Eco pets~ How far will you go to make your pet green?

The news has been full of environmental issues this week. After Lord Stern's affirmation of what most vegetarians and nearly ALL vegans already knew (That meat and dairy consumption are main culprits of global warming) the media often turn to lash out at other "damaging" lifestyle choices.
In this case the owning of pets.

A new book out at the moment , "Time to Eat the Dog?: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living.". In it the author advocate the keeping of pets that are useful to man, IE chickens and rabbits..because..well..you can eat them.


Hmmm...

The keeping of a pet is the first time many children will be required to be responsible for another living being. They will learn the importance of practical care like exercise and feeding as well as the emotional care like cuddles.
What exactly do we teach our children by wrenching their "pet" rabbit from their arms and cooking it up for dinner?
Do we teach them that to love another being is futile because they always leave and break your heart?

Guess what THIS vegan thinks ;)

He lays the keeping of a dog with the crime of driving an SUV with one child in it.
There are many facts and figures but really these are taken in a worse case scenario with a pet owner being horrendously wasteful.

So with this in mind I thought I would draw up a guide for keeping your pet as green as can be!

Dogs
Mans best friend. Defender of the home and playmate of the kids right? The thing is dogs really can be far from green when you take several things into account.
A meat eating dog causes as much carbon as a meat eating human. They are still contributing to global warming through factory farming. If you want to keep your dog eating meat, you could switch to an organic or natural brand (one that uses organic meat that hasn't been processed).

If you want to go a step further you could offer your dog a pre-packed vegan dog food . Another option (and one we at The (almost car-less family practice) is doing away with traditional dog food all together and getting reacquainted with feeding your dog real food.
Its only in the last sixty years or so that people have routinely fed commercial dog food. Before this they would feed their dog kitchen scraps.
Now if your going to feed your dog scraps you have to remember that their is a big difference between feeding your dog left over McDonald's and feeding them a good meal of left over veggie stew and rice.
In fact Stanley Coren, author of How dogs think advocate a diet rich in vegetables and fruit for your dog to help stave of "doggie Alzheimer's".

What goes in must come out.
How many millions of plastic pooper scoop bags are used EVERY day by ONE dog owner?
Bio-degradable poop in a toxic bag that will take in excess of 100 years to break down. Using bio-degradable bags will mean that Fido gets an instantly better green paw print.

Cats
Of course not everyone is a fan of dogs and cats are well up there on the list of favourite pets to keep us company.
Many of the rules applied to dogs can be easily adapted to cat owning, for example you can buy bio-degradable cat litter tray liners for your feline buddy. When my cat needs a litter tray in the winter I clean it out into a small compost bin I have stationed under two trees. The trees get all the benefit from the litter and poop, but as the compost is not used on the veggie garden there is no risk of catching any nasties from it.

On the subject of cat litter there are many brands available to you that are eco friendly.
As a general rule cheap, mineral litters that are often produced from open cast mining are to be avoided.
What to feed your cat is a tricky one.
Unlike dogs, cats are obligate carnivores. This is because cats are unable to produce certain nutrients, such as Taurine, within their body which they normally find within the meat they eat.
Interestingly enough though, many commercial meat based cat foods have to add synthetic taurine because natural taurine is destroyed in the processing of the food!!
There are vegan cat foods on the market that many people swear by and even supplements to add to your home made cat food. Its well worth doing some research if you consider turning your cat veggie.

Other pets
Of course you can own natural herbivores as pets, rabbits, rodents, Guinea pigs etc make excellent green pets. You can compost their litter for your veggie patch and feed them the thinnings and left overs form your garden. This is true whether you you own a dwarf rabbit or a shire horse!



Where you get your pet also has an impact.
The best pet is a rescue pet from all angles.
The pet breeding industry can be as bad as the factory farming industry with as much pollution and cruelty as the latter.
Out of a litter of puppies one would be lucky to land in a loving home for life.
A few years ago (before I knew better) my dog had a litter of puppies. The mother and father were fantastic, family, friendly pets. The puppies where outgoing and healthy. I picked their owners with care, turning down people I thought unable to offer them the home they deserved.
Out of the seven puppies within a year all but one had been re-homed.
Now imagine what happens when the breeder only sees pound (or dollar!) signs.

