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!