Posts tagged ‘environmental news’
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.
Reuse: Meat for Heat
Tesco, a UK grocery chain, is not producing any waste. They’re recycling or reusing any excess stuff they use, don’t sell or otherwise produce. That’s pretty super awesome, especially since they’re not even required to do this by law.
Potentially overshadowing this very cool fact, howerver, is the fact that one way they’re achieving this is by turning meat that is too old to sell into electricity. Apparently enough electricity is produced per year to heat about 600 homes – from about 5000 tonnes of manky meat.
Gross.
Tesco - the UK supermarket that reuses or recycles all waste.
Veg*ns across the UK (and angry sympathisers worldwide) are all up in arms, and I can’t say I totally blame them. It would be pretty nasty to find out that, as a vegan, your good deeds were essentially cancelled out by the fuel used to light and heat your home. Of course, one would hope you’d be purchasing green energy… but who knows how this meat-power is marketed? Technically, some people might call it green – it’s not oil- or coal-based.
I do think it’s good the meat isn’t just going to the dump. That would be worse than using it for electricity, in my opinion. At least it’s getting used – waste is the worst thing. I gotta ask though… why is so much meat being produced (aka, animals being raised, slaughtered and transported in an environmentally unfriendly manner) that there’s such a large amount of leftovers that don’t sell? 5000 tonnes of meat per year is a lot of animals. It’s a lot of pain and suffering for them. It’s a lot of crops used to feed these animals, that could have been used to feed humans. Alternatively, the land used to grow the crops and house the animals could have been left wild. It’s a lot of methane produced. It’s a lot of carbon emitted to transport the animals (both alive and dead). It’s a lot of antibiotics and hormones and offal and waste and pollution and manure. Ew.
I don’t eat meat, but I don’t automatically write off all people who do. I do have a lot more respect for people who eat meat ethically and consciously though; really knowing where their meat comes from and how it got to their plate. Typically these people tend to eat organic meat. Folks who just mindlessly grab the mass-produced stuff off a shelf in the supermarket are not making an informed choice. This ‘meat for heat’ practice is encouraging that – basically suggesting that there’s no impact. There is an impact, a big one, and people ought to be encouraged to think about that.
So good on you Tesco, for going so far with your environmental efforts. I’m not even being sarcastic. However – take it a step further. Ask the energy companies to clearly identify who is buying electricity sourced from meat. Reduce the amount of meat you purchase, since not all of it is selling. Help the environment just that little bit more.
Cos seriously Tesco. Meat as electricty = gross symptom of climate change. Really gross.
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?)
Weekly Round-up #7
What have we been talking about? What’s been happening in the world?
Eco Lesbo Vego
We discussed:
- Remembering to eat green for the planet – avoid the emo cows!
- Handy dandy ways to reuse your tea bags.
- The availabilty of retro Captain Planet episodes on the web-based Mother Nature network!
I also posted a vegan recipe - Lentil and Sunflower Seed Patties. It’s something new, and while it’s not something I’d want to eat all the time, it’s good for a change. Give it a try!
Environmental News from Australia and Around the World
Apparently the reason climate changes is not being taken seriously is because the media coverage is insufficient, says Dr Neil Gavin, from the School of Politics and Communication Studies at the University of Liverpool. Well, I know I’m not the media, but I’m doing my best! Read on!
The desalination plant at Tugan on the Gold Coast, Queensland, started work yesterday at 33% capacity. They say it will hit 100% within a few weeks. This should help if the drought turns around and gets worse again. The plant produces more than 40 million litres of water per day. I do wonder about the impact it has to the off-shore environment in the area.
A NASA satellite that was intended to monitor global warming plunged into the ocean near Antarctica yesterday, without ever entering orbit. You may remember the mention I made some weeks back of a Japanese satellite which was designed for the same purpose. NASA had spent some $280 million and more than four years aiming to do the same thing… with this as the result. There’s an evil part of me that wants to laugh. That part of me is clearly very evil. I actually think NASA is a good idea, I’m all for space exploration and I think encouraging that is a good thing. I don’t know that $280 million on a satellite is how I’d do that though. Maybe I’d spend that money on trying to develop a form of propulsion for spacecraft that didn’t involve rocket fuel. But hey, I’m no rocket scientist, so what do I know?
