Rechargeable energy

I just recently bought a really good book with great tips for saving money. Some of the tips within the book are very much in line with looking after the environment (although that isn't of course the main object of the book). I for one have a few devices at home that require batteries as I'm sure do many people. However, it was not until last week that I learned that some rechargeable batteries are better than others. No, I don't mean with regard to brand names, I mean with regard to the mAH or milli amp hours. Basically to cut an explanation short, the higher the mAH on the batteries the longer they will last. So, for example I have a voice recorder for college lectures which takes AAA batteries. Apparently, the mAH on some of rechargeable batteries ranges from 600-850 mAH. I thought, "Typical, I bought the cheapest ones in the supermarket and therefore probably lost out" but as it happens I had 850 mAH batteries and was very impressed with myself. I popped into the local supermarket again to check other brands and yes, many of the well known ones are a bit of a disappointment. Furthermore, I checked the AA batteries that are always required around the house: TV remote controls, toys, torches etc, and these too can be anything up to 2500 mAH. While I don't have an expensive charger, it isn't very "green" to just throw my present one out and purchase a higher quality one. If you are thinking of making a purchase it might be wise to research one which might be more efficient.
So firstly:

BEAUTY-fully earth friendly

Breath of fresh air, almost literally.

Here's something refreshingly beautiful. A friend of mine found this little number in Boots chemist last week and I'm and delighted to get this picture that she took (Thanks Viv!). So nice to see that there are people working in the world of fashion and beauty who are also dedicated followers of the earth. I have just been checking out their website and they have a blog too. Their brushes consist of Bamboo and recycled aluminium and the bristles on the brushes are soft synthetic taklon. Its not just brushes though, they have cotton and hemp cosmetic bags and they try to make all their packaging reusable and their bath lotions and potions are all made with natural ingredients to look after you and the environment. OK OK so this is a bit of a girly blog then is it? Bored boys are you? Well you could always try and get something to impress a girlfriend by getting her a nice present of brushes or loofahs and bath pampering bits and pieces. Check out Boots if there is one near you and see what they have or better still check out their website for yourself. I know I will!

Click on the link to see for yourselves; Eco tools

The apple of my eye.

Pruned and proud 

Meet Elsie-Kate. Yes, Elsie-Kate. I'm afraid I have grown this attached to her already. I've wanted an apple tree for some time now and thought that I would have to get two for my back garden as I have been told that two is vital for pollination but then I realised that my neighbours had apple trees and started investigating. They have eating apples and I wanted the same (cooking apples not being a favorite of mine), so I ventured off to a good gardening centre and after a lot of advise and a crash course in tree care I arrived home with my prize. I had wanted to put it in a different location in the garden  as my summer bench usually sits here but needs must as this is the sunniest spot. Before long I was out with spade and trowl but as with many estates I and my young neighbour of 6 years of age, spent most of the time removing the 1000's of stones which are quite often a large portion of the new estates of Ireland's gardens. Still my own compost and some well rotted manure (neither personally belonging to me you understand!?) were added to welcome my new tree to its new resting place and so now its fingers crossed.

Anyway, the main reason I am adding this to my blog is that there are too few trees around new estates these days. I didn't realise for the first year that I was here that only the houses at the front of our estate included a cherry tree (non fruiting of course). I felt bad that we only had one tree on our plot and beautiful as it is it only blossoms for a couple of weeks every year but most of the houses had no trees at all. This is an issue I feel for the environment and us. As living, breathing human beings we need trees in order to give us oxygen. So this is one of my reasons for adding another to the small enough green areas of our planet. The other reason is home produce. So I'm slightly obsessed with it. I wont be sorry to pick a few fresh apples from my own back garden in a few years, maybe even one or two this year. Not having to go to the shop, fork out money for them and then wonder what they may have been sprayed with in order to keep them "fresh"....I'll take some of that thank you very much.

 This tree cost me €22. It didnt break the bank and if I take care of it, it will take care of me.

