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<lastBuildDate>Wed, 01 Nov 2023 20:41:00 +0200</lastBuildDate>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Hidden Environmental Impact of Residential Skip Rentals: Why You Should Care]]></title>
<category>Waste Management</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1510251197878-a2e6d2cb590c?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDJ8fGR1bXBzdGVyfGVufDB8fHx8MTY5ODg1MDgwM3ww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /> </p>
<p>In today's fast-paced world, convenience often comes at a cost, and <a href="https://bins4less.com/blog/top-5-benefits-of-residential-dumpster-rentals/">residential dumpster rentals</a> are no exception. These handy services can make your life easier during home renovation projects, decluttering, or moving, but the environmental footprint they leave behind is often overlooked. Let's take a closer look at the less-obvious consequences of residential dumpster rentals and why you should care.</p>
<p><strong>The Convenience of Residential Dumpster Rentals</strong></p>
<p>Residential dumpster rentals are undoubtedly convenient. They provide a centralized location to dispose of large volumes of waste, saving you countless trips to the local landfill. This convenience is especially apparent during home renovations when construction debris can quickly pile up.</p>
<p><strong>A Story from the Trenches</strong></p>
<p>Imagine you're renovating your home. You've rented a residential dumpster to handle the debris, streamlining your project. But, have you considered where all that waste ends up? Most often, it's taken to a landfill, contributing to the ever-growing piles of garbage. Landfills emit harmful greenhouse gases like methane, which significantly impact our environment.</p>
<p><strong>The Unseen Environmental Consequences</strong></p>
<p>It's not just about the landfill emissions. The production of the dumpsters themselves, as well as the trucks used for transport, also has environmental consequences. The mining and manufacturing of metals and materials for these containers consume energy and resources. This hidden aspect of residential dumpster rentals has a ripple effect on the environment.</p>
<p><strong>Sustainable Alternatives</strong></p>
<p>So, what can we do to mitigate this environmental impact? Consider sustainable alternatives like recycling and reusing materials during renovations. You can also choose smaller dumpsters if your project allows for it, which will result in less waste to dispose of.</p>
<p><strong>Real-Life Impact</strong></p>
<p>Anecdotal evidence from homeowners who've adopted eco-friendly practices during their renovations shows a significant decrease in waste generation. Not only do these individuals contribute to a greener planet, but they also save money by reducing dumpster rental costs and waste disposal fees.</p>
<p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p>
<p>Residential dumpster rentals are undeniably practical, but their environmental consequences are often hidden from view. As responsible homeowners, it's crucial to be aware of the impact these services have on our planet. By making eco-conscious choices and adopting sustainable practices, we can lessen the environmental footprint of our home improvement projects.</p>
<p>So, the next time you're considering a residential dumpster rental, remember the hidden environmental impact and ask yourself: &quot;How can I make a positive change?&quot; Your choices today can lead to a more sustainable and greener tomorrow.</p>
<p><strong><em>Guest Author Bio: Ashley Rodriguez is an administrative analyst and customer service expert at Bins 4 Less, Inc. She has over two years of direct experience in the waste hauling industry and a lifetime of knowledge from her family's business. She has refined the customer service experience and helped hundreds of customers find the right dumpster for their projects.</em></strong></p>
<p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/Ashley_Rodriguez.png" alt="" /></p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=hidden-environmental-impact-of-residential-skip-rentals-why-you-should-care</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=hidden-environmental-impact-of-residential-skip-rentals-why-you-should-care</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 01 Nov 2023 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[How much is your food waste costing your business?]]></title>
<category>Food waste</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1695199481826-b7e467746bff?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDN8fGZvb2QlMjBjb3N0fGVufDB8fHx8MTY5ODA1MTM4M3ww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /> </p>
<p>Food waste can be categorized into two types: unavoidable and avoidable. Unavoidable waste includes egg shells, bones, peels, and other items that cannot be eaten, even if they can be re-purposed. Avoidable waste includes uneaten food on plates, half-eaten lasagne trays at buffets, spoiled vegetables that were ordered but not cooked, and items that were forgotten about and went mouldy in the back of the fridge.</p>
<p>The goal of any kitchen is to reduce unavoidable waste and eliminate avoidable waste. Both types of waste cost money and are linked. For example, eggshell waste is directly related to how many eggs are cooked. If too many eggs are cracked, then the &quot;unavoidable&quot; egg shell waste was essentially “avoidable”.</p>
<p>It is important to recognize that food waste has a value. When food is wasted, money is being thrown into the dustbin.</p>
<p>A case study:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A commercial kitchen makes sandwiches. Lots of them. For tea. For events. For afternoon snacks. For staff meetings. And every single sandwich that's made doesn't use the crust-ends from the loaf. The crusts, on average, are 9% of every loaf. If you're using 20 loaves a day, then you're basically wasting R19.99/1.09 (including VAT) X 20 loaves X 22 days = R726.24 per week (rounded up and average premium brown bread price). Over a year these unused crusts can amount to R8,714.91. And this is just for those two end bits on a loaf. What else is being purchased and not eaten?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Recently Earth Probiotic conducted a food waste audit at a luxury resort in Southern Africa. On average, including staff and guest meals, more than 1.7kg of food waste was put into the bin per person per day at the resort. As these resorts are 365 day per year operations it was calculated that this 80 person resort wasted 49,460 kg per year (over 49 metric tonnes!).</p>
<p>The following table estimates the potential value of that wastage at different value assumptions:</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th></th>
<th>100% avoidable waste</th>
<th>70%</th>
<th>40%</th>
<th>10%</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>@R5.00/kg</td>
<td>R247,300.00</td>
<td>R173,110.00</td>
<td>R98,920.00</td>
<td>R24,730.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>@R10.00/kg</td>
<td>R494,600.00</td>
<td>R346,220.00</td>
<td>R197,840.00</td>
<td>R49,460.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>@R15.00/kg</td>
<td>R741,900.00</td>
<td>R519,330.00</td>
<td>R296,760.00</td>
<td>R74,190.00</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Even if all of the waste was only 10% avoidable, that would still be a significant cost saving.</p>
<h3>What can be done to reduce food waste?</h3>
<p>Whilst having zero waste is practically impossible in a commercial kitchen, there are a number of things that can be done to radically minimize that waste. Food waste comes from three core hospitality actions:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Over-purchasing</strong> driven by the fear of not having enough to feed everyone.</li>
<li><strong>Over-producing</strong> because you need to ensure that everyone has more than enough to eat (and have lots and lots of choices).</li>
<li><strong>Over-serving</strong> because you're in the hospitality business and need to be seen to be generous.</li>
</ul>
<p>To start reducing food waste, the following seven actions are good starting points:</p>
<ol>
<li>Measure how much is wasted. This will help identify where most waste is coming from.</li>
<li>Monitor what is wasted. This will help answer the &quot;why&quot; behind the waste volume.</li>
<li>Offer different portion sizes and don't over-serve at serving counters.
1.Offer fewer excellent choices rather than a mass of OK ones. Quality rather than quantity.</li>
<li>Informally or formally question your staff and guests about their food preferences (preferences, portion sizes).</li>
<li>Develop clever delicious re-purposing recipes for excess stock and left-overs.</li>
<li>Make sure that your staff are educated about food waste; including its environmental and operational impact.</li>
</ol>
<p>Reducing food waste is a process. And a journey. It will not happen overnight. But it shouldn't take forever. Key is to start. And then measure the impact on your bottom line.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=how-much-is-your-food-waste-costing-your-business</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=how-much-is-your-food-waste-costing-your-business</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 23 Oct 2023 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Tips for a &quot;Zero Waste Braai&quot;]]></title>
<category>Waste Management</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><a href="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/Zero_Waste_Braai.pdf"><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/Zero_Waste_Braai.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=tips-for-a-zero-waste-braai</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=tips-for-a-zero-waste-braai</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 01 Jun 2023 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[&quot;Over there&quot; always becomes &quot;right here&quot;]]></title>
<category>Waste Management</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/naja-bertolt-jensen-FxnqdmKBJps-unsplash.jpg" alt="" />
<font size=”1”>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/ko/@naja_bertolt_jensen?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Naja Bertolt Jensen</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/microplastic?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></font></p>
<p>Driving into work today <a href="http://www.safm.co.za/sabc/home/safm/schedule/presenterprofiles/details?id=9068a4b4-926a-4291-8522-1f3a60c2a56c&amp;title=Stephen%20Grootes">Stephen Grootes</a> interviewed  Professor Leslie Petrik from the University of the Western Cape. She was talking about <a href="https://tinyurl.com/2adv46uk">the high concentration of pharmaceuticals in False Bay</a>. Basically, people are flushing down unused medication and it is ending up in the sea—<a href="https://tinyurl.com/2btrck4b">the discharge strategy from the City of Cape Town</a>is another subject entirely—and then being absorbed by a variety of marine life (some of which ends up being eaten by people).</p>
<p>In modern life, we happily take unwanted stuff—food, plastic, medicine, broken iPhone charging cables, etc.—and just trash it.  Our view of the world is that this stuff will go away.</p>
<p>The problem is, nothing goes away forever. The medicines we dump are now in the shellfish we eat. Similarly the plastic we throw away becomes a plankton of microplastic and are in the food we eat and the water we drink.</p>
<p>In fact, it has been recently found that — in addition to the toll on nature — <a href="https://tinyurl.com/yaaxhztq">microplastic is now finding its way into our bloodsteam</a>.</p>
<p>Whenever we &quot;chuck&quot; something away, it is never gone. It is just on its, slow or fast, journey finding its way back to us.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=over-there-always-becomes-over-here</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=over-there-always-becomes-over-here</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 05 Apr 2023 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Wanting to fight climate change? Reduce food waste.]]></title>
<category>Climate Change</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/simon-peel-ui-Bh1eegzQ-unsplash.jpg" alt="" />
Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@sjpeel?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">simon peel</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/food-waste?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></p>
<p>Food waste has a significant carbon footprint because of the energy and resources that are used to grow, produce, transport, and dispose of food that is never eaten. According to estimates from the United Nations, if food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases (after China and the United States).</p>
<p>The carbon footprint of food waste is influenced by various factors, including the type of food, the amount wasted, and how it is disposed of. For example, meat and dairy products have a higher carbon footprint than fruits and vegetables because of the resources required to produce them.</p>
<p>When food waste is sent to landfills, it decomposes and releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is approximately 25 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period. When landfilled food waste will emit 627kg/tonne of <a href="https://www.coolerfuture.com/blog/co2e">CO2e</a>. </p>
<p>On the other hand, when food waste is composted or used to produce biogas through anaerobic digestion, it can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by replacing fossil fuels and save, vs. landfilling, 617kg/tonne CO2e emissions.</p>
<p>Overall, reducing food waste can help to reduce the carbon footprint of our food system and mitigate climate change.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=wanting-to-fight-climate-change-reduce-food-waste</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=wanting-to-fight-climate-change-reduce-food-waste</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Mar 2023 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[The challenge with recycling or composting paper towels]]></title>
<category>Waste Management</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1620778864482-5f20e3d9745a?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDN8fHBhcGVyJTIwdG93ZWxzfGVufDB8fHx8MTY3NjQ1NDU1Ng&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" />
As large global companies drive their zero-waste-to-landfill strategies, waste management companies are under pressure to &quot;recycle everything&quot;. One of the &quot;everything&quot; waste streams is paper towels; the one's you find in kitchens and public bathrooms (which are not using air-dryers).</p>
<p><a href="https://www.treehugger.com/recycle-paper-towels-is-it-possible-4863465">Treehugger</a> had a very useful article on this subject.  The challenge comes down to two issues:</p>
<ol>
<li>The manufacturing process.</li>
<li>The chemicals added to the paper.</li>
</ol>
<p>The difficulty with <u>recycling</u> these towels is that as the raw materials (including wood, recycled paper and board) get pounded the the fibres which make up the towel get too short.  The shortness of the fibres make them unsuitable for recycling.</p>
<p>So what about <u>composting</u> then? Surely that would be a great solution?</p>
<p>In short &quot;no&quot;. These towels contain toxic chemicals including bleach (so that they are white), softeners (to make them feel nice) and resin (to make them strong).</p>
<p>Quite simply, as well as potentially contaminating organic compost site with chemicals, they just don't break down very easily. The resin makes them strong and, in <a href="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/Food_Waste_Recycling_Solutions/">our composting machines</a>, just wind around the mixing mechanism.</p>
<p>The other risk is that in the bathroom and kitchen environments, often they are used to dry or wipe up chemicals or hands which are washed with anti-bacterials.</p>
<p>There are compostable alternatives. Which, ironically, are cheaper. These are unbleached and don't contain strengthening resin. One might use more, but in the long run the disposal cost is lower (as is the environmental footprint).</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=the-challenge-with-recycling-and-composting-paper-towels</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=the-challenge-with-recycling-and-composting-paper-towels</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Feb 2023 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Heritage food, colonialism, climate change and food security]]></title>
<category>Food Security</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://imagesvc.meredithcorp.io/v3/mm/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F34%2F2021%2F12%2F17%2Fkernza-grain-stalk-1221-2000.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>I was listening to the <a href="https://www.npr.org/series/490248027/how-i-built-this">&quot;How I built this&quot;</a> podcast this week. Pierre Thiam, the founder of <a href="https://yolele.com">Yolélé</a>, was interviewed. Pierre, orginally from Senegal, has been pushing the adoption of <a href="https://www.today.com/food/fonio-what-you-need-know-about-west-african-grain-t216073">fonio</a> (an ancient grain from West Africa).</p>
<p>In West Africa fonio was a staple. It's easy to plant and grow (so much so that it was called the &quot;the lazy farmer's crop&quot;), is drought tolerant (climate change), is highly nutritious (good for people), and quick to cook (energy saving).</p>
<p>All in all, it's a wonder grain.</p>
<p>But. Like me, you've probably never heard of it.</p>
<p>Why?</p>
<p>Because, when the French colonised Senegal, they wanted to eat baguettes. And baguettes are baked with wheat. So now, many decades later, Senegal imports wheat (it doesn't grow very well there).</p>
<p>As in many colonised countries, the colonists changed the food system and local indigenous crops were pushed out. Today's food system is essentially a mono-culture. The food crisis created by Russia's war on Ukraine demonstrates the world's (and mostly African) dependance on an efficient food exporting system.</p>
<p>Yes, climate change is impacting on food production. But this food crisis is also a consequence of a monolithic food system.  <a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/wheat-production-by-country">This graph</a> shows the top 10 global share of wheat exports (note, these are not the top 10 producers: China and India represent 45% of producton but this is used internally):</p>
<p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/Top_10_Wheat_Exporters.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>Russian and the Ukraine deliver 21% of the world's wheat. And, now with this Russian war, we have an African food crisis.</p>
<p>And a fertiliser shortage.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>&quot;Combined, Russia and Belarus had provided about 40% of the world’s exports of potash...&quot; (<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/06/a-fertilizer-shortage-worsened-by-war-in-ukraine-is-driving-up-global-food-prices-and-scarcity.html">Source</a>)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>So what's the point? In a global mono-agricultural system — where heritage indigenous grains and production methods have been usurped — we have global food insecurity.</p>
<p>Now that we are living in the climate crisis the time is right for heritage grains and food to become the solution again. Traditional grains and solutions are no longer the food of the &quot;old country folk&quot;. Now they will help feed the world.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=climate-change-food-heritage-grains-ukraine-russia</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=climate-change-food-heritage-grains-ukraine-russia</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Feb 2023 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Composting is a key weapon against climate change]]></title>
<category>Compost</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/Climate_Change_Forest_Fire.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>This summer’s excessive temperatures and rampant fires in Europe and Canada have (how many reminders and examples do us humans need?) again highlighted that climate change is no longer a theory about the future. But is here. Right now. We are now living within the predicted climate emergency.</p>
<p>While reductions in carbon CO2 emissions are currently prioritised in the climate emergency fight, increasing attention is now focussed on methane CH4. While carbon is at the base of the CO2e emission index, methane — although remaining in the atmosphere for a relatively shorter 12 years than CO2 — has 22 times the negative impact on our climate.</p>
<h3>What is CO2e?</h3>
<p><a href="https://ecometrica.com/assets/GHGs-CO2-CO2e-and-Carbon-What-Do-These-Mean-v2.1.pdf">Ecometrica</a> describes CO2e, or carbon dioxide equivalents, as a measure for describing different greenhouse gases in a common unit indexed against carbon dioxide (CO2). The key greenhouse gases — methane, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide — all have differing global warming impacts. Methane, depending on the data source used, has an impact 20-25 times greater than carbon dioxide. </p>
<p>Using CO2e as the measurement unit:</p>
<ul>
    <li>1kg of CO2 has a CO2e of 1kg</li>
    <li>1kg of methane has a CO2e of 25kg.</li></ul>
<h3>Major sources of methane</h3>
<p>Most methane emissions derive from natural sources such as wetlands, peat bogs, and swamps: basically anaerobic — without air — natural environments containing decomposing organic matter. </p>
<p>Man made — or anthropogenic — sources include global warming induced melting permafrost; waste and landfills; petrochemical extraction and processing; coal mining; burning of fuels (including transportation); sewage treatment and production; farming especially of cattle and dairy; and other industrial processes.</p>
<p>Methane emissions account for <a href="https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/methane-emissions-are-driving-climate-change-heres-how-reduce-them">30% of global warming</a>.</p>
<p>Food waste is a major source of these emissions. If the emissions from food waste were measured as a country, it would be the third largest emitter in the world (after the USA and China). John Doerr, in his book Speed &amp; Scale, states that 33% of the world’s food is wasted each year generating 2 gigatons of CO2e emissions.</p>
<p>Unlike a belching smoke stack, methane is invisible. The importance of measuring, and therefore managing methane emissions, has necessitated the development of methane sensing satellites. The Canadian company <a href="https://www.ghgsat.com/en/">GHGSat</a> currently has six satellites in orbit with another four set to launch in 2023.</p>
<p>In 2004 satellites identified a major methane leak at a natural gas storage facility in Southern California. By the time the leak was capped <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/cen-09409-notw1">over 97,100 metric tonnes of methane had been leaked into the atmosphere</a>.</p>
<p>Landfills are also a significant sources of methane emissions. In August 2021 a GHGSat satellite identified that a landfill near Madrid was emitting over 8 tonnes/hour of methane.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Cutting methane is the strongest lever we have to slow climate change over the next 25 years and complements necessary efforts to reduce carbon dioxide. The benefits to society, economies, and the environment are numerous and far outweigh the cost.” <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/07/13/1012218119/epa-struggles-to-track-methane-from-landfills-heres-why-it-matters-for-the-climate">Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Methane emissions from landfills are primarily due to the anaerobic breakdown of organic matter. Organics would include garden waste, paper and board, wood, and food waste. In a landfill anaerobic micro-organisms decompose organic material producing methane in the process (<a href="https://www.epa.gov/lmop/frequent-questions-about-landfill-gas">over 50% of landfill gas, or LFG, is methane</a>).</p>
<p>While the food and agriculture industries play a significant role in generating organic waste, a very large volume is from individuals dumping food and garden waste. <a href="https://www.csir.co.za/csir-completes-waste-characterisation-study-ekurhuleni-metropolitan-municipality">A study done by the CSIR</a> for the Ekurhuleni Municipality measured that more than 60% of household waste sent to a landfill is organic.</p>
<p>So how do we fix — at speed and scale — the methane problem? And, what are the conditions for a solution to be quickly implemented at scale?</p>
<p>For any solution to be quickly scalable it needs to be:</p>
<ol>
<li>Fast to implement and thus not require extensive refitting or the building of additional infrastructure.</li>
<li>Easy to implement with low training and compliance requirements.</li>
<li>Zero or relatively low cost.</li>
</ol>
<p>Basically: “fast, easy, cheap”.</p>
<h3>Composting Scalability</h3>
<p>Of all the organic waste diversion technologies available, the only one that meets all these criteria is compost. Composting is a natural <strong>aerobic process</strong> — &quot;with oxygen&quot; and thus no methane emissions — where micro and macro-organisms decompose organic matter producing a beneficial soil amendment. </p>
<p>In Scotland, the legal definition of compost is: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“the autothermic [i.e. self-heating] and thermophilic [i.e. 40-80°C] biological decomposition and stabilisation of biodegradable waste under controlled aerobic conditions that result in a stable sanitised material that can be applied to land for the benefit of agriculture, horticulture or ecological improvement”.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The following table illustrates the scalability of broad categories of composting technologies and methods:</p>
<p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/Composting_Types.png" alt="" /></p>
<h4>Home composting</h4>
<p>Home composting is one of the easiest things anyone can do. At its most basic it is just an aerobic pile of garden waste which will gradually becomes compost (we can call this “<em><a href="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/Earth_Probiotic_Blog/?post=the-magical-addictive-being-of-composting">klomposting</a></em>”). At a more sophisticated level, compost can be made using food waste with a bokashi system and a segmented compost-bin system. Of course <a href="https://www.ecomena.org/vermicomposting/">vermicomposting</a> can also be used in combination, or alone, within a household composting operation.</p>
<p>With the right incentives and education millions of households across South Africa could be doing some form of composting where they live. Starting tomorrow!</p>
<p>What would the impact of this activity be?</p>
<p>One million households composting 10kg of organic waste per month would <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greenhouse-gas-reporting-conversion-factors-2023">reduce CO2e emissions </a>by more than 82 thousand metric tonnes each year.</p>
<h4>Industrial Windrow Composting</h4>
<p>Setting up an industrial windrow system has major upfront costs. These relate to obtaining and preparing a site, compliance and certification, and equipment purchase/rental. However, once these costs have been invested, composting organic waste can be very cost effective and profitable. Additional income can be earned by charging a dumping fee to businesses and individuals for disposing their green waste.</p>
<p>The big advantage of windrow composting is that once the site has been setup, processing of organic waste can be scaled very quickly (the only restriction being the size of the site).</p>
<h4>In-vessel Composting</h4>
<p>An in-vessel composter is an enclosed system which automates the processing and conversion of organic waste to compost. These are usually smaller systems which can be installed in a waste area.
Similar to the scalability of home composting, in-vessel composters can be easily installed at a large number of sites very quickly and require little investment in infrastructure.</p>
<p>The disadvantage is that, given their sophisticated nature, an in-vessel composter can initially be expensive on a cost/tonne basis.</p>
<p>However as these units are designed to process food waste, this cost is easily off-set by the rising cost — and high carbon footprint — of regularly moving putrescible organic waste to a landfill.</p>
<p>Within these three broad categories are a variety of composting options and technologies. For instance, home composters can purchase a pre-fabricated compost bin to contain and accelerate their composting (at one time the City of Cape Town was giving away these bins to interested home-owners).</p>
<h3>The Environmental Benefits of Compost</h3>
<p>While recycling organic waste into compost has significant greenhouse gas emission reduction benefits, compost has other important soil, diversity and carbon sequestration benefits.
