Fresh green links

I haven’t done this in a while! Things have been very busy. But I had to share these with you…

Coal Seam Gas : By the numbers – the ABC is gathering data on where coal seam gas companies have wells and leases. See if there are any near you, or let them know about any they’ve missed.

Stuffed to the gills – how crap took over one guy’s life, and how he intends to get it back.

A review of Prosperity Without Growth, which is going on my reading list. I heard about it while reading about the OWS protests. Has anyone else read it? Let me know how you liked it.

Capitalism vs the Climate – I skimmed the stuff about the deniers, since it’s pretty much the same as always, but really liked the sections where the writer lists some steps for moving forward on climate change.

The Great Kilowatt Challenge – if you haven’t joined in Gavin’s energy-saving challenge yet, it’s not too late.

Fresh green links

Girl Scouts debuts new Locavore badge – what a great idea for helping kids understand how our food system works.

How farmer’s markets help me to eat well – a great guest post over at Limes and Lycopenes, which is a really interesting food blog with a focus on making sensible health choices.

The case for unsustainability – a thought-provoking idea from Paul Hawken: why is it that we must prove the benefits of a sustainable lifestyle? We should be asking the business-as-usual supporters why they think all this pollution and waste is such a great idea.

Remember CCS? – an update on the latest numbers. Turns out it’s extremely expensive and although the ‘Carbon Capture’ part works ok, the ‘Storage’ part is proving to be very difficult. I’m sure you’re all very suprised by this shocking news

How climate change denial works – in a flowchart, via Treehugger. Anyone want to make an Aussie version?

Fresh green links

Stock up: 13 tips for buying in bulk – The Kitchn rounds up their bulk-buying posts for us. It’s been a while since I did my Bulk-buying challenge with G Magazine, but I’m still keeping up my good habits. I’ve got more pantry room now for larger storage, which helps a bit.

Clean air tied to decreased levels of violent crime – an unexpected benefit of controlling air pollution is that it helps babies’ brains develop to be more resilient and less prone to impulsive and agressive behaviour. That has long-term effects for our whole society, as well as being a health and resources issue.

How I created a tool library in under two hours – there are lots of exciting sharing services online these days, but sometimes all you need is a mailing list of like-minded people.

Pricing pollution at the point of extraction – as you might remember, I’m happy to back most methods of pricing pollution. It might be a little late for Australia to try this method, but then again, our carbon tax legislation will still be open to amendments after it passes the Senate.

Sharing the value of volunteering with your child – Tricia posts over at Childhood101 about how it’s easier than you think to include your kids when you volunteer. I know from my own experience that no-one expects vollies to provide highly-skilled or expert services, they’d rather have long-term enthusiasm they can count on. So introducing your kids to the idea so they’re used to it by the time they’re ready to pick their own causes is a fantastic way to build your community and teach your kids about it.

Fresh green links

e-Waste Hell – did you know that Australian computers and electronics are being illegally dumped in Ghana instead of being recycled? SBS’s Dateline show had an episode about it which you can watch online, or read the transcript. It’s really appalling when people try to do the right thing by recycling but are let down by cheap companies happy to break the law.

My journey from disposable to cloth nappies – one mother tells how she decided that cloth nappies were the best choice for her and her babies.

How Wall Street Fuels Global Hunger – traders are treating food supplies just like they treated housing and technology stocks and securities, creating an artificial price hike and leaving millions unable to afford to eat. What I like about this article is that it considers what some solutions might be, instead of just leaving the problem on the table.

Fracking Facts infographic – might be handy if you need to sum up what’s wrong with the industry to a friend.

Beekeeping takes flight in primary school – the head teacher of a UK primary school says learning to look after bees has transformed the behaviour of unruly pupils. And that led me to this interesting article: How to compost your bees: Lessons from a Failed Beekeeper. I guess the school has more people available to take care of the hives than a parent with a newborn baby.

That’s not trash, that’s dinner – although in my case, the article title would be “That’s not compost…”. An interesting article with suggestions for how you can cook the stems and leaves of vegetables that recipes don’t usually call for.

Fresh green links

Arctic sea-ice low, what does it mean? – a nice little explanation of the sometimes confusing data.

How Apple could really change the world – a take-back and re-distribution program could help reduce e-waste, materials shortage and third-world information access problems.

Australia must see the light and embrace solar power – “with no fuel bill, renewables bid into the market at a lower marginal cost, reducing the wholesale spot price. A similar study in Germany showed savings from this effect, on top of the value of the renewable electricity generated, exceeded spending on feed-in-tariffs. Everybody wins, whether you’ve got solar panels or not.” And yet state governments are raising electricity prices and cutting back on feed-in tariffs. So daft and backwards.

Natural gas not much better than coal for the atmosphere – methane, and no sulfur to block sunlight. Fossil fuels take another hit to their reputation as a good way to power the world…

Anti-anti-carbon-tax ad from GetUp – which I saw first on Gavin’s blog. I quite like this one!

How does a hybrid car work? – a neat infographic from Good Magazine.

Greening Melbourne’s laneways – I’d love to see this happen in Perth’s laneways too.

Train your chickens to eat slugs – although I can’t blame them for not wanting to eat the slimy, ugly things!

Clean garden tools with wax paper – an interesting way to save water. Has anyone tried this and can recommend it?

I Love My Grandma competition from Lydra, an eco-friendly fashion accessories label. You can win a $100 gift voucher for telling Lydra what it is you love so much about your grandma.