Always say thankyou...

Well, that was a surprise. I just got my latest issue of G Magazine in the mail, and when I looked at the letters page I realised that my name was on it. They published a letter I wrote a while ago to thank them for a recipe they’d had in the second issue, Roasted Vegetable Salad. I’d made it and loved it, and have made it a few times since then (next time I’ll post a photo!). It seemed only fair to...

Prius test-drive...

Last weekend we took a Prius, a hybrid petrol-electric car, for a test-drive as part of our plan to buy a green car. Treehugger explains how hybrids work in it’s Green Basics article on hybrids. They’ve got both a petrol and an electric engine, can use either one (or both) depending on which one is more efficient for the type of driving you’re doing, and can switch off both if you’re coasting or...

Gunns’ protests...

A few places you can register a protest against the Gunns pulp mill in Tasmania: The Australian Conservation Foundation sends an email for you to the Minister for the Environment, Malcolm Turnbull. GetUp’s email comment camapign sends either a prepared email or your own comment. Turnbull is accepting public comment until this Friday, 31st August. He’s probably going to approve the pulp mill, since he’s...

Buying a car...

Our car is getting old: at the time it rolled out the factory door, The Bangles had everyone walking like an Egyptian; and when we bought it Bill Clinton was still the President of the USA. So our cheap and cheerful small car is now expensive and grumpy. Its time to buy a new car. The Union of Concerned Scientists says in their book The Consumer’s Guide to Effective Environmental Choices: “Major, out-of-the-ordinary...

Scorcher: The Dirty Politics of Climate Change...

Clive Hamilton’s book Scorcher is a history of climate change politics in Australia since the mid-90s. Hamilton shows that the Howard government has had a clear agenda for climate change during this time, but not one that many Aussies would approve of. Hamilton starts with details of the power-brokers in Australia who try to prevent government action on climate change. It’s a lot like the Four Corners expose...

6 ways to choose eco-friendly food...

Recently I linked to the Australian Conservation Foundation’s Consumption Atlas, which says “A staggering 26% of our greenhouse pollution, 47% of our water use and almost 60% of our eco-footprint is embodied in the food we buy”. It takes a lot of fuel, water, electricity, fertiliser, pesticides and plastics to get food to the shops for you. Today I’m going to show you 6 ways you can reduce your...

Oz in 30 Seconds - the winner!...

The winning ad in the Oz in 30 Seconds competition has been announced: This is what we Australi-ARE. It’s about what Australians are and hope to be, and it includes “clean and green” as one of our aspirations, with an image of wind-farms in the background. When I saw the finalists, I thought this one was a strong contender for first place. I like it - it’s simple, but clear in it’s statement...

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - more details...

Just a quick entry to add a little bit more information to my review of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. The Australian has a good review of it, Sustained by a DIY ethic, which calls it “a kind of activist’s guide crossed with a gardening column and cooking manual”. Kingsolver’s interview on Speaking of Faith is available as an mp3 from the website, or as a free podcast on iTunes...

Who on Earth Cares?...

A friend let me know there’s a new campaign by the ACF called Who On Earth Cares?. The campaign website asks you to sign up, mark your location on a map of Australia, and say what you’re doing to help the environment. It’s being promoted by Cate Blanchett. She says (from the linked article): “On a personal level, I’m extremely concerned about climate change as a mother because I want to ensure...

Insulation: hot or not?...

The other week we had insulation installed in our roof. We chose thermo-sealed batts made almost entirely from recycled materials, with an R3 rating which is suitable for Perth. Insulating your home is good for the environment because it keeps your home at more manageable temperatures: as you use less electricity or gas to heat/cool your home, you create fewer greenhouse-gas emissions. We currently use a reverse-cycle...