o2 Western Australia

Stop plastic pollution!

2012-01-27T15:10:00.001+08:00

The Two Hands Project is a new and collaborative approach to cleaning up your world.

2012-01-27T10:05:00.003+08:00

In 2012 Two Hands Project is teaming up with Save the Styx, Eco Divers and Take 3 to launch a mission to keep these turtle breeding beaches on Christmas Island free of plastic pollution.

Paul Nicholas and family saving baby turtles from plastic pollution!!

The People's Supermarket

2012-01-19T21:46:00.003+08:00

I don't watch too much TV in summer but today we were late and turned the TV on and there was this documentary on ABC 1 about The People's Supermarket and intriged by the story we kept watching, apparently it was last in a series of a chef who set up a supermarket for the people by the people in a sustainable way, using local produce, obselete stock what the big supermarkets don't want with the help from the people.

You can become a member of the supermarket for 25 pound and work a shift of 4 hours per month to receive a 10% discount on everything. The shop runs on volunteers and sources for local produce to keep it running. Watch the documentary on Iview.

Would this work in Perth do you think?
I wouldn't mind working a few hours per month in my local supermarket with good local produce if it gives me a discount as well!

Job opportunity in Sweden

2012-01-18T21:37:00.003+08:00

Design Management Researcher (12 positions)

Via o2 network:
DESMA is looking to recruit 12 Early Stage Researchers, a European doctoral level research training network in the area of Design Management. The positions are full time for three years, starting in September 2012. Opportunities for adding a fourth year for completing a PhD will bediscussed separately for each position.

DESMA is an Initial Training Network funded by the European Commission’s Marie Curie Actions that combines 4 leading universities within the areaofDesign Management (University of Gothenburg, Aalto University inHelsinki, Politecnico di Milano, and Imperial College, London), 4 Europeandesign consultancies (Ergonomidesign, Engine, Live|work, Future ConceptLab) and 4 complementary product and service organizations (Volvo Group,Philips Innohub, Poltrona Frau, Living Labs Global) in an unprecedented cross-disciplinary effort to understand how design can be exploited as a driver of innovation and competitiveness in Europe.

We are seeking applicants with a master degree in either design or business and some professional experience. The employed researchers will conductresearch projects in collaboration with their host organization, take part in a common training programme with doctoral level courses and build aforum for design management research in Europe. Last date for submissions is March 15th 2012

For more information visit our website
Anna Rylander,
PhDBusiness & Design Lab
University of Gothenburg
Box 611
405 30 Göteborg Sweden
Phone + 46 707 21 66 30

The Story Of Zeoform

2012-01-18T16:24:00.003+08:00

This is the story of a company based in Byron Bay Australia, that has patented a formula for transforming plant fibres and water into a super strong material that has the potential to be the wonder material of the 21st century.

Remember my Zeopod poufs a few years ago? I won The Edge Design and Innovation Best Green Design 2009 award with them.

It was quiet for a long time while the company in NSW was developing the material further to be compettible with the industry. This video is just launced and my design is shown at 2.10 minute.

Cycling in Perth

2012-01-16T13:19:00.003+08:00

Are you already cycling?
I cycle everywhere and sometimes combine it with public transport, it's ideal, good for my health, waiste line and wallet!

I've just signed up for the yearly Super Tuesday bicycle count which is done Australia wide on Tuesday morning 6 March from 7-9am. I am at the river again, opposite UWA entrance and would be really great to count you in!

Interested in a free movie event, Beauty and the bike, related to cycling come along this Wednesday in South Cottesloe, check it out here.

The seven myths of agriculture

2012-01-16T11:48:00.002+08:00

This video covers the seven deadly myths of industrial agriculture as described in the book, "A Fatal Harvest. The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture".

Myth 1: Industrial agriculture will feed the world = NOT
Myth 2: Industrial food is safe, healthy and nutricious = NOT
Myth 3: Industrial food is cheap = NOT
Myth 4: Industrial agriculture is efficient = NOT
Myth 5: Industrial food offers more choices = NOT
Myth 6: Industrial agriculture benefits the environment and wildlife = NOT
Myth 7: Biotechnology will solve the problems of industrial agriculture = NOT

What can you do? Buy seasonal produce and supporting local organic farms.

About myth 2, my cousin in Canada was a pilot on a pesticide spraying airplane and was diagnosed with acute leukemia at age 45 two years ago at the same time my father (74), a retired farmer in the Netherlands, was diagnosed with the same acute leukemia. My cousin opted for chemo therapy as they gave him a 25-30% chance of recovery. My father didn't want to do the chemo as he had never been in hospital and was pretty scared of it, besides he only got a chance of 5-10% to recover. My cousin died within the first two weeks of chemo, bald, ill, sore and very lonely as he had to be in quarantine. My father lived for another six months in reasonable health only receiving fresh blood every three weeks. What do I want to say with this story; it's not a romantic business being a farmer or working in agriculture. My cousin was working with the huge industrialised farmers while my father was one of the last small scale dairy farms but surrounded by big pig farmers and the rules of pesticides in the sixties and seventies weren't as strict as nowadays in the EU. Although Austrlia still allows lots of those forbidden pesticides to be used in farming and by councils who take care of parks and verges. When interested what happesn in WA, click here. Or check out the website Save our trees

The Green Swing

2012-01-12T13:01:00.004+08:00

IT may have taken a lot of extra effort, but East Victoria Park couple Eugenie and Helmuth Stockman believe their vision of creating a sustainable home will be worth it.

Mrs Stockman said the current requirement was for five or six-star energy-rated residences but the four homes in their project would have eight, nine and 10-star energy ratings.

She said the idea had been brewing with the couple for some time.

“We were looking for something different and a more sustainable way to live,” Mrs Stockman said.

Mrs Stockman said many of the development’s features, such as a joint water tank for two properties, had been difficult to get approval for.

She believed health and building regulations made it difficult for people to build sustainable homes.
Read article

More info on the whole proces, visit their website

Hemp Information Meeting

2012-01-11T09:56:00.004+08:00

For those in Queensland:
Paul Benhaim is a recognized world-authority in hemp research and development, as well as a published author of Hemp-related books and DVDs. He manages the world’s most popular Hemp websites and advises a number of international companies. As well as acting as an consultant and mentor to those interested in the hemp business, Paul is CEO and Director of a cutting edge Hemp company involved with hemp plastic and hemp food products. His own hemp farm offers public tours around the hemp buildings.
Paul continues his quest to ensure the path for the widespread use of the industrial hemp seed to be accessible to all so new and revolutionary Hemp products may become available to a worldwide audience.
Learn more here

I know Paul from the time that I designed the Zeopods for Zelfo where he was working. A pity that project didn't work out, but I guess you have to be patient working with a new material.

Hemp Information and Versativa Meeting
When: Monday, January 30th, 2012
Where: The Darcy Mitchell Room
Brisbane Broncos Leagues Club
98 Fulcher Road, Red Hill
Brisbane QLD
Time: Sign in by 7:20 pm for a 7:30 pm start sharp
Meeting will finish around 9:30 pm
Cost: Free!
Flyer: click here

Job opportunity in San Francisco

2012-01-10T10:53:00.003+08:00

Via o2 network:
Autodesk is hiring someone to help create and deploy learning materials for the Autodesk Sustainability Workshop.

This is a full time contractor or consulting position and will have a one-year duration. The ideal candidate will have an engineering background, be conversant insustainable design, and have experience with software modeling andanalysis. This position is appropriate for recent graduates, youngprofessionals, or educators.

Candidates should send a resume and coverletter to: adam.menter@autodesk.com

JOB DESCRIPTION: Sustainability Education Fellow
Education is a key element to improving how engineers and designers useenergy, materials, and resources to create our built environment. The Autodesk Sustainable Design Program oversees the creation of educationalcontent on sustainable design, maintains strategic relationships withacademia, and interfaces with students, educators, and professionalslooking to incorporate sustainable design into their projects. The candidate will support these programs and will report to the Sustainability Education Program Manager. The candidate will also collaborate closely with Autodesk Education.
It is preferred that the candidate work from Autodesk’s San Francisco office.

Project Role:- Develop and curate educational content (including case studies, softwaretutorials, technical articles).- Engage with students, educators, and professionals looking toincorporate sustainable design into their projects.- Collaborate with Autodesk stakeholders to incorporate sustainabilityeducation into their work (education field team, sales channel,partnerships).
Requirements:- Broadly conversant and up-to-date in Sustainable Design terminology and methodologies. Ideally for both building design and product design.- Experience with software modeling and analysis tools (FEA, CFD, energymodeling, LCA).- Excellent presentation, communication, writing, and facilitationskills. Candidates will be asked to submit two writing samples.- Real world engineering design experience through previous jobs or pastprojects.- Degree: Mechanical engineering major preferred. Building science,architecture, systems engineering, civil engineering, or engineering technology majors will also be considered.
Preferred Qualifications:- Demonstrated ability to work independently, problem solve, and dealwith ambiguity.- Attention to detail and ability to absorb new information, and learnnew tools, quickly.- Proven skills in writing both technical and non-technical pieces.- Ability to collaborate with a broad set of stakeholders includingtechnical personnel and marketing.- Demonstrated abilities in project management and setting priorities.
About Autodesk, Inc. As a global leader in 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software,Autodesk helps people imagine, design, and create a better world. Autodesk accelerates better design through an unparalleled depth of experience and abroad portfolio of software to give customers the power to solve theirdesign, business, and environmental challenges. In addition to designers,architects, engineers, and media and entertainment professionals, Autodeskhelps students, educators, and casual creators unlock their creative ideasthrough user-friendly applications.

