A request from my Inbox:
Please, could you kindly tell me if you know of activities that can be done with children and their parents to introduce, remind or develop and awareness and more importantly adapt buying and disposal habits with respect to recyclable materials.
Games, toy making, craft type activities would be ideal. I hope to use these at outdoor events I organise for families.
============================================================================
Here are my suggestions with links to articles I have written earlier that will be useful for your project:
1) Take the families out for walks at public gardens or National Parks. Then provoke their senses by showing them pictures of what these places will look like if they do not take care of the environment.
2) You can use your fingers to tell them why they should be mindful of the environment.
3) Get the children appreciating green places by getting them to cut out pictures of parks or forest reserves they can go with their parents. They can paste the pictures and note their locations in old calendars.
4) In my country, I am allowed to pick seeds off parks in our housing estates. If it is allowed in UK, get the children to collect seeds from parks in their neighbourhood and bring them home to grow or give away. Take pictures of the trees or plants near where the seeds dropped off from so that they will have a record of the greens they have planted.
5) I have posted a few videos to remind or create an awareness of how our shopping habits can affect the environment. A very good example of one is the following:
Shopping? Buying product or packaging?
Through my experience, the children will appreciate the following videos:
Teaching children? You need superheroes.
"If I am your friend..." is a poem I wrote for the children to go with this video I showed them.
The children love this video best:
Underwears? Yes, can be recycled.
There are a few videos from "The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See" which was created by a Physics school teacher in US.
6) If you do a search for packaging on my blog, you will find that I have posted many ideas on how to make use of them. I have also posted many free tutorials using scrap materials on this blog and on Creative Recyclers.
7) A drum circle is something that they can play outdoor. The children can create their own Recycled Musical Ware. They can also create decorations for their musical wares.
8) Don't miss out the children who do not enjoy and will not join your outdoor activities. Let them learn about going green playing games. It will also be a fun way to introduce children to the world of recycling.
This is it for the moment till I find more activities to add to this.
Monday, 9 June 2008
Need maps? Look for junk mails.
My friend has been asking me for the direction to Standard Chartered Bank in Kajang. I am bad at giving directions and soon she was asking me again. So, I went through my pile of junk mails and sure enough, I found an advertisement of a shop near the bank and it has a map to it.
Most advertisements come with maps to the location of the shops advertised. I especially like the ones promoting new housing estates. These maps usually highlight amenities like shopping complexes, schools, hospitals, train stations, etc. In some maps there are also markings for commercial buildings, hotels, restaurants, clubs, police stations or prominent housing estates around the development.
Since I was looking through the pile, I decided to salvage some of the useful materials before I put them out to recycle. So, what else could I possibly find useful in junk mails? Here are my 7 useful ways with junk mails:
1) I keep maps of shops and places I would like my family to go to. That way their father will not have to crack his head wondering where we can go during the weekends.
2) Sometimes my children become very frustrated when they are not able to tell me the name of a product or a particular brand they want on the shopping list. So, I kept pictures of stuff and groceries that I tend to buy for the family. They are able to identify the items better by looking at the pictures. The ones for food and vegetables are used to label what I store in my fridge.
3) Advertisements printed on one side only. With price of fuel up, I am sure that price for paper product will go up too. Now my children can draw on the blank side of the paper or create cut outs with them. And, to inspire their creativity, I also collected advertisements with cute drawings on them.
4) I remember how upset I became when my children advised me too late that they need colour paper for their school projects and we are out of them at home. So I cut out coloured paper off advertisements that are of a large usable size. I also keep those colourful advertisements printed on manila cardboard thickness paper.
5) I also look out for advertisement of the toys and electronic stuff my children hanker for. That way they can use them to decorate the chest of drawers and file holders I have created out of cardboard boxes for them. I told them that I have informed their father of this project and they are not to bother their father about getting them again as he can see the stuff for himself. I told them that it will be their affirmation board in getting the things they want.
6) Items in pictorial advertisements that are printed in Malaysia are usually labeled in English and Malay. I find them very useful as a teaching aid for language and...
...maths. You can teach the children to judge the value of a product not on its unit price but also based on the volume and quantity it is supplied. They can also learn the different type of measurements used for liquids and solids.
