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"One of the world's fastest-growing social movements is calling for citizens and institutions to sell out of fossil fuels - but it's not just a matter of morality. Hard-headed analysts say there's a growing risk of a collapse in the value of fossil fuel investments. Taken together, these warnings present a new way to understand our climate crisis. In this edited version of his Lunchbox/Soapbox address, Michael Green takes us inside the movement - starting in the offices of Goldman Sachs, listening to US climate activist Bill McKibben."

"Growing veggies is fun, cheap, and worth it. Having a garden doesn't just mean you can grab free and fresh meals from the dirt out back. It means you've create a relationship with the earth. You noticed what type of soil and fertilizer to use. What vegetables are in season and how often they need sun and water. Today's infographic is really the best guide for growing veggies out there. Follow this advice and you will be cookin' up your own gumbo in no time."

"This smart garden uses cutting-edge research in plant biology for higher yields, faster growth and more nutritious produce. It provides plants with the perfect amount of water, light and nutrients at up to 80 percent less than the cost to set up a comparable hydroponic or aeroponic system. It features professionally selected seeds that grow in the nanotech Smart Soil growth medium, ultra-efficient grow lights and electronic precision irrigation (EPI) that makes it possible to use up to 95% less water than traditional farming methods."

"One Central Park, a residential tower in Sydney expected to open this winter, has plants and vines climbing up its glass facade. Blanc told Dezeen: "The building, together with my vertical garden, will be an architectural work floating in the air, with plants growing on the walls - it will create a very special result that will be very new to Sydney.""

"At Sundrop Farms we responsibly grow food in some of the world's driest regions using abundant and renewable resources - seawater and sunlight - using our proprietary greenhouse technologies. See also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abzzlavlr9M"

"BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron says there is growing evidence that climate change is causing catastrophic events such as the huge storm that killed thousands of people in the Philippines."

"Tony Abbott is facing growing discontent among his colleagues about his $3.2 billion Direct Action plan to combat climate change, a policy once described by Malcolm Turnbull as rubbish. Liberal MPs Mal Washer and Dennis Jensen say the Coalition should review or consider abandoning parts of the policy in the light of ''dire economic circumstances''."

"Edible City is a fun, fast-paced journey through the Local Good Food movement that's taking root in the San Francisco Bay Area, across the nation and around the world. Introducing a diverse cast of extraordinary and eccentric characters who are challenging the paradigm of our broken food system, Edible City digs into their unique perspectives and transformative work, finding hopeful solutions to monumental problems. Inspirational, down-to-earth and a little bit quirky, Edible City captures the spirit of a movement that's making real change and doing something truly revolutionary: growing the model for a healthy, sustainable local food system."

"For the first time since World War II, bike purchases in Italy have surpassed automotive sales. The bike's growing popularity may be due to several factors, particularly the current economic turmoil in Europe."

"There is growing evidence that public opinion about climate change is shifting over time. In many countries, surveys reveal that people are becoming less worried, and in some cases more sceptical about climate change, even while awareness of climate change is increasing."

"The latest forecasts from a foremost climate research institute that global warming has slowed present a new challenge to policymakers on how to inject urgency into the campaign to cut emissions of greenhouse gases. Climate change is a growing problem. Each year in the past decade has been hotter than the 1981-2010 average, and extreme heat waves are becoming more frequent. But the research indicates the rate of warming has slowed in the past decade and a half due to temporary natural factors."

"The fundamental transformation of energy markets brought about by the growing incursions of renewables such as wind and solar has been underlined in a new report by the European energy analysts at Macquarie Group, who have concluded that the plunge in costs for rooftop solar PV has fallen to such an extent that its continued rapid deployment may be unstoppable."

"On 9 May 2013 The National Sustainability Council presented Sustainable Australia Report 2013 to Minister Burke. The report provides a picture of Australia - what we look like and who we are. It tells the story of how we have changed as a nation over the last 30 years. We have made great progress in many areas. Australians are living longer, our health and levels of educational attainment have improved. We have benefited from a strong economy, with low unemployment and increasing incomes. However, inequality has increased and the health of our natural environment has continued to decline in some key areas. The report provides an evidence base for decision-making and planning about the future. It highlights a number of trends in Australia and the world that are set to have a significant impact on the next generation of Australians. We need to plan for an ageing population, rising health costs, growing cities and changes in traditional work and family roles. The National Sustainability Council intends to use the report, the first of its kind in Australia, as a starting point for a national conversation about our future."

Australia has one of the highest incidences of pet ownership in the world with latest data showing that 63% of the 7.5 million households own a pet. As the dog population in Australia continues to grow, so will the issue of dog 'waste' disposal in a waste management system of increasing urbanisation, a limited amount of suitable park spaces and shrinking landfill sites. On average, a dog produces 0.34 kilograms (kg) of feces per day. Consequently, there is approximately 1,400 tonnes (t) of dog waste to be disposed of every day in Australia; 490,000 tonnes (t) per year. Therefore we want to build an anaerobic methane digester to process the dog waste (and other appropriate wastes) to create a biogas that can serve as renewable energy source to super-power your dog parks. 

".... behind the scenes a growing number of economists and energy analysts are challenging the assumptions and methods behind these studies. None of them argues against seizing truly cost-effective energy efficiency opportunities. Rather, they caution against overestimating their energy and carbon savings potential. As such, it is time to rethink the privileged place efficiency has taken in the climate and energy strategies of national governments and international agencies. "

A study has found that increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can reduce the amount of water plants need to grow. Carbon dioxide concentrations recently exceeded 400 parts per million for the first time in three million years. But researchers at the Australian National University say the benefits of higher CO2 levels could partially offset some of the negative affects of climate change.

"Forest ecologists like a challenge however, and there have been several attempts at estimating the forest carbon "sink". According to this analysis, intact forests and those re-growing after disturbance (like harvesting or windthrow) sequestered around 4 billion tonnes of carbon per year over the measurement period - equivalent to almost 60% of emissions from fossil fuel burning and cement production combined."

"Demand on wireless networks is climbing as more and more people use their mobile devices to access applications like email and Twitter. It might seem like a carbon neutral activity but Australian researchers estimate that the global energy consumption by wireless networks will grow by 460 per cent over the next two years. In emissions terms, that's the equivalent of 4.9 million extra cars on the road. Professor Rod Tucker is the director of the University of Melbourne's Centre for Energy Efficient Telecommunications, and he explained the impact of the shift to Lexi Metherell."

Finding creative solutions to energy issues has become a major priority for Google co-founder and CEO Larry Page in recent years. For the obvious reasons -- a growing population, increasingly scarce resources, and climate change -- he believes that the corporate world needs to operate more sustainably, and he is determined to build the nation's first zero-carbon company. This means a business that ultimately is so energy efficient and uses so much clean power that it emits no greenhouse gas -- a very tall order indeed. Experts aren't sure whether it's even possible for a company to emit no carbon, but Google is trying to come as close to that goal as possible. "As we became a bigger user of energy, we wanted to make sure we were not just part of the problem, but part of the solution," says Urs Hölzle, Google's employee No. 8 and a senior vice president who oversees the company's green initiatives.

"If you think solar power is a good investment, you're hardly alone. Solar panels will generate close to 10 per cent of the nation's daytime electricity this summer. In South Australia, it will reach 30 per cent. In all, 1.15 million Australian homes and businesses have installed solar electricity systems and demand is growing."