Recycling and Climate Change… 29th June 2020…

Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of recycling and climate change news from around the world. ..many countries are relaxing their quarantines and already some are seeing an increase in new cases and in light of recent developments around the world I am guessing it is not over yet…It does seem from what I have observed that even over a country some areas have little or no infections and others are seeing an increase is it because there are varying stages of precautions or not and those who are being vigilant are staying safer? To me, that does appear to be the case…

I was also disturbed to read the other day that take- away meals are on the increase which has also led to more containers and bags being dumped…Which takes me back to last week and maybe details should be printed on packaging in infrared so the culprits can be traced and fined heavily I will add…

Factory Farms…

For decades there have been public health and safety concerns around the practices of factory farming…Man does seem to have an increasing insatiable need to eat meat at what cost though this pandemic has highlighted that to me and often animals are cramped wing to wing or snout to snout in their thousands in less than hygienic conditions…to me, it is now more worrying but it isn’t just me…Scientists and watchdogs are having the same thoughts… Can you spot the difference my babies have freedom…

These don’t…I know what I prefer and if they were asked Ithink I know what the chooks would prefer…

Photo credit: Farmwatch on Visualhunt.com / CC BY

Throughout this pandemic maybe you have experienced meat shortages if so have you gone without? You have probably eaten either less meat or found alternative meals which are just as tasty and nutritious.

Farmworkers and food workers are among essential workers and have shown up for work…shortages occur when they get sick often though they aren’t given sick leave or lose their job or carrying on working and infect more people…A vicious circle isn’t it?

But the one thing it does highlight is that it puts countries meat supply chains at risk of disruption but it also highlights our dependence on the centralised and industrialised food systems.

We need to think differently we need to accept that maybe we pay more for meat from local farmers but that meat is sustainable and the animals are cared for…We need to know that our animals are not pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones ..That in itself is another issue…Our health and our families.

I am not saying we shouldn’t eat meat ...I believe we need a balanced diet and should not cut out food groups unless medically advised and diagnosed. But we should apply moderation and be aware of all the problems that factory farms bring to our lives and health and I also believe that while I do eat meat and fish those animals should be shown respect and live a happy life.

Or we could consider and although I haven’t tried them I do know many people who have and the comments have been positive…Have you tried a plant-based meat product? It sounds like due to the pandemic products like The Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat are proving a viable alternative to real meat…These companies are now filling grocery stores shelves and proving to be popular with the stay at home public…

You have heard circular recycling mentioned on here before and how beneficial it can be and mostly is… let’s take that one step further and look at a Circular Economy.

So what is a Circular Economy?

Human society consists of a variety of people. Some create art, others provide healing and care, others build great things. We need a good mix of people to cover any or most eventualities… All are possible together if we have balance and the powerful lend a hand to the weak. For the past 70 or so years, it would appear we have been out of balance.

The capitalist economy is touted as the only way, and anything else is not taken seriously. You take resources, make products, and when consumers tire of them or they outlive their usefulness, they throw them away and repeat. signs of change

We have become a throw-away society…although I do see many signs of change

I also think that now many are beginning to realise that if populations keep increasing and if that populace wants more and more we could in fact face shortages in some areas.

A circular economy is the opposite. Instead, it uses resources over and over. When something is worn out or beyond the point of being repaired, its basic materials are recycled into a new product. The resources are reused and are not wasted I am heartened by signs that we are realising the need to create and produce products where the resources are not lost at end of life and in so doing can contribute far more to humanity than the simple throwaway society that is so common in recent history.

We are running out of easy to obtain natural resources, the time is now to start looking at how we can shift to a more sustainable way of driving the human economy.

A true circular economy could and has in some places eliminated waste completely.

The Black Sea...

For years the Black Sea has been known as the dead zone…Can that be changed…Known as the region’s dustbin…So sad…all that pollution…

But there is some good news from Spain…Clean Energy Moves Ahead in Spain

For example,  Spain just brought online the largest solar plant in the world. The Núñez de Balboa facility is located in the middle of the Iberian peninsula in the  Extremadura region of Spain, and near the border with Portugal. Run by Spanish power utility Iberdrola, the project consists of more than 1.4 million solar panels and is able to supply the energy needs of 250,000 people per year. The project was completed in December of 2019 and brought online last month. It shows that despite setbacks due to Covid19, the push for clean energy continues.

green foot prints eco system

Well, that’s all for me this week on the environment and climate change…we are in our rainy season now so hot steamy days and stormy nights so everything is growing super quick…including the bamboo…x

Thank you for reading be well and stay safe xxx

About Carol Taylor: Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all stay safe and healthy xx

42 thoughts on “Recycling and Climate Change… 29th June 2020…”

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      I totally agree and its good that home learning is covering all of this as its important that children learn about the dangers of plastic 🙂 It must be an interesting topic 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  3. justmuddlingthroughlife

    We’ve been learning about plastic pollution and the blue abyss in home learning. Very interesting and discusting. The devastation that man has caused is awful. We now joke about eating plastic and chips… It’s not funny as actually plastic is now in our food chain and animals are dying. I watched all of the video, it is horrible… there are so many videos online raising awareness.. but man just carries on. With covid 19 plastic bag use seems to have increased… We get numerous bags with our Tesco delivery…not good. Plastic- reduce – don’t buy plastic bottled drinks, reuse – use agaun if you can. Can’t remember the 3rd R – it could be refuse…. basically where possible don’t buy it. Anyway great post humans need to act now because we are causing too much harm.

