We need to talk about burn-offs and the air quality in the Waikato/Waipa
Hi Guys-
I'm concerned about interested in the air quality in Waikato at present. It's been getting worse over the past 10 years, to the extent that now you don't want to walk outside most nights due to the amount of burn-offs which're happening on farms - often containing non-wood items such as electronics, polystyrene and plastic.
This is ironic, as NZ has terribly low carbon in our soils, which is a problem for farmers. It would be made much better were the wood in question to be left to rot. And of course contaminating our soils and air with burning electronics is a bad thing.
Some suggestions:
* Woodchipping - woodchipping old trees/branches and either using the output elsewhere or spreading over a paddock so it can rot down quickly, is a good way to add carbon back into soils.
* Leaving to rot - spreading wood around the edges of a paddock and leaving it to rot is a slow option, but doesn't require a lot of effort.
* Firewood collectors - for larger logs, firewood sellers will happily tow them away. Of course, this still puts the wood in the air, rather than in the soil, but at least it keeps someone warm in winter.
For polystyrene/electronics/etc the obvious solution should be the dump or metal recyclers, where you'll get a couple of bucks for your effort at least. For batteries, Grimmer Motors in Hamilton take both household and car batteries and recycle them. Putting plastics and electronics etc in fires should be banned outright, if not prosecuted.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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62.7% Summer
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35.9% Winter
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1.4% Other - I'll share below
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
What word sums up 2024, neighbours?
If 2020 was the year of lockdowns, banana bread, and WFH (work from home)....
In one word, how would you define 2024?
We're excited to see what you come up with!
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