With its motto - "Protect and Share" and it's aim to preserve some of the wildlife and traditional ways of working on the Peloponnese in Greece, Trigono-Lamda is naturally concerned with environmental issues. But the decision to start the website last year and the present need to sell some of the land raises many of the conflicts faced by all of us in our everyday attempts to live environmentally-friendly lives.
On this new page for 2008, lets look at the good and the bad, the zany and the sensible, and, above all, the practicality and moral issues we face as individuals.
Related pages: lifestyles
Climbing on board the Environment bandwagon
29th Dec 2007
Is this website climbing on board the environment bandwagon? The answer has to be yes, but hopefully in a down to earth way and with a sense of humour and proportion as well as a questioning attitude.
Ecological, Thrifty or Mean?
Council Recycling Schemes - healthy environment or rats in our towns?
There was a time when one lorry came round to collect kitchen waste - known as pigswill - yes it was fed to pigs. A different lorry collected other household waste, though most paper and cardboard were used to light the living room fire; garden waste was composted (gardens were more common and often larger than today). Mechanical equipment and funiture lasted for ages, wasn't thrown out because we were bored with it and was simple to repair, rejuvinate or easily handed on. There was relatively little electrical equipment.So we must acknowledge that today Councils have a real problem on their hands and we should all minimise waste by recycling. But the waste that is not recycled is the very waste that needs to be collected quickly - not once a fortnight! Flat dwellers can't usually compost their food waste.
For the first time in my life I recently found a mouse in my room - in the UK, on the first floor - so not like the Greek ones that find their way into a building left empty. At least it was a mouse and not a rat! It is common to see rats in towns and on the underground in London they thrive (I never saw one in 3 years in the 1970's.)
My solution? - I eat my main meal at work or choose food that can be totally consumed. But we can't all do that!
Perceptions - a generation thing?
When the writers of magazine articles suggested wrapping presents in cotton and tying with string some of us were bemused. Isn't that what we did as children and wasn't it really cool when we received gifts wrapped in posh paper sealed with a new, nearly invisible, plastic called "Sellotape"?It is a matter of perception then - that some people might not want to revert to what they associate with the hardship or thrift of their past, while others return willingly to the "good old tradition" and youngsters brought up with Sellotape may love the novelty of environmentally friendly string.
Christmas cards and a Boxing Day debate
29th Dec 2007
After several years of sending fewer and fewer cards, thus losing a fair number of "old" friends (though I guess it was not the cards but the lack of funds and "joi de vivre"), I should not have been surprised to receive just 8 cards by Christmas eve and 3 more as email messages.Clearly my idea that cards were not necessary was taking hold and I should have been delighted.
The problem was that the "missing" cards were from my closest relatives and I like to be festive a little before Christmas but not so much after so instead of being delighted I felt a bit neglected. I had not been forgotten as it happened, the cards came by hand via other relatives. But it set me thinking about what they mean and also sparked an interesting Boxing day conversation on cards - however made, and sent: are we ecological, thrifty or mean?.