There are re-homing centres for all pets from the smallest mouse to the biggest horse. There is simply no excuse for contributing to the "farming" of companion animals.

So yes, your pet can be a green part of your life, and can contribute to the health and emotional wellbeing of your family without the risk of ending up on your plate.

Oh and by the way..all of the animals you see here belong to me...pity I didn't write enough to put in pictures of all of them ;)

Meatless Monday- Tofu Thai curry.

Ok, this is a firm favourite I am sharing with you here, so I hope you all appreciate this when you try it ;)

Tofu is a very misunderstood food and people often wrinkle their nose at the thought of eating it (I know I used to) but once you understand a few "rules" it will become a store cupboard/fridge staple!

Rule 1. Choose the right tofu for he job!
Tofu comes in many guises..really! The two main ones are silken and firm. Firm has an almost meaty texture and is best used for things like stir frys and to make "faux" fish fingers with (that's a recipe[ie for another day!). Silken tofu is like a block of very firm custard and no use for that sort of cooking. It is however great for dips and sauces.

Rule 2. Always cook well seasoned.

Tofu, on its own, tastes of nothing. It IS however fantastic at absorbing flavour. So if you want to throw some into a stir fry with some plain veggies you should marinade your tofu first, even just a little soya sauce and veg stock is enough. If you try to eat it as it is as a straight meat sub you will be disappointed.

Rule 3. Always read the packet!
I have been caught out before. In some Asian markets tofu is processed with lactose and other milk products so always read your label first!!

Rule 4. (ok its actually a tip really!)
For an extra firm tofu that will keep its shape and cook really well for you do this.
Place your chilled FIRM tofu in the freezer and leave for a day or two. After defrosting the tofu will be even former than usual! I always do this with mine and it makes a HUGE difference, especially when stir frying, when "fresh" firm tofu can start to stick and disintegrate.

Ok..on with the show!




For a family friendly Thai curry you will need...

1 lrg Onion.
2 small courgettes/ or a small aubergine.
1pk (@250g) firm tofu (frozen and defrosted as above)
1tsp dry bullion vegan stock.
1/2tsp hot curry powder.
2tsp ground coriander seeds.
2tsp ground cumin seeds.
1/2tsp chili powder.
1 can (@400ml) coconut milk (the thick kind, no slimming here please ;)
150g cashew nuts (unsalted)

Fry the onion in a spray of oil until starting to soften.
Add the courgette and fry for a few more minutes.
Add the tofu (chopped into cubes) and stir well.
Stir in the stock, curry and chili powder and spices, well so that all the tofu and veg are well covered.
Dry cook for a few minutes to let the spices in.
Add cashews and stir in well.
Gradually stir in all the coconut milk and bring to a LIGHT boil.
Immediately turn down heat, cover pan and allow to simmer for @ 20 mins. (This curry will sit for an hour or more on a LOW heat without any ill effects though.)

While that is cooking you can make the yogurt dip.
You will need...

1 tub (@500g) soya yogurt (plain and unsweetened)
1/3 of a cucumber.
1 small onion
1 lrg handful fresh mint. (really young leaves are best)

Chop the onion finely and add to the yogurt.
Roughly chop the mint and add.
Whizz ingredients together until mint if chopped and onion combined but WITHOUT making the yogurt too runny. (A couple of seconds is enough).
Chop the cucumber into small chunks and mix into the yogurt dip.





Serve the meal with rice and vegan nan bread (most nan bread contains dairy!)

When you open your eyes......

The trouble with trying to follow a little trod green path through life is when you realise that all the everyday things you did and took for granted come with a consequence and there is never NEVER a correct answer.

Life is not black and white.