What is your opinion? Are there enough trees in your area giving you beautiful flowers, fragrance, produce or shade. Have you ever taken notice before and if not what do you think now?

Th'Ink well before purchase

I've been getting through alot of writing pads this year as I try to organise my lecture notes and I've taken care to buy as much recycled paper as possible etc. However, I have also gone through my fair share of pens too and its not so easy to find the right pen which in the end will be safe for the environment. I imagine the very best pens are the fountain pens with refillable ink and even better are the ones that dont require you to change the cartridge each time but simply fill the built in ink reserve. In reality though these can be messy and leak all over your work and other belongings so you want a good throw away pen that will last. Now I like my stationary as I may have mentioned in the past and a pen has to feel good when I write with it. I thought I had found it in one of those roller ball types so I made my purchase. You can also rub this ink out too with a special lid so I thought it really was the bees knees and it wrote like a dream....for 3 days...and then was empty! So I took it back and told the shop assistant my problem and she replaced it. It was empty in...3 days! Back I trotted a third time and it was once again replaced and I made sure to check that I got one with a full amount of ink in it. 3 days later it was gone. I hadn't written an excessive amount with it and I had much cheaper throw away pens that had lasted for months. What a waste of money and a terrible job for the environment. That was 3 pens over 9 days that possibly would head off to the landfill. 2 pens thrown out per week essentially. Business is business and I expect companies to make a profit but isn't this kind of wastefulness costing us excessive amounts (to purchase and clean up the waste) both in the shop and landfill and that's before we consider the environmental damage inflicted.

Do you know of any good pens that have done their fair share for the environment, advertise the plastic number symbol on them so that you know you can recycle them or simply a good pen that lasts a decent amount of time? Share your thoughts here.

Mark-et down to experience

Its not the first time I have written about the local market and its not likely to be the last. As you know I am very much in favor of them but for the last few weeks our local market has dwindled down to only 3 stalls and it really didn't look great. I go as much as I can to support them but they cannot live off my measly few pennies. So last week I was disappointed although not surprised to hear that they were packing up. So sad. Local fresh produce on the door step and we still seem to run to the supermarket for preserved and processed items. I had interviewed them twice on the radio to see if we could boost sales but alas, it was not to be.

I was delighted though to hear that they are going got put their heads together and try to revamp it with more stalls. There was a great buzz to begin with, with many stalls, but some of those left when they were offered places in larger indoor markets. Can you blame them? Well, forgive me but yes I can a little. If you commit to something then doesn't that mean that you stick with it? I dont want people to lose money but I think that for some of the stalls, they were lured away very easily.

 "No point in crying over spilled milk". So, they are doing the next best thing by picking themselves up and dusting themselves off and getting back to the drawing board.

Can I please ask just once more, that if you have a local market, look after it. Do buy in the local supermarket as well  as we dont want to see empty shops in our towns closed down and looking a sorry site but people in these markets are bringing you the best you could possibly get and with out this competition then the supermarkets win, takeover and charge you all sorts for God knows what. We have a Supervalue, Dunnes and Lidl in Charleville and now there is talk of a Tesco............HELLO, what will happen to our local small shops that have been trading for years? Do we not want any individuality anymore?

 "You never miss the water till the well runs dry".

Well see..

I'll have mine without Crap please.

No I'm not being rude. I was in the local supermarket recently and have started to ask for "proper" ham for our lunchtime, homemade sandwiches. Having learned that butchers and other people in the meat business inject the Lord knows what into our ham and other meat I am now specifically asking for the most natural ham supermarkets provide. So the last time I went up to the meat counter to ask for 8 slices of it and she asked me which ham I wanted (and me being a little sleepy still with brain not quite awake) I replied " the one without crap in it please" I realised immediately that I sounded a little rude but she didn't pick up on it. She was not baffled by my request, she knew immediately which ham I wanted. This is good isn't it? Well I suppose so but at the same time I thought, wow she must know that most ham contains injected fluids or as I put it unnecessary "crap". I mean she knew exactly what I meant and there was only one ham there that was in its "natural" state among a wide choice of the same type of meat, so although I am pleased, I am concerned too that there is so much meat that is interfered with and lets face it, there are a lot of foods that are preserved in many ways that we would probably be shocked to hear about
Perhaps we all need to be asking for food to come "without crap please!"

