Animal cruelty, climate change, monoculture...the list goes on.

[ChrissyStar]

I feel hopeless and have decided not to have children because of the state of the world (why would I wish to bring a child into this when I myself, do not like to live here?). Does anyone else feel the same?

[Peppermintbach]

Hi ChrissyStar and all,

Waves to Cala and all....

birdy: Yes, I agree that the labelling on recycling bins could be a lot clearer. Personally, I feel using a simple picture of a coffee cup with a red circle and diagonal line through it would be helpful (i.e. a similar concept to the “no smoking” signs)...especially on public bins.

Yes, it’s sad when welll meaning people end up accidentally sending a whole recycling bin to landfill. Don’t worry too much about accidentally putting coffee cups in the recycling bin in the past, I know you’re heart is in the right place...

Most of us do things that perhaps aren’t always for the best (including me) but as long as we keep trying, it’s more than okay. Before I started using reusable coffee cups ;and before I learnt that coffee cups weren’t recyclable), I used to also put the cups in the recycling bin too! Oops...

I have no idea who this Bacon person is but the name?! Lol. I think it’s fantastic that Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi’s personal chef contributed recipes 🙂

Whenever I think of Ellen, for some reason, I always think of her “cover” of Adele’s song, Hello. It’s funny in a goofy way...you should be able to find it easily on YouTube if you’re interested...

I’m very curious about what was on your mind...hopefully it comes to you...

Love and light xoxo

Grandy: It seems birdy has piqued your interest in Blue as well 🙂

I think it’s wonderful that the bins in your area have been labelled more clearly now. Mine are still slightly unclear. Lol.

Good on you for using your stainless steel cup and keeping 2 reusable cups in your car. I think that’s wonderful that you use your own cups when you treat yourself to a takeaway coffee 🙂

Love and care,

Pepper xoxo

[Scotty2013]

I feel horrible saying it too, but times like this glad i don't have kids. Furkids is enough to worry about.

[Peppermintbach]

Hi Scotty (and a wave to all),

It’s lovely to see you here. I’m glad Chrissystar’s thoughtful thread resonated with you 🙂 I don’t want to have my own children either for a whole range of reasons...

Personally, I think it’s okay to not want to have our own kids. That said, I also think it’s okay to want to have kids. I feel it’s an enormously personal decision and there’s no “right” or “wrong” or “better” or “worse.”

I feel just as people who have children can lead fulfilling lives so can those of us who decide not to have children too 🙂

It would be nice to get to know you a bit better. There’s no pressure but feel free to express your other thoughts here too. A lot of us here also really love our fur babies and animal friends...

Kind and caring thoughts,

Pepper

[Unbeliever]

Anyone that wants to understand the details about the specifics of what can and can't be put in a recycle bin in Australia should watch the 3 episodes of "The War on Waste" (particularly the episode that has the "street challenge" in it).

It is very specific and clear about the current up to date details about what goes in your recycling bin and what doesn't (you will be very surprised). There is also an episode dedicated to throw away coffee cups Exceptionally well done and perfect because it is Australia specific and recent.

It is one of those shows that every Australian should be forced to watch at least once (unless they are literally heartless or something of course)

It is available to watch on ABC iview I believe. The next series of it is due to air soon as well.

Just FYI.

[Birdy77]

Hello Chrissystar and all 😊

Grandy, it made me laugh when you said I'd mentioned the film 'Blue' several times. Sorry to nag you all 😉 it is so daggy and corny but I was going to say sorry for being "Pete Repeat" - if anyone remembers those recycling ads from the 90s? 🤪

Anyhoo, I'm glad you watched the trailer and are going to try get a copy.

Everyone, Did you know that researchers predict that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans???

Scotty, great to see you here, please feel free to join in whenever ... I am like you, and have decides not to have children, I wonder how long our planet has left ...

