To help try to make the choice easier, the Australian Marine Conservation Society (ACMS) has developed Australia’s Sustainble Seafood Guide – which can be searched readily online.

I’m glad to see that BBQ favourites calamari, octopus, scallop (farmed), Australian salmon (wild) are considered to be a ‘better choice’. Species such as wild barramundi are considered a ‘think twice’ choice as there are uncertainties over the size of the stock and there are stock depletions in many areas. Bugs, including Balmain, Moreton bay and various deepwater bugs are also considered a ‘think twice’ choice. As most are trawl caught there are environmental impacts associated with bycatch and potential habitat damage. There are also uncertainties about the stock status which is considered fully fished in NSW. The deepwater bugs are also relatively long lived which increases their vulnerability to fishing.

It also recommends that you think twice about sticking a prawn on the barbie (along with crayfish, dory, flathead and lobster). As banana and tiger prawns are farmed in ponds and tanks there is the potential for significant impacts from these farms on local water quality. What makes the impact greater is the fact that the prawns are fed fishmeal sourced from wild fisheries. A better choice are haul caught school and bay prawns in NSW.

Considered a definite ’steer clear’ are species such as wild hoki, cods and gropers, imported farmed prawns*, orange roughy*, atlantic farmed salmon*, wild scallop, hake, wild snapper, swordfish* and of course shark* and tuna* (skipjack is a better choice).

For those who want to add a bit of meat to the barbie there is now much more choice when it comes to free range. Better to buy direct from the butcher to reduce the amount of plastic packaging.

* these fish also appear on Greenpeace’s seafood redlist

We’ve been putting our heads together to come up with ideas on how to have an eco-friendly halloween and to finish off October having bought nothing new. Here’s the summary.

• Forget plastic lanterns, go for the real deal and carve up a pumpkin lantern or if you can find a big enough one use a more traditional swede or turnip. Use the pumpkin to make pumpkin pie or pumpkin soup and the lamp can go in the compost bin afterwards.
• For costumes rent them or get creative with stitching or scissoring. Use an old sheet or reassign some old clothes.
• The parents will love you for it but the kids might not – giving fruit as the treat instead of chocolate and sweets. This will avoid wrappers and waste. Or make some ghoulish cup cakes, or toffee apples to hand out when the hoards come trick or treating.
• Put some candles on the porch or verandah instead of leaving the outside lights on.
• Give the kids recyclable bags to carry their haul.

Great halloween games for the kids:

As well as the typical party games, limbo, pass the parcel, hula hoop, musical statues etc try these.

Ghastly lucky dip. Put potato peel or something similar in a bucket along with some items/prizes and get the kids to delve their hands into it to find them.

Apple bobbing. A bowl full of water with apples bobbing around in them. Kids have to try and take bites out of the apples without using their hands. Or apples hanging on a string, again you have to try and eat the apples which are dangled in front of you without using your hands.

]]> http://greenbeings.com.au/greenroom/index.php/2010/10/15/eco-friendly-halloween/feed/ 0 http://greenbeings.com.au/greenroom/index.php/2010/04/12/choosing-sustainable-tuna/ http://greenbeings.com.au/greenroom/index.php/2010/04/12/choosing-sustainable-tuna/#comments Mon, 12 Apr 2010 04:56:47 +0000 admin http://greenbeings.com.au/greenroom/?p=557 It’s not easy to tell if the tuna you are eating comes from overfished stocks or is caught using destructive fishing techniques. As tuna stocks begin to collapse, selecting sustainably fished tuna is vital. GreenPeace has prepared a ‘canned tuna guide’ to show us what to look for before heading to the checkout.]]> It’s not easy to tell if the tuna you are eating comes from overfished stocks or is caught using destructive fishing techniques.  As tuna stocks begin to collapse, selecting sustainably fished tuna is vital. GreenPeace has prepared a ‘canned tuna guide’ to show us what to look for before heading to the checkout.

Over half the world’s tuna comes from the pacific. Of the seven species of tuna in the Pacific, six are over exploited. Stocks of Southern Bluefin tuna have collapsed, and Bigeye, Yellowfin and Albacore tuna are overfished.