How to change the world!

2012-01-09T20:15:00.002+08:00

ACT (Activist Campaign Tools) is a series of three day courses for community organisers in Perth, WA.
Priced for an activist budget, they are designed to provide practical skills and campaign secrets for people trying to improve the world.

The courses are designed to provide practical skills and professional training for non-profit organisations, advocates, students and anyone working for change!

CAMPAIGN SKILLS: Freo Sunday 29 Jan, 5 & 12 Feb
Translate passion into action! Campaign Planning, marketing and media, politics and lobbying, events, activism tactics and people skills.

COMMUNITY SKILLS: Perth Sunday 11, 25 Mar & 15 Apr NEW
Build your organisation! Volunteer recruitment and management, fundraising secrets, increase membership, Web 2.0 and Cyber-activism, networking and partnerships.

SPEAKING SKILLS: Perth Sundays 6, 20 May, 10 June
Compelling Communications: Speaking with Confidence, Speech Structure and Content, Vocal Skills, Body Language, Persuasive Psychology, Dynamic Debating, Impromptu Speaking.

For more details and bookings, please see website or call Katrina Bercov on 9443 7454.

Meat glue...

2012-01-09T12:39:00.002+08:00

If you've watched the video I've posted here a while back Pig as a raw material you've already heard about this meat glue.

This white powder sold by the kilo and banned overseas, is the meat industry's dirty little secret in Australia as there is no law here to prohibit this powder.

It's called "meat glue." It makes pieces of beef, lamb, chicken or fish that would normally be thrown out stick together so closely that it looks like a solid piece of meat.

It's not only misleading people in buying a good cut of meat instead of glued together less good cuts. But is also posible dangerous for your health if you cook this glued piece of meat for example rare. Watch the video.

Council officials ordered the removal of 168 eucalyptus trees in Bentley

2012-01-06T10:14:00.006+08:00

Four people were arrested this morning after protesters and local residents chained themselves underneath cherry pickers and up trees that line a median strip in Bentley.

Council officials ordered the removal of 168 eucalyptus trees along Manning Road after receiving complaints from residents that roots were lifting the road surface and causing traffic vibration.

But two engineering studies on the issue concluded: "contrary to expectations, there was no or minimal root invasion of the road subsurface."
Read more This is one of the responses and I can't word it better:
40 years of growth gone for the sake of some bitumen. Manning road is going to look like an eyesore for decades. When are people going to realize that four decades of tree growth is far more important then having to reseal a road with a few bumps in it. Where is the common sense? This would never happen in Sydney or Melbourne, where urban trees are valued for what they add to an areas amenity.

Fringe World 26 January - 19 February

2011-12-29T23:02:00.003+08:00

Perth’s first full Fringe World Festival is set to explode in early 2012.

JOIN THE BAR TEAM!
The FRINGE WORLD Orchard and Treasure Chest bars are the place to enjoy a chilled beverage this balmy summer. They are looking for a bar team that can keep the pace, provide incredible service and keep the whole operation running smoothly.

BAR MANAGERS
They are on the hunt for bar managers who can man the helms of these hectic, eclectic watering holes. They are looking for experienced managers who are able to manage a team, order, stocktake and provide outstanding service.

BAR TEAM
They are looking for bar staff, bar backs and glassies to work at this coming festival. If you can pour a killer beer &/or maneuver 100 glasses through a heaving crowd they want to hear from you now.

Availability throughout the festival dates is a must: January 25 - February 19.
Send your CV to staff@fringeworld.com.au NOW.

A must see

2011-12-29T12:00:00.002+08:00

There is an interesting discussion going on the LinkedIn Industrial Design Group about this topic:

Have we reached the end of economic growth in the West? Richard Heinberg propose a startling diagnosis: humanity has reached a fundamental turning point in its economic history. The expansionary trajectory of industrial civilization is colliding with non-negotiable natural limits.

More info on Richard Heiberg's website.

Ditto

2011-12-21T21:35:00.000+08:00

GetUp!

2011-12-19T21:09:00.002+08:00

JOIN THE MOVEMENT OF 589,071 AUSTRALIANS
More information here

Worthwhile to pump up your bicycle tires!

2011-12-15T20:51:00.002+08:00

The fatal GM storm

2011-12-15T20:36:00.003+08:00

Ian and Jodi James have been farming near the small WA town of Cunderdin for over 15 years. They’re proud to grow conventional canola that's not genetically modified. But on 3 November, a violent storm washed GM canola from a neighbours’ paddock across their farm.

Ian and Jodi suspected they would have GM canola seeds on their farm, so Greenpeace provided Ian and Jodi with free GM canola test kits.

Over two days of testing, they found numerous GM canola seeds up to twenty metres into their crop. Ian and Jodi were devastated. They have lost their crop, and now face the expensive task of trying to get rid of GM canola from their land. They might even lose their premium for GM-free canola in the future.

Ian and Jodi have lost their right to grow safe GM-free canola. Why should the James’ have to pay for the costs of GM canola contamination, when they didn’t want to grow it?

Greenpeace is urging the Western Australian Government to protect farmers like Ian and Jodi from the costs of GM contamination by introducing Farmers Protection Legislation.
Read article

beauty and the BIKE

2011-12-14T21:49:00.007+08:00

Outdoor Movie night
18 January 2012
The Earthcarers organise a free summer outdoor screening of Beauty and the Bike.

Cycling is another great way we can live more sustainably and with less waste. It is an inspirational movie particularly for young women so bring your friends and family.

Why not ride your bike to the movie!

Why do girls stop cycling in car-centric countries when teenage girls in bicycle friendly countries use their bicycles as a vehicle for freedom and independence? The Beauty and the Bike project set out to find out.

Date: Wednesday 18 January, 2012
Time: 6.30pm Bring and share picnic - 7.30pm Screening and presentation
Place: WMRC Offices outside on the lawn, Cnr Marine Pde and Warton St, Cottesloe
BYO: Picnic and rug/beach chair etc

Reinventing the Disposable Coffee Cup,

2011-12-14T16:56:00.002+08:00

The construction is simple: The body and two integrated flaps are composed of a single piece of paper; the body is glued to the circular base. Like similar cups on the market, the paper would be waterproofed, though ideally with cellulose-based plastic, so that it could be composted.

The launch date for the 'Complete' cup is still unclear, says Herman, who is in talks with manufacturers and retailers.
Read article

E-waste: the high cost of high-tech

2011-12-14T16:51:00.004+08:00

E-waste from used electrical and electronic gadgets such as desktop computers, laptops and iPhones is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world. Rapid uptake of information technology around the world coupled with the advent of new design and technology at regular intervals is causing the early obsolescence of many such gadgets.

We all know the benefits of electrical and electronic gadgets. But we don’t know nearly as much about the adverse effects they have once we throw them away.

In the United States, producer of the largest amounts of e-waste in the world, it is estimated that over 100 million computers, monitors and televisions become obsolete each year. That amount is growing every year.
...
Most of the used electrical and electronic gadgets in Australia end up in landfill.
...
E-waste contains more than 1,000 different substances. These include toxic metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, hexavalent chromium and flame retardants used in the plastics.
Read article

Saturday 10 December peaceful protest

2011-12-09T23:20:00.002+08:00

Peaceful protest about the destruction of Perth's and the western suburbs urban bushland -Monash Avenue bushland at QEII being the most recent example of the destruction.

The approximately 50 hecatres of bushland in the last 2 years cleared, approved for clearing under this Government or under threat includes:

- AK Reserve in Floreat,
- Edith Cowan University site, Churchlands,
- Autism Association site Selby Street Shenton Park,
- Grace Vaughan House, Shenton Park,
- Banksia Farm cr Stephenson Ave and Rochdale Street Mt Claremont,
- Underwood Avenue, Shenton Park,
- Lot 11194 Bedbrook Place, Shenton Park,
- Monash Avenue Bushland and another small remnant inside QEII Nedlands,
- 115 mature endemic trees along Winthrop Ave outside QEII,
- Remnant bushland on the cnr of Winthrop Ave and Monash Ave Nedlands,
- Former TAFE site, Carine Glades,
- 140 trees at Perry Lakes redevelopment site. Many food and habitat trees destroyed of the Carnabys that roost there.

Loading, please wait

2011-12-09T00:45:00.000+08:00

Australia's 10 greenest universities

2011-12-09T00:32:00.002+08:00

GREEN with envy? We list the top 10 universities in Australia, according to their environmental credentials.

