On Friday, Feb. 6, New Zealand celebrated a national public holiday called Waitangi Day.  Waitangi Day marks the accord between the English settlers and the native Maori people signed in 1840.  According the Wikipedia article on the subject , “the Treaty made New Zealand a part of the British Empire and guaranteed Maori rights to their land and gave Māori the rights of British citizens”.

Waitangi Day in Christchurch was celebrated in Hagley Park with a free concert by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra complete with fireworks.  The concert started around 8:00PM, so Monique and I decided to check it out (Rus had to work at 4:00AM the next day, so he decided to sit this one out).  It was cold and windy; we were bundled up in jeans and sweatshirts.  The park is a five-minute walk away, and we could already hear the concert from the moment we walked outside. When we got there, there were about 15,000 people of all ages; they brought chairs and blankets and plenty of their own beverages.  The drinking age is 18 here, and I am still not used to seeing drunk teenagers walking around with open beer containers (even adults doing this in America would be violating the law).  We stayed for a few songs, but we got cold and decided to go to one of our favourite watering holes around the corner, a place called Dux de Lux, which brews its own beer and has an awesome old brick patio (and lots of outdoor radiant heaters!).  We sat outside under a heater, had a glass of wine, then headed back to the concert - just in time for the finale!

Here is the video of the Waitangi Day fireworks finale, set to the William Tell Overature performed by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.  Enjoy!

No, I am not talking about being a rabid fan of the Philadelphia Eagles (although I am a fan!).  I am talking about my continued growth in reducing my dependence on fossil fuels.

A not-so-brief history…

In early 2007, I stumbled upon several websites like Life After the Oil Crash, The Energy Bulletin, and The Oil Drum, that showed me that the age of cheap, abundant fossil fuels was coming to an end.  Combined with imminent (at the time, now reality) financial collapse and climate change, it was going to be an interesting ride!  After freaking out a bit, Rus and I came to a couple of conclusions.  One, the rest of our lives are going to be very different than what we have previously known.   Basically, a car-dependent society, big box stores, large-scale globalization, disposables, cheap electricity, and mass food production (enabled by fertilisers, pesticides, farm equipment, and shipping and distribution - all using incredible amounts of fossil fuels) are unsustainable and cannot conceivably continue.  Two, it would be a lot less stressful (and even enjoyable!) to start adapting immediately, gradually, and voluntarily as opposed to experiencing potentially violent disruptions in “business as usual”.  This meant (among other things) rethinking how we transported ourselves, where we got our food (most food is trucked an average of 1500 miles from farm to refridgerator), researching the companies we patronised and products we purchased, getting to know our neighbors, and conserving water and electricity.

We started small: using reusable bags, bundling errands into one car trip every week or every other week, halting most unnecessary purchases and buying locally, and walking and biking as much as possible.  Fortunately, the town of Macungie is fairly walkable, so we were able to get most of what we needed within a short walking distance.  In addition, we shifted our toiletries to ones made with environmentally-sustainable materials and cut back on disposables.  We were already conscious about trash and recycling and had a low trash to recycling ratio as it was, but we made an effort to reduce this even further.  Leftover water was poured on the house plants (thanks for the tip, Mom!).  Some of these were harder than others; there are not many local shops left since Walmart and the other big box stores rolled into the area.  The selection is often limited at the ones that still exist, and “buying American” is nearly impossible.  Also, Macungie, PA is not exactly bike-friendly.  There are no bike lanes and often very little shoulder on which to ride.  These were challenges to overcome.

The following Spring, we graduated into planting and harvesting our own garden.  We grew spring greens, peas, carrots, green beans, plum tomatoes, and zucchini. The first three were lessons learned (mostly, better garden planning), which we figured was much easier when you are not actually betting your livelihood on the success of your garden. The last three turned out to be our star crops; I learned to blanch and freeze several quarts of tomatoes, as well as get creative with cooking zucchini!  We traded green beans and tomatoes for peppers and cucumbers with the neighbors.  I loved going out every day or every other day to see “what was for dinner” in the garden.  To supplement, we bought the rest of our produce, meat, eggs, honey, and cheese from the fabulous local farmers’ markets in Emmaus and Macungie.  We saved our used egg cartons and gave them to the “egg man”.  Seeing familiar faces and getting to know the people who grew our food was awesome.  Rus and I love great food, and we love to cook, so cooking and eating fresh, local food was as good for our peace of mind (in knowing where it came from, that it was not genetically modified, that it was organically produced) as it was for our bellies!  Rus started to work from home, and we reduced the “fleet” to two cars, since we hardly drove any of them any way.  We shifted to biodegradable laundry and cleaning products.