Industrial fishing methods mean that tuna is scooped up using huge purse seine nets, or caught on baited fishing lines which can be as long as 100km. Both these methods result in a significant bycatch of around 10% and 35%. The bycatch includes turtles and sharks as well as juvenile tuna.

Skipjack is the only healthy tuna species left in the Pacific. It is considered sustainable if it is caught using selective fishing methods. When Skipjack is caught using pole and line or troll fishing, from healthy stocks along coastal states it is considered both fair and sustainable.

No Australian tuna brand uses sustainable tuna. Even the top brands use destructive fishing techniques. GreenPeace is leading the fight to urge supermarkets to switch to sustainably caught Skipjack tuna.

GreenPeace’s guide ranks the typical canned tuna brands in terms of their sustainability and recommends a number of actions to enable us to make informed decisions about the fish we eat.  In order to do this we must be able to see what it is we are buying. Therefore labelling should show:

• The species in the can (e.g. skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis)
• The area where the catch came from and the name of the stock
•  The production method and fishing technique (e.g. wild caught, purse seine net with fish aggregating device)

Waitrose, Sainsburys and Marks and Spencers in the UK have all moved to pole and line caught tuna. It’s time to do it in Australia.

According to the KeepCup website the disposable paper cup is made from various materials including bleached paper sprayed with a polyethylene coating. The cup is often impregnated with dyes which makes it difficult to recycle.

In the first six months, since the launch in June 2009, KeepCup has sold over 100,000 units. According to Bluebag, the makers of KeepCup, if everybody who owns a KeepCup uses it regularly, there would be 100 million less disposable cups used, saving 17,000 trees and keeping 307 tonnes of plastic lids from landfill.

The KeepCup is recyclable (it has an estimated lifespan of four years) and replicates disposable cup sizes so you get the correct and consistent portioning of coffee and milk. Small and medium cups fit directly under the coffee machine. The plastic used is BPA free and the lid means less likelihood of spillage.

Designed and manufactured in Australia, the key features which make the KeepCup so functional include:

• A band around the body of the cup where coffee preferences are embossed. Highlight this to prevent mix up and to identify your cup at the machine.
• A sealing mechanism to make the cup splash-proof in transit. This is removable so it is easy to clean.
• Stackable, dishwasher safe and microwavable.
• Low embodied energy, reuseable, unbreakable and recyclable (polypropylene)

The KeepCup can be branded which makes it great company merchandise and a great gift for the afflicted addicted coffee cravers.

According to recent research, food and drinks contained in plastic containers or bottles can contain trace amounts of bisphenol A (BPA). Scientists have found that, in animals, BPA mimics the hormone oestrogen and has been linked to breast and uterine cancer, an increased risk of miscarriage and decreased testosterone levels. It is also believed that BPA can cause early puberty in children, cancer, diabetes and obesity.  The amounts leaching into food and drink are small, but it is the cumulative effect of these small doses that are of concern.

What is BPA?

BPA is an industrial chemical used for production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate plastics are high performance transparent, rigid plastic used for food containers such as most transparent drinks bottles, infant feeding (baby) bottles, tableware (plates and mugs) and storage containers.

Epoxy resins are used to make protective coatings and linings for food and beverage cans and vats.

How do you know what has BPA in?

On the bottom of plastic containers there is generally a mobius loop symbol with the number 1 to 7 inside. For details of what is in each category check out our waste essentials article.

Current advice is, if you are concerned about BPA then to avoid category 3, 6 and 7 unless it specifically states on a separate label that the product is BPA free. A number of products labelled BPA free are in Category 7. This is a catch all for several different types of plastic including those that contain BPA as well as those that don’t.

Disposable drinks bottles

Like many people I regularly reuse water bottles. These are typically in the category 1 plastics (P.E.T). There is no BPA in PET bottles. These water bottles are designed to be recycled after use. However, reuse of these bottles is safe providing they are washed well.

Baby bottles

BPA has been banned from use in products for babies in Canada and many US states due to the health concerns. Many baby bottles will contain BPA unless it is specifically stated on the packaging that they are BPA free. This includes the major brands. However manufacturers such as Avent, Tommee Tippee and Pigeon have brought out BPA free alternatives. Although this is not always mentioned on the product itself so look for it on the packaging when you buy it.

