Novel dish drainer saves water while watering your plants

With the current state of drought in Melbourne, there's a lot of interest in ways of saving water around the house.

Here's a novel design for a dish drainer by a young Turkish designer Erdem Selek that would look great in the kitchen and save at least a few drops of water.

Erdem is doing a thesis at the ESAD de Reims in France on sustainable design approaches of medium sized manufacturing companies in Turkey from the economical perspective.

[via MAKE: Blog]

Top Gear review of the P50 - a 60's design for the car of the future?

Absolutely classic Top Gear humour!

Jeremy Clarkson reviews the tiny P50 - a 40 year old car that makes a Prius look like a petrol guzzling tank.
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[via Gadget Lab]

The Ford Nucleon - a transport solution for peak oil and carbon emissions?

The Ford Nucleon was a nuclear powered concept car developed by the Ford Motor Company in 1958. The rear mounted reactor provided a 8000 km range and could be exchanged at charging stations, which were anticipated to replace petrol stations. The forward position of the cabin provided a degree of protection to the occupants from the reactor.

Thankfully, no operational models were built, but it's a wonder Howard hasn't picked this one up - it's American, nuclear powered and dates from the Menzies era!

[Wikipedia via EcoGeek]

Save Water Save Energy Expo, 19-21 October, Melbourne

Friday 19 - Sunday 21 October, 10am to 7pm
Melbourne Exhibition Centre
Adults $15, Student/Concession $13, children under 14 free
NOTE: Online tickets are only $10.00 (until 5pm Thursday 18 October)!

This expo focuses on ways to save water and energy and reduce the impact of climate change. A “one stop shop” for environmental solutions for homes, schools and business. Practical free seminars on topics ranging from low-energy lighting solutions to installing solar hot water systems and water tanks will run continuously over the three days. The ABC’s popular Carbon Cops will also be on hand show how to give homes and lifestyles an energy makeover and ways to reduce carbon emissions and energy bills by 24% in 24 hours. With close to 100 exhibitors the Expo showcases products and services which save water, save energy, reduce waste, improve recycling and provide cleaner energy for use in the home or business. Visitors will be able to save money by comparing and buying hundreds of amazing products to cut water and energy use and bills. The best eco technologies on the market will be demonstrated and experts available to answer questions.

In partnership with Sustainability Victoria.

More info and online tickets at Expo homepage

[Alternative Technology Association blog]

New Zealand to be 90% Renewable by 2025

An interesting contrast...

A. In New Zealand, Janet Clarke commits to 90% powered by renewable energy by 2025.

B. In Australia, John Howard commits to a 15% renewable energy target by 2020, which the Government admits is simply the sum total of existing and planned targets under the Commonwealth and states' energy target schemes.

It should be noted that note that NZ is already 70% powered by renewables - mainly from hydroelectric dams, with geothermal a secondary source. Clarke also hopes New Zealand will someday be completely carbon neutral - I'm sure they also have lots of wind. Further NZ goals are a 2040 target for reducing by half per capita emissions from transport, widely introducing electric vehicles and achieving a net increase in forest area of 250,000 hectares (617,000 acres) by 2020.

[EcoGeek blog and renewableenergyaccess.com]

Google Trends: useful tool for analysing Web topic trends

Google Trends is a rather useful tool that you may not be aware of. It lets you analyse trends in Web topics according to their search frequency and News coverage. Up to five topics can be compared with results listed by country and region. Major news topics are listed and tagged on the trend lines.

For example, this image shows trends in the use of the terms 'Peak Oil' and 'Climate Change' over the last 4 years (see live trends here). It shows how the UN Climate Change Report caused a major peak on Feb 2, 2007, but interest in Peak Oil appears to have tailored off. There seems to be far more interest in both topics from Australia and New Zealand that the US.

Selecting a particular country shows the corresponding search activity, but unfortunately not the News items (the product is under development).

For more info see About Google Trends

Alternative Energy Cuba: Four Wind Turbines for Guantanamo Bay

The U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo Bay is demonstrating yet more global responsibility with the installation of four new wind turbines. They'll not only reduce oil imports, but show those "energy-starved communist neighbours what they are missing". No plans to share the technology with Cuba however.
[Alternative Energy Blog]

The Viability of Domestic Wind Turbines for Urban Melbourne - ATA Report Launch

The Alternative Technology Association will launch a report prepared for Sustainability Victoria into the Viability of Domestic Wind Turbines for Urban Melbourne.

