Re: i wrote...

 that's about it kylie,

been my argument for a long time also, there is no community
re-education on being water-wise being done.

even flushing the toilet at all is in this day and age sheer waste of
a limited resource needed for drinking and food production, there is
absolutely no sense of sustainability in our communities and ther
won't be until the time they turn a tap on and only dust emmits.

and the same with power until they turn a switch and nothing happens
it is all easy come easy go, you can't eat or drink money the sheer
waste of power over this festive season for the absolute folly of the
better than the joneses excercise of christmas light pagents in
private gardens all for the glory of a tin pot award and to get ones'
name mentioned in the media.

oh don't forget the sheer exhobitance of public type toilets running
uncontrolled whilst us home vege' gardeners have to desist from using
water.


snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.lensgarden.com.au/

 

I'm with you both on this one. Our whole attitude for so long has been 'Just
use, don't think'. This goes for pretty much everything. And people who
rebel and try to do something about it get laughed at for being tree hugging
hippies, and given names like 'ferals'. One day they'll be the only ones
laughing, as they'll be the only ones with their own power from solar
panels, water from tanks and greaywater, and cheap food from sustainable
gardens. I hate having to live the way we do now; renting, house in town,
town water, blah blah blah. One day...we're looking at houses with a bit of
land now. Can't wait....but I am *not* having goats.
We're lucky in Cairns to have plenty of water, but we still have water
restrictions in the garden. Our council seems to be using it's brain in some
things at least, be stupid not too really, considering stuff happening down
south. Now if they'd just get better public transport....

 

Hah.  The real problem is that I have to share the road with idiots like them.


It's important to have a pool in Coogee; it's such a long way from the beach
:-/


Well, to be truthful, you need a heck of a lot of water to substitute for a
shower of rain.  Squirts with the hose are pretty useless -- you need to water
for a couple of hours to do any good.


Not quite all of us!  There are a few people outside the cities who behave
like that too.  It's the population density that decreases, not the idiot
density.  Though I suspect that there *are* a lot of idiots living in those
TUscanised mansions in teh Hills District...

Have just been reading "Lawns into Lunch" today, which is a set of case
studies of urban permaculture.  These urban greenies have usually found their
neighbours to be supportive (particularly after the fresh eggs and tomatoes
change hands...).

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may
start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled."
Kerry Cue

 

You'll enjoy this story (not).  Our little local village has recently
become popular with tree changers who come here for what they call the
"lifestyle".  Most of us long term residents wonder what "lifestyle"
they're referring to since most of them have moved into a new
development full of McMansions where they could spit out their kitchen
windows into the house next door.

My friend was in the post office one day when a new resident (who has
bought on larger acreage) was complaining that she was having to buy a
tankful of house water (5,000 litres) every 10 days.  My friend asked
her what one earth she was doing with the water.  Her response was
that she had 3 teenage children and they didn't understand the need
for short showers.  My friend has 2 teenage boys of her own so was not
impressed since they don't need to be told, but then they were born to
it.  We're still wondering how it is possible for a family of 5 can go
through so much water in such a short time.

 

That's nothing to do with citified people -- that's the result of Baby Boomer
grandparents.

I've noticed a huge gulf in parenting styles in Generation X, and it divides
very neatly on when the Gen-Xers' parents were born.  Gen-Xers whose parents
were Battler Generation (born before WWII) have a rather no-nonsense approach,
allow their children to fail, have boundaries, like 'natural consequences'
etc.  That would be people like me and my DH.  Interestingly, a rather large
proportion of our friends were raised by Battlers too, so I think there must
be a common mindset that we all share.  We don't parent identically by any
means, but there are a few common themes.

Gen-Xers with Boomer parents, OTOH, have been indulged, so they have no idea
what to do with their children except cater to their every whim and -- very
importantly -- protect them from disappointment and other negative emotions
(that's their concept of 'emotional support').  I suppose that is true of the
tail-end Boomers who are still parenting atm too.  In fact, I would be
interested to see if Gen-Xers with Boomer parents are more likely to own 4WDs
in the city than Gen-Xers with Battler parents.  Ditto for the wasteful
eaveless Tuscanised mansions, "home theatre systems" and all the other markers
of conspicuous consumption.  I am already guessing that Gen-Xers with Boomer
parents are the ones threatening soccer coaches all over Australia and
indulging in road rage.  

The difference between the two groups is the amount of emphasis placed on Self
vs Community.  The Boomers left all the institutions -- churches, political
parties, community groups of all kinds -- because of their strong desire for
individualism.  Unfortunately that leaves you paying attention to nothing but
Self in the end.

I have cross-posted because I think aus.family might have something to add.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may
start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled."
Kerry Cue