bottled water carbon footprint [and a hole or two in your teeth]

This is my enviro-public health blog post, coz i love yews all.
Yesterday I was reading an article on Grist about bottled water and the environmental costs both to local communities and the broader population...I mean , seriously folks, bottled water per litre is more expensive than petrol and according to The Age, costs aussies 314,000 barrels of oil a year. And for most of us, it gets delivered to our houses, in pipes, for free!!

Now as an epidemiologist in an oral health research institute, the trend of increased consumption of bottled water is even more close to my heart. When you purchase bottled water, not only do you effectively consume an equivalent of a third of the volume of the bottle in crude oil, but you are depriving your teeth or your children's teeth of a good dose of anti-cavity medicine... bottled spring water contains no flouride, the addition of which to our mains drinking water has been the most successful public health measure in Australian history.

The thing is, as a nation we had had one of the best rates of (or lack of) dental caries in children in the world. At age 12, the average aussie kid had NO caries. This is how the picture used to look until about 3 years ago. Our research is showing that the rate is increasing. This is the first time the trend has reversed, and significantly and the research shows that the only change to oral hygiene and food consumption was an increased intake of bottled water to the detriment of tap water.
So do both your oral health and the health of the environment a favour, buy the equivalent of a water 'Green bag', fill it with tap water and give commercially bottled water the flick.

*hops off soap box*

"so, how does it feel being an older mother?"

As my mind was replaying the mornings events while i was 'recovering' in the bath alone after giving the boybean a bath this afternoon , my mind stumbled over an off the cuff remark made on the phone by the father of B1s friend earlier on. Which got me thinking and that led to the realisation that i have been fending off peoples queries about being a parent to a small baby 'this late in life' for the past 12 weeks. The thing is, i dont think Im old, not even close. i dont consider myself at 38 to be an 'older mother'. Ive forgotten the term used by the medical profession for 'older mothers'(defined as 35+) but by memory, it's something hideous and doesn't even remotely sound like something I'd be into but apparently everyone else is thinking the same thing. They are all trying to work out if it's a shock, awful, stressful... "are you coping dear?, "regretting the romantic decision to have another one with a new father?" Now here's the deal, being a parent to a new small person who was very much planned is 100% easier so far at 38 than it was parenting planned babies at 24 and 28. So yes, Ive had 10 years between night feeds, nappy changes and unfathomable crying but the maturity, wisdom and consequently laid back approach more than compensates for parenting in my relative 'youth'. I certainly don't go running at the first wimper anymore, i know they survive. Throw what are effectively 4 adults into the mix and you've got minimal parenting at all to do, bar breastfeeding at this stage. So much so that i have to fight for a cuddle and a nappy change. So, to anyone thinking about having another baby after a considerable break I'd say, its heaven, blissful even, and the delight in watching older siblings fall in love and express their tender selves towards this divine new being is just priceless. I just need a back replacement, thats all.

blogging on the weekend

well, now that the kids are home from holidays away and back in the house finding time to get back on my pc is proving rather troublesome. Not only do i have to fight off my own kids, but they bring hoardes of others in with them who also eat the food, lounge on the lounge, use the toilet, put compost in the recycle bin and non recyclabes in the compost and spend hours online in my study on my pc. Effectively i now have 7 children. Thank god they have all finally gone off to be cool in town for a few hours, Ive had enough cool lurking around the kitchen bench for this weekend. Im over cool, what-ev-a.

addendum: Really, i looove, i adore, i'd do just about anything for my kids and their friends, dont get me wrong. They're sweet, funny, naive, curious, enthusiatic but man, i cant wait till my daughter saves up enough for the dream laptop with wireless shes been coveting for months. If i was smart/stoopid, Id say to hell with my principles and go buy one for her myself, but i have this rule about saving your own money, delayed gratificaion, learning ...what am i learning...that when it comes to my pc Im a hog and all rules might just go out the window.

