my thoughts on the planet this week

http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/ - Defending the Natural World and Promoting Peace

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/ - Independent Charity Protecting Historic Houses, Gardens, Forests, Woods, Beaches, Farmlands and More

http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/ - Stop Global Warming Movemeent To Stop Global Warming

http://www.treesforcities.org/ – Charity involved in Planting Trees

http://www.foe.co.uk/ - Friends Of The Earth Combatting Climate Change, Ensuring Recycling, Protectign Countryside and More

http://www.redcross.org.uk/index.asp?id=39992 - Humanitarian Organisation Helping People Facing Crisis

http://www.dec.org.uk/ - Disasters Emergency Committee Offering Overseas Aid

http://www.who.int/en/ - World Health Organisation Leadership Of Global Health Matters

 http://www.oxfam.org.uk/ - Charity organising many campaigns, environmental and ethical

http://www.bhf.org.uk/ - Fighting Heart Disease

http://www.wwf.org.uk/ - Leading Conservation Body

http://www.amnesty.org.uk/ - Campaigning for Rights and Protecting People

http://www.gosh.org/ - Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity

http://www.fsc.org/ - Independent Organisation Promoting Responsible Management of The World’s Forests

http://www.carbonmanagers.com/tree-planting.aspx?gclid=CPbAuM7lj5sCFUEA4wodCEAvoA - Corporate Tree Planting For Carbon Off-Setting

http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/helping/pat_life.html -Plant A Tree

http://www.wateraid.org/uk/ - Organisation that Provides Safe Water

Looking at architectural design and innovation towards eco-friendly habitats, I focus on the quirkily named ZED Factory, cool in every respect, they offer some innovative and sustainable architecture, in many forms, including housing projects as well as commercial endeavours. They offer Urban Design, Eco Refurbishment and Ethical  Development amongst other related services. The drive behind the business, Bill Dunster Architects, saw that ZedFactoryLtd was established in 1998. Eleven years on, I first saw their Garden Ark on display at the Grand Designs Live 2009 Exhibition held at the London Excel Centre. I thought I would share the information and research that I have found on this company, as I believe their concept to be worthy and recommended, one that is focused on looking at a better future,  a better business etiquette and ethics, and with an aim to reduce the carbon footprint.  They are involved in some social housing projects, which I would like to see the Governements tapping into for future eco-friendly housing design and maybe even push for sustainable eco-friendly design to be compulsory for all new builds.

There is the Garden Ark, which is a neat little human ‘pen’ as it were for the end of a large garden, as an extra addition to inside space on the outside space if you have enough it. It is made from trees, soil and grass, and maybe some sheeps wool in the mix as insulation. They are made with 100% sustainable materals, and wood approved and conserved by the FSC - Forest Stewerdship Council.

A neat little enclosure, that offers office space, a seating area as well as a toilet. You can stowe away all your secrets and treasures within this wonderful little compartment of escapism from the surroundings. Like a sweet little Hobbits house, I am quite certain that one could almost dwell within one quite happily as a Hobbit. I am sure it would bring much fun for children as a den at the end of a garden and a fantastic space to work in. You needn’t leave as it comes with its own lavatory, there’s no excuse or reason for this design not to satisfy your every need of having practical extra space or for use as a workplace.

Image / Conceptual Visualisation Provided By: http://www.chrisbeck.creators.co.uk

Coming complete with solar power panels and wind turbines, they really are an eco-friendly little box of  fun. I wish I could have one, as I am sure many do and will. Moving onto another of their designs;

The LandArk

The timber frame takes only 4 days with a team of 5 for this structure to be put together, the LandArk offers quick engineering and construction. For the frame, no metal fixings are required, as it is designed with jointing techniques, wedges and a machined frame to create a robust locked chain frame. The design is one that is thought out and is simple but technical. The nice thing about this one, is you really can inhabit it like it’s home, it really is the hobits house! Comes complete with its own bed, a balcony / terrace and shower. Offering 21st Century design, but offering one of the oldest of materials used for structures; wood. It is a great material and can be easily sourced and is renewable and sustainable when monitored and governed. The great thing abouth ZedFactory’s design, is the use of wood. It manages to camoflage its way into most landscapes without being aesthetically offensive, even when clad with a grey solar panel, they look like they are meant to be, like they mould into natural surroundings almost naked, the beauty of using wood, its simple, its natural, its not ugly.

Why not visit the ZedFactory Website: http://www.zedfactory.com/

There are many things that are our weakness. One of them being that we are only human from the off. Its amazing how we as people have the ability to learn and to be pioneering and inquisitvie in all that we do. Yet we are still blind to our greatest downfall. Consumerism and wants. We want food to be accessible and readily packed and picked for our money. We take no thought in how many items reach our doorstep, let alone the people involved from production through to manufacturing. There is the transportation, costs and needs in getting the items and components to package the very item being produced. The intensity for sourcing products then transporting them to a factory to ultimately be used for packaging or to be created into something else is astronomical if you look at everything on a grand scale. Your tinned tuna for example; The fishermen catch the fish, often using powered boats to do so. As highlighted recently, the methods of catching tuna is a problem to the ocean’s marine life itself. (Please watch the end of the line Movie about the devastating effects of overfishing). Then once the tuna has been caught it then gets taken back to shore, sold off at auction and then transported again to a factory.