Sally Brown writing in <a href="https://www.biocycle.net/connection-co2-math-for-compost-benefits/">Biocyle</a> reports that 1 tonne of compost added to soil will sequester between 100 and 1,000kg of CO2e emissions (the variation is due to application methods and existing soil conditions). </p>
<p>Compost also delivers other ecological benefits which include boosting soil health, encouraging plant growth (which also then absorbs more carbon than less healthy plants), reducing fertiliser use and thus positively impacting on nitrous oxide emissions, and supporting biodiversity.</p>
<p>Lastly, diverting organic waste from landfill has an <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0956053X11002571">externality benefit of R111.00 per tonne</a>.</p>
<h3>Recycling Is The Last Resort</h3>
<p>Reducing waste has to be the first priority of any emission saving programme. Food production has a massive environmental impact. The following table illustrates the <a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualising-the-greenhouse-gas-impact-of-each-food/">GHG emissions per KG of food type</a> produced.</p>
<p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/GHG_Emissions_by_food_type.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>Objectively, vegetarians do have the lowest carbon impact!</p>
<p>If individuals are going to reduce their carbon footprint they have to reduce waste (and change their consumption choices). This lesson is not only applicable to food, but to every commodity. The reality is that very little is recycled; the recycling rate of plastic, as an example, is generally less than 10% (the other 90% ends up in a landfill and in one of our rivers).</p>
<p>The City of Cape Town, of all South African municipalities are taking steps to reduce organic waste going to landfill. First, they have significantly increased the cost of landfilling. In the period 2017/18 to 2021/22 gate fees for <a href="https://www.greencape.co.za/assets/WASTE_MIR_20200331.pdf">general waste have increased by 53%</a> </p>
<p>Secondly, the City of Cape Town have issued a notice to all organic waste generators to <a href="https://earthprobiotic.co.za/Food_Waste_Recycling_Solutions/Cape_Waste_Legislation/">submit an integrated waste management plan (IWM) to the City</a> for review and consideration.</p>
<p>Thirdly, as mentioned they are encouraging home composting.</p>
<h3>Earth Probiotic Scalable On-site Composting Solutions</h3>
<p>For the last 12 years Earth Probiotic has been developing and manufacturing, in South Africa, <a href="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za">solutions for the on-site treatment of food waste</a>.</p>
<p>Why on-site? </p>
<p>On-site solutions reduce waste removal costs, externalities, and thus have a positive impact on reducing carbon emissions. Managing waste on-site mitigates risk and can help protect a business against labour and logistic disruptions. Moving less waste to a landfill mitigates against the rising waste management costs. Waste management inflation is driven by increasing costs of landfilling, rising fuel prices, the weakening Rand, and disruptions in global logistic chains driving up the age of the waste removal vehicle fleet (which then leads to higher emissions per KM travelled).</p>
<h4>Earth Bokashi Food Waste Recycling</h4>
<p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/25L_bokashi_bin_2020.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>“Bokashi” is a generic Japanese word for “fermented organic matter” and is both a food waste recycling method as well as a product. Earth Probiotic sells “bokashi” under its “Earth Bokashi” brand. Earth Bokashi utilises organic waste materials including wood shavings, spent coffee grounds, and Earth Probiotic’s proprietary indigenous microbe mix.</p>
<p>The Earth Bokashi system utilises anaerobic bins which, with the Earth Bokashi inoculant, ferments food waste so that I doesn’t rot or smell. The fermented contents of the Earth Bokashi bin can then be safely composted with other organic material, fed to composting worms, or simply trenched under soil.</p>
<h4>Earth Cycler In-vessel Composting Machine</h4>
<p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/EC_Side_On.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>First launched in 2017, the Earth Cycler is an automated IoT connected in-vessel composter. Now with three variants, the Earth Cycler can process, dending on the version, 5,000kg, 10,000kg and 15,000kg of food waste per month. Both solutions require the addition of compostable packaging, contaminated paper, egg cartons, and other low value high carbon material.</p>
<p>The Earth Cycler has three key advantages: </p>
<ol>
<li>minimum energy use and can be powered by solar,</li>
<li>output is less than 1/3 of the waste input and thus reduces logistic costs if the output needs to be moved, and</li>
<li>the Cycler weighs and reports on input and outputs and thus provides a real time view of waste volumes and the carbon impact of diverting that waste from landfill.</li>
</ol>
<h4>Life &amp; Earth Industrial In-vessel Composting Machine</h4>
<p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/IVC.JPG" alt="" /></p>
<p>The IVC can process up to 60,000kg of food waste a month (including the carbon input). Similarly to the Earth Cycler the IVC reports on input weights and thus can be connected to online reporting dashboards.</p>
<p>This is the only on-site solution in South Africa which can process this volume of food waste.</p>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Reducing greenhouse gas emissions requires quick, and significant, wins. Composting food waste can quickly scale and must be a tool within the climate change strategist’s tool box.</p>
<p>Not only is composting easy and cheap to do, it also drives significant other ecological and financial benefits.</p>
<p>But, while we trumpet the benefits of composting, we also need to drive a food waste reduction programme. Reducing food waste has major environmental and financial benefits.</p>
<p>Composting is there to beneficiate what’s left.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=composting-is-a-key-weapon-against-climate-change</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=composting-is-a-key-weapon-against-climate-change</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 31 Aug 2022 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Can food waste become compost within 48 hours (or less)?]]></title>
<category>Compost</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/djim-loic-ft0-Xu4nTvA-unsplash.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@loic?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Djim Loic</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/fast?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></p>
<p>There are an increasing number of table top or industrial machines which claim to turn, usually, food waste into compost within 24 to 48 hours.</p>
<p>The claim, generally, is that Machine X will turn kitchen scraps into &quot;compost&quot; within 12/24/48 hours because of its unique processing system and proprietary blend of micro-organisms.</p>
<p>This is not possible. The UK food waste company, <a href="https://tidyplanet.co.uk/faqs/">Tidy Planet have an extensive FAQ</a> that deals with this issue. As does America's <a href="https://www.compostingtechnology.com/the-myth-of-1-day-composting/">Green Mountain Technologies</a>.</p>
<p>The output from these machines is not compost. Rather it is a dehydrated powder. If this is meant to be applied to plants or added into soil, this powder requires a secondary process (usually proper composting with other organic matter).</p>
<p>Compost is a natural process and involves the complex interaction between bacteria, fungi, insects, and minerals. In nature, the process of organic waste becoming compost (and then humus) can take weeks, months and even years. </p>
<p>In the composting process, organic waste goes through natural—which has been perfected over millennia by nature—stages: mesophylic to thermophilic to mesophylic to mineralisation.</p>
<p>This natural process can take anything between 10-20 days even under controlled conditions.</p>
<p>“Composting” is defined in the Waste Management Licensing (Scotland) Regulations 2011 (WMLR), as–</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“the autothermic [i.e. self-heating] and thermophilic [i.e. 40-80°C] biological decomposition and stabilisation of biodegradable waste under controlled aerobic conditions that result in a stable sanitised material that can be applied to land for the benefit of agriculture, horticulture or ecological improvement”.
(Source: Tidy Planet).</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Green Mountain Technologies cite research conducted by Loyola Marymount University in the USA which concluded that: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>&quot;Ultimately, the study revealed that the unprocessed dehydrated food waste samples were not suitable as a soil amendment on LMU's campus. Rehydration of DFW produced large quantities of fungus, an outcome not acceptable on LMU's grounds. Although dehydrated, the material is not decomposed to a stable state. This is a key distinction. While dehydrating LMU's preconsumer food waste is a good first step towards sustainability, further processing of this material is needed before it is suitable to be used as a soil amendment or for another purpose.&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Essentially then, &quot;24 hour compost&quot; is simply dehydrated organic (food) matter. </p>
<iframe width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bXZG-kzlhPY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>This is fine if you are looking to reduce volumes going to landfill. And are prepared to accept the significant amount of energy required to dehydrate large volumes of food waste fast. And also accept that this matrix needs secondary processing if it is going to be used as a soil amendment.</p>
<p>Like all things, good stuff take time. And good compost is not fast 'compost'.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=can-food-waste-become-compost-within-48-hours-or-less</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=can-food-waste-become-compost-within-48-hours-or-less</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 28 Aug 2022 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Waterfall walks the green talk!]]></title>
<category>Food Waste</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/Waterfall_IVC.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>We are so proud that our industrial composting machines have been installed at Waterfall City.</p>
<p>The IVC will take food waste from residents, businesses as well as from the Mall of Africa.</p>
<p><a href="ftp://ftp.bokashishop.co.za//earthprobiotic.co.za/resources/Waterfall_Commposter_May-2022.pdf">You can find out more here.</a></p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=waterfall-walks-the-green-talk</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=waterfall-walks-the-green-talk</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 Jun 2022 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[52 Easy Things you can do to live a more planet friendly life]]></title>
<category>Environment</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/52_easy_things.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>Often times we feel that the climate crisis is too big, too scary and too difficult to solve. However, we believe that a lot of us — you and me — doing small good things can have a massive impact.</p>
<p>&quot;52 Easy Things&quot; is a &quot;to-do&quot; list of easy actions you can take at home, in your garden, at your work, and in the shop. Actions, which, when replicated by 100s, 1,000s, 1,000,000s can help in the fight against climate change (and, help you be healthier and happier with a little more coin in your pocket).</p>
<p>For just R52.00 you can buy a copy from <a href="https://www.bokashishop.co.za/earth-bokashi-food-waste-composting/climate-change-environment-live-better">bokashishop.co.za</a>. For every copy bought we donate R10.00 to the <a href="https://www.owlrescuecentre.org.za">Owl Rescue Centre</a>.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=52-easy-things-you-can-do-to-live-a-more-planet-friendly-life</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=52-easy-things-you-can-do-to-live-a-more-planet-friendly-life</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 07 Apr 2022 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Autumn leaves]]></title>
<category>Gardening tips</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1459478309853-2c33a60058e7?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDJ8fGF1dHVtbnxlbnwwfHx8fDE2Mzk2MzMyMTM&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p>It’s that time of year again.  Nights are longer.  The days shorter.  And getting out of bed is becoming more and more difficult.</p>
<p>Autumn is here!</p>
<p>But before we start looking forward to the start of Spring by hunkering down under a duvet and a hot water bottle, we must celebrate Nature’s Bounty.</p>
<p>As a grumpy child at boarding school in Queenstown (I still shiver when I think of the wind coming down into town from the Winterberg), I remember the harvest service at our local church.</p>
<p>Autumn is a bountiful time.  The crops are in.  The naartjie's are ready.  The pumpkins large (and in some cases <a href="https://livingseeds.co.za/giant-pumpkin-commercial-seed">monstrous</a>).</p>
<p>And another bounty awaits: leaves.</p>
<p>Every year they fill up our gardens, verges and streets (I assume that this is why Autumn is called &quot;fall&quot;).</p>
<p>Now if you’re managing British Rail falling leaves will always come as a complete surprise.  Who knew that rail transport can be delayed because of “leaves on the tracks”?</p>
<p>Autumn is a wonderful regenerative time; the season when trees harvest themselves.</p>
<p>The leaves lying in swathes along the ground become, over the Winter, a nutrient source to assist Spring growth.  These leaves, full of minerals which have been mined from deep in the soil over the Summer, are broken down by macro and micro-organisms while providing the perfect material for fungi growth.</p>
<p>We know this as<a href="https://www.gardenandhome.co.za/gardening/how-tos/how-to-make-leaf-mould/"> “leaf mould”</a>.  A wonderful crumbly dark substance which can be used as a mulch, lawn dressing and a fantastic soil amendment.  Good leaf mould can hold up to 500 per cent of its own weight in water - a wonderful benefit up here in the dry Highveld winter.</p>
<p>This magical substance is easy to make.  The first method is to simply bag it, water it and then poke some holes in the bag and store it for Spring.  The other method is to rake it into your beds.  And let nature do what it does best - let the fungi, bacteria and other wonderful little worms, sow bugs and other critters start doing their shredding and decomposing work.</p>
<p>What’s the difference between compost and leaf mould?  Making compost is a hot process:  one piles the organic material and then periodically turns it in order to generate heat by adding oxygen.  Compost utilises bacteria to do the work.  Making leaf mould is a cold process and relies on fungi for decomposition.</p>
<iframe width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8gfpOo6QbQQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Compost is fast.  Leaf mould is slow.  But there are advantages to slow.  Hot composting tends to use up energy while a cold process retains more energy.</p>
<p>However, both are wonderful substances.  Both are good for your soil.  And both avoid the need to send valuable organic nutrients to landfill.</p>
<p>Driving around my neighbourhood in Autumn is both exhilarating and depressing.  Exhilarating to see nature at work.  Depressing when we see a hard working gardener diligently raking out all the organic material from the beds (and inadvertently creating agapanthus crowned sand castles).</p>
<p>Or worse, people using a very noisy, gas guzzling, CO2 emitting, leaf blower to blow leaves into the storm water drains (and one of these 'fast' people be the first to complain in the rainy season when the storm water drains are blocked and his garden flooded).</p>
<p>Soil needs to be nurtured.  And the best way to nurture your soil is to not dig it up but to follow the lessons from our forest:  mulch, compost and leave organic matter where it falls.</p>
<p>So this Autumn, when the leaves start falling, take advantage of this bounty.  Rake it up.  Add it to your beds. Bag it. Above all don’t throw it away.  </p>
<p>And never, ever, never rake, or blow, it into the storm water drain.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=autumn-leaves</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=autumn-leaves</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 29 Mar 2022 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[What&#039;s up with feeding swill — food waste — to pigs?]]></title>
<category>Food Waste</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/pig_swill.jpg" alt="" />
(Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@castez?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Nicolas Castez</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/@castez?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>)</p>
<p>Feeding food waste to pigs is a widespread waste management strategy in South Africa. In general it is cheap, pigs are fed  and the waste doesn't go to landfill.</p>
<p>It's a win win. Or is it?</p>
<p>In South Africa the biggest risk to the pork industry is African Swine Fever (ASF) . ASF is a virus carried by feral pigs, warthogs and bush-pigs and is spread by ticks or by touching or eating contaminated feed.  There is no cure for ASF and will kill a domesticated pig within 2-10 days.</p>
<p>There are designated ASF controlled areas in South Africa which cover parts of Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and KwaZulu Natal Provinces.</p>
<p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/ASF_Designated_Control_Areas.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>Within these areas strict measures for the control of ASF is applied to the keeping, slaughter and sale of pigs.  These include:</p>
<ul>
<li>no swill can be fed to pigs in an accredited piggery where high levels of biological control apply.</li>
<li>in a more informal piggery — where the feeding of swill to pigs is not &quot;preferrable&quot; — if swill is fed to pigs it, by law, has to be boiled for over 60 minutes.  Moreover, for traceability reasons, the source of the swill has to be recorded and records kept.</li>
</ul>
<p>You can find more information on these regulations <a href="https://www.nda.agric.za/vetweb/pamphlets&amp;Information/Policy/DRAFT%20African%20Swine%20Fever%20VPN%20for%20consultation%202018-05.pdf">here</a> and an information leaflet <a href="https://www.dalrrd.gov.za/vetweb/Animal%20Identification/AFRICAN%20SWINE%20FEVER%20Z-FOLD%20PAMPHLET.pdf">here</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.pir.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/294957/Factsheet_Pig_Swill_food_outlets_April2018.pdf">In Australia no swill is allowed to be fed to pigs</a>. Zero. <em>Nada</em>. Nothing.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>According to the Animal Diseases Act (Act 35 of 1984), in the whole of South Africa, swill feeding of pigs is prohibited unless it is properly boiled for at least 1 hour or treated and sterilized.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>When you allow a pig farmer to collect your food waste are you confident that they are in compliance with these regulations?</p>
<p>While these strict regulations apply to the feeding of swill to pigs in designated ASF control areas, ethical  and welfare considerations are also important:</p>
<ul>
<li>is it right to feed pigs swill that might contain pork or pork by-products?</li>
<li>is it right to feed pigs swill that is rotten?</li>
</ul>
<p>We have personally seen a hotel dump their rotten grease trap waste into a swill bin in rural KwaZulu Natal. When we questioned the practice, the hotel manager just said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>&quot;Oh, but I'm not going to eat one of those pigs.&quot;</p>
</blockquote>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=feeding-swill-to-pigs</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=feeding-swill-to-pigs</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 22 Mar 2022 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[20 Easy Things you can do to recycle your food waste ]]></title>
<category>Food Waste</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/Reycle_Compost_Food-waste.png" alt="" />
<strong>Food waste is the last recyclable.</strong> If food waste was a country, it would be the third largest emitter of green house gases (behind China and the United States of America). When food waste rots in a landfill it emits methane which is 22 times more negatively impactful than carbon dioxide.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.bokashishop.co.za//earthprobiotic.co.za/resources/Easy%20Food%20Waste%20Recycling.pdf">You can download your free copy (no registration necessary) via this link.</a></p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=20-easy-things-you-can-do-to-recycle-your-food-waste-</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=20-easy-things-you-can-do-to-recycle-your-food-waste-</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 18 Mar 2022 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Gardeners are saving the world]]></title>
<category>Climate Change</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/photo-1601001815894-4bb6c81416d7_0.jpg" alt="" />
(Photo: <a href="https://priscilladupreez.mypixieset.com/">https://priscilladupreez.mypixieset.com/</a>).</p>
<p>While the impact of climate change is more visible than ever, decisions to limit carbon emissions at COP26 have, yet again, been neutered by the leaders of large carbon emitting countries. Lead by India, China and South Africa, a stronger “phasing <strong>out</strong> of coal&quot; commitment was changed to a weaker &quot;phasing <strong>down</strong> of coal&quot; agreement. </p>
<p><strong>Words matter: &quot;down&quot; is not &quot;out&quot;!</strong></p>
<p>Overall COP26 highlighted that the climate crisis will not be solved by country scale interventions alone. Solving the climate crisis also requires positive action from companies and individuals to reduce their own carbon footprint.</p>
<p>All manufactured goods have a carbon footprint. Take the little almond served in a Paris brasserie: it has has sucked up vast amounts of water and fertiliser; the harvesting machines have burnt tankers of diesel; the deshelling machine needed electricity in order to do its pounding; it was packaged in a plastic bag made from petrochemicals; and finally, that little nut, was flown to Paris, France from Padre, California.</p>
<p>At a recent TED talk (ted.com) the climate scientist Ilisa Ocko described the significant impact of methane on global warming. While methane emissions count for only 1% of all global warming emissions, its immediate impact is greater than that of all CO2 emissions. Ocko goes on to outline easily applicable solutions to reducing the production of methane. One solution is the composting of food waste.</p>
<p>The food we eat drags with it a dark carbon shroud four times its weight; a higher carbon footprint than what it takes to produce a tonne of glass or steel. This carbon shroud billows out by a further 60% when wasted food is dumped into a landfill.</p>
<p>United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions are related to food waste or loss. “If food loss and waste were a country, it would be the third biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions” wrote Inger Andersen UNEP’s Executive Director earlier this year. Of the millions of tonnes of food wasted, 60% is by consumers.</p>
<p>Reducing this waste is priority No.1. Recycling what remains into animal feed, energy or compost is priority No.2. Using the UK’s Department of Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) calculations, composting food waste can save 617kg/tonne of carbon emissions vs. dumping it into a landfill.</p>
<p>In addition, compost plays a key role in sequestering greenhouse gas emissions in soil. Sally Brown, <a href="https://www.biocycle.net/connection-co2-math-for-compost-benefits/">writing in Biocyle</a>, reports that adding one tonne of compost to soil will sequester 100-1,000kg of greenhouse gas emissions (depending on application methods and existing soil conditions).</p>
<p>However, the benefits of composting food waste go beyond reducing methane emissions. Food waste composting recycles nutrients and organic matter back to one of earth’s most important resources: soil.</p>
<p>In 2015 the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) warned that “Today, 33 percent of land is moderately to highly degraded [and that further] loss of productive soils would severely damage food production and food security, amplify food-price volatility, and potentially plunge millions of people into hunger and poverty.”</p>
<p>The BBC’s Richard Gray noted that the key factors driving the soil crisis were “erosion, compaction, nutrient imbalance, pollution, acidification, water logging, loss of soil biodiversity and increasing salinity [due to the overuse of synthetic fertilisers]”.</p>
<p>Soil is is not just, as the Americans say, “dirt”. Gardeners intuitively know that healthy soil is living soil. They will give a happy smile to an earthworm raised to the surface by the pulling up of a carrot. They will rejoice in the smell of their rich loamy soil while dealing with a weed or two. And they will boast about how, nothing would grow in that patch of garden “over there” and exclaim &quot;But look at my tomatoes now!&quot;</p>
<p>The Canadian author Jeff Lowenfells in his book “Teaming with Microbes”, shows that soil is not only sand, clay and bits of stone but is also earthworms, bugs, fungi, and bacteria; the “soil-food-web”. Working as a single organism, soil’s creatures convert organic matter into food for plants and make humus (plants, in turn, reciprocate by producing sugars which are food for soil microbes).</p>
<p>When one understands that soil is alive one is naturally inclined to nurture and protect it. Good gardening practices then follow. These would include mulching, which controls weeds and holds water; a &quot;no dig&quot; policy so as not to kill microbes, earthworms or destroy healthy fungal soil networks; using organic soil amendments instead of synthetic so as not increase the salinity of the soil; and being mad about the magical benefits of compost.</p>
<p>Compost helps to grow larger healthier plants with vigorous root systems. As plants fix carbon, larger plants with healthy roots fix more carbon than, for example, plants fed a synthetic fertiliser diet in the corn belt of the USA.  Vibrant gardens built on healthy soil also enhance biodiversity and attract a variety of animals including birds, bees and butterflies.</p>
<p>During the First and Second World Wars, governments on both sides of the conflict promoted home vegetable gardening. These “Victory Gardens” were promoted in order to build citizen morale as well as to reduce pressure on the country’s food supply.  Just as during the World Wars, today’s gardener is also helping to fight climate change. Only this time, their Carbon Gardens sequester carbon, build soil health, reduce organic waste going to a landfill, encourage bio-diversity, and feed their families and communities.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=gardeners-are-saving-the-world</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=gardeners-are-saving-the-world</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 16 Mar 2022 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Forage your garden]]></title>
<category>Gardening tips</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/forage_your_garden.jpg" alt="" />
(Photo: <a href="https://instagram.com/rockandvole">https://instagram.com/rockandvole</a>)</p>
<p>The father of structural anthropology, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2009/nov/03/claude-levi-strauss-obituary">Claude Lévi-Strauss</a>, was not known as a gardener. Rather his claim to fame was the idea that culture—as identified through archetypes and myths—<a href="http://anthropology.iresearchnet.com/french-structuralism/">was structured around binary oppositions</a> such as raw vs. cooked, edible vs. inedible, and, in Trumpian America, truth vs. alternative facts (also known as lies).</p>
<p>The gardener’s framework revolves around pests vs. beneficial insect, edible vs. ornamental, plant vs. weed. Working within this framework, most gardeners are forever involved in a continual battle of controlling weeds, trapping snails, keeping the birds off the green plums, and trying to get rid of insect pests while attracting bees and butterflies. This ongoing battle can be joyous, fulfilling and educational (how else would one learn that soap and water can be as effective as an acetamiprid insecticide in controlling white fly).</p>
<p>But is it possible for the gardener to restructure their mental framework and look at their garden with new eyes? When is a weed a weed? What is edible and what’s not? Is a plum only a plum if it’s red ripe?</p>
<p>Jane Griffiths is a South African who turned her gardening passion into a successful writing career with her <a href="http://janesdeliciousgarden.com/home">“Jane’s Delicious Garden”</a> series of gardening books. She is also a very good cook and has just launched <a href="https://potager.co.za/shop/books-and-media/janes-delicious-super-foods/">“Jane’s Delicious Super Foods”</a>. </p>
<p>One of her super foods is the <a href="https://www.shamwari.com/5-amazing-facts-about-spekboom/">spekboom</a> (<em>portulacaria afra</em>). Spekboom has been widely planted because of its extraordinary ability to suck in carbon dioxide. And not, as per Jane’s book, because its young leaves  make a great addition to a summer salad.</p>
<p><img src="https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5e60df12230000641639ccbb.jpeg?cache=G4Sh3V5LMe&amp;ops=scalefit_1280_noupscale&amp;format=webp" alt="" />
(Spekboom. Image source: <a href="https://cutt.ly/WY7Cep0">https://cutt.ly/WY7Cep0</a>).</p>
<p>What else in your garden can you eat? One of the most prolific weeds in any garden is <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/purslane">purslane</a> (<em>portulaca oleracea</em>). This large fleshy weed produces multitudes of seeds and will regrow from a root speck. But purslane was not always a weed. Over time it has changed from being seen as a leafy green to—probably because it is so difficult to control—a weed.</p>
<p><img src="https://www.clemson.edu/cafls/research/weeds/weed-id-bio/broadleaf-weeds-parent/broadleaf-pages-pictures/common-purslane.jpg" alt="" />
(Purslane. Image source: <a href="https://cutt.ly/gY7Bnmz">https://cutt.ly/gY7Bnmz</a>)</p>
<p>What is a weed? The most common definition is that a weed is just a plant growing in the wrong place (or a plant without a clear role or purpose). How much more relaxing would gardening be if we saw the weeds in our garden (dandelions, <em>taraxacum</em>, for example) as great plants for a <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/dandelion-benefits">healthy tea</a> or in a tasty salad?</p>
<p>Our view of what we can or can’t eat can be culturally specific. In South Africa a staple dish is <em><a href="https://www.farmersweekly.co.za/rural-insight/imifino-traditional-food-with-a-future/">imifino</a></em> (also called <em>morogo</em>). In the rural areas this highly nutritious slightly sour vegetable stew is made from wild herbs and leaves gathered from fallow fields around a homestead and cooked with maize meal.</p>
<p><em>Imifino</em> is a dish as well as a category of food. There is no ingredient list and in the cities includes a mix of pumpkin leaves, kale, Swiss chard and other seasonal leafy greens.</p>
<p><img src="https://sf.ezoiccdn.com/ezoimgfmt/i2.wp.com/taffycooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Point-Blur_Jan282021_223115.jpg?resize=800%2C450&amp;ssl=1&amp;ezimgfmt=ngcb4/notWebP" alt="" />
(Image Source: <a href="https://cutt.ly/QY7CAMz">https://cutt.ly/QY7CAM</a>z)</p>
<p>Instead of netting your fruit tree—and then being guilt ridden as your dog or cat kills a bird caught in its seams—why not think of something you can do with the fruit before you go to war with the birds. A plum is still a plum even if it is green and you’ll miss the sweet dribble of sticky juice running down your chin (but, for sure, you won’t miss that guilty feeling knowing how many birds died for that single sweet plum).</p>
<p>In Korea green plums are used to make <em><a href="https://www.greedygirlgourmet.com/beginners-guide-to-fermenting-maesil-cheong-korean-green-plum-syrup-vegan-gf/">maesil-chong</a></em> (fermented plum syrup) which can be used in cooking and <em><a href="https://mykoreankitchen.com/korean-plum-tea-maesil-cha/">maesil-cha</a></em> (plum tea).  While the traditional recipe calls for Korean or Chinese plums (also known as Japanese Apricot) why not just use whatever plum species grows in your garden?</p>
<iframe width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vrg-0IXeqw8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Made with green plums, <em><a href="https://www.chowhound.com/post/tekmali-georgian-plum-sauce-413107">tekmali</a></em> is an easy to make tart Georgian chutney. Made from green plums, coriander, garlic and fresh chilli, this chutney delivers a wonderful sourness and bite to fish and chicken dishes.</p>
<iframe width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZY8WqcExXt0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>There are many foods that one can eat before they are ‘ready’: in Italy <a href="https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/53943/crispy-zucchini-or-pumpkin-blossoms/">pumpkin and other gourd flowers</a> are stuffed or deep fried. In West Africa <a href="https://www.africanfood.recipes/2021/01/sweet-potato-leaves-with-onion-fried.html">sweet potato vine leaves</a> are prepared in many delicious ways. They can also just be cooked like spinach (just don’t forget to add peanut butter, garlic and onion).</p>
<p><a href="https://www.wolfgat.co.za">Wolfgat</a>, a small South African sea-side restaurant, was named as the World’s Best Restaurant at the World Restaurant Awards in 2017. Its claim to fame? A focus on foraging for hyperlocal indigenous and seasonal ingredients. Ingredients which were traditionally seen as food. But in modern times just left in the dunes and on the beach.</p>
<iframe width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pmg6AZrEhNU" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Global media and chefs have challenged our view of the world. We are now exposed to thousands of gardening, cooking and books on foraging for wild edible plants. Now the chef that forages is a celebrity (who has now taken the place of the TV chef who, in a version of the Fear Factor TV series, ate raw cow liver doused with bile).</p>
<p>Our mental frameworks (structures) often conflict with those from different cultures or even generations. For some, French toast is a savoury meal and should be slathered with ketchup and chilli. For others, this is disgusting! French toast is a type of pancake that goes with maple syrup and jam. In Zimbabwe <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/zimbabwe-favorite-snack-mopane-worms-article-1.1247669">dried mopane worms</a> are a delicious snack; but not so much in England.</p>
<p>Unlike Trump supporters and anti-vaxxers, our view of the world is continually evolving for the better. Not even twenty years ago, our idealised garden would have been the English formal garden. Now we are interplanting flowers with cabbage, and the lawn has been replaced by a meadow.</p>
<p>The trend toward “wild” or “meadow” gardens enables weeds to now find a place. Where previously they were plants growing where they weren’t wanted, they are now seen to be beneficial for pollinators.</p>
<p>In the modern garden, yesterday’s weed is today's salad.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=forage-your-garden</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=forage-your-garden</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 19 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[25 Easy Things you can do to reduce your food waste]]></title>
<category>Food waste</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/Earth_Probiotic_Blog/files/stacks-image-ec827b5.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p><a href="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/resources/Reduce%20Food%20Waste.pdf">You can download the tips from this link (not registration required).</a></p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=25-easy-things-you-can-do-to-reduce-your-food-waste</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=25-easy-things-you-can-do-to-reduce-your-food-waste</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Celebrate and help bees!]]></title>
<category>Gardening tips</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1591030431929-9dc43e9fd0f3?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDMxfHxiZWUlMjBmbG93ZXJ8ZW58MHx8fHwxNjM5NjM1NDMy&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p>Forget about honey, pollen and royal jelly. Think of a world without beans, tomatoes, onions and carrots; not to mention hundreds of other vegetables, oil seeds and fruits that are dependent upon bees for pollination.</p>
<p>These industrious insects <a href="http://ac.els-cdn.com/S096098221300256X/1-s2.0-S096098221300256X-main.pdf?_tid=740de432-f7f3-11e3-8262-00000aab0f6c&amp;acdnat=1403211254_0ce0c410f2311e8154736ad0eff4edea">have been around for over 125 million years</a> and, although bee numbers are sadly declining, the remaining survivors continue to be invaluable to our planet in numerous ways.</p>
<p><strong>Bees and plants need one another.</strong>
Insect pollinators such as bees and flower-bearing plants are the perfect example of a <a href="https://core.human.cornell.edu/research/systems/theory/symbiosis.cfm">symbiotic relationship </a>in nature. Bees need pollen and nectar for food and honey making; flowers need their pollen transported to other flowers, and then another flower’s <a href="http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-health/food-allergies-decoded-interview-with-allergist-and-author-dr-atul-shah/">pollen</a> brought back in order to <a href="http://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/pollination.html">reproduce and make seeds</a>.</p>
<p>.<strong>Without bees we'd starve to death..</strong>
One out of every three bites of food we eat has been pollinated by a bee; they are responsible for about 35% of all food production globally. Honeybees pollinate about 50 crops in South Africa such as apples, asparagus, avocados, blueberries, broccoli, celery, cherries, citrus crops, cranberries, cucumber and melons,<a href="http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-05-02-honeybee-die-off_N.htm"> just to name a few</a>. </p>
<p>Their value to the economy is approximately R10,3 billion per annum.</p>
<p>Bee pollination boosts yields. The more bees there are, the more fruit you get.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1321746-after-bee-die-off-chinese-apple-farmers-resort-to-hand-pollination/">In China, wild bee populations have declined to levels where farmers are now hand pollinating their orchards</a>. Imagine the cost of labour to complete this task as well as the inefficiency.</p>
<p>The decline of bee populations shows that somethings wrong in our environment.