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  4. OIKOS™-Publishing

    So true, in my opinion factory farming as we not stop it, will bring us much more worse viruses. The bio reactors are real breeding plant for such things, and with the different antibiotics the animal got before, the viruses will get the immunisation delivered for free. Michael

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Pingback: CarolCooks2…weekly roundup 28th June June-4th July 2020…Climate Change, Recipes, Whimsy, and Chocolate… | Retired? No one told me!

  6. Pingback: CarolCooks2…weekly roundup 28th June June-4th July 2020…Climate Change, Recipes, Whimsy, and Chocolate… | Retired? No one told me!

  7. koolkosherkitchen

    Dear Carol, I am not sure you realize that I was born and grew up on the Black Sea. I remember it clean and full of all kinds of fish. When I went back there in 1995, it was already polluted, and several kinds of fish waved their tails and escaped to turkey. Very sad.

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      2. CarolCooks2 Post author

        Yes it certainly is and it sounds like Florida is not doing to well I hope you are staying safe. I was also reading about another swine flu detected source in China..no surprise there but scary…Methinks we are not out of the woods just yet …

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      3. koolkosherkitchen

        Florida is one of the two hot spots in the US, Texas being the second one, I think opening beaches and bars here was premature. I am very busy teaching online and have no need to leave the house.

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      7. koolkosherkitchen

        I can explain: drugs and alcohol temporarily turn off the frontal lobe of our brain which is the part responsible for making reasonable decisions. Therefore, young people who are going nuts because of lockdown and cabin fever get drunk and use drugs, especially since marijuana is legal in Florida, and quickly lose whatever ability to reason and make decisions they’d had to begin with.

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  8. watchingthedaisies

    Thank you Carol. I so hope there is an end to factory farming. It is so cruel. I rarely eat meat, except chicken, which I buy free range and organic. However, I love fish. Ready made plant based burgers are not my thing. I would rather cook from scratch. I look forward to a more circular economy. x

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      They are not mine either but I have been challenged to try one but it will be try not eat the whole thing…I eat very little meat but know where it comes from we grow our own or family do …Yes lets hope for much wanted change , Brigid the world and we need it…:) xx

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  10. johnrieber

    Carol, my wife and I are huge fans of the Beyond Met products. They are pea protein based, NOT soy…and they are flavorful and healthy NOT LOW CALORIE…some people think non-meat products are low calorie but that’s not the case – just a healthy non-meat alternative…we also love the Quorn products, which are mushroom based, again NOT soy…

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  11. Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

    I was vegetarian for four years but it didn’t suit me as I started to get connective tissue injuries.. which improved when I went back to eating animal protein. However, I did eat the then non-meat products such as the Linda McCartney range and some were not bad. I also would use tofu but needed to be seasoned well. I am sure things have improved and there are certainly a wider choice of products that appear on the surface to be reasonably healthy. Interesting post as always Carol… xx

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    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Thank you, Sally….I really am not a fan of tofu its ok as you say if seasoned well…I do think products have improved greatly over the years and also think that maybe we should use alternatives to meat as part of our diet for some of our meals although I am happy to eat some vegetable based meals rather than replace meat with a non meat product thus reducing the habit of having meat/fish at every meal but they do seem a viable alternative…Hugs xxx

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  12. Jim Borden

    I don’t mind the occasional Impossible or Beyond burger, and I find them quite tasty (of course, I have lettuce, tomato, and onion on top), so it’s more than just the burger I am tasting.

    Great video about the circular economy, thanks for sharing…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      I am finding quite a few people like the Impossible/Beyond burgers and of course some salad always adds to the overall taste …I have yet to taste one… not being a burger fan I haven’t made a bee line to taste one yet..although I will at some point just because…Yes I think we need to work towards a more circular economy it makes sense 🙂

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      1. Jim Borden

        I’ll be curious what you think of the taste. I am not the best judge, since it’s been nearly 14 years since I’ve had a real burger. And the circular economy does make sense; I love those kind of animated videos…

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      2. CarolCooks2 Post author

        I do as well Jim… I’m probably not the best judge as I rarely eat processed food. But I will try and get one here and ask my grandson for his verdict and compare it to mine he loves and knows his meat… Will let you know very soon…

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  13. Victoria Zigler (@VictoriaZigler)

    I don’t generally eat the meat alternatives like the impossible burger and such. I’m not really a fan of that kind of thing… I don’t care for the way they make the fake meats taste. Even with things like tofu and jackfruit I prefer to buy the plain stuff and season it myself, because they seem to either over or under season them, or try too hard to make them taste like meat, which I don’t like at all (I’d rather over or under seasoned tofu than a vegan burger that tastes just like a “real” beef burger). I will sometimes have something done by someone else if we’re eating out or ordering in, like how there’s a cafe we love that does a fantastic jackfruit poorboy (jackfruit and vegan slaw sandwich) and another that does an excellent tofu burger. But I wouldn’t eat something like the impossible burger, because the whole point is that it’s meant to taste like meat, and I don’t want my vegetables to taste like beef or chicken or whatever. I think it’s great that they not only make these things, but some people are picking them for a meat-free alternative sometimes. But they’re not for me.

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    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      I totally agree with you Tori…If I decided I was going to adopt a vegan diet. Unlikely…But I wouldn’t be looking for meat substitutes rather I would be looking for tasty meat free dishes…I am not a burger eater so maybe I would think differently if I was. Thank you for your very valid opinion on meat free dishes 🙂 x

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