7) Don't you hate it when you need to get things done but you do not know the name of the material or equipment you require? How are you going to tell your supplier or repairman about it? If this is the scenario you are often in, then it is time to collect advertisements like these:
If you have the time, you can read 5 more useful ways with junk mails that I have written earlier.
Among my box of junk mails, I found this label that was attached to one of the clothes I bought. I did not think that it would be useful until I took a closer look at it. It indicates on one side, women's tops in European and American size and on the other side, women's bottom. As it is small enough for me to slip into my purse, it will be very handy for me to decide the right size to buy when I come across one with European sizes. So, I am keeping that.
That's a lot of paper cuttings to keep and you maybe thinking that it is too messy a project to start on. But if you sort your cuttings out neatly in clear A4 size plastic holders, you can store them neatly on a book shelf.
And I do not see why your family members will not help you in this project since it will benefit them as well.
Most advertisements come with maps to the location of the shops advertised. I especially like the ones promoting new housing estates. These maps usually highlight amenities like shopping complexes, schools, hospitals, train stations, etc. In some maps there are also markings for commercial buildings, hotels, restaurants, clubs, police stations or prominent housing estates around the development.
Since I was looking through the pile, I decided to salvage some of the useful materials before I put them out to recycle. So, what else could I possibly find useful in junk mails? Here are my 7 useful ways with junk mails:
1) I keep maps of shops and places I would like my family to go to. That way their father will not have to crack his head wondering where we can go during the weekends.
2) Sometimes my children become very frustrated when they are not able to tell me the name of a product or a particular brand they want on the shopping list. So, I kept pictures of stuff and groceries that I tend to buy for the family. They are able to identify the items better by looking at the pictures. The ones for food and vegetables are used to label what I store in my fridge.
3) Advertisements printed on one side only. With price of fuel up, I am sure that price for paper product will go up too. Now my children can draw on the blank side of the paper or create cut outs with them. And, to inspire their creativity, I also collected advertisements with cute drawings on them.
4) I remember how upset I became when my children advised me too late that they need colour paper for their school projects and we are out of them at home. So I cut out coloured paper off advertisements that are of a large usable size. I also keep those colourful advertisements printed on manila cardboard thickness paper.
5) I also look out for advertisement of the toys and electronic stuff my children hanker for. That way they can use them to decorate the chest of drawers and file holders I have created out of cardboard boxes for them. I told them that I have informed their father of this project and they are not to bother their father about getting them again as he can see the stuff for himself. I told them that it will be their affirmation board in getting the things they want.
6) Items in pictorial advertisements that are printed in Malaysia are usually labeled in English and Malay. I find them very useful as a teaching aid for language and...
...maths. You can teach the children to judge the value of a product not on its unit price but also based on the volume and quantity it is supplied. They can also learn the different type of measurements used for liquids and solids.
7) Don't you hate it when you need to get things done but you do not know the name of the material or equipment you require? How are you going to tell your supplier or repairman about it? If this is the scenario you are often in, then it is time to collect advertisements like these:
If you have the time, you can read 5 more useful ways with junk mails that I have written earlier.
Among my box of junk mails, I found this label that was attached to one of the clothes I bought. I did not think that it would be useful until I took a closer look at it. It indicates on one side, women's tops in European and American size and on the other side, women's bottom. As it is small enough for me to slip into my purse, it will be very handy for me to decide the right size to buy when I come across one with European sizes. So, I am keeping that.
That's a lot of paper cuttings to keep and you maybe thinking that it is too messy a project to start on. But if you sort your cuttings out neatly in clear A4 size plastic holders, you can store them neatly on a book shelf.
And I do not see why your family members will not help you in this project since it will benefit them as well.
Sunday, 8 June 2008
Treasured Discards? Start a business.
Things your love ones have been keeping maybe be deemed “junk” to you but to them, they are stuff that they have been growing up with. Is there a figure you can fix on the price tag for things of sentimental value that will allow the keeper to gladly release them?
If they are trinkets, one can consider making gel candles with them embedded to keep as keepsakes. But what about the big items?
My uncle's house in Malacca is full of antiques and looking at the lifestyle of his children they are not likely to decorate all of them in their own homes. I remember driving pass a house in Singapore and I saw lots of beautiful old furniture placed outside the house. You may think that the owner has so much antiques that he has no place for them in the house. But then, it could be that his children do not appreciate them and have left them out of the house!