When we vowed to give up the car for stupid journeys we accepted that every time we DID take the Land rover out we would need to justify it to ourselves. So when we felt sorry for ourselves early this week and wanted some shop brought comfort (hey..we had been ill! In the school holidays AND it was raining..I stand by my choice *heehee*) I made sure that we packed as much into the trip as possible.
So as well as the shop we also took all the re-cycling we could find, went to the charity shop to buy junk to make Halloween costumes (and books!) as well as taking stuff to them. We stopped by the chemist and the art supply shop, and took out cash for at home money from the ATM.
I can accept that, again....not black and white.

However one thing I have been putting to the back of my mind for a while is the tumble dryer.

Now ask anyone of a green bent what they think of the tumble drier in relation to the environment and they will shrink back hissing like Nosferatu from sunlight. In fact it is almost universally agreed on that these machines are basically the devil dressed in white and making your clothes soft and dry.

We have one.

We brought one just over four years ago after struggling for years without one.
I used to hang washing from clothes horses in front of the fire and line dry when possible.


Now I LOVE to line dry. I get a 1950's housewife satisfaction from getting sweet smelling dry clothes for free on a sunny day (or even a grey day when the wind is in the right direction) but I live in the north east of Scotland, my nearest sea is the north sea, we get a lot of rain (and snow and ice ...), so a lot of the time washing was indoors.

So far so green right?

Well, although I could put up with the smell of slowly moldering laundry my walls couldn't.
Our house is old (1800's)and made of stone, the insulation isn;t fantastic, We have done what we can but the way the house is built limits us with things like wall cavity filling.
The plaster board on my walls rotted.

You could poke a finger through it.

The condensation from the drying laundry killed my walls and covered them in mould.
As a family of five who live an outdoors life you can imagine that even being a little grubby we still get through a load of washing a day.
And what about duvets? Bed sheets? Yes I can wait for a sunny day but what happens when one of my small children has a night time accident or (as we had last week) vomits in their bed?

Try drying a duvet on a clothes horse in front of the fire.

So when we brought our tumble dryer I was told "No more drying in the house!"
Apart from the ruined plaster board, mouldy walls are not good for asthmatics!

This was fine, I still do lots of drying on the line and only use the dryer when I have to ....until....it broke.

Just a drive belt but we didn;t get round to fixing it. The weather was nice and it didn't matter, and that little voice in the back of my head said..."maybe we DON'T need a dryer?"

Until this week, when illness and rain (been over 36 hrs STRAIGHT of torrential rain and gales so far) meant that my bathroom floor was carpeted in dirty washing and my living room was steaming as I desperately tried to dry washed bed sheets and yes, duvets in front of my fire.

I did what I had to do.

I got online, ordered the new drive belt. 24hrs later Kim fitted it and I have to say the poor thing hasn't stopped since yesterday.

So what do you do?

The occasional use of a dryer is surely better than re-platerbording your house every couple of years, better than having to take stronger asthma meds?
But I still get that niggle in the back of my head, the one that purses its lips and sniffs and proclaims that THEY never use a tumble dryer.

SO what do YOU do??

Meatless Monday - snack time :P *yum*

Sometimes you need a meal, something that sticks to your ribs, some potato and beans and veg...buuuuut then sometimes you just want something sweet and snackish to go with a cup of tea or coffee!
So this week I'm giving you my recipe for Rhubarb muffins!! NOMNOMNOM!!

What you need:-

1 and 1/2 mugs of self raising flour. (You can also use S/R gluten free flour or replace 1/2 mug flour for some rice flour for a denser muffin)
1/2 mug of sugar.
1/4 mug of rapeseed oil.
1/2 mug of soya or oat milk.
1 egg (or for vegan use 3/4 mug of milk instead of 1/2, put milk in a bowl, add a table spoon of cider vinegar and set aside for a few minutes to curdle)
@ 1 mug of chopped rhubarb or your favourite fruit. Blueberries or raspberries are also very nice!.
(makes aprox 12 cupcakes (small) or 6 muffins)


To make:-
Simply mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Add spoon fulls to muffin cases or small cup cake cases.

Cook in a pre heated oven (190-200oC) for aprox 20 mins or until golden on top.
Allow to cool before eating.
Make tea or coffee...grab a book...sit in front of a fire and enjoy :)

Pictures of the tag along bike.

