Sydney Green Drinks 6 April

When in Sydney...

otherwise, come to the Perth Green Drinks on 6 April, don't forget to rsvp by 1 April 5pm!

Taking flight with Li Edelkoort

Dutch trend forecaster tours Australia, curator, publisher and educator, Li Edelkoort constantly lives in the future. One of the most sought-after trend researchers in the world, Li will present her latest observations and interpretations at seminars in Melbourne and Sydney.

MELBOURNE April 29Storey Hall, RMIT Building 16, 342 Swanston Street.
SYDNEY May 4Museum of Contemporary Art, 149 George Street.
Price: $350 + GST
More info

I went to the seminar of Dutch trend forecaster Milou Ket in February at the furniture fair in Sydney where she showed all new interior trends and what happened at the international markets at the moment. Very inspiring but I, myself, I don't believe in forecasting trends for years ahead as times are changing to rapidly...

Milou was a fascinating woman to meet though, so if you have the chance to go to one of her seminars at the Melbourne or Sydney furniture fair, please do, they are a fraction of the price of Li Edelkoort's seminars. I must admit, I've never met Li, only heard about her, so I can't advise to go or not. But I do know that it's all about selling trend books full with beautiful pictures... which I think it's the fun of making them yourself!

Perth to absorb 2 million more

Perth will sprawl further than New York City, be clogged with cars and people will live in each other's pockets as the city groans under the weight of an extra two million residents over the next 40 years.

An analysis of how Perth is growing and will grow as more people call the city home also warns that more desalination plants, thousands of kilometres of roads and hundreds of schools will have to be built to cope with the surge in residents.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics is forecasting Perth's population to hit 3.8 million from its current 1.7 million by 2050.

For the first time the bureau has looked at what that will mean to Perth residents - and the picture is dominated by sprawling suburbs and long journeys to work.
Read article

POLL: Can Perth cope? Have your say

Full moon set to spark mass spawning

ONE of the state's most remarkable natural attractions - the mass spawning of coral off the WA coast - is set to be sparked by tonight's full moon.
Each year, the March full moon stimulates coral polyps into releasing a huge swathe of egg and sperm to reproduce.

As the sea turns pink with the seed of coral at tropical reefs along the coast, whale sharks have also began arriving at Ningaloo Marine Park in the North-West.
Read article

GreenTag — Eco-labelling for building products

David Baggs the CEO of environmental certification company Ecospecifier, is launching a new generation eco-label for building products called GreenTag.

It involves simple logo which manufacturers can apply to have placed on their environmentally friendlier building product and a complex, detailed and globally accredited cradle-to-grave life-cycle assessments of the environmental impacts of those products.

Under GreenTag, each door, window frame, light fitting, piece of timber, floor covering, paint product or any other building material can be assessed against six summary criteria, and potentially hundreds of other indicators, including issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, health risks of pollutants, impacts on biodiversity and the health and welfare of workers together with social benefits.

For example, each bit of wood in the door of Baggs’ office has had an impact on the environment in 241 different ways. ‘... you look at the energy it took to make the door. You ask how durable the timber is,’ he says ‘Did the wood come from a sustainable source? How was it harvested and what was the waste and energy from that process.’
More information

Japanese probe woodchips

FOUR of Japan's largest paper manufacturing companies are in Hobart for two days to assess woodchips. They want to know if the native woodchips they buy from Tasmania meet appropriate environmental standards.

Officials from Japanese corporate giants, Oji Paper, Nippon Paper Industries, Chuetsu Pulp & Paper and Marusumi Paper held discussions with suppliers and industry stakeholders yesterday to ensure their woodchips are sourced from only environmentally acceptable forest locations.
Read article

Landfill charges to rise sharply

THE cost of dumping rubbish in landfill will escalate dramatically under a state government plan to encourage recycling and create ''green jobs''.
Read article

Microchips, recycling ramped up to cut waste
LOCAL councils are microchipping bins, reducing bin sizes, putting up fees and cutting collections in a bid to get households to dramatically reduce waste.