Unbeliever, thanks for bringing up that excellent series. I think that different councils have different facilities for recycling, and as Grandy said, her rural council only recently provided recycling bins for kerbside collection.

I was horrified to read recently of massive piles of glass bottles being dumped by councils because the recycling process was too expensive, and then heard that a bunch of our recycling gets shipped to China???? I read that Ipswich council recently tried to end recycling as it was too costly .... it does my head in.

I think there are quite a few documentaries that should be required viewing, e.g. forks over knives, earthlings, conspiracy, plus the war on waste. I think the wish not to know the facts though is not coming from heartlessness, but rather a wish for the status quo, to keep conveniences, to keep eating food people are used to eating "we've always done it this way": I'm against this heart and soul. I think there's a path in to everyone's conscience, I just don't believe our planet has the resources to survive long enough for the re-enculturation of humanity.

Pepper, is that Ellen song where she's talking to Adele and then has Drake on call waiting and then Lionel Ritchie calls in?🤪 very goofy! I really like Ellen, she's good hearted and kind and tries to spread good feelings and good will I think. Plus she's such a positive and popular advocate for animals that she wins gold stars all round from me ⭐

But seriously, Quentin Bacon as the photographer for a Vegan cookbook? 😂

The fight to end live export continues but the gov dept in charge of agriculture has this week admitted they unlawfully sent 58,000 gentle sheep on live export ships ... and another export company has had its licence suspended for unlawful practices.

Keep the hope and love alive lovely people ❤

🌻birdy

[Unbeliever]

Speaking of Documentaries that "everyone should have to watch about once".

I have divided them into seperate "subjects" although the more perceptive of you will after watching them realise that many of these cross over into each other.

So, for anyone interested...

*Regarding our oceans and fresh water supplies...
- Blue - The Tide Has Come for Change (2017) (as mentioned above).
- Blue Gold - World Water Wars (2008)

*Regarding Overpopulation Issues...
- Mother - Caring for 7 Billion (2011)

*Regarding Pollution and Global Warming...
- Before the Flood (2016)

*Regarding Consequences of bad planetary resource management...
- Surviving Progress (2011)
- The War on Waste (Australian) (Season 1-2) (2017-18)

* Regarding Economic Warfare and Current World Financial Structures...
- Capitalism - A Love Story (2009)
- Inside Job (2010)
- Enron - The Smartest Guys in the Riom (2005)
- Inside Job (2010)
- Zeitgeist Series 1-3 (2007-11) (*Warning, this one is particularly detailed and heavy and likely will take more than 1 view to grasp fully).

*Regarding Species Destruction...
- Vanishing of the Bees (2009)
- More than Honey (2012)
- The End of the Line - A World without Fish (2009)
-
*Regarding animal cruelty (not just the meat industry)...
- The Burning Season (Palm Oil Industry) (2009)
- Food INC (2008)
- Blackfish (2013)
- Born to be Wild (2011)
- Project Nim (2011)

*Regarding "Australian" Specific topics...
- The Checkout (all 5 seasons).
To be honest this is definitely a "must see" series for all Australians covering a vast range of subjects.

**There are more worth watching of course. But I doubt any person who made the effort to watch just these above wouldn't jump several IQ points.

** Birdy77,
The "War on Waste" does cover the differences in what can and can't be recycled by individual states quite clearly in the series. So no problem there.

Also, I believe that people who purposely pursue ignorance about these subjects when information and facts are so easily available... just so they can keep simple "conveniences" fits perfectly well into my personal definition of "heartlessness".

In fact, "Purposeful ignorance to keep conveniences" is one of the attitudes within the general population and individuals that I can directly correlate with how and why things have gotten this bad in the first place.

[Birdy77]

Dear Unbeliever,

Thanks so much for all those documentary recommendations. I have quite a lot of viewing ahead of me.

I wrongly mentioned a film called "conspiracy", my auto correct changed it. It should have been "Cowspiracy".