One of the prime suspects of bee die-offs is a dangerous new group of pesticides called neonicotinoids. <a href="http://www.panna.org/current-campaigns/bees">These pervasive killers</a> are found in crops from corn to almonds, and in products around the average home like pet flea treatments and lawn care products. They are believed to damage the immune systems of bees, rendering them unusually susceptible to disease.</p>
<p><strong>Bees are the only insect that produces food eaten by man.</strong>
Honey is the only food that includes all the substances necessary to sustain life, including <a href="http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/digestive-enzymes.html">enzymes</a>, vitamins, minerals, and water.</p>
<p>It’s the only food that contains <a href="http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/antioxidant.html">pinocembrin, an antioxidant</a> associated with<a href="http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/honey-boosts-brain-function.html"> improved brain functioning</a>.</p>
<p><strong>How to encourage bees and other pollinators to our gardens.</strong>
An insectary garden designed to attract bees and other pollinators will increase your harvest of fruit and vegetables. Insectary gardens play an important role in preserving the diversity of ecosystems in modern times. Native plants, which provide food and nectar for many more insects than non-native plants do, are the foundation of a pollinator-friendly garden.</p>
<p>Pollinators depend on combinations of plants that bloom from spring through summer and autumn.</p>
<p>It is a good idea to include a variety of flowers in your garden that will bloom at different times of the year.</p>
<p>Bees are especially attracted to blue, purple, and yellow flowers.</p>
<p>Native wildflowers provide bees with the most nutritious pollen and nectar, whereas many hybrid varieties are often all show, offering little or no nectar. Wildflowers also require less care than other imported varieties of flowers; often requiring less water, fertiliser, and pesticides than showy exotics. Single flowers are best - those with one ring of petals provide more nectar and pollen than double flowers, in which extra petals have replaced pollen-laden anthers. Similarly choose scented flowers in preference to unscented blooms.</p>
<p>When you plant your bee garden, a diverse array of other wildlife will also be attracted to and further benefit your garden such as butterflies, wasps and birds.
•   Indigenous trees particularly recommended by beekeepers are sweet thorn, karee, bush willows, weeping wattle and tree fuchsia.
•   Colourful indigenous plants include agapanthus, aloes, asparagus fern, Cape violets, clivia, euryops daisy, felicia, gazania, carpet geranium, ribbon bush, lion’s ear, osteospermum, butterfly bush, Cape honeysuckle and vygies.
•   Many attractive non-indigenous plants also produce nectar profusely. These include alyssum, aster, calendula, forget-me-not, iris, nepeta, hollyhock, Michaelmas daisies, lavender, poppies, primula, salvia, sedum, sunflower and zinnia. For a herb garden, plant borage, chives, fennel, mint, marjoram, oregano, rosemary and thyme.
•   Beekeepers in all South African provinces are dependent on gum trees as a forage resource for their honey bees. Eucalypts provide a reliable pollen source and nectar flow, and can be used almost year-round as there are several species that flower at different times of the year.
•   Some Eucalyptus species can invade land and have a negative impact on biodiversity and water resources, or cause erosion and increase fire risk. However, because gum trees have value (for timber, for bees, for shade, for aesthetics, for protection from wind and dust, etc.), they should only be cleared where they are invading and have a negative impact. This is why the Alien and Invasive Species Regulations (promulgated under the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 (NEMBA) in 2014) are nuanced for eucalypts. Landowners should know that not all gum trees need to be removed. Eucalyptus species within streams (riparian areas), protected areas or ecosystems identified for conservation purposes should be removed. Six species are listed in the Regulations as “Category 1b” invasive species, which means they must be ‘controlled’ even outside riparian areas. But even these listed gum species can be demarcated by permit as Category 2 Invasive Species under NEMBA as bee-forage areas, wind-rows or woodlots. </p>
<p>Provide water and a safe environment.
•   A natural or lined garden pond, bird bath or large shallow bowl all offer bees good water sources.
•   A large flat-surfaced stone placed in the centre of a bird bath or shallow bowl just above water level makes a handy watering hole for bees, as well as a good sunning location for butterflies and birds. Use marbles or pebbles to create landing areas as bees will drown if the water is too deep.
•   Use organic, natural forms of pest control in your bee garden. Exploit the natural pest control services provided by beneficial insects such as ladybird beetles (ladybugs), green lacewings, praying mantises and dragonflies.
•   If you can't avoid using insecticides, use less persistent ones that have been proven safe for bees and other pollinators. Apply after dark when pollinators like bees are safely within their nests. Plants in bloom attract bees, so if you have to spray, do so before or after the blooming period.</p>
<p>￼</p>
<blockquote>
<p>&quot;Unique among all God's creatures, only the honeybee improves the environment and preys not on any other species.&quot;
~ Royden Brown</p>
</blockquote>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=celebrate-and-help-bees</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=celebrate-and-help-bees</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Earth Probiotic Podcast]]></title>
<category>Podcast</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <iframe title='Life Landscape&#039;s Oscar Lockwood' src='https://www.podbean.com/media/player/tuf8k-b3abab?from=yiiadmin&download=1&version=1' data-link='https://www.podbean.com/media/player/tuf8k-b3abab?from=yiiadmin&download=1&version=1' height='122' width='100%' style='border: none;' scrolling='no' data-name='pb-iframe-player' ></iframe>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=earth-probiotic-podcast</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=earth-probiotic-podcast</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Gavin Heron interviewed by Mel Walker]]></title>
<category>Radio Interviews</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://podlink.imgix.net/2954e3a895202b977f79fe3751e98369/poster.jpeg?width=448&amp;auto=format" alt="" /></p>
<p>Gavin was fortunate to be able to sit down with Melanie Walker for a chat earlier this month (May 2021). Our conversation covered a wide range of topics from recycling, gardening, business challenges, COVID and, as usual, Gavin managed to get in an anti-Trump slur regarding his attitude to Climate Change.</p>
<p><a href="https://pod.link/grounded/episode/10bb49bdadeaf8723b6ea4140de5fb32">CLICK TO LISTEN</a></p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=gavin-heron-interviewed-by-mel-walker</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=gavin-heron-interviewed-by-mel-walker</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Gavin Heron interviewed by Reg Lascaris]]></title>
<category>Podcast</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <iframe src="https://iframe.iono.fm/e/903725" width="100%" height="126" frameborder="0"></iframe>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=gavin-heron-interviewed-by-reg-lascaris</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=gavin-heron-interviewed-by-reg-lascaris</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Home made biochar]]></title>
<category>Biochar</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <iframe width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4ocx5Yeknec" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=home-made-biochar</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=home-made-biochar</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[How to live the &quot;4R&#039;s&quot;]]></title>
<category>Recycling</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1563477710521-5ae0aa5085ab?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDd8fHJlY3ljbGluZ3xlbnwwfHx8fDE2Mzk2MzQ0MTY&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p>Today, we hear the words reduce, reuse, recycle on a daily basis. But how seriously do we actually take them? And how can we encourage more people to instill the “R’s” as a simple habit, rather than a chore?  </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“By thinking about waste before we generate it, we can collectively have a huge impact on the war on waste. By being conscious of our environmental impact, helps with the choices we make and therefore the consequences of our actions”.  (Karen Heron)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Here are practical tips to help you get started and implement a sustainable lifestyle:</p>
<p><strong><em>Refuse</em></strong> — this sounds easy but often we are bombarded with packaging we don’t want or can’t get away from. However, if we are prepared, then this is so much easier. For example, choosing loose fruit and veg comes almost package free (and often is). Some of the big retailers sell a mesh bag for this purpose which can be reused as often as we remember to bring it with us!</p>
<p>We more than often don’t need the extra carry bag offered as we may have already purchased something which came with a bag. Or even better, using the bag you popped into your handbag or pocket. By refusing, you then don’t have to deal with it. Perfect.</p>
<p><strong><em>Reduce</em></strong> — large bags of food produce seem like a bargain and it often is, only if all of it is used. Otherwise you are throwing away good food and money because there was too much of it.</p>
<p>Buy only what you need. A planned weekly menu is a great way to help you buy only the items required (and makes for a quick shop). This reduces impulse spending which is often wasteful, especially if produce is forgotten or goes bad before being used.</p>
<p><strong><em>Reuse</em></strong> — most food packaging containers can be used many times over. I use the large yogurt tubs to freeze stock, homemade dog food and leftovers. Stick a piece of masking tape on the lid for easy labelling. They are great for storing beads, buttons and for planting seedings too.</p>
<p><strong><em>Repurpose</em></strong> — I love sewing and have restyled many of my clothes (which I no longer loved) and updated them to new items. A baggy shirt that was once fashionable is taken in to begin a new life as a fitted shirt. Long skirts or dresses that were at that awkward length, shortened, jeans that mysteriously shrunk in length, loped off at the hem and now very fashionable with the ends unravelling. The cut-off hems I used to patch our dog’s much loved toy. I had a lot of fun too! </p>
<p>Chipped salad bowls given drainage holes, becomes a useful pot plant holder and old wool or thick string can be knotted macrame style into holding the pot plant. Very stylish!</p>
<p><strong><em>Recycle</em></strong> — much, but not all of the packaging we face today can be recycled into another life.</p>
<p>I am not a believer in multiple recycling bins as these take space and can seem overwhelming.</p>
<p>Paper waste must be kept clean (from food waste), food waste composted, then all the other dry waste (glass, cans and plastic) can be added together. Recyclable waste is either picked out from your kerb side bins by the informal waste collectors or separated at a Waste Recycling Facility.  </p>
<p>Clothes and household items can be recycled easily though friends, family and even at the office as there is always someone who can make use of these items. Hospice gladly takes almost anything and then there are the many centers and charities that collect these items which are sold to raise funds.</p>
<p><strong><em>Relax</em></strong>  — you alone are not going to save the world (even though you want to!). By your actions alone you are changing the people around you. They see you and your passion and it’s hard to not to want to be you, the queen of recycling. Share your knowledge, money saving tips (recycling definitely save you cash) and stay brave in your convictions and hey, you may well save the world!</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=how-to-live-the-4rs</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=how-to-live-the-4rs</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Managing food waste in the time of Covid]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1495556650867-99590cea3657?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDIxfHx0cmFzaHxlbnwwfHx8fDE2Mzk2MzU3Njk&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p>Municipal services will likely be stressed during this pandemic. We all need to take responsibility and manage our own organic waste and thus reduce pressure on these stressed resources.</p>
<p>Due to employees testing positive for Covid-19 <a href="https://www.joburg.org.za/media_/Newsroom/Pages/2020%20News%20Articles/July%202020/Pikitup-shuts-two-depots-following-rise-in-Covid-19-cases.aspx">Pikitup was compelled to close its Roodepoort and Marlboro depots</a>. (Norwood resumed operations in Mid-June after being closed in May). </p>
<p>This lead to Pikitup informing residents that waste collection services in served areas were suspended for that week. but given that Norwood was closed on the 14th of May and only reopened on the 8th of June, we can expect that disruptions in service from the closure of these depots will be longer than what is hoped and what Pikitup plan.</p>
<p>Please don’t misread me, this is is not a criticism. Pikitup are doing the best they can under challenging circumstances! Municipal waste management services are going to be under serious stress as employees fall ill with Covid-19 (and the common cold) and as social distancing measures are enforced (as happened in <a href="https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-edinburgh-garden-waste-collections-suspended-2527413">Edinburgh, Scotland</a>).</p>
<p>We all need to be prepared to take care of our waste ourselves. Most of us will already be departing our dry recyclables from our general “wheelie bin” waste.  But now you also MUST work on your food waste.</p>
<p>You have three options:
•   For fresh vegetable and fruit peels you can <a href="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/Earth_Probiotic_Sustainability_Blog/?post=composting-is-easy-you-just-need-to-start#poster-top">compost them with your garden waste</a>. Or invest in a worm farm and make your own organic fertiliser.
•   While you can <a href="https://earth911.com/home-garden/compost-10-weird-things/">compost some really weird stuff</a>, this doesn’t help with cooked food and specifically meat, sea food, dairy and other <a href="https://www.planetnatural.com/composting-101/making/what-to-use/#:~:text=Meat%2C%20Bones%2C%20Fish%2C%20Fats,it%20stinky%20and%20attract%20animals">“traditional compost no-no’s”</a>.&amp;text=Synthetic%20Chemicals%20%E2%80%93%20Certain%20lawn%20and,remain%20in%20the%20finished%20compost.). For this you should invest in a bokashi composting system.</p>
<p>If you do any of the above you’re doing a good thing!</p>
<p>Bokashi, “fermented organic matter” in Japanese, is a two step fermentative process. Food waste is added to closed bins and layered with a mix containing beneficial micro-organisms. The food waste, including cooked and uncooked meat and small bones, ferments and does not rot or smell.</p>
<p>After fermentation is complete the contents of the bokashi bin can be composted with garden waste, trenched or even fed to composting earthworms (including stuff that ‘experts’ say shouldn’t be added to your earthworm farm like lemon peels).</p>
<p>Other than feeding your soil with these food nutrients which would otherwise have been wasted, a key and practical advantage of bokashi is that you don’t end up with a rat attracting rotting smelly wheelie bin.</p>
<p>By using a bokashi system you eliminate the ill effects of rotting food waste and, really importantly, help reduce the stress on municipal resources during this trying time.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=managing-food-waste-in-the-time-of-covid</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=managing-food-waste-in-the-time-of-covid</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Mansfield Today]]></title>
<category>Compost</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <iframe width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4Cy9K5ns0vc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=mansfield-today</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=mansfield-today</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[The science behind bokashi composting]]></title>
<category>Bokashi</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://www.bokashishop.co.za/image/cache/catalog/2020_Products/2kg_earth_bokashi-500x500.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>As with anything in life, there is always more to a process than what meets the eye. This statement, although fairly broad, remains true for composting with bokashi. If you are interested in helping the planet and playing your part in the great carbon battle, you should consider the science that makes it all possible. So let’s dive in and unpack the magical process that you’ve come to know as bokashi composting.</p>
<p><strong>Anaerobic Composting</strong></p>
<p>Before we get into bokashi, we must break the stereotype behind anaerobic composting. The decomposition of organic waste without oxygen can cause some implications if handled incorrectly and we can all agree that we want to avoid putrefaction, and its associated smells and gasses. However, there is a perfectly safe way for organic matter to ferment anaerobically, which is utilised in Bokashi composting. Adam Footer addresses this stereotype in his book Bokashi Composting: Scraps to Soil in Weeks: “When we anaerobically ferment food waste with bokashi, we are providing the conditions for the beneficial bacteria to dominate and outcompete the putrefactive anaerobic bacteria, thereby removing the reasons for the stereotype.” </p>
<p><strong>What makes up the active agent in Earth Bokashi Mix?</strong> </p>
<p>As many microbiologists would agree, microbes carry out some of the most important functions on earth. Therefore it is with no surprise that bokashi composting solely relies on a select group of microorganisms to carry out the anaerobic fermentation of organic waste. As a bonus, Earth Bokashi makes use of beneficial and indigenous microbes which eliminates any risk to South African soils. According to scientists Yrielle Roets-Dlamini and Ghaneshree Moonsamy, the microbes used in Earth Bokashi are assessed on their ability to degrade food waste, formulating a multi-strain cocktail that uses only the top-performing organisms. This cocktail is then inoculated into the carrier mix in your Earth Bokashi packet. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“The Earth Bokashi system utilises a unique formulation of specially selected microbes from the Bacillus genera. These strains form part of a database of organisms that are indigenous to South Africa and were isolated from niche environments. The organisms were selected based on their ability to produce enzymes of interest such as amylase, cellulase, protease and lipase as well as reduce odours. The functioning of these enzymes are crucial in a bokashi system as the food waste that is generated by households carries a high nutritional load which contributes to protein, carbohydrate and fats, oils and grease (FOG) concentrations in the system.” Yrielle Roets-Dlamini and Ghaneshree Moonsamy</p>
</blockquote>
<p>These organisms work through a fermentation process that produces beneficial by-products which contribute to the nutritional value of the bokashi compost. </p>
<p><strong>Why were these particular microbes chosen?</strong></p>
<p>In today's modern food processing industry, it’s no surprise that we face some challenges when decomposing food waste. Therefore, it was important to test the efficacy of the microorganisms chosen for the Earth Bokashi mix. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Considering that fats and grease are a big problem in kitchen waste as they are responsible for blocking and clogging drains, the Bacillus spp were tested for their ability to produce bio-surfactants and emulsify fats. The strains that were considered the most effective were then assessed using simulated kitchen waste and food effluents.” Yrielle Roets-Dlamini and Ghaneshree Moonsamy</p>
</blockquote>
<p>From there, three different Bacillus spp were selected based on their varying abilities to successfully carry out the decomposition of the simulated kitchen waste. These specific microbes were formulated into the final product: Earth Bokashi. </p>
<p><strong>How does Bokashi work?</strong></p>
<p>The main principle behind bokashi is to enhance the chemical and physical quality of soil through the use of beneficial microorganisms while also reducing green waste. This process can be referred to as zymogenic fermentation as the active microbes involved in bokashi composting assist in producing multiple by-products that improve the nutrient value of the soil. </p>
<p>To start off the process, kitchen waste is placed in a bin and inoculated with the Earth Bokashi mix. The Earth Bokashi bin is sealed creating an anaerobic environment, allowing the fermentation process to begin. During zymogenic fermentation, the microbes produce alcohols, amino acids, organic acids, sugars and esters. However, it is the products that are produced in the secondary metabolic reactions that are the most beneficial to plant growth. Various biogenic substances, hormones, vitamins and antibiotics are produced in the secondary metabolism. </p>
<p>Throughout the fermentation process, the concentrated liquid that is known as “Bokashi tea” is strained into the bottom of the bucket and should be tapped off bi-weekly. Simply put, this tea is the juices that are produced as a by-product of the fermentation process. Bokashi tea is rich in nutrients and microbes that can be used as a fertilizer once diluted. The tea contains many of the microbes that are found in the bin which are good at breaking down grease and fats. Therefore, pouring your bokashi tea down the drain can assist in unclogging and cleaning out your drains in a natural, more eco-friendly way. </p>
<p>A filled Earth Bokashi bin should be left sealed for two weeks to allow the microbes to complete the fermentation process of the recently added food waste. The contents of your bin can be composted with yard waste, fed to composting worms or placed in a soil trench to create bokashi compost. After a few weeks, you would have created a zymogenic soil that promotes optimal plant growth and development. The soil now has an established microbiome and it is ready to be used in and around your garden. </p>
<p><strong>How is bokashi composting carbon neutral?</strong></p>
<p>Reducing our carbon footprint is a key priority for everyone and every nation. Carbon emissions are a type of greenhouse gas and contribute to global warming. Many everyday human activities contribute to the greenhouse gasses released into the atmosphere. Therefore, we should be looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint by utilizing carbon-neutral methods of recycling and reducing green waste. Bokashi composting is one way to help reduce your carbon footprint.</p>
<p>The Earth Bokashi composting solution is carbon-neutral as its formula includes carbon and nitrogen-rich waste products which otherwise would have gone to waste in landfills. Additionally, the biological processes that take place in anaerobic fermentation conserve carbon. This means that the carbon is recycled and little energy is lost through heat or gas production. There is very little carbon dioxide released in the fermentation process and most of the energy that was fixed in the initial food waste is returned to the soil, therefore, making the process carbon neutral. </p>
<p>As you can see, that little Earth Bokashi bin in your kitchen is a lot more than a bin for your food waste. Earth Bokashi solutions can be applied to high volumes of food waste and are user friendly! Making it perfect for any budding composter. The science isn’t too complicated, we’ve just taken a page out of mother natures’ book and utilized natural organisms to carry out their natural processes in order to ultimately contribute to the greater good. </p>
<p><em>Works Cited</em>
Footer, A., 2013. Bokashi Composting: Scraps to Soil in Weeks. s.l.: New Society Publishers.</p>
<p>Higa, T., n.d. Effective Microorganisms: A Biotechnology for Mankind, Okinawa, Japan: s.n.</p>
<p>Pro-Soil, 2015. Soil Classification: Zymogenic Soils. [Online]
Available at: <a href="https://pro-soil.com/soil-classification-zymogenic-soils/">https://pro-soil.com/soil-classification-zymogenic-soils/</a>
[Accessed 17 May 2021].</p>
<p>Cycle, B., 2019. Want to Improve the Environment? Bokashi Ferment!. [Online]
Available at: <a href="https://bokashicycle.com/bokashi-fermenting-environmental-benefits-and-impact/">https://bokashicycle.com/bokashi-fermenting-environmental-benefits-and-impact/</a>
[Accessed 17 May 2021].</p>
<p>Australia, B. C., 2021. Bokashi Juice. [Online]
Available at: <a href="https://www.bokashi.com.au/Bokashi+One/How+it+Works/Bokashi+Juice.html">https://www.bokashi.com.au/Bokashi+One/How+it+Works/Bokashi+Juice.html</a>
[Accessed 17 May 2021].</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=the-science-behind-bokashi-composting</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=the-science-behind-bokashi-composting</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Tips for planting a tree]]></title>
<category>Gardening tips</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1422393682802-921122338109?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDEwOHx8dHJlZXxlbnwwfHx8fDE2Mzk2MzQ5MTM&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p>With Arbour Day around the corner, trees come to mind and the important role they play in our world. Not just their environmental impact but also the sheer joy they bring, from planting them to watching them grow tall and steady and ultimately enjoying the shade they provide.</p>
<p>The tallest tree in the world is a California redwood which stands 116m tall and what a sight that must be!</p>
<p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1535746543775-f9974b849ce2?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDE3fHxyZWR3b29kfGVufDB8fHx8MTYzOTYzNDY3OQ&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p>While most of us don’t have the space to grow such a tree, or the time to enjoy it (a mature redwood forest is between 500 and 1000 years old), we can all contribute in some small way by planting just one tree.</p>
<p>Trees are easy to plant, and once you have decided which tree to plant, then choosing the ideal place to plant does need thoughtful consideration in order for the tree to thrive. </p>
<p>Most trees love full sunlight and others dappled shade.</p>
<p>The roots of most trees are quite shallow at around 2m deep, but depending on the variety, can spread very wide when fully grown and some spread much wider than their canopy.</p>
<p>Usually the best time to plant a tree is spring or early autumn, but some types require a different time of year.</p>
<p>Once you have determined the type of tree, learnt its size and the depth and width of its root system, it’s time to plant.</p>
<p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1584062134595-dacde0a2336d?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDMxfHxwbGFudGluZ3xlbnwwfHx8fDE2Mzk2MzQ3MjM&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<ul>
<li>Dig a hole as deep as the root ball and at least twice as wide. The wider the better as this allows the roots to easily spread in its search for food and water.</li>
<li>Remove any grass growing around the hole by about half a metre in diameter. While growing, it’s best for the tree not to have to compete with weeds and grass.</li>
<li>Fill the hole with water the day before you intend planting. If the hole is still full, then the spot is not suitable as lack of drainage will kill the tree.</li>
<li>Having kept the root ball well watered, remove the tree from its container.</li>
<li>Set on the soil in the hole and spread out the roots around the trunk, removing any damaged ones and setting the roots onto the soil.</li>
<li>Add the soil back making sure the crown is at soil level or just above and the tree is straight.</li>
<li>Firm the soil well and create a depression so water will pool there. You can push down the soil with your foot but watch you don’t stomp on the root ball.</li>
<li>Water as soon as you are finished planting. If the soil settles you can add more soil but don’t use your feet to firm down while the soil is wet.</li>
<li>Once you are happy the tree is straight, has soil just below its crown and is well watered, then add some compost on top of the soil and slightly beyond the hole you dug and add mulch.</li>
<li>Brush back any compost and mulch from the trunk.</li>
<li>Only stake if absolutely necessary and remove stakes and ties after about a year.</li>
<li>Young trees need regular watering, weeding and fertilising.</li>
</ul>
<p>The most important step once you have brought your new tree home, is to not let the root ball dry out. This applies during storing the tree, while preparing the hole, planting it and giving the tree its first watering in its (hopefully) final place in life.</p>
