Eco News

Eco News Caring for Our World NNR Introduces New Eco-News Column

“In the end we only conserve what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will only understand what we have been taught.” Baba Dioum

Thani Talk 8 March 2020 I will add to that "... and what we are made aware of". Welcome to our first “Caring for Our World” column which focuses on the environmental concerns of our age. At Nonthaburi Neighborhood Reach (NNR), we have decided to use our voice as a volunteer group serving the community, to talk about this issue which affects ALL of us.

We cannot fail to notice, and be affected by, the consequences of human activities on our environment. Here, smog has been crippling. It is toxic, rancid and limits our everyday lives. If we extrapolate that out, we can find examples of environmental disaster in every single country; in my own (UK), today they are submerged in floods and storm winds, "freak weather" so they say.

Sadly, it is quickly becoming the norm, with such events–and worse–repeated on every continent. Our wildlife and plant life is creaking, and we see heartbreaking images at every turn.

It can be overwhelming and depressing. However, our focus is to give hope, and to encourage all of us to understand that we, ourselves, can MAKE A DIFFERENCE to the outcome!

Sometimes, it is as simple as thinking about a different way to do things.

Our norms need to be challenged, and we should ask: Do we need to buy it? Is there an alternative non-ozone damaging product? What are we eating? Are we adding to landfill when we need not? Will this end up in the ocean or in the belly of an animal? Did this product destroy ecosystems in its production?

Every month, we will present workshops, offer practical restorative trips (focusing on oceans, forests, human/wildlife conflict etc), tips, and build awareness. Positive. Fun. Practical. We look forward to engaging with you about this imperative issue of our age!

Sally Elliott

NNR Hosts Composting Workshop on April 8th

Coming soon is an April NNR workshop on how to compost right here in our Nichada homes.

Imagine millions of trucks lined up filled with garbage. The contents can be found strewn around Thailand's landscape—klongs, fields, roads, sois, parks, rivers, seas—or simply piling up in tip sites or landfills. Waste management is a real crisis across the globe.

Simply, we buy too much; we dump packaging, bags, containers, - and on and on; and it all has to go somewhere! If each one of us used one plastic straw a day, that’s 365 straws per person, per year. Then think of the billions of people on our planet and where those straws end up. About a trillion tonnes of trash are generated every year across the globe, and it is poisoning our lands, seas and rivers, getting into the food chain, and ultimately it ends up in us and in our wildlife! (Think of microplastics, and think of those images of whales filled with plastic bags).

Did you know that at least 30% of that can be extracted and used for good! Reducing the size of our waste problem.We can make a difference!

In simple terms, Waste Management means taking care of the garbage we generate so that it does not end up like that described above.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Rot! Composting is where you and I come in! It is one of the simplest forms of recycling that involves every day kitchen waste. And it is where we can change our daily actions to make a difference.

Composting is the natural process that breaks down organic material into a dark rich substance which acts as a wonderful conditioner for soil, thereby helping, rather than harming, our environment. Composting reduces global waste, greenhouse gases and nurtures our soils as we replenish the earth with nutrient-filled matter which encourages the health of the ecosystem.

Come and join NNR’s April 8th Composting Workshop which will demonstrate how to get started (and stop your food waste ending up in landfill).

We will learn how to manage on our balconies and in our gardens. (If you already compost, please join us to share your experiences!)

Our instructor, Nita Vita, has an eco business with a vision: "We envision the world practicing the culture of sustainable living through connecting waste back to resource," she said.

Please visit her website at: www.pakdone.org To register for the April 8th workshop, please sign up with Claire Thieblemont by email: claire.darsonval@ hotmail.com

Sally Elliott

When: Wednesday, April 8th Time: 10am - 11:30am Where: Nichada Villa, House 39/331 (in the garden) What: Our teacher, Nita Vita, will teach us the basics of composting, her ‘recipe’ for the ‘starter’ which encourages the speedy ODORLESS fermentation process to progress. Appropriate for: Everyone! (for both those who live in condominiums and houses). Slots: 20 persons maximum Cost: 500 baht