Oil and Food

Most of us know that we need to use fossil fuels to power our cars and houses (unless of course you use Solar Power), but many people are not aware that almost all non-organic foods use fossil fuels to help them grow. This is in the form of nitrogen based fertilisers as well as petroleum based pesticides. This has been one of the key reasons the global population has been able to expand so rapidly and remain fed over the last century. Further, as most food is also not eaten very close to where it is farmed, we also require additional fossil fuels to process, package, refrigerate and transport our foods.

Another interesting point that many people may not know, is that we are now at the point of “Peak Oil” – which basically means we have used up more oil than we have left, and most of that has been consumed within the last 50 years. Many industry experts predict that we are going to run out of oil by the end of this century.

Taking into account our reliance on fossil fuels to get food onto plates all around the world, in addition to the world’s ever-expanding population, you may be asking “What are we going to do when we have run out of oil?” Good question – although I think a better question would be: “What can we do to break this dependence right now?”

The good news in all this doom and gloom, is that there are many ways to break this dependence when it comes to food, and a lot of them are relatively easy:

· Buy as much organic produce as you can – yes it’s more expensive. But it’s also better for you. And when thinking about cost – ask yourself: What is our planet worth to you?

· Buy locally where possible – there are dozens of farmers markets in almost every city and town in the country which allow you to buy direct from local farmers and get great value for money

· Try and avoid heavily processed and packaged foods – especially those that come from overseas.

· Buy what is in season – if you’re buying fruit or vegetables that are out of season, then you can assume they’ve been transported into the country from overseas. As humans we need to stop expecting that we can have WHATEVER we want WHENEVER we want it and go back to thinking about foods as seasonal.

· Ideally - grow your own food – and grow some for friends and family if you can.

· Start a conversation – chat to your friends and colleagues about the many benefits of going organic.

We are incredibly lucky to be living in an era with so much choice, and choice can be a wonderful thing. But as the only guardians of the planet, I feel we have a responsibility to understand the impact our choices have, and to then choose accordingly. If you’re reading this – then you’re off to a good start!

Until next time,
Danin

For further reading on the above topics, you can find many interesting books and DVD’s at www.todae.com.au. Some to look out for are: The End of Suburbia DVD, Crude, Hungry Planet and Eating Fossil Fuels.

What Electricity?

Kris had a massive task ahead of her; to organise and perfectly execute an ‘electricity free’ party. It would require lateral thinking, creative ideas and most importantly, the cooperation of her guests. Worried that it was a little too left wing, she became determined to throw the best party of the year, and kick it to her cynical guests at the same time.
First and foremost was music. All guests were asked to bring an instrument of their own, from guitars to maracas to create their own musical mess. Luckily enough, there were a plethora of musicians on the guest-list, who are always ready and willing to provide some sweet sounds.
Second was lighting, and what better to create the ambience than 100% beeswax candles? They would burn all night, and last a lot longer than her guests.
Third? Food. Glorious food; this would take some preparation. Guests were served with old-school fairy bread, smoked salmon and dill canapés, corn fritters and a chocolate mud cake that was devoured within two minutes of its arrival.
Cup, plates, knives and forks took the form of bamboo. Not only are they reusable, but are completely biodegradable. Buckets of ice framed the backyard, as did recycled wine crates for benches and vintage chairs.
The early hours of the morning provided an ideal picture: smiling faces in a circle, faces lit up by candle light, all clutching their instruments and singing (some not so well) playful melodies and harmonies. Perfect.
Not only was it the party the best of the year, but everyone there learnt something. They learnt to think outside the square, to question, and that when we come together, beautiful moments can be created.

Kris

Todae Monthly Eco-Challenge

After great success and feedback from “The Plastic Diet”, I have decided to implement a community based day every month that aims to generate awareness around our actions and get people talking. I have come up with a wildly original and creative name for the exercise and decided to call it the “Todae Monthly Eco-Challenge”
The idea is to have a different challenge every month that only lasts for one day, without being too taxing or compromising, but that will still make a significant difference if everyone gets involved.
I have a bucket-load of ideas myself, although I wanted to get your ideas on what you think may be effective and fun. Please send your ideas to: thoughts@todae.com.au

Looking forward to your feedback,
Danin

The point of power...

Below is a letter I received from one of my colleagues, and I thought I would post it as it is a poignant insight into some of the issues and challenges we face personally and as a global community:

A 27 year old male bellows at one of my colleagues as she speaks about her ideas on the world, the environment, so innately and avidly. She knows he is joking, just stirring her environmental pot, but she wonders, ‘What is with this guy?’

So, one night, after they started getting riled up over how chickens are treated, she asked him, “Why is it, that every time we start talking about this stuff, you get all defensive and start throwing around judgemental slurs?”

She posed a rather interesting question and he responded with an even more interesting answer.

You see, there is a whole subconscious psychological process when it comes to dealing with environmental issues and after thinking about it, it becomes perfectly clear. In his own words, “it is easier to react to it this way. To make fun of it, to deny it, to pretend that it’s all a fallacy. Because if I actually acknowledge it, take it all in, I realise it is bigger than me. It is so overwhelming; I start to panic a little. So, for my own self preservation, I choose not to deal with it. Plus, it’s so far into the future, it is hard to comprehend.”

Dr. Steven Moffic states that our brains have never developed a built-in, natural response to dangers many years in the future, such as global warming. To recognise such danger, we need our rational thought processes to convince us that distant dangers are worth our attention.