How to reduce your exposure

• At your desk drink out of glass instead of clear plastic cups and bottles.
• Get hold of a BPA free plastic or metal drink bottle and refill from the tap.
• Buy from your local greengrocer and butcher. This way you can buy fresh and avoid products which have sat around in plastic packaging.
• Packaging with a category 2 HDPE (high density polyethylene), or a category 4 LDPE (low density polyethylene), or a category 5 PP (polypropylene), labels contain no BPA.
• Choose fresh or frozen food over tinned foods and food in polycarbonate containers.
• Don’t use polycarbonate plastics for warm food or drinks.
• If using baby formula, avoid liquid formula in cans. Powdered formula is better in terms of BPA exposure.

The range of commercial baby food you can get these days is extensive. Organic savoury or sweet options are available in jars and now in the freezer section. The packaging is generally recyclable. But how do the environmental impacts of commercial baby food stack up against home made?

Looking at the lifecycle steps of commercial and home made baby food, the energy required for creation of the commercial food is likely to be more due to the more complex transport and packaging requirements. Cooking up home made recipes in bulk works well as it reduces the chef’s work load as well as energy and washing up.

Commercial baby food can be great when you run out of time or when you are out and about. Preservatives, colours and flavours won’t be found in baby food for children under 12 months, but ascorbic acid is often added to make up for nutrient losses during processing.  An article by Choice magazine notes that the more processed the food is (ie jars and cans which are heat treated) the less heat sensitive vitamins are retained. The brands Baby boost; Organix; Little tummy tucker; and Motherly came out on top when describing exactly what ingredients they contain.

So for the time being I’m going to inflict my home made baby recipes on my daughter. The next decision I need to make is whether she goes veggie or whether she eats meat like her dad. If so the meat will of course be free range. Don’t get me started on animal welfare…..

If you need some ideas of what to cook and puree here are some useful sites:

Recipe ideas – Home made baby recipes

How to cook baby food – kidspot

What not to feed the baby – kidspot

Pre-vego week excesses
Ok, so I’m feeling slightly guilty about re-scheduling my vego week… all for an unrestricted dining and shopping spree with visiting li’l sis.
All that wining and dining has actually worked to my advantage, as I began this week seriously craving veggies!
It’s all about preparation!

I spent a significant amount of time trawling through my cookbooks for veggie-inspirations and to plan our week of meals. One of my favs – Nigella Express has a total of 2 vego mains – let’s just say, I had post-it notes in all of them!
While very conscious of keeping a balanced diet and substituting the protein we usually get from meat, it was harder than I thought!

Next, the shopping… OMG, my bags were heavy, and expensive! Alright, I admit to splurging on healthy gourmet & justifying it as I went – due to my hardship, obviously? Oh, boo hoo! Hardly! We’re in for loads of tasty treats, and my hubby even looked excited at the mountain of food I bought, and the prospect of a week of new dishes. Hmmm, I didn’t actually ask him to do this challenge with me…

Reformed carnivores…!?
So, this may turn out to be a diary of 2 reformed carnivores…. Although, perhaps I speak too soon…

SECOND INSTALLMENT – THE VEGGIE WEEK VERDICT
Menu successes… and failures…
Mexican scrambled eggs were a definite winner! Hubby liked them so much he requested them for breakfast as well as dinner. Although it does appear that Nigella Lawson has got her quantities wrong – served as dinner there was not enough, and as breakfast too much. I wasn’t as keen on chili in my breaky, nor onions for that matter but hey, made a good vego meal either way.
Busy week meant I was needing Jon to start dinner… let’s just say, I saved very little time, while on the phone explaining the new and not pre-prepared meals (he’s great with a curry paste in hand, to be fair!).
Oooops! BBQ blunder
Day 6, all well so far, and then, just on the home stretch I slip up, big time! Chatting away at a BBQ, as I am inclined to do, I lean in for the nibbles plate and pop something in my mouth… Literally, minutes later I gasp “ohhhhh, I just ate Prosciutto! And I’m supposed to be vegetarian!!! ”.
Day 7’s hangover was a lot to bear without bacon and eggs, I must say!
Aside for the little slip up (how much energy went into that highly cured meat?), I am feeling good that we must have reduced our footprint at least for this week.  Not sure about the outlandish “reformed carnivore” claim, although I have discovered new recipes, which will help incorporate at least 1-2 nights vego each week I think.

