Emissions target consultation announced

The government has announced public consultation on the emissions target it should take to Copenhagen in December.

Oxfam and Greenpeace advocate a 40% reduction in 1990 emissions by 2020.

The Wellington consultation meeting is on 6 July at Te Papa.

The people around me are awesome

From the friends who are trying to find ways to compost although they don't have gardens, to my dad who helped me adapt the brackets on my curtain rail so I wouldn't have to get a whole new one, to the guy next to me on the plane who got his own bottle refilled with water instead of getting a plastic cup—you all rock!

Sign On

I've signed the Greenpeace petition, Sign On.

The site is worth poking around in too, there's some good information.

BTW, when they say "40% reduction in emissions by 2020", they mean 40% of 1990 levels.

Do green cleaners kill germs?

It did cross my mind to wonder if I was endangering my flatmate's health with my green cleaning approach. If I don't use Harpic is she going to catch something off the toilet seat?

But a health officer of my acquaintance tells me that vinegar should work well enough, because an acidic environment works to kill bugs. (The same reason that pickling preserves food.)

So, no guilt.

Buying tissues updated

After a phone call to Kimberly Clark, I've updated the post on buying tissues.

Compost working party

My apartment building's board of directors has agreed to establish a working party to look into composting schemes.

Non-toxic cleaners

The Greenpeace blog gives a good rundown on non-toxic cleaners:
http://weblog.greenpeace.org.nz/personal-action/green-cleaning/

I generally just sprinkle baking soda on a sponge to wipe surfaces, then sprinkle the sponge with vinegar and wipe off. In the shower I sprinkle the baking soda directly on the floor and scrub, then sprinkle with vinegar and rinse.

I have also been using these two recipes:

Floor cleaner
4L hot water
A squirt of liquid soap (I use Dr Bronner's)
A cup of white vinegar

Toilet cleaner
Throw 1 cup baking soda and 1 cup white vinegar in the toilet bowl. Leave 10 minutes then scrub.
Wipe seat etc. with tea tree oil on a damp cloth.

Source: Nissen, W. (2008). Beyond elbow grease. Heritage New Zealand. Summer, pp. 18–19.


There are more recipes on Channel4.com:
http://www.channel4.com/4homes/diy-self-build/diy-build-advice/a-z-of-diy-building-guides/eco-cleaning-08-05-20_p_1.html

I love my shower squeegee

Although I am trying to reduce the plastic in my life, it's not all evil. My all-time favourite piece of plastic is my shower squeegee.
At risk of sounding too 1950s housewife, cleaning soap scum off the shower glass was the bane of my life, and nasty chemicals seemed essential. Now I just squeegee the water off after every shower and the problem is gone. I haven't cleaned the shower glass for months. Yahoo. Embrace freedom!