At the factory, in some cases in South East Asian food industries, people are standing in lines like battery chickens and are meeting hefty targets to earn the little money they do. Recently this had the spotlight put on it by the BBC’S Blood Sweat & Takeaways Documentary programme. Once the tuna has been processed by hand by hundreds of workers, it is then canned, labelled and boxed ready for transportation. All the many processes and resources required for the tiny little tin of tuna are massive in comparison to its individual existence. Once canned and boxed it then gets transported again to its delivery destination and the irony is, it may yet see another transportation from store to home by car. Transportation may include aeroplanes, trains and lorries as well as cars when the consumer finally purchases their can of tuna and drives it home, which is more than likely the least impact caused in terms of total transportation emissions. Then there is the manufacturing process for the tins that the tuna comes in, then the labels and ink used for printing the labels. There is also the boxes for transportation as well as the water and other additives that go into the can of tuna itself. All the processes involved for the boxes, cans, ingredients and labels in producing, manufacturing and delivering them also are enormous. There is also the manufacturing and transportation of uniforms that the workers may be wearing, as well as instruments and machinery needed, increasing the transportation emissions further within this whole manufacturing process of canning tuna.

The seas are threatened by us and we need our seas and oceans healthy for survival. We are seeing Tokyo fish markets selling frozen tuna, it has been said it is an attempt at meeting consumer demand and maintaining stock levels, however this maybe not the case and the reality is that we are now emptying our seas and oceans of all of its resources at a rapid level, endangering many species, for which it is possibly not too late to do something about it now, if we act fast. We cannot turn back time and bring back other species that have faced extinction, but we can reserve what we have and have measures in place globally in order to sustain our seas and oceans fish stocks.

 There are many things that we can do. Plastic bags are an unpleasant by-product of consumerism and they have been seeing many public awareness campaigns, with supermarkets finally looking to meet consumer demand, educate their customers as well as themselves as a company, they are making an effort in order to reduce the usage of plastic carrier bags. Plastic bags end up in poorer countries amassed in plastic carrier ‘graves’ of the 21st Century, along with being mistaken for food and suffocating many marine life species, once they end up in the oceans. Then there is the problem of computers, and technology, often the carcasses of these unwanted items reach their final destination within poorer, developing countries, causing pollution and waste sites. Waste of all kinds get illegally dumped on a daily basis. With wealthier nations off-loading their unwanted nasties in other developing countries. The EU prohibits exports of rubbish and dump materials, but there is a high percentage of illegal waste disposal that continues, not just from the EU, but world wide in developing countries.  

Following Pictures Are From The Guardian:

These images highlight the enormity of the problem of pollution, and this is only in 3 different areas in terms of pollution afected areas. There are many more waste dump sites and other people and countries affected by this. I find the image of the child in the water surrounded by rubbish rather impacting. The photo depicts all the rubbish and waste and how the water has become contaminated. This water is the drinking water and only supply of water that is accessible and available to the local people, they bathe in it, they drink it, they cook with it. They also swim in it amongst the numerous plastic bags, food packaging items and other discarded items that are destined for a life of being known as rubbish. The really devestating fact of this, is that the child never chose to live surrounded by all the waste and toxins. This child will probably consume a tiny proportion of the planets resources within their lifetime in comparison to someone from a developed country. Another persons choices are the consequences of this individuals life and surrounding habitat and environment, it too being our environment also. If we continue to consume at suh a rapid rate, eventually these ‘dumping areas’ will become baron and unihabitable and maybe too full of rusbbish for anything else, when the spaces run out for where we can dispose of our everyday items, what then? When you go to buy something, think of how it has been transported, where it has been transported from, how much packaging it has, is it necessary that I buy a bag of potatoes, rather than loose potatoes and so on. Please for the environment, for your fellow humans, for yourself.  

Quite often we are confronted in circumstances in life that we don’t always like, and sometimes this comes from our own way of thinking also, which we are capable of changing. I am by no means going to be a hypocrite as I too don’t always like what life presents to us on a daily basis and can always look to change my way of thinking in terms of we as people could be more positive and productive, myself included.

 The thing is that the things that we are confronted with often change our perspective on a daily basis, dependent upon what we are actually experiencing at any given moment or period of time. The mechanism in a drill will eventually tire and break with enough use from being confronted with constant strain.

We face being being put under pressure from the moment we wake up. We have pressure upon us to get things done within a certain time, for example, breakfast is given its allotted time slot for the day, dependant upon your schedule this will mean waking up at 07.00am and to have breakfast by 07.15am, a further fifteen minutes to relax before you start your day then another 15 to do the necessaries like brushing your teeth and getting dressed, not forgetting your car keys and remembering to take dinner out of the freezer. A long day of further pressures lies ahead. Just getting through traffic is a pressure with it in mind that you are due to be somehwere within the hour and the suspense of will the road clear ahead or will I be late? takes hold whilst you sit in that traffic jam. 

