Firework...

The good thing about Australia is that people are not allowed to light fireworks so everyone can enjoy the beautiful fireworks at Australia day organised by professionals.

That was different in Holland! Coming from a farm I wasn't used to the loud bangs and smoke of firework until I went to study in the city. Everyone in Holland is allowed to light firework and people spend a lot, about 140 milion A$ per year! Just to celebrate New Year!

Especial young guys like the loud bangs and smoke to scare the girls they don't bother the nice ones, they want it rough! 1,100 people where in hospital last year due to a firework accident! Most of them under 15 years old, missing fingers, eyes, toes, etc.

The first time I saw it I couldn't believe my eyes, it was like war had started, bangs and smoke all over the place. Not to speak about the mess the next morning...

My father was always very grumpy about it, he, as a small farmer, had to pay lots of taxes because of the cow manure (he had 22 cows) but all over the place people could litter and damage everything without paying any fees. He spend all night in the shed with his best pregnant horses to keep them calm, as we could hear the bangs from the distant village.

How bad is it actually for the environment?
Besides the rubbish left behind (paper, metal, plastic, ceramics, dust, etc) there is poisonous dust which contains CO2, carbon monoxide, N2O, sulphur dioxide, methane and sulphur hydrogene etc. This not only polutes the air but also the waterways.

Ecofont

The prints we make for our 'daily use' not only use paper, but also ink. According to SPRANQ creative communications (Utrecht, The Netherlands) your ink cartridges (or ink toner) could last longer.
SPRANQ has therefore developed a new font: the Ecofont.

"After Dutch holey cheese, there now is a Dutch font with holes as well."

Appealing ideas are often simple: how much of a letter can be removed while maintaining readability? After extensive testing with all kinds of shapes, the best results were achieved using small circles. After lots of late hours (and coffee) this resulted in a font that uses up to 20% less ink. Free to download, free to use.

Ban the Christmas cracker!

Coming from Holland I am not used to the Christmas cracker but apparantly it's common use here in Australia to have heaps of those weird things around during the festive season.

The thing is that they only produce waste and very little fun, it might be my Dutch upbringing, but I really can't see the fun of pulling these rediculous things who hardly ever make a popping sound. A colored paper hat and a plastic trinket falls out which almost immediately is discarded to the waste bin together with the wrappings...

Can someone please explain?

Green Drinks 2009

Hello everyone,

First of all I like to thank everyone who participated in the Perth Green Drinks of 2008 and wish everybody a great Christmas break and a wonderful New Year!

Second, I am proud to announce that The University Club of Western Australia will host and support 2009 Perth Green Drinks. The Club will become the headquarters for the Green Drinks in 2009 and has kindly offered a complimentary drink for each of those attending.

More information on the dates of Perth Green Drinks 2009 are in the sideline of this blog.

Third, I like to invite you to the first Perth Green Drinks of 2009 on Tuesday 13th of January at 6pm at the UWA University Club. Note it in your diary, more information about the speakers will be send closer to the date.

In the mean time enjoy all delicious food and drinks around this time of year and the plentiful sunshine.

Kind regards,

Wilma van Boxtel
o2 Liaison WA
www.o2.org
www.greendrinks.org

Youth Tree is coming soon!

A while back I already attended you on Tim's project here.

Youth Tree is a creative networking platform aimed at propelling young people into volunteering through their participation in a free two day event on the 14th and 20th of January.

It's looking set to really get more young people inspired, knowledgable, networked and confident, so they can go out into the world and act on issues rather than sitting in front of the TV!

There are still plenty of places available for the first day so please tell anyone, especially youngsters, to have a look.

Day One (14th January), held at the Moores Building, Fremantle, aims to network volunteer organisations and young people through their participation in building a 3 meter high tree sculpture out of industry and household waste.

Day Two (20th January), the tree sculpture will be placed in the middle of Murray Street Mall, where participants from Day One will engage the public by discussing thought-provoking questions about solutions to the worlds problems with them. Responses to the questions will be drawn, painted and written on ‘leaves’ of re-used material as a means of seeding socially oriented thinking in the broader community.

Mr Kenworthy said: “There are a lot of young people out there who feel strongly about the problems facing humanity, and who want to do something about them. But we often feel overwhelmed or don’t know where to start. And then there are all these great organisations tackling those problems right now, and they’re crying out for more volunteers; for more people who care. Why not bring the young people and the organisations together? That’s Youth Tree in a nutshell.”

