What Aussies think about climate change

This year's Climate of the Nation survey (a great name for people's opinions around climate change) has some very interesting - and some surprising results.

Lots of concern

When asked if they we concerned about climate change and its impact of drought, the Great Barrier Reef and bushfires around three-quarters said yes.

Fewer deniers

At the other end of the scale there's a shrinking number of people do don't even agree the climate change is happening. The vast majority of Aussies accept that it is happening. The results are shown by which party the people vote for.

Even for parties that have non-scientific views, their supporters seem to be accepting the climate science.

Favourite power

People were asked their 3 favourite energy sources. The top 3 were all renewable resources and solar was the clear favourite.

What to do about coal?

49% say we should stop building any new coal mines or expanding any existing ones. Only 20% disagree with this view.

How quickly should coal go?

About two-thirds of Aussies think we should stop using coal with 20 years. More than a third reckon it should be within 10 years.

Coal industry less important than we think

Aussies were asked how many people coal employs. Those who answered overestimated by a factor of more than 25. The jobs in coal are 25 times smaller than we think.

The same goes for money. When asked how much coal contributes to Australia's GDP, people's average estimate was 10.9%. It's not even a tenth of that. The true answer is just one percent.

While the coal industry makes some noise, the reality is that it's just not worth as much as we may think.

Who should pay the bill?

59% of people support a levy on fossil fuel exports to help the community prepare and protect from the consequences of climate change. Only 19%
oppose this idea.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this idea is even more popular among younger people - those expected to have to live with the consequences for longer.

Overall it's good news that Australians want to take action on climate change. Hopefully politicians can reflect this desire in their actions.

PS. You can download the full Climate of the Nation 2018.

Free reusable coffee cups

Today is the start of the "eco coffee cups" deal at Toowong Village.

So what's the deal?

Spend $10 at the shopping centre to get a free re-usable coffee cup - and a bonus free coffee. There's a limit of one 1 per person per day, so if you want a cup for every person in your office, that will take a while.

Is there a catch?

Not really - except for the choice of designs (but you may like them). Collection times are 9am-6pm while stocks last. Just take your receipt (on the same day) to the info desk on the basement level for your free cup.

Is it really free if I have to make a $10 purchase?

Good point. Making a needless purchase in the name of being "eco" would be odd. However the deal covers all stores including groceries (albeit Coles), the fruit shop and a bakery. So if you'd buy those kind of products anyway, why not get a free reusable cup?

How bad are disposable cups?

Toowong Village say that the coffee cups used by Australians in a year could stretch around the globe 2.5 times.

For further info see the centre's announcement. It's good to see the centre doing something - even if some of its coffee shops haven't yet joined Responsible Cafes. Perhaps we should ask each store if they have (or will) join and offer a discount for customer with a reusable cup.

Related post: What's going on at the local shops?

PS. This deal is now over as all the coffee cups have been claimed. Let me know if you hear of other centres taking an eco-friendly initiative.

They're literally made of money

You may have heard of Dresden. It's an Aussie optometrist/glasses company that makes frames from recycled plastic waste.

Their new range of frames are literally made of money. Offcuts and misprints from Australia's plastic banknotes make been chopped up and melted down to make this limited edition collection of frames.

It's so amazing what can be recycled when we put our mind to it.

For Brisbane readers

I'm told there will be a store in West End by November. Of course you can also buy online before then.

On a personal note

I'm quite excited by Dresden coming to Brisbane:

1. Sometimes I feel that my impact is small. When a company does something great - like using recycled materials - that is huge. With our support, they can grow and increase their positive impact.

2. I'm starting to need glasses for reading. Though I like the idea of buying online, as a first-timer I'm keen to buy in-store to see what suits and fits me.

Subscribe for updates

I'll be posting when Dresden open their store - and I get my first glasses. Subscribe below to get new blog posts by email.

PS. Yes I was wearing some basic magnifiers (borrowed) in my previous post. They're keeping me going until Dresden opens here.

UPDATE: The official opening of the Brisbane store is Tuesday 6 November at 4/173 Boundary St, West End.

Get a coffee discount

Here's another way to profit from your good actions. Keep Cups are reusable coffee cups specifically designed for takeaway coffees.