I have offered to write a blog for my uncle about his collections. I would like to write about his knowledge about them and the feeling and thoughts they awakened in him. I am sure that when my cousins are able to read his attachment to them, they will treasure his collections as much. A few generations down the road, these items may become national treasures.
Come to think of it, my uncle should consider selling some pieces of his collections, that his children will not be keen to hang on to. At least he will be assured that items sold will be well kept and appreciated.
So, maybe you should start looking at the stuff that you have been hoarding and see what you can do about them before they become discarded treasure, when you are no longer around.
Are there ways to make a living out of treasured discards that has no value to others to consider selling?
Watch out for the answer in my next posting.
If they are trinkets, one can consider making gel candles with them embedded to keep as keepsakes. But what about the big items?
My uncle's house in Malacca is full of antiques and looking at the lifestyle of his children they are not likely to decorate all of them in their own homes. I remember driving pass a house in Singapore and I saw lots of beautiful old furniture placed outside the house. You may think that the owner has so much antiques that he has no place for them in the house. But then, it could be that his children do not appreciate them and have left them out of the house!
I have offered to write a blog for my uncle about his collections. I would like to write about his knowledge about them and the feeling and thoughts they awakened in him. I am sure that when my cousins are able to read his attachment to them, they will treasure his collections as much. A few generations down the road, these items may become national treasures.
Come to think of it, my uncle should consider selling some pieces of his collections, that his children will not be keen to hang on to. At least he will be assured that items sold will be well kept and appreciated.
So, maybe you should start looking at the stuff that you have been hoarding and see what you can do about them before they become discarded treasure, when you are no longer around.
Are there ways to make a living out of treasured discards that has no value to others to consider selling?
Watch out for the answer in my next posting.
Friday, 6 June 2008
You are famous, Aunty Nancy!
"You are famous, Aunty Nancy!"
So, what have I done to make a child said that?
I have been doing my ThRRRees (3Rs), that is, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and writing about these activities in this blog. The editor of a local newspaper, The Star, has noticed my efforts and in conjunction with World Environment Day on 5 June 2008, decided to write an article about me.
World Environment Day? How does one celebrate it?
This year, the event is hosted by New Zealand and the theme is "CO2, Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy". Activities based on its pledge to achieve carbon neutrality has been going on in its capital, Wellington, since the 28th of May and this will go on till the 13th of June. If you are there, you maybe lucky enough to receive some of the eco-friendly handouts being given out, such as, light-bulbs and shopping bags.
Need help celebrating it in Malaysia? Then check out "Green Everyday" highlighted by The Star. And if you are in on this celebration, you can register your green activities with United Nation Environment Programme.
This is how I would like to celebrate it. I am sharing my 10 incentives for going green.
Add your own. You may stand a chance to be in the news too.
So, what have I done to make a child said that?
I have been doing my ThRRRees (3Rs), that is, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and writing about these activities in this blog. The editor of a local newspaper, The Star, has noticed my efforts and in conjunction with World Environment Day on 5 June 2008, decided to write an article about me.
World Environment Day? How does one celebrate it?
This year, the event is hosted by New Zealand and the theme is "CO2, Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy". Activities based on its pledge to achieve carbon neutrality has been going on in its capital, Wellington, since the 28th of May and this will go on till the 13th of June. If you are there, you maybe lucky enough to receive some of the eco-friendly handouts being given out, such as, light-bulbs and shopping bags.
Need help celebrating it in Malaysia? Then check out "Green Everyday" highlighted by The Star. And if you are in on this celebration, you can register your green activities with United Nation Environment Programme.
This is how I would like to celebrate it. I am sharing my 10 incentives for going green.
Add your own. You may stand a chance to be in the news too.
Thursday, 5 June 2008
Play pump at work or play?
In places where there is no electricity or diesel to run water pumps, what do people in need of water do?
They built PlayPumps and let the children have fun working on them, to draw water up into raised storage tanks! How? Take a look.
The PlayPumps are installed by PlayPumps International, a 501(c) 3 organization in the U.S. In partnership with Roundabout Water Solutions in South Africa, they hope to raise funds to build 4000 of such water systems in schools and communities in 10 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2010.
There are four billboards surrounding the water storage tanks. Fancy your company's name on these billboards? Then find out how you can take action and be part of this programme.
