Plastic Vs Stainless Steel Vs Aluminium reusable water bottles

Reusing water bottles is an eco-friendly antidote to single-use disposable plastic bottles, but which of the three main material choices is the greenest option?

In our quest for healthy alternatives to sugar-laden soft drinks and juices, bottled water is a hugely popular portable alternative. In 2011 the global market is forecast to be worth more than $90 billion, an increase of 41.8 per cent since 2006. Closer to home, the Australian bottled water market was estimated at $544 million in 2008.

But our thirst for bottled water is leaving a giant-sized eco-footprint. It took a whopping 456,131 barrels of oil to produce the plastic bottles for the 250 million litres of bottled water drunk by Australians in 2006, and according to the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change, created 60,000 tonnes of greenhouse emissions through production and transportation. What's more, only 36 per cent of drink bottles made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate) are recycled. At best, the rest end up in landfill - at worst, they litter our waterways and oceans.
Read article

'Fracking' threatens WA water resources

GROUNDWATER resources in the South-West, Mid-West and Kimberley are at risk of being polluted with a cocktails of chemicals from coal seam gas proponents keen to develop an industry here, the WA Greens have warned.
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, involves injecting water, sand and chemicals underground to fracture rock and release coal seam gas.

Mining companies, such as Western Gas and Power, have been granted exploration licences for Wellington Dam near Bunbury, Kaloorup Road near Busselton and Vasse, the Irwin River in the Mid-West and the Canning Basin in the Kimberley

Greens spokesperson Alison Xamon MLC said she is extremely alarmed at what it would mean for our groundwater if this industry ever went ahead.
Read article

STARON Design Awards 2011

Staron® Solid Surfaces by Samsung are acrylic surfacing materials, a non porous surface material suitable for the kitchen, bathroom and any commercial application.

Staron® Design Awards program is open to any designer, architect, developer, kitchen/bathroom designer, student or any other designer who has created a design project using Staron® Solid Surfaces.

The Staron® awards have been designed to create exposure for designers and architects using Staron® in outstanding applications. The program is open in three categories.

Prizes
Commercial Category: Any commercial / industrial project. Each Edition Winner Prize: $2000 cash plus Marketing Exposure.
Residential Category: Any house / apartment project. Each Edition Winner Prize: $1000 cash plus Marketing Exposure.
Concept Category: An ‘idea’ or concept that has not been realised yet. Each Edition Winner Prize: $250 plus Marketing Exposure.

ENTRIES DATES
1st Edition OPEN FOR ENTRIES 1 January - 30 May, 2011
2nd Edition 1 June - 30 November, 2011

Enter your project here

Blogger is getting greedy

Sorry, no more posts with pictures on this blog as Blogger (google) is getting greedy, they want money for photos to be placed in blogs.

And as I hate posts without pictures I should quit all my Blogger blogs...

I am doing this for fun, without any pay, so I am not keen on paying a yearly fee to add photos to my blog...

I am in the process of finding another blog opportunity and am exploring wordpress at the moment.

Any good ideas and advice on other blog accounts are welcome!

Update: I've deleted a few of my other blogs to free up photo space.

Looking for a Project Manager at CMD Product Design and Innovation

CMD Product Design and Innovation is Brisbane's leading Industrial Design consultancy, seeking an experienced, energetic and proactive Project Manager.
- Location: Toowong, Brisbane, QLD, 4066
- Position Available: Full Time, Project Manager
- Experience: 3-5 years minimum
- Remuneration: Competitive rate (dependent on experience)

As an established and well respected Industrial Design consultancy, CMD is Brisbane's leading Industrial Design Consultancy. Our team lead their field in this challenging and rewarding sector.

CMD's Design Studio is a multi-faceted and energetic studio environment with resources that cover Strategic Design, Industrial Design, Product Engineering, Communication and Graphic Designs fields to name a few. We are currently experiencing substantial growth that is expected to be sustained for many years and we are looking for an experienced Project Manager to develop and implement solutions both on a "project by project" and an entire studio basis.