You arrive at work either on time or late, you then proceed your day followed by a number of things that must be done, whilst also maybe organising a million and one other things that you as a  person need to do and then there’s the time after work that you spend seeing friends, family, paying the bills, arranging your diary, working on a hobby or going for a run, having dinner or relaxing etc.

We have such hurried lives and day to day there are issues that we are confronted with that maybe we don’t necessarily want, maybe didn’t realise that a sense of complacency had set in thats left you with the go with the flow approach without  even realising it. The current state of the world with all its misfortunes is a concern of mine and one that I seek to work on to maybe make a difference, (even if it is only a small difference). I have lately been too busy or distracted to actually write anything on my blog, a lack of inspiration and my mind being occupied with other things has held the posts at a halt for a while, however, the posts are coming back. 

Maybe, we are all under stress and all of us suffer from it, just with different ways and sometimes with displays of dealing with it. One persons threshold is different to that of anothers, likewise with opinions, favourite colours, foods and so on.   

Peoples concerns or what they are confronted with do differ from person to person. We are all different and sometimes people don’t understand or don’t want to change their opinions or attitudes, not necessarily because they don’t want to, as they are too busy in dealing with their own confrontations, whether it be that traffic jam, or the issues they are facing in their personal or professional lives, we are all capable of being oblivious to what surrounds us, myself included on many matters, but I do try to read and research and find out things just about life sometimes, I crave a need to know, a need to know why, a need to know how, a need to know because I am intrigued, I want to learn, I want to achieve just as much as anyone else does, maybe by my own standards, and lest we forget, we are all different, to achieve what you feel is right for you is important. Life has many facades, whether it be cruel, good, bad, happy, sad, beautiful, ugly, the environment, the economy, the wars, the violence, the love, the hate, the joy of family and friends….and so many more (you get the idea).

 The point being is that we all have different expectations and outlooks and we cannot all be the same, some are competitive and some are not. I think I fall in the latter category of non competitive. I try to avoid confrontation where possible as I like to consider myself a person who is neutral, neutral in the sense I just want to get along.

I write a blog on the confrontations of many things and I personally feel that it is an outlet for some of my frustrations, which I would hope reflects in my persona as to who I am and what I am about.

I am a creative person and often look to find creativity and inspiration in my every day life, it is a way to unwind from all that is the day and gives me something else to think about. Its also a way that I try to educate myself and hopefully others and make that difference that I always go on about. The difference here is, I have realised that sometimes people display their personas in different ways and we as people either adapt or don’t and sometimes there is just something that is really trivial in that. We can’t get along with everyone. But we can all co-exist, just maybe with abit more understanding?.

Yet again, another story about bad people. Lately I have seen other peoples bad decisions or wrong choices turn into a sour affair.

The problem here is that once again, it came down to money and it resulted in vandalism. There are people who are relentless and with no remorse or fear and with no intimidation from the police.

I do fear these types of people as they are quite predictably unwholesome characters with no respect, care or concern for anyone else and often only for want what they see fit, sometimes as revenge in the form of threats, violence or vandalism.  

As much as I would like for these people to conduct their affairs in a different manner, they won’t and they do still exist within our society. It is necessary and important that we as people look after oursleves and keep ourselves out of trouble. There are some who choose to keep themselves within menacing societies and they sometimes cause headlines within the news, it is not so glamourous for the victims concerned and I am thankful that I am only surrounded by caring and loving people with only good intentions. I chose my friends carefully in this life, even if with reason of selectiveness, I am not ashamed to say so, as, this is only one life, not a rehearsal and I can effectively change things within my life through my own choices.

As mentioned in one of my other posts, we all are capable of making the right choices, it would be a much better world if people could think a little more and make decisions on more important things rather than being bad natured or concerned with only money and greed.

 Greed is a terrible thing, along with the remainder of the ugly seven sins. We are capable of change, I only hope we all change things enough sooner rather than later. I mean in terms of the grand scheme of things, for instance, choices made, ways of thinking, attitudes towards our environment and planet, consideration towards our fellow humans, love instead of hatred anger, the list could be endless….

You get the idea….  

Influence, it can be a wonderful thing as well as sometimes being a terrible thing. But influence when wonderful is truly wonderful and almost animated with life and giving enormous surprise. I try to market my blog as much as possible in an effort to try and create awareness, I let those around me know of my blog and hope to influence as many as I can in hopefully a good and positive way, hoping to create some benefit.

Well, I visited my mum over the easter weekend and I was surprised to see that in her spring clean she had purchased an environmentally friendly cleaner. I read the label, it was biodegradable and proudly displaying in bright letters, it did not contain the nasties that can be found in bleach. My mum had already implemented small changes like recycling food packaging and re-using plastic bags or purchasing a more durable carrier bag that can be used time and time again. 

I never really thought that change could be so contagious. Some peoples attitudes or habits you can’t change but the good news is there are many that look for a positive effect of our lives on the planet and for future generations to come. Someone else I know also began to use a more durable re-usable carrier bag. I am yet to convince my mum of using Ecover for washing up liquid, but we are seeing progress. This progress also applies to myself and from this changing of habits I am by no means excluded, I too, learn all the time. I learn things about the environment, every day products we use, their effects and our effect on climate and the environment that surrounds us. My own personal effect is one that I am happy to announce and share with you all, as I hope you too will start a happy chain, with what you learn, you pass it on and so it becomes a mass operation of co-ordination towards seeing things differently as well as doing things differently.

