I’ve been riding to work for a few weeks now and I’m loving it. I’ve had to catch the bus a couple of times for various reasons and it takes longer and is a lot less fun. I’ve worked out a route (using Bike-it Sydney (which I mentioned previously) and I’m used to the traffic now.
A sure fire sign that I’m hooked: it was raining on Friday morning and I still chose to ride rather than catch the bus. But I digress…
One of the things that I worked out I needed to do fairly early on was to get a rack and bag for the bike. My backpack was too small to carry a change of clothes plus lunch and other stuff. Plus it wasn’t waterproof and because it’s on my back makes it just a little bit hotter than if I’m not wearing it (i.e. I get more sweaty).
Anyway - to cut the story short, I went into Cheeky Transport to see what options were available. They had a few different styles ranging in price and utility. I ended up grabbing a Ron D Swan pannier like this one (mine’s blue which handily matches my bike colour).
I liked it ‘coz it was simple, waterproof and big enough for all the stuff I need to take to work. But it was the fact it’s made from reclaimed materials - that is using materials that would otherwise end up in being chucked out as waste - that won me over.
From the blurb that came with the pack (more on Ron’s site):
The canvas and PVC are salvaged offcuts from awning and banner factories (new PVC is out of the question as it is toxic to make). The smaller hooks are hand bent out of stainless steel bike spokes from dead wheels. Webbing and corflute backing board are new polypropylene for which, although being a plastic of lesser evil, Ron is researching alternatives.
Very cool. The bags are manufactured in Melbourne by Cathy (apart from some parts which are outsourced locally) - meaning lower transport emissions - and apparently they’re sweatshop free. I used the bag on my rainy ride on Friday and it worked a treat - I definitely recommend them.
I also picked up a leg band for when I need to do a quick ride and I can’t change out of my work pants.
The idea of hunting through hundreds of items of clothes, to find that one item that you love instantly, seemed like a lot of work and not a lot of reward. After this weekend my view has completely changed. Vintage shopping, or hunting through pre-loved clothes, is extremely exciting.
The clothes you find are unique, beautiful and high quality. They have been worn so there is no “shrinking in the wash” syndrome or colors fading and best of all each item of clothing only costs a few dollars.
For those of you who would like someone else to do the searching for you, there are plenty of people who find the best vintage clothes and sell them in stores, ebay and weekend markets.
Not only do you save tons of money by buying vintage clothes, it’s also one way of recycling.
Be warned it can become a bit of an addiction!
Make blog posts about an art installation that uses over a thousand fluorescent bulbs that are powered from the ambient energy surrounding power lines.
It’s a pretty incredible sight.
On a more practical level, though, I’ve not seen a better visualisation of energy waste from centralised power generation (that is, mammoth power stations in far-away places shipping energy to cities). And no better case for shifting to a more decentralised, renewable energy future (i.e. solar panels and mini-wind generators on roof-tops etc.)
Over at Worldchanging, Eric de Place worked out that using a compressed chemical canister to clean his keyboard would have the equivalent greenhouse gas effect of burning through 378 litres of fuel in his car.
He then goes on to outline some alternatives. But it was his initial discovery that blew me away - I wonder how many other little things like that happen in our day-to-day? Makes you consider the label in a whole new way…
There has been so much excitement about Live Earth US and UK, and while the excitement is understandable with such great acts, I’ve always been waiting to hear the Australian line-up. Today the organizers announced the line-up for the Sydney show. The line-up includes bands such as Crowded House, Jack Johnson, Wolfmother, John Butler Trio, Missy Higgins, Eskimo Joe and a whole bunch more. Australians not only get to rock out to such great bands, but we get to be the first of the seven concerts around the world.
With the concert raising awareness about our climate and a great line-up, tickets are going to be sold out fast when they go on sale Friday, May 18.
Apple’s Steve Jobs posts a detailed article that highlights some of the things they are doing to reduce the environmental impact of their products.
As alluded to in the article’s opening paragraph, this no doubt is a response to Greenpeace’s Green My Apple campaign.
Greenpeace’s campaign site announces a “change in policy” from Apple - it seems to me that the “change in policy” is that Apple are disclosing what they are doing - their environmental policies haven’t changed, as far as I can tell anyway. The tone of Jobs’ statement is that they are already doing the things outlined or have had plans for the future for some time (though we don’t know for sure). Many of the points he mentions seem to have been occurring for some time already.
Just one note on the recycling point - the last time I checked (a few months ago), Apple Australia - which is a separate company to the parent US company - does not have a recycling or take-back program in place. Although they claimed some stores had a recycling program, the stores they mentioned did not confirm Apple’s claims.
In Jobs’ announcement, he states that Apple ” operate[s] recycling programs in countries where more than 82% of all Macs and iPods are sold” - but Australia doesn’t seem to be one of those countries.
Does anyone know if Apple Australia is planning on changing this? (or perhaps already has?)
Update: Treehugger asks another interesting question: given Apple’s market position as an innovator, Justin suggests “There are many other steps Apple could make to be an innovative green company. How about tree-free paper for all printed materials, moving over to 100% renewable power, or designing Apple stores and offices to be green buildings?”
The Washington Post has an interesting article on CFLs: Fluorescent Bulbs Are Known to Zap Domestic Tranquillity [via EchoDitto]:
Alex Sifford, 51, has been buying compact fluorescent light bulbs, which use about 75 percent less power than incandescent bulbs. He sneaks them into sockets all over the house. This has been driving his wife nuts.
This is actually something I’ve noticed when chatting to friends - that one partner, or housemate, wants to try something environmentally friendly, but the other is not so happy about it. I have experienced it at home with our Bokashi bucket - but I’ve heard it relating to a range of issues from standby power to CFLs (which the story highlights).
Just wondering if any Futuremakers have had experience with this kind of thing? And if so, what did you find worked/didn’t work to get things over the line?
