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"Tristan Edis - With both the Coalition and Labor repeatedly making unconditional commitments to reduce Australia's emissions by at least 5 per cent below 2000 levels by 2020, the question is not whether or not we should reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but rather how we reduce them."

"Many Australians are happy to declare their interest in sustainability, to reducing their environmental impact. But how many of them are prepared to reduce the amount they actually consume?"

"How much would you pay to avoid another $250 a year hike in your electricity bill? Does $15 a year sound like too much to reduce that risk?"

Some power companies are calling for the Renewable Energy Target (RET) to be reduced, while other groups want it abolished entirely. They claim that this will significantly lower electricity bills, which have risen steeply in the last five years. Would reducing the RET do much to lower your bill?

This is the pdf version of the website. When you reduce your use of energy, you cut your energy bills. It's a guaranteed way to improve the profitability, resilience and value of your business. Despite this, many business owners don't know how to reduce their energy costs. When they do they're often too busy to do anything about it. That lack of knowledge and time is the reason why I've written 'Energy Cut'. It's a simple 20 step guide to cutting the energy bills of your business. Its aim is to save you money and improve your bottom line. You don't have to be an expert in energy efficiency to understand this website, book or other project materials. You also don't have to implement every step - the program is designed to be carried out at a pace that fits in with your busy schedule. - See more at: http://energycut.com.au/about/#sthash.Of0hY6ak.dpuf

When you reduce your use of energy, you cut your energy bills. It's a guaranteed way to improve the profitability, resilience and value of your business. Despite this, many business owners don't know how to reduce their energy costs. When they do they're often too busy to do anything about it. That lack of knowledge and time is the reason why I've written 'Energy Cut'. It's a simple 20 step guide to cutting the energy bills of your business. Its aim is to save you money and improve your bottom line. You don't have to be an expert in energy efficiency to understand this website, book or other project materials. You also don't have to implement every step - the program is designed to be carried out at a pace that fits in with your busy schedule. - See more at: http://energycut.com.au/about/#sthash.Of0hY6ak.dpuf

Gordon Diploma "Reducing your personal carbon footprint - a case study "

"China, the world's largest carbon emitter, has launched its first carbon trading scheme as it tries to reduce pollution from greenhouse gases."

"Many Australian consumers and businesses are working on ways to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. For some, the carbon tax meets their needs: it's designed to specifically motivate changes in behaviour by raising the costs associated with the production of pollution. But others are looking for more direct measures. Do offsets fit the bill?"

"The first sod was turned this week for what will soon become home to Australia's largest battery. The battery is an important component of the King Island Renewable Energy Integration Project (KIREIP), which aims to reduce the island's reliance on diesel fuel and increase use of renewable energy to supply the island's power needs."

"Milo an 11 year old schoolboy from Vermont in the United States started a project to reduce the use and waste of disposable plastic straws. As well as encouraging children to say no to straws, through Milo's project, restaurants and food outlets are now asking their customers if they need a straw, rather than automatically putting one with each drink. 'Do you need a straw? "

Last week the world's atmosphere took a giant leap backward. For the first time in more than 3 million years, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) reached 400 parts per million. This was recorded at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's Earth System Research Laboratory located on Mauna Loa in Hawaii right out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a long way from major sources of CO2 in Asia and North America. What this means for the environment is uncertain but it's likely that, if no measures are taken to reduce this level of greenhouse gas, we could be headed for 3-4 degrees C warming globally by the end of this century

"Unless urgent action is taken to reduce carbon emissions, more than half of common plants and a third of animal species around the world are likely to see their living space halved by 2080, predicts a new study."

"Alcoa (NYSE: AA) announced today that its $21 million Alcoa Wheel and Transportation Products casthouse expansion at its Barberton, Ohio plant is expected to cut in half the total amount of energy used to recycle aluminum for forged wheels, reducing greenhouse gases and increasing the overall efficiency and sustainability of the company's manufacturing process. The recycling facility, the first of its kind in North America, uses advanced technology to produce wheels from re-melted and scrap aluminum. Construction of the 50,000-square-foot facility began in July 2011. It is now up and running at full capacity and has created more than 30 full-time jobs."

"Pioneering 'FoodPrint Calculator' helps cities understand the environmental impact of their population's diet, and how to reduce it."

There is increasing public concern about the rising prices of energy and fuel. Running alongside that is the continuing concern about the impact we all have on the environment. The 10% Challenge is a timely campaign that gives solutions to both of these concerns. The aim of The 10% Challenge is to encourage households to reduce their energy and fuel use by 10%.

"Last night's ABC Q&A program didn't spend much time discussing the issue of climate change, but it nonetheless represented an excellent microcosm of the broader political debate on the issue. On one side you had Bill McKibben, who has dedicated his life to the cause of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. He is trying to put the fear of God into investors that money in fossil fuels is like investing in the horse and buggy industry at the dawn of the motor vehicle. In the other corner was Cory Bernardi, one of the ring leaders behind the toppling of Malcolm Turnbull because of his support for an emissions trading scheme, who believes global warming is a fraud."

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.

"Australians have come a long way in how we recycle our empty bottles and cans. More people are recycling than ever before through their convenient and easy to use kerbside recycling systems, there is less litter and a greater awareness of the importance of reducing the impact of rubbish on our environment. But there's no doubt that we can all be doing more. Our politicians believe the answer is to introduce a drink container tax where we all have to pay up to 20 cents more for our bottles and cans at the shop - a 10 cent deposit plus a handling fee of up to 10 cents. Instead of being able to recycle these containers at a kerbside collection we would have to wash them, store them and then take them to a recycling depot to have the 10 cent deposit returned."

Check out this PDF from the UK's Agency of Design, entitled Designing with Energy. It provides real learning tools and perspectives that I suspect students would find engaging. It asks, and addresses, questions about our energy lives that we don't even know to ask, like do you know how much energy went into making the chair you're sitting on? The authors of this publication look to improvements in design and manufacturing to reduce the amount of energy embedded in our stuff.