Why Pay More For Green Electricity?

Hands up who thinks electricity companies are ripping people off by making you pay more for green electricity?

It’s in their best interests to invest in the technology anyway. Otherwise, when current fuel runs out or becomes cost prohibitive they will all be out of jobs. It’s about time governments gave them a kick up the balls and made them all acknowledge this. If anything, green electricity should be cheaper to encourage more people to use it which would then increase their revenue streams to further invest in the technology.

Artificial Trees to Cut Carbon

Engineers say a forest of 100,000 “artificial trees” could be deployed within 10 to 20 years to help soak up the world’s carbon emissions.

The trees are among three geo-engineering ideas highlighted as practical in a new report.

The authors from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers say that without geo-engineering it will be impossible to avoid dangerous climate change.

The report includes a 100-year roadmap to “decarbonise” the global economy.

Read more here…

Sharks Use Snot To Hunt Prey

Nothing to do with your carbon footprint I know but this article is a must…

http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/2007/2084040.htm?enviro

Green Builders

I’ve been looking for a company to build me an energy efficient house which will keep my carbon footprint as low as possible without me going off-grid. Queensland Home Builders are a Sunshine Coast project builder who have come up with the goods. They operate from the Gold Coast, through Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, right up to the Whitsundays in the North. Steve and Lisa have been really helpful from the start, giving me suggestions and innovations rather than me having to come up with everything. And best still, they’re aiming at the lower end of the market. That’s poor people like me who haven’t had parents handing them down properties that cost $2 in 1960 but are now worth heaps.

So, thanks Steve and Lisa, and keep up the good work.

Carbon Smart

Has anybody seen that website that’s being advertised on TV – www.carbonsmart.com.au? They’re basically paying landowners to revegetate their land that the government has previously paid them to clear. About time too. Doesn’t take a genius to realise that clearing land in a climate as harsh as Australia’s is going to lead to everything turning to dust and either blowing away or washing away in the rain storms. Anyway, I’m going to look into it further. Might be worth buying a cheap block out bush and planting it out.

Australians Have the Biggest Carbon Footprints

Did you know..?

Australians, (then Americans) on average have the largest carbon footprint in the world. Basically, this is because of our huge dependence on fossil fuel and most Australians have ginormous homes compared with the rest of the world.

Read this at Zero Your Carbon.

One of the problems is though that we’re subjected to the most ridiculously high electricity prices and are then offered the option of paying more for carbon offsets. Hmmm, now I think that the electricity companies are taking the proverbial a bit there. Especially considering when we run out of fossil fuel all their electric will have to come from renewable energy sources anyway. So, in effect, they’re asking us to pay for their investment in something that they are going to need otherwise they’ll go out of business. Sounds like a rip off that the government should do something about.

Sunshine Coast Eco Awards

As Americans began their Thanksgiving celebrations across the Pacific, the Sunshine Coast was giving thanks to local environmentalists, schools and businesses. No turkeys were involved though, instead, ‘froggies’ were being handed out for the hard work many Coast residents are doing to protect the local environment.

One person in particular was recognised for 18 years of communicating the major environmental issues facing the Sunshine Coast. Jillian Rossiter, received what was considered a long-overdue award for ‘outstanding dedication to the environment’.

“Jillian is a very unassuming person who quietly undertakes her enormous commitment to the environment,” said councillor Vivien Griffin, before presenting the award.

“It is the dedication of people like Jillian that allows the Sunshine Coast Environment Council to continue its valuable work.”

Jillian produced the precursor to Econews, the Eco Echo magazine, which enjoyed widespread support around the Coast for many years. More recently, she has tirelessly organised the popular Greenhouse at the Woodford Folk Festival.

She spent 10 years producing the seasonal Eco Echo magazine, and the last eight years building an impressive list of speakers at the Greenhouse. These have been the highlights of Jillian’s environmental career. A career that has emphasised showing, not telling – a trait, that so often appears in quiet achievers.

“They have enabled me to bring the stories and expertise of many activists, scientists and other experts to the public,” said Jillian.

Jillian said she was honoured to be recognised in this way.

“Especially from such an outstanding organisation as SCEC, that has now, and has had in the past, so many skilled and dedicated people.”

Almost 200 people attended the evening, held at the Lake Kawana Community Centre on November 28. The night was hosted by the Sunshine Coast Environment Council, with special guest speaker, and recent Greens convert, Ronan Lee attending, along with local award-winning singer/songwriter Kate Gibson and artist Blair McNamara.

SCEC manager, Narelle McCarthy said the night was another success, which highlighted how important it is for the Coast to continue with its aim of becoming Australia’s most sustainable region.

“We need to build on the community’s efforts and continue the momentum,” she said.

“However, we wouldn’t be able to hold this event without our hard-working volunteers and the support of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council, as well as our other sponsors. I can’t thank them enough.”

Affectionately known as the ‘froggies’, the Sunshine Coast Environment Awards are now in their thirteenth year.

Identical CO2 Emissions

Everyone on the planet could get identical greenhouse gas emission rights as part of a drive to halve emissions by 2050, according to a study by Chinese scientists on Monday.

The proposal, presented on the sidelines of a Dec. 1-12 U.N. conference on fighting global warming, would force nations such as the United States which have used most fossil fuels since the Industrial Revolution to buy emission rights from poor nations. “Developed countries shall take the lead in reducing emissions,” said Su Wei, head of climate change at China’s National Development and Reform Commission. The Carbon Budget Proposal suggested that emission allowances could be set at 2.33 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year for each person on the planet in the period 1900 to 2050 as part of a goal of halving world emissions by 2050. Most rich nations have already far exceeded their budgets and would have to buy emissions rights to keep on emitting until 2050. U.S. emissions now exceed 20 tonnes per capita. “The accumulative historical emissions in the U.S. is about three times its total carbon budget,” according to the study,by scientists at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Other countries such as Britain or Germany are also overdrawn. Poor nations, such as many African states where emissions are below one tonne per person, were far below their 1900-2050 quotas and would receive cash from the rich. The 190-nation Poznan talks are seeking to work out a new treaty to fight climate change, meant to be agreed in Copenhagen at the end of 2009 in a step to avert more floods, droughts and rising seas. But the talks are far from agreeing how to work out a fair share of the burden among major emitters.

Source: Reuters

How Can I Be Carbon Neutral?

I’m looking for ways of making my business carbon neutral. What I want to do is actually cut down on my carbon footprint and also, inevitably, offset some of our carbon emissions because I’m never going to get them to zero.

Can anybody suggest the best ways to go about getting carbon neutral? What steps should we take?

Carbon Offsets

One way of overcoming the fact that you will have a carbon footprint, no matter what you do, is to purchase carbon offsets. In its simplest form, carbon offsetting is the planting of trees to absorb the carbon dioxide that you inevitably produce in your everyday life. Of course, not everybody has a garden in which to plant innumerable trees so there are now companies that specialise in doing this for you. It takes around 6 trees to absorb one tonne of carbon dioxide and it’s possible to buy these trees from certain companies for as little as $3 per tree. Seems like a bargain to me.