Please have a read of my other posts in relation to water saving, energy saving, environmentally friendly products and so on. I would also like for those of you with experiences of your happy chain to leave a post or comment about how it went, is going or is not so going. I try to influence people but never really try to oppose their views or habits if it something they really do not want to change, I try and respect their decisions if they are of opposing attitudes and move to those who are willing and work with those who do want to change. Sometimes you can have an almost subliminal effect and it is interesting just how much some people do actually listen.

I have an extremely bad habit I am afraid to say and that is swearing too much. I like to think that I am a nice and good person only with good intentions, the swearing, I am sure sometimes gives the wrong impression of me, but I do get frustrated with life, with the minotiny, with the ignorance, with the bad, with wars, with humanities priorities, with materialism, with my own and others ignorance, with all the things that maybe my mind just won’t let rest and something tells me that I need to express these matters of my own concern and worries. I worry about the world, I worry about the future, I worry that we as people won’t do enough. If you have read this far, I hope you will visit the site again checking for new posts and may browse my other posts.

With regards to influence, if I have influenced you enough for you to make changes or show your support, whether it be for my blog, for envirnmental products, for a charity or other good cause, deed, to raise awareness on any topic or an act of human kindness, then try doing the influencing yourself, people do and will listen.

Try it, and I am going to try to cut out my swearing, which is something I tend to do in every day life and as of yet have not published a single profanity on my blog. As I said, sometimes this existence brings a lot of thought and a lot of responsibilty as well as all the previous mentioned niggles that I have with the basics of our every day life and existence.

The kyoto protocol reaches its expiration this coming December and a convention will be taking place in Copenhagen where the hope is that a more agressive approach is adopted in the fight against climate change.

The kyoto protocol, an international agreement involving the united nations focusing on climate change including a collective of 37 countries using industrious processes, is with an aim to implement targets to be reached in reducing the current levels of emissions. 

With over a century of industrial emissions the levels of these greenhouse gas emisssions were in need of attention and it was decided that monitoring of these emissions would be in place in an effort to try and dramatically reduce the output levels.

There is much debate as to whether the kyoto protocol is effective or not. Having done some research, there is an article on the opinion of a leading econimist detailing his opinion of introducing a global carbon tax, rather than what he considers an ineffective kyoto protocol. My first concern with a global carbon tax is that of will the money be spent wisely and will it not in effect create more industrious processes in that of red tape and all that bestows with it.

 One point is that of the percentages of emissions globally and of the reduced emissions of the 37 countries involved in the kyoto protocol. The conundrum is that of due to the number of countries involved being not enough to equate to effectiveness as the cost of reducing those emissions they report that with many countries not participating it equates to a much greater cost to those who are participating. Essentially, the 37 countries end up paying more as an almost penalty.

I really do not see the idea of a global carbon tax taking off to a fantastic start, mainly due to my sceptical mind thinking that introducing another tax is definately not the answer if any previous taxations are to go by. There are people that evade their tax every year, both legally and illegally, there is the rise in prices in food and petrol, but some, if not most people still spend. They will just find another thing to sacrifice or add it to their overdraft or credit card if in a position to do so. The belief that higher tax on petrol and so on will curb emissions is a laughable statement considering we are a planet of consimers with a long history of production and manufacturing to cater for this desired consumerism.

There are answers without adding to what we are currently experiencing as a recession at this current moment in time, even if not in a time of recession, it is proven that money is of no real value, yet we still strive for it to be of importance. With the importance of money in mind, (considering that it is what motivates most people, and rightly so as we need to earn and live). What use is money when there is no town to purchase goods or no place to spend money on clothes?, what if we really have depleted the planet of its useful elements and have intoxicated it beyond return? what use will the tax on the petrol be? and what use will peoples money be when it possibly comes to there being no town?

The real answer is in unity and cooperation and really allowing ourselves to be open to the innovative and imaginative. The problem is one that seems to baffle all and it is not a problem that can be seen to come to an agreeable and conceivable conclusion of positive action.

There are processes in place for us all to contribute to our defense in climate change, there is recycling in an attempt to reduce our use of resources. In the process of recycling, there is also the issue of emissions produced from the recycling process as well as emissions produced from the transportation of items to be recycled. There is a vicious cycle of problematic dysfunction, in that one resolution does reduce waste consumption, but it does not solve the problem entirely as it has another negative factor in that it contributes to emissions. There is no counter effect, it is one that also reduces but also increases. There is no solution it seems, other than to increase recycling emissions and lower the levels of resources consumption giving an unbalanced scale effect.

Governements should enforce higher expectations and standards of regulations for the manufacturing of items. There are many items that can be natural and with less of an impact on the environment than those current materials and processes used for manufacturing. Maybe there is not enough of more natural resources to go around, in fact no, there probably isn’t. The planets population increases and so does the level of consumerism, this is a natural part of life. But we have the kyoto protocol in place for a reason. I am not really aware of any other environment campaigns on such a grand scale ever being entertained. (Maybe there has been, and it’s either my age or I wasn’t really paying attention). But the point of the kyoto protocol is to make an effort in preserving what we have and looking after all that we have in gratitude, not with ignorance or an oblivious approach that is undeservadely due to the planet. We want to see more tomorrows, we live in hope and with hope has to come action. 

