Environment

June 3, 2011

Bushfire Powerline Safety Consultation Process Failing?

A central Victorian PWF reader tells us a well-meaning 2 May media release from the Powerline Bushfire Safety Taskforce, about community info meetings, only reached her yesterday, 1 June. She is concerned Gippsland and Mitchell Shire survivors will have been […]
May 29, 2011

‘The Economist’ On The Failure Of Australia’s Leaders

London-based global economics magazine ‘The Economist’ – has praised our successes but damned our political leaders for failing to make the most of the China boom. Survey Of Australia SOME POINTS MADE: The political leaders…are perhaps the least impressive feature […]
May 29, 2011

‘Down To Business’ Action Helping Social Entrepreneurs

World Challenge is a global competition to identify and reward people and groups that bring economic, social and environmental benefits to their local communities. It is run by the BBC World News and Newsweek, and Shell. BBC presenter and sustainable […]
May 11, 2011

Ways To Calculate Individual/Group Greenhouse Emissions

A reader has passed on this excellent website with info on how to calculate all sorts of emissions. It says: “The time to act for the environment is now. We can no longer go on pretending that we aren’t personally […]
April 14, 2011

Leaders-As-Hosts NOT Heroes: The New Democracy?

Democracy is evolving. There are many disparaging comments about today’s leaders – but what a job! The new Wheatley-Frieze book says we must recognise we are all in this together. We can no longer depend on one heroic leader because […]
April 6, 2011

Awakening the Dreamer Symposium, Melbourne 17 April

Are you concerned about what is happening in our world and feeling daunted, overwhelmed, and/or fearful, but want to play a role in making a difference? Participate in the Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Symposium and discover a new […]
April 5, 2011

Party Politics And Common Climate/Carbon Misunderstandings

Dr Daniel Bray, lecturer in international relations and teacher of security studies and environmental politics at La Trobe University, Melbourne, gives the following explanation of the politics of the current polarised climate change/carbon tax ‘debate’: “Against the instincts of the […]
March 29, 2011

‘Urban Coup’ CoHousing In Melbourne

There is an ongoing interest in PWF articles on CoHousing and Community Land Trusts. I’ve just heard a Radio National podcast with ‘Urban Coup’ , an initiative of a group of Melbournians who want to create not just housing, but […]
March 27, 2011

Landshare Australia Up And Growing..

Landshare Australia – newly launched at Randwick Community Gardens, Sydney – is a matchmaking service for gardeners to help produce more homegrown veggies across Australia. It introduces people with spare land to others wanting to grow fruit and vegetables, but […]
March 25, 2011

Tallest Skyscraper A Solar Farm & The Future For Urban Food?

EcoGeek reports how America’s tallest building – the Willis Tower in Chicago – is going green. EcoGeek writers believe there’s a safe balance between technology and nature and the articles on their website explore this symbiosis. Greening America’s Tallest Skyscraper […]
March 18, 2011

Closing The Gap – Government Should Steer Not Row

The content of the Closing the Gap report, 2011, has been called ‘underwhelming’…and it seems SOME insightful thinking on this issue just never sees the light of day, either in political circles it seems, or in mainstream media. Government Should […]
March 10, 2011

Renewables Research, TIME, And Clean, Affordable Energy?

Commercial buildings are far more energy efficient than the residential sector according to data released at last week’s Green Cities 2011 Conference by property investment analyst IPD, AND commercial properties outperform non-rated buildings financially, reports The Age newspaper. Sustainability engineers […]