When: Thursday 13th September, 2007
Time: 6:15pm for a 6:30pm start
Where: Saint Michael’s Building, next to 120 Collins St. Disabled access. (click here for a map)
Costs: $10 for ATA members (ATA couples $15). Non-members welcome $15.
Refreshments provided
RSVP essential as seats are limited. Contact Wendy Clarke on ph:(03) 9631 5407 or email: wendy@ata.org.au

This report investigates the feasibility of small-scale, grid-connected wind turbines for urban Melbourne, outlines the findings of the research and highlights the issues which may face the emerging market.

Speakers include:

• Geoff Mabbett, CEO of Sustainability Victoria will launch the report
• Alicia Webb, a wind engineer, is the author of the report. She will overview the report, looking at the different types of micro turbines, what is available in Australia as well as the considerations around installing micro turbines in residential Melbourne.
• Dominique La Fontaine, CEO of the Australian Wind Energy Association (Auswind) is one of Australia’s leading wind energy authorities, well renowned for her advocacy of wind energy, aiming to mainstream the use of wind energy worldwide. She will look at the potential of wind energy, innovation in the Australian wind industry and current incentives (VRET, emissions trading, NRET, MRET).

See also entry on Small Barrel Wind Turbine for residential rooftop use

"My Grandma Owned a Car": Short Film from Future Melbourne backcast workshop

This documentary from a Future Melbourne 'backcasting' workshop showcases how leading transport and urban development thinkers envisage we might be living and working in a post- peak oil and climate change future.

It can be viewed online (21GB) but will also be shown on the Big Screen at Melbourne's Federation Square (map):
5pm and 6pm Friday September 7, 14, 21 and 28* (*5pm screening only)
12:30pm and 5:30pm Tuesday September 18 and 25, 2007
12:30pm and 4:30pm Sunday September 9, 16, 23* and 30, 2007 (*12:30 pm screening only)

* Where will we live when petrol is too expensive for average income earners to buy? Will the electric car mean business as usual? Will our nature strips be filled with vegetable patches?
* Will we just have to travel less? More working from home? Will we all be living in dense suburbs or apartments and relying on our feet, pedals and telecommuting to transport us?
* Will we our future grandchildren laugh at the absurdity of us having once owned a car?

Featuring...
Dr Patrick Moriarty, Monash University/GAMUT
Prof. Chris Ryan, Australian Centre for Science, Innovation and Society
Dr Jan Scheurer, RMIT University
Prof Bill Russel and Prof Nicholas Low, GAMUT
Mr Ray Kinnear, Department of Infrastructure
Prof Dimity Reed AM, Mr Daniel Khong and Mr Martin Williams, VicUrban
Mr David Teller, Committee for Melbourne
Mr William McDougal, Sinclair Knight Merz
Ms Jess Fritze, Victorian Council of Social Services
Mr Bernie Carolan, Metlink
Mr Chris Loader, Bus Association of Victoria
Mr Kevin Luten, UrbanTrans
Ms Kerry McConnell, VicRoads
Cr Janet Rice, Metropolitan Transport Forum, City of Maribyrnong

PS: note family contribution!

Sustainable House Day 2007 Sunday 9th September (Victoria)

Sustainable House Day is a national open house scheme organised by the Australian and New Zealand Solar Energy Society (ANZSES). It showcases sustainable design features to encourage adoption in new and existing homes and homes and to show how simple, easy and cost effective sustainable living can be.

Victorian open houses:
WestWyck 492 Victoria Street, Brunswick West VIC 3055
19 Murray Street,West Brunswick, Victoria, 3055
25 carron Vale Road, Mooroolbark, Victoria, 3138
103 Stewart Street, Brunswick, Victoria, 3056
3/924 Toorak Road, Camberwell, Victoria, 3124
39 Stanbridge Street, Daylesford, Victoria, 3460
13 Queensberry Street, Daylesford, Victoria, 3460
13A Queensberry Street, Daylesford, Victoria, 3460
7 Trafalgar Avenue, Altona Meadows, Victoria, 3028
6 Pritchard lane, Beechworth, Victoria, 3747
27 Rose Street, Sandringham, Victoria, 3191

Further info and details of other states: Sustainable House Day

Gapminder World 2006: Visualisation of World development data

Gapminder World 2006 is is an interesting free tool for visualising statistical data. It provides a very effective interface for dynamically representing relationships between variables showing trends over time. The Gapminder foundation believe that decision makers, politicians and educators need more accessible tools such as this to make use of existing global development statistics and to improve understanding about the complex society.

Unfortunately, using the tool with your own data is not yet possible, although Google recently acquired Gapminder's Trendalyzer software and development team so this may eventually be possible.

