Reflections and actions during COP26 and going on
25th February 2025
Improving technology can make things we use more efficient. However this doesn’t always lead to a reduction in our use of energy and resources. Flatscreen TVs are more energy efficient than the bulky cathode ray TVs, but rather than taking advantage of the energy/ resource saving offering by flatscreen TVs we now buy bigger and bigger TVs so loosing the benefit of what we could have saved!
24th February 2025
Recently I read an article promoting Low Tech as a better means to achieving a sustainable global economy. The logic would be that whilst electric cars are a better alternative to petrol cars because they produce less greenhouse gas emissions, bicycles for short journeys and trains for longer journeys would be more sustainable in terms of resources used and pollution created. And as a plus, encouraging active travel would benefit people’s health and reduce medical costs.
21st February 2025
Sourdough starter recipes often tell you to discard a portion of the starter on a regular basis prior to feeding – otherwise you might end up with a huge amount of starter!! However you don’t need to throw that excess away. You can use it to make crumpets (mix four generous tablespoonfuls with a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and divide the mixture between 4 greased crumpet rings, set in a frying pan. Cook and flip and cook the reverse).
Or you can use it to make soda breads – mix with extra flour and a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to make a stiffish dough which can then be baked in the oven or in a frying pan. You can play around using different flours including cornmeal, bean flours etc as well as adding different flavours – herbs, paprika, seeds and nuts, olives, chopped fruit etc.
Basically your sourdough starter is a super raising agent!
20th February 2025
Making bread with a sourdough starter is a slower but less time pressured process – the dough is happy to sit in a warm place just doing what a good dough does.
Some recipes use a ‘levain’ which is small batch of flour mixed with the started the night before, creating a starter dough for the next day’s bread making. I find this particular useful in colder months when yeasts are generally slower to grow.
19th February 2025
Sourdough bread is made with yeast that comes in the form of a sourdough starter. It grows more slowly meaning that whilst the bread dough takes longer to rise, it develops a richer flavour.
You can make your own sourdough starter – although it does take a few days and bit of perseverance. Once your starter is established it can continue to provide you with the means for making bread for months and years to come!
The Doves Farm method is perhaps more straight forward, Whilst the Sourdough recipe is more precise. (I have always used tap water with no ill effect).
18th February 2025
The flavour of bread is very much determined by the flour you use. There are a growing number of specialist suppliers of flour for bread making. Explore Hodmedod’s website for a variety of flours made from different UK grown wheat varieties. https://hodmedods.co.uk/collections/flours
Or visit the Priors Flours which are milled using a one of a pair of windmills – Fosters Mill – at Swatham Priors.
And you will also realise that there are lots of other flours to try out – rye and barley, einkorn etc – and each will give your bread a particular flavour and texture.
17th February 2025
This week is Real Bread Week which campaigns for people to
– BUY Real Bread from local, independent bakeries and/or
– BAKE their own Real Bread
Real bread is made without chemical raising agents and additives and can be made from just four ingredients: flour, yeast, salt and water.
If you want ago at baking your own bread, start with a strong white flour and an instant yeast, follow the instructions on the packet – and opt for making rolls rather than a loaf: they rise and bake more quickly.
14th February 2025
Grey water is water that has been used for washing hands, bathing, washing clothes, washing vegetables etc. Grey water systems that collect and treat grey water, often combining it with collected rainwater, can be plumbed in to flush toilets but these can be expensive, especially when retrofitted.
In summer months, we may already practice grey water harvesting – collecting water from showers and washing machines to water the garden. Ideally such water should not be stored from more than a day because pathogens from what we have washed may multiply especially when the water is warm.
The Centre for Alternative Technologies has this advice about washing machine water – “If you wish to irrigate with water from a washing machine then use a low-sodium detergent, because sodium damages plants and degrades soil (liquid detergents usually contain less salt than powders). Avoid phosphorus as well, because this causes algal blooms if it collects in ponds or rivers. Otherwise, the water has only very small and well diluted quantities of pathogens or grease and therefore these should not be of concern.” https://cat.org.uk/info-resources/free-information-service/water-and-sanitation/rain-and-grey-water/
And the RHS says – “Plants can be watered with shower, bath, kitchen and washing machine water (from rinse cycles), collectively referred to as ‘grey’ water. It varies in quality and may contain contaminants such as soap and detergent. Fortunately, soil and potting composts are effective at filtering them out, and the residues can sometimes act as a mild fertiliser. To minimise bacterial growth, grey water should be saved for only 24 hours, unless filtered through a reed bed or professionally designed system. It is best applied by watering can; grease and fibres can clog irrigation systems.” https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/gardening-in-a-changing-world/water-use-in-gardens/using-grey-water
In our home, we collect hand wash water and use it to flush the toilet when ‘yellow’ and use the toilet flush when ‘brown’.
13th February 2025
Waterfalls are dramatic natural features because of their power and beauty. The power of falling water is utilised by water wheels and hydro power plants. Its power is replicated by power showers and power hoses – but in those situations we may want to think whether the amount of energy and water used is reasonable in a world where we are already overusing limited resources.
That said, another way of saving water and energy is to shower less often. Most of us don’t need to shower every day – we can wash bits of ourselves as necessary in a basin and still smell clean and fresh.
12th February 2025
Some 30 years ago we lived for a year in Zimbabwe, during a drought. Households were rationed to initially 50 litres of water a day (between five of us). We were able to send our washing to the laundry but for all other needs had to plan how we used our water. Apart from what we drank, every drop was reused – cooking and washing up water flushed the toilet, baths (we used a baby bath) were shared etc. We weren’t allowed to water the garden as all waste water was need to keep the sewers flowing.
That was an extreme situation, but thinking about how we use every drop of water is relevant at any time.
The Green Tau 