I would like to see the government make an effort in introducing electric cars at a significantly reduced price in order to lower car emissions as they apparently contribute to 30% of emissions. Of course, there will be the emissions involved in their production, maybe this could be carried out with as little impact on the environment as possible. Long term, maybe a mass of electric cars could make an improvement on todays current levels. If the concern is of money, in respect to the economy if we were to stop the purchase of petrol entirely, then there would be job losses and so on. Maybe we could create jobs by replacing petrol stations with wind powered battery stations instead, still being able to make money, but with a different material or product. Have battery stations where electric car owners can purchase re-charged batteries for the same cost as petrol based on to the mile usage. Sounds crazy, but maybe worth entertaining? 

Another point I would like to raise is that of the responsibility that is put on the consumer, when it could be more a choice of the government in the first instance. For example, Sainsbury’s have an organic range, where the fresh tomatoes are packaged in compostable and recyclable materials that take up hardly any space in comparison to the bulkier plastic packaging.  The only problem is that they do not appeal to every consumer as they are more expensive in comparison to other alternatives offered at a cheaper price. They do not reach a wide target audience as they do not meet every budget.

Recently, I have done many things for those around me, and I often try to change my habits and attitudes towards my every day living as a consumer and try to be a conscientious planet dweller. I try to avoid landfill and am a member of Free-cycle, a site that has built a community of sharers essentially, where members advertise their unwanted belongings, whether it be a book to the occasional car in an effort to give it to someone, rather than sell it, throw it out or see it go to landfill. One mans junk is another mans treasure as they say. (Please see the link to Free-cycle under the Blogroll to the right of this page) I recycle my clothes once I no longer want them, I use environmentally friendly products, I am more aware of our environment and what we can do in order to really achieve results in the battle against climate change and try to recycle all things recyclable. But as I always make mention to the masses and I will once again, it is important that we as people all contribute to a greener and cleaner future for our very precious planet. It after all, is just like us, in the sense we need water, nutrients and so on as the basic necessities in order to function. Just the same in the case of the planet, we cannot deplete and continue polluting the oceans and rivers waters, we need to treat the planet with respect and take good care of it, just as we need to with our own health, we need to keep the planet healthy. I have gone off on a bit of a tangent, but back to the point, which is that of human acts of kindness, living in London, which I call the anti-social place even though it likes to announce itself otherwise, I have been surprised by the generosity of others and have found many people around me to be of a giving nature. I received a gift in return of what I hadn’t even given thought to, all I did on a night out was give up some change for parking, and gave the waiter a tip (my own decision to do so) on behalf of all of us that were dining that evening. Of course the gift was greatly appreciated and gladly received, however I had given no thought that evening as to what could be considered my own generosity.

I then made a cake as a gift for someone else on their Birthday, and they had recalled a conversation without my knowledge at the time, of my mentioning to some polish sweets I had tried, that were plums covered in chocolate that I found to be truly delicious.

To my surprise I was greeted the following even by whom I had given the cake to and was expecting a slice of cake, but to my amazement, there were also some chocolate covered plums, which at first, didn’t even register in my brain upon taking back the container the cake was in. It had some scrunched up foil containing the wrapped cake, and another box. I then noticed what they were and I was, seriously astonished at the thought or remembering that had gone into it.

Again, greatly appreciated and gladly received. There was another instance where I recieved another gift out of the blue.

I was on my way home from work on the bus one day, which is something I don’t normally do as I can walk home from work. But this particular evening it was raining like hell and I was dripping in seconds, saturated with rain water, almost instantly. I huddled under the bus shelter and turned to see if there was a bus coming and lazily went one stop to get home. I was carrying a cake box, which had slices of cake in. Upon standing on the bus for the short journey, there were two young men who had enquired as to whats in the box and if it was cake, I replied, yes, where are you from? picking up on their welsh accents (I have a thing for accents). I of course jested at their initial comment of we’re from wales, that’s bad, isn’t it? by responding with a jokey yes whilst smiling with it already in mind that I would offer them a slice of cake. They too were smiling but were then almost defending themselves from their own comment, (being young and possibly confused?) I offered them a slice of cake, and they were taken aback by the offer, I said to them I am not joking, you are more than welcome to share a piece if you would like some, looking at each other almost confused, one then decided to accept the offer with a certain disbelief. I gave them a slice of cake and they happily devoured their halves in what seemed like seconds. I wished them a good evening and was then on my way home.

Now, onto another act of human kindeness; 

Myself and my partner once received a free boat trip from a complete stranger who had just purchased a new outboard motor and wanted to test it out but not go out alone on the waters in order to do so. I was sceptical at first of this man’s initial offer, being suspicious of him not knowing him and it was odd how the offer came to be as well. We were down at the mooring section along the coastline of Portsmouth and me and my partner had looked in either direction along the shore wondering whether we could walk along the coastline, rather than back through the fields to our tent at the campsite we where we were staying.

