NEW: Brisbane Green Drinks

And they opened last week with a great cartoon:Click on picture to enlarge

Cousin Oskaar about daylight saving

Daylight saving is not getting an extra hour of daylight, it's about changing the time so the sun comes up 60 minutes later and goes down 60 minutes later... this results in less energy consumption as we turn on the lights an hour later... and we can play a bit longer outside in the evening; going to the beach, having a picnic at the river or whatever, the sun sets at a convenient time of around 8pm in a summer with daylight saving.
Except for the morning people they prefer the early morning for the beach and go to bed at 7pm when the sun goes down without daylight saving...

Bargain_boy Dale

Bargain-boy Dale read my blog entry from last week about waste and asked me if I could help him. I can put a word out for him on this blog so if you can help him get in touch:

My name is Dale Windus and I run several Discounted Grocery outlets through Perth north and south the river. I see your program is reducing the waste of manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, retailers ect. My business buys damaged goods, close to code/out of code produce, seconds, ended lines ect from such industries. In this economic down turn my business is coming in need but the supply is drying up. I was just enquiring if you would be interested on jumping on board and try find some suppliers; as written on your website a lot of these precious goods are being thrown out. If your interested or want to help just email me.

Fuel from waste coming soon: expert

Motorists could soon be using fuel made from trash, including old tyres and plastic bottles, to power their cars, an alternative fuel expert says.

Wes Bolsen, from US company Coskata, said anything that included carbon could provide the basis of ethanol, an alternative fuel with the potential to cut the world's reliance on petrol and slash greenhouse gas emissions.
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Green Drinks Toronto

By Gogoeco

Stimulus payment information

Click on picture to read

Panax to drill production well in 2009

Touted as the cheapest and greenest form of known energy, Australia is just a few years away from using geothermal power, an exploration expert says.

Panax Geothermal Ltd on Tuesday announced it will begin drilling its first production well later this year.

Panax managing director Bertus de Graaf said there were only two other geothermal projects being run successfully elsewhere in the world, making his company's well in South Australia's Limestone Coast the nation's first operational geothermal site when open.
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Light rail plan for Perth

Perth could have a light rail system servicing the city’s technological heart within two years if a plan being pushed by transport sustainability expert Peter Newman gets the nod.

Professor Newman is working on a strategy with the Public Transport Authority on Perth’s transport options for the next 20 years.
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India's cheapest car threatens environment

Today an Indian company has launched what it claims to be the world's cheapest new car. The Tata Nano, designed to appeal to India's growing middle class, costs less than $3,000.

But there are fears that the bargain priced car could be expensive for India's climate. Sally Sara reports from India's commercial capital, Mumbai.
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Lifting the lid on leftovers

AUSTRALIANS love their food. Strangely enough, we also love throwing it out. According to a 2005 study by the Australia Institute, Australians bin a staggering $5.3 billion of food a year, including $630 million of uneaten takeaway, $876 million of leftovers and $241 million of frozen food. In my mother's day, that would have made an awful lot of bubble'n'squeak. It seems in the 21st century, though, we can imagine no better use for this food than as landfill.

"When people or restaurants throw away their food, they also waste all the resources, fuel and energy that went into getting that food from paddock to plate," chef Kylie Kwong says. "I use a lot of rice in my cooking but I need to be careful with how much I cook, because if I throw out a kilo of white rice, I'm also wasting the 2385 litres of water that it took to grow that rice."
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Unfortunately there are heaps of laws in WA based on health and safety which prevents food stores and restaurants to do something useful with their leftovers... Even to be used as scraps for chooks is forbidden...apparently

Recyclers fear collapse of industry

A LEADING industrial waste recycler has told Premier John Brumby it faces closure, with the possible loss of 60 jobs, unless the Government stops recyclable rubbish going to landfill.

National Recycling Group chairman Roy Woodhouse told The Age the industrial landfill levy needed to be raised to discourage dumping of waste, contrasting Victoria's charge of $15 a tonne with the NSW's $47.50.
Remember, the WA charges are the lowest in Australia at $2 a tonne...