We also made adjustments in our electricity use.  As most of the electricity in the United States is generated by coal, oil, and natural gas, and as these continue to diminish, electricity is going to become increasingly expensive.  This doesn’t include the cost to the environment; everyone (except the Coal Industry, apparently) knows there is no such thing as “clean coal”.  The aging grid desperately needs to be overhauled to generate power with alternative energy sources like wind and solar - a monumental task which will cost big bucks and take many years (decades?) to complete - and won’t have nearly the same output as fossil fuels. Presently, the best thing would be a mass conservation effort (perhaps the U.S. can take a page from New Zealand’s book and run some Public Service Announcements?), since it will be absolutely necessary to bridge the gap between demand and reduced output from alternative sources.  But I digress…

Anyway, our house was completely electric - cooking, heating, cooling, etc. - so we made adjustments to our electricity use.  We kept the thermostat low in the winter, and high in the summer (only turned the air conditioning on twice in August!), turned down the hot water heater temperature to 106F, ran the dishwasher full and the washing machine with cold water. Our efforts paid off; we had fantastically low utility bills to show for them!  We thought most of these adaptations were simple to make and good common sense; however, our neighbor across the street, who left all of her lights on all day, every day, showed us there was room for improvement at the macro level.

We put off adding solar panels, a laundry line, and LED lights to the house because we were moving.  I think LED lights are the way to go (CFLs save some energy, but they are extremely hazardous to dispose because they contain toxic mercury).  They currently cost a lot more, but they use a fraction of the energy of a CFL, are non-toxic, and last for up to sixty years.  We plan on using these exclusively in a future dwelling.

On the whole, I think our transition to a fossil-fuel-free existence has been successful thus far, although we have a long way to go.  It has caused us to be a lot more conscious about what we eat, what and how we purchase, and our individual impact on the environment and community.  We, of course, hope to continue this journey in New Zealand, the specifics of which I will discuss in a future post.

Stay tuned for Part Two!

Like some of the other countries I have visited, and unlike the United States, I find that New Zealand does not sugar-coat the uglier parts of reality.  For example, there are actual photos of mouth, throat, and lung cancers on all packages of cigarettes and tobacco. And images of war and disease and injury are shown in the press.  The goal is to keep the public informed.

Along these same lines,  there are public service announcements (PSAs) nearly every television commercial break.  This is in sharp contrast to the advertisements pushing pharmaceuticals, banks, cars, sales, food, etc. on American television.  I am not sure if New Zealand simply does not have enough advertising companies or if they just prefer education over rampant consumerism.  *Just to be clear, I am not saying the United States does not have PSAs, and that New Zealand refrains from anything but PSAs during commercial breaks, since neither are true.  My observation is that there are many more PSAs (often back-to-back) and much less emphasis on consumer products in New Zealand.

A couple of the PSAs I have noticed (I’ve tried to add the actual video where available) :

1. “It’s not the drinking, it’s how we’re drinking” There are two PSAs I have seen revolving around this issue.  Kiwis love to party, and both of these ads show people drinking from the afternoon long into the night, doing things that harm themselves and others (fights, etc.), and feeling bad about it later on.
   
2. There is one promoting sunglasses use by kids, why it is important, and where you can take your kids to get them a pair.
3. Similar to #2, there are a few PSAa advocating the importance of making sure kids wear sunscreen.  It depicts a little girl getting badly burned by the sun while outside playing, and then fast-forwards to her life in her 50s when she has skin cancer.  There is another called “slip, slop, slap” in reference to applying sunscreen for both kids and adults.
4. There is one advocating breastfeeding is the best way to feed an infant.
5. I have seen two about the dangers of speeding:
   
   
6. There are several about water conservation; using a bucket to wash your car; only pouring biodegradable liquids down the drain; conserving water now for generations later.
7. There is one about putting smoke alarms in your house: “Not having working smoke alarms in your house is just plain stupid”.
8. There are two campaigning for people to learn how to swim (drowning is one of the largest causes of preventable death).
9. There is one that promotes milk or water instead of sugary beverages for kids:
   

These are the ones I have noticed, and I haven’t watched much TV.  I am guessing there are many more I have missed.  The bottom line is, production value aside, the message is good.  If people are going to watch TV, they might as well learn a thing or two, right?