I had stopped and spoke to this man who was scruffily dressed in a green woolen hat wearing a bomber jacket, his hair was short and scruffy with the ends curling round his hat and at the back he had a long pigtail. I tried to initiate conversation in saying excuse me please. No response came from this man, and I initially thought is he ignoring me? I asked again, there was still no response, his back was turned to me to begin with and he had started to turn towards my direction. I then enquired again, and he saw my movements, abruptly explaining that he is deaf. I then asked him if  it was possible that we could walk along the coastline and he responded with no, its like quicksand, you will probably get stuck in there if you tried to walk through it, he strongly advised against it. I thanked him for his help and as he walked towards his american style pick-up truck that was of the modern expensive variety, I thought how odd that he has such an expensive looking car, obviously being slightly judgemental on this occasion.

Me and my partner headed back the way way we came up the hill towards the meadow fields to start the walk back to our tent. As we were walking up the hill, the man started to gain speed walking towards us. He stopped us and kept repeating, look, I am not being funny or anything, but would you like to come and join me on my boat? I am not being funny, which he repeatedly said. He explained that he wanted to test his new outboard motor and didn’t really fancy going it alone should it be faulty or not work for any reason not wanting to get stranded out on the water. He asked us to meet him down where we were talking before in 45 minutes if we wanted to go, also explaining that he didn’t want any money as it is not allowed as he is not licensed with his boat for hire, he said we would have to wear life jackets too. He advised us that we should go and get some warmer clothes on as despite it being a warm sunny day we would surely get cold out on the water. He said we didn’t have to go if we didn’t want to and that he was not being funny or anything, he said he would understand if we didn’t want to go, but the offer is open and if we want to go, to just be back where we met once we have some warm clothes. Again adding yet another time, I’m not being funny, I am not being funny or anything.   

We parted and we walked back towards the direction of the tent. As we were walking back I was deliberating on whether or not to go and my partner was quite up for it. I had said that we don’t know him, he is a stranger and he seemed a little strange. What if something was to happen? I remember thinking. I then decided that I was with my Fiance and that maybe on this occasion I should not be worrying as I could after all be missing out on a great experience of a boat trip that had been offered for free! We  then picked up pace to go and get some jumpers, got to the tent and gathered our warmer clothing. We then paced back through the meadows down the windy road that led to the hill that leads to the shore. We arrived and I remember looking up and down the jetty saying to my fiance, I hope its not that boat, or that one, they were the ones that looked like they might not make it anywhere and were old and worn. Then I remember seeing one almost at the very end of the jetty and I said it would be nice if it is that one, that looks like one of the best moored here. The man then approached us and we set along down the jetty and as we passed each of the old boats. I was thinking, great its not that shabby one nor that one then we were pretty much at the end of the jetty and were offered to get on board a lovely little boat that was almost like new.

 We sat at the back behind the man as he was standing at the wheel. We set off and no life jackets were worn but we were safe and he was an experienced captain with his knowledge of the English Channel, but maybe a nervous driver. He took us all along the shore, past the Spinnaker tower in Portsmouth and showed us his fish radar that he had invested in for fishing. The sun was shining and in the distance there were rain showers that looked like vertical tubes peeping from the skies clouds that were streaming water into the ocean. We were no where near the rain and the sky was magnificent in its many contrasting weathers and tones.

We were out on the water for almost 3 hours and enjoyed the voyage very much. The man had explained to us that he had not always been deaf and it was due to an accident where he fell and hit his head when he was a younger man. It had left him in a coma and as a result when he woke up, he was deaf and left partially disabled having to learn most things all over again. He was very open in explaining his circumstances and explained that his car and the boat were purchases that he made with the compensation he received for his injury. He said he enjoyed being out on the water, that it is something he can do and that it makes him happy as it is a way of his coping with his circumstances also. He showed us a video camera and the footage it contained of, I think it was his nephew when they were out on the boat one day, they had gone sea fishing and the nephew was proudly displaying a large ray that he had caught on the day.

This man that we initially knew nothing about, had shared many things with us including his generosity. When we headed back to the jetty and the boat had been parked, which the man did seem slightly nervous upon doing so when in reverse, we thanked him many times and offered something in return obviously not money as hat was as initial request in asking us not to pay. We asked if he drinked and he said that he didn’t drink, we said are you sure that there is nothing at all that we can get you? Again, he said really, no. He thanked us also for joining him and asked that all we do, is that if one day we ever have the opportunity or are in a position to do the same or a similar thing for someone else, that we do so, so that you pass on the something to give to another rather than himself. We thanked him again and I said that I can’t believe how nice he had been and that there was never an occasion that I had expereinced where a complete stranger was so nice and I thanked him for that. Thankfully my initial reaction of he could be a crazy psychopath  was put to the back of my mind and I had given him the benefit of the doubt and succumbed to the fact that maybe I was being paranoid, I am glad that it was a happy ending and not a massacre, but by giving him the benefit of the doubt we all experienced a wonderful afternoon of sunshine, sea and humanity in possibly the most generous and beautiful ways.