Peter Murphy, the general manager of Alex Fraser Recycling Industries, said some councils refused to buy recycled material for footpaths and other infrastructure.

"One of our biggest barriers in growing the business is that some local governments still prefer to use virgin quarry material instead of a crushed rock," Mr Murphy said.
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Earth hour

Only a few days to go before Earth hour: 28 March at 8.30pm all lights turn off in 2,140 cities, towns and municipalities in 82 countries. Are you joining in?
From another planet it must look like a huge wave...

Recycling record comes under fire

WA’s recycling record has come under attack, with industry and green groups criticising the State’s low landfill levies and lack of a container deposit scheme.

Adrian Lester, chairman of the Waste Management Association’s construction and demolition waste working group, said WA’s record for recycling construction and demolition waste, which accounts for more than 50 per cent of all waste to landfill, was abysmal.

He said landfill levies, which companies paid to dump their construction and demolition waste, were the lowest in Australia at $3 a cubic metre or $2 a tonne compared with up to $70 a tonne in NSW. He said they should be increased considerably to provide incentive for companies to recycle.

“WA has the lowest recycling of any Australian State with 80 per cent of packaging waste going to landfill,” Conservation Council director Piers Verstegen said.

WA Local Government Association president Bill Mitchell said it supported a container deposit scheme. Landfill levies were not the impediment to recycling, rather the lack of a market for the end product.

And that's why it never will get any better here!!! Because they don't have to search for solutions in WA!!!

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EcoPassenger – the simple carbon calculator.

More than a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions come from the transport sector.

Because activity in this area has been growing steadily for decades, thereby producing higher emissions of greenhouse gases, the International Union of Railways (UIC) has taken up the challenge of drawing attention to this subject: with the EcoPassenger.

The EcoPassenger gives you an individual carbon calculation for every journey you make in Switzerland and Europe – by rail, road or air.
Calculate now

I know this is Australia, but it's a good example of people thinking ahead!

Sisters on the Planet

Sisters on the Planet Showreel from Oxfam Australia on Vimeo.
Climate change affects all of us women, men and children.

Whether its reduced rainfall in Australia and Uganda, increasingly severe cyclones in Bangladesh, or sea level rise and storm surges in the Pacific, we are all starting to feel the impact of climate change.

The challenges we face from climate change are so big, you could be forgiven for not knowing quite where to start. That is until now.

Telling the truth

Free climate change event: Screening of the documentary Telling the truth Thursday 19th March 5pm at Pine Lakes Environmental Education Centre, Leach Hwy (between Murdoch Drive and Risely Street) in Winthrop.

Telling the truth is a documentary that follows seven presenters personally trained by Al Gore, as they take his message to spark change in their own communities. There will also be a brief talk about SERCUL (South East Regional Centre of Urban Planning) who are hosting the event, and then an opportunity for networking and letting others know about other climate chain initiatives.

The event is being organised by Ditte Strebel and Ana Laura Terrazas.

Higgins sings the blues over Kimberley gas plan

Australian singer-songwriter Missy Higgins is planning a live album to raise funds for the fight against a proposed gas processing hub on Western Australia's Kimberley coast.

The Melbourne-born singer has written a letter to Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett expressing her opposition to the project.

Higgins owns a holiday house in Broome and wrote most of her latest album, On A Clear Night, there.
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Qantas wants government to establish biofuels industry

QANTAS has urged the federal Government to help establish an aviation biofuels industry in Australia.

The airline claims the Government's aviation green paper overlooked the development of a local jet biofuel industry that will be critical for the airline to reduce emissions.

Airlines have been working to develop aviation biofuels they can progressively introduce to existing aircraft and fuel systems.

While it is still early days, and issues remain about appropriate feedstock, aircraft tests over the past year have produced promising results.

Airlines are looking at a variety of second- and third-generation biofuel feedstocks that do not compete with food plants or replace forests.
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PUBLIC LECTURE: What does a climate emergency look like?