Many coffee shops give you a discount for using a reusable cup - even your own mug from home. After all, you're saving them money and helping the environment.

Responsible Cafes shows you where these shops are - so you can get your discount. Check the map for your closest option.

If your favourite coffee shop offers a discount for bringing your own cup, suggest they register on the website.

If they don't offer a discount, suggest they do. It's good for the planet but it also good for business to be listed on the site.

PS. The reason this is a big deal is because of the enormous waste of disposable coffee cups. This tram contains 50,00 coffee cups. Australia throws away a billion cups a year. That's 20,000 trams full. To put it another way, we would fill this tram every 30 minutes with our trashed coffee cups.

Bringing plastic back

In December 2012 I first blogged about the soft plastic recycling at Coles Supermarket (then a trial).

In all those years I've never seen it overflow so massively as today.

It's so exciting to see people recycling their soft plastics instead of sending them to landfill.

I'm guessing this was because of the publicity in the ABC series War on Waste.

I'm an investor!

SunFunder combines small amounts of money from people like us - to do meaningful solar projects in developing countries. As the project completes, we get paid back.

The current project provides 3,800 solar lamps for rural homes in Zimbabwe.

These homes currently rely on kerosene lamps for lighting (63% of Zimbabwe doesn't have access to electricity). Switching to solar lamps helps provide cleaner air in the home, better light, and reduced energy expenses. Of course, it also reduces fossil fuel use.

It's quite exciting to think that my little investment is helping make a difference - and when it's done I can invest the same money in another project. You can invest with as little as $10. Would you like to join me?

Getting Satisfaction at the Bank Branch

Two things happen when you take your money out of a bank that finances fossil fuels. First, the good feeling from knowing that your money is no longer being used by the bank to ruin our planet - and that you've done something to improve life for yourself - and people everywhere.

The second is that you get a chance to tell off your old bank.

As I transferred my money, I entered the description "Move to a non-coal bank". I don't know if anyone reads that, but I feel good when I read it on the statement.

I also took the time to write the bank a short note to say that

• I'd learnt they were funding fossil fuels,
  
• I didn't think that was a responsible use of money, and so
  
• I'm taking my money elsewhere.

PS. See whether your bank deserves the same treatment, and perhaps switch banks.

Uruguay - You are Great

At the recent UN Summit, Uruguay committed to reduce its greenhouse emissions by 85% by 2030.

Of course there are many other nations with admirable and responsible commitments. (Not Australia though. Still just a 5% reduction)

I've been tagging all my posts like this one, about other nations doing great things, with the tag 'the world'.

But the Climate Council has put it all together in a clickable map.

Hooray for Port Augusta!

Port Augusta is the community that's looking to replace it's dying coal power station with something else.

The took a town vote, and solar was the hand-down winner. Then they walked 300km from Port Augusta to Adelaide to let the politicians know.

They asked the company to consider building solar on the same site. And now it looks like the company also sees the benefits of solar-thermal technology, rather than burning coal or gas.

It's good news for the residents. For jobs, for health (previously the area had high lung cancer rates) and for clean energy for Australia.

This is one of the shareable graphics they made to spread the good news.

Sorry for the extra-large graphic, but this is exciting news.

Get Rewards for Recycling

They are reverse vending machines. You put in a recyclable container - a can or plastic bottle - and then choose your reward.

They've been overseas for a few years, and now the idea has reached Australia. The Envirobank Locator can find the machine closest you.



7-Eleven franchises seem to be the main locations so far, at least in my city. Perhaps I'll contact my local 7-Eleven to see if they are going to get one.

Thankyou, Bendigo Bank

Bendigo Bank, Australia's biggest bank (outside the major 4) has announced its opposition to coal, saying it will "not lend to companies for whom the core ­activity is the exploration, mining, manufacture or export of thermal coal or coal seam gas".

This is great news. Customers have a new choice for banking ethically, without worrying that their savings are being used to fund coal pollution. Also, it shows that banks can run just fine without the fossil fuel industry.

Why not join me in thanking Bendigo (it's an easy type-and-send). This might be the first time we've sent a thankyou to a bank!

