Care For Our Planet

New Race Car Runs on Chocoate

2010-03-11T08:51:00.010+11:00

Ok, so I'm not even close to being an expert on biofuel and I'm not into race cars, but I did find this article interesting. It's just great to know that even an industry that's based on the very oil that's running out and notoreous for producing large amounts of pollution can make a difference.

Meera Selva, Associated Press
Full article http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/05/05/chocolate-race-car.html

Feed Me Chocolate

Scientists have unveiled what they hope will be one of the world's fastest biofuel vehicles, powered by waste from chocolate factories and made partly from plant fibers. Its makers hope the racer will go 145 mph and give manufacturers ideas about how to build more ecologically friendly vehicles.

The car runs on vegetable oils and chocolate waste that has been turned into biofuel. The steering wheel is made out of plant-based fibers derived from carrots and other root vegetables, and the seat is built of flax fiber and soybean oil foam. The body is also made of plant fibers. Scientists at the University of Warwick say their car is the fastest to run on biofuels and also be made from biodegradable materials. It has been built to Formula 3 specifications about the car's size, weight, and performance.

Related Content:

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Their claims cannot be independently verified. They hope it can reach speeds of over 145 mph when it is tested on a racetrack in a few weeks time. They have driven it at around 60 mph and are now making final adjustments to the engine before driving it at top speed. Warwick's project manager James Meredith said their model shows that it is possible to build a fast, efficient, environmentally friendly car. The car, named the "WorldFirst Formula 3 racing car," will go on display at several races including the European Grand Prix and Britain's Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Related Links:
Discovery Tech: Ten Fuel-Efficient Cars
HowStuffWorks.com: Biofuels

Positive Change

2010-03-06T18:19:00.006+11:00

I notice that I've been picking up a lot of negative energy lately. Sometimes when I read about climate change I tend to get bogged down in the heavy science of it and the endless possibilities of disastrous outcomes. This of course leads to conversations and interactions that are based more on what can go wrong than on what we can do to change the course of the climate. We all know the basic facts and it doesn't serve us to dwell there. I'm leaving that now for the scientists and doomsayers.

Instead, I'm being a little more protective of my energy and nourishing my own motivation. Being around positive people and immersing myself in good news stories is doing wonders to lift my spirits. It's amazing how many people and organisations really are committed to making a difference. I'll be sharing some of these over the next few weeks. For now though, here is a clip on some homegrown Aussie action that's happening now. GetUp Australia members have raised $100,000 to fund a billboard at Sydney airport and other promotional billboards. Here's what's happening and some interesting reactions to it:

There is a huge amount of personal energy going into the climate change movement. It is happening and it is moving forward. Just because the facts sometimes seem gloomy and sometimes the people we want to listen don't, that doesn't mean it's not happening. We just need to keep creating awareness and keep moving forward. As people, we have immense power to create change.

More good news stories coming soon!

What Motivates Us

2010-02-06T18:02:00.001+11:00

I’ve been doing some great reading lately. Normally I read books about climate change, global warming, conservation, etc. But recently I’ve been reading life stories of inspirational people. The kind of people that have made huge changes in society and that have actually altered the course of our societal thinking. This was probably inspired by the loss recently of one of the most inspiring and influential people in my life.

My stepfather passed away a few weeks ago and left a large space that would be impossible to fill. He was an amazing man born with cerebral palsy and fought his whole life to be identified as “Ken” as opposed to “Ken with a disability”. He took on every challenge provided to him and overcame mountains to have a full life with many family and friends, working in positions from top secret government departments to counselling and teaching, and helping out endless organisations of disabled people. He was the man of his house at a very young age and worked his way out of callipers to provide for his mum and sister. And he started off as the boy who “should have been institutionalised”. He even managed to take this very angry teenager and turn her into a functional person. It truly is amazing what people have to offer that we don’t recognise.

