19.2.13
Chickens :
Today I bought 3 chickens. Their previous home was a huge tin shed, shared with an other 1000 chickens, which - really - isn't sustainable for them (quality of life, natural 'order of things' like a sunrise, bugs, grass etc and - being a 'norma'l chicken).
It's also not sustainable for my conscience driving past that chicken farm every time I go to town. That place has an other 4997 chickens in horrible conditions and at least I could do something for three of them.
Now I might encourage friends who live in the same neighborhood to get some as well. Everyone knows they are living in a very unnatural environment but there aren't many people who actually do something about it.
I had 3 chickens a few years ago and they were easy to keep, laid plenty of eggs and I am glad I got some more (the others went to 'chicken heaven' - natural causes). In between one and the next lot of chickens, I bought free range eggs as I wanted to support people who 'free range' chickens but really - why not have my own again and - it saves 3 chickens living a horrible life at the chicken farm, which - given a choice - I'm sure they wouldn't choose.
In context of EfS:
- For my conscience: it's a little bit easier to know I have done something positive for 3 chickens. To me, that counts towards 'sustainability of conscience'.
- For the chickens: it's a more sustainable (quality of) life.
- For education: I've put pictures and a story of the chickens on Facebook, where I have close to 1300 'friends' all over the world. Some might take it to heart and also 'free' some chickens (Education for Sustainability).
23.2.13
Follow up on chickens' progress :
I have now observed these chickens for a few days.
On the first day (I got them around mid afternoon): they didn't move away from the water bucket for hours. They did eat their food, which I bought at the chicken farm, so that was the only thing familiar to them. I 'put them to bed' at dusk (picking them up and putting them into the chicken coop).
On the second day: they explored some of the grass. I could tell they didn't know what it was. One of the chickens kept hiding in a corner by the Ivy, hiding it's head. Out of the tree, this one is the most disturbed. There is one which is the smartest, catching on to things quickly. The 'middle one' seems to float between the two. The smartest one worked out that the plank of wood angling up to the coop is the way to get to the coop. All three wont eat anything else but the chicken food from the chicken farm. Anything unfamiliar - but considered 'treats for chickens' - like apples, corn cobs etc they just look at it but wont eat it. That evening I 'put them to bed' as well but the next morning, they all manages to get down the wooden plank, even so one fell off on the way down.
On the third day: they managed to get up and down to the chicken coop by themselves. They explored most of the outside space available to them. They do not know what a dog is (I am looking after both my daughters dogs for the weekend), hence they did not exhibit any fear. They still don't eat anything except the mash familiar to them. I blocked of that corner in which the most disturbed chicken hid in and I haven't seen it trying to hide anywhere else.
On the forth day: Same as third.
What are my thoughts on sustainability here?
Whatever environment an animal (and to some extend also human beings) grow up in, that's what they (we) know of the world and will behave accordingly, expecting that what we are used to, is going to be what it's like everywhere.
Why do I think this is a point to make when it comes to EfS?
Because - unlike animals, who with a bit of help (while they are still young) seem to connect with their natural instincts after being removed from their unnatural environment and placed into a more natural one - human beings might not necessarily be able to adapt to that.
In a western society town/city, where we go to supermarkets to buy food, have water coming from the tap, access power by switching on a switch and so on, what would happen (assuming we haven't learned any other ways to access (grow) food, find water, create or don't use any power, warmth, light etc), if we were placed in a situation which hasn't got any of these 'mod cons'?
I believe that not being in touch with the very basics in life is a very un-sustainable situation.
There is no guarantee that our lifestyle will continue to be as it is today. Hence I think EfS starts with what I teach my children and how my parents educated me when I grew up.
Then we have how humans treat animals:
This is an other sustainability concern I have. Do we educate our children to treat animals with kindness and care? Are children in todays world able to be close to an animal or are they totally isolated from having anything to do with, say - a cat or a dog?
Do children know where eggs come from and how chickens are often kept in horrible conditions to produce the main ingredient for their 'scrambled eggs' for breakfast or is it just appearing on their plate with no connection to 'the basics'?
Should food and the production of food be part of todays education like taking children to visit free range chicken farms and a factory farm?
Is it sustainable not to educate children on this subject (where does food come from) and is it sustainable for animals (chicken, pigs, cattle etc) not having people being educated about their (sometimes horrible) living environment?
To cut a potentially very long story short:
- If we know that animals live in horrible conditions, are bred for profit and our 'dinner plate', why do we support this?
- If we know that animals are being used to 'test on' for cosmetics, medicines, household products and so on, why don't we do something about it - like don't buy these products?