PS. Compare banks at Market Forces
See Bendigo's full statement

A Paved Paradise?

It's hard to know what the future holds, but it's exciting to see new innovative ideas - like Solar Roadways.

This couple have developed a prototype for solar roads. If expanded, it could be a future road surface of toughened glass with solar panels underneath. A series of LED lights provides changeable road markings.

There's more info in their video and more images of what it would look like on their fundraising page.



Now that's what I call a 'road of the 21st century'.

Solar in my street

It's quite enjoyable to see so many people taking advantage of solar power. Also great to be able to see it each day. This is a view in my street.

These people have gone solar at different times. The different sizes reflect how affordable panels have become - with households going from 6 to 12 to 24 panel systems.

In 5 years time, the top house in the picture could even go off-grid. That's how quickly battery prices are coming down.

Good News Week (for Solar)

The Climate Council brings us this summary of recent solar events.

Solar Aid have provided a million solar lamps to Africa - helping children to study, saving families money and improving people's health.

Solar is now cheaper than gas in Asia.

A solar plane will fly around the world. It is called Solar Impulse, and is a bigger version of the one that last year flew across America.

Social Media Disaster

Apparently, the coal industry found out about social media. Their hashtag #Australiansforcoal was meant to allow the so-called "silent majority" to voice their loving support for coal. Unsurprisingly, that's not what happened.

Instead the hashtag was flooded with satirical posts by people saying why they are NOT for coal. The Guardian report contains some of the smartest posts, while Buzzfeed did 23 Reasons - an illustrated list of the funnier tweets.

Both articles provide a few chuckles, but two of my faves were:
"Because #australiansforcoal scans better than #minersshippingprofitsoffshorewhileheatingtheplanetandgivingaustraliaworsebushfiresmoreoften"
and
"because our kids deserve the best bushfires, droughts, and cyclones money can buy" - which was accompanied by the above photo.

For readers outside Australia, the references to Mordor relate to the coal mine just outside the Australian town of Morwell. It caught fire for about a month, and caused unprecedented air pollution causing evacuation of the town.

Sounds for the Reef

Artists such as James Butler, Missy Higgins, The Cat Empire, Hiatus Kaiyote and Remi have come together to make the album Sounds for the Reef to support the Great Barrier Reef - one of the world's great treasures that is under threat from climate change.

You can buy a song for $1 or the whole album for $10, and support a good cause.

Recycle at Easter

With Australians eating an average of 20 Easter eggs, that's almost half a billion wrappers. Planet Ark reminds us that (just like an aluminium can) this aluminium can be recycled.

Apparently the best way is to collect them up into a ball, and toss that in the recycling after Easter. If you're really keen, make a huge one by adding your family's wrappers - or by keeping it going all year round.

PS. Coincidentally, as I write this, the recycling truck is making its way up my street.

A New Leaf

One of the great things about electric cars is that they're continually getting better. This comes from the Green Vehicle Guide:

The second generation of the Nissan Leaf is 15% more energy efficient than the previous year's model, and can go 11% further on a charge. I'm sure it will get even better as the years go by.

Spain almost halfway there

In 2009, I wrote about Spain predicting 25% renewable energy by year's end. They've now reached 42.4%. That 18% in 5 years!

Wind power (21.1%) and hydro electricity (14.4%) made up the bulk of it, and solar capacity is growing rapidly. With all this renewable energy, the amount of coal power has shrunk to less than 15%.

Meanwhile in Australia, we get excited when coal gets below 75%. And our small 20% (by 2020) renewable target is under review - with the potential to be reduced.

Aruba to go 100% renewable

Caribbean nation Aruba plans to go to 100% renewable energy by 2020. Other Caribbean islands are looking to follow their lead.

There are plenty of benefits for the small island nation. Apart from utilising the plentiful sunshine and wind, there's financial savings to be made. Aruba used to spend 16% of its economy of fuel - purchasing 6,500 barrels of diesel a day. Already renewables have brought down the electricity price by 25%.

Jamaica and Barbados lead a group of nations looking to switch to renewables.

More info: News article

Related link: Philippines to go 100% renewable