Don't eat what you don't agree with - vote with your $

In our house we only eat Free-Range eggs, bacon and chicken, if we cant afford it we don't buy it and go without.  My theory is I'd rather eat vegetarian than support industries that are in the business of making money without caring about the welfare of their animals.


We love Freedom Farms ham (well my son does!)  And lots of other companies out there are jumping on the Free Range bandwagon and good on them, our new favorite is Kiwi Bacon who are doing New Zealand Free Farmed, its a slightly cheaper price which makes it more accessible for all, and its readily available from Pak'n'Save


My main point here is vote with your dollar, if you don't agree with something then don't buy it!

Beware of Off-Gassing

New non-metallic products that contain VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds) will 'offgas' for years, which means they will release chemicals into the surrounding air by evaporation (this is what you can identify as the 'new car smell') in your home or place of work.  The effects are even more toxic in a well insulated building.  Buying second-hand furniture means that it has done most of is off gassing already and you are also giving a home and life to a piece that may end up in the dump.


I specifically chose a second-hand cot for my son firstly because of the off-gassing issue (I chose a Nature Baby Touchwood cot more than 4 years old, as the oil used back then was less toxic), secondly its an item used for a short time and doesn't need to be new, and thirdly we would never have been able to afford to buy new as these cost close to $1100 with the mattress (I'm a true believer in buying second-hand quality products that will hold their value for re-sale in the future!)

Give your Clothes a Second Life

Fashions change and clothes gradually accumulate in wardrobes.  On average, the manufacture of 1,000 items of new clothing produces over 200Kg of waste as cloth, paper, and packaging.  If old clothes are in good condition they can be put back into circulation on the second-hand market, TradeMe is perfect for this as its a win/win situation, someone gets your old clothes that they want and will use and you get their money.  You can also give to charity or if you know ow to sew, alter old clothes into new garments.  The second-hand market offers an economic, environmentally friendly alternative to new clothes.


Sift through your clothes, and donate those you no longer wear to charity or sell them.  Clothes that are too damaged to be worn again can be used as cleaning rages.  When buying clothes think of alternatives to new, such as TradeMe or Op Shops, which is an increasing trend, keeping up with fashion, while consuming less - I bought the most lovely cream Dorothy Perkins top from an Op Shop the other day, brand new with tags, never worn $12!!


And its not just clothes, think household items as well - there are some amazing bargains to pick up - and vintage is cool!

Weed by Hand

Each year gardeners pour millions of litres of chemicals onto their lawns and gardens.  Excessive use of herbicides and other pesticides threatens biodiversity and freshwater resources, two essential elements of life on earth.


Avoid using chemical weed killers.  To remove weeds from your garden, hoe regularly, and pull weeds out before they can seed.  Boiling water from a kettle (I tend to use what is left over from when I make a cup of tea), Vinegar and lemon juice can also be used to kill some weeds.

Do the small things, but don't lose sight of the big picture

Making small adjustments to our daily habits is important.  For example, if every household replaced one regular bulb with a compact fluorescent, it would prevent the equivalent of the emissions generated by 800,000 cars (however, at this stage we have decided against using CF's in our house, as I'm not totally comfortable with what may be some negative effects, more information on this website http://hubpages.com/hub/Negative-Side-Of-Compact-Flourescent-Bulbs-CFLs)


However, we cannot alleviate the strain on our planet simply by buying better dish soap or using rechargeable batteries.  As we implement the small improvements, we must keep in mind the need for greater change.  reducing the amount of petrol we use by driving hybrids or small fuel efficient cars is good, but creating public transport systems that eliminate the need for cars is much better.  Some of the big-picture actions we should keep in mind are ridding ourselves of oil dependence; reducing the amount of land we require for food and limit the environmental impacts of big agriculture; re-imagining our communities and living standards to curb unsustainable suburban sprawl; and electing officials, from the local level to parliament, who have clear environmental priorities and policies.


Don't compartmentalise your efforts: Understand where each gesture fits into the larger context of sustainability and always look for ways to make a leap toward great change!

Air Freshners.....

The CFC's (choloflurocarbons) in aerosols are now illegal in the EU, but artificial air freshers are still an energy-intensive and toxic way to produce a 'nice' smell.  Each year the UK uses around 600 million aerosol cans, yet aerosol propellants contain flammable and nerve-damaging ingredients as well as tiny particles that can lodge in your lungs.  Fragrances of all kinds can provoke allergic and asthmatic reactions, also take into account the new advertising genius of 'botanical' and 'aromatherapy' plug ins - these again are nothing more than chemical creations with nothing beneficial to your home or body!


Replace artificial air fresheners with an essential oil diffusers, candles, incense (be careful of which one you choose, as these are have also been proven to be as bad as smoking), fragrant plants or flower arrangements (citronella, honeysuckle or lavender).


My favourite oil diffuser is the Aroma Stone by Absolute Essential one that stays on 24 hours a day at the cost of about 20c per day, it contains no water, you just place about 5 drops of the essential oil directly on the stone, and viola, a lovely smell!


And remember essential oils or aromatherapy, not only smells nice but you can use different oils to help with health issues, I regularly use Absolute Essentials Head Ease when I have a headache or migraine, it can often help and I wont have to take medication.  


Absolute Essentials have an amazing range of products and what I LOVE is that they are labeled so that I know which ones are Mother-to-be, Baby and Child friendly!  Check out their website www.absoluteessential.co.nz and if you wish to order anything I can get these into Rejuvenate for you!

Pumpkin is in abundance - Pumpkin and Spinach Lasagne

Well its that wonderful time of year when everything in the garden is fruiting at once, we've had a pretty good tomato harvest which has all gone into salads and into pasta and veges for our wee one.  Our perpetual spinach, just keeps feeding us, its amazing, every week it provides us with at least one vegetarian meal.

Our neighbours and friends from our old house popped over and gave us 2 pumpkins, I made a sensational Pumpkin and Spinach Lasagne, a total triumph!  I also made a pumpkin and lamb casserole in the crockpot, a total disaster, that went into the compost!  My husband wanted to give the other pumpkin away, but as pumpkin lasts I think I'll hold onto it.

Pumpkin and Spinach Lasagne

1/2 Medium Pumpkin, chopped, cooked in vegetable stock and mashed

1 Onion, chopped finely

2 Cloves garlic crushed

10 Large Spinach Leaves chopped finely

1 Large container Cottage Cheese

2 eggs

1/2 cup of Edam Cheese

Salt and Pepper

6 Fresh tomatoes

San Remo Wholemeal or Organic Pasta

Pine Nuts

Use the left over stock from the pumpkin and cooked down the whizzed up or finely chopped up tomatoes, cook down in an open pot for 20 minutes or until it has reduced down to a thick sauce.

In a bowl combine Onion, Garlic, Spinach, Cottage Cheese, Eggs, 1/2 of the Edam and Salt and Pepper.

Assemble lasagne by placing a layer of the tomato sauce, followed by sheets of lasagne, Spinach mixture, pumpkin, continue until you have used all the ingredients, you should get about 3 or 4 layers depending on your container.  Sprinkle the top layer with the left over cheese and pine nuts.  Cook in a moderate oven for 35-45 minutes, enjoy!

Our Autumn table, our neighbours kindly donated Pumpkin, our yellow tomatoes and some beautiful flowers that my husband bought me!