We are seeking candidates with exceptional organisational and coordination skills to manage multiple projects and teams with a focus on defined scopes and budgets. Project and client types vary in this challenging position from small scope and budget projects to large scale projects that may span several years. This position will also identify and manage leadtime constraints, deliverables and milestones for projects to ensure optimal client satisfaction and efficiency in the studio.
More information

Western Australia's beaches most polluted in Australia

WESTERN Australia's beaches are the most polluted in the nation with an average of nearly 1100 items of rubbish per site, Clean Up Australia's 2010 Rubbish Report has found.
Founder and chairman Ian Kiernan says West Australians have one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, attracting tourists from around Australia and the world.

"It is unacceptable that your beaches and coastal areas are considered to be giant ashtrays and rubbish bins," he said.

The large amount of waste on WA's coastline found its way into the Indian Ocean to harm marine life, he said.

Mr Kiernan said WA generated over five million tonnes of waste every year and sent 77% of it to landfills, which was higher than any other state, making WA "a serious rubbish offender".

While WA recorded the lowest amount of plastic in Australia, an above average amount of metal and glass was removed by volunteers in the state last year, the rubbish report said.
Read article

Check here for photos of the polution on Cottesloe beach

GM bananas the answer? NO!

A group supporting genetically-modified (GM) food says the loss of much of Queensland's banana crop in Cyclone Yasi points to an example of how GM foods could improve food security in Australia.

"Whether it's bananas, wheat, sorghum or canola - all those things are around the corner where we're able to actually modify the characteristics of the plants so we can grow them under different climates."

But a director of the group Gene Ethics, Bob Phelps, says the GM argument cannot be justified.

"All of the promises about more productive (sic), a longer shelf life, adapted to global climate change, really this is a technology that can't deliver on its promises but makes our food supply less safe," he said.

"Gene manipulation technology can't deliver on its empty promises despite 25 years of research and tens of billions of dollars in research and development."

Canola is Australia's only commercial GM food crop and South Australia is the last canola-growing mainland state which bans it.
Read article

Smart living course starts 3 March

click on picture to enlarge

Clean up Australia - 6 March

Clean up Australia is especially relevant when you live and work in such a beautiful part of the State as Cottesloe. This year photographer Mark Binns has given us a striking reminder of the consequenses of littering - from an underwater viewpopint.

Mark dived down to our local reef and found fish tangled in lines, and even trapped in descarded spectacle frames. Of course, prevention is better than cure - but as long as some people create mess we need the decent people who will show up on 6 March to do their bit.

If you would like to help at Cottesloe beach please volunteer by registering here
Source: The Post community papers

Not close to Cottesloe and keen to help out, there are heaps more sites to clean up, check here.

Uncontacted Tribe... for how long?

Jose Carlos Meirelles works for FUNAI, a government agency that protects Brazil's indigenous people. Because of the threat posed by illegal logging and mining, he believes that the fight to protect these people depends on proving and publicising their existence. This aerial footage was shot from 1km away using a stabilised zoom lens.

Brazil is thought to be home to around 70 isolated tribes.
More info here

More Counters Needed for Super Tuesday 2011!

Good afternoon!

Many thanks for registering to be apart of the biggest Super Tuesday yet! Your participation in this is vital and helping to ensure that this will be a huge success!

Registrations are progressing well, but we need your help to get the remaining sites filled!

At present 42% of WA is booked, which means we still need a large number of counters to fill the remaining 58%!

I’m asking you to get your friends, family or work colleagues on-board for Super Tuesday 2011 and raise some more funds for your nominated organisation.
Potential counters can register to count or view the available count sites here
WA needs still people here:
• Perth
• Fremantle
• Cockburn
• Subiaco
• Stirling
• Cambridge

If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Regards,

Jeff McPhan
Bike Futures Coordinator
Ph: 8636 8883

Bicycle Victoria – More People Cycling More Often
Level 10, 446 Collins St, Melbourne, Vic, 3000
Ph (03) 8636 8888
www.bv.com.au

Ugg boot battle

Famous Aussie brand under threat from overseas.

American company deckers who manufacturers everything overseas in Asia is bullying the Australian company Ugg Australia who manufacturers local in Victoria. They fight over the trademark of Ugg boots.
Read more about it here

Help by buying local made at Key sole - 40 Market Street - Fremantle!