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:00 - 19.00 - Social Science Lecture Theatre, UWA

Jonathon mentioned this lecture yesterday which was at the same time on as Green Drinks, but there is a second chance to go there!

In this address, David Spratt proposes that global warming is already dangerous, as significant tipping points have already been crossed.

He analyses the paradigm within which the major political parties in Australia construct climate policy, which will guarantee catastrophic failure.

He suggests that climate change now constitutes a global emergency and whole-of-society action is required at great speed and depth, beyond the failure-inducing compromises of politics and business as usual.

He proposes a national mobilisation on climate, not dissimilar in character to responses to other emergencies such as military threat (war) and catastrophic natural events, and to periods of transformative technological change such as the Apollo programme.

David Spratt is the co-author of "Climate Code Red: the case for emergency action" published by Scribe in July 2008. He is a founder of the activist research network CarbonEquity, and of the Melbourne Climate Action Centre. He was a keynote speaker at the first National Climate Action Summit held in Canberra 31 January- 3 February 2009. His work has appeared recently in "The Age", "Dissent", "Chain Reaction", "Crikey", "Rolling Stone", the "Adelaide Advertiser" and "New Matilda".

For more information check website or Email the Institute of Advanced Studies or call 6488 1340

Perth Sun Fair

The Sun Fair is aimed at introducing the people of Perth to sustainable living concepts, technology and lifestyles. Major themes of the fair include renewable energy, energy efficiency, environment conservation and natural living.

On Sunday 5th April 2009 people from all walks of life will come together on the Oak Lawn at the University of Western Australia to share information and experiences so they can return to their homes with a knowledge that they can make a difference to the future of the welfare of this planet and all its living systems.

The fair demonstrates that sustainable lifestyles are environmentally sound and cost effective and are very much an attainable reality.

Environmental change is a challenge facing all of us and will only be addressed when government, business and individuals act together to achieve a common goal of sustainable living.

Don't forget to check out the seminars!

Jonathon Thwaites

Jonathon Thwaites, finalist in the 2007 Western Australian Environment Awards for the Community Achievement category, gave a lecture about biodiesel tonight at the Perth Green Drinks which was very entertaining. Before and after people could try a few of his interactive toys; bicycles who generated electricity for a sander or a toaster and he also gave a short introduction to the Sun Fair at 5 April.
If you want to know more about the bio-diesel, please join seminar 3 at 2.30pm at the Sun Fair by Jonathon. And if you missed the last Perth Green Drinks you can also catch up on the presentation about the ideal home on the ideal block given by Sandii Rogers from Solar Dwellings.

Cooltribe

Hi Green Drinks,

I saw that you have created a Greendrinks group in Perth, I congratulate you for this.

I am the founder of a social networking site dedicated to the environmental issues and I would love you to come and join our green community. It does not conflict at all with green drinks ethos and I believe that in fact, it complements it. Visit the website and join.

You can create a group (we call groups tribes by the way) named Green Drinks Perth and get all your members to use it. If you are a keen nature lover and want to protect our environment, you will like cooltribe. There are a lot you can do there

-read our daily environmental news, watch our topical videos, take part in our discussions and in our act now challenge
-you can also submit all kinds of content (videos, news, etc…)
-you can join tribes (groups) who share similar interests to yours and create obviously your own tribes

We found that groups are more likely to stay alive and active if we provide them with daily discussion topics, news, etc…Very often group managers find it difficult to keep a group active as it is often not their daily job but more a sideline activity. And that’s where cooltribe fits in, we give all the daily discussions and it helps groups stay active.

I hope to see you on cooltribe.com in the short future. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Hessia Fernandes
Founder, Cooltribe

Check the website for daily information or become a member. I have already too much on my plate at the moment, but if anyone wants, please go ahead and create a profile.

Green products get creative

Green has been 'in' for a while now, with technology being adapted and made more sophisticated every single day. At a green products expo in New York City last month, entrepreneurs from across the country showcased a range of the latest eco-friendly products - some unusual and some more common.

