Eco Lesbo Vego

So what did we talk about this week? What has been happening in the world?

Eco Lesbo Vego

We discussed:

• The impact of meat consumption on the environment, and actions you can take to reduce this impact.
• The most eco-friendly forms of transportation – including the introduction of my Transport pyramid – and strategies on how to reduce boredom on the bus.
• Freecycle – what it is, how to use it and why it (and other groups like it) are super cool.
• Tips on recycling outside of the kitchen, including some obscure recycling ideas.

I also posted a vegan recipe – Stuffed Capsicums. Try to incorporate this meal into your menu this week – go meat-free for a meal, the day, or for good! Eat some plants and save the world.

Environmental News from Australia and Around the World

The invention of the world’s smallest fuel cell – just 3mm across – will allow the production of smaller devices. This reduction in size will have a flow-on effect – fewer resources used. The way the hydrogen battery runs also uses fewer fossil fuels. Yay for scientific innovation!

St Mary’s, a Brisbane-based Catholic church, faces possible excommunication due to the progressive nature of the parish. St Mary’s is home to all the ‘outcasts’ of the Catholic church and society in general, including gay people, divorced folks, hippies, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people suffering from mental illness, disabled people and people questioning their spirituality. In addition to more typical Catholic services, St Mary’s is host to a community orchard, several meditation groups, the Brisbane Gay and Lesbian Pride Choir and various other activities related to social justice, including environmental activism.

One Water, a bottled water company, has recently extended an ethical charity campaign to Australia. Essentially, for every bottle of water sold, ten cents (the entire profit margin per bottle, apparently) will go to providing clean water for people in Africa. Larger bottled water companies are skeptical, and unlikely to jump on the bandwagon. One Water supporters are derisive of similar attempts by rival water company Volvic, who also donated millions, but spent even more on their advertising campaign. Personally, I don’t think One Water are the people to talk – rather than spending money buying water unnecessarily to ensure funds are donated to the needy, why not just become a non-profit that encourages people to donate in the first place? We all have access to mains water here in the first world, so we don’t need to buy water. Donating directly would mean more money gets to the place that really needs it, and plastic is not produced unnecessarily (to say nothing of the fuel required to transport the bottled water). I agree with Bottled Water Alliance founder though – if you must buy bottled water for some reason, then at least this one is making a positive impact in people’s lives.

The storage of renewable energy may soon occur in your fridge, thanks to a new invention by the CSIRO. Essentially, the device invented by the CSIRO directs the fridges to turn on when the sun is shining (solar energy is being collected) and off when the clouds come over. The solar energy is thus stored as thermal energy (cold). The system is apparently ‘foolproof’ and won’t lead to food spoilage. Don’t get too excited with the people at CSIRO though – these guys reckon you should eat 14 serves of meat each week (lunch and dinner every day). I guess you win some and you lose some.

China plans to increase coal production by 30 percent by 2015, in a bid to meet their energy requirements. Chinese officials maintain that coal is the most plentiful and cheapest source of energy, despite the fact that the sun is shining freely all day long, and I’m sure there’s plenty of wind sweeping ‘cross the plains of the Gobi Desert. Too bad for the world. Sorry for the cynicism but this just seems incredibly self-serving and short-sighted to me. Seriously dudes, get with the program. An extra nasty kick in the pants is the fact that Australia provides a decent amount of China’s coal so we partially have ourselves to blame.

Of course, there’s lots of other news, but that’s all I have time for today! Did I miss anything particularly important? Leave a comment and let me know.