These other more immediate demands influence one of our main psychological defence mechanisms as described almost 100 years ago by Sigmund Freud. That is denial. It is easy, and even necessary at times, to prioritize problems, and deny to ourselves the importance of other problems that we can't - or don't want to - attend at the moment. This can be conscious or unconscious denial. All this makes global warming, which is a threat that may not seem obvious for many years, easy to deny or put aside for now.

But, what will happen, if majority of us, like my friend, do put it aside? Will we wait until our rational thinking recognises immediate danger? The way I see it, we can do one of two things:

1. Deny, deny, deny and deny some more or;

2. Acknowledge, accept and react.

We DO have the power. We have the power as a collective group, as a species, to do amazing things and I have no doubt, that when it comes to the crunch, we will react as we have done in the past.

But the point of power is in the present moment. The point of power is now.

So, next time you think about any environmental issues, take note of your reaction.

Are you denying?

Beer at the Cricket

Although I cant confess to being a die hard sports fan, I do enjoy the odd game, and gladly accepted an invitation to watch Australia play New Zealand in the cricket recently. Being a warms summers day I looked forward to a refreshing ale while at the event although the thought of drinking out of a disposable plastic cup wasn’t quite as exciting.

I decided to bring my own glass with me and try my luck. When I reached the front of the line, I kindly asked for my beer in my own glass (actually it was a stainless steel mug) and my request was treated with a few odd looks amongst the staff. My response to this confusion was as such: “I am fine with the disposable plastic glasses, but unfortunately the planet I live on is allergic to them, so would you mind if I used my own glass?”

Well this aroused a certain cheer out of the staff and the supervisor gave the nod to allow them to furnish my glass with beer. When I got back my seat I found 3 distinct benefits from going to the trouble of bringing my own container: 1. I felt pretty good about not using a disposable cup. 2. Being an insulated container, it actually kept my drink a lot cooler than a thin plastic cup. 3. And best of all, I had discovered that I had actually been served 470ml of beer rather than the standard 420ml

What a winner!
Danin

The Story of Stuff

Hi,

Just a quick post to share something interesting. We came across this video a little while ago and I watched it again today and though it is something everyone should see. It gives an interesting insight into consumerism and "stuff."

I definitely recommend taking 20 minutes out and watching it.

Let us know what you think:

The Story of Stuff

Until next time,

Landon

Todae Online Eco Store

Australia Day

Australia Day means different things to different people. I feel it is a good time to reflect on ourselves and our relationship with our land. In this newsletter we are promoting only Australian products with the aim of generating awareness about purchasing locally.

Purchasing local products means they have less embodied energy in them than their international counterparts as they haven’t had to be shipped in or flown in from overseas. It can sometimes be very difficult finding locally made products when it comes to things like electronics, but when it comes down to food and household consumables such as cleaning products and body care, there are a multitude of fantastic locally made products to choose from.

As part of Todae’s product strategy, we will continue to support locally produced products, and are continually on the lookout for new products and ideas. If you know of any, please let us know at: thoughts@todae.com.au

Danin

Todae

Thoughts Into 2009

Hi,

As 2009 slowly gathers momentum (I cannot believe we are almost at February) at Todae's HQ the Todae Team have been talking about where this year will take us, we are facing new challenges. There are many questions that we have and there has been a lot of discussion around the office:

- What is Obama really going to do for the environment?

- Are we going to see even more severe natural disasters this year?

- What one product can reduce an individuals footprint the most?

- Can humans live sustainably with the planet?

So we thought we would open a forum to any questions, concerns or statements about this year. Feel free to ask anything and to contribute anything.

Hopefully we can answer your questions or just have an interesting discussion.

Thanks,

Landon

Todae Eco Store

A Good Start to 2009

2008 was a great year for us as we achieved a lot of milestones. At the end of last year we had a lot of hope for this year and it has got off to a great start.

Our solar installation at our Bondi Junction store has just reached 1mWh of solar power generated in just over 7 months. This is a momentous occasion and it means that the installation has generated 1,000 kWh's of power. This equates to being able to power a 15w CFL bulb for almost 8 years!

The Todae Team are really proud of this achievement.

You can see our guide to see how solar power works.

Let's hope 2009 continues to be a great year.

Until next time.

Landon

Todae Eco Store

A Good Week for Solar

And now for the good news:

All States in Australia have now announced a Feed In Tariff

The recent announcement that NSW would be introducing a Feed in Tariff in early 2009, now means that all states have confirmed that houses boasting solar power will be getting paid a higher rate for energy produced by their Solar Panels. So for example, ACT residents will get paid up to $0.60 per KwH for any energy produced by their solar panels. This is an increase of 3.88 times the standard rate paid for electricity.

The feed in tariff system was invented and pioneered in Germany and is the reason the German solar industry is the largest in the world.

Although the rates paid will differ in every state, most states still have a relatively small multiple at this point. Now that NSW has finally announced it will join the other states (which it clearly opposed in the past), it paves the way for a national feed in tariff that will hopefully be in line with the multiples paid in European countries, and hopefully not be restricted to residential installation only. This will then open the floodgates for businesses to invest in solar as positively geared investments (where the payback of the energy savings is more than the finance costs on the system), and this will have a dramatic increase on our uptake of Solar Power.

Danin

More information can be found here.