The economic hitman

A great illustration on how corporations take control of countries, and how capitalism drives the expansion of the Military Industrial Complex. Made by Studio Joho.

The light bulb conspiracy

Full movie

Planned Obsolescence is the deliberate shortening of product life spans to guarantee consumer demand.

As a magazine for advertisers succinctly puts it: The article that refuses to wear out is a tragedy of business - and a tragedy for the modern growth society which relies on an ever-accelerating cycle of production, consumption and throwing away.

The Light Bulb Conspiracy combines investigative research and rare archive footage to trace the untold story of Planned Obsolescence, from its beginnings in the 1920s with a secret cartel, set up expressly to limit the life span of light bulbs, to present-day stories involving cutting edge electronics (such as the iPod) and the growing spirit of resistance amongst ordinary consumers.

This film travels to France, Germany, Spain and the US to find witnesses of a business practice which has become the basis of the modern economy, and brings back disquieting pictures from Africa where discarded electronics are piling up in huge cemeteries for electronic waste.

Watch movie here

Seeds Of Death

Full movie

The problem with those documentaries is that it's always about the health issues, never about the far more dangerous way on how those big companies are patenting everything around us... which possible has far more consequences than eating the chemically enhanced foods...

My motto is to grow your own and stick to basics, stay away from all processed foods if possible.

Workshop: A Taste of Green Woodworking

Saturday 28 June. It’s a full day workshop offering “A Taste of Green Woodworking”. 

“A Taste of Green Woodworking” is an exciting opportunity to experience the ancient skills our ancestors took for granted, as we make functional and beautiful items from wood obtained fresh from garden prunings and tree loppings.  A warning: Doing green woodcraft can be addictive and great fun!

Greg Miller

PO Box 2063, Carlisle North 6101.

Ph. 0427 770 339

Email: adventure@wn.com.au 

Australia should be number one!

Australia’s electricity is largely generated by ageing, inefficient coal-fired power plants and there are currently no plans, nor a national discussion on the future of the electricity sector and options to significantly reduce its emissions. Delaying the shift to a low carbon future increases the likely risks and costs of transition to a low carbon future in the electricity sector, where it typically takes a decade or more to plan, permit, finance and build major new power infrastructure.
Read more

D’SIGN Awards for young designers and graduates

Important: competitors may only enter if they are still in training or at school or have not worked as a designer for longer than 5 years.

Entering will close on August the 15th of 2014.There is no entrance fee.
Read more and sign up here

Humans “Are Part Of A Massive Experiment”

Geneticist David Suzuki Says Humans “Are Part Of A Massive Experiment”

… are seeds that are generated, not to produce more nourishment or be better tasting, but to allow these plants to be drenched with Monsanto pesticides. Normally those pesticides would kill the grain or the crop but now they engineered them to be resistant to those. And they demand to have them to put the Monsanto product on them. So it’s a business excuse, it has nothing to do with improving the quality on earth.
Read more

Eucalyptus genome could unlock the tree's biofuel potential

The genome of Australia’s Flooded Gum (Eucalyptus grandis) has been sequenced, and scientists are searching it for information that could help revolutionise the fibre and biofuels industries, and provide insight into how to help the species survive climate change.

The research on the trees, which are one of the world's leading hardwoods and home to Australia's koalas, has been published in Nature. 

It’s hoped the genetic sequence will help scientists work out how to grow eucalypts more sustainably and efficiently, as well as unlock the potential of the trees and their oil.
Read article

Are you ready for this year's

Sick of chucking out so much waste? Want to minimise your ecological footprint? 

Refuse all single use plastic packaging this July.

You will discover it isn't easy so you might like to start with the obvious few like plastic shopping bags, take away cups (No, those eco ones are not compostable as they are plastic lined, and that starch based plastic is only compostable in an industrial environment), plastic water and soda bottles and plastic drink straws. You will find that will already go a fair way!

If more motivated or already joined last year you  might like to dig a bit deeper, find alternatives for plastic packaging in the supermarket,  for take away food, doggy poo bags, bin liners, diapers, menstrual pads etc.

Be innovative, creative and join us in July to make a statement. It might even change your habits for much longer!
Sign up at www.plasticfreejuly.org

Student Event in Fremantle tomorrow

My students are working very hard in these last few days to get a great show happening on Friday, creating small batches of their design to test the market. So if you have time on Friday between 10AM and 6PM please come along to Fremantle to support them. 

What is really happening in Fukushima

Australia falling behind

Australia is NOT leading the world on climate change - sadly we are falling behind. 

Other countries are building more renewable energy and improving their carbon and energy efficiency faster, according to a new report from Vivid Economics commissioned by WWF-Australia. 

10 June Launch

Interested in Solidworks?
Come to the launch by SF Works on Tuesday 10 June from 8.00am - 4.30pm 

Register here

Solar Roadways!

Solar panels that you can drive, park, and walk on. They melt snow and... cut greenhouse gases by 75-percent?!!!


