Take recycling another step further...

“But I always recycle!” is the catchphrase of anyone caught out doing something less than good for our environment. Even my Federal MP bragged about his household recycling when I wrote to him about his party’s lack of support for climate change legislation. It’s not that I think recycling is bad, only that it’s just about the bare minimum you can do for your planet, and it doesn’t...

Random Valley organic winery...

Recently Dave and I took a trip out to one of our favourite wineries - Random Valley. Not only do they make delicious organic wines, they’ve also got a unique premises and vineyard that demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. We had a nice chat with the owners, Peter and Suzanne Little, about their setup. Their cellar-door building is made of recycled materials, with several walls insulated using old wine...

Earth Day...

Globe East, NASA's Visible Earth Earth Day is celebrated on April 22nd every year. This year is it’s 39th anniversary, although it’s never taken much of a hold in Australia. Unlike Earth Hour, it’s not a very focused campaign - people just do environmental stuff locally, with whatever theme they like. Because of this, it’s got quite a few detractors. They say that having one day a year to make...

What happens when the ice melts?...

You might have already seen video of the 10,000-year-old Wilkins Ice Shelf collapsing in Antarctica the other week. Brian at Larvatus Prodeo has also collected some maps and graphics to put it into context. This particular collapse isn’t much in the grand scheme of things, but it’s part of a larger pattern. There have been many ice shelves disappearing lately - Wordie, Larsen B, Larsen A, Mueller and Jones...

Fresh green links...

A few bits and pieces for the weekend: Urban design makes it difficult for kids to be ride or walk to school - a lack of safe crossings and the distance from schools are some of the causes behind the drop in the number of kids who ride or walk to school. It was 35% in 1985, down to 26% now and falling. We need to look at things like this if we’re going to a) reduce reliance on cars and b) improve the health of kids...

Mending month...

Ok, this is the last post about clothes for a while, I swear! Craft zine had a theme for their March posts: it was Mending Month, and they featured lots of how-tos and tutorials for fixing any rips, tears or breaks in your clothes and accessories. This takes us to the forgotten fourth R in the usual “3 R’s” mantra. Reduce, reuse, recycle, sure - but what about “repair”? Repairing something...

DIY clothes...

In recent weeks we’ve been chatting about eco-friendly fashion and buying secondhand. But there’s a third option, if you want to go hardcore: making your own clothes. I haven’t sewn my own gear since I was at university, but lately there’s been an upswing in the number of people making their own clothes, and it’s easy to see why. Here’s some of the advantages: you get exactly the size,...

Communes and communities...

Last week I saw this site in Treehugger: Wanna Start A Commune? It’s about getting together with your neighbours or other people you see regularly, and creating more of a community spirit by pooling your resources. With a recession on, it can only be helpful to share your extra home-grown vegies, or car-pool, or share child-minding duties. This kind of community spirit can reduce waste and pollution, while giving...

Preloved clothes, after a fashion...

A little while ago I was posting about ethical fashion in Australia. I shared some links about places you can buy new organic, sweatshop-free clothes. But that’s not the only way to improve your clothes shopping. In the photo for this post (which is my new photo for the About page) I’m wearing a shirt I picked up at a Salvation Army shop in the city. Buying secondhand clothing is great for the environment....

Fresh green links...

Well, it’s been an interesting week for the environment! Here’s what I found: Good news! Scientists Discover ‘Significantly Large’ Population of Orangutans in Borneo - although they remain unprotected so there’s still work to be done. Great photos Extreme Ice Survey - photos and time lapse videos of glacial and arctic environments. Part of the most wide-ranging glacier study ever conducted,...