Today was one of those awesome days that suddenly makes you allergic to waiting in line, paying full price, eating what is on the menu, etc.  Today, Rus and I went V.I.P. wine tasting with our flatmate, Christian.  Christian, 25, has studied viticulture in Vienna in his home country, Austria.  He works as a server at Saggio di Vino, which is arguably one of the best restaurants in Christchurch - just around the corner from our house.  An aspiring vintner and sommelier, he spends his free time rubbing elbows and tasting wines with the world’s finest. So when he said he was going wine tasting, we were happy to invite ourselves to tag along :)

Christian called ahead to the Pegasus Bay vineyard in Waipara, about 50km (30 miles) north of Christchurch, to schedule a tasting.  The drive out to Waipara was emblematic of the scenic beauty we see in New Zealand.  Within a blink of an eye of leaving the city limits, we were treated with a vast rural flat landscapes stretching on to dramatic hills covered in tall, dry grasses…and sheep.  We saw more sheep, alpaca, deer, and cows than we could dream of counting - all happily chomping away in the chilly summer air (Rus thought aloud that he’d like to mountain bike down one of those awesome hills; I just wondered what it would look like from up there.  Okay, mountain biking down one sounds fun too!).

Pegasus Bay is unassuming; the sign marking its place could easily be confused with one advertising a small farmer’s roadside vegetable stand.  A short drive down the unpaved road, and we were greeted with a lovely old home surrounded by lush gardens and well-appointed hardscape.  Christian told us that Pegasus Bay winery, one of Waipara’s largest commercial ones, started with the owner simply wanting to put his three lazy children to work; one was responsible for reds, one for whites, and one for the on-site restaurant.  The building itself has lots of character: hardwood floors, stained glass windows, and decorative trim that is hard to find nowadays.  Once inside, we were greeted warmly by our hostess, a German expatriot, who vacationed in New Zealand frequently before deciding to move here permanently 19 years ago.

We tasted eight different wines, starting with the wine that boosted New Zealand wines onto the world stage - Sauvignon Blanc.  After that came a beautiful Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend, Dry Reisling, Sweet Reisling, and Chardonnay.  Then came the reds - Pinot Noir, Merlot/Cabernet blend, and one that was apparently so good, I can’t remember! (wink)

All of that wine-tasting worked up an appetite, and we opted for a fabulous lunch of caprese salad, ciabatta and olive oil, and a glorious seafood chowder in the winery’s restaurant.  The food was excellent, and this was the first time since we arrived in New Zealand that I ate buffalo mozzarella (as you may already know, I consider fresh mozzarella a food group!).  Once finished, we were allowed a very brief tour of the fermentation warehouse, and then it was off to Winery #2 (evidently, Christian had us on a tight schedule).

Another drive literally over the river and through the woods (and in and out of arguably the smallest town I’ve ever seen), a near-missed left hand turn and screeching brakes, and we arrived at Pyramid Valley Vineyards.  Hidden off a lonely (self-named) road less traveled, this obscure vineyard - barely distinguishable by the half-barrel sign that read “Pyramid Valley Vineyards, Open By Appointment Only” - looked more like a antique shop than a winery worthy of Christian’s discriminating acclaim.  Alas, appearances can be deceiving, as we were greeted by the vintner himself, Mr. Mike Weersing.

Mike looks to be in his early-40s, with bright blue eyes and an already-white head of closely cropped hair.  Dressed in cargo shorts and a plaid button-down covered with a heavy wool sweater (yay Summer!),  he immediately suggested we jump in the truck and go see the vines.  You can see a video of Mike describing his land here. Pyramid Valley is interesting; Mike grows Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on site, and leases vines of different varieties in Marlborough, New Zealand’s largest wine-making region (have no fear, dear readers, Rus and I will definitely be visiting this part of the country soon!).  He drove us to the top of one of those magnificent hills I had wondered just moments ago what it would be like to look out from.  It was cold, barely breaking 60F, and my 2″ sandals were no match for the foot-tall grasses.  Mike was telling us about how he chose the spot to start his vineyard, the composition of the soil, about the weather, the birds, etc. - all very interesting!  The brisk wind, however, kept his lesson from atop the hill short; we got back in the truck and drove back down the hill to the small tasting room.

We tasted several lovely wines (mostly whites), but for me the most memorable part of the afternoon was listening to Mike.  I have gone wine-tasting before and learned a lot about how it tastes, what food it should be paired with, etc.  On the other hand, it is a truly rare opportunity indeed to experience any product with its producer, while surveying the beautiful land on which its grown, and listening to him describe how and why it was made the way it was made.  Pyramid Valley Vineyards clearly has a lot of passion and a lot of love there - for wine, for nature, for New Zealand.  I found the day exhilirating and soul-quenching in a way that is hard to put into words.

After this special adventure, it is surely going to make all other wine-tasting pale in comparison.

*A special thanks to Christian Esser for allowing us to share this wonderful experience with him (and for driving)!