On TV, Radio in the last few days have been talk about Plastic use in New Zealand how can we make solutions to the environmental issue of it...

For a while it's been off and on talks about Housing needs with money been given out yesterday and in the last month or so to our Pacific partners many people are voicing their concerns about the problems right at home.

Everyone has a solution we don't normally listen to news on the tv or the radio but someone played with the radio and put it on a talk back show, which has been some great debates, but for both problems I think there are a few easy solutions that many are not saying which people do know about - My concern is have they been laughed at too much, or been shut out of society that they have given up voicing their knowledge on deaf ears....

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There are solutions so why don't we start fixing than continuously talking!

Plastic Solutions

Hemp

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"Hemp is the first necessity to the wealth & protection of the country" ~ Thomas Jefferson
"Make the most of Indian hemp seed, and sow it everywhere" ~ George Washington
Then God said "Behold , I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you" ~ GENESIS 1:29

Quotes can be found on this site

If those three quotes still don't have you convince Hemp was actually used before nylon, polyester, it was even used on Black Beards boat in the form of Hemp rope for the sails,

From Hemp for Victory Long ago when these ancient Grecian temples were new, hemp was already old in the service of mankind. For thousands of years, even then, this plant had been grown for cordage and cloth in China and elsewhere in the East. For centuries prior to about 1850 all the ships that sailed the western seas were rigged with hempen rope and sails.

For the sailor, no less than the hangman, hemp was indispensable. Continue for more information to Hemp for Victory

Everyone is trying to come up with a solution for all of our out of control devastation to the earth, but the answer has always been here along, Hemp can replace everything that is made from plastic, can also be used as hemp crate to make homes, as fabric for bags, blankets, curtains, clothing etc, build and fuel cars, food yes we can eat it also, natural products we use every day such as soap, shampoo etc. The list goes on and on......Here's a little more it just doesn't replace a whole lot of products, it also doesn't need much water to grow plus could also help in places that have radiation spills to clean the dirt/soil in places like Fukushima.

With New Zealand's logo Clean and Green we are far from it, so wouldn't it be logic to use a plant like Hemp that would support the logo of Clean and Green be more on the track of that vision than we are now?

A lot what people are focusing on is packaging like people should bring their own bags to supermarkets or to stores -
If we are using polyester or nylon bags we aren't helping the solution any further than using plastic bags are we, due to the chemicals use to break these products down to be usable.

One guy emailed the talk back radio show, saying that the supermarkets have found cockroaches in the bags people bring in, and the state of them are not clean that they will cause more illnesses.
Also he stated as some people where talking about meat packaging that the government has strick guide lines on meats touching each other that the packaging we use now are made for those guide lines.
My Response - With that in country's over in Europe and around the world they don't use as much plastic like little old New Zealand does, they also wrap there meat in paper when purchased from the butcher, has New Zealand tried to mainstream things to much to make things quick for everyone that we over use plastic and resources.
Do we need to go back to basics like making hot fresh bread, buying meat over the counter than from the fridge or should we go one further and stop using the middle men and go straight to the farmers which some are at farmers markets or online that can be ordered and delivered to your door.

Were does the issue lie is it with the company's not using responsible packaging or is it the consumers buying and supporting products and company's that are not having any regard for the environment or our health.
80% of products on the supermarkets shelf's are harmful to our health so why are they on the shelf for everyone to purchase?

Does this go deeper to the government as aren't they meant to be regulating this aren't they meant to be here for the people not the company's or is it the consumers fault for not looking at the ingredients, or educating ourselfs on making things homemade, and buying from people or company's that are here for the health of the people?

Plantbased

There are already company's using plant based products to make bottles, but they don't say which plant's they use to make their bottles, maybe there should be a guide line that needs to be added.

Housing Needs

In New Zealand there is so much land availability, there are a few issues

House prices have been pushed up so high that young people can't afford to buy a house, with many Kiwi's they will never own a home in New Zealand.
The quality of homes how they are made they aren't made to last, many are having to be rebuilt after ten years. Which is being put down to not enough quality tradesmen or faulty wood.

There is some farmers selling acres of land, why don't the government, Iwi's, community's, co-op's or anyone that could afford to do this buy a few or one of these land parcels and work with Kiwi's that are in need or wanting to work together and help build homes that are low cost out of Hemp crate or Abode homes that are made from dirt from the land, placed in bags then wrapped with barb wire to hold them then lime or concrete to hold, these take 1 - 4 days to build depending on how big the home is.
If people could pay off each week an affordable amount, and was adobe to be in the design process and were to help build also we're the homes were for many generations, not just for now, like when the teens want their space they have a unit, then the parents could switch from the family home to the unit when the kids starting having their own family that family stayed together and the pieces were there for those growing movements.
Would people gain more knowledge to help others to do the same and lessen the housing needs, and financial strains that are put on people?

You may want to check out these Youtube videos to get an idea of what can be done, there is so many other ways also...

Rant over, now to move on to the long list of posts that we have to do.....
It's fine if you don't agree, still please we would like to hear your point of view, as it may of been something we over-sighted so lets the solutions continue.....