<p><strong>Reasons to plant a tree:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Releases oxygen through its truck and leaves and often referred to as the ‘lungs of the planet’.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Cleans air by intercepting airborne particulates by trapping them on its leaves and bark.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Preserves soil by preventing soil erosion through its web of roots.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Conserves water by providing shade and decreasing evaporation.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Supports wildlife by providing shelter, nesting and food.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Sequesters and stores carbon dioxide decreasing the concentration of greenhouse gases.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Cools the planet through shading and releasing water vapour through its leaves.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Reduces energy use of a home or office by up to 30% when planted properly around a building.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Builds humus from fallen leaves which turn into nutrients for the tree and surrounds.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>They make us happy by reducing stress as its impossible not to look at nature and smile!</strong></p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=tips-for-planting-a-tree</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=tips-for-planting-a-tree</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Tips to reduce your food waste this festive season]]></title>
<category>Food waste</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1609658938891-32dd655106af?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDgzfHxjaHJpc3RtYXMlMjBkaW5uZXJ8ZW58MHx8fHwxNjM5NjM0MDQ0&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p>During normal life we can waste up to 40% of the food we buy.  During the festive season our food wastage increases by an additional, and staggering, 25%!  Just think: during the festive season we waste more food than we buy.</p>
<p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1534026744023-08fc40918b30?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;fm=jpg&amp;crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;w=400&amp;fit=max&amp;ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjEzMjQ5fQ" alt="Table Spread" />
<strong>Reduce Food Choices</strong>
If you are hosting an event, prevent over-catering by reducing food choices. This doesn’t mean your family and friends will leave your dinner hungry; its really about us humans not overfilling our plates (because isn’t it good manners to have a taste of everything!). </p>
<p>In general our eyes are always, like my Nana used to say, “too big for your stomach”.</p>
<p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1531904895138-ac676f9f125a?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;fm=jpg&amp;crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;w=400&amp;fit=max&amp;ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjEzMjQ5fQ" alt="Small Shopping Bag" /></p>
<p><strong>Buy less more frequently.</strong>
Food can go off pretty quickly. And is also liable to hide itself behind a few jars of pickle at the back of the bottom shelf in your fridge.</p>
<p>So plan your meals and buy according to the plan – don’t buy for those “just maybe and in case and what if” imaginary cases.  There’s always a store open near you. </p>
<p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1527784281695-866fa715d9d8?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;fm=jpg&amp;crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;w=400&amp;fit=max&amp;ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjEzMjQ5fQ" alt="Planning LIst" /></p>
<p><strong>Plan and implement</strong>
Men shouldn’t shop!  Research has shown that they are less likely to stick to a plan than women (and they’re also terrible at making lists).  Write down a shopping list and stick to it.  </p>
<p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1576045057995-568f588f82fb?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;fm=jpg&amp;crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;w=400&amp;fit=max&amp;ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjEzMjQ5fQ" alt="Fresh Spinach" /></p>
<p><strong>Buy Local and Buy Seasonal</strong>
Not only will you be supporting your local farmer and manufacturer but you also will reduce waste.  The fact is that the further food travels the higher the wastage along the way.</p>
<p>Buying food that is in season generally means that it is local.  Non-seasonal food comes from somewhere else and thus has a larger waste factor attached (not to mention the carbon footprint of the transportation itself).</p>
<p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1569420077790-afb136b3bb8c?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;fm=jpg&amp;crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;w=400&amp;fit=max&amp;ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjEzMjQ5fQ" alt="Food Storage" /></p>
<p><strong>Get your storage right</strong>
That old takeaway in its loose fitting polystyrene shell is not going to keep your chips ready for lunch the next day.</p>
<p>Purchase appropriate containers (preferably glass with silicon lids which can be reused again and again).  And also store in the right place.  The modern fridge has been designed to store food for longer periods of time – but only in the appropriate sections.</p>
<p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1571942676598-002909d1711a?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;fm=jpg&amp;crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;w=400&amp;fit=max&amp;ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjEzMjQ5fQ" alt="Stock Pot" /></p>
<p><strong>Get creative with leftovers</strong>
In our household we always over-cook stews and curries.  For us, these type of foods are better the next day, and are also easily frozen.  We are also surprised at how few people make stock – this is the best, pre-composting, use of waste vegetable off-cuts, bones and that old chicken carcass.</p>
<p>Before you even create the menu, think ahead how you can preserve your leftovers and create these new meals? There are numerous online websites offering fabulous creative ideas for repurposing leftovers.</p>
<p><strong>The last resort: compost your food waste</strong>
As a last resort, once you’ve reduced and reused, you can compost your food waste. Food waste is a valuable resource for soil and composting this using bokashi and/or a worm farm enables you to recycle all your food waste back into plant available nutrients for your soil. </p>
<p>Bokashi composting is not your normal composting as you can also add cooked and uncooked meat, small bones, sea food and dairy. Ultimately it allows you to compost much more waste generated in your home which, ordinarily, would not be suitable for the compost heap. It is a fermentation system where food waste is layered in closed bins with a microbe mix (“bokashi”). The microbes activate and ferment the food waste. After fermentation, food waste can be trenched under soil, composted with garden waste, or fed to earthworms.</p>
<p>Bokashi can also be used on your December holidays if you are going away camping, or to a self-catering venue to manage your food waste. Campers, caravanners, and self-caterers are constantly faced with struggles on managing their food waste in a clean and non-smelly way.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=tips-to-reduce-your-food-waste-this-festive-season</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=tips-to-reduce-your-food-waste-this-festive-season</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Whose waste is it anyway?]]></title>
<category>Environment</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1579047288156-bdc39e1b39e8?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDN8fHN0eXJvZm9hbXxlbnwwfHx8fDE2Mzk2Mzc1Mzg&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p>Yes, us consumers need to take responsibility for our waste. We should be recycling. We should be using less. We shouldn't be buying single use plastic products. But aren't the manufactures actually more responsible for the waste than the consumer?</p>
<p>After a recent rain storm in Johannesburg, our spruit (stream) overflowed. It was spectacular. The power of the water. The sound of the waves. Just the awesomeness of the spectacle.</p>
<p>And the rain stopped. The river again became a little spruit. Debris in the trees indicated the flood’s high point. And from a distance it looked like the flood had left behind a drift of snow.</p>
<p>Except — of course, this being Johannesburg where it only snows every 20 to 30 years — it wasn’t snow.</p>
<p>But rather drifts of polystyrene.</p>
<p>Polystyrene is everywhere. It’s used for takeaway food containers, for the packaging of appliances large and small, as an insulator in cooler boxes and fridges, to make fancy dress boater hats, in medical surgeries. </p>
<p>Basically it is a ubiquitous cheap plastic, with limited recyclable value, and which very easily fragments into trillions of tiny floatable easily blown around tiny balls.</p>
<p>So when we see this ‘flood-line snow drifts’ we look at each other and rightly scold the litter bugs. “Use a dustbin! Stop dumping rubbish! Take care of our environment! Be responsible!”.</p>
<p>But who makes this stuff? And why? And who buys it? Yes, we consumers might stupidly buy that silly boater hat, but we didn’t buy the burger polystyrene clam shell or the stuff protecting the kettle or TV.</p>
<p>We bought the TV. The manufacturer shipped it in the polystyrene packaging.</p>
<p>So shouldn’t we be pointing more fingers at them (not only at us)?</p>
<p>Walmart is putting pressure on their suppliers to reduce packaging waste (great!). In South Africa, Ms Barbara Creecy (Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment) is proposing a legal amendment in terms of the Waste Act to extend producer responsibility  where “producers of the listed items that generate waste will be required to develop and implement an extended producer responsibility scheme.”</p>
<p>The, hopefully, impact of this amendment will have a few impacts on producers: (a) reduce packaging so they have less waste to manage, (b) invest in less environmentally damaging packaging in order to reduce their legal liability should their packaging waste damage the environment, and (c) actively assist in further developing the recycling industry so as to, again, have less of their waste in the environment.</p>
<p>The challenge is that this will take time. In order to reduce toxic drifts of polystyrene snow (we’re using polystyrene as a proxy for all single use contaminating packaging) more pressure needs to be placed on producers and packagers. We should be pushing retailers to package take-a-ways in bagasse or even, and this is sometimes more difficult than it should be, encourage us to bring out own packaging (which will require some knowledge of the ‘tare’ function on a scale).</p>
<p>Litter and waste is the fault of the consumer (don’t litter!) but ultimately is, rightly, the responsibility of the producer.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=whose-waste-is-it-anyway</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=whose-waste-is-it-anyway</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[6 Easy Things you can do to help the environment]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/Earth_Probiotic_Blog/files/stacks-image-a671df3.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Often the bad news around our environment can become a little over whelming.  And for many of us this bludgeons us into in action.  But there's no need.  A lot of us doing some small things can make a massive difference.</p>
<p>We presented to the <a href="https://www.lifeisagarden.co.za/soweto-garden-club/">Lifestyle Garden Club</a> on Saturday 21st of August 2018 on &quot;6 Easy Things You Can Do To Improve the Environment&quot;.</p>
<p>Many of us tend to see the things we do as separate from each other. Even big companies do this: look at Nivea and it’s “micro-bead” products which has had a devastating impact on our environment. These plastic beads are now even found in fish.</p>
<p>We need to think of our actions as all being related to one another. What we do in one aspect of our lives can have consequences on another aspect which we haven’t really thought about.</p>
<p>Systems thinking comes naturally for some of us. But for most, including myself, one has to deliberately think about “unforeseen consequences.</p>
<p>The fact is that everything we do impacts on everything else. The chemicals we use in our toilets impacts negatively on the sewage system. The plastic we throw away comes back to use in the water we drink (ironically in plastic water bottles!).</p>
<p>So the first thing I’d like to emphasise is that we need to think of our lives holistically and note that everything we do impacts on everything.</p>
<p>The “Butterfly Effect” is this idea that the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in Siberia can create a cyclone in the Mozambique channel.</p>
<p>But really it is the idea that small actions have major effects.</p>
<p>And here I’m talking about our positive actions (enough of this negativity). Sometimes the environmental crisis in which we are living feels overwhelming; and stops us from taking action.</p>
<p>But a lot of us doing small good things can have a more positive impact - literally “the butterfly effect”.
So this talk is about “6 Easy Things You Can Do Today”.</p>
<p>If we break down some of our behaviours there is a lot we can do. From thinking differently about how we clean, limiting our use of plastic, how we shop, how we manage and define waste, saving water and gardening itself.</p>
<p>Yes I did say we’d get to gardening in the end!</p>
<p><strong>#1: CLEANING</strong></p>
<p>Traditionally when we clean we kill everything. We’ve been brought up to think of ALL bacteria as a health hazard and those use toxic chemicals to eliminate them.</p>
<p>The problem is that these always come back (and the bad guys come back first). The second thing is that these chemicals are not healthy for us - remember that chlorine was the first chemical agent used in warfare!</p>
<p>So use a natural cleaner (there are lots available). These cleaners are bio- degradable and use beneficial microbes to break down dirt. The other benefit of these is that these microbes populate your home and out compete the bad guys - thus giving you an ongoing cleaning benefit.</p>
<p>Just be careful. Some of these products are not as environmentally friendly as they make out as they use Palm Oil.</p>
<p>The destruction of rain forests in Asia to plant oil palms is having a devastating impact on the environment and pushing orangutang and other animals to extinction.</p>
<p>The problem is that <a href="https://ensia.com/voices/palm-oil-is-everywhere-heres-what-to-do-about-it/">Palm Oil is everywhere</a> and is often disguised under some other name. Just check out this list of some of the ingredients which are not obviously Palm Oil.</p>
<p><strong>#2:  PLASTIC</strong></p>
<p>Plastic has been an environmental menace for decades. But only in the last few years has the problem reached public consciousness. Plastic waste is everywhere and is having a devastating impact on our oceans.</p>
<p>It’s really difficult to get away from plastic, but we can do a few good things:</p>
<ol>
<li>Stop using plastic straws. Just say “no”.</li>
<li>I never knew this, but our tea bags are sealed with a heat resistant plastic seal. Start using loose tea (like our mothers did!). Who know we might enjoy this ritual.</li>
<li>Use reusable containers. Cling wrap is a major issue - use Tupperware (it will last for years - if you can find the lid!).</li>
<li>Support fast food outlets that serve in paper and not polystyrene. Also tell them not to add plastic utensils into the bag - we have perfectly good metal forks or spoons at home.</li>
<li>Use glass or metal containers instead of plastic - coke in a can vs. a plastic bottle; or even soda stream.</li>
<li>Up-cycle old plastic containers into flower pots, vertical gardens, etc. Just make sure that they are used more than once and don’t immediately go to a landfill.</li>
</ol>
<p>Yes plastic is recyclable. But in reality the vast majority just ends up in a landfill.</p>
<p><strong>#3:  SHOPPING</strong></p>
<p>The how, where and when we shop has a major impact.</p>
<p>1   Shop local - and support local. This reduces food miles and supports local jobs and farmers.
2   Buy seasonally. There’s a reason why citrus is a winter fruit - the Vitamin C helps us fight off colds and flu in winter. And it means that we are not going to be buying, in Winter, an orange from Morocco or Spain in December.
3   Buy fresh food. Limit the use of canned food (I struggle with not buying canned tomatoes).
4   Remember to take your bags to the supermarket (I’m guilty of this!).
5   Buy organic. It has a major impact on your health and also reduces your consumption of chemicals (the herbicide glyphosate is found in the bread we eat).
6   Think about who deserves your hard earned money and support those chains or grocers. I absolutely hate the way Woolworths over packages (with plastic) its products.</p>
<p><strong>#4:  WASTE</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Reduce your waste first. Given our low recycling rates in South Africa, recycling is the last solution (not the first). But when we do have waste please make sure that it can be easily recycled.</li>
<li>Organics (food waste and garden waste) is recyclable (or compostable - so maybe it’s up-cyclable!.</li>
<li>Have a couple of chickens (not roosters if you are in the suburbs). They can process a lot of your food waste. And provide eggs!</li>
<li>They’re also very very funny.</li>
<li>Keep your recyclable waste clean so that the hard working waste pickers can find it easier to collect and also make more money (these people work incredibly hard and should be respected and appreciated.</li>
</ol>
<p>Bokashi composting is a great way to compost all your food waste. It uses beneficial microbes to fermented food waste so that it doesn’t rot or smell.</p>
<p>Our Earth Bokashi is made using indigenous South African microbes (like everything else, even our bacteria are “local ones”).</p>
<p><strong>#5:  WATER</strong></p>
<p>We live in a water scarce country. The problem with us Jo’burgers is that when it rains here we think the drought is over!</p>
<p>But it wasn’t that long ago that we were on the verge of hectic restrictions (and were saved by Cyclone Dineo coming in from Mozambique).</p>
<p>So we still need to be wary and conscious of our use of water in Jo’burg. If Cape Town gets it’s required rain it will take decades for them to go back to their old profligate ways.</p>
<p>Water saving is the “new normal”.</p>
<p>Easy things you can do:</p>
<ol>
<li>Put a basin in your shower to catch water. Us this for irrigation or to flush your toilet (it’s astounding that we use potable water to flush our faeces!).</li>
<li>Build a grey water harvesting system. This can be expensive, but Youtube (the best DIY learning channel on the planet) has great simple and easy to implement ideas (especially when it comes to diverting your laundry water).</li>
<li>Stop irrigating your grass! Our grass is green, healthy and incredible robust. What’s our secret:
<ul>
<li>We never irrigate. This causes grass roots to grow deeper and also helps percolate water into the water table.</li>
<li>Leave the grass clippings on the lawn, this is a natural fertiliser high in Nitrogen.</li>
<li>Let your grass go brown in Winter. This is it’s natural cycle - even grass needs a break.</li>
</ul></li>
</ol>
<p><strong>#6:  GARDENING</strong></p>
<p>So now we come to gardening. There are a great many easy things you can do to help the environment (in reality just being a gardener means that you are an environmental activist!).</p>
<ol>
<li>Compost all your organic waste. This is the best stuff for your garden. For small spaces we manufacturer a “composting bag”.</li>
<li>Think about your soil before you think about your plants. Soil is one of earth’s key resources - as important as air and water. Manage it’s biology by using organic fertilisers - this helps build the soil-food-web,</li>
<li>Choose the right seeds. I prefer heirloom open pollinated varieties. They are expensive but their own seeds are 100% viable - I’m still enjoying beans, chilli and lettuce from seeds I purchased years ago.</li>
</ol>
<p>Additionally, this is a rebellious act. We have less diversity in the fruit and veg that we buy than 50 years ago, So buying heirlooms not only helps us protect plant diversity it also ensures that the food system is not gong to be wholly controlled by companies like Monsanto.</p>
<ol>
<li>Keep bees. We need to help these important pollinators: over 1⁄3 of our food is pollinated by bees. Having a bee hive in one’s garden is a massive gift; all of our plants are happier and healthier, Flowers bloom for longer. Our fruit is healthier. Everything is just better.</li>
<li>Go endemic indigenous (South African plants from your own region). Doing this is more water wise. We protect our own plant diversity.</li>
<li>Stop using synthetic fertiliser. This kills our soil biome. Use organic fertiliser. These are slow release and earth friendly.</li>
<li>As mentioned stop irrigating your lawn. It’s autumn now. There’s soil gold waiting for you. Collect your leaves. Make leaf mould. Your spring garden will reward you.</li>
<li>Finally, encourage biodiversity in your garden. Be a little wilder and provide nesting and hiding places for birds, lizards, butterflies and other insects. This is important</li>
</ol>
<p><a href="https://earthprobiotic.co.za/resources/6-Easy-Things.pdf">YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE PDF OF THE TALK HERE.</a></p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=6-easy-things-you-can-do-to-help-the-environment</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=6-easy-things-you-can-do-to-help-the-environment</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Bazaruto composting &amp; biochar project]]></title>
<category>Organic waste</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <iframe width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DElMNWb8N9U" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://www.anantara.com/en/bazaruto-island">Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort</a> in Mozambique have installed Earth Probiotic’s Earth Cycler food waste composter and an Earth Kiln biochar retort. </p>
<p>All food waste will be composted and fed back to soil.  The biochar retort will process palm tree waste into biochar.  The palm tree waste is currently a fire hazard and, due to its fibrous nature, extremely difficult to compost directly.</p>
<p>Making biochar in a retort system is a carbon negative process.  Volatile gases re-burn to heat the retort.  Biochar is a means of capturing and storing carbon in the soil (where it can lasts for decades if not centuries). In soil, biochar acts as a sponge to hold nutrients, microbes and water.</p>
<p>You can find out more about biochar at the <a href="http://www.biochar-international.org">International Biochar Initiative</a>.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=bazaruto-composting-biochar-project</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=bazaruto-composting-biochar-project</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Big companies can change the world, if only they would!]]></title>
<category>Recycling</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://www.greenbiz.com/sites/default/files/styles/gbz_article_primary_breakpoints_kalapicture_screen-md_1x/public/images/articles/featured/loop-group-shot.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>We were sitting with one of our partners the other day.  It was pleasant out, the beer was cold and Spring was in the air.</p>
<p>With tough times ahead (and in the past) we started talking about some of our clients.  Big corporate brands.  Established.  Publicly listed.  Thousands of employees.</p>
<p>And got to wondering, what if they could use their massive purchasing power to do make a real positive difference?</p>
<p>Now we’re not talking about them changing their businesses (although that could be nice); it’s really about how the scale of their purchasing decisions can shift markets.</p>
<p>A great example of this power is Walmart.  <a href="https://www.greenerpackage.com/walmart_scorecard">Walmart has driven significant changes in packaging through their Walmart Scorecard which measures the environmental impact of a suppliers, and their own label, packaging</a>.  And because of their scale these initiatives have driven significant impacts in reducing waste, transportation volumes and even wastage.</p>
<p>Walmart is able to drive significant change because it is so bloody big.  P&amp;G and Unilever and Mars and Nestle and Quaker will listen.  And do!</p>
<p>While the anti-plastic consumer movement is having a massive contribution, this drive to reducing waste <a href="https://loopstore.com">has lead to major FMCG brands coming together to start Loop</a>.</p>
<p>Loop is a circular shopping platform that transforms the packaging of your everyday essentials from single-use disposable to durable, feature-packed designs.  Founding partners include Proctor &amp; Gamble and Unilever.</p>
<p>So what could big South African businesses (and Government) do to make a real sustainable difference (without sacrificing anything)?</p>
<p>How about only buying environmentally friendly cleaning products which utilise local ingredients from a local company.  Why spend all your hard earned cash buying unsustainable products from a multi-national?  All that happens is a chunk of money earned locally is repatriated overseas (while the chemicals undermine our health).</p>
<p>Just imagine if Standard Bank or FNB or Nedbank had to clean their branches and offices with locally produced environmentally friendly products utilising local ingredients?  How would that change the economics and profitability of a few of these small South African companies making great, superior, environmentally friendly cleaning products.  Imagine what that would do to the effluent treatment plants, our badly degraded river system and even the air quality of the places where we work?</p>
<p>The point is that through their purchasing power, major companies have the power to make a significant contribution to the environment and innovative small business.</p>
<p>It is time they did.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=big-companies-can-change-the-world-if-only-they-would</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=big-companies-can-change-the-world-if-only-they-would</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Compost Magic!]]></title>
<category>Compost</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1492114011589-509c6e695d8e?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDI1fHxjb21wb3N0fGVufDB8fHx8MTYzOTQ5NTIwMw&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p>If you are reading this you probably already love compost.  And you know that compost is much more than that lovely stuff you make at home and feed to your soil.  We thought we would really delve into the benefits of compost for our soil, our climate and our plants.</p>
<p>Please share this with your non-composting friends (maybe they will finally get your passion!).</p>
<ul>
<li>Composting results in less organic waste finding its way to the landfill thereby reducing the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions that might have occurred as a result of the collection and transportation of the organic waste from its point of generation to the landfill and the rotting of that waste in the landfill. For each tonne of food waste composted, 232kg CO2e of emissions are saved vs. landfilling. Composting also reduces waste disposal costs for municipalities and extends landfill life as food waste can occupy up 1.5m3 for every tonne of food waste.</li>
<li>Adding compost to soil increases its Soil Organic Matter (SOM) content.  This helps improve soil stability by as much as 29% to 63%. SOM is crucial for improving the water holding capacity of soil. Adding compost to clay soils improves their water absorbing capacity as it opens up air pockets.  Similarly for sandy soil, adding compost reduces drainage rates and improves its water holding capacity by as much as 50%.</li>
<li>Compost can result in significant water saving in irrigated lands. Australian research showed that adding 50 tonnes of compost on 1 hectare (or 5kg per 1m2) of agriculture land saved 200,000 litres of irrigation water per hectare per year.</li>
<li>Compost should be seen as a key climate change mitigation strategy.  Adding organic matter (compost) to soil removes carbon from our atmosphere. Ryals and Silver showed that applying 76m3 of compost on 1 hectare of California rangelands removed carbon from the atmosphere and stored it into the soil at a rate of 1 tonne per hectare per year over three years.</li>
<li>Not only does healthier composted soil help retain water and absorb carbon, compost also stays in the soil for a long time thus having a triple benefit.  Over half of compost’s carbon will stay in the soil for over a year; and up to 16% for 100 years.</li>
<li>Compost helps reduce the use of inorganic fertilisers in agriculture as nutrients for example nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous required for plant growth are also available in compost. Compost holds and slowly release nutrients thereby retaining nutrients for plant uptake and reducing the washing down of nutrients beyond the root zone as water soaks down into the soil.</li>
<li>Compost helps build the soil-food-web by increasing the different types of microbes in the soil as well as their numbers.  Fertile soil contains  up to 26 million beneficial bacteria.  Adding compost to the soil will increase the population of beneficial bacteria and by up to 16 times – as these bacteria are key in making nutrients available to plants this is a real boost to the vitality of your plants.</li>
<li>Compost can even be used to treat soil contaminated by petroleum hydrocarbons (e.g. gasoline, diesel and oil), pesticides and herbicides.  A 70% input of compost to contaminated soil has been proven to eliminate all toxins. This is a lot cheaper than removing all the contaminated soil and moving it to a hazardous waste landfill site.</li>
<li>Compost makes our plants healthier.  It reduces the occurrence of pathogenic diseases and thus can radically reduce the use of fungicides and bactericides in agriculture and landscaping. Application in turf grass has shown that compost suppresses pathogens that lead to damping-off, snow mould, fusarium and brown patch.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>References &amp; Further Reading</strong>
1   Chen, S., (2015). Evaluation of compost topdressing, compost tea and cultivation on tall fescue quality, soil physical properties and soil microbial activity. University of Maryland, College Park.