But environmentalists fear their efforts could be thwarted by the NSW government's lack of planning and spending on recycling and waste disposal.

Waste solution left to rot as landfill capacity runs out
SYDNEY'S rubbish dumps will be full within six years, according to an independent report which the NSW government swept under the carpet after receiving it a year ago.

It's cheaper to bury than recycle: councils
COUNCILS with state-of-the-art recycling technology claim they are being penalised by the NSW government and may have to revert to simply burying their waste.

At Port Macquarie 66 per cent of all waste is recycled and what is left is only sent to landfill after it has been biologically stabilised and compacted so that it gives off little methane gas and does not become wind-blown litter.

Now in the Eastern states... can we prevent this in WA by taking the rigth measures?

Solar scheme powers on as batts bow out

KEVIN RUDD'S roof insulation program may have sent the nation temporarily batty, but the state government's solar power bonus scheme is shaping up as a big success.

The scheme, in which households who install panels can earn average electricity credits of about $1500 a year, was running well ahead of expectations, the Energy Minister, John Robertson, said.
Read article

Check this website for WA rebates.

Germans put sunny Australia in the shade
Germany may be a cloudy country - but it has 50 times as much solar power as sunny Australia.

Population boom to strain Perth

West Australians will have to embrace recycled water and suburban infill as the population doubles to around 3.5 million people by the middle of the century.

The warning from the State Government's planning guru Charles Johnson comes as the Department of Planning updates its population forecasts for Perth based on a sustained period of between 2 and 3 per cent annual growth fuelled by an ongoing resources boom.
Read article

Earth hour in Perth

Photos by Megan Lewis.

In Australia, over 4,200 businesses, and 1,100 schools and universities registered their participation using our website. You were one of over 44,000 sites who pledged to do "lights out" for Earth Hour.

I must honestly admit that I slept through it... as I'd turned off everything electronical we had only a few candles burning and fell asleep on the sofa to wake up at 11pm.

Fossel fools day

Garrett approves Jandakot Airport expansion

Environment Protection Minister, Peter Garrett, has approved, with strict environmental conditions, the future development of Jandakot Airport in Western Australia.

The approval conditions include significant offsets, measures to protect the Carnaby’s black cockatoo, threatened orchids, bandicoots and wallabies, as well as the creation of a conservation area on airport land.

“Before giving my approval to this project, I thoroughly considered the impact the development would have on the whole of the environment, including threatened species,” Mr Garrett said.

“I am satisfied the airport expansion can proceed without unacceptable impacts on the environment or nationally protected species, particularly with the strict conditions imposed and the significant offsets detailed in the approval conditions.

“As a condition of the approval, Jandakot Airport Holdings must buy and protect more than 1,600 hectares of Carnaby’s black cockatoo habitat as well as provide $150,000 per year towards recovery and research activities for this species. I am pleased to say this is one of the best environmental outcomes achieved in a Western Australian development for the Carnaby’s black cockatoo.

“The company will be required to rehabilitate about 110 hectares of land next to the airport for a conservation area of more than 600 hectares, with local council agreement. The company must also develop conservation plans to manage, map and monitor native species, treat dieback, and control weeds and feral animals.
Read article

Design for Sustainability

When you are in Melbourne:

The three workshops will present design strategies to assist in the reduction of environmental stressors during each phase of the design cycle. The cycles in these sessions include; manufacture and material selection, use phase and the end-of-life of a product.

2010 free Workshop Dates
Design for Sustainability: Manufacture and Material Selection
Tuesday 23 March, 8.30 am – 12.30 pm

Design for Sustainability: Use Phase
Tuesday 20 April, 8.30 am – 12.30 pm

Design for Sustainability: End-of-Life
Tuesday 18 May, 8.30 am – 12.30 pm

More info here.

Funk for Da Fish! 26 March 8pm in Leederville

RSVP @ http://www.facebook.com/saveourmarinelife

Perth Sun Fair Sunday!