Modern day baby bathing

We thought we were saving water for bathing The Bean by using a Tummy Tub; an ergonomic bucket-like baby bath which is easy on the back, easy to move and uses a fraction of water that traditional baby baths, even sinks, use. Well, our new washing machine arrived after the old dude gave up the ghost 5 DAYS AGO! Yes, thats how long we have been without a machine, could have hand or foot washed (when you dump on shower floor and stomp whilst showering), but didnt fancy it with those nappies. So I was pretty chuffed when it arrived this morning but upon unpacking it, our super dooper LG water and energy saving eco-washer, Im even more chuffed...look..it does babies too!

Haiku Friday

lids drooping slowly
head snaps forward like a whip
horizontal please!

tithing for social and environmental change

I am currently reading 'Giving' by Bill Clinton. As a literary work, well...its crap. The word 'friend' gets used a little too much for my liking and makes the text appear a little too much like a 'look who i know' fest, but it is an interesting compilation of the different approaches and examples of people from all backgrounds trying to make a difference in the lives and communities of fellow global citizens. No impact man has linked an article by ethicist peter singer which is an interesting read on the subject. Now by all accounts, the Rising Family are '10%+ givers' but it doesnt sit 100% happily with me, it smacks a little of paternalism and offsetting a bad conscience for 'immoral' living. I was raised a marxist-atheist (i know, do such things still happen!) seriously, i was, we even used to sing 'keep the red flag flying here' as a christmas carol (not that we celebrated Christmas per se) I digress. What does being raised a Marxist have to do with 'giving' and the issues i have? Well, philanthropy by its very nature can be viewed as a very capitalist/christian based concept (is it any wonder that its a huge part of American culture?). Someone who has some (whatever it may be) to spare gives to someone/something in need. In the Marxist paradigm of providing for/ recieving for each according to their need, philanthropy becomes obsolete. So, when confronted with someone from the Salvos asking for a donation, my family justified their refusal on the grounds that 'the state' should be responsible, is in fact morally obliged to provide for its citizens. So to donate to the Salvos would be akin to approving of the system as it stood and sending a message of 'letting them', the government, off the moral hook to look after all its citizens well. Citizens individually choosing whether or not to assist others in the community (whether it be individuals or a cause)should not be condoned. All citizens should be responsible for looking after each other and their environment by way of organising society in a very different manner.

Now essentially, i still agree with the essence of these arguments and it has taken me a long time to get to a more balanced place in regard to such matters. However, i have also come to the conclusion that whilst I must do all i can to make our government a more socially just and environmentally responsible one through the process of choosing to participate actively in the democratic process (which I believe is a responsibility for us all), agitating and voting for change, if i wait for the enviro-socialist paradigm to be expressed in our organisation of society, then the good i can do, the possible difference i can make whilst I wait will be an opportunity squandered. So, now i try to embrace the concept of giving as the least i can do, its all about compassion i guess, while waiting for governments to 'get it' but i still have some leftover issues around the bougeoise nature of it all.

back into it

so here i am , blogging when i should be working on my PhD. I made a promise to myself over the weekend gone, that come school term starting (today) i would pick up the task of finishing my PhD. Part of me resists and goes ' bugga off- im on maternity leave and i just want to chill and enjoy this unique time' and the rational part of me says 'you'll relax and enjoy life more with this monkey off your back'. Ive chosen to get rid of the monkey. Realistically, Ive not that much more to do, the bulk of it is done. My methods and results chapters are well edited, my lit review needs about 3 days of polishing and I need to start work on developing the discussion. 2 hours a day is what i am aiming for and if the weather keeps on being so disgusting it shouldnt be a problem. I just need some discipline (some enthusiasm might help). Im a little over the rational/scientific. I just want to be emotional and flighty for a while longer. After 13 years of workin, studying and single parenting i just really want to ree-lax for a while and enjoy this time. Dig in the garden, play with the boy, potter in the kitchen, be silly with the girls, sit back with some music and a bottle of wine with my man and chat. Ugh, Ok, Im off, one page at a time...wish me luck!