2   Andersen, J.K., Boldrin, A., Christensen, T.H, Scheutz, C., (2012). Home composting as alternative treatment option for organic household waste in Denmark: an environmental assessment using life cycle assessment-modelling. Waste Manag. 32, 31-40
3   DEFRA/DCC, (2016). 2016 UK Government GHG Conversion Factors for Company Reporting. Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). UK
4   Martínez-Blanco, J., Lazcano, C., Christensen, T.H., Muñoz, P., Rieradevall, J., Møller, J., Antón, A., Boldrin, A., (2013). Compost benefits for agriculture evaluated by life    cycle assessment. A review. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 33,721-732
5   Recycled Organic Unit (2006). Life cycle inventory and life cycle Assessment for windrow composting systems, Recycled Organics Unit, University of New South Wales. Department of Environment and Conservation, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
6   Giusquiani, P.L., Pagliai, M., Gigliotti, G., Businelli, D., Benetti, A., (1995). Urban waste compost: effects on physical, chemical and biochemical soil properties. J. Environ. Qual. 24, 175–182.
7   Ryals, R. and Silver, W, L., (2013). Effects of organic matter amendments on net primary productivity and greenhouse gas emissions in annual; grasslands. Ecological Applications. 23, 46-59
8   CARB, (2011). Methods for estimating Greenhouse Gas Emission reductions from compost from commercial organic waste. Planning and Technical Support Division, California Air Resources Board.
9   EPA, (1998). An analysis of composting as an Environmental remediation technology. United States Environmental Protection Agency.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=compost-magic</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=compost-magic</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Composting is easy. Just start!]]></title>
<category>Compost</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1545333212-ffebc7933c12?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDI0fHxjb21wb3N0fGVufDB8fHx8MTYzOTQ5NTIwMw&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p>Take a deep breath.  Relax.  Breathe evenly.  And say out loud:  “compost happens”.</p>
<p>There.</p>
<p>Don’t you feel better?  </p>
<p>Making your own compost is one of the easiest, fun and beneficial things you can do for your garden.</p>
<p>Compost is a natural process where micro and macro organisms break down organic matter and  and make it available as food for plants.  Nature does this all the time; what do you think happens to the leaves in a forest after autumn?  They go back to the soil and feed the tree in the Spring (basically a natural food larder).</p>
<p>So relax.</p>
<p>First, why make compost?  When you trash your garden and food waste you are throwing away nutrients.  Your plants pulled key nutrients from the soil in order to grow.  By dumping your organic waste you are, over time, reducing the health of your soil and thus your garden.  It is also silly to throw away your garden nutrients and then buy it back from someone (or worse add synthetic short-term fertiliser).</p>
<p>Additionally, when your garden waste is dumped into a landfill it rots and emits dangerous Greenhouse gases while leaching pathogens into the water system.  Not good!</p>
<p>So here are some tips on making great non-smelly, crumbly, and full of all the good stuff compost.</p>
<p>(Trust me, once you start <a href="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/Alloy_Blog/?id=the-magical-addictive-being-of-composting">you’ll become that weird compost person who is more proud of the dark crumbly stuff than glorious tomatoes</a>).</p>
<p>Compost requires a balance between carbon and nitrogen rich material.  Carbon is woody stuff (or browns).  Nitrogen is leafy stuff (or greens).  Ideally you should have 2 to 3 times more brown stuff than green stuff.</p>
<p>If you have too much brown your compost will be very slow to breakdown as you won’t get much heat.  If you have too much green then you’ll have a smelly slimy heap.</p>
<p>(Either way, both will eventually turn back to soil).</p>
<p>The challenge is that in Summer we have huge amounts of green grass.  And in Winter an oversupply of brown leaves.  We find dealing with an over abundance of brown material easier than dealing with too much green.  That’s because we’re not in a rush and would rather avoid the ammonia (NH3) smells from having too much nitrogen.  Also, the brown stuff is easy to store until it is needed (or can also be used, in Autumn, make leaf mould).</p>
<p>If your'e short of browns in the Summer you can simply use cardboard as a brown for your compost (it is after all made from wood).  Serviettes, newspaper (not the shiny stuff), paper rolls, cardboard boxes (we always ask the grocer to add our veggies into a cardboard box for precisely this reason) can all be used.  Just tear up these inputs into small pieces and add them into your compost with your lawn clippings.</p>
<p>(The smaller the pieces in your compost the faster they’ll break down - if you have the cash, get a chipper/shredder).</p>
<p>Ok.  So how do you start?</p>
<ol>
<li>Identify a space in your garden for your compost heap.  Semi-shade is best.  Full sun is better than total shade. </li>
<li>If you’re going to add kitchen scraps to your heap, then locate it close to your kitchen.  You don’t want to, gradually, neglect it because it is inconvenient.  In the end we, like water, find the easiest path to get things done (or not done).  It's important to keep the passion going.</li>
<li>Decide on your ‘method’.  Are you going to add your organic waste to a closed compost bin, just leave it in a pile, use a tumbler, <a href="https://www.bokashishop.co.za/earth-bokashi-food-waste-composting/make-your-compost-in-a-bag">buy a composting bag</a>, or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW_DVNUt7ms">build a three bin system using pallets</a>?   This decision will revolve around your composting strategy:  passive or active.  Passive is just leaving a well built pile to do its thing.  Active is turning the heap and making compost quicker.</li>
<li>Build your initial pile in layers. Just as if <a href="https://www.offthegridnews.com/food/lasagna-composting-the-lazy-gardeners-secret-to-great-soil/">you’re making a lasagne</a> or even a trifle (but don’t add brandy).  The bottom layer should consist of twigs and sticks; these are to provide airflow up and through the compost.  Then layer alternating layers of green or brown material with the last top layer being brown.  Between layers you can also add natural activators such as soil, old compost, animal manures.  Water generously between layers.</li>
<li>If you’re doing an open heap, build this to a height of around 1-1.5m.  Any higher and it will be difficult to manage.  Any smaller and you don’t get a critical mass to generate good heat.</li>
<li>Keep your heap moist - think of a wrung out sponge.  Too wet and it will go anaerobic and smelly.  Too dry and it will be slow to breakdown.</li>
</ol>
<p>(We prefer to build or place our bin on top of soil.  This way soil microbes and other critters can come up from the soil into the heap and help with the composting process - your heap should have a diverse range of critters hanging in there.  Also, any leachate will be absorbed by the soil and build soil health.  We are not compost pit diggers - we've never understood how to manage a compost pit).</p>
<ol start="7">
<li>
<p>After about two to three weeks turn your heap.  This mixes the brown and green together and also re-oxygenates the contents.  If you have a three bin system, simply turn the material from your first bin into the second, middle, bin.   You should notice that the heap is hot.  It should not be too dry - add water if it is.  And it should have started to turn brown and crumbly.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Repeat the process.  Big bits can go back into the first bin to form the bottom layer.  The remaining matter can be left to cool down. Your compost is ready when it no longer its cool, dark and crumbly, and smells of Earth (or a forest).</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>The whole process should take 12 to 16 weeks.  Longer if you don’t turn so much.  But hey, “what’s the rush?”.</p>
<p>That’s about it.  So what about some do’s and don’ts.</p>
<p>Do add organic paper and cardboard, dog hairs, old cotton briefs or jeans, even stuff from your vacuum cleaner or lint from your dryer (organic only).  You’ll be surprised at the vast amount of stuff you can compost.  </p>
<p>Don’t add animal faeces to the bin especially if you’re going to use this compost in your vegetable garden. Dog and cat faeces can spread parasites into your food system including <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/toxoplasmosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20356249">toxoplasmosis</a> (or Mad Cat Disease).</p>
<p>Don’t add meat, cooked food, dairy.  Unless you’ve passed this material through a bokashi composting system first.</p>
<p>You can also feed your compost to an earthworm farm.  This is a great solution for people who live in a small space.  Unless you’ve used a bokashi system for all your food waste, you should be careful of adding cooked and acidic food to your worm bin - basically, earthworms love fresh green peels from fruit (not citrus), salad greens and other fresh food.</p>
<p>That’s about it!  Key is just to start.  Keep the balance right.  And don’t rush.</p>
<p>When in doubt, remember “compost happens”.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=composting-is-easy-just-start</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=composting-is-easy-just-start</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Earth Probiotic Podcast]]></title>
<category>Podcast</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <iframe src='https://www.podbean.com/media/player/xn3wj-a4941e?from=yiiadmin&download=1&version=1' data-link='https://www.podbean.com/media/player/xn3wj-a4941e?from=yiiadmin&download=1&version=1' height='122' width='100%' frameborder='0' scrolling='no' data-name='pb-iframe-player' ></iframe>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=earth-probiotic-podcast</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=earth-probiotic-podcast</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Earth Probiotic Podcast]]></title>
<category>Podcast</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <iframe src='https://www.podbean.com/media/player/dvaxt-a49408?from=yiiadmin&download=1&version=1' data-link='https://www.podbean.com/media/player/dvaxt-a49408?from=yiiadmin&download=1&version=1' height='122' width='100%' frameborder='0' scrolling='no' data-name='pb-iframe-player' ></iframe>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=earth-probiotic-podcast-bokashi</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=earth-probiotic-podcast-bokashi</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Everything we do impacts everything]]></title>
<category>Environment</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://southcoastherald.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2016/04/57450-limpopo-river-5.jpg" alt="" />
(Image:  <a href="https://southcoastherald.co.za/138653/from-my-hide-a-river-of-gold/">https://southcoastherald.co.za/138653/from-my-hide-a-river-of-gold/</a>)</p>
<p>Everything impacts everything; yet we tend to act as if our actions have isolated effects. For example, washing with anti-bacterial detergents isn’t mentally connected to a dysfunctional biological sewer system as they're seen as separate and unrelated systems.</p>
<p>In general we compartmentalise our actions in discrete unrelated pods.  The way we manage our waste is seen as totally distinct from the water we drink.</p>
<p>But we are now seeing that this type of thinking is flawed and has massive negative consequences.  When the major skin care brands introduced micro plastic beads as ex foliating agents in their formulations they didn’t (at least we hope they didn’t) think about what would happen to these beads when they went into the water system.</p>
<p><img src="https://environmentmassachusetts.org/sites/environment/files/styles/large/public/Microbeads3cartoon.jpg?itok=nTU2r4SB" alt="" /></p>
<p>Today we know that those micro-beads have contaminated the food system and have even been found in filtered treated water!</p>
<p>Another example, the use of pesticides in agriculture is devastating bird populations in France.</p>
<p>For some of us, this is obvious: simply not having cats in your house leads to a boost in bird and lizard populations (cat lovers, this is a truth and we really do like other people’s cats).</p>
<p><img src="https://images.pexels.com/photos/93689/pexels-photo-93689.jpeg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Johannesburg (the “Witwatersrand”) is, via the Crocodile River, a watershed for the Limpopo River.  As we chuck and pollute our streams up here, animals and people down there suffer the consequences.  Imagine the impact if more of us polluted less, used less and threw away less. </p>
<p>This ‘rant’ is not about shouting at people, institutions or even governments.  It’s really about trying to encourage a “think before do” approach to our actions.  To really think about what we buy and how we behave impacts on everything around us (and life downstream from where we live).</p>
<p>It's really about thinking about the whole system (and not just that little space which we occupy).  Having 'empathy' for the whole system in which we live.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=everything-we-do-impacts-everything</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=everything-we-do-impacts-everything</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[How to build a smokeless fire]]></title>
<category>Environment</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <iframe width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iSJZVX37oCw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Wood fires are great.  But they can be smoky.  Here’s a simple trick to reducing smoke and increase heat - how efficient is that!</p>
<p>With the winter chill setting in many of us will be burning wood.</p>
<p>We've discussed what to do with your wood ash previously.  This time we want to talk about how to reduce the polluting smoke that's often a byproduct of us wishing to keep warm.</p>
<p>The bad news, <a href="https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/documents/91br023.pdf" target="_blank">wood smoke is harmful</a>.  It contains particulates which damage the lungs as well as poisons which are also harmful.  In developing countries children's health is put at risk by open cooking fires - hence the drive to <a href="https://www.ashden.org/wood-stoves">more efficient reduced smoke cookers</a>.</p>
<p>But there is a simple way to reduce smoke emissions from our fires - whether your heater is open or closed.</p>
<p>First some basic science.  When wood is heated it releases gases.  First to be released is steam.  Then flammable gases which are visible to us as smoke.  So we need to think of a piece of wood as a &quot;gas canister&quot;.</p>
<p>Traditionally we make a fire and light it from the bottom.  We start with the smaller pieces and then these light the larger pieces at the top of the fire.</p>
<p>So what's the problem?  Well, quite simply as the heat from the bottom of the fire heats the top pieces these release gases into the surroundings as smoke.</p>
<p>An alternative is the <a href="http://www.bioenergylists.org/files/Construction%20Plans%202009-03-11.pdf">Top Lit Up Draft (TLUD)</a> method.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.survivorninja.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/453/2015/01/Upside_Down_Fire.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>Here we basically reverse the fire - an upside down fire - and reduce smoke.</p>
<iframe width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YaGsLfkOAl8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>So how does this work.  In essence as the heat from the top flame heats bottom layers these release gases (smoke).  But now the smoke is ignited as it passes through the flame above.</p>
<p>Voila.  Less smoke.  Less pollution.  And a more efficient process with more heat (as more energy).</p>
<p><a href="https://calore.co.za/upside-down-fire/">Calore</a>, the fireplace company, have produced a great guide on how to do this.</p>
<p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/Upside_Down_Fire.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>So when you're thinking about lighting a fire.  Reverse everything you've learnt.  And turn it upside down.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=how-to-build-a-smokeless-fire</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=how-to-build-a-smokeless-fire</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[How to improve the health of your soil]]></title>
<category>Soil Food Web</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MEDIA/stelprdb1049241.gif" alt="" /></p>
<blockquote>
<p>Soil works for you if you work for the soil by using management practices that improve soil health and increase productivity and profitability immediately and into the future. A fully functioning soil produces the maximum amount of products at the least cost. Maximizing soil health is essential to maximizing profitability. <a href="https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/soils/health/mgnt/">Soil will not work for you if you abuse it.</a></p>
</blockquote>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=how-to-improve-the-health-of-your-soil</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=how-to-improve-the-health-of-your-soil</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Managing food waste in the wilderness]]></title>
<category>Food waste</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <iframe width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P26E2NY4tUc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>There is nothing quite like a sojourn in the African bush. One day in the bush is worth 10 on the beach! But whilst out enjoying these wonders how do campers, caravaners, and self-caters administer the challenges presented with managing their food waste? It's a fact that food waste provides a scavenging opportunity thereby attracting wildlife which becomes a nuisance. And, unfortunately, that's not all as it also creates a dependency relationship between humans and wildlife.</p>
<p>On-site composting is absolutely key for any game lodge, camper, hiker, caravaner or self-caterer. </p>
<p>Not looking after this waste stream can be a disaster as was so well illustrated in A Primates Memoir by Robert Sapolsky by Robert Sapolsky. In his book, Sapolsky describes how the baboons he is studying start dying from TB after eating contaminated meat from the waste dump. </p>
<p><img src="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/bookmallza/app/public/spree/products/2617261/product/9780743202411.jpg?1622844277" alt="" /></p>
<p>Keeping waste in the open and in a waste area is not really an option. It will attract scavengers and no one wants to tangle with a 50kg spotted hyena. We have heard of these amazing animals sauntering into camp kitchens, grabbing a waste bin and then walking out with it firmly clamped in its jaws.</p>
<p>Campers on the other hand either burn, bury or lug their food waste back home (the latter being a tedious task). Burying or burning your food waste also presents its own problems. We are simply moving the problem elsewhere. As burning never completely eliminates food waste, it also creates a foul-smelling environment. And then, of course, buried food waste can be dug up by animals.</p>
<p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1528607929212-2636ec44253e?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDEzfHxjYW1wJTIwZm9vZHxlbnwwfHx8fDE2Mzk1NzMyOTU&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p>Bokashi is a fantastic option as the process is to layer food waste in sealed bins. The microbes stop it from rotting and smelling. And, as it does not rot, the waste can be stored and then transported to a compost site outside of the reserve. Composting on-site requires a different strategy. Bokashi fermented food waste can be trenched, fed to composting earthworms, or mixed with other organic waste to make compost. In either case, an area needs to be secured behind a mesh fence which also needs to be secured 1m below ground to stop the diggers. While bokashi fermented food waste doesn't smell and won't attract scavengers it is better to be safe.</p>
<p><img src="https://www.bokashishop.co.za/image/cache/catalog/2020_Products/25L_Bokashi_Kit-500x500.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>When visiting a biosphere we should endeavour to leave it as unsullied as possible. Camping is all about space and when embarking on your trip, the bokashi bin can be used to store your food. On location, collect all food waste (everything can go in including all cooked and uncooked meat, bones, dairy, onions, etc.) in a plastic bag and at the end of the day add this to the bokashi bin, layer with bokashi and seal. Do this daily until your trip is over and then take the bin back home with you. The container is simply filled with what was in it when you started off – food (albeit decomposing, but at no additional weight). Once home it can either be added to a compost heap or dug into a hole under the drip line of a fruit tree – it will feed that tree with high-value nutrients. You can also feed this food waste to composting earthworms.</p>
<p>Food waste has nutrients that we can feed to soil. So when dumping or disposing of food waste we are not only creating an environmental hazard, but we are also wasting nutrients which could go back to enriching our soil. </p>
<p>Composting in the bush can be a lot more interesting than composting in Sandton. Lodges can use composting machines which can be located outside and be adapted for solar power. A machine can process up to 5,000kg of food waste per month. </p>
<p>The advantage of in-vessel composting is that it is a closed process and, therefore, resilient to scavenging activity (but probably not elephants). Processing rates can be controlled. And as it is off the ground, the risk of contaminating soil is eliminated. Best for the soil, for the animals and for the camp where it is located.</p>
<p>Additionally, these machines will process garden/landscape waste, wood ash (remember the bona), cardboard and egg trays. So not only will a camp reduce its food waste risks it will also be able to process additional waste generated by guests and staff. Processed compost can then be used in the camp landscape or even used to start a vegetable garden (again this will have to be located behind the fencing in the camp and so reduce it being grazed by kudu, zebra, warthog or even hippo). Ultimately, though, forging a solid wet waste management process is a key responsibility for operators in eco-sensitive areas. Rotting food waste is bad for everyone - guests, animals, and staff.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=managing-food-waste-in-the-wilderness</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=managing-food-waste-in-the-wilderness</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[National &quot;Honey Bee Day&quot;]]></title>
<category>Bee</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1555692663-9b5ce5184753?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDE5fHxob25leSUyMGJlZXxlbnwwfHx8fDE2Mzk1NDY1ODc&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p>A bee colony is a highly organised society and behaves with such intricate co-operation and selflessness. Bees literally live for the hive, its occupants and wellbeing. It is no wonder beehive colonies are referred to as a <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-642-84666-3_1">superorganism</a>.</p>
<p>How you can help:</p>
<ul>
<li>Consider setting up beehives at home or at the office.</li>
<li>Support local beekeepers by purchasing locally produced honey and other beehive products. Honey is the best sweetener you can buy.</li>
<li>Choose non poisonous chemical treatments for your garden and home as these are deadly to honey bees as well as other beneficial insects.</li>
<li>Plant a bee friendly garden with native and nectar producing flowers.</li>
<li>Many flowering weeds produce food for bees so leave them be and remove them just before they set seed.</li>
<li>Provide a water source such as a shallow basin with pebbles or sponges.</li>
</ul>
<p>Bee facts:</p>
<ul>
<li>Bees are the only insects that produce food eaten by man.</li>
<li>Honey is the only food that includes all the substances necessary to sustain life, including enzymes, vitamins, minerals and water.</li>
<li>The average worker bee produces about 1/12th teaspoon of honey in her lifetime.</li>
<li>A hive of bees will fly about 120,000km which is the equivalent of three orbits around the earth to collect a mere 1kg of honey.</li>
<li>The honey bee's wings stroke about 200 beats per second making their famous, distinctive buzz.</li>
<li>A honeybee can fly for up to 10km and as fast as 25km per hour.</li>
<li>A strong hive can number between 40,000 - 60,000 bees and is made up of worker bees, drones and one queen bee.</li>
<li>Worker bees are all females and performs a multitude of tasks including tending to the queen, feeding larvae and drones, nectar ripening, producing heat, collecting water, house cleaning, guard duty, collection of pollen and nectar, to list a few.</li>
<li>Drones are male bees and have only one job, which is mating with queen bees. If the workers bees stop feeding the drones, they would die.</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
<p>&quot;Unique among all God's creatures, only the honeybee improves the environment and preys not on any other species.&quot;  ~ Royden Brown</p>
</blockquote>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=national-honey-bee-day</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=national-honey-bee-day</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[On-site food waste composting machines]]></title>
<category>On-site composting</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <iframe width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qkGeMOYMoN8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Since 2010 we've been ramping up our solutions to recycling food waste.  In 2010 we started selling bokashi buckets.  Today we manufacturer a variety of composting machines which can scale to industrial scale food waste volumes.</p>
<p>All are developed and manufactured in South Africa.</p>
<p>The Earth Cycler has taken three years to bring to market.  Our objectives in developing this machine were:</p>
<ul>
<li>Make it robust - we want this machine to live everywhere and anywhere.</li>
<li>Make it simple - with basic training anyone should be able to operate an Earth Cycler.</li>
<li>Make it small - well not quite, but it needs to fit into, at most, a car parking space.</li>
<li>Make it efficient - minimise power requirements (no added heat or air which are energy guzzlers).</li>
<li>Make it easy to service.</li>
</ul>
<p>And of course, ensure that it just works.</p>
<p>Our first unit was installed in Zambia and we have another nearing completion to go to Mozambique.</p>
<p>The Earth Cycler measures inputs and outputs so that (a) food waste volumes can be measured and therefore reduced, (b) waste inputs measurement enable compliance with C:N composting ratios, c) these weights enable us to calculate emissions savings.</p>
<p>All food waste from the kitchen is processed (including fish, bones, dairy, cooked food, egg shells and cartons) as well as manures, garden waste and waste paper/board.</p>
<p>The Earth Cycler consumes a maximum of 30kWh/month and is thus suitable for energy constrained environments.  This low power utilisation also means that it can be connected to off-grid energy systems through an inverter.</p>
<p>In remote bush locations food waste is a major environmental issue.  Food waste attracts animal scavengers which are a potential safety hazard for guests.  But moreover, rotting contaminated food waste can pollute water sources as well as threaten wildlife health.</p>
<p>The Earth Cycler is a cost effective easy to use composting system for any, and all, entities looking to manage food waste in an environmentally responsible manner.</p>
<p>The Earth Cycler on-site food waste management solution has multiple advantages:</p>
<ul>
<li>Eliminate the carbon footprint associated with moving waste to a landfill site (or centralised processing facility).</li>
<li>Manage what you measure - the ultimate goal is to reduce food waste.  By measuring inputs the Earth Cycler provides an insight into food waste volumes.  We have measured a reduction of 4% in food waste volumes through measurement awareness.</li>
<li>Take control of your food waste and eliminate risk.  The on-site solution ensures that no 3rd party issues impact on your putrescible waste problem.</li>
<li>Manage costs.  Food waste can represent up to 60% of your general waste volume.  Composting this on-site eliminates this cost and high waste inflation risks.</li>
</ul>
<p>For additional information on this food waste composting solution <a href="mailto:info@earthprobiotic.com">please email us</a>.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=on-site-food-waste-composting-machines</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=on-site-food-waste-composting-machines</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[The business case for reducing food waste]]></title>
<category>Food waste</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://i0.wp.com/www.onegreenplanet.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Food-Waste.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p><strong>Food waste and wastage reduction is an environmental good. It helps saves water, arable land, and greenhouse gas emissions.  And it will also save you money! </strong></p>
<p>We often come across people who say “I don’t have any food waste”.  We don’t argue, but secretly think:  “what about the onion skins, off-colour potatoes, badly cooked pasta or even that brown banana (if they don’t bake)”.  We do, however, like their indignation around the idea of wasting food!</p>
<p>Everyone has food waste.  If you prepare your own meals, it’s impossible not to have some waste.  Food needs to be chopped, peeled, sliced and diced; and with that comes peelings, toppings and skins.</p>
<p>For businesses the challenge of reducing food waste is environmental and financial.  The environmental aspect of sending food waste to a dump are well recorded:  methane emissions, water pollution, flies, rats, toxins.</p>
<p>But the financial aspect is less focussed upon.  Food waste costs a lot of money.  It’s expensive to store, move, transport, clean and, especially, dump.</p>
<p>While Earth Probiotic provides food waste composting solutions we are happiest when our clients are actually reducing waste and not simply piling more and more into our composting machines.</p>
<p>Recycling, or composting, is the step before landfill and not and end in itself.</p>
<p>Reducing food waste is priority No.1.</p>
<p>Titled &quot;<a href="https://champions123.org/publication/business-case-reducing-food-loss-and-waste">The Business Case for Reducing Food Loss and Waste</a>&quot;, Champions 12.3 outline the ROI from food waste reduction strategies.  The main highlight from the report which is available here is:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Food waste reduction makes business sense for everyone - median saving was 14:1 - so for every R1.00 invested in a food waste and wastage strategy, R14.00 was returned (just change “R” to $ or your own currency).</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Where do these savings come from?  For producers its really around the simple idea that the less you waste the more you can make to sell.  For retailers, the less you waste the more you can sell (or the less you need to buy).  For caterers and restaurants this is combination of wasting less to make more but also repurposing food in different meals (which again, is wasting less and feeding more).  For households, where savings are the most significant, its really about a clear financial saving - spending less because you have more (or have wasted less).</p>
