When was the last time you used the phone book? Do you really need another 100-page tome delivered each year? It's all available online.
Each year millions of phone books are printed and delivered around Australia. Most of them never get used. You can help stop this waste by cancelling your delivery.
PS. Sorry international readers, this one's for Australians only, but hopefully there's an equivalent in your country.
This recycling game is designed mainly for kids. It looks simple at first, but as the levels go up so does the speed.
I bombed out on level 3, but I did learn that metal cutlery is recyclable, as are the takeaway coffee cups. Of course, if you're a big drinker of takeaway coffee, Keep Cups are a great idea.
I popped by Ben and Jerry's recent Free Ice Cream Day. Apart from handing out sample cups, they were also launching their climate justice campaign - "Save our Swirled". Nice pun ;)
While we queued, there was also a chance to sign a petition to Keep Australia great, saying that "Australians deserve fresh air, clean water, sustainable jobs and a healthy environment."
I signed it on the spot - and you can do so online.
I read yesteday that January-March this year is the hottest January March ever recorded.
Combined with last year's record heat, this makes the last year (April 2014 - March 2015) the hottest 12 month period on record. It beat the 12 months ending in February, which beat the 12 months ending in January
Coincidentally I met up with a couple of good friends last night, and one mentioned how long this summer has been.
The year to year temperature increase is probably not noticeable. But after a while it adds up, and it is noticeable when there are several 30°C days in the middle of Autumn.
Waleed Aly, presenter of The Project, really caused a stir with his report on renewable energy in Australia. It was a great piece - check it out.
He mentions some of the 143 other countries around the world that have established renewable energy targets - such as Austria 68%, Sweden 61%, Scotland 50%, New Zealand almost 80% and Costa Rica 100% so far this year. Here's what that means for jobs in Australia. While the rest of the world employs close to a million people in renewable energy, we've lost jobs in this growing industry.
"It's the generations to come that will look back and see this for what it is - a willful disregard for the future of this nation by the people we've elected to lead us."
The ACF is giving away these posters to anyone who wants to display them. Just fill in the form, and they'll post them to you. Or you can get an electronic version (solar or wind) if you want to put it on your profile.
For international readers, the words relate to the famous Australian poem My Country (I love a sunburnt country).
With Earth Hour tonight, 8.30-9.30pm in your local time zone, what better time to look at the official Earth Hour video for 2015 - featuring Pompeii by Bastille.
ABC's science show Catalyst this week looked at Australian solar research. A new technology converts about 40% of sunlight into electricity. That's double the efficiency of current panels.
It's a bit high-tech, and probably won't be suitable for home rooftops. But it could mean even more productive solar farms, which would mean even cheaper renewable energy. The episode is well worth a look.
The plan makes train travel a convenient and less expensive way to travel up and down the east coast of Australia. 60% of Australians live within reach of this high speed network, and trips to Sydney can be made in about 3 hours, from either Melbourne or Brisbane. And that time is city centre to city centre (not to an airport that takes extra time to commute to and from).
Here's a small sample of their example timetable.
It's a really good report. I encourage you to download a copy.
Over 450 events were held in 60 countries, to mark Global Divestment Day. The idea is to withdraw our business from banks that invest in fossil fuels.
Of course the weekend was also Valentine's Day, so a British group put together this witty video of people realising it was time to end their relationship.
On the day, there were a lots of people divesting, and a couple of 'remade' songs. A group in Adelaide, dressed as Tina Turner to sing "Simply Divest", while a big group in Sydney enjoyed "Stop in the name of love (before you wreck the reef)". That song made it onto SBS News (at the 3 minute mark).
Australians, see if your bank invests in fossil fuels.
With Global Divestment Day happening this weekend around the world, this video does some explaining, on what divestment is all about.
"Fossil fuels companies only care about one thing - money. Who can stand up against them and steer the world towards a safe future? You can."
"We'll close our accounts with banks and funds who continue to invest in climate chaos."
"Divestment is deliberately moving your money away from companies you're not happy with. It's helped to stop some of history's worst offenders including Apartheid South Africa."
"Each act of divestment takes back power from fossil fuel companies and helps create a mandate for our leaders to take real action."
