Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I guess that's the difference, I don't find the show funny at all. While I am all for minimising consumption and caring for the environment, I am one of the denigrated that don't except that computer based projections of the global climate are of any value. So I don't see the value of enormous change to our economy based on these projections, nor do I believe that the rest of the world gives a rats ar.. about what Australia does.

As far as who gets hit the hardest I believe that it is usually the self employed or small businesses that are often earning virtually no taxable income but get none of the handouts, many of these will find them selves out of business as the economy suffers. Others will be the employed that lose jobs, those that remain in employment will just get paid more at the expense of the unemployed so they don't care.

SE & SB on no taxable income how do you do that and live?

Timmy, the money will be stolen by the gravy train ers...
Those ignorant to morality and the common goal get over it
the blind will still be the blind,
those that care to make a difference, will!
It won't affect you or your kids

^^^^^ +1

Whatever

I just know if we don't change, our alternative is not good.
Specially for the grand kids & next gen.. but hey who am I to argue.
We could do with another couple of billion people wiped out...
It is difficult to tell the diff between shit and clay...
and if it feels like it, looks like it, smells like it then it must be clay, right

aside : I thought the reason for bring food production home was to reduce embedded energy,
because we are on a narrow path not to fly in the face of adversity

without our mining industry, australia would be billions and billions of dollars poorer. less money means more people retracting into survival mode, which means less people have money to spend on luxuries like newer more effencent cars, solar systems on their roofs, less tax dollars to sink into renewable fuel research etc.

killing off your resource sector would have the oppersite effect you think it will, because for all the pollution it produces, it's wealth is the only vehicle we have to a cleaner future.

i'll put it this way, without the mining boom, how many of you would have the disposible income to invest in aquaponics, or even know about it ? i know myself personally i would never have moved to WA and found out about it.

Yeah, yeah, this is the same cry from the coal industry in the east. Wealth from polluting industry does NOT create the vehicle to a cleaner future, that has just been made clear by the "I don't give a damn, leave the AC on for the cat" comments. While the money flows people are comfortable and nothing happens.

Only through necessity or a big shake ups do you get the means to a cleaner future.

It needs change of mindset, we don't need newer more efficient cars, this just creates more polluting energy using industry that creates more problems. We need less cars, better public transport, better designed, decentralised urban centres that aren't designed and built around everyone owning a car.

We have to think smarter in different ways.

I wasn't going to step into this - but feel you've gone a little far EB. As disclosure, I am a geologist working in the mining industry.



Totally agree ! But you are also as much a part of the perpetuation as anyone else and would not being selling aquaponics equipment without the mining industry;

How,
- your GB stands are made from mined steel and coated in mined zinc
- your GBs are made from HDPE which comes from mined oil - 1.75kg oil produces 1kg HDPE
- the clay for the Hydroton has to be mined also
- your delivery truck is totally made from mined metals and hycrocarbons.

There are more that we can all think of, but I think the point is made.

If you were making GBs out of a sustainable cellulose product or something similar, then you would certainly be coming from a point of strength and irrefutable moral right.

Don't get me wrong, I am still agreeing with your point and definitely believe that the material cycles employed in our cutlure are unsustainable. What I mean is, if we take it out of the Earth, we should be re-using it over and over; not using it and then throwing it away as we do. Fixing that will occur as prices rise to make the recycling cheaper than obtaining the primary commodity.

I sdidn;t say we had to shut the mining industry down.... And hey most of my friends are in the mining/oil/gas industries...

I'm making what difference I can as an individual, to make people think about what they do and where their food comes from. It would make no sense for me to go and live in a grass hut, consume nothing and ponder these things to myself, then I would be 100% morally and ethically pure and true.

I would love to have growbeds from a sustainable cellulose product, and would support this in every way possible, however this isn't possible right now, when the technology is here and I can buy these tanks, I'll do it gladly.

I know that aquaponics and the systems that we use and promote have high levels of embodied energy and minerals/oil etc. But it's a start in the right direction, it's an alternative that can empower people and hopefully lead to better, less consuming methods in the future, it certainly makes people think..

You show me more efficient ways for people to produce food in their backyards and I will try my darndest to promote it. I'm starting a new magazine, the first edition is pretty much finished and it will be out in the next couple of weeks, called Backyard Farming, this gets things further back to the basics with articles about making cheese, growing fruit trees and veggies, home smoking, composting, making wine, efficient garden design etc etc... And it will only be available electronically....