The point of this piece is that life can be good, and yes, there are bad people that also exist. The planet does not just contain beauty, peace, harmony and generosity, but also hate, anger, racism, violence and ugliness.

But when good things happen, it shows that there is still good to be seen in people and that there are those who are good natured without any sinister reasons or actions and they are examples that should be noticed by all in order for society to be one that works together in being helpful towards its fellow humans and the planet.

All I ask you after reading this; 

If you are not someone who already gives any random gesture, that you do so, and when given the opportunity, you also are an example like one of the many people in the stories mentioned above. Whether it be helping someone, recycling, offering compassion and friendship, giving a gift in appreciation, offering advice, or just a listening ear amongst many other possibilities, everyone can be generous and all walks of life have something they can offer or give to society.  

Changing your habits will have an effect on others and the environment, help towards peace, happiness and a harmonious society. All it takes is a bit of thought and effort.

(Please read my other posts on recycling and more earth friendly topics)  

I personally used incense sticks as a fragrance for the home and I often found it quite calming and relaxing, I have just researched for more information on them and they too, are toxic. Carbon Monoxide being one of thier deadly emissions.

http://www.naturalnews.com/021598.html - Article on Incense sticks

I have never really been into air fresheners in the form of aerosol sprays as I had read somewhere that they can decrease lung strength or capacity and they are not natural so that also gives the game away a bit. I will admit that almost two years ago, I did purchase a glade plug in air freshener, but after reading the small print and the warnings advice that you often get on many household chemical infested products, I am sorry to say that the electrical unit for the device when into the bin and on its way to landfill. I recall having read the information on the box and it stated that you should dispose of the unit and the refill fragrance carefully and properly as the chemicals used may cause environmental damage, especially to fish. After having thisread the provided information, I was left feeling a little put out as a consumer who was exposed to this apparent acceptance of chemicals that can cause harm being manufactured and produced to reach demand and fill thousands, if not millions of homes, not just across the UK, but worldwide.

I have copied the details of the information as provided on the packaging from a famous supermarket’s online shopping website:

Preparation

Toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic environment. Do not empty into drains. Use only as directed. Do not touch the unit with wet hands or metallic objects while in use. Do not allow children to play with this unit. The unit may become slightly warm while is use. Do not allow materials of any kind to cover the unit. Unplug when the bottle is empty, replace the bottle only when the unit is unplugged. If spilled, wipe up the perfume immediately. Some fragrances damage certain surfaces. Do not place on or use within 50 cm of plastic, painted or polished surfaces. Never plug another appliance or cable in an outlet above the warmer unit. If skin contact should occur, wash with soap and water. In case of accidental contact with eyes, rinse well with water. Seek medical attention if irritation persists. Retain the outer carton for full use and safety instructions. Do not touch the wick. For cleaning, unplug the unit and use a dry cloth or paper towel. Contains 2,4-dimethylcyclohex-3-ene-1-carbaldehyde, octahydro-5-methoxy- 4,7-methano-1h-indene-2-carboxaldehyde, citral, (R)-p-mentha-1,8-diene. May produce an allergic reaction. 

DANGEROUS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

 End of Product Information

 Well, in capital letters, it states DANGEROUS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT amongst the other points that it is toxic to fish and so on. I have done my research on these plug-in air freshener units and the information that can be found on them has been that of people’s pet birds have died from exposure to the Plug-in, along with goldfish and other aquatic pet fish having died for the same reasons, there are also stories and news reports of the plug-in air freshener’s causing many house fires.

Link to Daily Mail article on house fire caused by plug-in air freshener:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-497446/Plug-air-freshener-overheats-sparks-house-fire.html

Link to The Air Purifier Guru Article on House Fire Caused by Plug-In Air Freshener:

http://www.airpurifierguru.com/wst_page5.html

Link to PHYSORG.com – Research on AIr Fresheners, Laundry Detergents….. Good read as their reseach showed that once the laundry product was used it then gave off chemicals which were not listed in the ingredients that are regulated as toxic or hazardous by law…

http://www.physorg.com/news136035644.html

Links to further reading on the toxicity and effects of plug-in air fresheners:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/air-fresheners-easy-greening.html

http://www.mcs-global.org/Documents/PDFs/AirFeshenersandPlugins.pdf

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/371779_toxicfragrance23.html

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/371779_toxicfragrance23.html

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=64952§ionid=3510210

http://www.ei-resource.org/myblog/Study-Says-Fragrances-are-Toxic-Fragrance-Industry-Says-they-Are-Not.html

http://www.schoolmoldhelp.org/content/view/1298/42/

http://www.african-grey-parrots.co.uk/parrot-articles/home-hazards-for-african-greys.html

There was at one point a while back, an urban myth on the dangers and hazards of plug-in air fresheners, people thought it was a disgruntled employee having a stab back or that the manufacturers would not unleash onto the public something that was hazardous. The research that was carried out was some time after the urban myth evolved and proves the point that there are houselhold products available to purchase which can be harmful and damaging to both health and the environment. I suspect that it is no myth, I am not an ex-employee and my only reason for writing this piece is my efforts to hopefully change peoples view points, attitudes and habits for the better and hopefully provide some informative and educating reading.  

