Geelong Sustainability

Designed by Croatian architect Ivica Gjurić, the home is primarily intended as a vacation residence. It is a mere 258 sq ft; this figure can be halved in 5-6 minutes when its two sides fold into each other via hydraulic compressors for easier transport. The house can be operated completely off-grid. Solar panels handle electricity; the builders say it can operate with minimal sun for three days with solar-charged batteries. Water is brought in from rainwater collectors. Heating and the stove are fueled by a propane tank. There is a built-in waste water filtration unit so you won't need to get a septic tank.

"The Australian state of Victoria is now one of the most difficult places in the world to build a wind farm."

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%.

"The largest bike-sharing program in the United States is now active in New York City, providing thousands of carless and bikeless residents with a sustainable new form of transportation."

"Have you ever wondered what happens to your recycling after it is picked up on bin night? We show you where it goes, how it's processed, what it gets turned into and why it is so important you do your bit to get it right on bin night!"

Sustainability Victoria and the Metropolitan Waste Management Group have developed an education program to increase household recycling rates across metropolitan Melbourne.

"The Lucky Country has experienced a major spike in extreme weather in the past few years, with a string of devastating incidents just since January. That has people wondering if the island continent is somehow a perfect bellwether for the Earth's changing climate. So scientists are bearing down on the problem with intensity, investigating Australia's increasingly violent weather patterns and trying to figure out what they might portend for the rest of the world as our climate changes."

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

An infographic diagram about Alcoa's recycling of aluminium.

"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."

"Sustainability is dead. Or at least the entire language we use to talk about it should be buried."

".... 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. "

"Bryan Welch, author of Beautiful and Abundant, tells Oliver Balch that the way to engage people on sustainability is to be optimistic, hopeful and joyful"

Green has become the common term for people who care about the environment or for practices promoted as better for the environment than some other practices. When used for marketing, "green" can become downright misleading. In fact, there's a term "greenwashing" to describe advertising that makes something look greener than it really is. Sustainable, on the other hand, refers to practices designed to have the least impact on the environment, create the least waste, and capable of being carried out indefinitely. That is, something sustainable can't waste resources, can't pollute, can't be dangerous over the long term to life, can't cost so much that it causes social or financial disruption, etc.

"More than 32 million people fled their homes last year because of disasters such as floods, storms and earthquakes - 98% of displacement related to climate change. Asia and west and central Africa bore the brunt. Some 1.3 million people were displaced in rich countries, with the US particularly affected. Floods in India and Nigeria accounted for 41% of displacement, according to the International Displacement Monitoring Centre and Norwegian Refugee Council"

"It's the food even food rescue organisations won't take but one campaigning chef is using it to make salads, soups and even chocolate cake. Former Gasolina head chef Adam Smith is the founder of The Real Junk Food Project, a volunteer collective that intercepts food waste from markets, stores, restaurants and food charities. Using only the ingredients on hand, Smith would until recently cook up a weekly feast using free public barbecues for whoever was nearby and hungry."

Bringing more sustainability to mainstream food systems is an essential element of our global sustainability effort. This interesting SlideShare presentation from the Sustainable Food Lab brings home of the very tough truths of our current unsustainable food systems and introduces us to some interesting initiatives.

"Join the challenge at whattodowithpoo.com/ and come up with a solution for human waste in Nairoba, Kenya. The winning idea will be announced on the International Water Association Development conference in Nairobi and gets 3 months of business development support to develop their idea to a solid business plan! enviu.org."

"A recent discovery by Herman Trabish of Greentech Media, in regard to California's power grid, is that 97% of new electricity to be added in the second half of this year will come from solar power projects."