Monday 24 December 2007

Wishing You and Yours a Merry Christmas

Best wishes to all for a wonderful (and sustainable) Christmas. Why not try this festive silly song, sung to the traditional tune!

The Twelve Days of Christmas...with a twist
On the twelfth day of Christmas my good friend gave to me...

12 organic chocolates

11 home cooked pies

10 shoes for walking

9 shower buckets

8 rain tanks brimming

7 solar panels

6 seeds for planting

5 gardening tips!

4 Oxfam goats

3 laying hens

2 fair trade gifts
and a local native pot plant!

Why not send us your ideas for sustainable Christmas gifts - go on, leave us a comment!

Friday 21 December 2007

Christmas Edition of the Sustainability Street Newsletter Out Now!


The Christmas edition of the Sustainability Street Newsletter is out now. Click here to download your copy. The newsletter is full of updates on what our six Sustainability Streets have been up to, including:
  • Have a Merry (& Sustainable) Christmas!

  • Upcoming Street Dates
  • Sustainability Streets Take on Water

  • Greywater...No longer a grey area

  • Water Efficiency Labelling for Household Appliances

  • Make Yours a Green Christmas

  • Australia Ratifies Kyoto Agreement

  • Give the Environment a 'Happy New Year'

  • Fresh Manure Available

If you would like to be added to the electronic mailing list for this newsletter send a quick email to Carmel Hamilton.

Thursday 20 December 2007

TT Postcard from Bali



Thirteen Things about Bali's UNFCC Conference


Like any postcard it arrives after you have returned home.

1….Concerns over safety were quickly dispelled, with security checkpoints aplenty. Bag checks were a daily ritual, with registration required on the first day. We were lucky enough to complete the registration process early, before the queues below took place. Not fun in the heat and extreme humidity.

UNFCCC Entrance, originally uploaded by penrithsustainabilityunit.

1. Entrance Security, 2. Entrance to Register

2…. An invitation to the Governor of Bali's residence provided a taste of Bali's rich culture.

1. Entrance Dance, 2. Govenors backstairs, 3. Staff and Performers, 4. Delegates on stage

3…. Amazing displays were scattered between the conference centres.

1. Global Thermometer, 2. Posters

4…. The Local Government sessions were held concurrently with the the UNFCC Conference in the Old Convention Centre.

WMCCC, originally uploaded by penrithsustainabilityunit.

5…. The Cool Energy Exhibition was held on the Peninsula Island a short but hot walk from the Old Convention Centre. A two hour lunch break enabled us to take in exhibits from a range of organisations including Unilever who were promoting a program similar to our Sustainability Street program, United Nations Environment Program, and various Indonesian government departments amongst many others.

6…. For every thumbprint a tree was to be planted.

Holcim Tree Thumbprint, originally uploaded by penrithsustainabilityunit.

7…. There was much talk about sustainable transport in many of the sessions that I attended, and although I didn't give it a go, this taxi certainly caught peoples attention. I am not sure how practical it really is given it only had room for one passenger and the trailer which consisted of the solar panels was quite sizeable.

1. Solar v Normal Taxi, 2. Solar Taxi Trailer

8…. The main stage for the conference, we arrived early so that we could hear Senator Penny Wong give her address.

9…. 'Polly' spotting, we managed to give Minister Peter Garrett, and Senator Penny Wong each a Sustainable Penrith hat.

1. Peter Garret, 2. Penny Wong with SP hat

10…. To help delegates get around bikes were available free of charge.

1. UNFCCC Free Bikes, 2. UNFCCC Free Bike

11…. Not quite the street stalls synonymous with Bali, this store was more high end, however, it is interesting as it was started by the former Minister of Culture and Tourism, and celebrates the works of Indonesian artists and craftpersons, both those who are already famous and those living hidden away in remote rural areas who are producing extraordinary works.


Alun Alun, originally uploaded by penrithsustainabilityunit.

12…. The energy efficient lightbulb was commonplace, shown here in a family's shrine.

13…. We appreciated the friendship provided us by the 'friendly' police, guides and drivers that made sure we got to and from the conference on time and in one piece, whilst teaching us a lot about Bali.

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Monday 17 December 2007

It's a disposable world

I remember a time when things were built to last. These days rather than going and repairing household appliances like kettles and toasters it is cheaper to replace these items. The saying “they don’t make em like they used to” is becoming the norm of our times where it is cheaper to replace than repair.