With prices of food and fuel going up by the year, it is time to look out for alternative sources of energy. Look out for more of such sustainable technology in my next posting.
They built PlayPumps and let the children have fun working on them, to draw water up into raised storage tanks! How? Take a look.
The PlayPumps are installed by PlayPumps International, a 501(c) 3 organization in the U.S. In partnership with Roundabout Water Solutions in South Africa, they hope to raise funds to build 4000 of such water systems in schools and communities in 10 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2010.
There are four billboards surrounding the water storage tanks. Fancy your company's name on these billboards? Then find out how you can take action and be part of this programme.
With prices of food and fuel going up by the year, it is time to look out for alternative sources of energy. Look out for more of such sustainable technology in my next posting.
Tuesday, 3 June 2008
Used cooking oil? You bet! Am saving!
Now that we are aware of the value of used cooking oil, let's look into ways to save it from our food.
If you are into boiling soup with meat, you will notice that the fat from the meat will rise above the surface of the soup. Since it is not healthy to take too much oily stuff, you can skim it off the soup with a fine mesh scoop.
Should you have any leftover soup in your pot, pour it into a bowl and wait till it is cold before storing it in the fridge. If you check it the next day, you will notice a film of opaque fat that you can easily remove with a spoon. If you do not want it to turn rancid, scoop that into a glass bottle and keep it frozen in the fridge.
The top layer that you see in this photo is actually chicken fat from a leftover dish I made for dinner yesterday.
My daughter helped me to scoop the fat out...
and put it into a cooking pot.
This is actually still good for cooking another dish with.
Don't believe me? Check out how my fried rice cooked with this fat and leftover rice turned out.
To add more flavour to it, I added eggs with salt, leftover meat, soya sauce and some garlic oil. If you have enough fat from the chicken, your fried rice will taste a little like chicken rice.
I used to buy only lean meat and request my chicken supplier to skin and remove fat from the white meat. If you are a regular customer, I am sure that your supplier will not mind giving you extra portions of fat that his customers had requested him to remove from the meat.
Here are other ways you can extract oil from your red or white meat.
Method 1
1) Remove fat and skin from your red or white meat.
2) Dice the fat and skin.
3) Heat up a pan and add a little water to it before you place your fat and skin into the pan.
4) Keep heating this till you see oil melting into the water.
5) You can keep adding a little water if it dries up. This way, your fat will not burn black.
6) It is done once you noticed that the fat and skin don't shrink any further.
Don't worry if you have added too much water into the pan. Just cool the liquid down before pouring it into a bowl. Put it into the fridge and skim the fat off the next day.
Method 2
Follow steps 1 to 4 but this time do not keep adding water to the pan. The idea is to fry it till the fat and skin is crispy brown. Strain the oil to store and use the crispy fat to add flavour to your fried noodle or rice.
If you think that is not healthy for you, than mix it into your pet food. Your pets will love it.
Remember to make use of the sauce that is still on the pan before you wash your pan. Less oil on your pan means less detergent = less water used.
Another golden rule is not to wash your plastic wares with oily pans or you will have to wash your wares many times over to get rid of the fat.
If you think you are able to collect enough used cooking oil to start your recovered cooking oil business, check out these links:
Set up a business? You need calculators.
Setting up business in Malaysia
Ministries in Malaysia handling grants, licences and permits? Found at one spot.
Need other sources of green funds? Look for "birds of a feather" and possibly a chance to win a green award along the way.
This is it for the moment till I get my hands on more useful links to start this business.
If you are into boiling soup with meat, you will notice that the fat from the meat will rise above the surface of the soup. Since it is not healthy to take too much oily stuff, you can skim it off the soup with a fine mesh scoop.
Should you have any leftover soup in your pot, pour it into a bowl and wait till it is cold before storing it in the fridge. If you check it the next day, you will notice a film of opaque fat that you can easily remove with a spoon. If you do not want it to turn rancid, scoop that into a glass bottle and keep it frozen in the fridge.
The top layer that you see in this photo is actually chicken fat from a leftover dish I made for dinner yesterday.
My daughter helped me to scoop the fat out...
and put it into a cooking pot.
This is actually still good for cooking another dish with.
Don't believe me? Check out how my fried rice cooked with this fat and leftover rice turned out.
