Government Visions

I just read Quarry Vision by Guy Pearse. I’m a bit slow because it’s no longer the most recent issue of Quarterly Essay. When it came out I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read it. I assumed it was more of Pearse’s results from his PhD thesis on Australia’s greenhouse mafia, otherwise known [...]

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If the price of electricity rises…

…use less electricity.
The daily Perth newspaper has been running lots of articles about the projected rise in electricity prices in the next few years. At the start of April the price increase was thought to be
10% in 2009-10, with similar annual increases to be phased in over the following six to eight years. [1]
In [...]

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Cheap Coal for Sure (CCS)

I know I should try to write shorter posts, but once I get started, I can’t seem to stop. So make a cuppa before you start reading.
The New South Wales state government is about to privatise NSW’s electricity generation and the retail electricity market. Former Executive Director of The Australia Institute Clive Hamilton, investigated [...]

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Soapy Bubbles

I recently looked closer at the ingredients of my dish washing detergent and found Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES) listed, not to be confused with SLS* (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate). They are both used to produce the nice soapy bubbles in cleaning and washing products.
SLES can become contaminated with (extremely small amounts of) 1,4-Dioxane [1] because [...]

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A year of solar water heating

Hot water accounts for more than 30% of energy used in the home. [1]
I’ve had solar water heating for a year. I wanted a gas booster, rather than the electric booster which was installed. My dad (who is my landlord) has had bad experiences with a gas booster, so he didn’t get one. He [...]

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Loving Libraries

If you’ve had enough of the consumerism of Valentine’s Day (so maybe Hallmark didn’t invent this celebration or even Mother’s Day, but they certainly enjoy the profits) you can celebrate Library Lover’s Day on 14 February. Libraries have always been eco-minded because they lend books, CDs, DVDs, etc, with many people using the same [...]

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Sustainable Building Design

It is no good just talking, writing or reading about sustainability. It requires us to do something toward that critical and vital end point – a sustainable world – so that we can all look our grandchildren in the eye with something like a clear conscience – Derek Wrigley [1]
For a number of years I’ve [...]

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Kyoto ratified

Australia’s newly elected government has ratified the Kyoto Protocol [1], as the next stage is discussed in Bali, where the United Nations Climate Change Conference opened yesterday. [2]
Australia will now enjoy full participation in negotiations for a post-Kyoto treaty to fight global warming. [3]
ACF has previously said ratification will:

strengthen Australia’s ability to urge China and [...]

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The Concrete Jungle

Sometimes I quite like the concrete jungle because I skateboard and I wouldn’t be able to without smooth concrete surfaces, although I’ve seen a skate video where someone is skating boulders in the US desert and it looks like fun. Other times I hate all the concrete and asphalt of our cities.
Scottish crofter Stonehead mentioned [...]

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Drinking Rain

Of course we all drink rain, one way or another. The water cycle eventually recycles all water into the sky and then back down to the earth, but some people drink their water a bit closer to when it fell as rain, than others. Sadly I’m not one of these people, but I look forward [...]

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