The Australian government has brought forward access to eligibility guidelines for the federally funded ceiling insulation scheme I spoke about in an earlier Weekly Round-up. Now home owners can check what kind of funding they can get to get the insulation, before the initiation date. This will hopefully avoid a massive backlog come the start-up date of July 01. The PM hopes this will stimulate the economy, decrease unemployment and positively impact the environment by better managing home cooling and heating.
Toyota thinks including blue highlights on their hybrid cars will make them seem cooler and ‘cutting edge’. This will encourage more people to buy them, because people are over being green. Hmm. I don’t know about anyone else, but I think I’d buy a hybrid car because it’s a hybrid car, not because it’s got bits of blue all over it. To each their own though…
Of course, there’s lots of other news. Did I miss anything particularly important? Leave a comment and let me know.
Weekly Round-up #6
What have we been talking about? What’s been happening in the world?
Eco Lesbo Vego
We discussed:
- Reducing your workload to allow you to keep up with your low impact life.
- Using your corporate resources to do business sustainably.
- The exciting news that you don’t need to scrub your recyclables clean before putting them in the recycling bin!
I also posted a vegan recipe – Avocado Dip. It’s made of versatile tastiness win!
Environmental News from Australia and Around the World
The Beijing Olympics improved the environment of the city more than anticipated according to a United Nations (UN) assessment released this week. The assessment of the Beijing Olympics outlines whether the environmental targets set down by the Olympic committee and the city were met or exceeeded. In almost every case, Beijing did better than expected, with fewer cars on the roads, more green spaces, less air pollution and a generally more livable city.
We may someday use solar energy to convert CO2 into fuel – and the technology to achieve this is already available. A team from Pennsylvania State University created the device they hope will reduce the effect of emissions on the global climate. The device is currently producing amounts of fuel that are too low to be practically used, but it’s at least a 20% improvement on the next most efficient version, and the team is already working on improvements. I think the idea is awesome – using renewable energy to create a renewable fuel that doesn’t just avoid creating pollution but actively reduces it? That’s my kind of invention.
The strong greenhouse effect over the Arctic is worsened by melting ice caps – something we always knew. New studies show, however, that it’s not just that the ice reflects heat out of the atmosphere better than sea water. Two other factors are also in play:
- More liquid H2O means a larger surface area from which water vapour (a greenhouse gas) can evaporate
- Water stores solar energy more readily than ice does, later releasing that heat into the lower atmosphere.
These three factors combine to make warming in the Arctic more severe than in other regions. I was surprised to note that the reflectivity of ice, while the most commonly cited reason, is not even the driving force behind Arctic warming.
Mobile phone manufacturers worldwide have agreed to a cross-industry standard that will ensure all mobile phone chargers are the same as of 2012. To make things even better, the new chargers will be more than twice as energy efficient as the current chargers. The universal nature of this charger means that you won’t have to chuck your old one next time you buy a new phone. While I’m sure new phones will still come with a new charger, so you’ll still have just as many as you did before, I’m pretty sure most people won’t throw the old one away, but continue to use it. How many of us were annoyed when Nokia updated its charger style for their new phones? Prior to that, everyone I knew with a Nokia had several identical chargers – one at home, one at work, one at Mum’s place… Now imagine that, for not just all Nokias, but all phones of any brand. How cool will that be? If your old charger dies, it will be much easier to pick up a second-hand one from someone who has an extra, too. I see a lot of Wanted posts on Freecycle for phone chargers. Some folks are all negative about why the telco companies haven’t done this before, but I’m choosing to focus on the positive – it’s awesome that a group of companies have banded together to make this possible, supposedly just for the environment and their customers.
