Archive for the ‘Environment’ Category
Monday, February 13th, 2012
The annual Sustainable Living Festival has been injecting old Melbourne town with daily doses of green goodness since Saturday. An absolute bumper program of events (they don’t call this Australia’s largest sustainability festival for nothing!) has been taking place across the city, but what would a festival be without a market to top it all off? Next weekend is the Festival’s Big Weekend which means that The Green Market will once again transform Federation Square into an eco haven. From Friday Feb 17th to Sunday Feb 19th, more than 80 eco-minded vendors will pop-up and pop-out their finest wares – from food, coffee and lifestyle products to building materials, home improvement goodies, green services and alternative transport, energy and waste disposal options. The markets will be complimented by a range of other must-see events, including a Climate Quiz with Adam Hills and Tanya Ha, a Green Inventors forum, Dr Karl tackling renewable energy and ‘off-the-grid’ gigs by Lisa Mitchell and Amanda Palmer. Check out the full, irresistible program here.
Posted by Emily Lush in Environment, Events | No Comments »
Friday, February 10th, 2012
Roses are red, violets are blue. Flowers are great, but a rainforest is… even better? Roses, as beautiful as they are, come with a high carbon footprint – all the travelling and refrigeration they endure. With Valentine’s Day coming up this Tuesday, why not be a good little ecoista and find or ask for native Australian flowers instead? Alternately, you could give a sweet growing gift such as this little herb garden window box or a GrowBottle? (Give herbs and you might just be given a delicious meal in return). But if these ideas still don’t express how great your love is, why not give a whole rainforest tree? Your feelings would be forever represented in a beautiful tree which will surely outlive any sad roses wilting on the mantle piece in days to come…
Posted by Daniela Sunde-Brown in Environment, Holidays | 2 Comments »
Friday, February 10th, 2012
There are some things you can do which are helpful in teaching the public about climate change; then there are some which are not. We’ll start with the good shall we… Utilising the data of the two century-long Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature (BEST) study, developer Nick Orenstein has created an app for iPhones and iPads which literally tracks climate change as it happens. Using colour-coded, moving maps which demonstrate how today’s monthly temperatures compare to historical averages, the free Just Science app is the antidote to disengaging scientific and political rhetoric around the topic, and helps users get involved and interested in what’s happening to the world around them. Also, it’s an app, and people like wasting time on apps – at least this way we’re learning something. (Although it should still be noted, climate change is a lot more complex than just changing temperatures – but hey, Nick Orenstein, we’ll let you get away with it this time). Now, ready for the huge, glowing negative of this whole thing? (more…)
Posted by tess curran in Environment, News | 1 Comment »
Monday, February 6th, 2012
Never did you see such beauty on two wheels! It might be the simplicity of design and dreamy colours that first draw your attention to Bowery Lane Bicycles, but behind their pretty frames is a very unique philosophy. 99% of bikes sold in the US are imported from overseas, which makes Bowery Lane one of a very small handful of companies that manufacture locally. Every bicycle is handmade in New York City using locally-sourced materials and solar-powered machinery, and encouraging people to explore bike riding as an alternative mode of transport is more important to Bowery Lane than just providing customers with a new accessory. Lucky for us budding cyclists here in Australia, the bikes are now available for purchase on Monkey See. So how did Bowery Lane get started and just how do they differ from your run-of-the-mill bike company? We asked Bowery Lane co-founder Sean Naughton to give us the goss… (more…)
Posted by Emily Lush in Environment, Lifestyle | No Comments »
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
As well as having one of the coolest ad campaigns around (check out more of these amazing cut-leaf illustrations online) the message Plant for the Planet are spreading is pretty darn inspiring as well. Their Billion Tree Campaign has so far seen more than 12.5 billion trees planted in 193 countries. When their goal of nurturing 1,000 billion trees new trees by 2020 is met (yup, we didn’t know you could count that high either!), it will mean an extra 10 billion tonnes of CO2 absorption every year. And get this – their Children’s Initiative is managed by a board of 14 kids (with a little help from the grown ups, we’re sure). But it’s not just little hands making a difference here – adults too can pledge a tree or become a member of this global network. We could all take a leaf out of Plant for the Planet’s book!