We’ve just had visitors staying with us from overseas. Obviously we wanted them to experience the full Aussie lifestyle, so the barbecue has been blazing away for a fortnight with a full farm of sausages and hamburgers washed down with plenty of Shiraz. I think I am more than ready to give up meat for just one, little week!

Day one.

Breakfast passes without incident. This will be the case until Saturday and Sunday when a combination of time, coffee and newspapers conspires to make bacon and eggs unavoidable.

At lunch I am in the supermarket. Lost. I pass the deli counter and go… where? What does a vegetarian put in a sandwich? Surely not just cheese? I rule out sandwiches for the week and settle on a jacket potato with a filling that (probably cheating) I find in the convenience section.

I am home from work to pea and halloumi fritters made by my lovely wife. I‘ll get her to share the recipe on this site; they’re great. She knows I like them and, seeing as she made me do this veggie week, I think she has made them to lessen the blow.

Day two.

Breakfast, tick (no time to fry). Lunch… here we go again. Surely not another potato? I am already bored of that. I head to the bakery and find a small vegetarian pizza. Very nice and no effort required.

Evening meal is another piece of motivation from my champion vegetarian wife. A chunky omelette with mushrooms and cheese (and imaginary ham).

Day three.

Toast, coffee, walk the dog. Still not experiencing any detrimental side-effects. Not feeling anything in fact. Should I be? But I am getting into the swing of this. I have mentioned vegetarian week to people at work and amid pitying looks and jokes about carrot sandwiches I am unearthing closet veggies offering recipes worth trying.

Lunch is a sandwich packed with beetroot, eggplant, swiss cheese and, yes, carrot! Its actually very nice and surprisingly filling.

More evening bribery. There’s no meat in the fridge so I eat what I am given – a vegetarian stir-fry. I avoid the tofu. Not ready for that.

Now, whats in store for day four???

lazy vegetable patch

Author: Julie

Lazy vegetable gardening

Lately it seems like everyone is starting to grow their own vegetables at home. It’s a good way to guarantee you’re getting local, organic food, and can be a really rewarding hobby.

You’ve probably seen the beautiful vegie patches on tv, with neatly ordered rows in sturdy planter boxes filling up nearly a whole backyard. They look great, but they also seem a little too time-consuming for someone with a busy life. Luckily, you don’t have to jump right into the deep end with vegetable gardening: you can get started in just one afternoon.

My husband and I have got a lovely little vegie patch, but we were far too slack to set up something like you see on tv. Plus, we didn’t even know if we would like gardening, or be any good at it. Here’s how we got started in 6 easy steps.

1. Set up a spot for your vegie garden
Pick a place you can get started in. It could be anywhere from 3 feet square to several metres, should get at least 6 hours of sunlight a day, and be easy to water. We pulled out a shrub we didn’t like that was close to one of our sprinklers and decided that was good enough to start with. A big rectangular pot near your outside tap is just as good.

2. Pick the vegies you want
There are so many vegetables you could be growing that it might seem hard to choose, but there’s an easy method: pick your favourites! What do your kids like, or what do you remember tasting better when you were a kid? Pick two or three to start with – don’t try to supply all your household needs at first. We decided on tomatoes, basil and beetroot for our test-run.

3. Gather your supplies and prepare the soil
Pretty much every garden centre has got seeds for sale, but I like the Diggers Club range too. If you’ve already got a compost bin, you’re in luck, otherwise you’ll need to buy some. If you’re using a big pot then you’ll want some potting mix as well. You’ll also need a bit of mulch: you can buy this, or make your own from garden prunings. If you’ve got some gardening friends, ask them if they’ve got any leftovers or spare supplies to get you started.

4. Get planting!
Follow the directions on the seed packets. If you’ve got some saved seeds from friends, a good average is to plant them a centimetre or two deep, about 15 cm apart. Water them in a little bit, then put mulch around them to stop weeds from popping up. It should only take 10 minutes to get them sorted out.

5. Mark on the calendar when you can expect to harvest
The first four steps above can be done in one afternoon, but now we get to the time-consuming part: waiting for your vegies to grow. Seed packets usually tell you when you can expect to get some produce. Write it down so you don’t forget to check on your plants!