I, as a passionate Vegan, completely understand your stance about purposeful ignorance being a big reason why the planet is as stuffed as it currently is. However, although it makes me angry and distressed on a daily basis that people don't care enough to educate themselves about what is going on, and i wish I could shake everyone by the shoulders, I am starting to understand that this approach defeats the purpose.

From my perspective, if people are told that they are heartless, for instance, it won't inspire them to do better, or be better. In my experience it harbours defensiveness and further sticking-of-heads-in-sand. As an example, if you are not a vegan, I am not going to call you heartless, even if I think perhaps you are buying in to animal exploitation needlessly ... but i am happy to try to gently show you why you don't need to buy into it ... I hope you understand ...

I guess this forum is not the place for a debate on these issues. But i just wanted to sort of clarify where I'm coming from. You may find a blog we've mentioned here a few times interesting around these concerns: The Vegan Strategist. He explains it perfectly.

What I meant by I don't think the planet has time for re-enculturation, I have in mind how not all that long ago slavery was normal, women not having the vote was normal, Indigenous Australian children being stolen from their families was normal, homosexuality being classed as both a crime and a mental illness was normal .... my dream is for humanity to look back on animal slavery and exploitation as something as abhorrent as the above issues.

I know this will not happen in my lifetime, but I believe it is one of the major causes of the destruction of the planet.

Thanks again Unbeliever, for those wonderful recommendations, I for one really appreciate it.

🌻birdy

[Unbeliever]

Birdy... I do hear you, I even agree.

But I have tried the "gentle method".

I have tried the "lead by example/ be the world you want to be" method.

I have tried the "logic" method.

I have tried the "point them towards the information and let them decide for themselves" method.

I have tried the "spread the word as loudly as possible on all the social media platforms possible until the seed finally spreads" method.

I have even tried the "it is actually blatantly and obviously in your own best self-interest and of your own children that you claim to love" method.

I've tried the "be patient for decades and people will eventually work it out themselves on their own because they can't possibly be that stupid" method.

I have tried the "just be responsible for yourself and let everybody do their own thing/ take all the sacrifices onto myself to try hopelessly to make up for 7.6 billion other people making things worse but even if you sacrifice everything it wont make a 0.00000000001% difference if other people don't do it as well" method.

.... honestly, I'm running out of "reasonable" methods.

[Peppermintbach]

Hi ChrissyStar and all,

Unbeliever: Thanks for reminding me about The War on Waste 🙂 I have heard of it and have been meaning to watch it but just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Thanks again for the reminder. Some of my offline friends have been raving about it.

I also appreciate your list of recommended documentaries. Some of them I have seen before and others I’ve yet to watch. Like birdy, I’ve a long list too. One of the standouts (of the ones I’ve seen at least) is Blackfish, which broke my heart...

birdy: Yes, that’s the Ellen song I mean 🙂 She does seem like a very kind hearted person and is a positive example in many ways.

I feel it’s sad that the fight to end live exports is still continuing. I feel it’s cruel thay 58k sheep were sent on a live export ship.

Also, I really appreciated your recent reply to Unbeliever (waves to UB). Then again, I’m probably biased because a lot of the views you expressed align with my own 😉

Love and light to all.

Pepper xoxo

[Peppermintbach]

Hi Chrissystar and all,

birdy and Unbeliever: I just wanted to share a stray thought with both of you...

I was wondering why I enjoyed talking to both of you (regardless of whether we agreed, disagreed or had mixed feelings about a topic or issue), and it just occurred to me today that it’s because I feel free to define my own narrative when I speak to either (or both of you).

I don’t feel this freedom with many people...I constantly feel like I’m walking on eggshells with a lot of people. For the most part, I opt to tread with a degree of tact and diplomacy, etc, which is fine and has it’s place...but it’s also very, very exhausting at times...

Anyway, I suppose this is my way of saying a small thank you to both of you.

So...thank you

Pepper xoxo