Ngā Hua te Taiao: Good news stories (and more) for the planet

Kia ora, Salient reader! Welcome to our fortnightly column on the environment, sustainable living, and the small, stubborn act of hope amongst a world on fire! Check in every second week for waste-free recipes, genuinely good news, and practical ways to lend a hand—nudging a happier, healthier earth a little closer into view.

Waste-free recipe of the week

Make your own Muesli bars!

It's no secret that a good muesli bar is one of the few unrivaled snacks. Whether it's for getting you through that unseemly 4 p.m. lecture, or powering you up the hill on your Sunday stroll, you just can't beat the delicious energy hit of those sweet oats, fruit. and nuts. But, oh the wrapper! Each bar with its own plastic shell; destined for landfill at best, ocean at worst. Let’s learn how to make our own—without all that hassle! 

There are two core components to a good muesli bar:

The bulk: This is where you put nuts (I like to dice mine into smaller pieces), your oats, and any dried fruit you may like to add. As long as you have enough oats for structural integrity, you can't go wrong. Go wild! 

The glue: I find that a mixture of honey (quite a lot) and peanut butter (a little bit more) with a dollop of coconut oil, heated gently together in a small pot will do just the trick.

• Mix your bulk and your glue (and a dash of salt for flavour) together in a bowl

• Transfer mixture into a baking paper lined baking tray and firmly press flat

• Refrigerate until hardened

• Slice into bars (or triangles if you’re feeling crazy!) 

And that's it. Welcome to your new favourite snack…

Poem

taking the compost out

hold in warm hands worn smooth

silver slivers of

onion skins and

orange peels

their lacy membranes

thin and thread-like.

wear the oversized red bands

up the garden path

trailing tea bag labels and

silverbeet cuttings

across moss and lichen 

covered bricks

through the overgrown vege garden.

lift chin to the sky and—

exhale

still air

still here

fragrant fumes

rotten apple cores and 

dank mushrooms 

soft like

kawakawa leaves, riverstone, unearthed bone

can you feel the soil rising 

rising

rising

to collect its offerings?

Finding creativity and inspiration within nature – a reflection 

This week we have spontaneously fallen upon a creative theme, so I am embracing it! Like waves falling upon the beach and leaves falling from deciduous trees in the autumn, we humans fall to creativity as regularly as the natural world follows its rhythms. At this point in the semester, when your classes reach a crunch point, it can be really easy to fall into tunnel vision. Even just in the few seconds you spend reading this, stop to see the creativity within this world. The creativity on this page. The creativity at the University. The creativity in your courses. Notice the first few daffodils sprouting up as spring creeps up to us. See the patterns that the rain drips in the puddles at the bus stop. I am aware these are all very general, la-de-da concepts, but sometimes it can be good to come back to the la-de-da. Take a step back and reflect on where you find creativity and inspiration. How do you connect to your classes? To your surroundings? Maybe that is enough questions. Thank you for joining in on some whimsy today.