Good to hear EB I have always been a believer in getting closer to the real things that count, you know I have met young people that wont eat food that grows on trees they will only eat it if it comes from the supermarket (for real, they have a mandarin tree and we get the mandarins because they buy theirs from Coles). I like home-brew both wine and beer, roast my own coffee, make most of our foods ourselves, including breads, cheese etc. I am currently experimenting with growing shiitake mushrooms I would be happy to contribute to the magazine if you could use it.

That's a fair enough point because, of course, I agree. Many of us in the industry do agree and believe in doing our part along with you. I certainly support of what you're doing and the philosophies behind it and will continue to do so and am doing what I can, at significant expense, to apply it to my world.

My objection is to generic abuse of the mining industry. It's the same as saying "I hate America" - unfair on the individuals.

As you, I believe that Governments giving kickbacks to the mining companies is wrong. However, they're not doing it to benefit the companies directly - they're doing it to buy votes and benefit themselves directly.

More efficient way to produce food in the backyard ? I don't think there is, that's why I'm getting it as well.

Anyway, enough of that shite.

The new e-zine sounds great and count me in as a subscriber and would be happy to contribute articles as well if you need writers.

Again, sadly the debate becomes muddied... addressing climate change isn't only about legislating a CRPS... that's just intended to raise revenue to compensate lower income earners for expected price rises... and avoid politcal fallout.... and to compensate and enable a framework for polluters to continue to do so while they find ways to reduce their pollution...

Nor is it about closing down or disadvantaging the mining sector....

Or at least it shouldn't be.... it's about addressing the root cause... and the mindset that allows both private citizens and businesses to place minimal importance on environmental sustainability and the way we continue to pollute and deplenish our environmental resources...

The last two decades have seen a shift away from consumer awareness of environmental issues... and business self regulation of environmental concerns...

Due in no small part in the case of business.... to the prevailing "bottom line" driven performance bonus related model of mordern business...

Whereas in the late 70-80's many businesses would have addresses questions of pollution voluntarily.... the last decade plus has seen them merely shift operations to overseas locations to exploit cheap larbour or lax environmental laws.... to improve the bottom line... thus earning management bonuses....


Coupled with ridiculously low fines for pollution breaches... this has merely encourgaed a mindset of environmental disinterest...

If businesses could be trusted to invest in research... ands actually enact measures to reduce environmental imopacts.... then much of the CPRS provisions just wouldn't be necessary...

But they are... even with a willingness of business compliance.... because if the science is right... then we just don't have the time to delay doing something to at least slow/halt the continued pollution of our planet... right now

And in this Malcolm Turnball and Rudd... are right... it's about risk management... because if the science is right... and the sceptics proved wrong... then waiting 10-20 years to act... will be too late...

I'm not necessarily convinced that the CPRS... or the proposed targets go anywhere near what I think they need to be...

But it gives business time, a framework... and a nudge to change the mindset necessary... to do something immediately... and/or at least begin to put things in place even if they wont actually have effect for several years to come

[quote="earthbound"] And it will only be available electronically.... [/quote]
what?! think of all the "embodied energy" in the computers an wires required to read it! if you really cared about the environment you'd be writing it with mud chewed up in your mouth and hand written on cave walls, so as to have little impact on the environment.

And when Joel can be sure that cave-dwellers like yourself will light their rag torchs and read it Timmy... I'm sure he'd be glad to do so...

No one like change.........

Change is as good as a holiday

Some interesting points,.....,,
1)If electricity go's up 20% just reduce your usage 20% ..... Yep i have ,, I bought CFL's and some LED lights ,, AHHh guess were they where made???> YEP China ,, Kevin Rudds buddies are making a motza from this.
The poor will be compensated because of rises caused by the Carbon tradinbg scheme ,, YEP , that is why the 21% went through NOW , pre trading:) So compensation will only be on the NEXT rise,..... AHH and why should they be compensated??? see 1) above.
As for airconditioning the cat ..... I do NOT own an airconditioner , consider it unecessary and a cat is merely a Chinese take-away meal waiting to happen.

Perhaps the real solution is a combination of thoughts here .....
Pensioners ,, unemeployed.
Over=population
Hmmm , I guess culling is still beyond most peoples acceptance levels:)

The decision to phase out icandesant bulbs was made by the past government, not the current one....

And who are Kevin Rudds buddies anyway...

As previously posted the Rudd government had nothing to do with the latest price increases.... nor do/would they have anything to do with any personal desicion/action to reduce usage...


I don't understand your point??


Well I guess such a form of job shedding would justify the use of the term "termination"

And I'm sure that such an environmental warrior as yourself... will willingly take matters into your own hands when you reach the age of..... 50???

For the sake of the planet .... of course...