Next Big Thing Award 2009

INNOVIC's International Next Big Thing Award™ is a global competition and annual award to find and showcase new inventions and innovations that have the potential to become 'the next big thing'.

What can you win?
The Next Big Thing Award 2009 competition will offer $60,000 in cash and prizes and over $100,000 worth of outstanding publicity and promotion. 25 finalists will be selected and exhibited at the Melbourne Museum, Australia. The 2008 exhibition was viewed by over 76,000 people and finalists attended a prestigious Awards ceremony.

INNOVIC is an Australian not for profit organisation and a leading provider of services to innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs and small to medium enterprises.

Applications close 16th March 2009.

Green Concrete innovation wins INNOVIC’s Next Big Thing Award 2008

Extra Green Drinks at The Earth from Above:

Core77 - Greener Gadgets Design Competition 2009

Design a Greener Gadget

The 2009 Greener Gadgets Conference will take place on 27 February in New York City. As part of the event, Greener Gadgets has once again partnered with Core77 to generate outstanding design innovations for greener electronics. This design competition challenges established design firms, emerging designers, and design students to come up with new and innovative solutions to address the issues of energy, carbon footprint, health and toxicity, new materials, product lifecycle, and social development. The top 50 entries will be published on the web for voting and commenting, and top finalists will be showcased live at the Greener Gadgets Conference for judging by an expert panel.

How to enter?
Check the Core77 website!

Green Myths

Green Myth 1: Genetically Modified Crops Have Higher Crop Yields and Help Reduce Poverty
Green Myth 2: Clean Coal Technology Will Solve the Coal Pollution Problem
Green Myth 3: Developing Nations Need to Stop Having Babies
Green Myth 4: Wind Turbines Are a Serious Threat to Birds
Green Myth 5: Small Green Steps Won’t Make a Big Difference

Check out these green myths at the Treehugger website!

A Sustainable View with Phillip Toyne

To complement its sponsorship of the world-renowned exhibition Earth From Above, Club member BHP Billiton has partnered with The University Club to host a unique forum with one of Australia’s best known environmentalists, Phillip Toyne.

Former Head of the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) and Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth Department of Environment, Phillip will present on the challenges of mining and sustainability.

Phillip was the first lawyer to represent the Pitjantjatjara aboriginal people. He was responsible for negotiating the passage of the Pitjantjatjara Land Rights Act and successfully led negotiations for the traditional owners of Uluru, resulting in them receiving title to the National Park. The leaseback and joint management arrangements for the Park were a world first and are used as a model around the world in reconciling Indigenous and environment issues.

Today Phillip continues to be a much sought after international speaker, and this event will provide an insight into his approach to biodiversity, sustainable development and climate change.

Date: Tuesday 20 January
Time: 5.30pm - 8.30pm
Venue: Theatre Auditorium, University Club of Western Australia
Price: Members / Guests $45
Price includes a presentation by environmentalist Phillip Toyne followed by a cocktail reception including beer, wine, soft drinks and finger food.

For further information or to make a booking please contact University Club Reception on 6488 8770 or visit the website of The University Club.

Aborigines angry over WA port plan

AS AUSTRALIA'S pristine Kimberley region is shown off to the world via Baz Luhrmann's film Australia, some of the area's traditional owners say it is about to be ruined for good.

The West Australian Government plans to push ahead with building an enormous sea port to funnel the Kimberley's stocks of liquid natural gas and other minerals offshore, and has indicated it may strip the local Aboriginal community of its previously granted right of veto over the development.

Mr McKenzie is with a group of indigenous representatives in Sydney to highlight their case against the 1000-hectare development in conjunction with the release of the film. They believe the port would trample cultural heritage and damage the eco-tourism industry, which has flourished in the past decade.
Read article

Extra Perth Green Drinks - 9 December 2008!

Hello,

You are invited to an extra Perth Green Drinks to enjoy the Earth from Above outdoor photography exhibition where Jane Hoiting, project director, is going to give a talk about the exhibition at 7.30 and Scott Bennett is bringing some Greenman beers, an environmentally conscious brand, to sample.

Meet at 7pm in front of the WA museum, the grassy part left of the stairs, to try some Greenman beer and we will meet Jane at 7.30 to start the tour The Earth from Above.












When: 9 December
Time: 7pm
Where: In front of the WA museum
Who: Everyone who wants to come

Hope to see you there!

Cheers,
Wilma

About Jane:
Jane Hoiting is the project director of Earth from Above Australia and director of Nomad Exhibitions, a not-for-profit organisation whose remit is simple: to present the Earth from Above exhibition to as many Australians as possible.
“I hope the exhibition allows people to see and appreciate the beauty of the world, to inspire them to have a sense of ownership and responsibility for it, to ensure its richness – both physically and socially – is protected.”