1. Monash University
2. Australian National University
3. Macquarie University
4. University of Western Sydney
5. University of Adelaide
6. University of Melbourne
7. Charles Sturt University
8. University of the Sunshine Coast
9. James Cook University
10. La Trobe University

No universities from WA in this list...
Read more about it here

Sydney beats London in race to be green

2011-12-09T00:26:00.002+08:00

More than half of Sydney companies have changed or modified their jobs to improve green performance, compared with only 3.5 per cent of London firms, a new report has found.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) congratulated Sydney at the report's release in the city on Tuesday.

"We have to change our way of producing," OECD Centre of Entrepreneurship director Sergio Arzeni told reporters.

"We need a major transformation."
Read article

Invite to AGIC Weightings Survey

2011-12-09T00:17:00.002+08:00

AGIC is a member based industry association committed to the delivery of more sustainable outcomes from the design, construction and operation of Australia's infrastructure. AGIC was formed in 2008 by industry professionals from engineering, environmental, planning, legal, and financial and construction backgrounds working in both private and public organisations related to infrastructure.

The Australian Green Infrastructure Council (AGIC) Infrastructure Sustainability Rating Scheme will assess infrastructure projects and assets on a broad range of environmental, economic and social attributes. These will be assessed and given a score, then the scores will be combined using weighting factors to compute the final overall score. The relative importance of the different attributes (weighting) is a matter of subjective judgement. AGIC is therefore inviting the opinions of a wide range of stakeholders to contribute to its weighting study and invites you to contribute your opinion. The exercise should take about 10 minutes to complete.

To participate, please download the latest copy of the weightings sheet from this link AGIC Weightings Sheet.xls just before completing the survey.

Carbon capture trial begins near Harvey

2011-12-08T23:49:00.003+08:00

A multi-million dollar research project in WA's south-west could aid international efforts to reduce the impact of carbon on the environment.

The Department of Minerals and Petroleum is beginning the drilling for the carbon capture trial near Harvey.

The $8.5 million trial will determine whether carbon can be extracted from the air, turned into liquid, and then stored in sandstone lying three kilometres underground at the site.

It is one of only a few carbon capture trials in the world.
Read article

Make helmets optional to double the number of cyclists in Australia

2011-12-08T10:10:00.003+08:00

It’s time to abandon Australia’s “helmet experiment”.

There’s little doubt Australia would have healthier communities if more of us chose to cycle for transport, exercise or even relaxation. But mandatory helmet laws, introduced in Australia in the 1990s, continue to deter many potential riders from getting on a bike and increasing their fitness.

One in five (23.6%) Sydney adults said they would cycle more if they didn’t have to wear a helmet, with occasional cyclists (those who cycled in the past week or month) most likely to cycle more. Even non-cyclists (19%) said they would get on a bike if they didn’t have to wear a helmet.
Read article

The silly helmet doesn't stop me from cycling but I can tell you it feels so much nicer to cycle without a helmet with your hair in the wind...

I reckon only cyclists on racing bikes going faster than 30km p/h should wear a helmet, not the ones who cycle in a normal pace on normal bikes!

And with all the new lock 'n' ride bike shelters at a lot of train stations in Perth nobody has an excuse not to take the bicycle out for a ride!

Perth Cyclist on how it all works

Half of emissions from 5 countries

2011-12-02T11:27:00.002+08:00

More than half of all carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere comes from five countries, according to a national ranking of greenhouse gas emissions.

The first 10 countries on the list, made available during UN climate talks in Durban, South Africa on Thursday, account for two-thirds of global emissions, said the report, compiled by British-based firm Maplecroft, specialists in risk analysis.

China, the United States, India, Russia and Japan top the ranking, with Brazil, Germany, Canada, Mexico and Iran just behind.

Advertisement: Story continues below Three of the top six countries are energy-hungry emerging giants developing their economies at breakneck speed.
Read article

Update 7 Dec:
"Big Three" polluters oppose binding climate deal
DURBAN, South Africa (Reuters) - The world's three biggest polluters China, the United States and India refused to move towards a new legal commitment to curb their carbon emissions on Tuesday, increasing the risk that climate talks will fail to clinch a meaningful deal this week.

Action on climate, not words, needed to save Africa
DURBAN, South Africa (Reuters) - Only a binding global accord on cutting greenhouse gases will spare Africa, the world's poorest continent, more devastating floods, droughts and famine, a senior African climate change official said on Tuesday.

Eco-design reduces costs

2011-11-29T23:43:00.002+08:00

INCORPORATING environmental design can reduce waste and improve your company's financial position.
That's according to a leading Dutch eco-design expert. Delft University applied environmental design Professor Albert Stevels told a recent Innovate SA seminar while so-called eco-design is intended to reduce a company's environmental impact, it must also fit into its overall business strategy, reduce costs and give it a competitive advantage.

"You want to be better than the competition, you want to use eco-design to be better," he said.

But Prof Stevels said there was an existing prejudice among many businesses that "green" strategies were expensive, while consumer studies showed that - despite what they say - customers won't buy products simply because they are "green".

"A lot of people are thinking `green always costs money,' which is not true," he said.
Read article

Save the Tarkine Rainforest in Tasmania

2011-11-28T21:59:00.003+08:00

In the north west corner of Australia's island state, Tasmania, lies the Tarkine. The worlds second largest temperate rain forest.

For the past 50 years, conservationists have been waging a battle against successive governments to have the Tarkine turned into a national park and given World Heritage listing, protecting it from destructive logging and mining practices.

Mining companies want to destroy it. Earlier this year the Australia Heritage Council made a clear recommendation to protect the Tarkine, but Environment Minister Tony Burke let its emergency heritage status expire, and has yet to visit the area.

Tony Burke is just days away from making a decision on the Tarkine's heritage status and is under pressure to look the other way - but if he sees the beauty of the Tarkine first hand, he'll see for himself why he must protect this area. Check the Get up, action for Australia website and sign the list!

The Tarkine: Saving the last of Gondwana from Brent Melton on Vimeo.

Wasted Resources (2011)

2011-11-28T21:36:00.004+08:00

Wasted Resources (2011) from Nat Campbell on Vimeo.

Another interesting video made by an old student of mine; Nat Campbell.

This video documents the journey of 3 students as they attempt to raise the awareness of water and wind resources that go unused daily in Sydney, Australia. The giant pin-wheel and water bombs succeed in stimulating imaginations and conversation, and capturing social fears and attitudes.

Created for:
Interdisciplinary Design: City In Crisis
University of Technology Sydney (UTS)

26 November: Buy nothing day Perth

2011-11-25T22:10:00.000+08:00

Here is the schedule for Buy Nothing Day celebration at the Blue Room Theatre in Northbridge!

12 noon-5pm -- clothing swap -- bring clothes to leave and try on and take whatever fits you! Bring a friend whose closet you've always wanted to raid!

1-2pm -- upcycling workshop taught by EcoFaerie LaFee Verte -- learn to refashion your old clothes (or ones you've just got from the swap) into luscious new looks

3-5pm -- video screening of What Would Jesus Buy? -- a hilarious documentary about US activist Reverend Billy and his Church of Stop Shopping, inspirational and inspiring!

ALL DAY: plastic bag collection (for recycling), credit card cut-up station, walking map to open house of REmida Creative Reuse Centre

Celebrate Buying Nothing with us! Entrance to everything is, of course, FREE! If you'd like to spend the day, bring a snack to share!

Not buying it: Could saving your cash also save the planet?
September 27 was declared Earth Overshoot Day – the point when, according to researchers, “humanity's demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what the Earth can regenerate in that year”.

The Story of Broke

2011-11-24T15:53:00.001+08:00

More info here

Keep it local

2011-11-24T10:32:00.007+08:00

Need to buy Christmas presents and want to spruce up the local community instead of cheaply produced goods sold by big giants who only fill the pockets of huge foreign enterprises from low wage countries?

Why not think of a gift certificate from your local hair dresser, beautician, gym, car wash, handyman, garden or cleaning services?

Or a gift voucher for a nice dinner at a local owned restaurant or a gift basket full with local produced skincare products, soaps and fragrant oils. Or a box of nice wines. And for the ones with a sweet tooth delicious local made chocolates and other goodies.

Take your family to a concert with local musicians, or the ballet if that's more of their fancy.

Check out the local crafts people who spin their own wool & knit them into scarves. They make jewellery, & pottery & beautiful wooden boxes.

It's time to think outside the box! Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?

KEEP IT LOCAL!

Pig as a raw material

2011-11-23T22:31:00.000+08:00

Watch this talk from Dutch designer Christien Meindertsma

Don’t get eggs-cited about free range: the realities of poultry production

2011-11-22T21:32:00.003+08:00

If it's ethical eggs you're after, the backyard may be the best source.

There are three main options for the large scale egg producers. The first is barns with rows and rows of cages containing five birds each, which provides about an A4 piece of paper of space per bird.

There are two main problems with this system: the restricted space stops them performing their natural behaviours such as flapping their wings. And the barrenness of the cage provides no possibility to dust bathe or forage in the dirt. The chickens' food is provided automatically by a conveyor belt and their dung is removed equally automatically by another belt, so the bird is just a machine in the middle of the process.

The second option is to have groups of several thousand birds loose in barns. Consumers pay a premium for these type of eggs. This set-up improves the birds’ behavioural freedom because there is more space and variety in the environment, but there is increased fighting and even cannibalism.