The sharp drop in the price of used materials means that kerbside recycling is under threat, even here in Australia. Understandably, that’s got some people up in arms, but currently local councils are bearing the brunt of the cost, and it’s simply not sustainable. Some companies are currently stockpiling until the market improves, but other people are calling for the widening of the market for recyclable materials. Councils are suggesting that manufacturers be forced (through legislation) to sell consumables with less packaging. Gee, I’d have never though of that before! I don’t think kerbside recycling will be phased out without a big outcry from the public – after so many years of it here, we’re just too used to it. I remember how strange I found it to live in small-town Texas and not be able to just drop things into the recycling bin. With the increased awareness on the environment in recent years, people are going to be even less likely to be keen to give it up. Someone is going to have to legislate in a ‘less packaging’ law though, because I don’t see how else to combat the problems. And it stands to reason that the less used material there is, the higher demand will be and thus the higher the price. A ‘less packaging’ law might actually stimulate the industry.
Of course, there’s lots of other news. Did I miss anything particularly important? Leave a comment and let me know.
Weekly Round-up #5
It’s a day late this week (sorry folks), but… what have we been talking about? What’s been happening in the world?
Eco Lesbo Vego
We discussed:
- The awesomeness that is strawbale construction.
- What to do when plastic shopping bags get phased out.
- Green shopping bags – why you should use them and how to remember to bring them to the store.
- The most effective type of recycling bin, and why it works the best.
I also posted a vegan recipe - Creamy Red Curry. This is is a sweet, creamy curry of doom!
Environmental News from Australia and Around the World
IKEA’s environmental policy is moving from a top-down to a seamlessly integrated approach. Already, IKEA is a reasonably eco-friendly company. 71% of materials used in IKEA products are recycled, recyclable or both. Many stores are running on some form of renewable energy. Over 1000 environmental audits are performed on materials suppliers every year. IKEA only aims to achieve more. Although I still believe second-hand is the way to go, if you’re unable to find what you need in a second-hand furniture shop, IKEA may be a good alternative.
A recent study from the University of Minnesota has found that the production of corn ethanol is more damaging to the environment than gasoline. Now I’ve been saying for a long time that biofuels are not the way to go and here is just another piece of evidence to prove that. Although the emissions caused by ethanol are much lower, the impact of clearing the land, planting, growing and harvesting the corn and then turning it into a biofuel, end up having a massive environmental impact. I think something like hemp biofuels would be considerably better than petrol though, so the plant choice would make a difference.
The Australian Federal Government has announced an initiative which will allow Australian homeowners a free solar hot water system or ceiling insulation valued at up to $1600 per household as of July 1, 2009. The stimulus package is intended to help ward of recession and improve environmental conditions at the same time. Naturally, insulation manufacturers are delighted, although some predict that there could be long waits between ordering and installation.
The biggest news at the moment is, of course, that Australia is screwed right now. Here in Brisbane we’re safe, but we’re between two extremes. To the north of us, 60% of the state is flooded. Queensland is pretty big – that 60% is 100 million square kilometres (24 710 000 000 square acres). For the love of God and Pete, don’t go out anywhere unless you’re in a tinny – where the water is, so too are the crocodiles. To the south of us, 84 people have lost their lives in Australia’s biggest natural disaster on record – the Victorian bushfires. 750 homes have been destroyed but it’s the stories of human tragedy that have the most impact on people. Bob Brown (Australian Greens leader) rightly believes climate change had something to do with the magnitude of the fires and that these events will increase if we don’t arrest global warming now. He’s right, I think. Although country Australia has always been prone to bushfires – some of our trees are even germinated by fire – this fire is unbelievably huge and ferocious. Everyone’s thoughts are with the victims of both the fires and the floods.
Of course, there’s lots of other news, but I’m just too short of time this week. Did I miss anything particularly important? Leave a comment and let me know.
Weekly Round-up #4
So what did we talk about this week? What has been happening in the world?
Eco Lesbo Vego
We discussed:
- How and why local travel can dramatically reduce climate change – and why local travel is more fun than it’s often cracked up to be.
- Decreasing your environmental footprint and reducing your tissue usage by investing in some hankies.