About Scott and his beer check this.

6 Beers of Separation

Click on the picture to read or check website for more information

Toilet facts:

- The average person spends three years of their life on the “john”.
- The average person flushes a toilet about 2500 times a year, while using about eight sheets of toilet paper per day.
- An estimated 2.6 billion people worldwide do not have access to proper toilet facilities, particularly in rural areas of China and India.
- Lack of suitable toilets and sanitation kills approximately 1.8 million people a year, many of them children.
- According to Jack Sims, a further 500 million toilets are needed to bridge the gap in sanitation.
- The first flushing toilet was invented in 1596 by Sir John Harrington, a British noble and godson to Queen Elizabeth I. He only invented one, as he was ridiculed by his peers, but he still used it for himself.
- Most toilets flush in the key of E flat.
- On average, a person will use 22 litres of drinkable water every day flushing a toilet.
AS the world celebrates World Toilet Day today, sanitation experts have called for the end of the flushing dunny to save water and provide fertilizer for crops.

Speaking at the recent World Toilet Summit in Macau, World Toilet Organisation founder Jack Sims said the concept of the flushing toilet was unsustainable.

There have already been calls by Australian experts to reduce the amount of water wasted through toilet flushing with a proposed new toilet tax.
Read article

When you've got to pick a package or two

Glass or aluminium? Paper or plastic? Simon Webster comes to grips with recyclable containers.

OF ALL the plastic bottles, cartons, tin cans and glass jars on the shelves, surely one type of container is better for the environment than the rest. So which packaging should we pick?

At first glance, glass appears to be best option. It has the least amount of embodied energy (the amount of energy that goes into manufacturing it), at 12 megajoules per kilogram, compared with paper (25), steel (35), plastic (from 60 to 80) and aluminium (200).

Glass also recycles over and over. Aluminium and steel can also be recycled indefinitely but with some quality reduction, Sonneveld says.

"Paper can only be recycled six or seven times because the fibres get shorter every time it goes through the recycling loop," he adds, while the recycling of plastic presents "heaps of problems".

A better rule for consumers is to choose the item with the least packaging per weight of product. "If you choose small yoghurts versus big portion packs that's very environmentally expensive," Sonneveld says.
But bulk buyers beware. Wasted food is even more sinful than wasteful packaging.

When it comes to plastics, the number inside that symbol is crucial. It's no good putting a No. 5 food container in the yellow bin if your council only recycles numbers one to four. It's either going to end up in landfill or be sent overseas for recycling, and putting the wrong things in a bin can play havoc with recycling systems. See Planet Ark's website to find out what your council can handle.

Read article

Dolphins may hold key to health of Perth rivers

Perth’s river dolphins have long provided a spectacular sight for those lucky enough to spot them and researchers now hope they will also provide valuable insight into the health of the waterways. Read article.

As I started kajaking last summer I've seen plenty of dolphins around at the Swan River and I love it! It makes me happy seeing them frolicking in the waves.

Take Back the Filter campaign

Brita is going to announce a recycling program for its water filter cartridges today.
The Take Back The Filter campaign received a call from Brita brand manager Drew McGowan a few days ago alerting that Brita will indeed begin taking back and recycling pitcher filters beginning in January!

I can only see this as a win! Using the Brita water filter myself since we live here, as the water coming from old lead pipes doesn't taste as good, I use the filters far too long to prevent dumping another big piece of plastic... I am looking forward to hear Brita's recycling plan! Keep you informed!

Fellow Aussie designer: Trent Jansen

Trent Jansen: Sustainable Design

Make 15 November Zero Waste Day

Lets call recycling what it is- a fraud, a sham, a scam perpetrated by big business on the citizens and municipalities of America. Look who sponsors the National Recycling Coalition: behind America Recycles Day: Coca-Cola, Pepsico, Anheuser-Busch, Coors, Owens-Illinois, International Bottled Water Association, the same people who brought you that other fraud, Keep America Beautiful.

Recycling is simply the transfer of producer responsibility for what they produce to the taxpayer who has to pick it up and take it away.

This article on Treehugger is a must read!