A third alternative is allowing birds to have access to both a house and free range. This gives them the opportunity to go outside, but usually offers little protection from aerial predators or the extremes of weather. As a result the birds often don’t venture outside.

Organic chickens – according to the international NASAA standard – are provided least eight hours continuous darkness every 24 hours, and must have access to natural light and forage areas for at least six hours per day. Farmers have to provide at least one square meter for every five birds.

So maybe the best way to support chicken welfare is to hunt down that backyard producer that sells a few eggs on the side. Even better, if you have a yard buy a few chooks and recycle your vegetable scraps.
Read article
I've five chickens in my backyard keeping my waste to a bare minimum as they eat all scraps, provide manure for my veggie patch and provide me daily with too many eggs. So if you are interested in buying organic eggs (they only get fed grains, veggie scraps and whatever bugs they dig out of the yard) let me know as I've too many eggs for the two of us at the moment.

Bicycle Rush Hour Utrecht

2011-11-22T21:19:00.003+08:00

Morning rush hour in the 4th largest city in the Netherlands. Streets look like this when 33% of ALL trips are made by bicycle!

This is an ordinary Wednesday morning in April 2010 at around 8.30 am. Original time was 8 minutes that were compressed into 2 minutes, so everything is 4 times faster than in reality. The sound is original.

This is one of the busiest junctions in Utrecht a city with a population of 300,000. No less than 22,000 bicycles and 2,500 buses pass here every day. And yet Google Street View missed it. Because private motorized traffic is restricted here.

These cyclists cross a one way bus lane (also used by taxis and municipal vehicles), two light rail tracks and then a one way street that can be used by private vehicles.

Behind the camera is a railway (you can hear the squeaking sounds of the trains passing) and the main railway station is very close too. A number of rental bikes from the station pass and many of the cyclists will have come by train for the first part of their commute.

For those who frown upon the total absence of bike helmets in this video, consider these findings from a US study:

"Cycling in the Netherlands is much safer than in the USA. The Netherlands has the lowest non-fatal injury rate as well as the lowest fatality rate, while the USA has the highest non-fatal injury rate as well as the highest fatality rate. Indeed, the non-fatal injury rate for the USA is about 30 times higher than for the Netherlands.

Injury rate per million km cycled: USA 37.5; NL 1.4
Fatality rate per 100 million km cycled: USA 5.8; NL 1.1"
I wonder what the rate is in Australia... But I would like to see this in Perth!

2011 not compressed

Curtin University for Table & Chair

2011-11-21T22:39:00.002+08:00

Curtin University Interior Architecture students let their imaginations run wild in a fun collaboration with Perth's Table & Chair.
Over the past 5 months, Table & Chair have been inviting Curtin University Interior Architecture students to design the showroom's window display, teaming up their own products with items from the Table & Chair range.

The results have been a diverse mix of ideas, beautifully executed to demonstrate the great talent on tap at Curtin Uni.
Read article

These five pieces are chosen from the unit 'Furniture Design Workshop' I did last year at Curtin University with Interior Architecture students. They had to design and prototype a desirable piece of furniture or lighting from industry off cuts or waste materials.

In December 2010 the top 15 was exhibited at The Grove Library in Peppermint Grove (slideshow) and this year five pieces were chosen to exhibit at Table & Chair. I am very proud of my students!

Perth Green Drinks 29 November

2011-11-21T22:33:00.005+08:00

Click on picture to enlarge
Please RSVP to greendrinks.perth@gmail.com by Thursday 24th November!

Shame on WA government!

2011-11-21T21:22:00.005+08:00

40% of Monash Ave bushland was destroyed today at the behest of the state government and their henchmen.
These are the people who are meant to lead and who are invested with the duty and power to protect our natural environment and health.

We believe more bush is to go tomorrow.
We want to stop it.
Please help us to do so. We need your support. It is only with numbers that we will stop this.
Please forward to all your email contacts and ask them to come along too.

We meet tomorrow at 7:00am on site.

People's assembly
Monash Ave. Bushland. QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands
7:00 am Tuesday 22nd November
Bring signs
Bring shame signs

Thanks for your support.
The Campaign to Save Monash Ave bushland.

Urban bushland Council WA
CCWA Concervation Council WA

Click on picture to enlarge

WindyLight™ - Wind Operated Outdoor Lights

2011-11-20T22:19:00.001+08:00

WindyLights are wind operated outdoor lights designed to let soft gusts of wind blow light into our world. WindyLight envisions a future in which human activities are based on a deep participation within the natural environment.

WindyLight aims to become a “high social-environmental value & fair profit” venture in which for-profit activities create revenues to support non-profit developments
for communities that are not connected to the grid.

With this social-environmental vision, the next challenge is how to fund WindyLight in a way that will allow maximizing its environmental and social potential. After exploring different possibilities, its decided to go with the “by the people, for the people” approach and launch a crowd funding campaign on KickStarter.

How can you be part of this? Back WindyLight on Kickstarter - Funding opportunities start from $1 (via Amazon). Every supporter receives unique rewards that were specially crafted for the campaign. One can also pre-pay a WindyLight™ and become one of the first owners of a wind-operated light worldwide.
More information here

Kids and cycling to school

2011-11-18T12:39:00.001+08:00

This is a picture of my brother in law in The Hague, The Netherlands, where he is bringing the kids to school in the morning and as you can see both girls fit easily on the bike!

We live across a big private boys school for boys from 7 up till 18 years old and most of them are brought and picked up by car every single day!

Every morning and afternoon our street is one big traffic jam because of this. In front of our house there are cars parked everywhere with the sound of the motor running because they might get too hot without the airco...

This generation of parents is too protective of their kids, they say it's too dangerous because of the traffic, THEY ARE THE TRAFFIC! They say the kids backpacks are too heavy to carry as they have all kind of sports after school to be brought to. Use a roller bag! They say kidnappers and child molesters are waiting on every corner, ooh, please get real!!!

Take a bike, urge councils to provide save bicycle lanes and footpaths. Public transport is already around the corner but used only sparingly because they have to walk two minutes. It's easier when mum is waiting in her big 4WD probably with tea and sandwiches... What a weak generation we are creating...

Scary news: WA's non-GM sector could vanish within 10 years

2011-11-18T12:16:00.003+08:00

WA'S non-genetically modified (GM) grain sector could vanish within the next 10 years due to contamination from GM crops, some farmers and conservation groups fear.
Nic Dunlop, environmental science and policy co-ordinator for the Conservation Council of WA, says feral GM canola plants have been found on road verges in the state's Esperance district some 20 kilometres away from the nearest GM crop.

The discovery shows that the requirement for a five-metre gap between GM and non-GM crops under the state government's limited commercial-size trials is ineffective.

The main purpose of the trials is to assess whether segregation is possible.

Dr Dunlop said GM-free canola could be a thing of the past in WA by the next decade, given that eight per cent of roadside plants recently sampled by the Conservation Council in the Esperance region were GM, only one year into the trial.
Read article

It will be harder and harder to find GM free staple so if you care for healthy non GM food, please write to the government and local council and make yourself heard!

Or write to The West Australian: letters@wanews.com.au and cc WA Agriculture and Food Minister Redman: Minister.Redman@dpc.wa.gov.au
Premier Colin Barnett: Premier.Barnett@dpc.wa.gov.au
Minister for Regional Development Brendan Grylls: Minister.Grylls@dpc.wa.gov.au

Tuna industry whistleblower reveals whale shark slaughter

2011-11-18T12:02:00.002+08:00

VIDEO: Whistleblower reveals whale slaughter

The never-before-seen footage shows protected marine life caught as bycatch, then killed after being lured into massive purse-seine nets by Fish Aggregating Devices, nicknamed death magnets.

The whistleblower, who worked as a spotter onboard a tuna fishing boat in the Pacific said marine species, such as dolphins, manta rays, marlin and whales, were caught almost every time FADs were deployed.

Greenpeace Ocean Campaigner Nathaniel Pelle said the majority of canned tuna eaten in Australia is caught in this manner.

WA shoppers eat more canned tuna than any other seafood, despite evidence that overfishing has pushed stocks into serious decline, with some on the brink of collapse.

Mr Pelle is urging WA consumers to demand retailers stock more sustainable tuna varieties, such as Safcol, which sources tuna not caught using FADs or purse-seine nets.

“Greenseas should be congratulated for recently pledging to stop using FAD-caught tuna by 2015, but that’s several years away,” Mr Pelle said.
“Brands like John West, Coles and Woolworths have refused to make any such commitments.”
Read article

Why volunteering is far better then giving money...

2011-11-17T21:35:00.003+08:00

There is a lot of commotion around the actual 1.8 procent of many millions that is spend on breast cancer research by Pink Ribbon in The Netherlands. It seems that Pink Ribbon is mainly lead by huge marketing companies focused on a lot of pink and glamour to raise money for research while spending 98.2 procent on marketing. (collumn)

Is that only in The Netherlands or worldwide? And is this the only organisation or are there many more 'good cause fundraising' organisations working in a similar way?

