In case of global warming…...

While I’m away, I thought I’d just link to a cartoon by Tom Toles that appeared in the Washington Post just over a year ago. Not much has changed since then, but it still made me smile a bit at human nature. In Case Of Global Warming I’ll be back later this week, see you then!

Ecological footprint quiz...

The Redefining Progress environmental footprint calculator has been updated: it now takes into account more recent information about local averages and new options like hybrid cars and water-saving devices. You might like to give it a whirl to see what it’s like.Footprint calculators are a way to get a rough idea of how you’re doing with your environmental impact. They estimate the area of land and ocean needed...

Green websites in Australia...

You might have noticed that I’ve added a new blogroll to the sidebar of this site, showing the Australian environmental websites I regularly read. I thought you might like to see what else is going on for greenies in Australia. Greenfoot - Trina is living sustainably in Sydney, and is always up to date with green news and events The Greening of Gavin - Gavin discusses the whys and hows of living a more sustainable...

Water efficiency at my house...

Are you conserving water? Originally uploaded by RXAphotos Given that I haven’t done anything about water efficiency in our house, even though I made a resolution about it, I thought it was time to come up with a plan of action. I’ve had a look at the usual water-saving websites and come up with a series of things I can do, roughly in order of difficulty. 1. Find out total water use for 2007, so we can tell...

Solar energy for your home, on the cheap...

If you’re interested in getting a photo-voltaic solar energy system for your home, and you live in the Perth metropolitan region, you might like to check out the RenewableLogic website. They’re going to buy 1500 systems in bulk and install them, lowering the usual cost from about $4500 to $1500 after you get all the usual government rebates. They’re only offering small systems at the moment, in a limited...

New Year’s Resolutions 2008: update...

At the beginning of the year I came up with 3 resolutions I intended to keep in 2008. I thought I’d better check in and see how I’m doing… Switch to reuseable bags I was given an Envirosax bag as a Christmas gift (thanks again, Chris!) and it’s been fantastic. It just sits rolled up in my handbag until I need it, and then I whip it out at the shop counter before the salesperson puts my purchases...

Delete spam the old-fashioned way...

Last week I wrote about making your bills paperless, but the biggest source of mailbox waste is probably junk mail. I used to fish mine out of the letterbox every day, and drop it in the recycling bin before going inside. My recycling bin was full of catalogs and flyers, which seemed a bit stupid since I’d never asked for them in the first place. According to the Australian Conservation Foundation, “Australians...

Are you saving trees while paying your bills?...

Like most people, I find it hard to remember to pay bills by going directly to a company’s offices or Australia Post. Either I put the bill in my handbag then forget to go anywhere near the post office, or I slap my head when I see the office because I’ve left the bill at home. The number of Aussies using BPay to pay bills is increasing every year: it’s not only more convenient to pay from home, it’s...