community&environment

Who does really care?

A work colleague of mine very recently came to me to tell me of a campaign he had joined on line. This particular campaign is called ‘Who on Earth Cares” and has been up and running for quite some time now. Quite simply, it is a campaign that brings together Australians from all walks of life who are concerned about climate change and want Australia to reduce its greenhouse impacts. By placing yourself on their map of Australia, you become part of a growing community of Australians showing they do care about this important issue.

Who on Earth Cares shows what individuals are doing in their lives to save energy and water. Importantly, it also lets our politicians know we want leadership and real solutions.

As can be seen from the discussions already haven taken place on this blog, many of us are doing wonderful things to make a positive difference. No matter how small these changes may seem, it is important that we share our experiences in doing so, wether positive or negative. Others can then learn from this, make the improvements themselves and pass the benefit even further, so please keep sharing your ideas.

My work colleague, thanks Paul, could proudly admit that he had committed to reduce his greenhouse emissions by over 5 tonnes. Setting ourselves small  achievable goals is a great way of getting results.

Through campaigns such as ‘Who on Earth Cares”, we can all become aware of our own environmental impacts and commit to reducing them. I am interested to know of other forums or websites out there that you may know of that myself and others could benefit from, so please let us know what you are doing. 

Cheers

Fran

I knew … what did I do?

I recently received a voicemail at work from my wife, Deb, she was really excited … why? Surprisingly, it was because she had just received our power bill. 

Now, I need to say that this isn’t usual behaviour from Deb, she is rarely excited by receiving bills - but what was different was that our power bill was one third less than the same bill last year.

You may be asking - was this achieved by investing in solar panels?  Have we installed a wind turbine on the roof? 

Not yet!

It’s much simpler - since Earth Hour earlier this year we have done two things differently:

1. Put in low energy light bulbs (in about half our lights)
2. Turned stuff off at the switch – every night

Earlier this year Deb read a book on climate change (called ‘Six Degrees’) that literally scared her so much she couldn’t sleep properly.  We checked out other sources – including Australian government publications – and the information everywhere matched that in the book.  The difference was that the book described graphically what the world might look like if it was one degree warmer, two degrees warmer, three degrees etc.  The book starts scary and keeps going.

We’ve known this stuff for a while but I think this was when it became real for Deb and me – a vivid picture of what life could be like for our kids if we don’t do something about it now.

So we have started doing something about it.

And we have been amazed at what we have already been able to do for the sake of about 30 seconds of effort before we go to bed each night.

We got into Earth Hour properly this year, and we were almost embarassed at the number of things we had turned on at the switch.

We turned as many off as we could – and have kept doing it every night.

It takes almost no time at all now that we are in the habit – but it just saved us over $100 on our quarterly power bill.  It has been a massive eye-opener how much power is used by stuff just sitting on standby.

The low energy lights were a bit more cost and effort to put in – but no ongoing effort at all to use and what we have saved in the first power bill since we started turning off stuff at the wall has already more than covered the cost of the low energy light bulbs.

My name is Sam.  I work at Savings & Loans.  Lisa who organises this blog has challenged me to let you know some simple things that my family have been doing and that hopefully many of you are already, or will soon be, doing as well.

Give me some feedback - I want to know what you are doing or planning to do to make a difference on climate change.  Let me know about your successes - the ideas you have put into action.

I want us to make it easy for everyone to make positive changes in their lives that are going to make a difference to the world we and future generations live in.

Regards,

Sam Molloy

Guest Blogger

Carbon Emissions Trading

The Rudd Government plans to adopt a carbon emissions trading scheme no later than 2010. This is with the recommendation that such a system be implemented ahead of a comprehensive global agreement.

Australia is not alone in this regard. The US is debating similar legislation and the European Union has had an emissions trading scheme in place since 2005. The pros and cons of carbon credits, however, continue to be debated by the international community.

As I see it, a number of changes are needed to achieve a substantial decrease in carbon emissions – which is what the emissions trading is all about. It will require reduced energy demand, increased energy efficiency, using less fossil fuels and more renewable energy sources. It will also require research and development of sustainable technologies that reduce carbon emissions.

If carbon emissions trading becomes a widespread phenomenon, we will possibly see big changes in the Australian countryside. For 200 years we have worked hard to get rid of our trees because they hindered agriculture. Now we know that they deserve a bit more credit than that!

I am very interested to hear what others think on this matter. Do you agree that adopting a carbon emissions trading scheme will help combat climate change or are you sceptical about the good that this is actually going to do in the bigger scheme of things?

Click here to find out more about the Australian Governments plan to establish a carbon trading scheme.

Hemp crops get green light in NSW

I was excited to learn recently that New South Wales farmers will soon be able to legally grow cannabis for commercial use. THE NSW Government has turned over a new leaf after decades of opposing commercial cannabis, revealing plans for a new scheme to grow the plant on an industrial scale.

The State Government is set to introduce a licensing scheme that will allow farmers to grow industrial hemp, the fibres and oil of which can be used in thousands of products - food and clothes, biofuels and skin-care products – just to name a few.