So I’ve had this huge need to fill myself with the stories of amazing people. And as I’ve been reading about such people as the man who stood in front of the Tiananmen Square tanks, Yonaton Shapira – an Israeli military pilot who refused to take part in the killing of innocent Palastinian civilians, Aung San Suu Kyi who is still under house arrest in Burma after 20 years for standing up to the Burmese Governemnt and Rosa Parks who refused to sit at the back of a segregated bus, I’ve again realised that we are all capable of changing our world. We’re not all ready or willing to, but we are certainly all capable. For some of us that are ready it is grand gestures. For others it is small steps. What all of these people have in common is that they have taken responsibility for their life, their choices, their country, their situation. And I think it’s fair to say that we have a situation and a responsibilty right now as our future on earth faces uncertainty. I don’t mean to preach to the converted, just to share my own inspirations and motivations for doing what I do. We all have something that spurs us on, I guess mine is humanity and the richness that is created by people.

PS Seeya Ken – You made me a better person and I hope that I can make half the impact that you have. Thanks for loving me anyway.

Stuff

2009-12-12T19:20:00.004+11:00

As most people have done recently, or will do over the next couple of weeks, I had the unfortunate experience of visiting a shopping centre last week. This is one of my least favourite experiences at the best of times, but made so much worse by the intensity of Christmas shoppers. By the time I arrived home I had used about an eighth of a tank of petrol, I had spent a quarter of my weekly income, I had passed hundreds of people without so much as having eye contact or interacting with them in any way, those that did interact were mostly rude, I had the life completely sucked out of me, I was dragging around a way overstimulated toddler and I had achieved one of the four things I had set out to do for the day. By my standards, this is a bad day. I had very little contact with nature on any level, I saw people consuming huge amounts of everything and I noticed that people were generally disconnected. But it is the kind of day that many people live every day. And they suffer for it. So does our environment.

As we come up to Christmas, our environmet is put under huge amounts of stress. The rate of consumption on the planet skyrockets and the amount of waste we produce is out of control. If you are unaware of the lifecycle of all of this stuff we consume, check out the video here:

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Christmas is one of those ironic times when we generally aspire to create a happy and loving time with our families and we appreciate the people we love with gifts. Unfortunately, the irony is that in doing this, we often cause more destruction. We fill our houses with plastic, we overspend, we gorge ourselves on food, we spoil our kids and we promote the manufacture and consumption of more stuff. As a mum, I understand the desire to spoil our kids. We want them to have everything and be happy. The sad truth is that if we keep this up, they will have nothing. I'm not saying they shouldn't enjoy Christmas, but I do think we need to be far more conscious consumers. Thanks to my momentary weaknesses and the "kindness" of others, my kids have most things. But they still get upset when they can't have the latest toy. Giving them everything they want doesn't change this. In fact, it builds expectation. An expectation that will never be fulfilled because it can't be sustained.

So here's my thoughts on an earth friendly Christmas:

Eco-friendly gift wrapping

Use fabric
Kids art
Reusable shopping bags
Hide kids presents instead of wrapping them
Use a container that is part of the gift such as a bucket or a watering can or a basket
Decorate gifts with naturals such as berries, flowers, shells and cones
Tie your gifts with natural twine instead of petroleum based tape
Find a creative way to use any paper already lying around your house, such as old maps, newspapers, paper bags, etc.
Make your own gift wrap out of recycled paper and reusable gift bags
If you must use it, buy an eco-friendly variety of wrapping paper

Eco-friendly gifts

Hand-made gifts
Give the gift of time
Services
Courses
On-line memberships
Phone calls instead of greeting cards
E-cards
Altruistic gifts such as those provided by World Vision or Oxfam
Plants
Vegie seedlings
Buy from your local market and local businesses
Buy from eco-friendly businesses

Eco-decorating

Have a living tree
Hand-make decorations
Use biodegradable decorations such as popcorn, flowers and pinecones
Fill your home with aromas
Use fewer lights
If you have a cut tree recycle it by composting or mulching

Food

Eat less meat
Eat less food
Eat seasonal and locally grown produce
Cook less – we do Christmas in Summer
Invite more people to share – open up your Christmas to others

I might have unusual and quirky tastes, but this sounds like a far more interesting Christmas than a "made in China, purchased at the mall on credit card" one.