<p>Essentially less is more.</p>
<p>For councils or governments the savings from reducing food waste and wastage really accrue around the reduction in landfilling (and landfill space) costs.</p>
<p>But we should also not be ignorant in not adding the environmental benefits of reducing food waste and wastage:</p>
<p>Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Reduction in water usage in agriculture - for example, farmers wastage at the farm is really about wasted water resources as well as financial losses (cost of inputs and farmer income).</p>
<p>As well as the organisation benefits of no rotting waste in the waste area, no compactor leachate eating your concrete slab, and, as always, getting rid of flies, rats and roaches.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=the-business-case-for-reducing-food-waste</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=the-business-case-for-reducing-food-waste</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[What is &quot;biochar&quot; &amp; why is it important?]]></title>
<category>Biochar</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1534259434801-e3d2427ae102?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDN8fGNoYXJjb2FsfGVufDB8fHx8MTYzOTU1NDYyNw&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p>Biochar is a climate positive solution to waste biomass.  Biochar is a way of holding carbon in the soil where it (a) provides structure to sandy and clay soil, (b) holds water, c) provides a home for nutrients and beneficial microbes.</p>
<p>BioChar is, in essence, charcoal with the difference being that it can be made from any and all organic residues.</p>
<p>The impetus behind biochar really came from the richness of Amazonian soils called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_preta">terra pretta</a>.  It was found the the unusual richness of this soil, vs. traditionally infertile Amazonian soils, came from pre-Colombian residents living in the period 450BCE - 950CE adding charcoal and other organic materials to the soil.</p>
<p>What are the soil benefits of BioChar? In soil, biochar, holds carbon in the soil while also increasing soil fertility. Soil fertility is enhanced as the addition of biochar stimulates the growth and activity of beneficial micro-organisms in the soil.</p>
<p>BioChar also reduces the pH of soil and thus decreases the need to manage soil acidity through the addition of pH lowering chemicals such as agricultural lime.</p>
<p>BioChar takes a long time to breakdown and thus has a very long lasting beneficial soil impact - vs. fertiliser.</p>
<p>How is it made? BioChar is produced by reductive carbonisation; essentially baking the organic matter under conditions of reduced oxygenisation while allowing volatile gases to escape and be re-burnt.</p>
<p>The result is a hard &quot;glass-like&quot; charcoal.</p>
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<p>How can biochar be applied? </p>
<p>BioChar can be added directly to soil or to compost (where it helps with nutrient retention).</p>
<p>What are the environmental benefits of biochar? </p>
<ul>
<li>Making biochar reduces the CO2e emissions from the decomposition of organic matter (especially methane).  Biochar is essentially a carbon negative technology with some people stating that it sequesters 3 x more carbon than would have been the case if material was left to decompose naturally.</li>
<li>When added to soil biochar improves soil’s ability to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while reducing nitrous oxide soil emissions.</li>
<li>Biochar reduces the need for fertiliser and thus assists in reducing synthetic petroleum based emissions.</li>
<li>Adding biochar to soil improves its ability to hold water and nutrients.</li>
</ul>
<p>There is a vast amount of research on biochar.  And the most wonderful thing?  You can easily make it yourself using a TLUD kiln!  We are doing this with our Palm fronds (which otherwise are difficult to compost as they don't shred easily).</p>
<p>We have manufactured large scale kilns which is generating wonderful impact on Bazaruto Island (biochar helps with sandy and clay soil - but won't make that much difference to soil which is already organically rich).</p>
<iframe width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DElMNWb8N9U" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=what-is-biochar-why-is-it-important</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=what-is-biochar-why-is-it-important</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Winter is the time for plants to rest]]></title>
<category>Gardening tips</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z72LIYHxeHc/UhjveA079SI/AAAAAAAAArw/yv6Z1gVaT0I/s1600/IMG_3401.jpg" alt="" />
Image Reference:  <a href="url"><a href="http://holocene-views.blogspot.com/2013/08/">http://holocene-views.blogspot.com/2013/08/</a></a></p>
<p>Oh the Jo'burg winter.  When it's 26 degrees in the sun and 10 degrees, one meter away, in the shade.  It's a time to chill.  A time to sleep.  And let our summer loving plants take a break.</p>
<p>Long nights.  Short days.  Time to hibernate.  If only.  Unfortunately down here in South Africa our time doesn’t change and works still starts at 8.00am.  But oh, how nice it would be to snuggle under that duvet for a little longer;  just an extra 5 or 10 (15 minutes would be perfect).</p>
<p>Yes it’s that time again.  Time to be lazy.  But in a good way.</p>
<p>We can never understand the gardeners who don’t understand that Winter is a time to let things rest. Yes.  Collect those leaves.  Trim those trees.  Maybe tidy up a bit.</p>
<p>But stop mowing and watering that lawn!</p>
<p>Jo’burg winter’s are dry.  Our landscape reflects that.  Gone are the great green views.  Quickly replaced by brown.</p>
<p>But isn’t this the pleasure of winter.  Of seasons.  Everything has a time to rest.  Our plants included.  This is part of the natural cycle.  Where, like frogs, our perennials should be left to sleep.</p>
<p>If you’re not a conifer then you shouldn’t be green.</p>
<p>Many summer visitors to our home comment on the green lushness of our grass.  They look for tips as if we have some hidden secret.  Well we do, sort of.  We never water our lawn.  Ever.  And in Winter we let it go dormant.  So that it can awake with renewed vigour when the Spring rains come.</p>
<p>So why is dormancy important for plants.  First off, this prevents plants from seeding when the likelihood of germination is reduced.  No seed is going to survive our 0ºC nights and 26ºC days.  So smart.  Why spend energy when the investment made is likely not to give a decent return (a bit like Bitcoin at the moment)?  Plants should also struggle a bit.  Like the marathon runner preparing for Comrades by running up hills.  Who does that?  Of course mad people.  But also the clever who realise the pain in training will lead to pleasure and success in the race.  Let those roots struggle for nutrients and water.  They’ll be stronger and more successful when these resources are not as scarce.  Hardening athletes and plants is never a bad thing.</p>
<p>Germination and growth requires energy.  So putting out green vulnerable shoots in the middle of Winter is a waste of time.  Those shoots will be black before the midday sun is up.</p>
<p>So we shouldn’t be tricking our plants out of dormancy by watering or fertilising.  Not good for us - oh, the gardeners disappointment after a hard frost - or our plants.</p>
<p>What can we do though?  Mulch mulch and mulch.  Use those dropped leaves and rake them into your beds.  This will keep the soil a bit warmer and so keep our bacterial and earthworm friends in good health.  And over the winter that layer of mulch will become top soil.  Food for Spring.</p>
<p>Our winter dormant plant?  Let them lie.  Let them sleep.  Let their roots curl up and dream of Spring.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=winter-is-the-time-for-plants-to-rest</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=winter-is-the-time-for-plants-to-rest</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[A beautiful garden starts with nature]]></title>
<category>Organic gardening</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://s.inyourpocket.com/gallery/246515.jpg" alt="" /> </p>
<p>We were sitting in our garden the other evening - enjoying a glass of great South African wine - looking at our garden.</p>
<p>Karen has done the most amazing job.  Even in Winter we've had blooms all around.  And have a vibrant colony (two hives) of bees, butterflies and - for the first time - have noticed some nectar feeding birds enjoying the flowers from our honeysuckle.</p>
<p>This got us talking (thinking); if one planted for the specific purpose of attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your garden would your garden still be beautiful?</p>
<p>This is not such a strange question:  planting for beauty has a different purpose than planting for nature.
When we moved into this beautiful - we are so lucky - home, the garden was different.  The dominant colour was white.  Now it is purple, orange, blue and red.  Especially at the moment mostly yellow/orange/red</p>
<img src="https://obovate.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/lionstailflwr2.jpg" style="width: 549px;">
<p>Orange from the Wild Dagga (also known as Lion's Tail), Aloes, succulents.  All beautifully in bloom at the moment (end of Winter).</p>
<p>And with these blooms are the bees, butterflies and birds.</p>
<p>The lesson for us is this:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>if you garden for nature you end up with a beautiful garden which attracts beautiful life.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Looking at this accidental purpose, we've learnt a few things:</p>
<p><strong>Avoid Herbicides, Insecticides and Synthetic Fertilisers</strong></p>
<p>Since we moved into our house five years ago we have never used any chemicals in our garden.  We compost religiously, water sparingly and manually pull weeds from the soil (and even these <a href="http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/listen-your-weeds" target="_blank">we often leave as they also have a purpose</a>).</p>
<p>The main benefit of avoiding chemicals is that you protect and enhance biodiversity - from the little micro-organisms in the soil to the earthworms to the insects to the lizards and the birds.  They all are part of the soil-food-web.</p>
<p>When we first moved into our house, we were infested with the scary Parktown Prawn and Mole Crickets.  Today these are rare visitors - their population is kept in check by the birds and especially the lizards in our garden (we don't have cats).</p>
<img src="http://scibraai.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/parktown-prawn.jpg" width="408" height="251" style="width: 408px; height: 251px;">
<p><strong>Go Indigenous</strong></p>
<p>The usual benefits of going indigenous include being water wise; planting plants which suit the environment in which you live; and enhancing local biodiversity.</p>
<p>But we are also feeding natural food to the indigenous animals and insects which are endemic to the area.</p>
<p>I'm always so enamoured by the number of birds nests which populate our South African acacia trees.  Which also feed bees when in flower and whose shoots are much loved by the raucous <a href="http://www.thornybush.co.za/rangers-reports/the-grey-loerie-is-no-more#.VcWX4ZIRrXF">Grey Loerie or &quot;Go Away&quot; bird.</a></p>
<p><img src="https://animalcorner.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/grey-loerie-1-340x200.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Of course, the logic is also that our flying jewels, our butterflies, are very plant specific.  So if you want to attract butterflies you need to provide them the food they love.</p>
<p>Another benefit of going indigenous is that you encourage and help indigenous insects which dependent on these specific species of plants.  For instance the Cabbage White butterfly was<a href="http://www.floratrust.co.za/authors/charles-and-julia-botha.html"> introduced to South Africa and thrives on non-indigenous (alien) garden plants from their home country</a>.  Going indigenous will help our indigenous butterflies compete against these introduced species.</p>
<p><strong>Go Wild</strong></p>
<p>While a formal manicured garden is beautiful, we prefer our garden a bit more wild.  A wild garden is a better mimic of nature than a formal garden.</p>
<p>Birds, butterflies and other insects more easily find hiding and nesting places in these types of gardens.  Which then are preferred for roosting and nesting.</p>
<p>As a gardener we should try replicate nature as much as possible.  Nature mulches.  And so should we.   Now as we near Spring we are seeing more bird activity in the leaves which we raked into our beds during the Autumn - they are now a larder of large and small insects.  Food for the birds and lizards.</p>
<p><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Trachylepis_capensis.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>There are many great web resources and we particularly like<a href="http://lifeisagarden.co.za/articles/how-to-attract-birds-to-your-garden#.VcWjzpIRrXE"> Life is a Garden</a> and <a href="http://heckers.co.za/top-10-plants-for-attracting-butterflies-to-your-garden/">Heckers Nursery also has some good tips</a> on how to attract butterflies to your garden.  Of course visiting your local <a href="http://www.gardenshop.co.za">Garden Shop</a> or<a href="http://www.lifestyle.co.za/blog"> Lifestyle Garden Centre</a> is a great way of learning - just chat to their many experts.</p><p>We're sure that there are many other great resources and books - including the wonderful <a href="http://www.floratrust.co.za/bring-nature-to-the-garden.html">Bring Nature Back to your Garden</a>.  Please let us know if there is a resource or book that you believe is essential reading!</p>
<p>Purposefully gardening for nature will not only help you nurture a beautiful garden full of magnificent plants and flowers, such a purpose will also attract other natural beauties to your little bit of heaven.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=a-beautiful-garden-starts-with-nature</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=a-beautiful-garden-starts-with-nature</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Going &quot;green&quot; is a risk management strategy]]></title>
<category>Climate Change</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1624021097786-e621f5e3d52d?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDM4fHxyaXNrfGVufDB8fHx8MTYzOTQ3NDUzNQ&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p><strong>Building environmental solutions into your business is not only about being “green”, it’s also about making your business resilient to labour disturbance, drought and even new legislation.  And of course, rising costs.</strong></p>
<p>When Cape Town runs out of water there is going to be groot kak. Literally. </p>
<p>Our current sewage systems depend on a good supply of water. When toilets don’t flush and basins don’t wash then we must start worrying. </p>
<p>Like most things in life, we do not think about the risks we face until they are literally in our faces (or noses). </p>
<p>Take waste management for instance. Most of us do not worry about our waste collections until they’re not collected. When the food waste starts to rot. Flies are everywhere. Rats are larger. And everything stinks. </p>
<p>Most corporations have a risk management strategy in place. But this generally revolves around client and customer risks, the supply chain, labour relations, tax exposure. But what about environmental risk? What about changes in legislation which are going to put a strong focus on what you are doing with your rubbish. What about labour risks in our often fraught labour relations environment? </p>
<p>From an environmental perspective we are able to identify five key risk categories: legal, financial, service delivery, labour and climate. These are not about tree hugging, but rather about managing business risks. </p>
<p>On the legal risk side, in 2020 organic waste will be banned from landfill. Your organic waste (garden and food waste) will not be allowed to be just dumped into a bin and sent to landfill. What are you going to do with it? </p>
<p>A green solution will be required. This could be composting or bio-gas. And that macerator (gobbler) in your canteen? Yes, the one that is always breaking down, or blocking your drains? That is not a real solution. What happens when the sewage farms become over stressed and start breaking? And have you ever thought about how much flushing water you need to get it down the gobbler in the first place? </p>
<p>Financial risks are obvious. Landfills are nearing end of life. And a new landfill is not going to be built next to Tembisa, Sharpeville or Milnerton. No one wants a landfill near where they live. So landfills will be built further and further away from where waste is generated. </p>
<p>Your waste will now travel further and further distances. And you will pay more! </p>
<p>With the Rand/Dollar exchange rate fluctuating wildly we can also expect our waste operators to pass on increased costs to their customers. Those tyres which now travel twice the distance are going to need to be replaced more often. These are not locally produced. That tipper is expensive to maintain and run. And what happens when the oil price goes up and the Rand down? </p>
<p>Reducing the amount of waste going to landfill is key. An obvious strategy is to compost your food waste (which will automatically increase the volume of dry recyclables through reduced contamination); ensure you have a solid recycling and waste separation programme in place; and buy smarter in terms of reducing waste from expired food while also buying from suppliers who are committed to reducing wastage in their packaging. </p>
<p>South Africa is not the easiest place to do business. Sitting in Johannesburg or Durban we tend to whine about small things - potholes, traffic lights, etc. But imagine living and working in the smaller cities and towns where roads are in total disrepair, the sewage system is broken, and the municipality has not paid Eskom for years. </p>
<p>The delivery of essential services in these places is dead. How does one cope? Not by whining. But by putting in strategies which enable your business to be self sustaining. In these situations you have to have water and energy independence.</p>
<p>Makro in Woodmead, Johannesburg have turned their customer parking into a solar farm. Through a direct IPP deal they are now able to purchase their energy without Eskom being involved. Not only does this reduce the financial risk of rising electricity prices it also eliminates the risk of service disruption caused by load shedding or cable theft. </p>
<p>For Eskom the risk is that as they raise prices the businesses and people who can afford to do so will build their own independent power sources. Eskom will be left with customers who still need power but who cannot afford to pay. How will Eskom be sustainable?</p>
<p>The Pikitup strike in Johannesburg last year (2016) highlighted the vulnerability of the city to the disruption of the waste collection system. Similarly to what happened in Beirut, the waste piled up, started rotting and then the rats, flies and smells became a problem (massive protests resulted). </p>
<p>If the waste was inorganic, we would have just had a messy city. But it is the organic waste that became the problem. It takes about two days for food waste to start rotting. This stuff was sitting on the curbs for over two weeks. Using on-site composting this problem can be avoided. </p>
<p>Composting your food waste at source enables any business, or household, to minimise the risk of disrupted waste management collection. </p>
<p>The great unknown risk element is Climate Change. No matter if Trump thinks this is all dumb, climate change is a reality. We are seeing increased extreme weather events. Temperatures are rising. Extreme droughts or floods are becoming the new norm. </p>
<p>Water is in short supply. Yet we flush our toilets with expensively treated potable water. What about using our grey water to flush our toilets? Surely this would be more efficient, more environmentally friendly; while limiting our exposure to water supply disruptions? </p>
<p>Climate Change will have a massive impact on food prices (just look at the impact of the drought on food inflation). Given rising temperatures we can easily see the negative impact on food production. The link between extreme droughts and food production is clear and unambiguous. Recent research has indicated that rising temperatures are a serious threat to the dairy industry; milk production is seriously impacted upon at temperatures above 29ºC. </p>
<p>In order to mitigate climate change risks in terms of food security we need an additional model to the current centralised commercial production system. One method of mitigating the risks associated with centralised commercial production is to locate production as close to the point of consumption as possible and scale this across many locales.</p>
<p>Urban food gardening can take many diverse forms: small scale gardening, large hydroponic or aquaponic systems, corporate roof top gardening. </p>
<p>This model will enable the mitigation of risks and food inflation by (a) spreading production across diverse geographic regions, (b) reducing CO2e emissions by reducing transportation distances, (c) encouraging small scale gardening to improve food security - this is currently done at Wits University and also by generous local gardeners who grow food on their sidewalks for anyone to harvest. </p>
<p>For businesses this will become essential as their low paid employees struggle to feed themselves and their families. Building a food garden for employees not only will improve productivity but employee morale as well. </p>
<p>Sustainability or green practices are no longer a nice to have; a little feel good activity. They are essential practices in a world that is increasing at risk and where climate change is a dead certainty.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=being-green-is-a-risk-management-strategy</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=being-green-is-a-risk-management-strategy</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Carbon landscaping]]></title>
<category>Climate Change</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1458245201577-fc8a130b8829?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDN8fGxhbmRzY2FwaW5nfGVufDB8fHx8MTYzOTQ3NDIwNQ&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p><strong>The United Nations declared 2015 The Year of Soil - strange.  Should it not be The Year of Air or Water.  Even, perhaps, Food.  These are currency right now; and many companies dive right in reducing their environmental footprint. Good for them.  Everyone needs to do their bit.</strong></p>
<p>So why SOIL?  In essence, just like God made Adam from clay (like a golem), soil is the foundation of life on earth.  Without soil life will not exist.</p>
<p>This foundation gives us life, creates medicines, helps our food grow, and absorbs carbon.</p>
<p>In short, soil is a Good. Yet, knowing this, we have a soil crisis (which is the opposite to a dirt crisis).  Healthy, rich, soil has a minimum organic content of 6% (this is measured as the carbon content of soil).  Yet in South Africa most of our soils have less than 2%.  This is a disaster; our soil has a decreasing ability to build life.</p>
<p>What is soil?  We do not tend to think of this question much.  The dictionary definition is: “the upper layer of earth in which plants grow, a black or dark brown material typically consisting of a mixture of organic remains, clay, and rock particles”. </p>
<p>Soil-net.com has a different perspective where: Soil is one of the three major natural resources, alongside air and water. It is one of the marvellous products of nature and without which there would be no life.</p>
<p>Soil can be seen as a functional matrix.  Or as a Living Being.</p>
<p>Thinking of soil as Living, moves our approach to gardening, farming and landscaping in a different direction.  Healthy soil has been proven to sequester carbon and plays an important role in ameliorating the impact of climate change.  In agriculture <strong>carbon farming</strong> is being encouraged.</p>
<p>Carbon Farming is managing land, water, plants and animals to meet the Triple Challenge of Landscape Restoration: Climate Change and Food Security.</p>
<p>The role of carbon rich soil is key to fighting Climate Change:  the soil scientist, Dr. Rattan Lal says: “A mere 2 percent increase in the carbon content of the planet’s soils could offset 100 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions going into the atmosphere.”</p>
<p>Everyone can enjoy the double benefit of improving their own landscape environment and helping fight against climate change by simply adding more organic matter to their soil.  Adding organic matter to soil will build Living Soil - soil that is literally full of life: teaming with billions of bacteria, fungi; populated by earthworms all turning this matter into nutrients for your plants.</p>
<p>There are two types of landscapers.  The first are those whose raison d'être is to ensure that the gardens they manage are neat, tidy and pretty.  The second are those whose key purpose is to - while still having an attractive outlook - ensure that indigenous nature can be sustained and thrive within the environment they have created.</p>
<p>The second type of landscaper deserves our attention (and plaudits).  Essentially these landscapers are stewards of the soil.  These are the landscapers who compost on site, plant indigenous annual grasses (which feed the soil) and provide a habitat for insects, birds, small mammals and reptiles - they build gardens which are literally teaming with life above and below the soil.</p>
<p>These landscapers - perhaps not consciously - are taking the lessons of carbon farming in order to build a better environment and a better landscape.  For instance the landscaping achievements at the de Beers/Anglo American Training Centre, Siemens  and St. Stithians College are astounding.  Natural grasses have been planted.  Open spaces reclaimed from kikuyu grass and allowed to become a haven for indigenous birds, insects and other animals.</p>
<p>The landscapers involved - Life Landscapes and Servest  - should be rightly proud of their efforts.  Not only in building more eco friendly landscapes but also in the beauty achieved through their project’s role in carbon sequestration.</p>
<p>Key to building a healthy landscape is composting. A carbon centred landscaping philosophy is that no organic matter should ever leave site.  Instead it should be fed back to the soil.  Which in turn will nurture the soil and build a healthier landscape.</p>
<p>Too often - at enormous cost - organic waste is removed from a site.  Composted by someone else (often simply dumped).  And then sold back to the client.</p>
<p>A waste of diesel.  A waste of time.  A waste of money.  A waste of valuable organic nutrients.  A waste of carbon.</p>
<p>This organic matter also includes food waste.  Composting food waste adds significant value to compost.  If one thinks of farming as a nutrient extractive process, shouldn’t these nutrients which came from the soil be fed back to the soil.</p>
<p>Compost produced through The Heron in-vessel composting machine (IVC) at the Tshwane Fresh Produce Market was tested by the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) in Pretoria.  The results were astounding.  ARC tests indicated that the compost produced had an NPK of 6:1:5 with nitrogen levels equivalent to that commonly found in chicken manure.  And with a carbon content of 38%. All from condemned fruit and vegetables and waste cardboard which otherwise would have been disposed of in a landfill. </p>
<p>Focusing on the total organic waste stream must be the first step towards Carbon Gardening.  </p>
<p>Who knows, just as the Australian farmer is now able to trade carbon credits from carbon farming, perhaps <strong>the South African landscaper could enjoy a similar benefit</strong> - but with the added reward of greatly enhancing the life of the soil upon which their visual efforts depend.  </p>
<p>Imagine if South African landscapers could get a tax credit for their carbon landscaping activities?  Not only would this help South Africa contribute to the fight against climate change; it would also repurpose our whole approach to gardening.  One where soil stewardship becomes the focus with beautiful landscapes the result and benefit.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=carbon-landscaping</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=carbon-landscaping</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Dressed soil is the best soil]]></title>
<category>Organic gardening</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1628482283044-e5cc2f238de1?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDE2fHxtdWxjaHxlbnwwfHx8fDE2Mzk0NjE1Mzg&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p>Soil sustains life and without it we would be hungry, homeless and naked!<br>
Soil grows 95 percent of the food we eat, yet only 25 per cent of the surface of the earth is made up of soil and only 10% of that soil can be used to grow food.<br>
Much of our clothing is made from materials that come from living things that could not exist if it were not for soil. Fabrics like cotton, linen, wool and silk are made by creatures that only exist because soil does.<br>
Many medicines including antibiotics such as penicillin come from secretions made by soil dwelling bacteria and fungi.<br>
Our homes, offices and schools are built with materials that come from soil and the soil is used as the foundation.<br>
Soil is second only to our oceans as the largest carbon repository on the planet. Soil is also the largest source of organic carbon, a vessel for approximately 75% of the carbon on land. Soil has a natural tendency to store carbon is essential for mitigating and adapting to climate change, as well as improving flood and drought resilience.<br>
Currently we are degrading this very soil that is meant to sustain life.<br>
Farmlands are not only paved over by urbanisation but are often poisoned with chemicals. A dependence and overuse of synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides reduces long-term soil fertility, causes soil erosion, pollutes water supplies and poisons fragile ecosystems.<br>
There are simple yet affective solutions to rebuild and protect soil:</p>
<ul>
<li>Cover exposed soil with a 10cm layer of mulch - straw, dry leaves, even newspaper. Naked soil is dead soil.</li>
<li>Continuously applying compost to soil boosts its ability to retain carbon. Humus is built from CO2 that would otherwise exist in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.</li>
<li>Prevent soil erosion by growing ground covers to hold soil which in turn prevents water run off.</li>
<li>Tillage exposes humus to oxygen resulting in carbon loss, as well as contributes to loss of nutrients and its ability to store water. Topsoil is the top 20cm layer of soil which has the highest concentration of organic matter and microrganisms and is where most of the Earths biological soil activity occurs. Tilling destroys this ecosystem called the soil food web.<br>
Scientists have found that the worlds soil is one of our largest reservoirs of biodiversity, containing almost one-third of all life on our planet! <br>
A teaspoon of soil contains more microbes than people on earth.
