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)
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Can you imagine what would happen if Australian scientists discovered a hundred new species of whales and dolphins in our seas? The wires would be buzzing with the news.
However, it’s not whales and dolphins that have been under the scrutiny of scientists of late, but more the ancient and mysterious predators of the ocean - sharks and their close relatives, rays. Read more…
(If you missed it, start from part 1)
Waking up was slightly surreal, the engine was roaring, the boat was rocking – I couldn’t believe it we had been travelling all night – we were now 9 hours away from the mainland. We had arrived at a place called Light House – years of data collection from tourism boats and scientific research has shown that this is the hotspot for Minke whale activity. Expectations were running high – we were all to look out for a fin slicing the surface of the water or that signature blow as the whale exhales a lung full of air into the atmosphere.
11.00am and the doctor shouts Minke! The rope is deployed, I am literally bursting at the seams to jump into the water.
That’s it, I’m in, I move to the end of the rope and then out of the corner of my eye I see it – a minke whale! My heart skips a beat! This is something I have dreamed about since I was a little girl.
And it’s coming closer, I stop still in sheer amazement, this whale is about 6 metres long with at least 6 cookie cutter marks on its back - a sign that these whales are regular visitors of the Coral Sea.
It’s is not long before the whales seem to have called in their comrades to look at the strange spectacle of six humans hanging on a rope. At one point there is up to 10 whales coming at us from every which way – it utterly amazing. After each pass their confidence appears to build and the closer, more magical the encounters are.
Read more…
Although National Threatened Species Day, held on Sept 7 each year, commemorates the death of the last Tasmanian tiger, we at WWF’s Threatened Species Network look at it from a positive point of view – we have the opportunity to make a difference!
This year it’s all about Australia’s amazing kangaroos and wallabies. Not many people know that over half of our 76 types of kangaroos and wallabies are threatened. We’ve all seen our iconic red and grey kangaroos but have you heard about the bridled nail-tail wallaby or the Gilbert’s potoroo, two of our smaller species that are in a bit of trouble?
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The talented 28 year old is making his first ever tour of Australia with his unique brand of music. The exquisite intimacy of Brett’s vocals and the finger-picked, jazz-influenced chord structures of his songs have seen comparisons drawn to Dave Matthews, John Mayer and Tracy Chapman. The strength of Brett’s soulful sound has seen his songs featured on Grey’s Anatomy, House and Scrubs. 2008 saw the release of his latest album So Much More.
The Washington Post called the album “a folk rock revelation” and American Rolling Stone proclaimed him as “one of 10 Artists to Watch in 2008″.
Read more…
Garbage Warrior provides a solution - energy independent housing that provide all necessary home heating, clean water, electricity and even food. In a time where we are beginning to experience the ever increasing consequences of global warming, coupled with the troubles of an energy crisis, this message and your organisation’s activities are particularly important.
10km is a long distance. So to complete it in one go is an achievement. With my mind focused and ready on Sunday, I completed the race. Recovering from an illness, which stopped any training for the past week, I completed the race in 1hr and 1minute. No I’m not winning any places with that time, but I’ve achieved what I wanted. I conquered the mental barrier and I ran for climate change. On that note, I’ve also done some personal changes to reduce my footprint. I’ve changed light globes, I buy less plastic, recycle more, etc. All these changes have resulted in 1.5 earths to support me. That’s a reduction of half an earth!
Now the race is over I’ll continue my journey to reduce my footprint, but I’ll stop running for a while. I’m sure I’ll soon have some other green journey to work towards.
Kasia @ WWF
In the past 3 weeks my training for the race has taken a backseat and instead I’ve tried to keep my fitness level up.
(If you missed it, start from part 1)
5.00pm – After an all day trip from Sydney to Cairns, and Cairns to Port Douglas – I finally boarded what was to be my home for the next six days – a gorgeous little boat called the Phoenix.
The boat crew were warm and welcoming, including Pete the skipper, Michelle the dive instructor with more qualifications than you could count and Charlie the chef. Soon enough the guests started to arrive, among them was Richard Fitzpatrick – an Emmy nominated filmmaker and world renowned shark scientist along with his sidekick - Dr Dean Miller. Dean, also a marine scientist, has worked with Richard on a number projects, on this trip he was here to film the underwater world of the Minke whale. Then there was of course the wonderful John Rumney - a well-loved raconteur and champion for the environment.
Read more…
(If you missed it, start from part 1)
The trip was organised by John Rumney founder of Eye to Eye Marine Encounters, an ecotourism venture which teams up with world-class marine scientists to offer the ultimate in adventure diving on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea.
John Rumney has joined WWF-Australia’s campaign calling for the Coral Sea to be declared a Marine Protected Area - with the aim to unite tourism with research to help people understand the ‘the necessity of marine conservation now and into the future’. That’s John’s mission, and ours too.
The scientific research carried out aboard the boat is part of the Minke Whale Project. A joint initiative of researchers from James Cook University, the Museum of Tropical Queensland and Undersea Explorer. This is its 12th successive year of dwarf minke whales field studies, focusing on their behaviour, biology and interactions with divers and snorkellers in the northern Great Barrier Reef.
Read more…
The Coral Sea is one of the world’s last remaining pristine tropical marine environments, a vast wilderness comprised of diverse habitats that play host to a wide range of our ocean’s top predators including whales, sharks and turtles.
Last month I was fortunate enough to join a team of marine scientists, professional photographers and filmmakers on a boat trip that combined a once in a life time experience – to swim with a whale - with hands on scientific research to help understand the biology, ecology and behaviour of these extra ordinary animals that we still know so little about.
Read more…
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