- Second-hand furniture – why you should (re)use it and where you can source it.
- Why everyone is up in arms about using ethical metal, and actions you can take to use recycled metals and also recycle your own.
I also posted a vegan recipe – Apricot and Cashew Stir-fry. This stir-fry is a fruity, savoury combo that is cooked quickly at a high heat. It’ll take you back to the 90s, vegan-style!
Environmental News from Australia and Around the World
British hospitals are removing meat from the menu in an effort to reduce climate change. [hat tip: Yankee Elv!] As discussed in my Spotlight on the eco-impact of meat, the production of meat releases far more carbon, nitrogen and methane emissions not only from the animals themselves, but from the massive amounts of plant food required to feed them and the transportation needed to move them from place to place (including to the slaughter-house). This is a bold move by the health system and while I’m sure they’ll receive quite a bit of flak because of it, they get nothing but applause from me! Significant steps like these are the kind we must take if we want to have any meaningful impact on global warming.
In light of the Antarctic warming that was apparent news in last week’s round-up, this week the news is that the same warming, and subsequent melting of the sea ice in Antarctica could wipe out the emporer penguin population in less than one hundred years. Declining sea ice in the 70s already halved the population then, but it’s been stable since. Not anymore. The penguins need flat sea ice to hatch their eggs, and the food they eat in turn feeds off the organisms living underneath the sea ice. Antarctic warming = sea ice melting = penguins dying = bad. Bad!
Growing certain crops could help reduce global warming by more than 1°C each year as particular kinds of plants reflect sunlight better than others. Choosing certain species of the same food crops we already grow could be the answer. The article says that crops actually reflect sunlight better than natural vegetation… but I wonder, do they absorb carbon as well? And what about the impact of clearing the land to grow the crops? That being said, if we can replace what we already grow with species that are more eco-friendly, I’m all for it.
Competition for water could be coming sooner than we think, according to the World Economic Forum report released this week. Although only 3 percent of fresh water is consumed, much larger percentages are used in energy and food production. With the melting of the Himalayan and Tibetan glaciers, which provide drinking water for more than 2 billion people, expected to be complete in less than a hundred years, we are facing a global water scarcity which will likely force fierce competition amongst nations and neighbours. Doom and gloom? Maybe. But that seems to be what the news looks like this week. Are we too late to save the human race? The CEO of PepsiCo (hahahaha!) doesn’t think so – apparently collaboration between goverments and corporations could prevent all out war. Hmm. I sense a little bias there. I’ll keep getting my water from the tap, and saving it wherever possible. The state government also better get it’s arse into gear on the production of the desalination plant on the Gold Coast that was due to open last year.
Al Gore is set to talk with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about climate change and what can be done to minimise it. Read his prepared remarks here.
Scientists suggest that the carbon emissions we’ve made and will make in the future, even as we struggle to reduce and eliminate them, may have caused irreversible climate change. The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado says that even if we eliminate our carbon emissions by 2050 (that’s within my lifetime), there will still be so much carbon in the atmosphere that sea levels will rise by one metre, glaciers will melt and average global temperatures will cool by only tenths of a degree. This is more of the doom and gloom I was talking about earlier – the news this week is full of it – and it’s got me wondering. Can we do anything to save the planet? (Or rather, the human race – the planet will be fine). I think every little bit counts, so I’m still going to do my part – maybe those tenths of a degree will be important in the future. I may start making more effort to learn how to be self-sufficient though, just in case. No, I’m not going to go move to the boonies and become an eco-hermit (although if I could afford it, the moving to the not-far-from-the-city boonies is quite appealing… not so much into the hermit thing though). But I might try growing some herbs again. I also might try using our home-grown chilies to make my sweet chili sauce rather than buying a new bottle when this one runs out – which will be a while as we have a massive bottle that Mr Teeny-bop got as a Secret Santa present at school last year. Yeah, it was weird.
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.
Weekly Round-up #3
So what did we talk about this week? What has been happening in the world?
