Save the world, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com.html
http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/2009/09/think-green-thursday_10.html


http://www.currumbin-sanctuary.org.au/

I spent a wonderful time of nostalgia and interests at this wild life sanctuary at the Gold Coast of Australia.

23 years years ago, I went with Mum and Dad and D to see the famous Kangaroos and Koalas. Mum and Dad have passed away, and going back there makes it a special place.

They have a new place, the Green trail adventure challenge which Sam completed. http://ann-mythoughtsandphotos.blogspot.com/2010/01/scenic-sunday-currumbin-sanctuary.html
As I left, I chanced upon the artist who was selling her paintings of the animals and wildlife. I spoke with her, as I usually do with people of interests. Barbara Stockill sells her paintings and ther proceeds go to the Animal Hospital. She is there on Sundays and Tuesdays as an artist, and a volunteer on Thursdays. My Kiwi Paki-Paki (clap clap) to Barbara for her great part in Save the world and Keeping the world green.

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From the website:

With hundreds of native Australian animals on display in natural bushland and rainforest settings, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary provides a rare opportunity to get closer to our amazing native wildlife.

A place where you can enjoy exciting, interactive displays, presentations and dining experiences. Nestled within 27 hectares of lush eucalypt and rainforest, each day brings visitors face to face with extraordinary wildlife in shows and encounters. Every day at Currumbin is a new adventure. Cuddle a koala, get up close to a crocodile, get amongst a mob of kangaroos or check out reptiles, birds and marsupials in amazing wildlife shows and displays.

Our latest attraction, The Green Challenge high ropes adventure course, is the newest nature-based adventure experience for the Gold Coast. With Sixty-five challenges including giant flying foxes and a tarzan swing, the Green Challenge takes visitors higher and further into the spectacular natural setting.

I will post other photos and commentary of this amazing place another day.

Save the World: Use natual pest controls, Penny royal

Penny Royal

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com.html

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/2009/09/think-green-thursday_10.html

I don't like to use the aerosel chemical sprays to kill insects, and in Auckland, we sometimes get infested by fleas even though we don't have animals. Flea bites are terrible.

I google searched for natural flea repellent and found that Penny Royal plants are good. My Penny Royal plants grew very well. I managed to propagate 5 little pot plants which I sit on our window sill. Tiny purple flowers grow on the plants. The leaves are very pretty, so even if they don't repel fleas, they make a pretty house plant.

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I don't know if they actually repel fleas which was why I bought them. But so far, since I last posted on fleas, we haven't been bitten.

The leaves may be dried and used in sachets designed to keep insects away.

Save our world and think green: Don't burn our garden waste

a href="http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com.html">http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com.html

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/2009/09/think-green-thursday_10.html

Burning causes haze and emits harmful pollutants. I remember the worst haze in Singapore occured when jungles were burnt in Indonesia and Malaysia. Planes had to be rescheduled in Kuala Lumpur because the visibility was so bad.

Here in Auckland, you can collect all your garden cuttings and waste and put them in a yellow bin, The "green cycle" yellow truck will come and collect your clippings. They will take them to be chipped or composted.

Greenpeace, New Zealand

http://annkschin.blogspot.com/2009/01/greenpeace.html


http://annkschin.blogspot.com/2009/09/palm-oil-and-green-peace.html

Last year, around this time, I met a Greenpeace member selling their calenders and I did a post on him. Today, I was doing a fleeting shopping trip when I saw Vive and her friend outside the Warehouse at Balmoral. I did a second take and asked if I could take her photo and do a post on Greenpeace and the Talks at Copenhagan.

I am not a member of Greenpeace, but many of our ideologys are similar. I post every Wednesday on what I am passionate about. I write about conservation and recycling.

It was Mad Max who first had the greatest impact on my thinking. Since watching Mad Max in 1984, I refuse to watch motor sports. Why are people still burning their rubber knowing one day, the fossil fuel will burn out? In all due respect to our famous Scott Dixon, who is our driving champion.

In school, I teach the children sustainalbity and conservation. The kids recycle their waste paper, and collect peels for the compost. We have worm farms and compost maker.