Anyone can google about this if they are interested in actually being informed about certain realities of animal cruelty for profit or in the name of 'science', so I wont put links on here.
Is an attitude (choice) of denial, carelessness and ignorance towards animals sustainable?
Animals can't speak up for themselves or form groups or committees as us humans can do when we feel that something is 'wrong'.
I think the following video clip is well done, pointing out that we as the consumers have the choice and the power to influence production by buying or not buying a product:
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| A plain and simple solution? |
My chickens previous home (and still the home of an other approximately 5'000 chickens):
What do I do (apart from buying 3 chickens) towards supporting sustainable food production?
For years now I have bought our vegetables, fruit, meat, milk and other dairy products like quark, fetta cheese and yoghurt at Hohepa Homes (a place for people with special needs), where they grow vegetables bio-dynamically and also have a small herd of cows, which produces the milk (and meat) for this communities needs. Anything surplus will be offered to the public in their small shop.
Knowing that all their farming practices are biodynamic (environmentally sustainable) supports my decision to live as much as possible towards my idea of sustainability for my conscience.
I can actually go and look one of their cows in the eye and know that this cow might provide me with the steak on my plate sometime in the future, rather than buying it all wrapped up from a supermarket shelf.
I used to be a vegetarian for 12 years because I realized I couldn't actually support the general profit driven meat industry or kill an animal myself. Now I compromise and give thanks to the cow in person, knowing that there isn't a practice of mass production for profit happening and only the odd cow will be slaughtered on site (farm kill). It is a conscience compromise on my part, but one that I can live with.
The milk is raw (untreated) and fresh daily, straight from the cow. Their other milk products are produced on site, so are their vegetables and fruit (low carbon foot print).
My next most frequent place to shop is the local Health Food Store, where I will buy produce like Lohra 7-grain biodynamic flower to bake my bread with, organic rice (Australia) and other basic food ingredients.
I try to buy as many Eco friendly products, which I will use in my kitchen, laundry and for body care, which are not tested on animals and are (hopefully) produced with sustainability for the environment in mind. I support NZ and locally made products wherever possible.
Then my last frequent place I will go to is the Supermarket, where I will purchase bits and pieces like the yeast I use for bread making (Edmonds active yeast, produced in NZ) and other less sustainable household items.
What are the areas in which I don't support sustainability?
I look around my home and there are a lot more areas in which I support - through buying - items produced by non-sustainable practices.
A few examples - but not an in-depth study:
- The cup I use for my coffee is 'Pams' (brand), Made in China (not from a local potter). I look at it and know that: it is mass-produced; the materials used (clay, color, glaze, transport to NZ etc) are not supporting sustainable practices (pollution created, long distance transport needed etc). That same scenario applies pretty much to most of my plates, glasses, fruit bowl (etc), pots, cutlery and so on.
- The Mac Book I am writing the content of this blog on is probably Made in China as well. Apart from the plastic for the shell of the computer and components in the computer, which need to be produced in some factory, I am not sure what the truth of the working conditions of the people who 'put it all together' is either. The same applies for my cell phone, TV, telephone and radio.
- The fridge, washing machine, jug and various household appliances I use, the stapler for my 'office', paper for printing, pen's for writing, the car I drive and - gosh - the list goes on.
Most of these items are mass produced. I will go into this in a little more depth in an other post.
As this blog is about Education for Sustainability, I thought about: where and when did I become aware about environmental issues and sustainable practices? Something about that in my next post: 'Reflections'.
What do I do (apart from buying 3 chickens) towards supporting sustainable food production?
For years now I have bought our vegetables, fruit, meat, milk and other dairy products like quark, fetta cheese and yoghurt at Hohepa Homes (a place for people with special needs), where they grow vegetables bio-dynamically and also have a small herd of cows, which produces the milk (and meat) for this communities needs. Anything surplus will be offered to the public in their small shop.
Knowing that all their farming practices are biodynamic (environmentally sustainable) supports my decision to live as much as possible towards my idea of sustainability for my conscience.
I can actually go and look one of their cows in the eye and know that this cow might provide me with the steak on my plate sometime in the future, rather than buying it all wrapped up from a supermarket shelf.
I used to be a vegetarian for 12 years because I realized I couldn't actually support the general profit driven meat industry or kill an animal myself. Now I compromise and give thanks to the cow in person, knowing that there isn't a practice of mass production for profit happening and only the odd cow will be slaughtered on site (farm kill). It is a conscience compromise on my part, but one that I can live with.
The milk is raw (untreated) and fresh daily, straight from the cow. Their other milk products are produced on site, so are their vegetables and fruit (low carbon foot print).