I donate my time to organisations and causes I like to help instead of giving money to organisations who are pretty vague about where the money actually ends up...

Time is far more valuable than money and you are more engaged with the cause. The past few years I volunteered for several organisations and donated many days of my time. And I really enjoyed doing it!

So next time think about donating your time instead of some tax deductible dollars!

A container deposit scheme is proposed for WA

2011-11-17T16:48:00.002+08:00

Would you take your used plastic and glass bottles, milk cartons and aluminium cans to a recycling machine in exchange for money?

West Australians use about 1.2 billion containers every year equating to about 500 containers per person.

But, WA lags behind other Australian states or territories when it comes to recycling. According to the 2010 National Waste Report, WA's recycling rate for bottles and cans is 33 per cent.

Labor's environment spokeswoman Sally Talbot says that means 960 million empty drink containers each year end up in landfill or as litter and that's not good enough.

"WA's recycling record is appalling, the lowest in Australia," she said.
"A container deposit scheme could be expected to lift that rate to at least 70 per cent."
Read article

PLEASE FILL IN THE POLL ON THE RIGHT, THANKS!

The Building Green Guide to Insulation Products and Practices

2011-11-15T12:18:00.003+08:00

It is really hard to get people excited about insulation. As Tedd Benson says in the introduction to BuildingGreen's Guide to insulation,

It’s invisible and boring. Like reinforcement in concrete, it’s often seen as kind of a cost nuisance rather than something you’d want to consider improving. Similarly, “out of sight, out of mind,” aptly explains why people don’t give much consideration to insulation.

But it is probably the most important factor in the design of a building. Tedd notes:

We can literally insulate our way to a much brighter energy future while insulating our- selves from the ever-higher cost of energy. Every highly insulated building is an energy miser forever. Every building weaned from fossil fuels is weaned forever.

Read the rest of this e-book review

Clean water by design

2011-11-14T23:03:00.007+08:00

Portable water purifier by Steripen
Steripen has produced 'freedom', a highly portable purifier that uses UV light to sterilize water for drinking. The company is well-known for its water purification devices, of which 'freedom' is the lightest and smallest.

The device need only be immersed in up water and its UV lamp will illuminate, within 48 seconds (per 0.5 L of water) killing over 99.9% of bad bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. 'freedom' offers 40 treatments on a single charge, while the UV lamp and battery last for over 8,000 uses. the device recharges via a micro USB port, connectable to computers, solar chargers, or normal wall outlets. the device also features an LED flashlight.

solar powered water filter by gabriele diamanti
Italian designer Gabriele Diamanti has developed 'Eliodomestico' a solar-powered water distiller made from terracotta, recycled plastic and anodised zinc.
The device produces 5 litres of drinking water daily and is one of 12 finalists in the prix émile hermés 2011 competition. Compared to traditional solar stills, 'Eliodomestico' is designed to function without filters nor electricity, and requires minimal maintenance. Using traditional technologies, the system has no negative environmental impact and will create positive outcomes for the local economies because it's to be produced by local craftsmen. Taking from archetypal forms and materials, the distiller is easy to use: in the morning fill the water tank with water from a local source and in the evening collect clean, evaporated and re-condensed water in a portable basin placed underneath the tank.

Care to repair?

2011-11-14T20:33:00.002+08:00

With the cost of consumer goods dropping to their lowest ever levels, the side effect may be a loss of our skills to repair, make and invent.

WITH APPLE'S CO-FOUNDER Steve Jobs passing away recently, the media was deluged with obituaries rightly lauding his visionary genius in the realm of consumer electronics and entertainment. Many of those offering plaudits knew of him through his easy-to-use, sleekly designed computers, music players and phones.

A small cadre of hold-outs, however, continued to express their bitterness over Mr Jobs' intricately crafted gadgets, because they leave little opportunity for under-the-hood tinkering.

His adulation reflects a change in society. We have become consumers. Rarely creators. We spend much of our precious time working, in order to afford purchases from an every expanding cornucopia of new 'stuff'. Stuff we know how to use. But not how it works. Or, importantly, how to make it work again after it stops performing.
Read article

Repair is, against the odds, quietly making a comeback.

Materials recycling data base

2011-11-13T23:18:00.003+08:00

MATREC (Material Recycling)is the first free Italian eco-design data base dedicated to materials ensuring a low environmental impact and to their use in the world of production and design.

Conceived by Architect Marco Capellini, MATREC was established in 2002 as an online portal, in co-operation with the National Recycling Consortia CiAl, Comieco, and CoRePla. In 2006 MATREC changed from virtual to real, also thanks to the collaboration of the Lombardy Region and of Cestec. In a dedicated area at the Polytechnic Design School of Milan, samples of recycled materials from all over the world are exhibited to the public for free.

MATREC is a tool, but first and foremost a service aimed at companies, free-lance professionals, designers, Universities, and Research centres for the development of low-impact products.

Information on the main issues of eco-design, on sustainable products, and on several materials obtained from recycling is available in the website, divided by categories and supported by descriptions, including composition, technical properties and applications.

MATREC is also a research centre at the service of companies for the development of innovative, sustainable, and design products.
Read article

The repair workshops

2011-11-13T20:56:00.003+08:00

The latest newsletter from Saturday in Design had an interesting article on a project with the repair workshops in Melbourne. And I was positive surprised that one of the designers involved was in my class at Curtin University several years ago; Wil Campbell!

The repair shop project challenges us all to think about how products are designed to break so easily and why we are losing the ability to repair.

Great work Wil!
More info on The repair shop here or follow them on Facebook.

Airdrop Design Pulls Water From Air to Irrigate Deserts

2011-11-10T20:16:00.003+08:00

The winner of this year's James Dyson Award is one that focuses on the water crisis in Australia. A continent faced with severe droughts, it is no wonder that Edward Linacre from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne wanted to come up with a solution that will provide fresh water where there is no source on the ground.
More info here

The 11th Hour; it's 11.59...

2011-11-09T23:01:00.003+08:00

This film with Leonardo DiCaprio is from 2007 and still it looks like there is little improvements done in the past four, five years.

We hit the 7 billion people mark and although economies are weak we are still focused on materialistic stuff, want to live in huge houses filled with products we are hardly aware we posses while craving the urge for more, driving our own car, eating more processed food than ever and nature is dying around us to make space for more people craving for more stuff...

When will we realise we need nature to survive?

Strictly Hypothetical at City Farm

2011-11-08T18:23:00.002+08:00

A truly different night out!
Help raise funds for City Farm's inaugural Food Film Festival in 2012.

Would You Like Lies With That?
Production, Packaging, Pesticides & Politics
11 November

Eating for a Small Planet
Cows, Carbon, Culture and Climate Change
25 November

Darling, What’s for Dinner?
Sustainable, Seasonal, Secure and Shared
9 December

Panel members:
• WA Young Chef of the Year, Matt Stone (Greenhouse Restaurant)
• Wholefoods trailblazer and author Jude Blereau
• Senator Rachel Siewert and Hon. Lynn MacLaren, MLC for South Metro
• Dr Felicity Newman: food culture lecturer and unashamed Jewish mother!
• Sustainability pioneers, horticulturalists and radio gardening experts Chris Ferreira and Steve Wood
• Vince Gareffa: celebrity butcher and organic meat specialist

Bookings Essential

An example for Australians living in huge houses:

2011-11-02T23:28:00.002+08:00

Two years ago, Debra and her family lived in a nearly 2000 square foot home on an acre and a half of land. Then her husband lost his job and they began to work 4 jobs between them to pay the mortgage, until one day they remembered they had a choice.

Before having their son, Debra and her husband Gary had spent 9 years living in very tiny homes in South America. Living small hadn't felt like a sacrifice, but a way to stay focused on what is important. They decided they wanted to get back to that.

They stopped working so hard, sold or gave away all of their extra stuff and began looking for the perfect tiny home.
Debra had always liked the Mississippi shotgun style homes, and one day, while browsing craigslist, they noticed an ad for a local Arkansas company custom building tiny homes for a price that could mean an end to house payments.

Six weeks and $15,000 later they had their own fully paid-off dwelling. Today, Debra, her husband and 13-year-old son live in a 320-square foot home that is not a sacrifice, but exactly what they need.

Inflatable Solar-Power Light

2011-11-02T23:08:00.003+08:00

A new design for a solar powered light called LuminAID is quite different from any other design, the light is an inflatable, waterproof bag that contains an LED bulb, and a solar cell on the outside. Created as a solution both for backpacking or disaster relief, the design shows a lot of promise for a compact light that expands when needed.
Check it out here

LuminAID: Give Light, Get Light from LuminAID Lab on Vimeo.

Short Course - Resilient Regions: People and Practice - 1st to 6th December

2011-11-02T10:56:00.001+08:00

Are you curious about ideas of resilience? Bio-regionalism? Sense of Place? Putting sustainability into practice in a regional setting?
Join a small group of Murdoch University students to explore the theoretical and practical elements of
sustainability and resilience through direct experience and field trips in Denmark and the Great Southern region. This course is run in partnership with Green Skills and Centre for Sustainable Living in Denmark.

This week long intensive and residential course will expose you to all of these influential ideas that will be important in creating a sustainable future.

