Blog of the Year

ReNew magazine recently gave out an award for sustainability blog of the year. Convenient Solutions didn't win it, but did get on the 'blog honour roll' :)


For further details, see issue 119 of ReNew magazine, or this small summary on the ReNew website.

Click to See the Difference

Saturday night was Earth Hour, celebrated in over 150 countries. The Boston Globe put together a collection of 'click-images' of the event.


The landscape pictures show the scene before the lights went out. Click any photo to see what it looked like during Earth Hour. (Except the first photo - that's just a normal photo of two cute kids:)

Billions are bigger than millions

Prior to the recent state election, some were questioning the finances of the incoming government. The cost of the promises exceeded revenue - by about 4 billion. So where was it going to come from?


Since then we've started to find out. $75 million was taken away from a ground-breaking solar project. A further $270 million will be taken away by dismantling the current climate change programs. (It's the kind of thing a party admits only 1 day before the election to minimise coverage)

Now, all of these amounts sound big - until they are compared with 4 billion.

Here's a solution - how about cutting the 7 billion in subsidies to fossil fuels. They've been going for a long time - surely they should be able to survive on their own two feet by now. It would save much more money, and we wouldn't have to sell our future to do it.

Germany Makes Solar Cheaper

I've mentioned before how Germany really gets behind solar, despite their lack of sunshine compared to other countries (like mine). Today, i looked at some stats that showed the price of solar reducing by 60% in 5 years (2006 to 2011).


In the same period of time the amount of solar has gone up by a factor of 8, and is now even driving down the wholesale price of electricity, as other generators (such as coal) are forced to drop their prices to compete.

Religious People and Climate Change

"No one who believes in a God that loves all people should be able to sit by as the wealthy harm the poor on a massive scale." says John Torrey in his article Why religious people must speak up about climate change

Reasoning the the vast majority of greenhouse gases are caused by the 'global rich' and that (for geographical and economic reasons) most of the impacts (including hundreds of thousands of deaths) are felt by the 'global poor', he describes this as victimisation.

He encourages followers of God to "lift up the voices of the poor and show the world what is really at stake: nothing less than infinitely precious and highly vulnerable human lives."

What does LEGO make?

I have fond childhood memories of Lego. So i was quite pleased to the company is investing in renewable energy.


They are investing over half a billion dollars in wind energy. It's so fitting that a company that has been such a huge part of children's lives is playing a role in securing a better future for those children.

Is A Half-Truth A Lie?

I've written a few entries about the things said by some politicians to try to excuse their lack of (or outright opposition to) action on climate change. One that i saw this week was the half-truth about electricity prices.

A forecast increase of 11% this year was quoted. It's a half-truth because it's said in a way that leads the listener to think that whole number is attributable to the action (in Australia's case a carbon price). This kind of politician doesn't ever say what the increase would be without action. It might have been 10, 10.5, 10.99% - or maybe even greater than 11%.

In fact, long-time readers will remember my analysis of prices in my home state - going up 54% in 4 years with no price on carbon. By that measure, an increase of a mere 11% sounds like a dream. Or at least not as much of a nightmare as the shady politician would have us believe.

Of course, knowledgable people know the main factor increasing electricity prices has nothing to do with carbon, and that (if anything) extra renewable energy can drive down prices. But this doesn't stop some politicians weasling out of taking action, and giving us a half-truth to pretending their inaction is doing us a favour.

I guess i say this to help people spot when their rightful concern about increasing bills is being preyed upon by people trying to camouflage their own inability to take action.

CSIRO Home Energy Project

Save money on your power bills by taking part in a Home Energy Project. It's quick, easy and free! - that's the message from CSIRO.


I certainly sounds attractive offer. Apart from getting paid to take part in top-class science research, the results of the research help you save money. But time is limited.

3 April 2012 is the closing date to register. So if you're in an eligible home (newer than 9 years, and in Brisbane, Adelaide or Mebourne) get in quick to register for the program. (More info on the Home Energy Project website).

Earth Hour 2012 - I Will If You Will

Earth Hour is almost here again. This year's theme is "I will if you will" as explained by the examples in the ad below.


Both celebrities and ordinary people are making pledges/challenges to their fan-base or their friends. See more examples on the Earth Hour's facebook.

It's amazing to think that this huge event started just 6 years ago, in one city. Official Videos: 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007
[See also: 2011 tv ad]

Are We Ready?

The Climate Institute ranks the Low Carbon Competitiveness of some of the world's major countries. In the rankings, Austalia is around the level of Mexico and India.


The stats cover 1995-2008, and the saddest part is that Australia was the only country in the study to have a lower score at the end than at the beginning. In preparing for a low-carbon world, we were going backwards.

Fortunately, we've made some progress in the last year or two.

[Download the full report]

State of the Climate 2012

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO this week released their report State of the Climate 2012. It reconfirms what we know already: there's more greenhouse gas than before, it's hotter than before and sea levels are rising.


And it also contained this graph of world temperatures - updated to include 2011. The blue indicates La Nina years, which are generally colder than average. 2011 seems to be the 11th hottest year on record (where all 11 have occured in the last 14 years). Out of the La Nina years, it's the hottest one so far.

100 Place To Go Before They Disappear

The title of this book is a slight exaggeration. Not all of the places will completely disappear from climate change. But each of them could be dramatically affected.


We often think of islands and low-level coastal countries when we think of countries at risk. But reading this book, that is only part of the story.

Here's some of entry 28 (Paris):

In 2003 a heat wave struck Europe. It hit France particularly hard. 14,802 'excess deaths' were recorded. There were so many deaths that unclaimed bodies had to be kept in a refrigerated warehouse outside Paris. Across Europe 35,000 people died because of this heat wave. It is predicted that later this century that kind of heat will be the summer norm.

Near the beginning, the book has a world map with each of the 100 places marked. Wherever you are, there's one not far away.

[The content is also available on the 100 places website]

Australian Solar Rebates

A friend of mine is looking at getting solar panels, but is slightly concerned because she heard the rebate has been reduced. That was last year, as shown in this table from the Solar Credits fact sheet.


But it's still at 3 until July. So i advise my friend to go ahead with her plans. If she's worried about rebates, all the more reason to get in before it reduces again.

What the multiplier gets multiplied by depends on the solar strength in your part of Australia. Here in Brisbane it's about $1200. That's a pretty good motivator to act before June 30.

Energy Efficiency Saves Lives

Previously i've shown you the trailer for the movie Carbon Nation. This is one clip from that movie, showing how the US army used energy efficiency to save fuel, money, and soldiers lives.



It just makes sense in so many ways.

"What The Frack?" Song

Thic music video is pretty good at quickly explaining the "fracking" process that's caused so much controversy - and it's connection to climate change. (And at the same time being a catchy tune)



The lyric "Water's on fire" refers to the astounding 'trick' local residents can perform by holding a lighter near a running tap - and starting a fire from the flammable chemicals within the water. (video here)

For more info see the documentary Gasland. (trailer here)