Google are installing a whole bunch of solar panels to create an estimated 1600 kilowatts of power. They’re about 90% there so far, and they’ve created a page where you can check out how much power the site has generated in the past 24 hours or 7 days. Very cool… [via Make blog]
Every day we shape our planet's future when we make small life decisions - what we buy, what we eat, how we travel. The future of the planet is in our hands; the future is man-made. And we are all "Futuremakers". If we choose to live sustainably, we can assure a future for all living things. And we can have some fun doing it too!
This site, created by WWF-Australia, is a place where you can share ideas with other Futuremakers so that we can live more sustainably. We hope the tips and stories here will be useful for you. (More about this site)
What can I do?
To browse the ideas on this site by category or difficulty, click on the icons below.
Archive for June, 2007
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Jun
24
Sometimes trying to live sustainably can be a lonely thing - sometimes it’s great to be able to catch up with people to compare notes, ask questions or just simply not to feel alone.
Part of our hope for this blog is that it can become a place for those kind of connections to be made - a place for sharing ideas and connecting with like-minded folks who have faced or wrestling with the same sort of challenges.
Terry, who writes the 2050 Vision: Sustainable Civilisation blog that I follow, recently posted about “backsliding” and mentioned that part of the reason is feeling demotivated if when “going it alone”.
I know I’ve been there before, and it was through reading other people’s blogs and meeting a few folks in “real life” that helped me keep on at it. With that in mind I thought it’d be nice to give Terry a shout-out of support - and (perhaps cheekily) suggest that if there are any Futuremakers up Brisbane way, drop Terry a quick comment to let him know he’s not alone 
GreenerComputing News reports:
Nearly half of all corporate PCs in the US are not regularly switched off at night, costing US businesses $1.72 billion in energy and causing emissions of 14.4 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, according to recently released PC Energy Awareness report.
That’s an amazing statistic! You’ve heard the “Reduce, Renew, Offset” mantra here before - but it’s reports like this that demonstrate why the “Reduce” component is so important - and it’s reasonably easy to do.
In the comments of our Get off standby action I did the math to work out how much more power is used in sleep mode than when turned off overnight (and then rebooted in the morning) and it’s more than 20 times the electricity required.
So that 14.4 million tons could be reduced dramatically if this simple measure becomes commonplace. How awesome!
So how can we make it happen? What are the barriers to businesses turning off their computers at night and how can they be overcome?
If you have any ideas, leave a comment…
Jun
22
In Sydney the last few weeks have been wet ones - and thankfully some of the rain made it into the catchment… this time.
Regardless it seems a shame to see all that water here in the city go to waste, so I love Trina’s idea of getting a water tank.
…the next big ticket item I plan to strike off my wish list is a water tank. I would like to get as large a one as possible. And a tank that hooks up to the toilet and washing machine would also be ideal but it does depend on cost. State governments do offer some rebates but they differ depending on the tank and its functions.
GoogleBlog: Carbon neutrality by end of 2007. [via Phil]
Google are setting an excellent example so far:
Our plan to neutralize Google’s carbon footprint includes three basic strategies:
- reduce energy consumption by maximizing efficiency;
- invest in and use renewable energy sources; and
- purchase carbon offsets for the emissions that we can’t reduce directly.
To calculate our carbon footprint, we took into account emissions from purchased electricity, employee commuting, business travel, construction, and server manufacturing. In a partnership with the Environmental Resources Trust (ERT), we have independently verified this assessment, and will do so every year.
In order to meet our short-term goal of carbon neutrality, we have decided to purchase some carbon offsets. To be clear, we see carbon offsets not as a permanent solution but rather as a temporary tool which allows us to take full responsibility for our impact right away. … When considering an offset project, we carefully examine the project’s environmental integrity, its ability to be monitored and verified, and the impact that our investment will have in furthering that project’s goals. In other words, we want to make sure that our offset funding directly enables the project, and that the carbon savings of the project are real.
The post goes on to spruik some of the other things Google is doing to reduce their carbon footprint. It’s really great to see such a big company making an effort to go carbon neutral and doing it with the “Reduce, Renew, Offset” method we’re so fond of.
Jun
21
Live Earth is just 15 days away now. If you want to keep up with the latest goss about the concert over the next two weeks, check out the ‘unofficial’ Live Earth Blog [via Phil]
I was hoping to get along to the concert but it turns out my Mum is coming to visit that weekend, and I couldn’t twist her arm to come along 
Is anyone else going? I’d love to see some picks and hear about it from any Futuremakers that are going…
Jun
14
If you live reasonably close to your workplace, riding a bike to work is a great way to get fit while also reducing your impact on the environment. It can even save you money.
Since I’ve started riding to work, I’ve collected a few tips that you may find useful to get started.
Jun
14
The blinds in our new apartment have started to cause us grief - basically all bar one of the 6 blind rollers have stopped working. We’ve had a few people come around to provide quotes etc. and today we went to a little shop in Newtown and got some more information.
One of the questions I asked the salesperson was whether he had any environmentally friendly blind options. He wasn’t aware of any specifically, but he did note that the Evershade blind fabrics were PVC free (which is a good thing). They’re also made locally (in Marrickville, NSW) which is another plus.
(As an aside I’m not 100% sure on why PVC is bad for the environment - but I’m aware from previous research into materials that they should be avoided if possible.)
I went to the blind manufacturer’s website to find out a bit more about the environmental elements of their products and couldn’t really find much else about the environmental performance of their blind fabrics. I did find that they do use PVC in other products.
A little bit of “Google research” uncovered another Australian company Mermet [via Keetsa! blog]. These are listed on the Ecospecifier website - which rates and provides information on environmental performance of building products - but the profile page lists PVC as one of the materials. It seems that their place in the Ecospecifier directory is due to the benefits for heating etc. rather than the manufacturing process.
So I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the products above, or if they know of any environmentally friendly blinds? Either alternative fabrics, or technologies or approaches?
Our place has 5m high windows across 3 levels of blinds - so there’s a lot of area to cover (which also means that wood-based slat blinds aren’t suitable). We’re also not sure what to do with the existing blinds. Although the blinds themselves are in reasonable condition (not great, but certainly still workable) it seems that different manufacturers and retailers all use different fittings etc. so it doesn’t look like it’s possible just to re-use the material.
So if we have to replace rather than re-use we’re keen to work out ways of putting the old blinds to alternative uses - either through reverse garbage or some other recycling scheme. Any suggestions in that direction would be well received as well.
With a large proportion of Australia in a drought, and many major cities enforcing water restrictions, the plants in our garden are being tested on their water efficiency. Most of us have all heard of grey water, the water drained from baths, showers, washing machines, and sinks. Normally this water goes down the drain, but we all could be recycling this water on our gardens. It’s a simple concept and it’s really easy to start. There are three main ways to use grey water:
- Manual bucketing – This means washing dishes in a bucket or having a few buckets in the shower with you and using them to water the garden.
- Above ground systems – One of the easiest ways to use grey water is simple extending the hose from your washing machine into your garden. I’ve found moving the house around the garden every few weeks allows each spot to get a good soaking.
- Above or below ground systems – The systems are more sophisticated and also more expansive. Some governments give rebates on these systems so they are definitely worth a look. They will also be able to divert water from other areas of your house, which means an even lusher garden.
Grey water seems like a great solution to a water shortage but I’d be interested to hear other people’s experiences using grey water.