6. Maintenance
Once every couple of days (when you’re watering, if doing that by hand) take 5 minutes to look over your seedlings. Check for bugs, snails and weeds. Pick off the bugs and snails, pluck the weeds out before they get too big. We generally stop hand-weeding when the vegetable plants are bigger than the weeds – usually the plants will outcrowd them if given a chance to get established.

Optional extras

Plant some tansy to attract ladybirds, who will eat any tiny bugs trying to snack on your vegetables.
Make a beer trap for snails and slaters – pop a jar in the ground with a bit of beer in it. The little ctters will jump in for the beer and not be able to get out, at which point you can collect them and dispose of them.

As you can see, it really doesn’t take long to get started with your own vegetable garden. In our first year, our beetroot didn’t work out so well, but we got tons of cherry tomatoes and lots of fresh basil.

We enjoy it so much that this year we’ve dug up some lawn and gotten one of those fancy planters – but we started with a sandy spot and three packets of seeds. Why not give it a go, just to see if you like it?

Cricket legend Brett Lee, world surfing champion Stephanie Gilmore and head of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Dr Rajendra Pachauri are among those who have made a pledge to support National Vegetarian Week, with television and radio personality Sami Lukis leading the charge as this year’s campaign ambassador.

Pledge to Try Veg is the theme of this year’s National Vegetarian Week (28 September – 4 October 2009) and Australians are encouraged to make a pledge either to try a plant-based meal, increase their plant based meals or commit to eating vegetarian for the week by visiting www.vegetarianweek.com.au. For every pledge, one dollar will be donated to the Great Barrier Reef Foundationⁱ to help fund research into protecting the national icon and tourism drawcard from environmental threats such as rising water temperatures and water acidification. If left unchecked, such issues could cause major problems such as coral bleaching and damage to reef ecosystems.ⁱⁱ

Sami Lukis, a vegetarian since the age of nine, said the purpose of National Vegetarian Week is to demonstrate that eating too much meat may have an impact on our health and a very real impact on the environment, and to inspire people to make small adjustments to their diet.

“We are not asking people to make a complete switch to a meat-free diet. Rather, we are encouraging them to consider how they can make a difference globally and within the skin they’re in, by eating more vegetarian meals. We need as many people as possible to make a pledge so we can help save our Reef, one of the seven natural wonders of the world and improve everyone’s health,” said Ms Lukis.

According to new Newspoll research commissioned by Sanitarium Health Food Company, seven out of 10 Australians are now eating plant-based mealsⁱⁱⁱ. The national survey of 1200 adults also showed a continuing trend in the belief that eating less meat and more plant-based foods improves overall health.

Sanitarium Accredited Practising Dietitian, Angela Saunders, said, “Including more plant based foods provides a number of health benefits including protection from common lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and some cancers.”

“People on plant-based diets eat more fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes which are naturally low in fat, and so manage their weight more easily. These foods also contribute more fibre, helping us feel full and reducing the need for snacking,” she added.

Part of National Vegetarian Week this year is to also raise awareness of how meat production negatively impacts the environment.

Livestock activity such as agriculture involving cattle and sheep is responsible for more than a third of all human-produced methane, a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide. While methane breaks down in less than 20 years, carbon dioxide stays around for 100 years or more. Cutting carbon dioxide emissions will have no effect on global warming for decades, but reducing methane by restricting our meat intake will make a difference very quickly.

For more information visit: www.vegetarianweek.com.au

________________________

ⁱ Maximum $5,000 donation
ⁱⁱ The effects of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is in grave danger of threats from climate change, the two most significant being water acidification (when the absorption of carbon dioxide by the ocean triggers a series of chemical reactions which make the water more acidic), and rising water temperatures. If left unchecked, the long term effects will be catastrophic. Already we are seeing the effects manifesting as coral bleaching. This occurs when small changes in the water chemistry cause the microorganisms that nourish the coral to be expelled from the coral, leaving it white, or bleached. Unless conditions return to normal within four to six weeks the coral will die. Bleaching not only effects coral populations, it also endangers many other organisms in larger reef ecosystems.(www.barrierreef.org)
ⁱⁱⁱ May 2009 SNS Newspoll survey