Sustainable Design Competition

The competition relates to the sustainable laundry process. More details on the competition can be found at 

http://www.designwithculture.co.uk/
Due end of May!

March against Monsanto

Saturday 25 May 2pm - A worldwide event!
The Fight For Our Food - Organised by FOOD Watch and We Say No To GMOs

More info and Sign up for the Perth march on Facebook.

Not in Perth? Check out here for other cities.

Click on picture to enlarge
We March Against Monsanto because:
·  Monsanto owns 90% of all patented GM seeds and it is illegal for farmers to save them
· controls 27% of all commercial seeds including organic and heirloom varieties
· owns almost 20% of WA’s wheat and barley breeding programme (InterGrain) and intends to commercialise GM wheat
· has fought hard to prevent GM labelling laws in the US
· most foods and ingredients made using GM techniques are unlabelled
· some types of Monsanto's GM soy, corn and canola harm experimental animals, and maybe us
· GM crops reduce biodiversity & harm the environment, e.g. by harming the Monarch butterfly
· the US "Monsanto Protection" Act bans their courts from hearing disputes over GM seed.

On the day
· It would be great if you could wear a GM printed t-shirt, or a red top
· Bring your own signs and have your say on the day or carry one of ours
· Meet at Parliament by 2:00 pm
· There will be information stalls at Russell Square . If your group is interested in supporting us and would like to hold a stall contact me asap
· We will have guest speakers from 3:15 at Russell Square

Grand POO design

Poo Power found a way to unleash the power in the 1,350 tonnes of dog poo produced each day in Australia.

Students from Swinburne are involved in a design project with Poo Power to create a new dog waste management system that is:

•Innovative
•Functional and user-friendly
•Acceptable to dog owners, local Council and all users of public parks
•Friendly to the environment including Melbourne’s rivers, creeks and bays,
•Economically feasible.

Updates will be made throughout the year working closer towards Australia’s first Poo Power! station becoming a reality in 2013.

Interested in how they progress like the Swinburne Design Factory FB page and follow.

Some interesting background on dog poo bags here 

Changes to Australia’s Intellectual Property

Intellectual property is the currency of today's knowledge economy

Changes to Australia’s Intellectual Property (IP) laws came into effect on Monday 15 April, and include reforms to patents, trademarks, copyright and designs.

To find out what these changes mean for your business, visit IP Australia at http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/about-us/ip-reforms/

FREE workshops

(Click to enlarge)

As things begin to speed up before the Federal Election, you are invited to a series of free workshops to learn more about the Greens WA, how we do things and why it is so important to re-elect Scott Ludlam to the Senate.

Everyone is welcome at these workshops including members, non-members, vague supporters and curious cynics… so bring your friends!

You do NOT need to be a Greens voter or supporter … just someone who is curious to fund out more about the third party in Aussie politics.

Greens 101
A myth-busting introduction to the party, policies and people, with all questions answered.
5.30pm Tues 30 April - UWA OR 6pm Wed 8 May - Fremantle

Consensus Decisions
Explore collaborative decision making.
Choose from 3 modular workshops from beginners to experts.
Sun 9 June – Fremantle

How Politics Works
Do you really understand our democratic system? _
We dare you to discover what you don’t know, you don’t know!
1pm-3pm Sun 19 May - Perth City

Green Voice in Parliament
Be amazed by what the Greens have actually achieved as a minor party.
3.30-5.30pm Sun 19 May - Perth City

For bookings and further details, please see www.greenswatraining.org

The Hidden Costs of Hamburgers

Americans love hamburgers - they eat about three burgers a week. But what are the hidden environmental costs?

More info here
Directed and produced by Carrie Ching, Reported by Sarah Terry-Cobo and Carrie Ching, Illustrated and animated by Arthur Jones.

The poison of the pampas

Argentina's Bad Seeds, watch documentary by Aljazeera from last month here before watching older documentary below.


Argentinian TV Programme from April 18, 2010, hosted by journalist Rolando Graña: The poison of the pampas - El veneno de las pampas Englisch Subtitles. Part 1 - Monsanto, Roundup and Glyphosate.