Yes, Yes, I AM deserving of this rather FABULOUS bike!



Looking down to the village.




Faster? Hmm..I don;t see any peddling going on there Alfie....

Public transport and other things that SHOULD make car-less easier....but don't.

I get angry at the lack of reliable public transport.
Yesterday I had a Dr's appointment and caught the ONLY bus into the little town, but because I had planned on walking home I only brought a one way.

Trouble was it then rained like stink and I couldn't be sure the bus would come back through town. No one else had got on or off when I did and if that happens the driver often misses the town out on the way back!
My Dr's appointment had left me a little sorry for myself and I *shame* called Kim to come get me in the Landrover.
Do I call that falling off the wagon?? Or falling off the Bike ? ;)


The point is I wouldn't have cycled in that day and had to rely on the bus, but the bus can not be relied upon.

Is this the main reason people feel they HAVE to own a car??

A couple of years ago Kim tried taking public transport into work. He would catch the commuter bus at 7am and it would take him into town to catch the train. Trouble was on more than on occasion the bus would be late, or in some cases not turn up at all.
This would mean he would miss his train and have to run home and drive into work. Of course though he had paid for a season ticket, but at the end of this period he worked out that using public transport (AND his own when public transport failed him) had cost him significantly MORE than if he had just driven.

So what is the incentive????

How can governments ask you to drive less but give you no alternative??

Lets face it not everyone is able to grab two wheels. What about the elderly, the heavily pregnant, the ill, the injured?

Any government serious about fighting climate change should be pushing for more reliable public transport for everyone.
When there are only 2 buses out of my village (one 5 days a week to train station, leave 7am, home 6.30 pm. One bus to BIG town once a week, only 2 hrs allowed for visit before coming home again)what incentive is there for the villagers to give up their cars?

Parents want to take their children to activities after school or at the weekend. People work in the week and are unable to use the bus into the big town. Other people have different working start and finish times and so are unable to use the commuter bus and train.

What we need are incentives. A tax break? Low fares? A cash incentive after so many journeys maybe? Lay on the transport and make it attractive.

Three or four buses a day into town would cover a lot of people, incentives to buy season tickets would mean buses would not be in danger of running at a loss.
Where can we take it from here?

EEK! Where did the week go???

Here we are..Monday ...and its been a week since I last posted and I have no meatless Monday for you!!
I should fire myself from this job :P

Anyway my crimes are due to the very enjoyable few days we have spent entertaining my sister and her husband to be.


I hope I can speak for them when I say that although the trip was too short (!!) I think we had a really good time.
Some of this is definitely down to the bikes and general none use of the car.

After flying in to Edinburgh they hired a car to get to us and arrived at lunch time. After lunch and a bit of dithering I thought what the hell and said we should all cycle up to the art gallery.
So 6 off us on various bike set off down the road.
This was also the first time I had really tried out the tag along as well, and as its a nice straight run I really got into a good rhythm and found it easy enough.
An added advantage of the tag along is the incessant prattle of Alfie behind me (although the conversation tends to be one sided, my contributions running along the lines of "Stop pedaling!" and "Stop wiggling!").
As well as a first for the tag a long it was also the first time I had taken 6 year old Owen out on his bike, he having been out with his Dad before that, so when I wasn't yelling at Alfie I was yelling at Owen( "Keep left!!" and "Stay by the verge!" and "Car coming stay straight!" and "SLOW DOWN!!" and often after breaks have been applied "SPEED UP!!")

**sigh** Stressful times!

Reminds me of going for a walk with toddlers...walking so slow you seem to put weight ON rather than burn calories.

Anyway....

It was lovely to get out with our visitors and slowly wind our way up the country lanes to a waiting bit of culture at the end, so much nicer than driving there!