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

On Sunday 28th March 2010 people from all walks of life will come together on the Oak Lawn at the University of Western Australia to share information and experiences so they can return to their homes with a knowledge that they can make a difference to the future of the welfare of this planet and all its living systems.
Check website for more information and make sure you check out the free seminars!

Permanent winter sprinkler bans announced

The State Government recently announced the introduction of permanent sprinkler bans during winter as a further measure to reduce the amount of water we use.

The bans, which were successfully trialled in 2009, will be in force from 1 June to 31 August each year.

They will apply to scheme and bore water users in Perth, Mandurah and certain parts of the South West.

Click here to view the media release by the Minister for Water.

Downpours bring joy for farmers

Farmers, graziers and pastoralists across the South-West land division celebrated the end of WA's longest dry spell yesterday as thunderstorm rains filled dams and quenched dry paddocks.

On Sunday night and yesterday morning rain pelted on some of the driest parts of the State that until then had experienced their lowest summer rainfall on record.

Widespread thunderstorms through the central and western parts of the Wheatbelt broke the big dry that had many farmers and rural communities carting water to dams for livestock.

The welcome rains filled critically low dams and watered crop paddocks with enough downpour to prompt clover and weed germination, allowing farmers to begin their weed eradication program earlier than expected before seeding next month.
Read article

Ethikl - online green market place

Ethikl is a virtual marketplace where you can discover natural, handmade, fair trade and organic products created by artisan producers.

Founded in 2009, Ethikl was started by Brisbane girl Peita Gardiman who is passionate about ethical living. After a career in Marketing and being blessed with two children, Peita sought a way to be part of the solution to our planet's future. Peita believes that the everyday choices of individuals have the power to transform our world. By living in harmony with our planet and all who share it, we empower ourselves, enrich our lives and enhance our well being.

Check out the Ethikl website if you are looking for something nice and don't forget to visit her blog as well with lots of background stories.

Perth Green Drinks - 6 April

Hello,

You are invited for the Perth Green Drinks on 6 April 2010

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

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

Green Drinks is GLOBAL: active in more than 600 cities worldwide!

When: Tuesday 6 April 6.00 – 8.00 pm

Where: Central TAFE East Perth Campus at 140 Royal Street, come by train, just 2 minutes from Claissebrook station. There plenty of free parking available at the back of the building off the Brown Street entrance.

How: Central Institute of Technology is providing one voucher per person for a choice of drink + nibbles on the table. Following drinks non alcoholic.

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

RSVP: Before Thursday 1 April 5pm - rsvp@central.wa.edu.au

SPEAKER: Janet Grogan
Want to learn a bit more about GM?
Janet has been part of the GM Campaign in WA for over 7 years. From the 'Say No to GMO' campaign has grown a state -wide network renamed the GM Free Consumers Network. They closely work with communities, shires, consumers and growers to share their common goal of maintaining the GM Free status of Western Australia, to ensure that a GM Free choice is protected, and demand strict liability to protect all non GM growers.

There’s lots happening – so let’s map our sustainability network
At the close of the GM session and continuing over drinks the Sustainable WA team will facilitate an interactive exercise to start mapping the sustainability network in WA. Facilitator, Rod Griffith, will guide you through an activity to collectively uncover and begin to link the range of organisations, groups and individuals already working on Sustainability in WA.

This is a preparatory activity for the “Big Splash”– WA’s largest and most inspiring conversation for sustainability - to be held on Sunday 23 May.

Hope to see you there!

Wilma van Boxtel
02 liaison Western Australia

Creative Vibe Design Competition 2010

The Creative Vibe design competition was launched in 2006 and is open to entrants from Australia and New Zealand to submit their designs for the theme we outline in our brief.

The judging team consists of Maree Draper, Kevin Brookes, Mathew Sheargold and Amanda Stanaway who review the entries and interview the shortlisted finalists. Two finalists are then selected who progress onto a workshop with the judges where we prototype their designs. Part of the workshop process is to review the prototype, cost structure, marketability, manufacturing and improvements.

The Winner of the General Entry division receives $5000 prize money, their prototype to keep, and royalties if their design is chosen to be part of the Creative Vibe portfolio.
More info website