And part 2

RTRS will allow genetically modified Roundup REady soy sprayed with Glyphosate to be labeled responsible...

The RTRS has been condemned as a greenwash exercise by over 230 civil society organisations from South America and the rest of the world.

And Australia is not only importing GM food but also growing it... our federal regulator FSANZ has/is approving the import of GM “food” grown in South America, the latest approval pending a rubberstamp from the state Ministers?

How many jobs could you create by investing $1million?

And then reading this: Opposition leader Tony Abbott casts doubt on rail funding for WA

"Mr Abbott has, well before the September federal election, confirmed that any federal government he leads will not contribute to urban rail,'' Mr Wyatt said.

I guess he'd rather puts more money into the mining industry to keep the wealthy happy, they never take the train anyway... sorry for being cynical.

Wildlife poaching...

A total of 203 rhino have been poached in South Africa this year. Of these, 146 have been killed in the Kruger National Park.

Rhino horn sales have been banned for more than 30 years under Cites, but increasing demand from Far Eastern countries has sparked an increase in poaching. Rhino horn sells for an estimated $60,000/kg. (read here)

All good and well that China and other Asian countries have a growing economy but they should stop believing that rhino horns are having healing properties. (read here)

Tens of thousands of elephants were killed in 2012 - the worst we've seen since the 1980s. History is repeating itself, and the demand for ivory is even greater now. We have to step up for elephants FAST or face losing them forever. Run for the wild, check here

Thailand gave a good example last month! (read here)

More disturbing stuff, breeding lions for hunting...
How sick must you be to pay a lot of money to hunt on captivated lions released into the wild just days before you are arriving for your "hunting holiday"???

Read article

This fracking well is just outside Mandurah. There have been over 1000 Fracking leases for the Perth basin already given the go ahead _ THAT'S ON OUR MAIN WATER SUPPLY from Bunbury to Geraldton.

The situation here is no different than in QLD except that it has only just started here see Four Corners on ABC iview, a must see if you've missed it on 1 April.

We should stop those activities before it's too late!

St Luke's Eco Fair in Mosman Park - 4 May

More info here

Cycling

Join the Great River Ride and enjoy cycling, you even might stick to your bike and cycle to work like I do!
If you are one of those lycra clad guys, join the 3 or 5 dams challenge on the same day! More info here

Wood...

Why people not recognise the destruction we are doing to this earth?

It's looks very much like we don't want to see it! It's like what Annie Leonard from The story of stuff explains to us in her first video, we are only focused on the Golden arrow... everything around it, where the resources are taken from and how it is produced, is invisible and kept invisible from us as much as possible to protect the economy...

How did it turn into this? And how can we save at least enough resources to keep our lifestyles good and healthy for now and in the future?

More info on TAI and the environment click here

Bike week

The Cycle Instead Bikeweek has been a major annual event on Western Australia’s calendar for the past 30 years. Bikeweek 2013 will commence on Sunday, 17 March and ends on Sunday, 24 March.

The Department of Transport encourages everyone to participate in Bikeweek 2013 and take part in the many events and celebrations including the community rides, breakfasts, cycling skills and maintenance workshops occurring across metropolitan and regional Western Australia.


I cycle a minimum of 60km a week but often more and I enjoy it. I don't need to spend time and money on going to the gym, fuel for the car and I don't annoy myself on the busy traffic sitting in a car while sipping my takeaway coffee or having silly conversation on the mobile waiting for another traffic light to turn green.
No, I enjoy the birds singing and the nature around me. I enjoy the path around the river, although the headwinds were severe last Monday arvo...

Please vote for the environment this Saturday!

Australia ruled by big foreigh corporations

Coca-Cola wins Federal Court case, cash for containers recycling found illegal
COCA-Cola Amatil has won the right to dismantle a Northern Territory recycling scheme, but not before it got nasty and called in the cops.

Earlier today, Clean Up Australia chairman Ian Kiernan led a small group of environmental activists including Greenpeace CEO David Ritter and 'Total Environment Centre chief Jeff Angel in trying to dump 4,000 beverage containers at Coke's Sydney headquarters.