The next day was another really lovely warm autumnal day and while Kim and my soon to be BIL took the kids for a walk, I unhitched the tag along (FREEDOM!!!) and took my sister down to town to pick up the Sunday papers.
Because the weather was so nice we went home the long and scenic way, a way I haven't been home before.
This longer way has a steeeeeeep hill straight out of town, but this temporary inconvenience is well worth it when you reach the top and realise you have @ 2 miles of beautiful countryside lanes, with views all across Bennachie and the Cairngorns AND that it is now 90% DOWNHILL or flat!! **YAYYYYY!!!*
A really lovely ride for the sake of riding, lots of chatting and just admiring the beautiful leaves and patchwork fields that make autumn so special.

Today we went for a walk, 5 1/2 miles in total, up onto Bennachie and a drop down to the Brindy and across fields back to the village.

Before our adventures in car-less-ness, we would have driven down the road a few miles and taken our walk from one of the visitor car parks dotted around the mountain.
Now though we have made the effort to find routes to these walks directly from out house.
Not only does this save us money in fuel (as well as reducing carbon footprints) but also means we get to walk many routes that are either little used or in some cases forgotten.
A hard slog but worth it when up the top of Towlies we had a 360o vista of Aberdeenshire and could see every major landmark for miles.
From Bennachie, across to the Caingorms, tap'o the North over Rynie way, Dunnydeer towards Insch and the village like a toy town in the valley below.
A view like that makes me wish that more people would get out of their cars and explore the treasures of their locality, the views right under their noses.

So often when we have had visitors we have felt the need to "entertain" them, to take them out and about and show off the area, but this time, by doing everything local, even down to having a meal out in the village pub rather than driving out for a take away, I personally think we had a much better time.

In the three days they stayed with us they took their car out once (BIL to be needed some anti-histamines on a Sunday, although we tried to buy some in the little town they had none, so he had to make a trip into the big town).

Viva La Car-less, Viva La Bike, long may this continue!!

Oh and meatless Monday??
I will get one in for you bloggers one day this week :D xx

Meatless Monday; Bolognaise sauce.

Who doesn't love Bolognaise?
Its comfort food for the soul right?
Also most kids love it, especially if you serve it with wiggly, slippery spaghetti ;)

This weeks Meatless Monday is totally vegan and totally tasty...and totally sneaky as well *heehee*

The great thing about a tomato sauce is the scope for hiding things in there...so you might throw in a little extra veg, but when its whizzed up who's to know right?

S0...for The sauce we need ;

1 lrg onion
@6 fat garlic cloves (less if you don't like garlic, more if you LOVE it!)
3-4 sml handfuls of grated veg (I used carrot, swede, courgette (yellow)and cabbage, but use what you have)
2 400g tins of chopped Italian tomatoes
2-3 fresh tomatoes
1 tbs vinegar (apple cider for pref)
2 tsp sugar
1 mug TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein)
1 mug of just boiled water

Chop the onions and crush the garlic, then fry in a pan in a very little oil until starting to get soft. Add the extra veg and again cook until softening. Next add the tomato's (tinned and fresh) then leave to cook until bubbling, then simmer for @ 10 mins.

Meanwhile, in a bowl tip the TVP then add the hot water and stir in. Leave for @ 5 mins until the water has been absorbed.

When your sauce has simmered remove from the heat and then blitz with a blender until smooth.
(no extra veg here heehee)


Return to the heat and add the vinegar and sugar. If so inclined a good glug of red wine also goes very nicely in the sauce! It adds a real punch to it and as the alcohol is evaporated when cooking is fine for kids as well (although some may not like the taste).
Let the sauce cook briskly until it begins to reduce a little and then add the TVP and leave on a low heat while you cook your pasta.


You can use any pasta (including spaghetti!). I used Doves Farm gluten free pasta this time.

Once cooked, drain the pasta, add to the sauce and mix well, sprinkle with basil and serve.

Nutritional yeast is lovely sprinkled over the top instead of dairy Parmesan or you can source an alternative. Free From do a parmezzano shaker which is suitable for vegans and taste just like the real thing :)

Oh and you can save some of that wine for dinner as well ;)

Poll results; Global warming.

What in your opinion is the most important domestic tool against global warming?