If We Just Reverse What We Are Doing...

2009-12-03T14:22:00.004+11:00

This little video is well worth watching. Be sure to watch it to the end....

There really is hope. We just need to change our perspective.

Dave Chameides is a filmmaker and environmental educator. His website and newsletter are designed to inspire thought and dialogue on environmental solutions and revolve around the idea that no one can do everything, but everyone can do something. "Give people the facts, and they'll choose to do the right thing."

Everyday Heroes

2009-11-30T21:25:00.003+11:00

To build on yesterday’s post on the Run for a Safe Climate, here is an article from The Age that was passed on to me yesterday.

http://www.theage.com.au/environment/in-the-long-run-for-the-planet-x2026-do-we-care-20091128-jy0p.html

Two things struck me about this article. The first is that it is everyday people that are finding themselves confronted with climate change, not only “hippies” or “greenies” (although I take pride in the name!). As Mark Hynes says in the article, he is a boy from Frankston talking in Parliament. That’s what this movement is all about. It’s an issue that affects us all. There will be no caste or hierarchy system in global catastrophe and there is no status requirements for having your say or doing your bit. We all have equal responsibility and we will all be affected if nothing is done. Hence, the benefits of working together to fight it.

The logic of climate change is not complicated. Sure numbers, formulas and graphs can boggle the minds of most of us. But the bottom line is quite simple. The way we are doing what we do is not working. Our environment is suffering and having an effect which is increasingly detrimental to us. We need to change and we can. That’s the empowering part. We can actually do this. I find huge inspiration in the knowledge that, as part of the whole, I can actually change the world.

The next thing that struck me about this article was the comment that the runners found many people to be apathetic. I have been confronted with this many times in my conversations with people, even some of my close friends. Yet it still amazes me. As far as I’m concerned, there is no reason to turn our backs on this. Can we really claim ignorance in the face of droughts, floods, catastrophic bushfires, hurricanes and tsunamis? I think denial is more likely. And maybe even a sense of defeat or pessimism that is difficult to face. I have a sense that “stuff” has a lot to do with it. Our attachment to possessions and our unwillingness to admit that the planet cannot keep providing us with everything we desire. Hmmm, that’s another post....

Seriously, I think that if we all believed in how powerful we can really be as people, how much change we could actually make and how capable we all are to live more sustainably, the change would just happen. I sent an email to Safe Climate Australia in support of the runners and I was so touched by the gratitude in their response. Again, I encourage everyone to support them.

Run For a Safe Climate

2009-11-29T15:58:00.006+11:00

Just a quick one today....but well worth putting out there. For those of you who aren't aware, something remarkable has been happening over the past month. 25 runners, all emergency workers, have run 6,000 kilometres between them, from Cooktown to St. Kilda, in 28 days and along the way they have attended 30 community events to support the fight against climate change. They crossed the finish line today in St. Kilda.

This is remarkable for so many reasons, not the least being that these people are already on the front line. They are people who put their lives on the line to protect us in cases of emergency. They are police workers, fire fighters, ses and others who have seen our climate change from a personal perspective. And on top of that, they have just run 6,000 kms to increase the national awareness of this issue. I wasn't able to be at the finish line today, but if I was I would have found an opportunity to say a huge thank you to these people for both their role in keeping us safe and their conviction in such a huge and necessary movement. I am immensely grateful for people such as these.

I encourage anyone who is willing to do so to drop an email or donate if you can or find some way of acknowledging these extraordinary people. Watch the video below for more info:

If the above clip doesn't work for you, go to http://www.runforasafeclimate.org/

Water...Is there Really a Shortage?

2009-11-28T13:21:00.001+11:00

According to scientists, the water we have today is the same water that was here at the creation of the universe and we have the same amount today as was available then. Check out the article here:

http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/whose-water/the-battle-for-water

“The next time you're walking in the rain, stop and think that some of the water falling on you ran through the blood of dinosaurs or swelled the tears of children who lived thousands of years ago.” The water is still here. It is one of the things that connects us all, past and present. And it is here in abundance.