I remember, years ago, talking with friends, we were discussing the possibilities what if parking lots and roads were covered in solar panels.
And see, here is this couple from the US on Indiegogo pursuing their project which is actually doing it!!!
Have a look and you can still invest; 8 more days to go!
Check here

Solar FREAKIN' Roadways!

Perth 2050

Want to be part of it, Book here

Compost Month of May - Movie night

More screenings of Dirt:

 “Dirt! The Movie”. Free Movie Night.  A story with heart and soil. Monday 26th May. An event by Victoria Park Transition Network. Doors open 6:30pm. Movie goes from 7:00pm - 8:30pm, followed by a discussion on Victoria Park Transition Network activities from 8:30-9:00pm. Victoria Park Art Centre, 12 Kent St, East Victoria Park. This is an insightful and timely film that tells the story of the glorious and unappreciated material beneath our feet. Inspired by William Bryant Logan’s acclaimed book Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth. For more info please contact Rowena 0459 209 934 or Eugenie 0438718247
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Please join Transition Town Mount Hawthorn on Thursday 15 May 2013 at the Mount Hawthorn Community Centre, Lesser Hall (downstairs), 197 Scarborough Beach Road. 

The screening of Dirt, the movie, will be followed by information about composting through traditional methods, bokashi and worm farming.

This is a free event, your gold coin donation would be appreciated. Please also help us set-up and pack away on the night.
  
Doors open at 6:30pm, movie starts at 7pm, composting information from 8:30-9pm.

Please spread the word and bring your friends along. No RSVP required, but tell us if you plan to attend with a bigger group of people. More info from Irma 0466 640 455 or Kim 0458 202 270.

The screening is a collaborative project within the Perth Transition Town Network. If you cannot make it to our screening, watch the movie on Tuesday 13 May in Guildford, at the Stirling Arms Hotel, 117 James Street, doors open at 6pm, movie starts at 7pm. That screening is organised by Transition Town Guildford.

Perth Green Drinks 14 May

While in nature materials are endlessly used in different cycles, human economies operate in a linear fashion. We are able to make glass from sand or plastic from oil, but not the other way around. The result is waste. There are estimates that the world produces more than 2.5 trillion pounds of garbage every year – materials that won’t disappear easily. 

To discuss our waste situation in WA, learn how to generate less and imagine a world without waste, please join our panel:

Adam Johnson is founder of Garbologie, an entrepreneurial business disrupting waste management to create a world without waste. It does that by developing a network of niche businesses to extract valuable materials from waste. Currently, Garbologie operates a mattress recycling business and a Tip/Shop. Adam previously held senior management roles in local government in Perth, and worked as a consultant and a regulator in Sydney and Melbourne. 

Rebecca Prince-Ruiz is an educator with the award winning Earth Carers program. A visit to a recycling facility was an overwhelming experience which transformed her idea that putting recycling into a yellow-lidded bin is a virtuous environmental action. Her question became: "How did I come to having this item in the first place?". Focusing on the "reduce" message, she was involved in starting the Plastic Free July challenge – a personal undertaking that in 3 years has grown into a global movement with over 4,000 participants.

Jenny Campbell is a founding director of Encycle Consulting and has been involved in the environmental and waste management fields in both public and private sectors since the year 2000. With a wealth of experience in developing and implementing waste management plans in industry sectors such as hospitality, manufacturing, construction and mining, Jenny was the recepient of the National Australian Women in Construction WA Triple Bottom Line Sustainability Award earlier this year.

Bring a friend, questions for our panelists, enjoy a beer and lots of networking! 

Looking forward to seeing you there! Register here

25 Aberdeen St is in walking distance from Perth train station and near several bus routes and the Blue Cat. Street parking is available and there are Perth Council carparks nearby. 

As always, a huge THANK YOU to our sponsors Central Institute of Technology andLittle Creatures Brewing.
                                                             

This is probably why...

Fossil fuels face $30 trillion losses from climate, renewables

The global fossil fuel industry faces a loss of $US28 trillion ($A30.2 trillion) in revenues over the next two decades, if the world takes action to address climate change, cleans up pollution and moves to decarbonise the global energy system.

The assessment, made by leading European broking house Kepler Chevreux, underlines what’s at stake for the fossil fuel industry from a push to cleaner fuels and concerted efforts to reduce emissions, and helps explain the enormous push back from the oil and coal industries in particular against such policies.
Read article

World's deadliest animals

And why the WA government still wants to keep on culling sharks... 

Take action or here
Or sign the petition to use the locally designed and developed Eco Barrier instead.

Government in Australia has trouble seeing the real picture

They are surrounded by big corporations waving with $$$ and pulling the strings. It's like the first video of the Story of Stuff where Annie Leonard explains how things work in the US, where the government is polishing the shoes of big corporations, where instead of 'working' for the people they are ruled by corporations.That's where Australia is now. 

  

How can a government who is paid and chosen by the people work against the people? Why do we accept this?

Why do we let the government spend 12 billion on fighter jets and subsidising fossil fuels and mining industry? While on the other hand they are planning to cut the money for a surplus away from everything we build up to be a good community? Education cuts, cuts on Environment, etc.