Eat More Organic! Four Corners TV programme .. on Dioxins, dangerous chemical crop spraying, in Australia ...

Am watching a vitally important programme on 4 Corners about chemical 2,4-D and its effects on health, our crops and the astounding fact that this well-known dioxin is still being sprayed as a herbicide and I believe as a pesticide in Australia.  Many of us were wrongly of the belief that dioxins had been banned long ago, in this country. Not so, it seems.

The point of the programme is that unsafe chemicals are still being used within our environment without our realising and that we are continuing to imbibe them whether through breathing the air, eating produce grown near where they've been distributed, drinking water seeping through from contaminated groundwater or directly by the people spraying the chemicals and their families who are then exposed to the chemicals as well.

Ten kilometres of chemical drift are occurring on to market gardening properties affecting the sex of the crops, causing two cobs to form and other types of plant deformities. When flowers and fruit form this is a particularly volatile time of impact.

One company had announced it was going to review the use of the chemical back in 1995 but as still taking action on the matter 11 years later.  The stories of Australian men back in the 1970s spraying  both 2,4-D and agent orange (that was banned) on to crops and weeds without protective masks, footwear and clothing who are deceased or dying from dioxin poisoning still all theses decades later are horribly shocking but must be seen, to convince us of the power of the chemicals industry and how we are still today so compliant in their every day administration.

Am watching this programme whilst typing, therefore some details need to be verified by watching the programme back on I View (given that I'm typing this in somewhat of a hurry).

http://www.abc.net.au/iview/?series=2303988#/series/2303988.

One really insidious aspect is the lack of information about the source of 2,4-D and insufficient testing and regulation abut the presence of dioxin, and the fact that toxicity can be minimised with enough care and attention.  What is astonishing is that the substances supplied by China, and being tested by 4 Corners representatives are allegedly of higher toxicity levels than were being used 20 years ago!

Go to the ABC - 4 Corners link above to watch back this compelling and shocking story.

If this is not sufficient food for thought to get more of us growing our own, or eating organic food, I don't know what is.

Moreland bluestone lanes

Brunswick's blue stone laneways have been saved for now thanks to local campaigning, which is great news for the local groundwater and stormwater drains.

What some people may not realise is that we need to increase our absorption of rainwater rather than creating more non-permeable surfaces which concrete usually is, unless it's been manufactured in a particular way, so as to absorb water.  When water runs off hard surfaces it inevitably carries pollution which consists of organic material, hydrocarbons, nutrients and pathogens which upset the chemical balance of our rivers and creeks, and leading to our wildlife becoming sick or perishing.  The groundwater needs replenishing, too, and even if the Council wanted to replace the lane ways they can do so by replacing the blue stone with materials which contribute to stormwater filtration.  Otherwise why not just save themselves the trouble and keep the blue stones, as they are so charming and really in keeping with the local area.

So far the heritage and cultural aspects appear to have been the main factor that I can see in the debate.  (This is one of those campaigns I would like to have joined just haven't been able to make the time.)

Moreland Council have probably been concerned with the maintenance of these lanes, as time goes on.   But ultimately whatever surface is there will need to be maintained.So, we don't need to get blue over bluestone!!

We went on a community garden tour. 

Bore Water not so boring after all

Being naughty blogging during my online classroom about sustainable water use. A lot of this we have covered in water sensitive urban design, aka WSUD.

My teacher is talking about bore water, golf courses (clear-felling of vegetation), high salinity in our soil, and all the things that interfere with our water table.  One of the things affecting our ground water, in Melbourne is surprise, surprise ... the increase in urban impervious surfaces.  And one of the culprits,  sorry to say,  is the building of extensive outdoor structures which often (though not always) consist of surfaces which repel storm- water (also known as non-permeable surfaces). What happens is rain-water gushes off concrete, paving and decking and in to drains, creeks, eventually polluting our seas (fats, acids, contaminants, pathogens, hydrocarbons, nutrient load. Oh, when will she stop bleeting on, I hear you reply!).   What our groundwater needs is more permeable surfaces : recharging or replenishing - not vast amounts of water being flushed down our drains!  A major ground water complaint is the problem with house cracking and doors shifting which I know so well in my house, with the attendant expenses and security problems which ensue (doors/windows not closing properly).

Remember: it is the extensive garden with its vegetation and soils, which filters the rain-water, and replenishes the water table.

Our teacher reminded us that we have to be careful with how much water we harvest in rainwater tanks, and what water harvesting can do to our water table, especially if large volumes of water get stored over time, rather than being discharged back on to the soil.

So one day I will finish writing the A to Z of all the reasons not to build up our outdoor garden areas.
It appears we have most of the letters covered already.   (See previous blogs.)

And who would have thought ground water could be so interesting.   http://www.toplinenursery.com/images/sal_water_cy2.jpg This is an interesting link.

Calling on all sustainable garden plotters

New York Greening

This is my latest bandwagon and am trying to galvanise fellow sustainability students and practitioners. 
Let's have a think about why gardens are gorgeous, good and holy. 
Gardens are Next to Godliness as they clean our air, they filter storm-water and groundwater, they give us oxygen, they are necessary for wildlife - habitats, pollination which are vital to our sustenance. They have minimal embedded energy. They are mostly child-play friendly. Gardens cool our environment, create shade, lower the urban heat island effect.  Provided the plants are hardy : drought/ flood tolerant, they mean minimal maintenance and can be long-lasting, easy on the pocket. Soft surfaces reduce water run-off substantially and ultimately the load on our stormwater systems, and ultimately our creeks, oceans. By developing a lawn and a garden these act as a carbon sink, and lower our demand for timber, quarried resources - especially those from unsustainable sources. (Compare outdoor rooms which use up resources like they are going out of fashion.)       
Gardens - getting down and dirty - is good for you!  You find muscles you thought you didn't have any more. 
So calling on all sustainable garden plotters, let's try to slow down the rapid expansion of the outdoor room, and the hardscaping of our landscapes, for all of the above reasons, and more.