What does it mean to be Vegan?

I belong to a Yahoo! group called Eco-Vegans who, as the name implies are not only interested in veganism, but also tying those beliefs into ecology and ‘living lightly’. One recent post from someone in the US was really interesting and highlights the frustrations that people with beliefs outside or beyond what society considers ‘regular’ can feel…

I went walking thru the grocery store, surrounded by things I don’t eat, containing ingredients I cannot pronounce. It’s almost as if I were in a foreign place, and no one spoke my language. Brightly colored boxes and gaudy bags announced DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?!

Well I don’t know, do I? I didn’t think so. Whatever was screaming that was a green liquid, a green scary liquid. I passed the lobsters, claws strapped together as if in an eternal prayer. I wonder if God had this plastic dish in this grocery store in mind in the beginning when he created lobsters?

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Compostamundo!

It’s official (for me anyway!) - composting at home is easy! A few months ago our local council started an offer to get a home composting bin (made by a company called Blackwall from recycled plastic) for a ridiculously cheap £6. In addition to the bin itself, I also got a base (helps stop mice/rats getting into the base of the bin and improves aeration and drainage) and a Compost Caddy for keeping veggie peelings etc in the kitchen.

I haven’t really done composting before because the current garden is quite small and packed full of plants etc - it may sound ridiculous, but there was literally nowhere for a compost bin to go. The placement is quite important as too many people have compost bins that are placed in a dark corner at the bottom on the garden - hardly convenient to use and hence people forget or can’t be bothered to use them! When a large plant died, it provided the ideal spot for the bin - close to the house (5 paces from the back door). OK, it’s not the prettiest thing in the world, but it’s not too bad. More

Let there be light

I’m actually a bit slack in putting this entry on as I’ve had light in the shed for over two weeks now! The kit came with two bulb holders and two 12 volt, 9 watt CF (compact fluorescent) lamps which have a light output equivalent to a 45 watt incandescent light bulb. Although I’m familiar with CF bulbs as I use them in the house anyway, I wasn’t sure how good the light would be via this 12 volt system, especially as my campervan has a couple of 12 volt fluorescent tubes that are OK, but not brilliant.

Anyway, I wired everything up - fairly straightforward as all you have to do is connect the wiring to the correct terminals on the charge controller. The positive cable has an inline fuse which then goes to the switch and in turn onto the bulb. Being 12 volt DC, correct polarity is essential and the bulb holder was bereft of any indication (as it is originally made for 240v AC systems). As the bulb was an ES (Edison Screw) fitting, my common sense (don’t laugh) told me the centre was the positive (which it was) and later on re-reading the instructions, they made a small note about this fact. I won’t go on too much about the instructions, but suffice to say they are somewhat lacking in real detail and a novice would certainly run into problems. More