Concern about chemicals. Is the concern only in relation to the bomb-making brigade? Do chemicals of environmental threat get the same concern from the Attorney-General?

We don't often talk about chemicals.  Well, we do talk about some chemicals - fluoride, vaccinations, safe consumer products.  There is tucked away in the Commonwealth Department of Health an agency with the cute name of NICNAS - the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assesment Scheme.

However, the Attorney-General has some concerns.





The Australian Attorney-General is Senator George Brandis.  It needs to be noted that George, a libertarian of some note, has not been travelling to well politically this week.
http://goo.gl/PaGtWF
http://goo.gl/EVKxqY
http://goo.gl/1l69Mw

The Attorney-General -  well, his department actually - wants to receive submissions up to August 27, 2014. Please for here for details of what is required and how a submission can be made.   

I have no opinion on this because I don't know what the existing situation is. So I have no idea whether this matter can lead to an overreach or it might lead to sensible and necessary regulation.

I am concerned though - because George has background and form.

The Abbott Government of which George is a member seems to want over-reaching freedoms of a most dastardly kind for their friends such as employer organisations and wealthy institutions while cracking down in many ways on lesser mortals.  So until someone well-qualified  advises me otherwise, I am suspicious.

I am more concerned about the adverse impact on the environment and living species of manufactured chemicals.  I wonder if George shares my concern.  Again, a well-qualified adviser might like to enter into converse with me on this matter.

Travelling light in a world of increasing consumption

This has come to me from jonny baker's blog. I think it is wonderful.

If you don't own the latest thing,

it won't go out of date.

If you don't own much,

you won't have much to lose.

If you own next to nothing,

you won't worry about ending up with nothing.

If you own less than you want,

you will still have more than you need.

If you spend less money on things,

you can spend more time on you.

If you own less, you will value it more.

If you own only what you can carry,

you will carry less baggage around with you.
Travel light. 

Art, Waste and Consumption

How Abstract Art Can Change The Way You See Waste And Consumption In America

The Huffington Post  | By Priscilla Frank

If you're a human being who goes on the internet or wanders outdoors from time to time, you know this is a precarious time for planet Earth. While often the message is delivered in the forms of alarming headlines or dire infographics, we rarely see a call for conservation that looks as beautiful as this:

Brian Belott, Clooz

This colorful abstract image isn't your typical illustration of consumption and waste, but the mixed media assemblage of reused materials certainly strikes a chord. It offers no scolding, no morals, no parting principles. But something about the image sticks -- a suggestion of waste's beauty, of its potential and ours.

'Posted: 07/21/2014 9:15 am EDT Updated: 07/22/2014 11:59 am EDT

For more please go here

From the late great Pete Seeger - how we should use stuff, how we should manage stuff, how we should continue the life of stuff

Buy, Make, Thrift, Swap, Borrow, Use What You Have

If you haven't come across Maslow's Hierearch of Needs before,

please go here

Govt strategies make boring reading - but to make change one has to begin at the beginning, as the King said in Alice in Wonderland

Here is the Waste Strategy for Ballarat, the city where I live. I know it looks boring but what I would like to know is - do you think it does the trick? Does it help people to REALLY know how and what to recycle?

Tackling food waste

Dear Waste Wielders,

Sometimes it would be great to have a jet aircraft or time machine at one's beck and call.  And if I had some marvellous free transport near at hand, I would be off to New York City for this event.  Food, food waste, composting etc are topics of great interest to me.  

It appears that a star-studded cast has been assembled for this foodtank event.

I live in Ballarat - and I would love to have such an event with speakers of this calibre speaking here.  Locally, if such an event were to take place in Ballarat, we might have some speakers to touch on the topics of the waste associated with the destruction of  fruit trees because the processor won't give producers contracts; the waste if low supermarket prices drive dairy farmers from their farms or into other forms of food production.

There are three things that keeps us alive - clean air, clean water, fresh food.  While we are working to alert the world to Climate Change and renewable energy, we ignore at our peril this trinity of basics.  Included in this short list are the background issues - good, sound, productive soil; regulation of any interference or possible interference with the cleanliness and freshness of our air, water and food; the maintenance of fair livelihoods.

So can we have a big think and discussion about this?

Blessings from Miss Eagle ~~~

EVENT: FOOD WASTE FREE NYC 

A very special evening discussion bringing together the New York City food movement for food waste awareness week. Hosted by Food Tank: The Food Think Tank

Sept 19th 5:30PM to 7:30PM EST

The Snapple Theater, 1627 Broadway, New York, NY, 10019

Musical Guest:

Jen Chapin, singer/songwriter

Speakers:

Jonathan Bloom, author of American Wasteland

Emily M. Broad Leib, Director of Food Law & Policy at Harvard Law School

Mary Cleaver, the Green Table: Cleaver Company

Christine Datz-Romero, Lower East Side Ecology Center

Kevin Duffy, City Harvest

Elise Golan, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Dana Gunders, Natural Resources Defense Council 

Brian Halweil, Edible Communities

Diane Hatz, Change Food and Tedx Manhattan

Stephanie Hanson, One Acre Fund

Danielle Nierenberg, Food Tank

Nick Nuttall, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Gary Oppenheimer, AmpleHarvest.org

Tristram Stuart, Feeding the 5000

and many more to be announced soon!

Drinks and light snacks included!

$25 donation. Limited tickets available, purchase now. 

If you have any questions, please call 202-590-1037 or email danielle@foodtank.org.