To add more flavour to it, I added eggs with salt, leftover meat, soya sauce and some garlic oil. If you have enough fat from the chicken, your fried rice will taste a little like chicken rice.
I used to buy only lean meat and request my chicken supplier to skin and remove fat from the white meat. If you are a regular customer, I am sure that your supplier will not mind giving you extra portions of fat that his customers had requested him to remove from the meat.
Here are other ways you can extract oil from your red or white meat.
Method 1
1) Remove fat and skin from your red or white meat.
2) Dice the fat and skin.
3) Heat up a pan and add a little water to it before you place your fat and skin into the pan.
4) Keep heating this till you see oil melting into the water.
5) You can keep adding a little water if it dries up. This way, your fat will not burn black.
6) It is done once you noticed that the fat and skin don't shrink any further.
Don't worry if you have added too much water into the pan. Just cool the liquid down before pouring it into a bowl. Put it into the fridge and skim the fat off the next day.
Method 2
Follow steps 1 to 4 but this time do not keep adding water to the pan. The idea is to fry it till the fat and skin is crispy brown. Strain the oil to store and use the crispy fat to add flavour to your fried noodle or rice.
If you think that is not healthy for you, than mix it into your pet food. Your pets will love it.
Remember to make use of the sauce that is still on the pan before you wash your pan. Less oil on your pan means less detergent = less water used.
Another golden rule is not to wash your plastic wares with oily pans or you will have to wash your wares many times over to get rid of the fat.
If you think you are able to collect enough used cooking oil to start your recovered cooking oil business, check out these links:
Set up a business? You need calculators.
Setting up business in Malaysia
Ministries in Malaysia handling grants, licences and permits? Found at one spot.
Need other sources of green funds? Look for "birds of a feather" and possibly a chance to win a green award along the way.
This is it for the moment till I get my hands on more useful links to start this business.
They struck oil! In the trash.
I remember while my daughter was younger, I used to push her around the neighbourhood in her pram for walks. Frequently, I was able to pick up some discarded cuttings in the park to grow in my garden. Now and then, I was even able to bring home stuff that had been thrown into trash bins because of my artistic calling to create something out of them.
I cannot be doing that in America or I will be caught stealing trash! I will not receive a note of appreciation even if I am willing to help remove foul smelling, rancid used cooking oil. In fact, I will be reported and napped by the police if I am caught in the act. So, what is going on there?
People in the catering industry there are now aware that they can be paid for their used fryer or cooking oil. The companies that recover them are able to recycle the vegetable oil, tallow (fat from cow) or lard (fat from pig) from animal to produce soap, or bio-fuel, or cosmetics and even animal fat-based feeds, which are widely used by farmers in some parts of Europe, North America and Asia.
The theft for the used oil is so high that owners are willing to install surveillance equipment to monitor this commodity. A grease collection company in USA has even hired two detectives to investigate thefts around the country. Clear indications that this is a highly profitable business.
Is this something that you could start in your own country? These are places where you can get your source of used cooking oil:
1) hotels
2) fast food outlets
3) restaurants
4) food processing companies
5) domestic homes
And here are the processes for making:
a) soap
b) Bio-fuel
Go strike (used) oil. You never know; you maybe able to start a franchise.
I cannot be doing that in America or I will be caught stealing trash! I will not receive a note of appreciation even if I am willing to help remove foul smelling, rancid used cooking oil. In fact, I will be reported and napped by the police if I am caught in the act. So, what is going on there?
People in the catering industry there are now aware that they can be paid for their used fryer or cooking oil. The companies that recover them are able to recycle the vegetable oil, tallow (fat from cow) or lard (fat from pig) from animal to produce soap, or bio-fuel, or cosmetics and even animal fat-based feeds, which are widely used by farmers in some parts of Europe, North America and Asia.
The theft for the used oil is so high that owners are willing to install surveillance equipment to monitor this commodity. A grease collection company in USA has even hired two detectives to investigate thefts around the country. Clear indications that this is a highly profitable business.
Is this something that you could start in your own country? These are places where you can get your source of used cooking oil:
1) hotels
2) fast food outlets
3) restaurants
4) food processing companies
5) domestic homes
And here are the processes for making:
a) soap
b) Bio-fuel
Go strike (used) oil. You never know; you maybe able to start a franchise.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)