Geelong Sustainability

Five reasons for every guy or gal who likes to drive fast, corner hard, and squeeze every last drop of horsepower out of their ride should be as excited about EV adoption

IT'S a problem that besets every urban area: dodging dog droppings on the footpath. Now one town has come up with a clever way to keep doggie doo off its streets - and remind owners of their responsibilities. It sends the offending deposits back to the owners marked "Lost Property".

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.

"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.

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

"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!"

"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."

"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."

"Earth Day 2013 came and went in April with the usual fanfare of green festivals, volunteer programs, company campaigns and reflections on the question, "How are we doing, anyway?" On this last point, the answer this year seemed to be a somewhat lukewarm, "Well…we've been better.""

"The majority of the 9 billion people on Earth will live with severe pressure on fresh water within the space of two generations as climate change, pollution and over-use of resources take their toll, 500 scientists have warned."

Today the possibilities with pallets are endless, and the materials are often free. If you've got access to pallet wood and basic power tools (and the skills to use them), this project shouldn't take longer than an afternoon."

"Sometimes the path of less can be a lonely one. All around us, we are barraged with messages of more: Buy more, have more, do more. Yet the way of less is path trodden by some of the best minds throughout history."

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.