Holistic Community Development and Renewable Energy in Rural Nepal

You are invited to attend a VERY exciting presentation and the final Engineers Without Borders event of the year:

Lighting the World: Holistic Community Development and Renewable Energy in Rural Nepal

Alex Zahnd last visited Perth in early 2006, to a sell-out crowd. DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY to see Alex this time! Please print the attached flyer out and display it at your workplace, invite your friends, colleagues and family along to this very special evening with a truly inspiring engineer who has spent the last 20 years working to improve the living conditions of some of the world’s most remote and underprivileged communities.
RSVP early to secure your place!

Where: Engineering Lecture Theatre 1, University of Western Australia (lots of free parking)
When: Thursday 4th December, 2008. 7pm for a 7.30 start
RSVP: wachapter@ewb.org.au

We hope to see you there and promise that you will leave educated and inspired!

Best wishes,
The EWB WA Chapter committee

WALK AGAINST WARMING‏

SATURDAY MORNING 15 November - 10 AM - COTTESLOE BEACH - BE THERE!

Energy Saving Lighting Controls for Green Buildings

At the last Perth Greendrinks we had the opportunity to discuss & learn a lot of interesting aspects of energy saving lighting with Thomas from Evecto Energy Solutions Pty. Ltd. in Perth.
Evecto distributes a range of energy saving lighting controls that are easy to integrate into existing and new buildings.

In comparison to most other aspects of a building (such as heating or insulation), "greening" the lighting and reducing its energy consumption can be quite simple with the right approaches and matching products. Apart from the obvious savings in energy cost, such an improvement can also increase the preceived comfort in a building and therefore dramatically increase the acceptance of energy saving measures by the people who use the building.

The solutions that were on demo focused on very sensitive & very small Occupancy Sensors and their combination with Daylight Dimming approaches and also included zero-maintenance LED Emergency Exit Signs that only consume 1W of power and do not require and change of tubes or batteries. For more details check Evecto's website.

I learned that there is a good and simple solution for all the lights left on at TAFE, and many other buildings in the city. Every Wednesday when I do my evening class there I annoy myself by the neglect of the teachers who left all lights on, often also computers and fan's running, while they went home for the night...

Four new Green Corp projects for WA

The federal government has announced its latest round of Green Corps ecosystem protection projects to commence across Western Australia.

Federal minister for Employment Participation, Brendan O’Connor says the four WA Green Corps projects are among 54 around Australia designed to help young people gain new skills as they conserve and restore the local environment.
Read article or check Green Corp website

Toxins in Perth waterways not a health risk: Department of Water...

Water authorities say they do not believe toxins detected in Perth lakes and drains are posing a health risk.

A draft report by the Department of Water has found what it described as low levels of industrial contaminants in Bibra Lake, Bickley Brook and two Herdsman Lake drains.

The contaminants include polychlorinated biphenyls, known as PCBs, arsenic and lead.

John Ruprecht from the Department says there is a possibility the toxins could be present in other Perth waterways but he does not believe they pose a risk.

"The amounts found are considered low, particularly relative to other major cities around Australia and are not really considered a major health risk," he said.

Is this maybe why there aren't any longneck turtles in Lake Claremont anymore??? Are there still turtles in the other lakes by the way???

Gene implants 'turn sugar cane to plastic'

The Cooperative Research Centre for Sugar Industry Innovation say it is close to commercialising an unusual by-product of sugar cane - biodegradable plastic.

It has successfully inserted genes into cane that make the plant produce a form of biodegradable plastic in its leaves.

Centre chief executive Dr Peter Twine says he is now looking for investors to turn the research into a viable business venture.

He hopes biodegradable plastic extracted from sugar cane will be used to produce a multitude of products in around five years time.

"It could be used for any form of plastic where you want to get rid of it at the end of the day," he said. "It can be injection-moulded or it can be created into sheet plastic."

Computers versus cars... another way of thinking

Gates vs. GM

At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated,

'If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon.'

In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating:

If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash........ Twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single 'This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation' warning light.

7. The airbag system would ask 'Are you sure?' before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

10. You'd have to press the 'Start' button to turn the engine off.

Fremantle Urban Ecovillage‏?

Alex Hyndman likes to invite you to a presentation about the potential for a Fremantle Urban Ecovillage:
- Ecovillages and Sustainable Development - The Future of Property in Australia
- Presented by Paul Antonelli, Founder of the SomerVille Ecovillage and Greenedge Ethical General Manager
- Wednesday, 12th November, 7pm
- CUSP Institute, 3 Packenham St

Plastic waste...

Still too lazy to take a few sturdy shopping bags into the supermarket?
Or maybe grabbing a cardboard box? Which supermarkets should provide freely like in other countries as they've plenty after restocking their shelves every night...