A portable heating device for Earth Guardians

Many years ago when I was attending boy scouts, the leader of the troop organised an Aboriginal man from the Fisheries and Wildlife department to come in to speak with us. He spoke of many things but two things he said resonated and started many of his audience along the road of understanding.

The first was about camp fires and cooking. The fascination with fire is strong in young boys, and having a blazing campfire which could double as a signal fire in case of invaders was deemed to be part of our right of passage. Until our visitor said: "You white fellas build a big fire and sit way back. We black fellas build a small fire and sit closer. Next day we have firewood left over to burn."

He was introducing us to sustainability, teaching us how to live WITH our environment, not just in it.

These are concepts many Australians have understood for centuries – that we cannot keep taking without expecting an adverse effect. Today we are having a resurgence of understanding, brought on by a greater knowledge of how we are having such an enormous impact on the world in which we live.

Unfortunately it is sometimes difficult to "maintain the rage". A recent article in The Guardian by Michael Pollen encourages us to not give in and tells us that even small change can help. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/06/ethicalliving.food). Pollen rightly states that the little changes we can make to our own lives DO make a difference.

Recently we had a visitor to our house who asked if we got cold without any heating. I explained that we have portable heating devices which enable us to maintain a constant temperature wherever we are in the house. They are cheap, effective, renewable and made from all natural products. We can regulate them so that if we get hot or cold, a simple movement will change the thermostat. The visitor looked at me quizzically and then I let him in on our secret – a jumper.

Instead of heating our entire house we tend to heat that which is telling us we are cold – our body. It is only a little thing but if every person turned off their heaters and put on their jumpers, imagine what a difference that would make.

And that brings me the second bit of our Fisheries and Wildlife talk. Our visitor explained that we are just passing through this world and we have a responsibility. We do not own the land. We do not have a right of possession. We are is guardians of our world, protecting it and nurturing it for our children and our children’s children. We are Earth Guardians.

My family and I now live in our SALA home, and when we sit down at night after dinner, our house glows to a warmth generated by a single highly efficient T5 fluorescent light and a family with woollen jumpers.