Please see website for more details.

Please direct any queries or registrations to Nicole Hodgson, Murdoch University.
Email: n.hodgson@murdoch.edu.au
Phone: 0438 750 751

"I will be a hummingbird" - Wangari Maathai

2011-11-01T13:34:00.002+08:00

This is the trailer for Dirt, the movie

Friday NOVEMBER 18TH DIRT THE MOVIE
Dirt! The Movie is an insightful and timely film that tells the story of the glorious and unappreciated material beneath our feet. Inspired by WB Logan’s acclaimed book Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth. Dirt! The Movie takes a humorous and substantial look into the history and current state of the living organic matter that we come from and will later return to. Dirt! The Movie will make you want to get dirty. 80 minutes
At the The Painted Fish, 21 Hulbert Street, South Fremantle.
FOR MORE DETAILS CONTACT SHANI 0417 941 991 stay@thepaintedfish.com.au

For more clips about the movie check the website.

I was number 3,180,992,994

2011-10-31T11:25:00.003+08:00

Today we reach 7 billion people on this planet. Find out where you fit in this time line here.

What do you think about it?

In my opinion we should stop breeding for a while but that seems to be a non topic...

Population growth sees myths reborn
It is silly to suggest that the additional 2 billion people projected to arrive by 2050 will have the same environmental impact as the last 2 billion. No, they won't. Each person added to the population in the future will likely, on average, cause more damage to humanity's critical life-support systems than did the previous person.

Bid launched to make Freo entirely free of plastic bags

2011-10-26T09:41:00.003+08:00

COULD Fremantle become a plastic bag-free city?

A campaign to drive sustainable use of plastics by businesses and residents was launched on Saturday, aiming to recognise businesses already avoiding supplying plastic bags and encourage others to follow suit.

Plastic Free Fremantle spokeswoman Lisa Griffin said she had originally envisaged Fremantle banning the use of plastic bags, but having spoken to businesses quickly realised that many were already taking steps to reduce their use.

“We thought why don’t we first off give recognition to those businesses already doing it,” she said.

“That would possibly make those businesses not doing it think twice and stop giving away plastic bags.”

On Saturday, the group gathered outside Old Shanghai food hall gathering signatures on a petition to gauge community support for the initiative.
Read article

RALLY 26 Oct 8am - LAST CHANCE TO SAVE MONASH AVE. BUSHLAND

2011-10-24T22:31:00.004+08:00

The QEII hospital redevelopment is beginning. See the devastation along Winthrop Ave, the massive removal of trees...

Monash Avenue Bushland is next. Any day now!

Temporary parking is needed. Monash Avenue will be destroyed to do this.

After which Ronald MacDonald House will be built on the site in 3 years.
But the government has failed to find an alternative location or temporary car park solutions!

We think they can!

There is still time to find alternate parking solutions: nearby Graylands Hospital and Grace Vaughan House have large existing parking.
Public transport and cycling are other options.

Appeals to the EPA have failed despite Monash Ave. Bushland being an important ecological linkage between Bold Park and Kings Park.

Please come to the rally!
It will take local and immediate action by everyone. If you can't come send an email to Bill Marmion, minister for environment about your concerns: Minister.Marmion@dpc.wa.gov.au

Cyclists overtake the car as recyclists take over the capital

2011-10-20T14:06:00.002+08:00

AUSTRALIA'S love affair with cars is souring slightly, Melbourne is growing faster than Sydney, Canberrans are keen recyclers and the housing shortage is particularly severe in Sydney. These are some of the findings of a comprehensive new snapshot of Australian cities.

The State of Australian Cities 2011 report, to be launched today in Brisbane by the federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albanese, assesses the productivity, sustainability and liveability of Australia's 18 biggest cities. Sydney continues to lead the country in several key trends.

Between 2009 and 2010, Sydney had the highest use of public transport of all cities in terms of passenger kilometres travelled. Overall car use flattened in the past year. Bicycles outsold cars by 2 million units in the decade to 2010, with more than 11.5 million bikes sold in Australia in that period.
Read article

No Moore marine parks

2011-10-20T13:41:00.004+08:00

Western Australia does not need a marine park network because its fisheries are ''some of the best managed in the world'', says Fisheries Minister Norman Moore

Mr Moore today said he opposed federal government plans to establish a network of marine sanctuaries along the west coast and accused conservationists of trying to 'lock up' vast tracts of ocean.
Read article

While at the same day in the paper:
Read more: http://www.watoday.com.au/environment/conservation/no-moore-marine-parks-20111019-1m804.html#ixzz1bIbGyKBp

Conservationists slam dolphin by-catch
The number of dolphins being killed during commercial trawling in Western Australia's North West has prompted new calls for measures to reduce the by-catch.

Skippers operating off the Pilbara coast reported 17 bottlenose dolphins being caught in fishing nets last financial year.

Researchers are frustrated that the by-catch has not been reduced, despite recommendations on how this could be achieved.

Michael Fishbach narrates his encounter with a humpback whale entangled in a fishing net on Valentine's day 2011.

No Such Thing As Waste

2011-10-18T13:47:00.001+08:00

A song written for PDC about Permaculture Principle 6 - 'Produce No Waste'
Filmed & Edited by Wee Earthlings. Animations by OzJThomas.

Ripper says Perth cyclists suffering

2011-10-18T13:39:00.002+08:00

OPPOSITION leader Eric Ripper says Perth cyclists are suffering on substandard cycle infrastructure while the State Government stalls on its new bicycle network plan.

After riding from State Parliament to Hutton Street last Wednesday morning, Mr Ripper said the Hutton Street, Cedric Street and Karrinyup Road freeway intersections needed urgent attention.

“I’ve just ridden from Parliament House and what I’ve seen is frustrating – too many stops and starts, too many streets to cross and the whole thing needs an upgrade.”

On his bike as part of Ride to Work Day, he told the Stirling Times the State Government should be working as hard as it can to accommodate cyclists.

“Cycling is becoming increasingly popular for commuting to work and that’s a very good development, because of health and reductions in traffic congestion,” he said.

“What we’ve got to do is make things as convenient and as fast as possible for cyclists.”

“In a survey by the RAC, 91 per cent of cyclists said they were afraid to share the roads with car drivers – they’re scared,” he said.

“We need to spend some money on cycling infrastructure and get this right.”

A Department of Transport spokesman said the new WA Bicycle Network Plan would “soon be released for public comment”.
Read article

The Bug Circus Generator

2011-10-18T12:13:00.000+08:00

How many praying mantises does it take to power a smartphone? Check it out!

WA: Cashing in on recycling

2011-10-17T17:53:00.002+08:00

West Australians could be encouraged to recycle cans and bottles under a plan that would see them receive 10c per item for doing so.

WA Labor plans to introduce a bill which would see refunds on bottles and cans but the State Government says they would prefer a national approach.

Mr Ripper said the Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) would have a wide range of benefits including a significant reduction in landfill, water savings, the creation of jobs and a reduction in clean up costs.

“Western Australia has the lowest recycling record of any state in Australia with the rate of recycling bottles and cans at just 20 per cent,” Mr Ripper said.
Read article

Billions of people...

2011-10-17T17:27:00.003+08:00

One day this month, the world's population will reach 7 billion.

It took thousands of years - from prehistory to 1960 - for humankind to reach 3 billion. But then it took only 39 years - to 1999 - to add the next 3 billion. And now it has taken just 12 more years to move from 6 to 7 billion.

Growth has been so rapid that the US Population Reference Bureau estimates that about 5 per cent of all the people who have ever lived are living now.
Read article

Update 27 Oct: Seven billionth person to be born next week
SOME time on Monday, the strident cries of a newborn child will echo around the world. For humankind, the birth will mark the arrival of a remarkable milestone: a world population of 7 billion.

Food for good

2011-10-16T11:06:00.008+08:00

Since a few years we help friends with picking the olives from their orchard of which they make the most delicious olive oils, available from boutique stores and delivered to some of the best restaurants in the area.

Hampton Estate is a small vineyard and olive grove, privately owned 30 acre property situated near Gidgeannup in the Perth Hills of Western Australia.

The olives and vines thrive in the Mediterranean climate with cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers just like the olives and grapes in the traditional European countries and are less susceptible to pests and diseases.

Hampton Estates produces an individual range of high quality extra virgin olive oil and shiraz wine while they also look after their land; Revegetation along the creek lines and around our beautiful spring- fed dam, mulching of the prunings, continued monitoring of the trees and vines, erosion control and efficient water usage allow them to work with nature in a sustainable agricultural system.

The grapes and olives are hand -picked at the optimum time for flavour and are processed as soon as possible to ensure quality. And here is where we, friends of Kay and John, come in. And we take our friends too, as it's such an enjoyable day in the field with a great lunch in the orchard and as bonus we receive some of the best olive oil in the world!

Today, on Food Blog Day, we had the official tasting of all their goodies, pickers, friends and neighbours came along to taste the wines and olive oils and not to forget the port, which was very tasty! It was the most beautiful day for it, the first hot day this spring with over 35 degrees, and a nice breeze we were sitting in the dappled shadow of the huge trees outside while we enjoyed all the good food.