So, what’s the problem? The 2004 Unicef report on the state of the world’s children found that one in seven of the world’s children did not have access to safe water. Here’s the stats on water:
· only 3% of the world’s water is fresh water.
· of that only 1% is available for human consumption.
· i.e. only 0.01% of the world’s water is usable.
· that’s still enough to support the world’s population 3 times over.

Here’s the breakdown of where our water goes:
· 10% of water is consumed through personal water use.
· 20-25% of water is used by industry.
· 65-70% is used as irrigation in industrial farming.

According to the previous article, we are doubling our per capita consumption of water every 20 years. This is more than twice the rate of human population growth. We are polluting the world’s surface water systems, i.e. fresh waterways, through our industrial practices. Global deforestation, destruction of wetlands, dumping of pesticides and fertilizers and global warming are all factors having an adverse effect on our water supply.

Food for thought: One pound of hamburger requires nearly 10,000 litres of water. This 10,000 litres of water could have been used to grow more than 22 kilograms of fruits and vegetables. This isn’t an argument for going vegetarian. It is hopefully a motivator to think about the way we do things. While argument rages over desalination, control over resources and even whether climate change is really happening, there is so much we can do in our own lives. Just changing one thing in your own life, makes a change in the big picture. Here are a few idea to get started with:
· Take water restrictions seriously. Only use what you need and keep track of your usage. Make sure you don’t get complacent. Give yourself a target.
· Choose pesticide free. Organic food is produced without the harmful chemicals that are being dumped into our waterways.
· Grow your own. Even the smallest backyard can do this. And you can control how much water you use.
· Harvest your own rainwater. If you are unable to have water tanks, use any container you can to catch rainwater and use this on your vegies.
· Hmmm....maybe this is going to cause some wrinkled noses, but wash less. It is only recently that we have started bathing our children every night. Do they really need it? Do we really need a shower when we are just spending the day at home doing housework? You can assess what’s right for you, but I encourage you to rethink what you do.
· Check for leaks. Make sure you aren’t unknowingly wasting water.
· Get to know your local water authority. Check out their website and you will find loads of information on saving water.
· Support causes that care for our water environments such as protecting wetlands and forests, reducing pesticide use and dealing with climate change.

There are so many more. Do some searching. Google it. There is so much you can do as an individual. But even one thing will help.

Focus on Change

2009-11-25T22:03:00.001+11:00

Every year I’m confronted with the idea of New Year’s resolutions. I don’t really like to put the pressure on myself to succeed at something I haven’t yet found the motivation to do, so instead I give myself a New Year’s focus point. In the spirit of the Chinese horoscope, I name my year, “The year of the....”. 2009 has been the “year of me”. After a pretty stressful year previously, it was time to reflect on me and do what I needed to renew my energy and my resolve for life. It’s well worth doing occasionally. I’m amazed at how much energy I now have for all the other things that are important to me. Anyway, I’ve resolved that 2010 will be “The Year of the Planet” for me. In fact every year from now on will have the planet as my focal point. Not that I haven’t focused energy on this in the past. I’m a pretty green person. But it’s time to step it up in my life. As well as doing everything I possibly can to live by environmentally friendly principles, I’ve taken on the role of putting out as much energy and information as possible to encourage environmental awareness in our community. Hence, this new blog.....

My intention is to deliver information that I have discovered through my interactions with people, books I have read, movies I have seen and websites I have visited. Sometimes there is news coverage of pertinent issues, but more often than not, the big issues or the workings and understanding of these issues, sit in the background often misunderstood or not even noticed. I know that we can’t all make all the changes that would be ideal for our planet, but we can all take a step in that direction. But only if we have the knowledge. So, if you choose to be a part of the movement to improve our climate, I hope I can offer some insights. I’m by no means an expert, just someone who wants to breathe fresh air, give my children a future and care for the many gifts our planet has given me.

Stay tuned....