With a trial plantation already under way around Griffith, in the state's south-west, I commend the NSW State Government for leading Australia towards a more sustainable form of agriculture – a brighter future for not only our farmers but society in general.

Hemp use dates back to the Stone Age, with hemp fibre imprints found in pottery shards in China and Taiwan, over 10,000 years old. These ancient Asians also used the same fibres to make clothes, shoes, ropes, and an early form of paper.

Hemp is one of the most versatile plants known. It can be grown in most climates, is drought resistant, requires little fertiliser, minimal pesticides or herbicides, and has a range of uses. The seeds can be used as food and fodder, and can be processed to produce hemp oil. The stalks provide fibre for textiles, clothing, rope, paper and building products. The bulk of the woody stalks can be used for paper, animal bedding, and plastics. The hemp plant biomass can be used to produce fuel. Anything that trees/timber can be used to produce, hemp can produce and more, including house construction.

Hemp is the strongest natural fibre on the planet – roughly 26 times stronger than cotton and 10 times longer lasting. Henry Ford built his Ford Model-T using hemp to line the side panels.  The impact strength was 10 times stronger than steel alone. The Model-T was also designed to run on hemp fuel which Henry Ford grew himself.

Fig.1 Henry Ford swinging an axe at his 1941 car to demonstrate the toughness of the plastic trunk door made of soybean and hemp. (From the collections of Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village.)

This one crop can provide the basics of life – food, shelter, clothing, fuel and medicine. In fact almost anything from 'dynamite to Cellophane' can be made from hemp.

Why use hemp for all these products? There are two main reasons – one ecological, one economic.

Ecological: As a renewable resource from living plants hemp does not contribute to the greenhouse effect. The growing plants absorb as much CO2 as will later be released when oil or other plant matter is burnt. Unlike fossil fuels (oil, coal, gas) or nuclear fuels hemp could supply us with raw materials for thousands of years, without ever changing our climate and without producing waste that remains radioactive for millions of years.

Hemp is a natural plant material that can be grown with little or no herbicides and pesticides, and little fertiliser. Therefore in terms of the agricultural system it is more ecologically sensitive. In paper and textile production, it can be processed without toxic chemicals, whereas alternatives such a cotton or textiles and wood pulp for paper, require large amounts of toxic chemicals.

Because hemp is not a fussy grower and can grow in a wide range of soils and climatic conditions it is ideal for a bioregional approach. It is a bulky crop and does not require high capital technology to process, making it ideal to process locally, increasing local employment and economy, and saving transport costs and pollution.

Economic: Hemp is the number one biomass producer - 10 tons in approximately 90 – 120 days. One acre of hemp will produce as much fibre as 2-3 acres of cotton. One acre of hemp will produce as much paper as 2–4 acres of trees. Hemp clothing, though currently costing more than cotton clothing, will last six times as long, thus making it cheaper in the long run. Used hemp clothing can be recycled in paper production

Cannabis is extremely unusual in the diversity of products for which it is or can be cultivated – I have only touched on a few of these. It is estimated that Hemp would have at least 50,000 commercial uses if it were legal in Australia and America today. Particularly with the current drought situation across Australia, other States should follow the NSW Government lead for looking at the bigger picture and taking action.

Earth Hour - Saturday 29 March 8pm-9pm

Originating in Sydney in 2007, the Earth Hour campaign has now gained global attention. As a result, at 8pm this Saturday - March 29, millions of people in some of the world’s major capital cities will unite and switch off for Earth Hour.
The event is the highlight of Earth Hour's campaign to encourage businesses, communities and individuals to take simple steps to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.
Savings & Loans will be joining the campaign by turning lights off at our four Adelaide City sites for one hour at 8pm.
ATMs and the security lighting above will be maintained at each of the sites to ensure a safe and secure environment for the public.
Savings & Loans is one of thousands of institutions and businesses around Adelaide, Australia and the world to take part in the "lights out" global event. Earth Hour is a symbolic gesture to encourage communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
We would like to encourage all staff and members to also commit to turning their lights and appliances off at home for the hour – add your name to the Earth Hour movement here.
"Climate change is a truly global issue and people around the world are demanding action," Earth Hour executive director Andy Ridley said.
This campaign is important and everyone from citizens up to government has a duty to do what they can against global warming. It is up to us all to do what we can to reduce our CO2 emissions. Through one simple action, turning off our lights for an hour, we can deliver a powerful message about the need for action.
Turning the lights off for Earth Hour is a great first step, but if you really want to see a difference, then make Earth Hour part of your everyday life, the Earth Hour website (www.earthhour.org) says:

“Simple things like turning off appliances while not in use and switching your light globes to energy efficient bulbs, will all help us reach our goal of reducing our annual emissions by five per cent.”

"Even something as simple as turning out lights when you're not in a room and switching to cleaner sources of electricity, like green power, make a big difference."

What can I do?

Sign up for Earth Hour 2008

Get involved and create a bigger, better Earth Hour

Reduce your impact on climate change

Create your own Earth Hour event

Know your footprint and challenge your friends

More information is available about Earth Hour at www.earthhour.org