Julie Boulton (the greening of) — Issue #3

Julie Boulton
Jul 27, 2017 · 4 min read

This week was like a see-saw — that piece of playground equipment that is basically a plank and you are either up or down. The really, really good bit, (the equivalent of being on the high side of the see-saw), was that I was invited into the ABC studios here in Canberra to record a radio interview with radio host Kelly from Brisbane!

I got to wear padded headphones and talk into an oversized, furry mike and, in my mind, I became, just for a moment, Fran Kelly, (ABC radio journalist of the highest calibre). (I have a feeling that the ABC receptionist or the sound recordist did not join in my fantasy and were, somewhat obviously, not as excited as me, (the sound recordist did, however, mange to look a little bemused as she caught me taking the picture below)).

I was there to on talk about my books, (so in my analogy of the see-saw this is where I would be perched precariously halfway between up and down on the see-saw): yay to be on radio but not so yay for the things we were talking about: that there is a lot of waste in the world.

And then I finished down on the ground with a massive bump and a sore behind, (the see-saw action just got a little out of control and the return to earth really was nowhere near as pleasant as the uplift). This was because I watched some very distressing documentaries. See below. Plastic is so not Fantastic people.

See you next week.

JB


hello ABC!

a (not so fun) fact

Microfiber pollution is nasty! Washing clothing has been found to be responsible for 33% of primary microplastic releases into the environment.

(International Union for the Conservation of Nature)

handy resource(s)

I love the Story of Stuff! Love it! They have heaps of great information on their site and their regular posts on Facebook are done really well (I think anyway)! They also promote local efforts/initiatives to their followers, which is how I found out about Stanley, a small town in Victoria, and its efforts to protect its water for a bottling manufacturer. Check that out here, Stanley Water For Stanley

Facebook
Facebook

Story of Stuffstoryofstuff.org
The Story of Stuff Project’s journey began with a 20-minute online movie about the way we make, use and throw away all the Stuff in our lives. Five years and 40 million views later, we’re a Community of 500,000 changemakers worldwide, working to build a more healthy and just planet. We invite you to watch and share our movies, participate in our study programs and join our campaigns. Come on, let’s go!

i’m reading/watching

As I mentioned above, this week I watched A Plastic Ocean and it made me cry!

Plasticoceans white
Plasticoceans white

A Plastic Oceanwww.plasticoceans.org
A Plastic Ocean is a new feature-length adventure documentary that brings to light the consequences of our global disposable lifestyle. We thought we could use plastic once and throw it away with negligible impact to humans and animals. That turns out to be untrue.In A Plastic Ocean, an international team of adventurers, researchers, and Ocean ambassadors go on a mission around the globe to uncover the shocking truth about what is truly lurking beneath the surface of our seemingly pristine Ocean.

This next article form the ABC received a lot of airplay this week also. And it led me to the earlier CNN article on the same issue (but different location).

8527418 1x1 large
8527418 1x1 large

Remote South Pacific island has highest levels of plastic rubbish in the world — Science News — ABC Newswww.abc.net.au
The beaches of a remote World Heritage-listed island are littered with more plastic debris than anywhere else in the world, a researcher finds, warning that it serves as a wake-up call on plastic pollution and that it “falls on our shoulders” to make a difference.

Island plastic social
Island plastic social

Plastic island: How our trash is destroying paradiseedition.cnn.com
Plastic island: How our trash is destroying paradise

on the blog

Concrete and bricks. What’s so exciting about them when building a house? It’s all abut the thermal mass, so I have learnt anyway (and they look good too).

House insulation
House insulation

thermal mass — Julie Boultonwww.julieboulton75.com
Thermal mass was one thing (among many) that confused me but it was also the one thing that, after way too many episodes of Grand Designs and reading sustainable house magazines, Husband and I knew that we needed to maximise.

snap, snap

sitting on the side of the road
Julie Boulton

Written by

writer of random thoughts on life | weekly environmental newsletter, Julie Boulton (the greening of) | obsessed by roadside goods | julieboulton75.com

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