Eco Lesbo Vego
We discussed:
- Telecommuting, and how working from home and global business can reduce your carbon emissions.
- Ways to reduce your summer cooling costs – especially important in the light of increasing heat waves due to global warming.
- Yankee Elv’s latest creations – earrings made from computer circuitry, a great way to reuse your e-waste!
- Why it’s so important to recycle mobile phones.
I also posted a vegan recipe – Spicy Bean Chili Stew. It’s tasty and hot, like the weather – but it’s a one pot meal that doesn’t require standing over the hot stove for ages. Add in some cornbread and have a tasty vegan meal this week. 
Environmental News from Australia and Around the World
Antarctica is feeling the heat, just like every other part of the world, due to global warming. Although it seems bizarre to me that this is news (I just assumed global warming was, you know… global), apparently some people thought that only the coastal areas of Antarctica were melting. I’m trying really hard not to be sarcastic about the fact that this is news. What is interesting is that some parts of Antarctica are melting more rapidly – and Australia will bear the brunt of the ensuing impact, due to proximity, especially the southern states. I hope our local government is taking this into account with their town planning – it’s possible that as a northern state, Queensland could expect a rapid spike in Tasmanian migration. O_o
South Korean researchers have developed a way to produce biofuels from seaweed. Biofuels, while natural and renewable, are not a favourite of mine due to the amount of land and food crops used to create them. These crops could be used for fuel. For this reason, I think the seaweed biofuel is a potentially good idea… but what will the impact on the ocean be? Doesn’t seaweed capture carbon and release oxygen? How will this affect the fish and other ocean life – will they still be able to breathe? Does anyone know anything more about this?
Obama has put a stop to all of the last minute legislation Bush was trying to push through before his Texan village got back its idiot. That’s a pretty good of Obama actually – the laws Bush was trying to push through included lots of stuff that could impact the environment. Stuff like:
- New fuel rules for car manufacturers
- New rules for the disposal of bio-waste and emissions from farms
- Power plant restrictions and allowances (such as exemptions from installing pollution controls)
- New rules on genetically engineered everything (except humans)
- Uranium mining permits near the Grand Canyon
- The removal of grey wolves from the endangered species list.
Biofuels are now being investigated as a serious alternative to rocket fuel. The rocket scientists figure that eventually we’ll run out of oil-based fuel, so they’re looking for something to replace it. Job security, perhaps? Eco-friendly job security is the way to go, for sure, but who cares why they’re doing it – just that they are. It’s true, I’m a bit of a space nut. I watch Star Trek, Firefly, Alien and the Matrix (I know the latter isn’t space, but it’s sci fi and they have ships so it kinda blurs the boundaries). I honestly believe there is someone else out there. Logically, it just doesn’t make sense that there isn’t. When I had a desktop, I even had it linked to SETI. So the fact that we may soon have an eco-friendly way of exploring the final frontier tickles my fancy. Keep in mind that biofuels aren’t as great as some people make them out to be though (see above). Oh well, maybe one day we’ll achieve warp. Surely anti-matter plasma is a cleaner way to fly? (Yup, I just lost a bunch of readers who now think I’m nutty.)
Hotels are reducing their complimentary offerings in an effort to reduce waste. This includes fruit variety at breakfast, having guests order breakfast rather than holding a buffet, not including complimentary lotion, shower caps and sewing kits in the rooms and eliminating free coffee and bikkies. Some folks are complaining, but I think it’s a great idea. I never use those things anyway, and you’re more likely to get what you want for breakfast if you order anyway (I always sleep in so I’m left with cornflakes, stale muffins and bananas, which I hate). Now all we have to do is get them to offer vegan and vegetarian options to reduce their environmental impact even more!
