Are you a Scuppie?

A Scuppie is a Socially Conscious Upwardly Mobile Person.
They are the most influential consumer group of our time. Just like hippies, they care about society and the environment -- but, just like yuppies, they care about their quality of life and bank balance, too.
And soon there will be a Scuppie handbook to help you being a Scuppie!

Driving a car for about 1 cent per kilometer?

The TREV (two-seater renewable energy vehicle) can carry two people with overnight bags and reach a top speed of 120 km/h with minimal road noise and zero emissions.
The University of South Australia's clean car uses less than a fifth of the energy of a conventional car and is designed for a future without petrol.

TREV is not a hybrid but a fully electric car whose batteries are recharged with energy from renewable sources, mainly solar and wind. The working prototype is fit for everyday urban commuter use with an ultra-light body and 150-kilometre driving range. After that, it has to be plugged in and recharged, which takes up to four hours.

GINA

GINA from BMW is a museum piece but it's good to see that designers and developers are busy changing technology and let loose old set in habits.

Sustainable Fabrics Awarded!

As I use the wool from Sustainable Living Fabrics for my sustainable poufs which will be exhibited at VIVID on Furnitex, Melbournes furniture show in July, I like to tell you that Sustainable Living Fabrics again has won the UNAA World Environment Day Lincoln Scott Triple Bottom Award for “their continued outstanding performance in this category”.

The award was announced as “very important in the UNAA Awards Program” and recognises excellence in commitment to environmental, social and economic considerations.

The judges acknowledged Sustainable Living Fabrics “sustainable initiatives have been stringent through their close engagement with their supply chain reinforced by commitment to independent certification of their entire product range”. Sustainable Living Fabrics has also won the Monash World Environment Day 2008 CETEC Business Sustainability Award.
CONGRATULATIONS!

Destruction of Amazon escalates

SATELLITE photographs show the destruction of Brazil's Amazon rainforest has exploded this year, fuelling fears the Government's efforts to stop deforestation have been fruitless.

Brazil's DETER real-time monitoring system found that more than 900 sq km of forest vanished in April and about 6000 sq km were destroyed between last August and April.
That nine-month total surpassed the entire acreage in the Amazon that was destroyed over the previous 12 months, according to DETER data.

And worse is to come, environmentalists said.
The Amazon's dry season, when farmers do most of their burning and clearing, starts this month.
Read the article


Update 7/7/08: One-fifth of Amazon deforestation from preservation areas

Water

WATER shortages could prove an even bigger threat to mankind this century than soaring food prices and the relentless exhaustion of energy reserves, a panel of global experts has told the Goldman Sachs "Top Five Risks" conference.
Read the article

Shoppers put the world first

AUSTRALIAN consumers are threatening to stop buying products and services that do not show an awareness for the environment, a survey has found.

The market for sustainable retail and consumers goods is growing, though Australia is lagging other countries, the Pricewaterhouse Coopers 2008 retail and consumer report concluded.

"Sustainability is the buzzword among retail and consumer groups aiming to create long-term strategies to fight climate change, reduce waste and build a healthier nation," PwC partner Stuart Harker said. Mr Harker, the national retailer and goods sector leader for PwC, said retailers in Australia such as Target, Bunnings, Sussan and Woolworths were all making steps to go green.

"It is being consumer pulled rather than marketing pushed," he said, "and if they get it wrong consumers will start to move their purchases to other organisations."

Who On Earth Cares about World Environment Day?

Tomorrow, Thursday June 5, is World Environment Day - when people across the globe will be asking companies and communities to 'Kick the CO2 habit' by reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.

Al Gore has personally trained 250 Australians to deliver an Australian version of the climate change presentation known to many as the basis of his movie An Inconvenient Truth.

These trained individuals (or Climate Project presenters) come from all walks of life, right across Australia, and range from doctors, mums and business people to ex-footballers, musicians and fire-fighters just to name a few! Have a look for yourself by reading their profiles. click here for the WA trainees.

You can request a Climate Project presenter to come and deliver a presentation to an audience near you. It is easy. You can do it right now online by simply filling out the form.

They can attend your function, come to your workplace, or attend your community group to deliver an entertaining, informative and relevant Climate Project presentation.

I like to invite a presenter to one of the coming Green Drinks, I'll keep you posted.

Put another log on the fire

YOU don't have to contribute to greenhouse gases to keep cosy in winter. The design of your home, energy-efficient heating and sensible steps to keep the heat in can make your winter a warm and environmentally friendly experience.
Read the article full of information

Crystals shed light on solar energy

Affordable solar energy for every household has moved closer to reality thanks to a ground-breaking discovery at the University of Queensland (UQ).

