I really do appreciate the way you feel about the environment, but I really don't appreciate the way you feel as though you have a right to judge me. Feel free to add your two cents to any discussion on this forum but please stop directly targeting me and calling me out on my choices. I stand by my assertions and still feel as though I make the right choice for my situation. I've been able to provide suitable justifications which stand up as well as yours to scrutiny, whether you believe that to be true or not.
You obviously like to feel as though your extremely knowledgeable so I'll give you a bit more. Hay is not common in Orkney and is actually at such a premium that people would be shocked to learn I used it as bedding rather than valuable animal feed. Straw is also not easy to come by. As for it being non re-new able, again, I'll just give you a bit more information so your better informed next time you want to be insultingly judgemental; My land is basically sand, I have sand pits where I take my sand from, I then use this sand back on my land when i'm done with it. But even if it was direct from the beach, its not being taken from the planet, turned into something else, it's still sand.
I also work as a horticulturalist and know all about organic matter, what you are talking about within sand is not the same as what I am talking about in organic substrates. As for comparing clay with sand, I'm glad that gave you a laugh, but I didn't mean they were similar substances, however, if you had ever used sand in a chicken coop you would realise that the sand allows the poop to clump and be easily scooped up, as is the same with cat litter.
Now, if you don't mind I would really rather not have anymore direct insult from you. I'm sure you mean well, etc. etc. but, whether you like it or not, people are entitled to employ different practices and just because you think your right, doesn't make me wrong. I am happy with my choices and I feel they are informed.
Edited to say: I apologise for being partially responsible for lowering the tone of what should be an innocuous and informative thread. I shouldn't let myself get defensive because then you lose objectivity. I'm going to leave my previous posts up but I'll leave the subject from here on.