What in the world is more important than to enjoy some good food and wine with friends in the sun? I can't think of anything better!

I know there is a lot of food shortage in the world especially in countries where there is no anti conception and people have far too many kids to sustain. And I am sure a lot of blogs will aim on that topic. But I wanted a positive post as I love food! Especially healthy, honest food, without pesticides and GM free! For other posts on food check BlogActionDay

Swap a lot Extravaganza 12 November

2011-10-14T12:57:00.004+08:00

Interested in helping out call Amy on 9384 4003

More info on the Earthcarers website

People are spoiled

2011-10-13T14:28:00.000+08:00

Please vote now on GM wheat

2011-10-12T18:06:00.005+08:00

The West Australian has a poll in the article SA researchers working on designer wheat to reduce colon cancer

Duh! "The new GM wheats retain certain types of fibre and starch that are currently lost because of food processing."

Would you eat genetically modified wheat?
* Yes - let's break bread 64.09% (207 votes)
* No - I don't want Franken-wheat 35.91% (116 votes)

Please give them some No votes now!

Imagine you wanted to take over the world. What might you do? Well, you could do worse than, say, control the world’s food supply, right? But how might you go about that. Let’s see, first you’d want to make all farmers dependent on the food YOU sell,read on

Update: Busting the GM myths: a view from Greenpeace
GM is crude science
GM crops do not increase yield and will not solve hunger
GM crops pose risks to the environment
We do not know if GM foods are safe to eat

Climate Talk Friday October 14th

2011-10-11T22:13:00.002+08:00

Staff, students and community members are invited to attend the following:

At 2pm there is a play, Dystopia, by Mood Theatre

At 2.15pm a Climate Q&A with panellists including Alannah MacTiernan, Brad Pettitt and Basha Stasak
Followed by a Sundowner starting at 4pm.

And from October 9-23, the Murdoch library has a Creative Exhibition which complements Climate Talk.

Please rsvp to D.boyd@murdoch.edu.au

Free

2011-10-11T12:16:00.000+08:00

Vego wannebes Mosman Park 18 October

2011-10-11T11:26:00.005+08:00

To help gauge the numbers, could you please let Jane know if you are coming by email jblsey@gmail.com or 0403 315 735.
If you would like to come but haven't had time to get that dish together, you're still welcome, just let her know before the day if you can.

Bag it - the movie - playing tonight and next week

2011-10-11T11:10:00.004+08:00

The movie Bag it is playing tonight 7.30pm in Northbridge info here

And next week Tuesday night, 18 October 6.30pm, at SciTech in West Perth info here

Bag It Trailer from Film Sprout on Vimeo.

Ride to work day - this Wednesday 12 October!

2011-10-10T17:14:00.006+08:00

Make sure you get your free breakfast in the city or anywhere else as they are organised in several suburbs.
Register here for the free breakfast and sign up if you ride to work on your bicycle.

For those who like to read more about it, there is a special website full with stories and people who tell about their experiences riding to work.

And remember:If you ride to work instead of taking the car you have a win-win situation; you might be at work in 20 minutes by car while it takes 40 min to cycle but you don't lose 20 minutes, you gain! As you don't need to go to the gym because you did your work-out for the day.

To maintain a good health you need at least 30 minutes of intensive activity per day, so if you cycle to work you don't need to worry about the gym and if you cycle an hour or more you might even indulge in some extra chocolate ;)

It's just getting into the habit of it, so why don't you try it this Wednesday, see how it goes?

Population growth key to carbon neutral Australia: Perth pair's controversial theory

2011-10-05T16:01:00.002+08:00

There are usually only two - strongly opposed - sides in the population debate. You either support growth for the good of the economy or rally against it in the name of the environment.

But a new argument is gaining momentum and it has the potential to appease both sides.
Read article

Dirty Aussie trade

2011-10-05T14:32:00.003+08:00

Australian fur trade using cruel raccoon dog from China in clothes and ugg boots

Investigators from The Humane Society International have today revealed the results of tests on a range of clothing including a brand of the iconic Aussie ugg boot and claim many samples contain the fur of raccoon dogs.

Raccoon dog fur is mainly farmed in China where the animals are kept in unbelievably cruel conditions before being beaten and then skinned alive.
Read article

And if you want to end up with a stomach ache watch the horrible video of the dogs being skinned alive and the bloody leftovers still moving and howling on a pile... I can't bear it... What kind of world are we living in, who wants to wear those boots???

Sign the petition to stop it here

Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there...

2011-10-02T19:08:00.002+08:00

Advertisers without borders

American design company is taking an Australian supplier of replica furniture to Court

2011-10-02T18:20:00.002+08:00

IN WHAT may become a test case for intellectual property rights, the American design company Herman Miller is taking an Australian supplier of replica furniture to the Federal Court in a bid to stop it from using the famous Eames name.

The Australian furniture supplier Matt Blatt, with shops in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, sells replica designer furniture , generally at less than half the price of the real thing by legendary American designers, the late husband-and-wife Charles and Ray Eames.

But the American manufacturer Herman Miller, the owner of the Eames trademark, has had enough and is hauling Matt Blatt to the Federal Court of Australia, claiming that the Australian company has infringed trademark, contravened the Trades Practices Act and Australian Consumer Law, and is 'passing off' furniture products as authentic items by Herman Miller.
Read article

Wind turbine noise may annoy but causes no serious health problems

2011-09-29T15:07:00.003+08:00

New research published in Environmental Research Letters looked into the effect of low frequency noise from wind turbines on people living near wind power projects.

The study found that while some people are indeed annoyed by the sound, and some level of sleep disturbance was found, but it did not find empirical support for claims of more serious health problems.

From the report's conclusion:

LFN from modern wind turbines are audible at typical levels in residential settings, but the levels do not exceed levels from other common noise sources, such as road traffic noise...
It has been found that 10-20% of residents are annoyed, and about 6% are very annoyed by wind turbine noise at levels between 5 and 40 dB...
Except for noise annoyance, no consistent effects on health due to wind turbine noise have been reported. However, a statistically significant association between wind turbine noise and self-reported sleep disturbance was found in two studies.
Read article

Perth Green Drinks 4 October - rsvp now

2011-09-27T10:47:00.004+08:00

Catch up with sustainability professionals, students and friends at Perth's Green DrinksMore info on green drinks, a global event, click here.
More info on Carnagie Wave energy here.

E-waste hell

2011-09-25T22:35:00.002+08:00

Ever wondered where your old TVs and computers go after you send them off for recycling or to charity?

Dateline’s Giovana Vitola has found a mountain of old electronic equipment dumped in what were once picturesque wetlands in Ghana in West Africa.

Ghana has emerged as the E-Waste capital of the world. Alongside China, Nigeria, India, and Vietnam, Ghana has become one of the preeminent destinations for electronic waste.

“The dirty little secret is that when you take [your electronic waste] to a recycler, instead of throwing it in a trashcan, about 80 percent of that material, very quickly, finds itself on a container ship going to a 'third world country' where very dirty things happen to it.” Says Jim Puckett, the executive director of the Basel Action Network.

Although scavengers can make money selling salvaged pieces from these electronic graveyards, the process of gathering these materials is extremely toxic. “It’s the only part of the world where you’ll go and see thousands of women on any given day that are sitting… basically cooking printed circuit boards,” says Puckett. “As a result, they’re breathing all of the flame retardants and the lead and tin that are being heated up. You smell it in the air. You get headaches as soon as you enter this area.”

The e-waste is poisoning everything around it, including the scavenging children burning the wires to try and get at the valuable metal inside. Meanwhile, acrid smoke drifts across the Agbogbloshie area of the capital Accra, and even the city’s main food market.

Stamped across the equipment, the names of companies and government bodies in countries like Australia, Britain and the United States, with many hard drives still intact and containing potentially confidential information.

Exporting hazardous waste to developing countries is strictly regulated, so how is some of it ending up in Ghana illegally? Do the companies disposing of it even know what’s happening? And what do the Australian authorities plan to do about it?
More info here and here

Environment Grants and Sponsorship Program 2011/12

2011-09-22T20:54:00.003+08:00

Environment Grants and Sponsorship Program 2011/12The City of Perth is inviting businesses, community groups, Non-GovernmentOrganisations (NGOs), and other organisations to apply for environmentgrants or sponsorship up to $10,000 as part of the Environment Grants andSponsorship Program.

The 2011/12 focus is on reducing the environmentalfootprint of buildings and businesses in the city.

A briefing session will be held on Tuesday 27 September 2011 at My Placelocated on 70 Pier Street, Perth to assist you with the applicationprocess. Light refreshments will be available from 5:00pm-5:30pm and thebriefing will commence at 5:30-6:30pm.
If you wish to attend this sessionplease RSVP by 5pm Friday, 23 September 2011. The application period will be open until 5pm on 19 October 2011.

TheInformation Kit and Application Form have been attached to this email orare available of the City of Perth website. For further enquiries about the Environment Grants and Sponsorship Program or to RSVP to the Briefing Session please contact the City of PerthSustainable City Development Team on 08 9461 3110 or email jessica.turner@cityofperth.wa.gov.au

Cocky's corner

2011-09-22T12:52:00.004+08:00

Please send your letters of support to cockyscorner@gmail.com urging the CEO and the board members to ensure the "Continuance Of Cocky`s Corner and keep the food going to the needy!