<strong><em>The whole of creation depends upon the soil, which is the ultimate foundation of our existence.</em></strong> Friederich A Fallow</li>
</ul>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=dressed-soil-is-the-best-soil</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=dressed-soil-is-the-best-soil</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Interview with Melanie Walker]]></title>
<category>Radio Interviews</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://i0.wp.com/www.talkofthetown.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Web-Walker.jpg?w=248&amp;ssl=1" alt="" /></p>
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<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=interview-with-melanie-walker</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=interview-with-melanie-walker</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Our bacteria battle zone]]></title>
<category>Bacteria</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1599557835469-3e72e1be2802?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDZ8fGFudGliaW90aWN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNjM5NDk2Mzcz&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p>“The world is headed for a post-antibiotic era in which common infections and minor injuries which have been treatable for decades can once again kill,&quot; Dr. Keiji Fukuda from the WHO has warned.</p>
<p><a href="https://secularpolicyinstitute.net/scientists-deploy-new-weapon-in-war-on-bacteria/">Our microscopic enemies are adapting to traditional treatments and threatening our health.</a>  Stories of friends going into hospital and being infected by bad bacteria are becoming ever more common place (the writer personally knows of two cases where this has occurred).</p>
<p>Is it time to rethink our strategies? Or follow the convention and develop ever more powerful antibiotics? The latter strategy has been successful for decades.  Millions of lives have been saved.  But for how much longer?</p>
<p>Organism resistance to man-made weapons is now common place.  In agriculture Monsanto’s glyphosate immune GMO seeds (Round Up Ready) was supposed to enable mass weed spraying and thus increase crop yields.  The result:  glyphosate resistant super weeds.</p>
<p>Darwin would have said:  “duh, what did you expect”.  All organisms evolve.  Survival of the fittest is the order of the day.  And these days the application of scientific killers is akin to taking our enemies to Virgin Active and putting them through a strenuous boot camp programme:  the one’s that survive are much tougher than an Alexander tsotsi or a Pollsmoor 29-ner.</p>
<p>In the bacterial world (like our own visible environment) survival of the fittest is termed “competitive dominance” whereby a dominant species will out compete other species for access to resources (food, water, air).  In this microscopic war zone, good are fighting bad and the bad are winning at our expense.</p>
<p>The irony is that as we become cleaner (there are limits here - not bathing or washing is not an option) we are becoming more vulnerable to infection.  This is purely about how we define “clean”.  In our modern context “clean” is both about not being visibly dirty but also about ensuring that we are not carrying bacteria which can be transferred to someone else.</p>
<p>So we kill everything with our anti-bacterial soaps and chemical agents.</p>
<p>Only to witness the rapid re-population of surfaces with e-coli and other baddies.</p>
<p>Research in Switzerland showed that farm kids (dirty) were healthier than urban kids (clean).  It is evident that our overuse of chemicals in our homes has directly lead to an increase in allergic reactions to our own ‘controlled’ home environment.</p>
<p>Recent research in a USA hospital has shown that bad bacteria tend to repopulate ‘clean’ surfaces very quickly.  And thus every time you apply anti-bacterial agents you are actually - while winning in the short term - providing ideal conditions for antibacterial resistant bacteria growth.</p>
<p>Taking lessons from politics, an emerging strategy is to align ourselves with beneficial parties.  Here we use bacteria to fight our hygiene war for us.  This is not like the DA recruiting new members.  This would be akin to an ANC/EFF alliance in Gauteng working to keep those “running dog liberal capitalist imperialist honkies” (or in the words of Bell Pottinger: “White Monopoly Capitalists”) out by dominating the environment with one bacterial species.</p>
<p>Similar to an enlightened treatment for diarrhoea, one uses probiotic bacteria (probiotic is “pro-life” whereas antibiotic is “anti-life”) to clean and treat.  Applying probiotic based cleaners to surfaces cleans by accelerating the decomposition of dirt (usually fats and grease) while also repopulating the surface with a healthy bacteria thus reducing the space available for bad bacteria to repopulate.</p>
<p>In soil, the same applies.  Good soil needs good bacteria.  These bacteria aid in decomposition, transfer nutrients to plant roots and basically keep the bad away.  This leads to disease resistant soil and thus healthy plants.</p>
<p>Next time you walk down the aisle at your local supermarket, avoid the packs shouting “antibacterial” and look for an alternative. </p>
<p>The same would apply to treating your garden.  Stop using microbe killers.  Try instead to help your soil along with a good dose of beneficial microbes (either through compost or with a probiotic garden health booster).</p>
<p>In short:  stuff your personal environmental ballot box with good bacteria and reduce the opportunity for corrupting microbes to eat your lunch.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=our-bacteria-battle-zone</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=our-bacteria-battle-zone</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Reduce your food waste &amp; reduce your carbon footprint]]></title>
<category>Food waste</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1536703219213-0223580c76b2?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDJ8fGZvb2QlMjB3YXN0ZXxlbnwwfHx8fDE2Mzk0OTU0Nzk&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p><strong>Wasting food is terrible. But sending food waste to landfill makes the problem worse.</strong></p>
<p>When we think about food waste, we tend to think about wastefulness. After all, when we waste food we are conscious about people going hungry. A little bit like, in my day, my parents castigating us for not clearing our plates by saying “there are starving children in Africa! Finish what’s on your plate!”. But my smart arse brother’s, when staring at the untouched broccoli, rejoinder was always “well give it them then!”.</p>
<p>Yes. Food waste is wasteful. As many many people in South Africa and around the world are hungry. Are starving. Are dying from malnutrition. So we should be thinking about them and so reduce our waste.</p>
<p>But there is another negative consequence of food waste: carbon emissions. When food waste — any organic material for that matter — is sent to a landfill, it has dire environmental consequences. Food waste in landfills rots, produces methane (and other devastatingly dangerous green house gases such as Nitrous Oxide), and provides a breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria.</p>
<p>People who live around landfills have significant health issues including eye, throat and lung irritation, nausea, headache, nasal blockage, sleeping difficulties, weight loss, chest pain, and aggravation of asthma. It is no wonder that only the seriously desperate choose to live near a landfill — the more privileged will reject any landfill proposal near their homes.</p>
<p>How can one reduce food waste going to landfills?</p>
<p>The food waste to landfill problem needs to be seen in context; it’s not just the food waste we have at home that is the problem. It’s the whole system, from farm, to market to supermarket to our homes (did you know that food, in of itself has a massive footprint of 4,000kg/tonne CO2e which is higher than the manufacturing footprint of car tyres or even glass; think of the energy required to grow, harvest and transport a Chilean avocado to Johannesburg).</p>
<p>Food waste arises from four sources:</p>
<pre><code>•   Production and harvesting. Sometimes this is inadvertent due to drought, hail, etc. But just as often this can be related to cultivation errors and transportation hiccups (as simple as the harvester not arriving on time, or breaking down).
•   Processing where fresh produce is trimmed, treated and packaged. Think of carrot heads and onion skins.
•   Additionally, there is massive amounts of waste at the fresh food markets (wholesale and retail distribution). Produce which is not sold and perishes. Some which doesn’t meet standards or has been stored beyond its safe time.
•   Finally there’s us buying too much. Over catering at offices (too much potato bake!). Serving portions that are too large. And, very importantly, feeding people with food that they either don’t like or which is badly cooked (I’m guilty of this).</code></pre>
<p>Gleaning aside, we can’t control the production process but we can make a difference on the consumer side. In France, for example, supermarket food waste has been banned and has to be donated to food banks. This has also lead to clever marketers selling “ugly food” in very interesting and fun ways.</p>
<p>In our homes we can stop food waste going to landfill with a few simple tricks:</p>
<pre><code>•   Buy less more frequently. This stops food rotting and then needing to be binned.
•   Buy unprocessed vegetables and do the preparation yourself. This way you can compost the trimmings or even grow them again!
•   Cook what your family likes. Yes, as parents we want our kids to eat their broccoli. But what’s really the point? Are there not other healthy alternatives?
•   Don’t load that plate. Rather let people come back for seconds.
•   Repurpose that waste. For example, we turn the remainder of a roast chicken into a sandwich or a soup, into stock and then into dog food. So we can enjoy the main meal, the left overs, the bone nutrients and flavour in the form of stock, and a supplementary source of calcium for our dogs.
•   Be careful of the bottom shelf in your fridge. I’m convinced that science will prove that taller people waste more than shorter; basically because they never look at the bottom shelf.</code></pre>
<p>I’m sure that there are more things we can do. And we’d welcome more tips on how we can reduce our wastage and thereby our impact on landfills.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=reduce-your-food-waste-reduce-your-carbon-footprint</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=reduce-your-food-waste-reduce-your-carbon-footprint</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Spring is early!]]></title>
<category>Gardening tips</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Common_Jasmine.jpg/1024px-Common_Jasmine.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>We have had a very very mild winter up here in the Highveld.  While we feel nice about not being too cold during those long dark nights, this is not good.  Cold is crucial to the natural cycles of nature.  Cold sorts out the problem of late summer by driving down insect populations such as aphids and white fly.  And killing off large numbers of soil living predators like cut worms.</p>
<p>Winter is also when our plants are supposed to rest; which hasn’t really happened (our oak tree still has leaves!).</p>
<p>There are two dangers to this early Spring.  The first is that as the soil temperature rises our fruit trees and flowering shrubs start to blossom.  And just as we’re reveling in this new life with bees pollinating, birds feeding and our olfactory senses rejoicing! Boom a late frost hits.</p>
<p>This can be devastating for fruit farmers whose fruit crops can be more than halved (and depressing for us early bird gardening enthusiasts).</p>
<p>The second danger is the insects.  Their populations haven’t been reduced to post winter levels and they’re lying in wait for our seedlings to reach up to sun.  Again, bam out come the insects for a lovely fresh vulnerable feast.</p>
<p>So this year Spring has to be managed differently.  As organic gardeners we do not advise on the use of insecticides and synthetic fertilisers.</p>
<p>Instead we’d recommend a real nurturing of your soil.  Hopefully over the winter all your leaves have been used to mulch your beds or make compost.  Within this layer billions of beneficial microbes (fungi and bacteria), good nematodes, earthworms as well as beneficial insects (including predatory centipedes and millipedes) will be lurking and waiting to prey on the insects we don’t want.</p>
<p>If you haven’t mulched then Spring is the time to boost your soil and feed the microbes.  Bacteria and fungi are crucial for healthy plants.  Their job is to process nutrients and make these available to plants.  Use organic fertilisers.  Trench your bokashi compost bin.  Get some hands on vermicast (it’s easy to make your own).  Add layers of compost to the top of your soil; don’t dig it in to the soil as you’ll disturb the soil biome that’s slowly taken shape over the winter.</p>
<p>The point is this:  healthier plants are stronger and more able to resist the potential ravages of aphids, white fly and cutworms (adding calcium around your seedlings helps with controlling cutworms).</p>
<p>Spring is also the time to ally with birds and beneficial insects.  As the cycle of life begins again our birds are going to be hungry.  In our garden we are happy to see our thrushes and robins furiously digging, pecking and keeping our garden in balance.  And the cheeky weavers keeping the wooly aphids on our citrus plants under control.</p>
<p>Obviously the frantic diversity in one’s Spring garden is not going to be as vibrant if you’ve been killing everything with toxic insecticides, fungicides and herbicides (note how these words rhyme with suicide?).</p>
<p>Always use organic fertilisers and your own compost.</p>
<p>Just remember, Spring should bloom because of what you’ve done in Winter.  If you’ve not used Winter to prepare for Spring it’s not too late to feed your soil to feed your plants.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=spring-is-early</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=spring-is-early</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[The magical addictive Being of composting]]></title>
<category>Compost</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1557296691-edb10ad8da28?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDd8fGNvbXBvc3R8ZW58MHx8fHwxNjM5NDk1MjAz&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p>For most people compost is a means to an end.  You dig it into your garden and the soil is healthier and then, wow, your plants grow better.  There are also some who make their own compost - surprisingly few in my mind given how much organic matter the average suburban garden produces.</p>
<p>Many of these people are “klomposters”; they simply throw all their organic waste into a pile and after a year or two harvest the bottom black stuff.  But they don’t love their compost heap.  It’s a messy garden dump which doesn’t seem to do very much, is difficult to manage and, in the Johannesburg summer, can be full of “Parktown Prawns”.  These should rightly be called a “compost-klomp” and their product “klompost” (for non South African readers a “klomp” is simply a “pile” but unordered).</p>
<p>This is not to denigrate the klomposters.  After all they’re not sending their organic garden refuse to a landfill.  And are reutilising the waste in their gardens.</p>
<p>But properly made compost has simple magical glory.</p>
<p>We were doing a demo for our bokashi food-waste composters the other day.  As part of our demo we bring along a bucket of fermented food-waste (to show that it doesn’t smell) and also a box of the compost we’ve made from the waste.</p>
<p>It’s early morning.  Saturday.  An elegant, for a Saturday morning, lady comes across to our display and asks what we do.  I reply “we turn this” opening our four week old full food-waste digester for her to smell, “and make this” showing our compost in a cardboard box from Daggaboer Padstal near Cradock  - Daggaboer was owned by Piet Retief before he left the district looking for better opportunities;  some say he was running from the law and was a horse thief.   I dig my hands into the box and draw out a handful of compost.  Shove it into her face and say:  “Smell that!”.  She takes a deep whiff.  And wondrously breaths out “it smells like a forest”.</p>
<p>Like nature.</p>
<p>Beautiful delicious compost should smell of great earth. But richer.  And when it’s truly beautiful will bring to mind the wonders of walks through forests, playing in glorious mud, and the rich smell and feeling of a post Highveld thunderstorm.
If you think I’m a bit crazy, Sami Grover a contributor to the great online blog treehugger.com describes composting as “animal husbandry”.  Why?  To make great compost you need to be continually thinking of the magical bacteria and fungi that are doing their job of converting organic matter into the most wonderous powerful compound created by nature.  You need to feed them.  Make sure their conditions are right.  That they’re happy.</p>
<p>The reward is awe inspiring.</p>
<p>Not only does compost convert dead material into living organic magic, the composting process eliminates chemical and organic pathogens.  In his book “The Humanure Handbook” Joseph Jenkins cites the power of compost in degrading toxic chemicals including petrol, insecticides, herbicides and even TNT (this is not to mention the power of the composting process in eliminating organic pathogens such as salmonella and e-coli).</p>
<p>Gradually as one’s compost making improves one starts forgetting about the plants it’s going to feed.  Instead one’s mind starts seeing the wonders of this medium for itself.  For some the glory of the smell of jasmine in the Spring is a joy.  For us it’s the smell and texture of compost.</p>
<p>Healthy plants are, after all, the result of this magic process.  The proof that what you’ve built has created magic.  And the bacteria and fungi that you’ve put back into the soil through compost is visible before you in the form of healthy, vibrant, beautiful plants and vegetables.</p>
<p>The challenge - mental - for gardeners is that compost does take work.  But gardening is work.  Beautiful work. The work of magicians and fanatics. Both are ultimately rewarding.</p>
<p>But to get the true value of compost you have to work with nature and not against it.  You have to abhor the usage of synthetic fertilisers and poisons.  You have to adopt a vision that all waste is good.  And that all waste can be composted (even dead cows, chickens and our own faeces).  “From dust to dust” is the inescapable truth of life.  And the permaculture lesson.</p>
<p>I don’t understand why people don’t revel in the making of compost.</p>
<p>We count ourselves lucky that our neighbours bring over their garden waste.  We worry when not enough is coming through the gate.  We’d hope that they’d adopt our philosophy but are grateful that they don’t.  This way we end up with masses of beautiful magical compost (and when it comes to compost, too much is never enough).</p>
<p>A warning though.<br />
<img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1492496913980-501348b61469?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDF8fGNvbXBvc3R8ZW58MHx8fHwxNjM5NDk1MjAz&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p>Once the magic of compost bites there’s no turning back.  When you prune your trees you don’t think “I’m looking forward to their budding in the spring”, you think “ooh, all this lovely material for the compost heap”.  At those pruning decision points you don’t hold back.  You cut!</p>
<p>You end up reading books called “Holy Shit” (a treatise on the value of human and animal manure by Gene Logsdon).  And then, before month end, you go and buy a shredder from Livingstones.  You buy 100mmm PVC drainage pipes, drill holes in the bottom half and paint the top black.  All to ensure that your shredded material will aerate properly.  And every morning, you visit your heap in your pyjamas, put your hand over the end to check the heat to ensure that the  magic process you’ve started is still happening within.</p>
<p>You’ve now gone way beyond klomposting and are now a composter.  Now instead of showing your friends your beautiful tomatoes, you shove your hands into the compost, draw it out and proudly demand them to “smell that”.</p>
<p>And then may God be with you!</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=the-magical-addictive-being-of-composting</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=the-magical-addictive-being-of-composting</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[The water crisis is not only about the drought]]></title>
<category>Water</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2244/5197/articles/Copy_of_Every_Drop_Counts3_5_1400x.progressive.png.jpg?v=1548787421" alt="" /></p>
<p>Last week I attended a GCX organised breakfast on &quot;water as a business risk&quot;.</p>
<p>In the up market areas of South Africa we tend to think of water and drought. So in Cape Town everyone knows how much days of water are left before the rains come (about 100!). In Johannesburg, where we've had wonderful rain, water restrictions have been lifted.</p>
<p>And our maize farmers have also had great rains to effectively break their drought.</p>
<p>Even the Kalahari Desert is no longer a desert (for a few months).</p>
<p><img src="https://www.dreamstime.com/violet-flowering-kalahari-desert-rain-season-south-africa-wilderness-flowering-kalahari-desert-south-africa-wilderness-image160275976" alt="" /></p>
<p>Drought is not something we can do much about. Yes, climate change in the anthropocene is having a massive impact on where the rain falls (and when). As is El Niño.</p>
<p>But. The water crisis is bigger than water availability. The water crisis is also about water management - really, how are we managing the little water we do have available to us.</p>
<p>Water scarcity is also about the quality of available water.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.anthonyturton.com">Professor Anthony Turton </a>was a keynote speaker at the GCX breakfast and he scared the hell out of me. He presented a load of stats, graphs, scenarios but the really scary part was what is happening to our water right now.</p>
<p>The first is water treatment. As our city populations grow the demand on water treatment facilities increases. Unfortunately this not being done particularly well. Sewage is flowing into our dams and streams and leading to <a href="http://www.eniscuola.net/en/2016/11/03/what-is-eutrophication-causes-effects-and-control/">eutrophic water conditions</a>.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.eniscuola.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/foto_7-421x316.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>This basically means that these water bodies have very high nutrient content which promote the growth of cyanobacteria which produce killer microcystin toxins.</p>
<p>The second issue highlighted by Prof. Turton was that of salinity. Now we should remember that salt is the product of a reduction process and can't be simply broken down further.</p>
<p>The only way to reduce high salt content in water is by diluting it - basically adding more water.</p>
<p>But what happens when there is not enough water? Then basically we'll be drinking water with too high a salt content.
And the Vaal River has a problem.</p>
<p>While this is bloody scary, we don't even want to talk about Acid Mine Drainage. Or even all the anti-biiotics, chemicals and hormones that are also present in our water system.</p>
<p>If you're feeling a little helpless, depressed and pissed off I don't blame you!</p>
<p>But we can't retreat into dystopian depression. That's not going to help.</p>
<p>Many people doing millions of small good things can make a massive difference.</p>
<p>So what can you do?</p>
<p>For a start stop using dangerous chemicals and soaps. Use biodegradable earth (water) friendly products which you can find here.</p>
<p>Look after your water as if it is the most precious thing you own. This means putting in rain water tanks, recycling your grey water, fixing leaks, putting in water minimisation shower heads.</p>
<p>For gardeners it means planting indigenous AND endemic plants which are water wise. Endemic is important as it's no good planting a plant from KZN which thrives on high humidity in the Karoo.</p>
<p>Basically its really about acting as if you live in Cape Town (even when you're in Johannesburg).</p>
<p>And of course composting your organic waste. This not only improves the water holding capacity of your soil. It also stops organic waste in landfills leaching and polluting our precious underground water resources.</p>
<p>And of course, doing what South African's do best, complaining like hell.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=the-water-crisis-is-not-only-about-the-drought</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=the-water-crisis-is-not-only-about-the-drought</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[The zoo beneath our feet]]></title>
<category>Soil Food Web</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_1484w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2017/08/08/Production/LocalLiving/Images/higginsonline0810.jpg?uuid=gGkMcHx6EeeDx1vVRg8Nfg" alt="" /></p>
<blockquote>
<p>Plants nurture a whole world of creatures in the soil that in return feed and protect the plants, including and especially trees. It is a subterranean community that includes worms, insects, mites, other arthropods you’ve never heard of, amoebas, and fellow protozoa. The dominant organisms are bacteria and fungi. All these players work together, sometimes by eating one another.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/the-zoo-beneath-our-feet-were-only-beginning-to-understand-soils-hidden-world/2017/08/08/f73e3950-7799-11e7-9eac-d56bd5568db8_story.html?utm_term=.ac17c33efc15">A brilliant article from The Washington Post</a> (probably behind a paywall).</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=the-zoo-beneath-our-feet</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=the-zoo-beneath-our-feet</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Wasteful design]]></title>
<category>Design</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/500/1*Qo27inBKBKY4Q4Pgk5KkbQ.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>We were fortunate to spend a few days in Durban and the Drakensberg.  As always when traveling you stay in strange beds and use strange bathrooms.  </p>
<p>So you don’t always know where the light switches are, how to turn on/off the air-conditioner (or open the remote controlled curtains). Or even know how the shower works.</p>
<p>Shower mixers are the bane of my life.  Unless the water coming out instantly hot I struggle to know which is the hot/cold side.  Maybe I’m stupid.  But my logic indicates that I should turn the handle towards the red or blue mark; left for hot and right for cold.</p>
<p>But no.  This doesn’t work.  So, while fiddling and twisting, an enormous amount of water is goes down the drain.</p>
<p>Could the designers not be more helpful? Here are examples of good and bad use design.</p>
<p><img src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/image-uploads/Wasteful_Design.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>The mixer on the left is pretty good.  It clearly indicates the direction for warm/hot/hottest.  The one of the left is terrible.  Not only is the direction not obvious it’s hidden! Who is going to turn their head around to see which way to turn the lever?  And also, let’s not forget, most people don’t wear their glasses into the shower.</p>
<p>If you think this is just me, the <a href="http://www.hpw.qld.gov.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/BuildingAndPlumbingNewsflash540.pdf">Australian Government has released guidelines on this issue</a>.</p>
<p>Making design intuitive and therefore products easier to use can seriously contribute to reducing waste.  Let’s assume there’s a hotel with 200 rooms and 60% occupancy.  That’s a minimum of 120 showers a day.  And while the poor guest tries to work out how to mix the hot water about 5L goes down the drain.  </p>
<p>This is 600L per day or 219,000 litres per year!</p>
<p>Product designers need to think of design for use and not only for aesthetics.</p>
<p>Architects are just as guilty.  We work in a lot of waste areas.  And, with few exceptions, architects haven’t thought about waste management when designing the building.  So we come across waste areas partioned into parking lots.  Or waste areas which are only accessed via customer walkways - inevitably these high traffic areas are now greasy, smelly and sticky - bin bags leak!</p>
<p>Some waste areas are so badly designed that it is almost impossible to wheel a wheelie bin through the door.</p>
<p>Not thinking of the waste area at the design stage is as bad as not thinking of bathrooms.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=wasteful-design</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=wasteful-design</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Water wise gardening]]></title>
<category>Water</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://africa.cgtn.com/wp-content/photo-gallery/2020/07/2020-07-17T174524Z_1333851650_RC25VH99GJ3G_RTRMADP_3_SAFRICA-DROUGHT-630x420.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>South Africa is currently in a drought, and the municipalities are imposting stricter and stricter water restrictions on us all.</p>    <p>These water restrictions are not an excuse for you not to care and water your plants, instead they are an opportunity for you to look at water-wise ways to keep your plants nourished and happy.</p>    <p>We know you love your lawn, but it basically goes dormant at these times, and will return to its glory as soon as the rains come. </p>    <p>When you are watering your plants there are many things you can do to make better use of water in your garden:</p>    <ul><li>use a watering can instead of a hosepipe.</li><li>watering early in the morning or late at night means water doesn't evaporate in the heat of the day before it can reach the roots.</li><li>leave plants and shrubs dry until they show signs of wilting.</li><li>weeding regularly makes sure that watering helps plants and not weeds.</li><li>prioritise young plants and seedlings; more established plants will survive longer periods without water.</li><li>greywater from baths and showers can be used to water non-edible plants - it is better to use earth friendly biodegradable washing products to ensure that the plants are not impacted by too many chemicals.</li></ul>                <p>Oh and get used to the heat, because it is the new normal. According to <a href="http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2015-11-06-no-drop-to-waste-tackling-south-africas-water-crisis/#.VkXRz1SGX8s">dailymaverick.co.za</a> the drought coincides with the El Nino, which means that we will might be getting good rains only five to seven years time. This unusually hot, dry summer, is a sign of things to come. </p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=water-wise-gardening</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=water-wise-gardening</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[What&#039;s looking at you from your compost heap?]]></title>
<category>Compost</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1517672575698-1a4b00b1be02?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDY4fHxzcGlkZXJ8ZW58MHx8fHwxNjM5NDc1Mzc5&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p><strong>A compost heap should be full of different types of insects.  Broadly these are “shredders” and “predators”.  Shredders are key to breaking down the organic matter.  Predators prey on them.  If you don’t have either your compost heap is probably not in very good shape.   </strong></p>
<p>We are often asked about insects in the compost pile.</p>
<p>In addition to having a healthy population of microbes and fungi, the presence of insects in your compost is indicative of a healthy ecosystem.</p>
<p>There are broadly two types of insects that you'll find in your heap: predators who eat the browsers/shredders.</p>
<p>The following is a list of insects that you'll generally see in your compost heap. This is not an exhaustive list and I've only focussed on the common visible insects.