"We have grown the world's first titanium oxide single crystals with large amounts of reactive surfaces, something that was predicted as almost impossible," Professor Lu said. "The crystals absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity."

Read article

O2 Playground

More information on o2 Playground, click here.

SomerVille Ecovillage

SomerVille Ecovillage, located just 2 kilometres from the centre of Chidlow, is the state's premier example of how to develop property. Just some of the initiatives in place at the ecovillage are:
- every building will be North facing and achieve a 7 star thermal efficiency
- the ecovillage is self sufficient for water and sewerage and will be a net exporter of solar power
- to reduce car usage the village centre is car free and at least 80 jobs will be created on site. There will also be a car share service available
- those choosing to have cars will have to pay an annual fee for road upkeep
- the strata company will own several enteprises, which will generate an ongoing income stream for the community
- the project developer offsets 100% of their carbon emissions

To celebrate the availability of the lots, SomerVille is hosting a launch event in Perth, with guest speaker Peter Newman. You can find out more about the SomerVille project, register your interest and RSVP for this event at the website.

Aussies spend $5b on electronic gadgets

In fact, Australians bought more than $5 billion worth last year, spending up big on flat-screen televisions, digital cameras, games consoles, MP3 players and more.

Many of these new toys replaced old models and some telecommunications experts say we are now replacing our mobile phones every 18 months or sooner. Read article

And every verge collection again I see so many computers, printers, televisions and other e waste... instead of bringing it to one of the depots for e waste... Check 1800EWASTE Australia for more information.

Waste is Food - A revolution in The Netherlands

After showing the documentary in The Netherlands about Cradle to Cradle in October 2006 William McDonohough and Michael Braungart got busy. Dutch industry was very interested and after a lot of seminars, workshops and meetings projects started rapidly. This is the documentary in five parts made a year later:





The documentary is in Dutch but most of the related topics is in English with Dutch subtitles. It's worth watching.
In 3/5 you see a designers innitiative of 100% sustainable design.

Rebate rules ‘disaster’ for solar power industry

WA’s fledging solar energy industry fears it could collapse following the Federal Government’s surprise Budget decision to restrict an $8000 rebate for installation of solar roof panels to households earning less than $100,000 a year. Read all.

There is a lot of commotion around this issue and I wonder why they've decided to restrict the rebate as the price of solar power is still pretty high and the first people who are able to buy these are the more fortunate. Restricting the rebate lowers the market drastically... as they say in the article; about 70% of the customers are over the 100.000 bracket... and they are cancelling orders fast!
Anyway, the newspapers are full with it: more here, here and here.

Green support: New solar bra can power your iPod

Ladies, take your battle for the environment a little closer to your heart with a solar-powered bra that can generate enough electric energy to charge a mobile phone or an iPod.

Lingerie maker Triumph International Japan unveiled its environmentally friendly, and green coloured, Solar Power Bra in Tokyo.

Read more about this underwear which needs sunshine to power....

Bicycle hire scheme in Brisbane

BRISBANE looks set to become the first Australian capital city to join several European centres in introducing a public bike hire scheme, with the city's council launching a call for proposals for the project at the weekend. Read all

In Holland we know this concept for years, for example in the Kröller-Müller Museum are about 1700 bicyles available to use for free.

Sustainable Energy Now

Jeremy, one of my old students, attended me on SEN, a local initiative "To promote practical, affordable strategies for the adoption of renewable energy and a sustainable global future"
Their goals:
- Promote to the general public, existing renewable energy technologies appropriate for Western Australia.
- Research renewable energy technologies for their potential to meet WA's electricity needs.
- Create a 3-D computer simulation which demonstrates how WA's electrical energy can be provided from a mix of energy sources. This will show locations and sizes of the wind farms, wave farms and other technologies, and allow the user to zoom in on these virtual power plants in operation. Graphical illustrations will show energy supply vs. grid demand, and electricity costs. A later development could allow the user to create their own simulation as an educational tool. The underlying mathematical model will use real-time or historical natural energy data and the results of our research.
- Present the simulation to the general public and schools via DVD, website, and other media.

Plastic Garbage Island - We eat this!

World biggest garbage dump - plastic in the Ocean



Oceans becoming a garbage patch



Update 14 June: Read the Article in the Brisbane Times

Food waste increase

The cost of food is rising around the world, and yet billions of dollars worth of goods are still being thrown away every year.

An investigation in the UK has found 60 per cent of the food that's binned is completely untouched. In the UK, one third of all food purchased is thrown away, even though it is perfectly edible.

Each day, 13 million uneaten cartons of yoghurt are binned and an average family with children throws out around $1,500 worth of perfectly good food a year. Read all