Monday, August 19, 2013

When water does not come from a bottle!

Namibia is now going through the worst drought in 30 years. But I do not think every one knows how serious a drought can be. When you type in How to survive a drought on google these tips come up, these tips how ever only counts for the people that have access to a store, own a kitchen, a bathroom, a car, a washing machine or a garden with a lawn.  Now what happens when you are in the bush and the water is gone and the food i gone? Most tribes in Namibia knows how to find food in the bush, but what happens if you are to malnourished to move? The problem is not their skills for survival, because they could survive us ten times out there, but the problem is that once the hunger manifests as a result of drought, then the body starts shutting down. The immune system weakens, and you become more vulnerable to diseases when there is not any protein to eat, You start not being able to preform simple tasks and and then there is definitely no energy for running down and antelope on bare feet.

In the Kitchen

  • Buy bottled water and store it. Be sure to rotate the stored water so it does not go bad.
  • Store drinking water in the refrigerator. Don't let the tap run while you are waiting for water to cool.
  • Do not use running water to thaw meat or other frozen foods. Defrost food overnight in the refrigerator, or use the defrost setting on your microwave.
  • Do not waste water waiting for it to get hot. Capture it for other uses such as plant watering or heat it on the stove or in a microwave.
  • Clean vegetables in a pan filled with water rather than running water from the tap. Re-use the water that vegetables are washed in for cleaning or watering plants.
  • Wash dishes by hand. When hand washing dishes, save water by filling two containers - one with soapy water and the other with rinse water containing a small amount of chlorine bleach.
  • Dishwashers use up to 14 gallons of water per load, but if you must use one, be sure to wash only when your machine is full, not wasting precious water for only a few items.
  • Never pour water down the drain when there may be another use for it. Use it to water your indoor plants or garden.

In the Bathroom

  • Time showers to five minutes.
  • Place a bucket in the shower to catch excess water for watering plants. Turn the water on to get wet; turn off to lather up; then turn the water back on to rinse. Repeat when washing your hair.
  • Don't leave the water running when shaving or brushing your teeth. Fill a cup with water for brushing teeth. Stop up the basin and fill with water for shaving.
  • Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. Dispose of tissues, insects, and other similar waste in the trash rather than the toilet.
  • Place a 12 to 20 ounce plastic bottle in a toilet tank to displace water that fills for waster disposal.

Laundry

  • Wash clothes less often. When you do your laundry, only wash full loads.
  • Wash with cold or warm water.
  • Hand wash 1 or 2 items of clothing at a time when you can.

When Washing Your Car

  • Use a car wash. Instead of washing your car yourself, take it to a car wash where recycled water is used. If you're worried about the added expense, cut back on the number of times you wash your car.
  • If you insist on washing your own car, park on the grass so that you will be watering it at the same time.

Outdoors

  • Don't over-water your lawn. Lawns only need to be watered every five to seven days in the summer, and every 10 to 14 days in the winter. A heavy rain eliminates the need for watering for up to two weeks.
  • Position sprinklers so water lands on the lawn and shrubs and not on paved areas.
  • Do not leave sprinklers or hoses unattended. A garden hose can pour out 600 gallons or more in only a few hours.


Okay. Very informative for learning about how to take more responsibility, although this is actually  something people should try and save and work on every day, in a part of the world where we have water on the tap. But as I said what are the options for those who do not have any kitchen, fridge, bathroom or washing machine? How can we together help assist them into getting stronger so that they have enough energy to finding their creative sources for food and water? 

Worst drought in Namibia in 30 years!


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/08/13/namibia-is-in-the-middle-of-its-worst-drought-in-30-years-this-is-what-it-looks-like-on-the-ground/


Friday, August 9, 2013

Like a lion?


How many lions can you see? Not lion logos, lion toys, lion king dvd's, or lion statues, but real lions?
In 2 days we can contribute and celebrate the world lion day. Lions have had a 80-90% population decline in the last 30-35 years, but that is not what we are celebrating. This global campaign is about celebrating the importance of the lion worldwide. Roar it out, support and share with your friends.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

GIVE ME 5!

Give me 5.. seconds of you time. There is many ways of making a difference. Some are big and some are small, some of them you might not even notice at all!
One thing can be to support a charity of your choice,
one can be to start a football team for girls and boys.
One can be to give love, ask someone about their day, or just to listen to what someone have say.
The easiest thing you can do is to give a little from what you are saving
on Not buying all the things that you are CRAVING. If you decide to start giving, then that does not mean that you have to stop living. Here are some examples.

If you and some friends are buying pizzas to enjoy whilst watching a movie. Then instead of buying 3 large pizzas that cost 220 NOK per pizza. Then rather make it a fun thing where you buy ingredients and make the pizzas yourself and only pay around 250 NOK total to make three pizzas.

Skip a latte for lions! One cafe latte is about 6 $ and if you drink two a day for a whole year then that is 4380 $ a year. Now if you buy one of those take away cups they cost about 5 dollars and that cup can last you all year. Out of one milk carton that cost 3,5 $ you can at least make four Cafe lattes, and out of one bag of coffee you can probably make at least 50 espresso shots. Imagine how much money you can save, that you can use to help other people, animals, and natural areas by not giving something up, but just making it yourself.


We all scream for ice cream at least 150 days a year. But scream for one ice-cream  and save the money for the other two. That will save you about 2000 $ in the summer spring /summer season.
All of the money you save can be enough to not only help save something whether its animals, culture, natural areas or people, but it can also leave you with enough money to travel and visit the places you have helped conserve. Thats pretty cool right? If you want advice on how you can make a change without giving up any good life perks then feel free to contact Nanofasa info@nanofasa.com
A little giving a day keeps the doctor away!

Buffalo, Buffalo shoes or Buffalo thorn

We are not talking about the Buffalo today !


 Or                                        The crazy 90's trend that was buffalo shoes!
You know what a buffalo is, and your probably do not want to admit it but you know what buffalo shoes are too. But What is more interesting, what is a Buffalo thorn? The Khoi san people are the sustainers of ecosystems. They treat everything so that it can last, they know 400-500 local plants and their usages. They know what to eat to not only provide a balanced nutrition, but also how to find moisture from roots even in time of drought. They have knowledge about a range of plants that can help cure wounds, snake bites, colds, stomach ache, tooth ache or headache, and also more serious infections like malaria.. The buffalo thorn a tree, where the berries and leafs is used to cure phemonia and a hurting stomach. They also believe that it is safe to shelter under a buffalo thorn during a thunderstorm, as protection from lightning.
The leaves are edible, and can be cooked into tasty spinach; the fruit are also very nutritional, though not very tasty. The leaves can be used as an aphrodisiac, either by being chewed or used in dishes. During the Anglo-Boer war the stones in the berries were roasted and ground as a substitute for coffee. A beer can be made from the fruit. A porridge can be made from the roots
The Buffalo Thorn also has other medicinal properties, an extract of the roots is given as a painkiller and a solution of the bark and leaves in water is used for chest complaints. Conclusion: It is so cool how much we can learn from each other across boarders and cultures! We can all see that a tree is a tree, but to discover that they all have usages, purposes & names makes it quite different. A tree is more difficult to walk passed.. when you know its name...!