN'T enough!!Over at Casaubons book (see link at right) they're starting a movement to reduce energy consumption to 10% of current US average energy use.

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-47731601164229721412007-05-14T21:22:00.000+10:002007-05-14T21:54:19.787+10:00

Finally frustrated with my father (whose childhood involved begging storekeepers for bread on credit) for continuing to buy my kids more plastic garbage (and I mean garbage - stuff that breaks the same day, bought at $2 shops) I began a good natured rant at him about peak oil and found myself stunned at the things coming out of my mouth. "For every piece of plastic you buy, every bit of cheap

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-88522535296762422032007-05-02T17:30:00.000+10:002007-05-02T17:54:56.846+10:00

Here's some things I need help with. If anyone has got any suggestions, whether practical, or philospohical, as to how we wean ourselves off these bad habits, I'd love to hear them. We have two cars. My partner works from numerous sites all over town, and arguably, really does need his. I'd love to carshare eg http://www.goget.com.au/ and get rid of the second car, but we don't live near

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-23922792926745176542007-05-01T21:03:00.000+10:002007-05-14T21:22:40.695+10:00

For those who'd like to start with smaller changes, I thought I'd start a list of what to me have been complete no brainers - having no noticable impact (or a net positive impact) on my lifestyle. It's cheating really - warm and fuzzies for nothing. - We don't wash the car- We don't clean much at home - We turn off the lights and use compact fluorescents. The ones marked "warm light" give

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-71400517504463890142007-05-01T19:15:00.000+10:002007-05-01T20:00:45.104+10:00

The yoghurt has got me thinking about how much cultural (excuse pun) and intellectual capital we're losing. I had to learn from my mum how make and mend clothes, but would need to go back to my grandmother for pickling or preserving fruit. It was my great grandmother who would have known how to keep chooks or grow veggies, and I'd probably have to go back to a great-great grandma to know how

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-46690207182912605862007-04-30T21:28:00.000+10:002007-04-30T23:03:50.029+10:00

I was never that much of a shopper. It's a healthy habit of thought I inherited from my mother (although her reasons, formed in a poorer place and time, were more about thrift than reduced consumption). So compacting for me has been more about discovery - there's an organic food shop near my home; you can get a suit for $15 on Ebay, and make yoghurt out of milk and ...old yoghurt. But there

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-26339207982727953662007-04-30T20:30:00.000+10:002007-04-30T21:14:43.843+10:00

No Impact Man posed an interesting question some time ago about what, in the final analysis, we're willing to give up in the interests of sustainability: What is the balance to be maintained between preserving our “way of life” and our efforts to keep the planet healthy? How healthy do we want the planet to be and what are we willing to sacrifice for it?I think the "way of life" phrase is a US

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-9094200397437206962007-04-29T08:24:00.000+10:002007-04-30T20:30:01.031+10:00

Some weeks ago we ran out of dishwasher powder and I dreaded a return to sharehouse days when bowls could be piled more than a foot high (and none left to use) before anyone did the washing up by hand.It didn't happen. We do some handwashing almost daily anyway (wine glasses, some pots, knives and chopping boards) so it wasn't much harder to include a couple more items. More importantly, we

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-28415826375592011362007-04-28T21:32:00.000+10:002007-04-28T22:24:57.678+10:00

We've just returned from visiting cousins on the other side of town, and it was strange to feel our lives had so diverged. The kids entertained themselves in front of Foxtel, we ordered pizza, and they poured my little ones big glasses of Sprite. I felt overprotective and paranoid, and although we loved seeing them, I couldn't wait to get away; our normality was seriously challenged by theirs.

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025153688887505328.post-14298278270990863952007-04-28T14:28:00.000+10:002007-04-28T21:48:35.559+10:00

Q. What's white and can't climb trees?A. A yoghurt.I've been told speeches should always begin with a joke. It's a pretty lame one, but it was the funniest thing I'd ever heard 25 years ago, when I first heard it. I'm reminded of it because there's a questionable jar of something on our sunniest window ledge. I hope it's on its way to becoming yoghurt - but I'm not sure exactly what it is

Mandarinanoreply@blogger.com2