Posts filed under ‘Newsflash’
Eco Sex Ed
I read about issues outside of concerns for the environment (I know, gasp!), and one of the things I’ve been reading about lately is the efficacy of school sex ed programs. Mr Teeny-bop is right around the age where, although he’s so young it scares me, you gotta seriously think about it. Australia is pretty open-minded about sex (legal age is 16, the kids start learning about condoms and stuff in primary school). In America, however, lots of places rely on abstinence-until-marriage type of advice, which is about as effective as paper parasol in a monsoon. Yeah, I just made that analogy (metaphor?) up.
There’s been some discussion recently, on some blogs I read, about moving towards an abstinence-until-ready style message instead, which is in keeping with growing acceptance of de facto families. (Read Alex DiBranco’s post, Could Abstinence-Until-Ready Programs Work? for more detail.) Adding to the confusion is the way the messages can be interpreted for different cultural groups. For example, Whitney Teal’s post on Abstinence Education, Minority Teens and Religion on the Women’s Rights blog indicates that even in areas where safe sex (condoms, birth control pill etc) is advocated, there is still reasonably high numbers of teen pregnancies among Black and Hispanic populations, likely due to the higher importance these groups (typically) place on religion. Safe sex is pre-meditated sex (you have to plan to get a condom or the pill), which means you willfully had sex outside of marriage, and didn’t just get caught up in the heat of the moment. The latter is considered more acceptable.
So when I saw this post on Endangered Species condoms on ecorazzi, it occurred to me that the environment might just be the one thing that crosses cultural, religious and socio-economic divides. I wonder if anyone has thought about using eco-consciousness as a motivator for safe sex?
The crux of the argument is that condoms reduce unplanned pregnancy, which in turn reduces overpopulation. I talked more about why overpopulation is bad here, but the Centre for Biological Diversity in Tucson, Arizona is specifically making a point about how overpopulation is affecting plants and animals, particularly endangered species. Think of the images of the polar bears on shrinking ice caps and all the stories we’ve heard lately of the demise of wild tigers. Think of the orangutans in Indonesia, dying as their forests are cleared to plant palm trees for palm oil. All of these animals, and many more, are dying due to human influence – influence that would be dramatically reduced if we simply had fewer people living on the Earth.
So their solution is to start their own little safe sex ed campaign, complete with pretty pictures and the opportunity to win a lifetime supply of condoms. I think it’s pretty genius.
Artwork promoting the use of condoms to save endangered animals - sponsored by the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson, Arizona.
I also think schools everywhere, but particularly in those places with a lot of cultural and religious resistance to the use of condoms, could jump on the bandwagon. The choice of whether or not to have sex before marriage and how you’ll do that is a personal one, but the choice of whether or not to damage the environment is one that everyone has a stake in. Maybe this could be another tool to help kids who struggle with the idea of pre-meditated sex, to justify making the decision to stay safe.
Or you could do what I do. Lesbianism* is a great form of birth control.
*There are condoms and dams same-sex couples can and should use too; there are other reasons to have safe sex outside of preventing pregnancy. You know it, I know it, but I gotta say it…
Newsflash: UK Goes Electric
Awesome news! Treehugger has announced that the UK government is funding new Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations across the country. This is a fantastic step forward! I hope we get these in Australia soon, but of course the Europeans are first.
The UK government are funding EV charging stations around the country.
It makes so much sense to introduce EV charging stations in this way. Electric cars rock – check out my review of the movie ‘Who Killed the Electric Car‘ to find out more about why they’re superior to cars powered by other fuels (including biofuel). However, I’m wary about getting one because I wouldn’t be able to travel too far – there’d be nowhere to charge it except my own house. Considering how large Australia is and the kinds of distances you have to travel if you want to go somewhere, charging stations are important.
As the Treehugger article says, it’s kind of like the chicken and the egg – which comes first? People want to buy electric cars, but won’t because there’s nowhere to charge them. Conversely, no-one will build charging stations because no-one owns electric cars. But no-one will buy electric cars because there are no charging stations. No-one will build… yeah, I think you get my point. The only way around this is for the government to step up and fund either or both of these options, to sort of kick start the industry. Kudos to the UK government for figuring that out and taking that big step forward.