One can generally categorise these bugs into predators and shredders.</p>
<p><strong>COMPOST HEAP PREDATORY INSECTS/ARACHNIDS</strong></p>
<p>Centipedes</p>
<img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Lithobius_forficatus.jpg/1200px-Lithobius_forficatus.jpg" style="width:auto;height:auto">
<p><br>Frogs and Toads of various sorts.</p>
<img src="http://www.wildcard.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Western-leopard-toad-Leap-Day-for-Frogs-Endangered-Wildlife-Trust.jpg" style="width:auto;height:auto">
<p>This is a picture of the endangered Leopard Toad.</p>
<p>Various Types of Spiders</p>
<p>With all these insects running around the compost heap we'd expect to see spiders as well.
<img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1521710973474-e0057b9f67af?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDkxfHxzcGlkZXJ8ZW58MHx8fHwxNjM5NDc1Mzc5&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p><strong>COMPOST HEAP SHREDDERS</strong></p>
<p>These shred and help decompose the compost material. They are mostly beneficial in the compost heap (but some, like the Rose Beatle larvae, become a garden menace in their adult form).</p>
<p>Mites
<img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1528299926521-e36d8ba890df?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDJ8fG1pdGVzfGVufDB8fHx8MTYzOTQ3NTQ0OA&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p>Fruit Beatle Larvae
<img src="http://www.thegardeningblog.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Fruit-beetle-grubs.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>While doing a good job in your compost heap.  As adults they’re a bit of a problem.
<img src="http://www.thegardeningblog.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/fruit-beetle.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p><br>Black Soldier Fly and their Larvae
<img src="https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5b1fa99f611b011198e1990f/5c1a58fbcc14f6744f482e47_Black-Soldier-Fly.jpg" alt="" />
<img src="https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5b1fa99f611b011198e1990f/5ec3d762bf83b02f772c389e_BSFL.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p><br>Sow Bugs and Pill Bugs
<img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/Woodlouse_collage_x4.png/1024px-Woodlouse_collage_x4.png" alt="" /></p>
<p><br>Spring Tails</br>
<img src="https://belfastwormfarm.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/springtail.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p><br>Ear Wigs</br>
<img src="https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/107331754/large.jpeg" alt="" /></p>
<p>If you've seen any different insects in your compost pile please let us know.</p>
<p>Remember that these should be in balance. Too many of one type indicates that the heap is not healthy. The more diversity in the heap the healthier it is.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=whats-looking-at-you-from-your-compost-heap</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=whats-looking-at-you-from-your-compost-heap</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Winter gardening tips]]></title>
<category>Gardening tips</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://www.sahomeowner.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/iStock-600402184-1024x683.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Winter has arrived. That doesn't mean that you should stop gardening. <a href="https://www.gardeninginsouthafrica.co.za/colour-in-the-garden/10-stars-of-the-winter-flower-garden">There is a lot you can do in Winter.</a></p>
<p>The absence of juicy summer fruits in winter mean that your Bokashi Food Waste digester will not be producing as much liquid fertiliser that you have come to love. But do not despair! Keep your digester snug in a warm place to ensure the continued production, maybe less, of the liquid fertiliser.</p>
<p>The usual planting time for a winter vegetable garden is March, April and May, but in warm, frost-free areas, most winter crops can be planted throughout winter. In these warmer regions, continue to sow seeds of vegetables you can plant out into the garden once the weather cools down. In sub-tropical regions, March is the last month to plant onions and April is the last month to plant green peppers</p>
<p>You might not be ready to start your own organic farm just yet, why not try your luck at planting some spring-flowering seeds and bulbs? The weather has cooled down a bit and there is no better time like the present to start looking into a facelift for your garden. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.greeff.info/tng01/images/Licht%20Nuusblad/Dec2007/BokbaaivygiesNville.jpg"><img src="http://www.greeff.info/tng01/images/Licht%20Nuusblad/Dec2007/BokbaaivygiesNville.jpg" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto;"></a></p>
<p>Sow indigenous seeds like blue kingfisher daisies, Namaqualand daisies, bokbaai vygies and African daisies. They all thrive in warm, sunny spots. Sow fairy primula seeds in shady spots. These are all easy to maintain. April is the perfect time to plant bulbed plants.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.lifeisagarden.co.za">www.lifeisagarden.co.za</a> July should be renamed 'Prun-ly' in South African gardening circles, because a consistent them countrywide is pruning! This is especially true for fruit trees and roses, but also any deciduous shrubs that may be in need of a trim. Remember to shred all your cuttings and pop them onto the compost heap.</p>
<p>It is really cold out during July in Gauteng so one could be forgiven for not wanting to venture into the garden, but still remember to keep your bird feeders and baths topped up. Insects have gone underground and seeds are in especially short supply in this province, so they could really do with the additional sustenance. Remember to avoid planting oriental vegetables in Gauteng as they tend to bolt to flower now that the days are becoming progressively longer.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=winter-gardening-tips</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=winter-gardening-tips</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Food waste recycling in the bush]]></title>
<category>Food waste</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1527667455007-10a82aed3892?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDN8fGNhbXAlMjBjb29rfGVufDB8fHx8MTYzOTQ2MTAzNA&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p>There is nothing quite like a sojourn in the African bush.</p>
<p>One day in the bush is worth 10 on the beach!</p>
<p>One theory is that our brains get reset from looking at straight lines for too long to seeing everything in curves, spikes and randomness - a reason why mind mapping is better than a list when taking notes or learning things.</p>
<p>The other benefit is that this brings us closer to nature where we find a new found respect, amazement, joy and belief in being responsible for our natural heritage.</p>
<p>We'll sit over a fire in a boma talking about our wonderful sightings. Asking questions about why termites love building their cities under shepherd trees (and ponder the universal question about was it the ants that liked the tree or vice versa). We will tally up our bird lists. While being very very very jealous that a different group saw a leopard (and we just counted impala).</p>
<p>All the while eating our boerewors, steaks, chops, pap and salad.</p>
<p>But what about food waste?</p>
<p>On-site composting is absolutely key for any game lodge to confirm its eco credentials while also protecting the environment from which it delivers amazing experiences and is remunerated.</p>
<p>Not looking after this waste stream can be a disaster as was so well illustrated in A Primates Memoir by Robert Sapolsky by Robert Sapolsky. In his book Sapolsky describes how the baboons he is stydying start dying from TB after eating contaminated meat from the waste dump.</p>
<p>Keeping waste in the open and in a waste area is not really an option. It will attract scavengers; and no one wants to tangle with a 50kg spotted hyena! We have heard of these amazing animals sauntering into camp kitchens, grabbing a waste bin and then walking out with it firmly clamped in its jaws!</p>
<p>Bokashi is a fantastic option as the process is to layer food waste in sealed bins. The microbes stop it from rotting and smelling. And as it does not rot the waste can be stored and then transported to compost site outside of the reserve. </p>
<p>Composting on-site requires a different strategy.</p>
<p>Bokashi fermented food waste can be trenched; fed to composting earthworms; or mixed with other organic waste to make compost.</p>
<p>In either case, an area needs to be secured behind a mesh fence which also needs to be secured 1m below ground to stop the diggers. While bokashi fermented food waste doesn't smell and won't attract scavengers it is better to be safe.</p>
<p>Our client Mwambashi River Lodge on the Zambezi has been practicing worm composting with bokashi for over a year now. Food waste is pre-treated with bokashi which is then fed to one of their two commercial scale vermicomposting units. They use African Night Crawlers to process this waste as the worms are also key for fishing.</p>
<p>Their problem was not hyena, lion, jackal or monkeys but elephant. A specific one. Who, searching for edible berries, simply broke down the shelter containing the worm farms.</p>
<p>￼</p>
<p>Composting in the bush can be a lot more interesting than composting in Sandton!</p>
<p>The other alternative is to compost in-vessel. Earth Probiotic provides in-vessel composting machines which can be located outside and be adapted for solar power. The Earth Cycler can process up to 5,000kg of food waste per month. The Heron IVC is capable of processing up to 2,000kg per day (depending on the size of the unit).</p>
<p>The advantage of in-vessel composting is that it is a closed process and therefore resilient to scavenging activity (but probably not elephants!). Processing rates can be controlled. And as it is off the ground, the<iframe width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/null" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> risk of contaminating soil is eliminated. Best for the soil, for the animals and for the camp where it is located.</p>
<p>These machines are automated and can be solar powered and are thus ideal for camps located off-grid (as many are).</p>
<p>Additionally, these machines will process garden/landscape waste, wood ash (remember the bona!), cardboard and egg trays. So not only will a camp reduce its food waste risks it will also be able to process additional waste generated by guests and staff.</p>
<p>Processed compost can then be used in the camp landscape or even used to start a vegetable garden (again this will have to be located behind the fencing in the camp and so reduce it being grazed by kudu, zebra, warthog or even hippo).</p>
<p>Ultimately though, forging a solid wet waste management process is a key responsibility for operators in eco sensitive areas. Rotting food waste is bad for everyone; guests, animals and staff.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=food-waste-recycling-in-the-bush</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=food-waste-recycling-in-the-bush</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Interview with David O&#039;Sullivan]]></title>
<category>Radio Interviews</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://www.biznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/David-OSullivan.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<audio controls="controls">
  <source type="audio/mp3" src="https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/resources/Radio702_David_OSullivan.mp3"></source>
  <p>Your browser does not support the audio element.</p>
</audio>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=interview-with-david-osullivan</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=interview-with-david-osullivan</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Going organic]]></title>
<category>Organic gardening</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1563514227147-6d2ff665a6a0?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDZ8fG9yZ2FuaWN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNjM5MzkzODcw&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" />
The benefits of using chemical free fertilisers on your garden: the organic way.
Farmers all over the world use chemical fertilisers, but many are now shifting to organic fertilisers.
Why should you be joining them? Many chemical fertilisers are made from non renewable resources like fossil fuels!</p>
<p>Organic fertilisers are carbon-based compounds that increase the productivity and growth quality of plants. They have various benefits over chemical fertilisers, which include the following:</p>
<ol>
<li>Organic fertilisers ensures that the food items produced are free of harmful chemicals. As a result, the end consumers who eat these organic products are less prone to diseases such as cancer, strokes, and skin disorders, as compared to those who consume food items produced using chemical fertilisers.The majority of organic fertilisers can be prepared locally or on the farm itself. Hence, the cost of these fertilisers is much lower than the cost of chemical fertilisers.</li>
<li>Organic fertilisers help in maintaining the soil structure and increasing its nutrient-holding capacity. Therefore, a farmer who has practiced organic farming for many years will require far less fertiliser, because his soil is already rich in essential nutrients.</li>
<li>Organic fertilisers ensure that the farms remain fertile for hundreds of years. Land located at the site of ancient civilisations, such as India and China, are still fertile, even though agriculture has been practiced there for thousands of years. The fertility is maintained because organic fertilisers were always used in the past. However, with the increased use of chemical fertilisers today, land is rapidly becoming infertile, forcing many farmers to further increase their use of chemical fertilisers or even leave the farming industry entirely.</li>
<li>Organic fertilisers are easily bio-degradable and do not cause environmental pollution. On the other hand, chemical fertilisers contaminate both the land and water, which is a major cause of diseases for human beings and is the force behind the extinction of a number of plant, animal, and insect species.</li>
<li>We all know that chemical fertilisers are made in large plants that are automated and have an annual capacity of millions of tons. Organic fertilisers, on the other hand, are prepared locally and on a much smaller scale. As a result, the production of organic fertilisers leads to employment, especially in rural areas where employment opportunities can sometimes be bleak.</li>
</ol>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=organic-benefits-gardening</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=organic-benefits-gardening</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Say &quot;No!&quot; to micro beads]]></title>
<category>Plastic pollution</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://www.momscleanairforce.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/microbeads2.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>These days skin care seems to be a lot about adding &quot;ex foliating&quot; benefits to the gel/cream/soap. These are usually microbeads which are part of the products formulation. But what are they doing for the environment?</p>
<p>I'm staying at my parents house for a few days to help them out (my Dad was in hospital for a few days).</p>
<p>This morning I took a shower; and there on the shelf was &quot;Nivea For Men&quot; shower gel. </p>
<p>Full of these microbeads.</p>
<img src="http://natmonitor.com/news/wp-content/uploads/microbeads.jpg">
<p>So I thought about this: what happens with these beads when they flow down into the water system?</p>
<p>A little bit of research indicates that they are too small to be filtered out by the water processing system so they end up in the water system (streams, the oceans).  Billions of the them all becoming part of the plastic waste problem.
<a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/05/21/313157701/why-those-tiny-microbeads-in-soap-may-pose-problem-for-great-lakes"></p>
<p>These beads are about the same size as fish eggs - which floating around our water system, are eaten by other fish.   And thus become part of the food system.  While also becoming a part of the massive <a href="http://www.5gyres.org">plastic gyres that are killing our oceans</a>. </p>
<p>Given our belief that the impact of many people doing little things has a cumulative and massive impact, the first thing we can do is stop purchasing products that contain microbeads.</p>
<p>While also calling on the skin care companies (after all they use &quot;care&quot; in their labels), to stop this practice.</p>
<p>We're pretty sure that our skin won't suffer.</p>
<p>And if you can't do without the scrubbiness exfoliating benefit you can always choose a product which uses natural biodegradable ingredients like <a href="http://lydiamaries.blogspot.com">nut shells or coffee.</a></p></p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=say-no-to-micro-beads</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=say-no-to-micro-beads</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[What to do with wood ash?]]></title>
<category>Organic gardening</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1510424189475-5ade9f0c845e?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=MnwxMzI0OXwwfDF8c2VhcmNofDl8fHdvb2QlMjBhc2h8ZW58MHx8fHwxNjM5Mzk1MzU4&amp;ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" alt="" /></p>
<p>Winter is well and truly here.  Many of us, in order to avoid boosting our contribution to load shedding, will have oil, gas or wood heaters.</p>
<p>During these dark nights, nothing is nicer than the sight of a lovely wood fire.  </p>
<img src="https://www.ctsweep.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/fireplace-by-krazy79.jpg" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto;">
<p>Environmental considerations aside (although burning wood is better than dumping it!), the ritual of removing the ash from the fireplace/stove in the morning quickly becomes a winter ritual.</p>
<p>But what to do with this ash?  Do not add it to your dustbin.  Wood ash is full of wonderful nutrients which can boost the health of your soil.</p>
<p>While the minerals in wood ash will differ according to the (invader) species burnt, the major constituent is calcium carbonate (the basis for the making of potash).  Wood ash is thus alkali (high pH) and is a wonderful input for raising the pH of acidic soil; it is a nutrient rich alternative to agricultural lime.  When substituting wood ash for lime double the application rate.</p>
<p>Wood ash contains important trace elements including phosphorous, potassium, calcium, boron and other elements healthy plants need.  While nitrogen and sulphur have been burnt off the remaining PK elements of the NPK value are key to plant health and development. Phosphorous (P) is important for root and foliage growth including fruit development.  Potassium (K) is an overall plant health booster.</p>
<p>Ash, especially that from hard woods, has high calcium content.  Calcium is a mineral which is often missing from our soil.  Calcium is used by plants when building their molecular and cell structures.  Added to soil, wood ash is able to replenish the calcium taken up by plants and can be used as a substitute for bone meal when planting alkaline loving trees or shrubs.</p>
<p>In a forest trees feed themselves through dropping leaves and twigs in the winter.  This material converts back to humus which is taken up by the soil in order to reinvigorate the tree in the spring growing season.  Wood ash replaces the soil minerals trees have, mined, during their growth season.</p>
<p>Wood ash is also great for compost.  Not only will it help neutralise the pH of your compost it also adds key mineral nutrients to the matrix.  A pH neutral compost heap is an ideal environment for composting microorganisms; adding wood ash can thus help turn your garden greens into compost quicker.</p>
<p>The salts in wood ash are also excellent for controlling or killing snails and slugs; a much better alternative to snail baits which, deadly effective, have a wider detrimental effect on your soil and the wildlife living in and visiting your garden. </p>
<p>A note of caution, many of plants prefer acidic soil (lower pH); do not use wood ash around these acid loving plants.  Never simply pile up your ash on your soil or around a plant as this will concentrate their salts in one place.  It is better to spread the ash out thinly across a larger area. Do not use wood ash on seedlings; the salt content is too high for these plants at this vulnerable stage of their development.</p>
<p>Wood ash should only come from untreated natural wood.  The chemical residues from treated wood ash will have a detrimental effect on the soil.</p>
<p>What type of wood burner should you be looking for? An efficient wood burning stove will leave very little residual charcoal.  If you’re thinking of purchasing a wood burning stove look for the Double Burner type.  These are very efficient and also burn the wood gases emitted during combustion.  </p>
<p>If you already have a nice fireplace you will always have some left over charcoal bits. Use these for your next burn or add this to your soil.  This charcoal adds useful carbon to your soil and helps with building the soil-food-web while also helping with water retention and the overall tilth.</p>
<p>Whichever way you decide to recycle your wood ash, keep warm this winter.  Enjoy a lovely vegetable soup.  Cuddle up. Enjoy the rest of Game of Thrones.  Winter is Coming.</p>
<p>Addendum (25/07/2022)
<a href="https://www.housedigest.com/938737/is-wood-ash-good-for-garden-soil/">https://www.housedigest.com/938737/is-wood-ash-good-for-garden-soil/</a></p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=what-to-do-with-wood-ash</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=what-to-do-with-wood-ash</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Climate change, resilience, and the rural poor]]></title>
<category>Organic gardening</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/growinginteractive/blog/beans-corn-2x.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p><strong>Improving rural resilience to climate change will not be about creating dependency on engineered seeds;  but rather will be delving into traditional knowledge systems.</strong></p>
<p>A couple of years ago we visited a shelter for abused women in Umtata, Eastern Cape.  The leader of this community programme was looking at how she could generate an income through composting food waste in the town.  Off her own bat she’d set up an earthworm composting system and was now looking to go to the next level.</p>
<p>We were supposed to train, impart knowledge and then head off back to Jo’burg.</p>
<p>It was great to return to Umtata as, in a past life, I’d done rural development work in the Willowvale District in the, then, Transkei.<br>
While visiting the shelter we were taken around the gardens.  They were growing maize, beans, pumpkins and spinach.  And it was looking quite good.  Tall maize stalks festooned with runner beans intermingled with ground hogging pumpkins.</p>
<p>A young man looked at me and asked “is the right way to grow things? My grandmother told me to do it like this.”  I replied, “listen to your grandmother.  She’s giving you the right advice.”</p>
<p>Of course she was right.  This combination of maize, beans and pumpkins are called “the three sisters”.  The mealies provide the beans with a climbing frame, the beans fix the nitrogen in the soil for the maize, while the pumpkins provide a living mulch thus preserving water and combatting weeds.  This old growing technique is not only a South African tradition the same method is found amongst native North Americans.<br>
But the question is interesting.  Why would old advice from a woman that’s seen it all be queried?  Why ask for external endorsement?<br>
Because it doesn’t seem ‘modern’; it’s not ordered, or neat, or the same as you see in the Free State.  It’s a jungle; and jungles are out of control.  Likely to do their own thing.  So we see a shift from round thatched houses to square tin roofed ones.  From companion planting to monoculture.  From age old resilient heirloom seeds to hybrids or GMO.  From oxen to tractors.</p>
<p>As this shift occurs climate resilience drops.  In the old days a maize cob contained a multiplicity of different coloured kernels:  black, white, yellow, red, purple.  These were taken off the cob and separated; some kernels were good for beer brewing, others were better for eating, some were known to be better in drought conditions, other’s for when there was too much rain.  Each kernel’s strengths and weaknesses was understood and appreciated.</p>
<p>Now most corn grown is either white or yellow.  And the hybrid seeds don’t re-grow very well (or Monsanto won’t let you plant them without paying a licence).</p>
<p>The question then is:  is modern technology and methods reducing rural communities resilience to climate change or is it helping?  I’d venture that, when it comes to agriculture, replacing age old methods with commercial methods is reducing the rural poor’s ability to feed themselves (while also creating a dependency relationship with the commercial seed and fertiliser companies).  And this is not good.</p>
<p>Now, I do sound like a luddite.  But really I’m not.  Technology needs to be appropriate to the problem it needs to solve.  For example, rather than selling paraffin primus stoves (which fall over and burn people and require paraffin to be purchased) why not put in place <a href="http://stoves.bioenergylists.org/taxonomy/term/84/9">more efficient smoke free biomass biochar rocket stoves</a> as they’ve done in Puerto Rico (these will cook and produce fertiliser while also reduce women’s work burden from collecting firewood as well as help them reduce their exposure to toxic fumes from open fireplaces)?<br>
Why install a solar cooking system with a baking oven when a parabolic system will do just fine (and be cheaper)?  Why offer market fertiliser when cattle can provide much of what soil nutrients are needed?</p>
<p>Climate resilience in Africa is going to come from working with existing systems and practices rather than bringing in a solution from Helsinki, Auckland or Johannesburg.</p>
<p>The problem is one of perspective.  Small scale farmers need to be supported.  They need to be trained on how to maximise yields within existing practices and resources.  The answer is not to impose an industrial agricultural system and associated technologies which will invariably kill traditional agricultural and with it centuries of resilient seeds and cooperative labour sharing relationships.</p>
<p>Rather work with what’s there and see what can be optimised.  For instance, look at soil health and provide education on crop rotation, companion planting, composting and how to optimise manure from the kraal.</p>
<p>Above all, solutions need to avoid creating dependency relationships between sellers and buyers.  As soon as a commercial dependency arises the power shifts to the company with a reputation for avarice.</p>]]></description>
<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=climate-change-resilience-rural-poor</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=climate-change-resilience-rural-poor</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 12 Dec 2021 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Interview with Mel Walker &amp; Mike Rickoff]]></title>
<category>Radio Interviews</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://pbhs1981.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/52926852_10155754034691621_3715029230799552512_n.jpg" alt="" /></p>
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<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=interview-with-mel-walker-mike-rickoff</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=interview-with-mel-walker-mike-rickoff</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 15 Dec 2020 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Karen interviewed by Redi Tlhabi]]></title>
<category>Radio Interviews</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-000052062409-i39xql-t500x500.jpg" alt="" /></p>
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<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=karen-interviewed-by-redi-tlhabi</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=karen-interviewed-by-redi-tlhabi</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 15 Dec 2019 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Classic FM interview with Gavin]]></title>
<category>Radio Interviews</category>
<description><![CDATA[ <p><img src="https://static.mytuner.mobi/media/tvos_radios/qX2rfWqkpL.png" alt="" /></p>
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<link>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=classic-fm-interview-with-gavin</link>
<guid>https://www.earthprobiotic.co.za/EPR_Blog/?id=classic-fm-interview-with-gavin</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2015 20:41:00 +0200</pubDate>
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