The containers had been collected on Clean Up Australia day on the weekend, and were a symbol of the litter which would accumulate if Coke overturned the NT recycling scheme.

Coke didn't think much of the reminder, calling in eight members of the NSW police to block the small band of high-profile protesters

"We were trying to say to Coke ‘here are 4000 of your containers collected on Clean Up Australia day'," Jeff Angel told news.com.au.
"Coke's opposition to a container deposit scheme allows this littering to continue."

Police had other ideas, threatening to arrest the group for... wait for it... littering if they left the beverage containers at Coke's North Sydney headquarters.
Read article

I suggest we ban all coca cola products, don't buy any of them!

Read the open letter to the managing director

An Australian first - Free soft plastic recycling at Coles

In an Australian first, The Red Group, in partnership with Coles, has developed and implemented an innovative closed-loop recycling initiative, the REDcycle program. The program is set up as a product stewardship scheme involving 10 of the biggest food companies in Australia. These companies are taking responsibility for their product packaging, and covering the costs of the collection and recycling of the soft plastics.

The program is aimed at collecting the soft plastics you can't put in your kerbside recycling bin. The processed materials will be converted into outdoor furniture and signage for schools and communities by program partner Replas. It works likes this:

1. YOU COLLECT - Collect all the soft plastics that you can't recycle at home:
Bread bags, Biscuit packets, Frozen food bags, Rice and pasta Bags, Confectionery packets, Newspaper wrap, Plastic shopping bags, Old green bags
2. YOU DROP - Drop them into the REDcycle collection bin at selected Coles stores.
3. REDcycle RECYCLES - Your packaging gets recycled into outdoor furniture for schools and communities.

Find your nearest Coles store with a REDcycle bin.
If you don't have a convenient soft plastics recycling location near you, you can mail your soft plastic toRED Group
Attn: Plastic packaging recycling
80C Maffra Street
Coolaroo, VIC 3048
Read article

WA isn't participating yet, this is the answer I got on my email:
Thanks very much for your enquiry. We are planning to launch Perth Coles stores by the end of April. If you check the store locator on our web site closer to the date, it will be updated with the participating Perth locations.
PERTH COMING SOON!

This Sunday, 3 March: Clean up Australia Day!

Clean Up Australia Day is a simple way you can take action to clean up Australian beaches, riversides and parks.

In 2012 an estimated 591,400 volunteers cleaned up 16,169 tonnes at 7,363 sites right across Australia. .
Get involved  this year by registering your own Clean Up Site or by volunteering at a site near you.

Need ideas? Join for example the Mosman Park clean up of Minim Cove or help cleaning up the picnic areas at Kings Park.
Too far? Join the clean up of Bathers beach-Roundhouse in Fremantle instead or Riverside Road in East Fremantle.

If you don't have time this Sunday you can join the Lake Claremont clean up next Sunday 10 March 8.00-11.00am.

HAPPY CLEANING!

Made in 3D

Warm up your modeling skills for this brand new edition of the Made in 3D Contest! Dassault Systèmes and Innovation Award winner Sculpteo are teaming up again to offer you an opportunity to win an iPad and a 3D print of your winning model.

The contest will run from January 11, 2013 to March 3, 2013.

Read more about it here

The joy of wood

Greg Miller is doing his wood workshops again in March.If you are interested in learning hand skills in wood working check here the March workshops

I met Greg when I was teaching one semester at the school of wood in Dwellingup long time a go. Since then he is giving lots of interesting workshops on wood in Perth. He has heaps of hand tools and saw stools and a lot of knowledge on how to use them. And best of all; he recycles all the wood he comes across.

I did a whole weekend of workshops with him a few years ago with the Earthcarers and had heaps of fun making my own cutting board from an old piece of yellow box, spoons and spatulas from old church pews and jarrah floor boards. And a small round side table top with carving from a cupboard door made of some obscure Chinese wood.

After those two days I was sore for another few days using the hand tools and all the muscles I forgot I had, but boy, I had fun!

If you are interested in some old fashioned hand skills or just love to work with wood, I can really recommend to sign up for an evening or day with Greg in March.