Sometimes I think it would be cool to live in Europe and benefit from all these cool kinds of laws and politics. Then I remember how cold it is… nah. I like living in a place where, when it’s not even summer yet, there’s more of my skin exposed than covered. Sunshiny warm goodness. Perfect for the solar energy I would buy to charge my electric car with. If I had one.
The Angry Mermaid
Check out this video (all the action is visual, so there’s no language barrier).
Go to Sustainablog to learn more about The Angry Mermaid awards!
In Vitro Meat
In Vitro Meat (IVM): bring it on.
Check out this article from H+ magazine (ok, number 6 is gross and sensationalist, but otherwise…).
It’s cheaper, healthier, better for the animals, better for the planet… I think we should go for it. I also think governments of nations highly dependent on agriculture (like Australia) need to start diversifying, stat. Build an IVM factory, start farming hemp, build some solar or wind farms, something… cos those huge cattle stations are going to dry up with the drought.
Yikes. Creepy but cool.
Audi Ad Ticks Greenies Off
Check out this Audi ad for their new diesel-powered car (thanks to ecorazzi for posting and bringing this to my attention!).
30% fewer emissions than what… a bike? The bus? The vege oil car? Even the annoying guy on the footpath? (He really shouldn’t be riding there, and I would get serious pedestrian rage if he was telling me to get out of the way, but that’s beside the point.)
The point? I don’t think the new Audi has 30% fewer emissions than any of those. Maybe it has 30% fewer emissions than a regular petrol car.
Audi, is your target audience the greenies, or just the light-green greenies who wanna look like they’re doing the right thing without having to actually go to any effort?* Or maybe it’s the people who are sick of paying huge petrol prices. What are you really going for?
Cos I think you just pissed a lot of people off.
*I probably just pissed a bunch of people off too, cos that was pretty cynical. Oops, I’m sick, my brain-mouth/typing fingers filter is gone.
350.org meet-ups
I didn’t get to go to the 350.org meet-ups a couple of weeks ago. 
I wanted to go to one in West End, but the website didn’t say which park it was in, and I couldn’t say for sure that I’d be able to make it. I didn’t want to RSVP and then not go, cos that would mess up the numbers. There was going to be drumming and singing and frisbee throwing.
It sounded like fun, and I like going to those kinds of things and not being a hypocrite who whinges about the environment but doesn’t do anything about it. Looking at all the pictures on the Flickr account made me wish I had gone soooooo much!
Best I could do was look at their Facebook page, though.
A fabulous picture from the Great Barrier Reef on 350.org's global day of action.
Did anyone else get to go to their 350.org meet-up? What happened? What was it like, being part of something so global, and yet so totally local?
#duststorm
Was the dust storm yesterday caused by climate change? It wouldn’t have happened if not for the drought in South Australia (that’s where the dirt came from), which is partially caused by humans, so I’m going to say yes. But it could just be crazy Australian weather.
Part of the east coast of Australia, as viewed from a NASA satellite.
Regardless, the dust storm yesterday was pretty mad! I went to work and everything was fine. Then I looked out the window a few hours later and it looked kinda funny. Then we all looked… and watched as it got dimmer and dimmer. Eventually, looking out the big kitchen windows, which I’ve mentioned before would be awesome for a window farm, you couldn’t see anything at all except dust. You couldn’t see the road or across the river, let alone the clear view down the river we normally have. I had to go out to get my co-workers lunch for her cos she’s allergic to dust. Walking across the bridge later that afternoon wasn’t the smartest idea… my lungs didn’t like that… but the view (or non-view) was pretty cool.
I jumped on twitter when I got home and ran a search for #duststorm. It was a great way to keep up with the news and the pictures. Check theses pics out!
If you want to hear about the dust storm in Sydney, check out this blog post and these cool pics.
Satellite pic from NASA.
Newsflash: Avaaz prioritises climate change
I’m a bit of an online activist. As far as environmentalism goes, I keep up with the latest things Get Up!, Avaaz, change.org and The Wilderness Society are doing via email. I’m a bit of a petition signer. Sometimes I write letters and fill in surveys. Occasionally I rally. I never donate because I can’t afford it, unfortunately.