Wood tables were replaced by cardboard creativity in one section that displayed three styles - exposed honeycomb, cardboard tubing and pressed board in the middle. Even alcohol here sported a green motive. McCormick Distilling Company said that it maintains eco-friendly practices in every aspect of creating its 360 degrees Vodka.

Furniture in different environmental friendly forms kept popping up. There was the PureBond Formaldehyde-Free Hardwood plywood - an alternative to traditional composite wood panels made with urea-formaldehyde resins which can be toxic.
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Perth Green Drinks 10 March 2009

You are invited for the Perth Green Drinks on 10 March 2009.

Green Drinks is for anyone involved in the environment and related fields. Green groups / NGOs, Freelancers and consultants, Companies, Students, Academics, Government departments, Local Authorities, Younger as well as older people so please forward this invitation to anyone you think might be interested in meeting other people related to sustainability.

Green Drinks is a self-organizing network of professionals, students and enthusiasts working in sustainability who meet up in cities around the world for drinks once a month, or every second month in Perth. Everyone is invited to come and have fun, make contacts, get ideas, share information, find inspiration, and of course, to drink!

Green Drinks is GLOBAL: active in more than 450 cities worldwide! UK - USA - Canada - Australia -Germany - Sweden - Netherlands - Argentina - Belgium - Brazil - Chile - China - Czech Republic - Denmark - Finland - France - Hong Kong - India - Ireland - Italy - Japan - Malta - Mexico - New Zealand - Poland - Puerto Rico - Singapore - South Africa – Switzerland – Turkey – Russia – Philippines – Norway – Romania – Portugal – Spain – Thailand – China - Botswana

When: Tuesday 10 March 6.00 – 8.00 pm

Where: At the UWA University Club
Case Study Room - 1st floor - 6pm to 7pm for speaker
Club Café - ground floor / outside terrace - 7pm to 8 pm

How: The University Club is providing one voucher per person for a choice of “green cocktail” or “green beer” + peanuts and popcorn on the table. Following drinks = cash bar.

What: Network, interact, talk, laugh, debate, drink, have fun!

Speaker:
Jonathon Thwaites has a wide ranging expertise in sustainable energy and alternative technologies. He is a founder of the Perth Sun Fair and Convener of the Alternative Technology Association of WA. He is going to talk about Biodiesel as a much more sustainable source of fuel and will give us an introduction to the 2009 Sun Fair as well as telling us about the new sustainable toys web page.

RSVP: Before Monday 9 March 5pm
Email or phone 6488 8770

Hope to see you there!

Wilma van Boxtel
o2 global network for sustainable design - liaison Western Australia

American taste for soft toilet roll 'worse than driving Hummers'

The tenderness of the delicate American buttock is causing more environmental devastation than the country's love of gas-guzzling cars, fast food or McMansions, according to green campaigners. At fault, they say, is the US public's insistence on extra-soft, quilted and multi-ply products when they use the bathroom.
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Recycled toilet paper in Australia?

Only five percent of the toilet paper we flush away in Australia is made from recycled paper. The rest is virgin fibre from plantation or native-forest trees. Some even have a 'sustainable forest fibre' logo which is not recognised, meaningless and is misleading.

So which toilet paper is better for the environment and how do consumers know which product to trust?

Firstly, try to buy recycled paper — it conserves the most resources from an environmental point of view. A 2005 NSW government study found that for every tonne of paper that’s recycled, 400kg of greenhouse emissions are saved. This is because virgin fibre requires significant energy (and water) for harvesting raw materials, pulping and processing.

If you can’t find recycled paper, go for a brand endorsed by an environmental group. The two most widely recognised ecolabels for paper in Australia are:

- Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): This logo indicates that any virgin fibre in the paper is derived from sustainably managed forests.

- Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA): This has standards for both recycled and plantation fibre products, but there's currently only a limited number of products with this logo.