THE END IS NIGH!

If you read Gavin's Blog (The Greening of Gavin), 

you will have seen this.  But it is so good, 

I have decided to post it here too, 

in the hope that it will reach more people. 

I like it because it is an easy-to-understand overview 

of what is happening in our world.  

It covers all the bases -  

capitalism's need for continuous economic growth, 

peak-oil, our over-reliance on

cheap money and energy,

the disintegration of the environment,

climate change...... 

I really like the fact that the author seems almost excited 

by the promise the crumbling of the world-as-we-know-it offers us - 

an opportunity to do it better.  

Have a look and see what you think.

Here is a link to the authors of the animation: Doing it Ourselves.

I am off outside to plant some more veggies!

It is Sunday! Must be time for a Rant!

I find myself living in a community which was horrendously affected and effected by the 2009 Black Saturday Bush-fires which ravaged huge swathes of this state.

More than 3 years have passed but the community is still reeling from the shock and aftermath of these events.  Even though a great deal of the infrastructure and housing has been built back: much of it bigger, grander and better than before;  it is the phychological, emotional, social, economic and environmental scars that continue to fester and ooze.

Mental illness, suicide, drug and alcohol problems, domestic violence, negativity, and bullying are all problems exacerbated by the isolation of the community, socio-economic issues, struggling small businesses, unemployment, low education levels, youth disengagement, lack of services, high cost of living,  etc.  Even the climate on the mountain contributes at this time of the year.  It is cold and heating costs high in an area where there is no mains gas and many rely on wood heating.

I have been thinking that this community is really a microcosm of the world at large.  It underwent a cataclysmic event in the space of a few days.  The world, on the other hand is undergoing its own series of cataclysmic events: GFC, european and american economies on their knees, climate change, expanding gaps between the rich and poor, peak-oil, shrinking resources...you get the drift.  Unfortunately many people cannot, or are unwilling to, put these together to see the whole...unlike my community where it happened so suddenly, people couldn't help but notice!

I am thinking, some of the things that may heal this community may, in the long run, also benefit the whole world.   Building a community that is self-sustaining in the areas of governance, economy, society and environment would benefit this community; as it would the whole world.

Unchecked growth, globalization and the elevation of money and wealth to the status of a god have brought us here.  Maybe localization can bring us back!...or at least allow us to continue in a sustainable way.

Check out these links:

Planet Kitchen

Post growth economies

Local Blu

Whether, weather,weather...

 Whether the weather be hot,

or whether the weather be cold

We'll weather the weather together,

Whether we like it or not.

But will we?

My low tech high/low thermometer.
Today's range 8.5 - 14 deg C.

I was already thinking about the weather because the rain put paid to my kitchen building plans and this was going to be a little light hearted post about that.

Mist rolling up the valley late this afternoon following a pretty soggy day.

Then I went wandering down the

Sweet Scented Pathwith Mrs B.  

She posted about a book she has been reading.

She included this quote from Paul Gilding's book, 'The great disruption'.

"It's time to stop just worrying about climate change, says Paul Gilding. Instead we need to brace for impact, because global crisis is no longer avoidable. The Great Disruption started in 2008, with spiking food and oil prices and dramatic ecological change like the melting polar icecap. It is not simply about fossil fuels and carbon footprints. We have come to the end of Economic Growth, Version  1.0, a world economy based on consumption and waste, where we lived beyond the means of our plant's ecosystems and resources." 

- from The Great Disruption: How the climate will transform the global economy by Paul Gilding

And even if it was only about fossil fuels...

The ordinary bloke over at

The Greening of Gavin

posted about Peak Oil today

and will be following up tomorrow.

Have a read. 

Of course, all over the news for weeks (months) we have had the pollies in Oz arguing about how to deal with global warming. I am so over their bickering and their Mickey Mouse 'solutions' which all involve fiddling at the edges of the problem...fiddling while Rome  The Earth burns.  If the Carbon 'tax' ever gets of the ground properly, at least it will be something.

But I am with Paul Gilding, we need to take a good look at the real problem....capitalism and the orchestrated consumerism we have all been lured into since WWII. All sorts of environmental (and humanitarian) disasters have been caused by the hunt for profit and our belief that we should have the biggest, newest, bestest, latest..... 

Money or the latest fashion/gadget isn't worth much if there isn't any world.   But it is so hard.  If you are trying to be an ethical consumer, advertising and packaging make it very difficult.

The lovely Rose is carrying out her own detective work over at 

The Greening Of Rose.

She is tracking down the sources of her daily food.

What is in the product,

where it is produced and packed...

and who owns the brand.

Even a humble carton of orange juice 

with the label 'Berri since 1943' and 'Australian Grown'

contains additives produced in China

and is owned by a multinational. 

It feels as if there isn't a lot the individual can do...
proselytize...but who will listen?

Vote...who for?

Another blogger, Nick,  over at , Make Believe, has made a few
changes to the way he lives now and is
making plans for the future after reading
Gilding's book.

So here I sit, chipping away, doing the little I can to make a difference.

Growing a few veggies,

turning off lights,

installing solar panels,

avoiding processed foods,
cooking from scratch,
eating mainly vegetarian,

keeping chooks,

ignoring advertising,

buying only what I must,

making do,

recycling, re-using, repurposing,

op-shopping,

volunteering,

reading,

educating myself about the issues,
trying to become self sufficient
(in skills and knowledge as well as the usual)

and blogging about it.

Whether the weather be hot,

or whether the weather be cold

We'll weather the weather together,
I hope,

Whether we like it or not.


Remember Winter Wednesday tomorrow.
Write something that is good about Winter
and join in the fun.