Socially, I join Ngarimu in his teaching of zero waste and worm farming.http://annkschin.blogspot.com/2009/02/new-zealand-waitangi-day-2009-2.html I paki-paki Ngarimu on his tree replanting effort.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_the_Rainbow_Warrior

I would never forget the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior at the Auckland wharf. This September, I was at a tour of the Auckland Port. The tour guide pointed to us where the ship was sank. It is incredible how foreignors could come into Auckland waters and sink a boat. Before joining the tour, we had to present a photograph ID. I told the Water Engineer, remember Rainbow Warrior?

http://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/

Vive asked me if I would sign their petition to the leaders at Copenhagen. I happily signed.

Ka Pai and Paki-paki Vive and her friends.

Save our world and think green: Human power vehicles

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

When I was young in Sibu, Borneo, my siblings and I would not be seen dead in one of these trishaws. My great grand mother aka Ah Tai, when she saw us walking, pitied us, and kept telling us to hop aboard, and we would walk faster away from her, hoping nobody saw us.

Now, trishaws are a tourist thing. In Singapore they go in batches of 20 trishaws going to tourist places. In this picture, taken at the Mulu resort, porters transfer luggages to the chalets. Some kids think it's cool to ride in one. In Auckland, it is also a tourist thing.

A fellow blogger in Europe tells me that these rickshaws are free as they are sponsored by the advertisers. On Sunday, I saw one of these and he had lots of advertisements on his trishaw but he was charging people.

Trishaws should be used more often since they do not have any carbon footprint and tourists get to see the sights slowly and in detail.

Save our world and think green: Recycle your plastic bottle

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/2009/09/think-green-thursday_10.html
This plastic bottle of water bottled by the Waiwera water co makes me so proud of New Zealand. It is not the contents of still artesian water with the label "Make New Zealand beautiful" but the $.10 refund in S.A.

I asked around, S.A. stands for South Australia. Apparently, over there, they don't have a recycling system of plastic bottles like we do in New Zealand. To encourage the South Australians to recycle, they entice the people to recycle by refunding $.10 at collection depots. Ten cents is not much, but a lot of ten cents is huge on the environment.

Ka Pai and Paki-paki Waiwera water company for spreading the message of recycling across the Tasman to Australian.

When I was young, we had this old man who came in a rickshaw. He blared his hand held horn, and we kids would rush out with our empty bottles. This old man was quite crafty, bottles like cordial juice and soya sauce were 1 cent each, and coca cola bottles were something like 5 cents. Still good money for little kids. The trouble was coca cola suppliers charge a retainer when mum bought her crate of drinks. They were something like 10 cents a bottle.

So when we took mum's coca bottles and redeemed them for 5 cents each, mum had to forfeit her 10 cents when she returned her bottles to the supplier. You can imagine mum telling us off.

When I was at the University in Canada, a flat mate's family ran a coffee shop. I was by then exposed to the big conglomerate. He said, the coca company was even worst. They fine you if you didn't return the right number of bottles, and if you got extra bottles, they would happily take them off from you for free!!!!

In Singapore, these rag and bone men are called Garung Guni men. They go about either calling out loudly "Garung Guni" or they blare their horn. They make a living of this. Then about six years ago, there was again big "conglomerates" or government recycling initiatives collecting newspaper, etc. The Garung Guni men were very upset. There were cases that Garung Guni men were accused of stealing from these conglomerates.

Save our world and think green: Recycle our paper

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/2009/09/think-green-thursday_10.html

Recycle our waste paper and save our trees. Dotted all over Auckland city are these big yellow crates with metal cages. Paper is deposited by neighbouring businesses to be recycled.

In Malaysia and Singapore, there are the "Garang Guni" men who make a living collecting these waste paper. They even collect bottles and cans. They would be what the west call Rag-and-bone man. I don't see Rag-and-bone man in Auckland.

In school, every Friday afternoon, students in the Envro club knocks on my door and ask if I have anything to recycle. Ka Pai Kids, Paki-Paki. ( Good job, and clap clap in Maori)