The Omnivore’s Dilemma - A Natural History of Four Meals asks: “What are the consequences of being able to eat whatever you choose?”. Michael Pollan looks at industrial and alternative agricultures, and foraging, hunting and growing our own food. He concludes that our decisions on what to eat can have serious hidden consequences for our own health, and the health of the planet. Eating is a political act.
A free taster of the book - the introduction and first chapter - are available as a free PDF file.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), “19% of global electricity generation is taken for lighting— that’s more than is produced by hydro or nuclear stations, and about the same that’s produced from natural gas.”
Most people will now be familiar with CF or compact fluorescent light bulbs and the environmental benfits they bestow - they last much longer (roughly 10x) than conventional tungsten bulbs, they run cooler (so more power is used to make light rather than heat) and consume less than a quarter of the electricity for the same illumination levels.
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Last year I bought a plastic (recycled) compost bin from a company called Blackwall that were running an offer in conjunction with my local council. It cost £5, although I splashed out on a ‘base’ for the bin and a ‘compost caddy’ - a small plastic bin (complete with biodegradable, corn-starch liners) that you keep in the kitchen until there’s enough to warrant a trip to the main compost bin.
Using the compost bin hasn’t been hard and one of the most amazing features is how much will actually go in - just when you think it’s full, the layers start to compost and the heap shrinks, creating more space - simple!
The manufacturer, Blackwall have just sent me a copy of their latest catalogue ‘Even Greener’ and I thought some GreenVeg readers may be interested in some of the contents.
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