Posted by Emily Lush in Environment, News | No Comments »
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
As a child, I adored my Faber-Castell coloured pencils: artist sets, watercolours, those cute ones that came in the little tubes… And now I think I know why. In exciting news for my ability to predict the future, the socially-responsible German stationery company is bringing one of my favourite childhood compositions – the smiling trees, smiling mountains, smiling sun combination – a touch closer to reality with the announcement that they have just become the world’s first private company awarded carbon trading approval by the UN. It coincides with Faber-Castell International’s launch of a new sustainable reforestation project in Colombia, just another notch on the belt of their already exemplary environmental record. All this makes them carbon neutral several times over, and this year, thanks for the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism, they will begin dealing in carbon dioxide certificates. But the most interesting fact of all? The Regional Director for Faber-Castell is named – wait for it – Count Andreas von Faber-Castell. Let’s hear it for the Count!
Posted by tess curran in Art, Environment, News | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012
Thanks to Marks & Spencer, British high street fashion just got a little bit greener. The UK power brand has just announced the launch of its new campaign My Urban Green (@myurbangreen), which – in partnership with environmental charity Groundwork – aims at developing and supporting Greener Living Spaces amongst local urban communities. This isn’t something completely new: Marks & Spencer and Groundwork have been burrowing away at this initiative for the past three years, but in 2012 they will be kicking it into full gear with the goal of delivering 850 community green space activities and events across the UK by September, including engaging a whopping 135,000 people to support them. Activities on the agenda include green space maintenance, tree planting, community clean ups and gatherings, all in the hope, says Groundwork Chief Executive Tony Hawkhead, of finding “increasingly creative ways of protecting these much loved local spaces.” Amen. Now who’s going to be the first Australian brand to do the same? {Image from here}.
Posted by tess curran in Environment | No Comments »
Friday, December 2nd, 2011
Dreaming of a sustainable Christmas? Here’s another clever way to stay off Santa’s naughty list this year. Eco Chic Christmas Trees are a trendy alternative to plastic or living varieties. Hand made from recycled timber pallets and spruced up with water-based paints, they are easy to assemble and will hold all your favourite decorations. 100% reusable, you can pull them out year after year, though with colours like these, we’d be inclined to let this Christmas Tree become a perennial feature in our living rooms…
Posted by Emily Lush in Environment | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 11th, 2011
Australians spend over $10 billion every year on goods we don’t use, much of which ends up in the 20 million tonnes of landfill we produce annually. Buy Nothing New Month are reversing this trend one shopping trip at a time with 31 days of conscientious consumption. This October you can pledge to trade your purchasing habits for shopping alternatives. Beg, borrow and barter your way to a sustainable lifestyle (with the exception of the bare essentials like food and medications) and do your bit for the planet. Not to mention the money, time and energy (and wardrobe space!) you’ll save. It’s not too late to jump on board; any little bit counts. There’s a lot to be gained from buying nothing new.
Posted by Emily Lush in Environment, Lifestyle | No Comments »
Thursday, October 6th, 2011
Being an eco warrior no longer means fossicking for your own organic fruits. Freshly launched Australian website EarthFirst is the online eco-directory that makes being green easy, peddling everything from earth-friendly nail polish remover to safe house paint, organic restaurants and wine and even environmentally-conscious investments. Website director Sol Pandiella-McLeod first started EarthFirst out of her own personal needs. After attending a David Suzuki lecture at the Sydney Opera House, Sol wanted to ‘green’ her lifestyle but struggled to find the products she was looking for. (more…)
Posted by Daniela Sunde-Brown in Environment, Lifestyle, News | 1 Comment »
