sustainability - Our Green Health

Why Water Management is Important and How We Can Contribute

04/03/202204/03/2022 by Tom van Oosterhout

Water management is important. This is a conviction we all share. Water management is important because we need clear and clean, in other words, potable water.

At the same time, water management is complicated. It’s complicated because it’s a cyclic and very vulnerable process. For example, our water is purified twice, before and after we use it.

This is a costly and peculiar way of managing something which is so important to us. Fortunately, we can make a substantial personal effort to improve water management.

How to Convert to Organic Farming?

25/02/202225/02/2022 by Tom van Oosterhout

How to convert to organic farming is complicated. Not because of the actual agricultural transition. The final results will give most farmers much more pleasure and satisfaction. Modern conventional farming is doctored out for the farmers in the offices of banks, multinationals, and supermarkets. There is not much fun in farming like this.

No, the biggest problem of the conversion, and the consecutive organic farming experience, is the incessant bureaucracy. This should not be a problem when conventional farmers also had to go through all the same paperwork. Yet, they don’t have to.

Why we Desperately Need Sustainable Citizens’ Initiatives

28/01/2022 by Tom van Oosterhout

We desperately need more sustainable citizens’ initiatives, because we cannot trust politicians to take the effort. I explain my lack of trust in politicians by expressing my amazement about some peculiar political beliefs.

I do this to introduce a project that tries to change devastating agricultural practices for the better: GO Agrodiverso.

It’s an amazing project because it’s aimed at the conservation of as great a variety of national fruits and vegetables as possible. The participants want more biodiversity in agriculture.

What’s Wrong with Nuclear Power, and what are Alternative Energy Sources?

21/01/2022 by Tom van Oosterhout

In 2019, nuclear power produced 10% of the global electricity used worldwide. Natural gas provided 24% of the global electricity consumption in 2019. Both are very expensive, non-renewable fossil fuels.

The difference is that nuclear power can only produce electricity, whereas natural gas can also be used to heat buildings, and serve as a combustion to cook, and for cars, ships, and aeroplanes.

There is much concern about nuclear power and natural gas because the European Union plans to accept these as green energy sources to combat climate change. From whatever perspective we judge nuclear power and natural gas, they are all but green.

What Are the Best Ways to Control Garden Pests without Chemicals?

17/12/2021 by Hannie Mommers

It’s December at the moment and back in the Netherlands, I would never have to worry about pest control at this time. But over here in Spain, my second crop is in the kitchen garden. And the grasshoppers have a field day on my plants.

Whenever possible I try to avoid killing insects. I prefer them to move over to the woods behind our house or to the campo (the Spanish countryside). But I also want to eat my harvest so if they are very persistent, I take bigger measures.

What are the best ways to control garden pests without using chemicals or artificial toxins? I have listed 10 methods in this article.

How Can We Avoid Holiday Consumerism in December?

06/12/202106/12/2021 by Hannie Mommers

Every festivity has turned into a marketing event to drive consumerism. This not only means presents but also creates a larger mountain of waste.

In the US 25% more waste is thrown away between Thanksgiving and January 1st, according to Stanford University. It won’t be much better in the EU. Food waste and Christmas trees add to the Carbon footprint.

How can we avoid Holiday consumerism and still have a fun December month? We move further on the green road when we deal with what we want more mindfully.

Can Materials Be Recycled Endlessly? A Plea for Zero Waste

10/11/202110/11/2021 by Hannie Mommers

For years, Tom and I have been separating our waste to the best of our ability. But can materials be recycled endlessly? And do we separate our waste correctly?

It is complicated that countries and even regions have different ways of separating waste.

In addition, there are sometimes urban stories about how eventually all the waste ends up back together and that separation does not work out.

And finally, it also turns out that certain materials cannot be recycled endlessly.

How to Diminish our Ecological Footprint? Some (Mostly Easy) Tips

03/11/2021 by Hannie Mommers

An individual’s ecological footprint tells how much space he or she needs to live. We are not talking about how big your home is here, but how your lifestyle impacts the environment and how we can diminish our ecological footprint.

Ecological footprints are also referred to as CO2 footprints. Are you an emission-intensive person or do you live frugally?

You cause less environmental damage with a smaller footprint. It has been shown in a number of studies that if everyone had an average footprint of 1.8 hectares, nature could restore itself.