The internet is buggering up the world with massive amounts of carbon emissions. That sucks. One new Google server alone, currently under construction, will need a 103 megawatt powerline in three years, enough to power 82,000 homes. That really sucks. The good news is, lots of internet businesses are researching alternative power sources, like solar and wind power. And frankly, I think the internet, even with all it’s carbon emissions, is still doing more good than harm. That’s not a hard statistic, just my opinion, but think of all the paper that’s not being printed and the travel that’s not occurring thanks to telecommuting. Tell me the last time you even thought about buying a set of encyclopedias. I think going with renewable power sources is essential though. Is there anything we can do, as consumers to encourage that? Aside from using Blackle?
Australian researchers want to fertilise the ocean off the east coast of Australia, hoping to dramatically increase the growth of plankton and thus achieve the Prime Minister’s carbon reduction targets for 2020. Some talking points:
- It’s not that hard to reach the targets the old fashioned way because they are appallingly low.
- Fertilisation could lead to increases in other species, as well as plankton (like algae).
- Plankton may actually absorb heat to the point where it accelerates global warming, rather than contributes to its reduction.
- Increased plankton could lead to altered migration patterns, and who knows what impact that could have?
I just think it’s a bit short-sighted.
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.
Weekly Round-up #2
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.
Weekly Round-up #1
So what did we talk about this week? What has been happening in the world?
Eco Lesbo Vego
We discussed:
- The impact of traditional funerals on the environment, and then explored a greener option.
- How it’s possible to reduce – in fact, entirely eradicate – your dependence on disposable menstrual products, and I shared my experiences with menstrual cups.
- Ways to reuse a common household item – the jar.
- Living an eco-friendly life at work, as well as at home, and how to start – with recycling.
I also posted a vegan recipe – Chana Masala. Try to incorporate into your menu this week – go meat-free for a meal, the day, or for good! Doing so will help save the planet.
Environmental News from Australia and Around the World
The world’s fastest, most eco-friendly boat (powered by biofuels) is currently visiting Sydney. How eco-friendly are biofuels really though? The burn cleaner, but some use up lots of food resources in their production, as they’re made from plants like corn. Of course, there are other biofuels that are more eco-friendly. Like cow farts.
A Korean clothing manufacturer has announced a boycott of Australian wool until muelsing (cutting skin from the backsides of sheep without anaesthetic) is banned. Australia is the world’s largest produced of wool.
Obama announced his green focused economic recovery plan for the USA, and Australian groups called for a similar plan here. A focus on five million new green jobs, increased work on renewable energy plans and efficiency in construction, and most impressively the promise to cut carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 make this a sharp departure from the previous (current?) administration.
Climate change will not only alter the face of the physical world, but the social and political aspects as well. Climate refugees and potential conflict over oil and gas reserves which are becoming increasingly accessible due to Arctic melting are just two of the potential impacts. Partially to blame is the Australian coal industry, which, as the world’s largest supplier of black coal, provides over a quarter of the coal burned globally.
Japan will launch a greenhouse gas observing satellite on January 21st. The satellite will monitor carbon dioxide and methane levels from more than 56,000 sites on Earth in an effort to help curb climate change.
A study of polar bear poo by Canadian scientists indicates that over a third of polar bears are not getting enough food. This could be due to the rapid decline in sea ice due to rising global temperatures. Less sea ice means fewer seal habitats and thus fewer seals (the main food source for polar bears) and fewer ice platforms from which to dive in to get the seals.
A group of young Indian people are making a 3,500 kilometre road trip across India to raise awareness about climate change and the human capacity to take action. They are driving alternatively powered vehicles and are accompanied by their band, Solar Punch. Read more about their journey at their blog, India Climate Solutions.
Niels Bohr Institute researchers in Denmark, England and Finland say that sea levels may rise much faster than predicted – up to one meter within 100 years – if climate change goes unchecked. They research was based on investigation of what has happened to sea levels in the past, rather than on what’s happening now. This ties in with the Sydney Morning Herald article about the impact of climate change on the social and political world – the higher the sea levels, the greater the demand for resources and land.
If climate change continues unabated, food supplies could be drastically affected on a global basis. Increased temperatures caused by global warming may wreak havoc on harvests and rainfall, as they have in the past. This combined with the use of food for biofuels really encourages me to try to become more self-sufficient with my food.
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.
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