Paseo greenwashing

With interest I have looked into the new toilet paper and paper towels on the market under the brand name.  The ads on TV have been focussing on the use of recycled paper etc and how it is a premium product but has an environmental conscious (my interpretation of the ads).
However, on closer investigation I find that their products do not come in recyclable packaging!  Come on this is basic stuff.
Their website states "
Offering a luxurious experience, PASEO toilet tissue gives you the strength and softness you would expect from a premium product.
Combining a velvety finish, lightly scented core and subtle quilting for extra softness, PASEO toilet tissue is also biodegradable and made from renewable plantation fibre and certified fibre, making it a good environmental choice." 

What would make it a better environmental choice was if the packaging which is not biodegradable didn't end up in the landfill!  And as for biodegradable toilet paper - I'd like to see toilet paper which isn't.  It is just paper after all.

What's more it seems that Paseo is simply a name under the umbrella of Cottonsoft.  See what 
Greenpeace has to say about Cottonsoft and their environmental impact on Indonesian rainforest.

Also this blog has an excellent post about the same issue.

I have emailed them to ask if they plan to rectify the packaging issue and look forward to a response.  The rainforest deforestation is a whole other issue.

Spring has sprung.......!

No not really but we have had 3 lovely sunny days in a row.  Snow drops and snow flakes are flowering, and it just feels like we are on the downhill slide to summer!  I know I know there was snow in the garden last week!
My Dublin Bay rose is still flowering and as a result I have not cut it back for winter.  The beautiful red blooms were a picture with the snow.

On Sunday I dug over the vege garden and spread round some compost much to the delight of the chooks.  I'm sure I lost a few valuable worms in the ensuing carnage!  A good frost this morning will help break down the clods, and help the girls to get it ready for planting.

The Warehouse had 30% off seeds the other week so I stocked up on some baby carrots, savoy cabbage, nasturtiums, lettuce, and broccoli.  My plan is to sow some seeds over the next week and keep them inside.

Water use calculator

I am completing the Certificate in Sustainable Growing through Otago Polytechnic and as part of my sustainable water use module we were given a link to a water use calculator.  While I am sure that it is not entirely accurate to the last drop it does give you a very good indication of how you compare to the average.

http://web.tcdc.govt.nz/swutprod/flash/flash_calc.asp

My score was 287.05/person/day with the average for NZ 250L/person/day.  Considering we do not have a dishwasher, very rarely wash our vehicles ;), don't have a spa or pool, only 1 toilet etc I'm not all that surprised we were about average.  Must get my hunny to reduce his time in the shower!!!

In Australia they are trying to get people down to 155L/person/day!  Now there's a goal to aim for.

My latest book finds!

While the weather has been a bit cooler I have had the chance to read some more books.
THe Readers Digest Back to Basics book has been on my list for ages but is never available at the library, but fortunately I managed to pick it up last week.  Packed full of information on all things self sufficient it is a fantastic reference for people sonsidering life on the land.

Also I picked up a copy of the Readers Digest Alternative medicine book.  It is going to be an invaluable reference book for my family.  I am watching some auctions on Trade Me at the moment for some Aromatherapy books and I want to explore this discipline some more.

Growing Organic; Green tips for New Zealand gardeners has been an easy to read guide to growing greener. Starting at the very beginning it looks at recommended tools for gardening, methods of gardening, projects and much more.  Written by Kiwis for Kiwis it is a great read and not too wordy and jargonistic.