My next most frequent place to shop is the local Health Food Store, where I will buy produce like Lohra 7-grain biodynamic flower to bake my bread with, organic rice (Australia) and other basic food ingredients.
I try to buy as many Eco friendly products, which I will use in my kitchen, laundry and for body care, which are not tested on animals and are (hopefully) produced with sustainability for the environment in mind. I support NZ and locally made products wherever possible.
Then my last frequent place I will go to is the Supermarket, where I will purchase bits and pieces like the yeast I use for bread making (Edmonds active yeast, produced in NZ) and other less sustainable household items.
What are the areas in which I don't support sustainability?
I look around my home and there are a lot more areas in which I support - through buying - items produced by non-sustainable practices.
A few examples - but not an in-depth study:
- The cup I use for my coffee is 'Pams' (brand), Made in China (not from a local potter). I look at it and know that: it is mass-produced; the materials used (clay, color, glaze, transport to NZ etc) are not supporting sustainable practices (pollution created, long distance transport needed etc). That same scenario applies pretty much to most of my plates, glasses, fruit bowl (etc), pots, cutlery and so on.
- The Mac Book I am writing the content of this blog on is probably Made in China as well. Apart from the plastic for the shell of the computer and components in the computer, which need to be produced in some factory, I am not sure what the truth of the working conditions of the people who 'put it all together' is either. The same applies for my cell phone, TV, telephone and radio.
- The fridge, washing machine, jug and various household appliances I use, the stapler for my 'office', paper for printing, pen's for writing, the car I drive and - gosh - the list goes on.
Most of these items are mass produced. I will go into this in a little more depth in an other post.
As this blog is about Education for Sustainability, I thought about: where and when did I become aware about environmental issues and sustainable practices? Something about that in my next post: 'Reflections'.
What a wonderful description about your personal beliefs and practices Jacqueline. Yes I love having a few chickens around the place too, and I think it is admirable that you have managed to save three of these wonderful creatures from their horribly deprived existence. 'Nuture' certainly does impact on how animals and humans react in different environments.
ReplyDeleteYou certainly have a fantastic understanding about what it means to live sustainably. I agree with you many people are losing their connection to nature, and I do fear for children who are being brought up in 'consumer-mad' and homes where people are what I regard as disconnected. How poor is life if people do not have experiences growing plants and caring for animals.
Thankfully in New Zealand it is easier to have a mix of both - consumerism and awareness of nature, and an understanding of where our food comes from. Our schools are doing a great job ensuring that sustainable education is on the curriculum - don't you think?
However, a disconnect from natural and ethical living is more likely I believe in urban environments in bigger countries such as America where the automobile has become so dominant, and people may never even see a potato growing because the emphasis is on getting from A to B, and consuming. So children only associate potatoes, for example, with plastic bags in supermarkets and have no idea that they are grown in soil.
What are your thoughts about the huge malls springing up all over the world? These do a great job of blocking people's understanding about the origins of where the goods that they purchase come from...unless people start asking questions as you say, we need to know, but I still feel bad thinking of the conditions of the workers who made my laptop, my eepad and my cellphone, but I don't know the solution. Any ideas?
Hi Bronwyn
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your comment !
I think my next posts will address the questions you have asked me here.
I haven't specifically mentioned Malls though. I remember going into one of those huge Malls years ago, when I was over in the US. It was an overwhelming place to be in. I can see the thoughts behind creating Malls - have all these shops in one place - then it's easy to access multiple shops.
For me, it was not a nice environment to be in with their artificial lights, air conditioning and (my experience of) 'sensory overload'. They are a good example of 'mass production' and 'encouragement towards consumerism' and a disconnection from the reality of 'where and how' these products on offer were produced. To me they also are an expression of an attitude of 'instant gratification' - all one really needs for that 'need' to be fulfilled is money. It's a whole industry designed to - what is consider - keeping that economy growing - work - spend money - work - spend money... more production of products needed through bigger demands and on it goes.
I don't think 'more is always better' nor is 'faster and faster' sustainable.
I think this World might need some 'smaller is better', 'slower is healthier' and 'less is more'. This might then be much more confronting, hopefully resulting in thinking about 'what am I / are we doing'? I believe that keeping humans in a 'rat race' towards material goals / achievement keeps many from 'stopping and thinking' about what is happening.
After all, it is mostly every individuals' choice of 'how' we live.
If more people decide to 'step off the bandwagon of consumerism' - well - consumerism wouldn't be lucrative anymore.
Consumerism has been around for a while and has been considered an acceptable 'way of living'. Changing social conditioning is probably not such a fast process but I think with education for sustainability being promoted and individuals choosing a different way to live, existing conditions can slowly change.