Maybe this article will help raise awareness and encourage people to share their experiences and stories on the subject. My opinion is that the plug-in air fresheners regardless of the information I have found on them through research, are an unecessary item that displays the blind consumerism of many, is a product that clearly states it is dangerous and adds to the already surmountable landfill.

Don’t Leave Electrical Appliances on Standby

Many of us with use the remote to switch off the TV or stereo, leaving the appliance running on standby.

This actually means the appliance is still using up electricity and wastes a considerable amount of energy. By switching off at the main power button, or even the socket, you could be saving both energy and money.

Items left on standby use up to 85% of the energy they would use if fully switched on. An extra million tonnes of carbon will be released into the atmosphere through this power wastage.

Tumble Dryer

Electric tumble dryers are commonly the second biggest energy user in the home, after the fridge. They are obviously used a lot less, but still use a huge amount of electricity when switched on.

You can avoid using the dryer so often by line drying clothes whenever possible or using an indoor clothes dryer when the weather is bad.

If you do need to use the dryer, then ensure the clothes are as dry as possible after washing, eg, they have gone through a fast spin so that there is minimum excess water. This will reduce drying time considerably.

Lighting

In most homes, about 10-15% of the electricity bill is for lighting so energy saving light bulbs can cut your costs considerably. Traditional bulbs waste a lot of energy by turning it into heat but energy saving bulbs work in the same way as fluorescent lights, the tubes coating glows brightly as an electric current passed through gas in the tube.

They may be more expensive to buy than traditional bulbs, but they are worth the investment as last over 10 times longer and use up to 4 times less energy. Where you would use a 100w ordinary bulb, you would only need a 20-25w energy saving bulb. With savings like this, changing bulbs throughout your house could really cut your electricity costs.

No matter what type of lighting you are using, always turn the lights off when you leave a room.

Solar Garden Lights

There are a number of different solar powered lights available at the moment for use in the garden. These lights are highly energy efficient and convenient as do not require external extension leads or special electric fittings. These lights contain solar cells which convert the suns energy into electricity. They charge up during the daylight and light up as it gets dark. They are not usually hugely bright but are less intrusive than electric lights and look nice in the flowerbeds.

Economical Washing and Drying

Your washing machine and tumble dryer are two of the appliances in your home that use the most energy. You may not be able to cut down how often you use them, but you can make some small changes to how you use them that will help you save energy and money.

When using the washing machine, between 85-90% of energy is used just to heat up the water. Therefore, dropping the water temperature of your wash could significantly decrease your energy consumption. Over a year, by using a warm wash rather than a hot wash, you could cut consumption nearly in half.

Other tips for conserving energy when washing are: Only use the machine when you have a full load, and if you have to do a smaller wash, use the half load function. The spin on the machine may mean that more energy is used but by spinning your clothes you are removing more excess water, therefore reducing your drying time in a tumble dryer.

Fix a Dripping Tap

A dripping tap can be not only annoying but if it is a hot tap it can cost you in both water costs and water heating costs.

If left to drip, over time a hot tap can waste enough water to fill half a bath. So don’t pour water and your heating costs down the drain, make sure you fix it.

Efficient Cooking

There are a few easy ways to save energy when cooking which can also speed up the amount of time you spend over a hot stove. Always use the correct size pan, and when heating water only use the amount you need so the electricity is not burning unnecessarily to heat the excess.

If only using a small pan, then use a smaller burner. Boiling water in the kettle first will save the time the burner needs to heat the water, and putting a lid on will help it come to a boil quicker.

When making a cup of tea, only boil the amount of water that you need. Boiling a full kettle unnecessarily is a waste of electricity.

Fridge and Freezer

The location of your fridge can make a difference in how energy efficient it is. Make sure it is out of direct sunlight and not close to the oven. It is best to keep it against an outside wall so that the heat it generates can escape easily, and always make sure that there is a few inches space all around the fridge so that air can circulate.

Make sure you defrost your fridge and freezer on a regular basis or whenever necessary. An iced up freezer will make the freezer work harder, therefore wasting more energy than needed. Only set your fridge to as cold as you need it and avoid keeping the door open for long periods of time as the more cold air that escapes, the harder the fridge has to work. You should check the seal regularly as well, as if it is damaged then cold air will be escaping also.

You should never put warm or hot food into the fridge as this will make the fridge work extra hard to try and keep it cold; always allow food to cool down first.

Another good tip is to defrost frozen food in the fridge as this helps to keep it cool as it thaws.

Towel radiators can be expensive to run, so where possible keep them turned off when not needed.
However, some towel rails cannot be switched off manually and will run whenever your heating is on. 

Radiator reflectors - Reflector panels can prevent heat loss and increase the temperature in a room.

Use a duvet with a high enough tog to keep you warm without having to use your heating unnecessarily

A PowerDown can save you money by turning off all scanners, printers etc when the main desktop unit is switched off. A laptop version will be available soon.

Kids can play a part in saving energy too. Teach them to turn off electrical items when not in use, rather than leave them on standby to save money and energy.

Single glaze windows lose up to 20% of the heat in your home. Whether you install double glazing for security, home improvement or noise reduction, you’re saving money on your heating bills.