A Word on the CSG Debate

ok .... this isn't a long post .... but a direct post.  and it's about

COAL SEAM GAS

we have been really amazed at the passion of the community stance in the Northern Rivers against CSG .... and that is fabulous.  personally, it is a non-renewable, eco-damaging, money grab by the big business who are pushing the government into doing what they want.

but let's step back ... take that out of it.  take the environment out of the argument completely.  there are those that come down on both sides of that debate.  lets talk about value to the local community.  here is the crux of it then.

any gas that is pulled up from the ground

WILL NOT STAY IN OUR COMMUNITY FOR OUR USE

it is be sent via pipeline

out of NSW

up the QLD coast

to be

SHIPPED OUT OF THE COUNTRY

how in the world can the Planning Minister have any credibility when he stands up at the Casino RSM and says that we are running out of energy sources and we need to frac.  good grief!  he knows the gas isn't even staying here ..... THE GOVERNMENT IS LYING!  

what is the benefit?  short term i imagine that you would see some additional jobs.  but guess what?  the energy source isn't sustainable and those jobs will die off.  

THE SUN

our Creator God gave it to us

it is RENEWABLE 

(which means perpetual, never ending, etc. get the point?)

lets invest in research for cost effective systems that families

can buy off the shelf (not govt rebates, thank you!)

to harness that power source!

oh .... but i forgot .... Metgasco and the others

don't want that .... it would mean their profits would go

down and shareholders wouldn't be happy.

oops.

so take the environmental debate out of it if you like, so as not to muddy the water.  CSG is not good for anyone in the Northern Rivers.  it isn't renewable and it won't be available for us to use.

the community doesn't want it.  business are rallying against it.  families are concerned about the health impact.  and yet, the government continues down this rabbit hole, with no regard to what the people want.  here is a link for you to read about the meeting with the Planning Minister at the Casino RSM this past week.

 Public in Defiant Mood Over CSG.

Me on the other hand .... i love the following You Tube Video



so as for us .... in a few weeks when we officially own our land we will put up our Lock the Gate sign and we'll be getting to know our neighbors.  it's not a long street, but i reckon we could all come together in a sense of community and purpose to stand up against CSG.

ode to the Broad Bean

if you've been following me for long, you will know that i have a secret and unabashed love of broad beans (to see that post go here.)  and it is with that same adoration that i return to one of my favorite foods ...

i was desperately sad when i realised that in our move i would not get to harvest the broad beans that i had planted.  i had taken the time to plant three crops, ensuring that we would have a generous supply of these yummy protein rich legumes from the end of october throughout the summer.  and for us to move just as the first crop was starting to seriously  throw beans that looked to be developing beautifully .... <sigh>  just made my heart sink.

there are many people who think that the effort you have to go to in order to eat them just isn't worth it.  to these i say tsk!  tsk!  the taste IS worth the effort!  from mixing this joyous bounty through mash or having them in a wilted spinach salad they are divine!  or my favourite way to enjoy this food gift .... cooked and mashed, slathered on a slice of crusty toasted bread with a poached egg and a few lashings of Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil!  yummo!

so imagine my absolute delight when i went to do my fruit and veg shopping on saturday (new habit:  going to the kyogle farmers market .... what a treat!  small but wonderful!).  there was a gentlemen there selling MOUNTAINS of broad beans!  woohoo!  the past two weeks i have purchased a kilo and loved every minute of it!  i love the imperfections, the time it takes to peal the beans .... and then after they have been steamed popping them out of their casings is just another amazing way to taste them with your eyes and senses before eating.  yup!  i was a happy camper.

and i had a loverly conversation with this farmer about when the season is for them up here and he said you plant them in march!  yippee!  so rather than july .... i get to start enjoying them earlier in the year!  how cool!

.... and yes .... i have taken about 20 of the plumpest, fattest beans and put them aside to dry out and plant them next season.  <g>

Community Supported Agriculture

community supported agriculture (CSA) is something i've been contemplating and reading a fair bit about of late.   simply put, it's the way of bringing our food chain back to being more local and very personal.  cutting out the super markets with their huge mark-ups ... and also providing different ways for folks in the community to "own" their relationship with their food, and engage with the process.

if you want a really good layman's perspective on CSA, go and have a look at the Purple Pear Organics web site for a great concise read on what it is.  and you also have to check out their blog .... http://purplepearorganics.blogspot.com/.  kate does a great job of sharing their personal journey in sharing their own knowledge of sustainable living.

i have been so impressed with what i am seeing going on, and just how it can positively affect lives, that i wanted to share some of what i've seen going on lately.  the beauty being that CSA can occur on both the large and small scale.  both have their place and both are great examples of engaging in community and bringing the food chain back to being a local thing.

locally ......

Bron, Dave and their son Jack

yesterday i went over to my friend's Dave and Bron's house.  i knew they were into sustainability and doing heaps in their back yard.  so i had a box of seedlings and plants to give them.  what i wasn't prepared for was to learn about how they have engaged with five other families and have basically turned over a piece of their backyard to a community garden.   that is generosity and a community mindset at it's best!  they've done a great job of setting it up so that folks can easily come in through a side gate without disturbing family activities if need be.  

another great local example is Jo and Jo of Funky Front Yard Farmer's.  i only wish i'd gotten to know these guys sooner!  they have two great initiatives.  the first is the blog, Funky Front Yard Farmer's Friends.  they are using social networking to challenge folks to feed their families for a meal, a day or a week on produce that they have grown in their own yard.  we are part of this .... and will continue to be as we move to all points north.

the second thing they are doing is setting up the local Crop and Swap.  folks bring in food that they've grown and trade it with others who are there to do the same.  how wonderful is that!  it is launching on the 12th of November at the community hall in Faulconbridge.  i encourage all my blue mountains food growing buddies to come along and join in!

on a more regional scale .... 

here are a few things that i know are going on in other area's.  all you need to do is look in your local rags you'll find some great stuff going on as well!  half the fun of finding out what is going on is just getting to know the folks that are like-minded!

Purple Pear Organics. these guys are in the Hunter Valley.  they do CSA as well as lots of teaching and educating.  they run courses that you can attend where you can learn about sustainability and their chosen way of doing permaculture via the Mandalah Garden method (a great concept and worth looking at!).  and they also open up their farm to bring in classes from schools and adults to talk about what goes on with the farm and get them excited about what they could do themselves.

Allsun Farm.  these guys are down towards Canberra, in Gundarro.  they run what could be said is an amazing CSA initiative.  with 2 acres under intensive cultivation, they manage to feed numerous families for a good portion of the year.  and of course this doesn't include the improved pasture that they run chooks on or the goats!  they really are australian leaders in the area of market gardening and providing food on a local level.

mid-september i am going out to my favourite place .... Milkwood Farm, for a three day intensive workshop in how to create a Market Garden from scratch.  what is really exciting about this is that the Milkwood gang are bringing in their own mentors, the guys from Allsun Farm!  attending this course basically 1.5 weeks out from our move will keep me inspired i am sure!  the guys at Milkwood are great .... but, i am so excited to spend time with Joyce and Michael from Allsun.  they are older (ahem, like me!) and doing this work .... just the inspiration i need!  <g>

how this will all affect our move is yet to be seen.  it is going to be interesting to rent and live "in" casino for a while.  getting to know folks and share in their community and see what niche we can fill or be a part of.  i would love to start a market garden and a full on CSA when we move .... but we need to see what the needs of the community are first and how we can fit into that.  i am confident though, that whether it's on 15 or 50 acres, we will be engaging in community and relationships where we inspire each other to think about eating locally and enjoying the bounty of the land from folks they know and respect.