Vegetarianism/veganism 2 (33%)

Re-cycling 1 (16%)

Giving up a car 5 (83%)

Only buying local goods/food 3 (50%)

Re-using plastic bags 1 (16%)

Using domestic green power 1 (16%)

Living off grid 1 (16%)

Not having children 0 (0%)


Another multiple answers poll.
Some interesting answers...certainly NOT what the councils push for you to DO YOUR BIT!

A massive 83% cited giving up a car as the most important tool you have against global warming. I'm way up there with that. Bikes are a win win situation for the car less.
Lower carbon impact in production and shipping, zero emissions when used, easy and cheap to repair yourself and barring a write off, it should last you forever. Compare that with the cars cardon footprint.....up to 50% of a cars impact is from factory to showroom alone. And lets be honest..if you get 5 years out of a car you a a very lucky person.

Hmm...and WHY do the government not send you fliers and pay for advertising for that little gem ?? ;)

50% of you are in favour of buying local goods/food.
This works along the same lines as the carless lifestyle, and obviously complements it. Its a no brainer. Do you buy your veg from a farm shop, where the produce may have travelled less than a mile? Or do you drive into town and buy veg from another country?

No one suggest you can't enjoy the odd banana in winter, but by and large buy local, buy in season. If a food product is in season and local you are getting maximum health benefits for yourself and the planet.

33% are in favour of a vegetarian diet to fight global warming.
Factory farmed animals churn out more emissions than cars globally.
Between the forests that are cleared to grow crops to feed them (crops that could be feeding people), the effluent pumped out of the factories into our waterways, even the fact that factory farmed beef are fed grain instead of grass (un-natural for a cows stomach) causing the cow to ..(ehem)fart, a huge factory corral of beef cows with bad tummies is kicking out the same amount of bad gasses as a dirty factory, and you have a valid reason to stop or at least cut down on your meat. (See also buying local again).

Re-cycling,Re-using plastic bags,Using domestic green power and Living off grid came in joint with 16%.
I find it gratifying that you people realise the tiny impact these heavily subsidised actions have on global warming. When all have e the 3 R's drummed into us and yes the re-using of things is something I do alot, but where does all our recycling go?? Not long ago in the UK there was a public outcry as ships of recycling were sent to China to be processed....dumping OUR rubbish on someone elses doorstep. There are also tales of whole recycling lorries simply emptying their contense into the rubbish dumps.
I for one would like some more information about how, where and what our recycling is doing.
Using domestic green power is an admirable thought but for many people unpractical. Far better to have a central power plant and deliver our electric that way.
And off grid living??

The holy grail??

Again, a dream, and one lived by many people, but not something that can be taken up on such a scale as to make an impact.

The genie is out of the bottle.
We like electricity and white goods, we like to turn on lights and wash our clothes without a stream and a rock.

Far better and very feasible, to find ways to keep it going without leaving a footprint on the earth.

Get ready for the Basfords to hit the road EN MASS!!

Today Kim had to drive a friend into town (in her car) because she has a broken wrist.
Never one to waste a golden opportunity, we decided we should go to our favourite bike dealer and pick up the tag along bike for our youngest, Alfie.

What a piece of equipment!!

Alfie jumped up and down when he saw it and when he realised that it meant we could go out together.

His older brothers have already been out and about at weekends on their bikes, Owen, who is 6, has even been down to town and back a round trip of @8 miles!

Alfie however (being 5) is not ready to be let loose. He still needs help getting going on his bike and dismounts by stepping off the bike and letting it fall over! This will open up a whole new chapter in our cycling and hopefully this weekend we will be able to take a trip out as a family and really feel mobile without a car.

Be warned though parents. Cycling can bring out the competitive edge in your children!

Last weekend Kim blithely bet Ollie that he couldn't cycle all the way up a really steep hill...foolish Daddy...he bet him £5, thinking he would be bound to fail.
Well guess who now owes his son money??
Ollie powered to the top of the hill and stopped with a double punch to the air and a "YEEEEESSSSS!!!!"

Daddy FAIL! lol.