Having the choice

 If we reduce the unnecessary wrapping then
there us no need to worry about where it goes after the shopping
 is done.

Nothing drives me more mad than having to buy produce with a plastic wrapper. Yes, of course there are exceptions to the rule such as buying a pound of mince that simply cannot be thrown into a basket unwrapped for obvious reasons besides the fact that you would get some very odd looks, and also probably end up being quite ill. I went to my local supermarket today to get all the bits and pieces that are not so readily available in my own small town. I buy all my meat in the local butchers and visit the farmers market when I can but you know how a trip to the supermarket is unavoidable still. I try to buy as much fresh fruit and vegetables as I can so that I can stay away from the frozen food and ready made dinners. I'm not a fan unless I'm in dire straits! I made a vow to myself that wherever possible I will buy all of my fruit and vegetables loose so that I keep away from the plastic. It was impossible today. Absolutely impossible. The leeks were packaged and so were the mushrooms, lettuce, potatoes and everything else I needed. Oh, with the exception of 2 tomatoes and 2 onions which I found for myself. What is it with supermarkets? None of these items need plastic to grow and they come from the ground-yes soil or even MUD you could say. Its hardly to keep them clean. Most of the wrapping advises washing before use anyway. I was really mad today that I couldn't even make the choice of picking up loose veg over wrapped. Ok so there were brown bags in which to place loose mushrooms but they were gone, and all other types of which there were plenty were wrapped, and I could have had loose carrots from Spain instead of Ireland but my other half prefers new carrots and he eats so little veg anyway that I buy whatever he'll eat in order to give him the nutrients that keep him well. Anyone trying to look after a family would do the same. How long is it going to take before the supermarkets and the government (and the people in between) use their heads and make the change? It's so easy and without as much wrapping we have less to throw away and that includes food. I mean I might need 5 mushrooms for example but have 10 or more in a pack that usually go off in the end as I dont need so many.

Here is a challenge for you;

• Next time you go the the supermarket let me know if you were given the choice to pick loose fruit and veg over packaged. If you buy packaged take everything out that doesn't need a cover to stay fresh and see how much wrapping you have acquired at the end of the shopping run. Just put it on your table and look at how much you have. 

Could you change the way you shop? Will you ask the supermarkets to allow you to choose loose, fresh foods?

I really would like you to comment on this post and let me know your opinions. Dont mention brands of supermarkets but maybe by doing this other readers will follow suit in the battle against plastic and unnecessary waste. Its up to you to do your bit.

The cost of colour...

The cost of colour

The thing about college is there are a lot of assignments throughout the year and of course there are the projects that have deadlines ever before you need to study for the end of year exams. I ran out of colour ink today just when I wanted to start printing out one of those projects and have it completed and ready to go. Well I suppose its better to find out now than the night before which is always a possibility. Ink can be an expensive thing to replace now depending on the printer you have and what it demands. I wonder is it really costing the earth?

Thinking ahead....

I know this is not what you want to hear right now and we are still only in October but, if I don't say it now it will be too late. On my radio show for this Saturday (Natural Instinct on Bcradio.ie 2-3 pm) I have decided to talk about gadgets and Christmas presents...Urg! ...well yes, I suppose it is too early but I have trouble finding Eco friendly pressies and last year was the first time I tried. I did manage to get a Trevor Baylis radio online for me and the parents and in laws, which was a great success. A wind up radio with infra red torch and an ordinary torch. No batteries or mains required. Lovely. Happy days but, here I am again as I need to get ordering before everything is sold out and remember I need it delivered in time. Some shops do sell Eco friendly stuff but not many and I usually end up purchasing online. Ideally from within Ireland too if possible, and I was very disappointed when I realised the the Eco shop in Dublin had closed down. So back to work I went and found a few other shops, one in England and one in Ireland. I will leave the links below. So if your looking for a good stocking filler or even something a little more expensive read on ...........