Once upon a time things were designed and manufactured to last, and if they did break they were easily repaired. The construction of new ‘things’ requires an enormous amount of energy input, resource extraction and man hours. Whilst the price for a new item may be cheaper this price tag does not represent the whole cost of the item.

Not only are we purchasing items that are of poor quality and will need replacing in a short period of time, we are also increasingly purchasing items of little need, “want items”, that often go unused. Infact, it is suggested that Australian’s spend over $10.5 billion dollars annually on unused items (Hamilton et al 2005) and that trend is increasing.

2 dollar shops are thriving and we are consuming more and more without realising the deeper and ongoing consequences. We as a race seem to be caught up in the cycle of “things”. We like new “things”, lots of “things”.

Whilst we are becoming more aware of the need to recycle most people have not yet grasped the ‘reuse is better than recycle’ theory. For example, statistics show that Australians change their phones every 12-18 months, with only 4% recycling their old phones (Phillips 2007). TVs, DVDs, household appliances, stationary, computers, houses, clothing, nappies are other notable areas where items are over consumed and/or wasted, with food highest on the waste list (Hamilton et al 2005).
Waste Sorting in a Sydney Recycling Plant.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald 11 March 2007

So the next time you are looking to buy something think about the ongoing costs, perhaps it is better to buy it once and buy it properly rather than settling for the ‘cheap’ disposable item. And, next time you go to get rid of something ask the question “would anyone else benefit from the use of this item?” and think about the ways it could be reused. Remember: “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure”, sell your unused items online (Freecycle, E-bay, Grays Online, Trading Post, interest forums) or donate them to charities. Most importantly: use everything that you buy.
References
Hamilton, C., Denniss, R., and Baker, D. 2005, Wasteful Consumption in Australia, Discussion Paper No. 77, The Australia Institute.
Phillips, S. eds. 2007, G Magazine, Luna Media, Chippendale, Australia.
Sydney Morning Herald. 11 March 2007,
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/drastic-plastic-bag-ban-looms/2007/03/10/1173478729172.html

Tuesday 11 December 2007

Local School Kids Pass the Solar Challenge!

Last Wednesday, 5 December 2007, Council held a special presentation ceremony to recognise and celebrate the wonderful achievements of local school studnets in the recently completed Solar Boat Challenge. This year the Penrith area was well represented at the Challenge with 11 teams from the immediate Penrith area taking part, along with another 7 from the wider Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury area.

It's fair to say that each of the individual school students and teams passed the challenge, with flying colours. There were some great results from the teams including:

Primary School Wire Guided Division:
  • 1st place overall - Emu Heights Public School
  • 1st place in the racing component - Colyton Public School
  • 2nd place in the racing component - Claremont Meadows Public School
State Primary School Remote Controlled Division:
  • 1st place overall and 2nd place in the racing component of the State Primary Remote Controlled Division - Lapstone Public School
Secondary School Wire Guided Division:
  • 3rd place overall and 2nd place in the racing component of the Secondary Wire Guided Division - Colyton High School

State Secondary School Remote Controlled Division:

  • 2nd place overall in the Secondary Remote Controlled Division - Springwood High School
  • 3rd place in the racing component of the Secondary Remote Controlled Division - Caroline Chisholm College
Prizes and certificates were also awarded in other areas including graphic and technical design, and presentation.

Lapstone Public School, Winmalee High School, Springwood High School and Penrith Anglican College all received certificates for their graphic design skills while Lapstone, Springwood, Penrith High School and Penrith Anglican College all picked up certificates for their technical design.

The schools also did a great job on the presentation side of things with special mentions for Lapstone Public, Winmalee High School, Glenmore Park High School, Arndell Anglican College, Cranebrook High School, Claremont Meadows Public, and Caroline Chisholm College all picking up awards or certificates in this area.

Schools that participated are listed below. Click on the individual schools for a case study of how they tackeld the Challenge.

Primary Schools:
Claremont Meadows Public School
Colyton Public School
Emu Heights Public School
Lapstone Public School

Secondary Schools:
Arndell Anglican College
Colyton High School
Cambridge Park High School
Caroline Chisholm College
Cranebrook High School
Doonside Technology High School
Glenmore Park High School
Hawkesbury High School
Master Coaching, Richmond
Nepean High School
Penrith Anglican College
Penrith High School
Springwood High School
Winmalee High School

Visit Council's website for more information.