Cocky`s Cocky`s Corner collects from local Perth markets and distributes fresh fruit & vegetables 7 days a week, every week, all year round! The fresh food is supplied to various charities, churches, soup kitchens and the needy for free. This benevolent food charity is under threat.

A liter of light

2011-09-21T22:12:00.002+08:00

Such a simple and great idea! And it's not only for the slums in Manila but I can use one too in my old garden shed!
More info here

Hulbert Street Sustainability Fiesta this weekend!

2011-09-21T21:50:00.001+08:00

24- 25 SeptemberHulbert Street is just a regular street of about 30 houses off Douro Road in South Fremantle, but each year they open their doors and their hearts so others can see what life is like in “Fremantle’s Most Sustainable Street”.

With two open sustainable homes (The Painted Fish and Ecoburbia), five open gardens and five open art studios, you are sure to leave inspired and full of plans for your place.

This year a special Show and Tell area will allow you to interact with others who are willing to share some aspect of their sustainable journey – from keeping bees, to making soap, preserving your garden harvest to keeping chickens.

There is lots of free fun for the whole family – from the popular wood working stall, to art and craft activities, the fairy garden and two busking areas. Plus the Fiesta includes a colourful range of stall holders including many community groups, local artists and companies selling sustainable products ranging from solar panels and water tanks to cloth nappies and organic seedlings.

We recommend bringing the whole family - check out the timetables below to plan your visits or stay for the entire weekend!

Entry to the Fiesta is by donation, so come along, share and be inspired.
More info on what is all organised check here.

History to judge carbon vote: Julia Gillard

2011-09-16T12:04:00.002+08:00

VIDEO: Labor launches new carbon ad

JULIA Gillard challenged Coalition MPs to ask themselves if they were on the right side of history as she introduced the government's carbon tax legislation, declaring this parliament would pass the measure after decades of debate on climate change.

The Prime Minister said MPs would be judged on their vote by every Australian, "because the final test is not are you on the right side of the politics of the week, or the polls of the year".

"The final test is this: are you on the right side of history?"

Ms Gillard entered parliament at noon and received a round of applause from the public gallery as she introduced the Clean Energy Bill, the main piece of legislation in the 18-bill climate change package.

The raft of bills will impose a $23-a-tonne carbon tax from July 1 next year, moving to an emissions trading scheme in 2015; increase the tax-free threshold to $20,542; and provide compensation to low- and middle-income earners to offset any resulting price increases. The legislation includes an assistance package to support trade-exposed industries.
Read article

The Edge 2012 - Design exhibition - apply now

2011-09-13T10:35:00.003+08:00

More information click here And download your application form here

Central Institute of Technology Short Design Courses October

2011-09-12T15:04:00.006+08:00

Check out my course: Put more Green in your DesignsClick to enlarge
Next term's short courses start mid October, apply now. For more information contact Linda Kemp | administration assistant | central institute of technology monday & tuesday | art portfolio
12 aberdeen street, northbridge wa 6003 | t 9427 1905
thursday & friday | design portfolio
19 aberdeen street, northbridge wa 6003 | t 9427 1564
linda.kemp@central.wa.edu.au

Australia should adopt a few solar ideas from the Spanish...

2011-09-12T14:23:00.006+08:00

On the outskirts of Seville, Spain, 600 rotating mirrors send shafts of light to a collector atop a soaring 380-foot- (115-meter-) tall tower. Its scalding 480-degree-Fahrenheit (250-degree-Celsius) steam drives a turbine generating a peak capacity of 11 megawatts (MW) of electricity for the national grid. This "power tower" was the first of nine built by Spanish engineering giant Abengoa Solar.

Spain overtakes US with world's biggest solar power station July 2010
Spain has opened the world's largest solar power station, meaning that it overtakes the US as the biggest solar generator in the world. The nation's total solar power production is now equivalent to the output of a nuclear power station.

We have plenty of desert areas to use for this kind of giant projects to create electricity. But there is not much out there yet except research reports...

Western Australia's Concentrated Solar Power Potential Jan. 2011
Researchers from the University of Western Australia say Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technologies have excellent potential to generate clean, renewable electricity for communities and mining operations throughout the state's vast Wheatbelt.

Potential of concentrating solar power in Australia A CSIRO report from June 2011

It's about time something will be done with all the technology available and proven! Instead of playing around with urging individuals to put panels on their roofs, promising nice schemes which are stopped with no warning while there are heaps of possibilities to be done nationally to cover a whole area.

No tax on $20,000? Love the carbon plan

2011-09-12T13:41:00.003+08:00

Carbon, schmarbon. If I hear another rumour or speculation about what the carbon tax will or won't do, I think I'll explode.
I've hit saturation point with all this carbon talk, and from the sound of it, so have many others.

And perhaps that's just what the politicians want. Nothing like a bit of disinformation overload to shut down the debate as those eyes glaze over and those heads start to nod.
Read this column in the Herald Sun! It's good, I like the idea:
As part of a promise to help offset the impact of the carbon tax, the Government has increased the tax-free threshold from $6000 to just over $18,000 which, with a few other bits and pieces, means all of us can earn just over $20,000 a year and not pay any tax. Gotta love it.

But what if we adopt this initiative as a new work-life philosophy? What if all the 40-hour plus a week sloggers cut back and instead of one person working 40 hours we have two people working 20 hours a week? Let's spread this part-time, job-share trend across the country.

Yes, most of us will be a bit poorer financially but on the happiness stakes, hey, I reckon it's a winner.

Businesses would have less stressed, more motivated workers and homes would have less stressed, more motivated individuals, all thanks to the carbon tax. Gotta love it.

Design for a thingless future

2011-09-12T13:36:00.002+08:00

In a resource-limited future, we may not own our things, but instead hire the service they perform. It may change the very nature of our possessions.

CRAVING A NEW CAR? Coveting a Prada handbag? Worrying about the environment? No problem. As a consumer, it's now possible and maybe even sustainable to have it all; at least, if you're willing to rent rather than own.

"What we're seeing now is the preference to access over ownership," says futurist Tim Longhurst. It's a pattern that led trendwatching.com to list renting, loaning and sharing our possessions as one of the top trends of 2011.
Read article

Tomorrow Vego Wannebes in Mosman Park

2011-09-12T12:10:00.002+08:00

Click on picture to enlarge

Start 7pm with a 10 min TED talk on Climate change before the meal; bring your own contribution to the 'Vege Pie and Salad' meal to share.

At 8pm there is a talk about WATER with Adam.
Adam is an avid data collector and has kept records of local rainfall and his household water use both from tank and the mains system.
He will share with you how his family has tried to deal with Perth's limited water and give you food for thought about how you might go about it too.

Council election in Mosman Park WA

2011-09-09T18:23:00.003+08:00

It's local council election time in Mosman Park WA and important who you chose. So if you live in the northern part of Mosman Park you might be interested in councilor Libby Eustance. I know her from several environmental and sustainable happenings and think she would be a good person to have on board of the local council! Check out her website for more information, click here. You can comment on a lot of issues on her site, so please have a look. I wish she was in my local council... I went for the first time to a council meeting in Claremont this week and was shocked by the stiff atmosphere. I went to ask questions about the cutting of 39 mature trees in our street to replace them with a 3 story modern school building while we are in a heritage zone and they have plenty of space a bit further from the road so they can both keep the trees and keep the heritage feel. I think they didn't like my question as I didn't get much of an answer they are just like a lot of other councils out for greed, lots of commercial stuff to get more money and it doesn't matter to them that all green has to make way for concrete... so sad...

Sustainable House Day, this Sunday 11 September!

2011-09-08T21:24:00.004+08:00

Houses are open for FREE between 10am and 4pm.

Check out a sustainable house in your area, click here for more info. There are 17 houses open for the public in all areas.

Or come to the Subiaco Sustainable house, I'll be there as a volunteer all day. The house is designed and owned by a Curtin University senior lecturer in the Architecture department. It's at 199 Hamersley Road so if you are in the area come in and have a look.

Solar Dwellings, Western Australia’s leading passive solar home design company, is organising this years Sustainable House Day and tonight we were briefed and informed.

Wine: What the label really means

2011-09-07T18:16:00.003+08:00

SPEAKING to a couple of wine retailers recently, they said that while many consumers are concerned about sustainability, wine additives and so on, there's still a lot of confusion about exactly what's what in the bottle and what different label claims actually mean.

Organic: For a wine to be labelled organic, the vineyard and winemaking process have to be officially certified as organic. Grapes grown organically but made into wine using non-organic methods cannot be sold as organic.

Most importantly for those concerned about or sensitive to sulphur, an organic wine does not automatically mean it is preservative free. Some are, some aren't and your best guide is to check the back label listing of additives.

Sulphur: All wines contain small amounts of sulphur dioxide as a natural byproduct of fermentation. But it's sulphur added as a preservative and anti-bacterial that has become the bogeyman for many consumers.
Read article