The latest petition from Avaaz is an important one, I think. Avaaz works to help globally in lots of different ways (attempting to overthrow regimes in Iran and Burma, victims of natural disasters, calling for action on climate change and so on). Avaaz is global, so they have a wide reach. The petition is asking whether they should make climate change activism the priority coming up to the UN climate summit in September and the big event in Copenhagen in December. We really need to get world leaders off their arses, so I think the answer has got to be a resounding YES.
Sign Avaaz's 'Tck Tck Tck' petition to call for action on climate change.
Here’s the scripted email Avaaz is encouraging us to send around.
————————–
Hi,
I’ve just signed a petition urging world leaders to support an ambitious, fair, and binding global climate treaty. Please sign the petition here, and the campaigners at Avaaz will deliver it to leaders at key moments in the build up to December’s vital UN climate negotiations in Copenhagen.
Thanks!
———————-
So dudes, go sign.
Newsflash: Bottled Water Sales Fall
Good news on the bottled water front – bottled water sales are on their way down! Check out these articles, from Consumerist and Twilight Earth for more info. I think it’s probably partially due to the recession, but if folks get used to not buying it, then it will be much easier to convince them not to start up again when the money starts flowing once more. Kinda like how even though the drought is over in Brisbane now, everyone still uses water saving devices and I haven’t seen anyone hosing their garden or washing their cars. We all just got used to it.
In case you don’t know why bottled water is bad for the environment, here are the key points:
- More plastic bottles are created (which means more fossil fuels burned), most of which are not recycled.
- Increased fossil fuels are used to transport and refrigerate the water (especially those fancy kinds that come from natural springs in Fiji).
- The water is not as regulated as town water, so it can actually be of poorer quality than what you get out of the tap.
- Five times as much water is used to create a plastic bottle as actually goes inside the bottle once it’s made – talk about waste.
- Increased reliance on bottled water means decreased reliance on free town water; this means less importance will be placed on the upkeep of town water and so it’s quality will decrease.
- We shouldn’t have to pay for water! (Especially when it costs more than petrol).
- You can use a filter on your tap if you really like that ‘pure taste’ (most of which comes from additives in the bottled water) or if you live in an area with water that is of dubious quality (not many places in Australia). I must say, I would use a filter if I was living in an area with bore water, just cos I think it tastes funky.
You can find out more at the Bottled Water Alliance. They have some interesting facts there. I didn’t know, for example, that restaurants are required by law to provide you with tap water if requested (you can’t be forced to buy a bottle if you want some water).
Other folks have already jumped on the bandwagon too – No Impact Man, for example, who has pledged to Break the Bottled Water Habit and uses a glass jar as his water bottle. I’m not really into using a jar (although kudos to him) – the mouth is too wide and I’d spill it down my face, and if I got a narrower one, it would bump my nose. Yes, I’m a bit un-co. My buddy, Dyke Mike, is looking at buying a stainless steel water bottle to use and refill.
In the effort to create less waste and buy less stuff if I already have something I could reuse, I am using glass juice or iced tea bottles (that I had already saved) to contain my water.
Two glass bottles, sitting on a sill...
I am running into a problem with the insides of the metal lids rusting, so if anyone has ideas on how to combat that, let me know. I really need to use some kind of bottle with a lid when I’m out, but also by my bed or out on the verandah, cos I am super clumsy and knock things over. When I’m at work, I just refill my big glass (heavy-bottomed so it doesn’t tip if I bump it!) a lot. More water bubblers around the city and on the bikeway are good too – I have scoped out a few, if I need an emergency water fix whilst out shopping or walking home from work.
I’m definitely all about avoiding the plastic right now, but as a decidedly not-wealthy person, I never liked the idea of paying for what I can get for free! So I know that my purchases aren’t really making an impact on this drop in sales… but I’m glad sales are dropping nonetheless.
Newsflash: Hopenhagen
Later this year, most of the governments from around the world will be meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark for a summit on the environment. They might do the equivalent of a Kyoto Protocol kind of thing – but more stringent, maybe? Average folks want to have some say so – the environmental movement is picking up speed faster than ever. So how to do it?
Leave a message of hope!
(I said Urban homesteading gives me hope. What gives you hope?)
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