How to chose healthy fruit and veg

From the Waste Up- Life Without Plastic

The plastic water bottle effect

Click here to enlarge
Plastic, plastic everywhere—on the beach and polluting the air. Plastic bottles and other plastic products find their way into the environment and are detrimental to us as well as wildlife. An alternative to a plastic water bottle is a BPA-free bottle that can be reused multiple times and will not pollute our planet.


The Importance of Reusable Water Bottles

To highlight the importance of these reusable water bottles, we created an infographic that discusses the negative impacts of plastic water bottles. By compiling these facts and statistics everyone can better understand how vital it is to find an alternative to plastics.

Cut Down on Pollution

Enjoy reading this infographic and be sure to share it with friends and family members that rely on plastic water bottles. By doing so and cutting down on your own usage, you can help reduce the amount of bottles that pollute the air, waterways, and roadways.
filter water bottles

Why Plastic Free July?

Think about it. Why would you make something that you're going to use for a few minutes out of a material that's basically going to last forever, and you're just going to throw it away. What's up with that?"

-Jeb Berrier, BagIt Movie

Plastic free July aims to raise awareness of the amount of single use disposable plastic in our lives. Plastic Free July is an initiative of the WMRC Earth Carers.

Australians send 1 million tonnes of plastic to landfill each year. Do your part to make a change. Benefit from the support of Earth Carers and other community member at events, workshops and online discussion forums and learn new ways to live with less plastic.

More info here

Participate and sign up on Facebook 

There are still tickets available to the FREE movie screening Bag it at the Windsor theater in Nedlands on 27 June.

July - National Desexing Month

Check Natinonal Desexing Network for info.
And you don't have to wait until July!!!

Melbourne designers market

From The Design Kids:
Designers, here’s your chance to get a spot at this years Melbourne Design Market in July!
A huge opportunity for the little guy to get some exposure! Applications close June 7th, 5pm.
More info here

Design allows us to adapt to change .

BCN Design Week 2013 from 11 to 21 June, the annual meeting in the sphere of design and companies organized by BCD Barcelona Design Centre, an international event which brings together professionals, companies and organizations from any sector which have knowledge and creativity as their driving force.

State Liberals propose privatising ABC, SBS

Tony Abbott is facing internal pressure from Victorian Liberals to privatise the ABC and SBS if he wins the September 14 election amid claims both organisations are struggling to comply with their charters.

State Liberals have launched a push ahead of the election to sell the public broadcasters, arguing the funds raised should be used to pay off government debt.

If you don't want to have only commercial TV please vote and read more about it here

The green 3D printing materials we’ve been waiting for

There's no denying that 3D printing has moved beyond the laboratory and into the mainstream. We've seen 3D printed body parts, electronics, and toys. Although the technology has quickly become quite sophisticated, the materials used in 3D printers have been slow to catch up.

Though the idea of print-you-own has big green implications, there's nothing earth-friendly about an uptick in plastic junk floating around the planet. That's why we're so excited about the work of Emerging Objects, a two-architect outfit that teaches 3D printing in Berkeley. Founders Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello are working to move the trend away from plastic and toward far more sustainable materials like wood, salt, and clay.
Read more on Treehugger

Who thinks $ is more important than life?

Rich benefitting from taxpayer-funded handouts

AUSTRALIA'S richest woman Gina Rinehart and fellow billionaire Andrew Forrest shared in more than $100,000 worth of taxpayer-funded handouts in their companies under Royalties for Regions last financial year.

While the WA Government announced last week it was increasing household fees to manage "the state's finances in difficult times", in 2011-12 it handed $61,829 for an "innovative drilling" program, to Mr Forrest's Fortescue Metals Group, which is worth about $10.74 billion.

And though the Government has been demanding "efficiency" cuts from its agencies for the past four years, it gave a further $38,551 from the same program to Hancock Prospecting, whose boss, Mrs Rinehart, was last year reported as earning about $600 a second.

Since 2009, the drilling program, which is part of the royalties' Exploration Incentive Scheme, has paid more than $9.2 million to resource companies, some worth several hundred million dollars.

Read article

I want less litter!

Click to enlarge

It’s good for the planet, good for jobs, and saves money. Check out here why a national Cash for Containers scheme is a no-brainer.

June Woodworking Workshops

More info on Gregg's blog, click here
Or check out The Joy of Wood for kids.

A SMALL STICKER CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE

How India is solving a the problem of hungry street children:

Share My Dabba is an initiative to get food left uneaten in dabbas (lunch boxes) to hungry street children, using just a tiny Share sticker and the extensive dabbawala network.

Well of truth

Local West Aussie film-maker Richard Todd has just released the first in a series of video exposes about the shale gas industry in the US.

"In eight years, they destroyed four generations worth of work. That's the cold, hard facts" -Brett Corsentino, dairy farmer

Local fracking action groups are popping up everywhere!
Groups from Geraldton to Dongara to Eneabba to Perth have been hosting film & info nights, holding stalls at markets, writing to media & politicians and much more...
FRACK FREE" signs are all over the state... check out more here

And watch this "Undermined" 60 Minutes Australia  There is nothing you can do to stop the gas companies to build a gas well on your property.... Coalseam gas in Queensland and Western Australia.  

Australian Cycling, an economic overview

The economy, and especially the budget is in the media quite a lot of late. Take a look at the humble bicycle's contribution in Australia.

In particular, $61.9M in increased work performance and a whopping $13.8B saved through combating inactivity.
Riding to work is a great way to fit it in to your lifestyle!

Green Design Contest

In celebration of Earth Day and all things eco-friendly, we’re holding a Green Design Contest, and showcasing the best of Green Design with our media partner TreeHugger!  Think “green” and submit an eco-friendly Instructable that uses sustainable materials or is energy efficient by design.

Entry closes 17 June, so ideal timing for my Sustainable Design students at both Curtin University and Central Institute of Technology!
More info here

BYOB - Bring Your Own Bag

A plastic bag goes on a journey that may make you rethink plastic, and at the very least make you consider B.Y.O.B. (Bringing Your Own Bag) to the store.