A Sweet Review...

A cheerful and welcoming Dan Linehan

What an absolute delight to find this sweet shop up in Shandon in Cork. I met Dan Linehan today who owns this shop and it has been a family tradition for years. A once very busy area near the Butter Market and the Firkin Crane. Now a lot quieter but Dan is keeping the candle burning still. I mentioned in a previous page that we all need to support our local shops and markets and once again today I was reminded of the importance of this. How lovely to enter a shop where people are interested in how you are and what you have to say. How lovely is it that they want to tell you all about the history of their shop and its workings because they are so well crafted in what they do and are delighted to spend a few moments socialising with you. Yes they are salesmen and women but being interested in their customers is just as important. Many shops these days are polite and efficient but not too many even have the time to stop and spare you a minute. This is the sort of shop where you can almost step back in time. I have already decided that I will get a few jars of sweets as Christmas presents because the people they are planned for will instantly be reminded of their childhood in a very good way. Sweets are made in this store and so you know where the produce is coming from and Dan takes a swift look behind the counter as he serves me to check that everything is in good running order. If you live in the city of Cork then you really should go and investigate Linehan's.
 Within walking distance so no car journey or costs, a lovely historical trail of buildings to see on the way and supporting your local shop. If you live outside of Cork I suggest you find your own little piece of heaven before it's too late and these little shops are lost forever and if anyone of you reading this abroad ever comes to Cork City in Ireland for a holiday then you must ask for directions or take a tour that will include Linehans.Sweets that are very well priced and you can buy your bag of Bruss (the bits of broken sweet that are left over) for 30cents. Its perfect.
All I can say is I'll be going back again so get a few bags of sweets ready for me Dan!

A taste of home...

The English Market, Cork, Ireland

I have had a great week this week and as part of college our class went to look around the English market in Cork City. I go to my local market every Saturday unless I am away and love getting the fresh local produce. No travelling too far to do the weekly shop and even better, the food hasn't been travelling too far either! No preservatives or any nasties put into it. Just pure food, the way it should be. I must admit I never really go into the English Market when I am in the city but our trip really made me think twice. A market full of stalls containing fresh produce, butchers who know exactly where the meat comes from and prepare it from scratch unlike at supermarkets where with some products we probably cross our fingers and hope we are getting the best we can for our stomachs, but can never be too sure. Yes I know a lot of supermarkets are great and I'm not saying otherwise, just that knowing what farmer or farm the food comes from is a huge plus.

Saturday Farmers Market in Charleville, Co.Cork

Along with all of this healthy eating and local support, it  brings us back to a time when we actually spoke to and got to know our local butcher, baker or candle stick maker! The people at the English Market really went out of their way to help and educate us about their products. It wasn't all about making a fast buck. Ultimately of course they are there to make a living but if you wanted to learn about some other type of fish that you haven't tried etc, some of them will even go as far as telling
you a great recipe to put together. How nice is that? The same thing happens at my local market but it's on a much smaller scale. Have you noticed how the little, farmers markets are cropping up everywhere? Maybe it's because of the recession and our interest in growing our own or supporting locals, but either way its a great thing and it helps the environment whether we know it or not. So the next time you are out shopping take a look around your local farmers market. You dont need to do the whole weeks shopping there but you might learn a thing or two, enjoy the fresh taste of local food and make a few friends while your at it. If you go to the English Market you will be adding your 10cents worth to its history too and helping to keep it going for generations to come.

Take a look at the Slow Food website too: Click Here


Watch this American documentary if you can get it, but it is long. Failing that watch the trailer attached. It could really open your eyes to what can happen if we allow others to think for us. Click Here