As it stands you can chart the following World Development Indicators on two axes and dynamically map changes over time - typically 1975 - 2006.

• CO2 emissions
• Child mortality
• Fertility rate
• Contraceptive use
• Economic growth
• Income per capita
• Internet use
• Life expectancy
• Military budget
• Number of girls c/f boys in school
• Phone users
• Physicians per head
• Population
• Urban population
• Women in workforce

The easiest way to see how it works is to view the one minute demo.

You can create your own charts, e.g. I've used the tool here to compare per capita CO2 emissions of various countries with similar income levels.

Hans Rosling, one of the founders, demonstrates at TED 2007 how global trends issues and relationships can be powefully presented.

Solving Melbourne's Transport Crisis - Community Meeting 30 August

Thursday 30 August
5.30pm for 6.00-8.00pm
Swanston Room
Melbourne Town Hall

Speakers include:
Evidence based transport planning Dr Paul Mees, Senior lecturer in Transport and Land Use Planning, University of Melbourne and author of Melbourne’s Future Transport Options, (MCC, 2005)

Implications of global warming and peak oil for transport Cr Janet Rice, Chair, Metropolitan Transport Forum, Councillor and former Mayor, City of Maribyrnong

Transport funding – myth and reality Peter Fitzgerald, Infrastructure expert and author of Review of Partnerships Victoria Provided Infrastructure, (Vic Gov, 2004)

Where to from here? Cr Janet Rice, Metropolitan Transport Forum
Angela Munro, Citizens for a Liveable Melbourne

Organised by the Metropolitan Transport Forum with Citizens for a Liveable Melbourne in association with the Municipal Association of Victoria, Victorian Local Governance Association and the Blue Wedges, Friends of the Earth, Green Wedges Coalition, Institute for Sensible Transport, Koonung/Mullum Forestway Association, Protectors of Public Lands Victoria, Western Region Environment Centre and Environment Victoria.

RSVP:
Susie Strain, MTF mtf@mtf.org.au
Angela Munro, CALM Tel 0429 355 474

John Howard's YouTube climate change experiment

By unveiling his belated climate change measures on YouTube, John Howard is obviously trying to target youth culture (i.e. people under 55!) .
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You do have to wonder at this venture into new media - this audience is unlikely to be impressed by the image and probably more interested in the multitude of parodies already there. More significantly, this medium is empowering individuals who are able to assess wider evidence and construct a critical commentary. An ABC Lateline interview during Al Gore's visit last to Australia less than a year ago, paints another picture of Howard's climate change credentials.

..
Labor was obviously waiting to ambush the announcement by releasing a television ad on the same day featuring a bedridden Howard complete with Menzies eyebrows and bedside photo of Bush. TV news appeared more interested in the use of media than on the substance of the issue.

Save water by using a "navy shower"

The "navy shower", or "sea shower", is a way conserving water (and energy) while taking a shower. The basic steps are:

1. turn on the water
2. immediately wet the body
3. turn off the water
4. soap up and scrub
5. turn the water back on and rinse off the soap

The total water flow time should under 2 minutes or so and beats standing in buckets like some people I know. I believe the girls at the MLC Marshmead camp developed even more extreme water management techniques someone may care to comment on!

Navy showers originated on naval ships, where supplies of fresh water were often scarce. [From Wikipedia]

Small Barrel Wind Turbine for residential rooftop use

In Feb 2007, the Western Australian Sustainable Energy Development Office awarded Graeme Attey a $34,000 grant to develop a modular axis wind turbine system suitable for individual houses and other buildings in urban areas. It will involve the development to commercial stage if testing of an existing prototype proves successful.

Another grant to Dr Jonathan Whale of Murdoch University will examine best practice for placement of rooftop wind systems and establishing of best practice guidelines.

The unit is modular and stands about 1.5m high. Six connected to the grid would apparently power a household. At AU$700 each, it could be a lot cheaper than solar panels in a suitable location, clearly suiting Perth because of its daily sea breeze, the "Fremantle Doctor". The design takes advantage of roof profile to concentrate airflow .




See also:
EcoGeek.org
ABC News
WA Sustainable Energy Development Office 2007 Grants
Wind Roses for Selected Locations in Australia

Amish Are Ultimate Early Adopters of Solar Energy

What community has the highest per-capita use of solar energy in Ohio? None other than the Amish.

It might sound strange to people who think of the Amish as 19th century holdovers, but that's an oversimplification. Instead, after considering the impact to their values and way of life, Amish communities decide communally whether to adopt new technologies. [Wired]