TIPS: Calculating energy use in the home

Here are some good on-line calculators to help you understand how much energy(and water) is used in the home:
http://www.countryenergy.com.au/internet/cewebpub.nsf/Content/env_eff_calculator

PONDERINGS:The Cost of Sustainabl extras

I was reading a comment by Caroline Pidcock (currently pres. of the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council) in the Sydney Morning Herald March 24-25.
She said:
"I've seen alot of clients not query how much they spend on consumer goods and gagets for the house, such as televisions and stereo systems, but complain about how much a water tank is to put in." (My Career p8)
So true Caroline. Indeedy, some folk boast proudly of the excessive amounts they spent on a plasma TV or other item for the home.
Let us be pround of the amounts we are spending on our sustainable extras.
Money well spent, in my account book.

NEWS + EVENT: Local greenie legend becomes official climate change ambassador

Bernie Hockings, a well-known environmental activist around Newcastle and beyond, has been recognised by Al Gore.
One of only 86 Australians chosen by Al Gore, Bernie now represents his local community as a Climate Change Ambassador.
Bernie is one of the few people I know who has a great head for envisioning environmental change, and then making that change through very practical, apparently simple, but really very smart methods.
He is a green builder, educator, a main player in the creation of the Nationsal Association of Building Sustainablility Assessors (ABSA) and much more.
Bernie will be speaking at a presentation with Sarah Bishop, who is currently walking from Brisbane to Sydney to raise awareness about Climate Change and Earthhour ( Where sydney will turn of its lights for an hour. wow.)
The free presentation will be held on the 17th March, from 2-4pm at Panthers Newcastle.

EVENT: Solar Passive Workshop

Yes, another workshop! I love running workshops, they are such a great way to share knowledge. on the 1st of May Lake Macquarie council is organising a free passive solar workshop, which I will run. Places are filling fast so contact council if you are interested in attending. Ph. 49210144

CLIMATE CHANGE easy click ACTION

If you have not met the website Get Up! yet, now is a good time.
Get Up! is a website which hosts all kinds of community action campaigns. The Climate Action Now map is very cool. Simply add your location if you are concerned about climate change, and watch the map of Australia before you become populated with more and more people adding their names every second.

Finally Climate Change/ Global Wierding is becoming a mainstream concern.
Now you can watch a TV show on commercial TV called
'Cool Aid' on Channel 10 Sunday March 4th '07 at 8:30pm.
This will be a 2 hour "special". According to Channel 10:
COOL AID: The National Carbon Test will shock Australians- confront them- amuse them- inspire them. Hosted by Sandra Sully, COOL AID: The National Carbon Test will feature exclusive interviews with Al Gore, former US Vice- President and creator of An Inconvenient Truth, and Australian of the Year, Tim Flannery, as well as live performances by Toni Collette and The Finish and super group EVERMORE.
The CoolAid website also includes an online poll asking if "Australia should sign The Kyoto Agreement?"

TIPS: recycled paper

TREES: Worth the chop for a note?
I had a question about recycled paper from Leigh. He asked:
Our Institution has a contract with Xerox for our paper. We must be clear felling an acre a month around here. Can you recommend me THE most sustainable office paper on the market today? And then, the best that Xerox can do?
I had wondered about this a while ago and ended up starting a green paper co-op through the Wilderness Society Newcastle. We used the joint buying power of the wilderness society and Newcastle University to buy in bulk the paper we researched as the best. Buying in bulk made the paper available at a comparable rate to bleached virgin forest paper.
Our conclusion on the best paper was confirmed by the wonderful people at SCRAP.
I refer you to the scrap website for their catalogue
and also from the copy paper catalogue page, all the further information you need on choosing the best paper.
Our choice was Evolve office, 100% post-consumer recycled copy paper, may contain some pre-consumer content, oxygen bleached. Guaranteed for high volume copying, printing and double siding. Made in England.
Our only issue with this paper is that it is made in England, creating transport issues. However, it does claim to have Australian paper content. I was confused by this and asked Peter Carroll from SCRAP for clarification:
Moi:
A few people have been wondering about Australian v Imported paper.
From looking around it seems that Green Wrap (by Fuji Xerox) is the most forest
friendly from Australia.
but then somehow Evolve is connected to Australia? :
can you explain the SCRAP newsletter Term 1 2003 p6 "Questions for
consideration" which says:
"15200 tonnes of Australian copy paper consumed in the collection area
of the UK mill producing evolve"
This means to me UK imports Aust paper and re-uses as part of general
office paper re-use...how can they know that?
Obviously Evolve is the best paper, but we would like to encourage
australian production.. we would probably involve a little campagn
with this paper co-op and it would be nice to send letters to all the Aussie
companies we reject and a letter of congratulations to the one we choose!


Peter:
Hi Jo,

The Evolve evidence on UK usage of Australian paper is drawn from reputable
industry sources including the mill (Paperlinx) themselves. The assessment
that some of this paper (once used and recycled in the greater London area)
ends up in Evolve is somewhat more speculative and cannot be proven although
it is highly unlikely that none of it reaches the Evolve furnish. The
quantities cannot be proven but the fact that it is there is pretty certain.
It is good to know that we are providing the best info.

On the matter of research into Australian paper -
Dont be fooled by third party efforts like Fuji Xerox's Green Wrap. It has
barely any postconsumer content and is chlorine bleached at Shoalhaven.

As for writing letters to Australian companies - there is only one producer
so it should be a short letter writing campaign - better in my view to
concentrate on building your co-op so you have some strength through
purchasing.

We look forward to your business.

Regards
Peter
SCRAP (School Communities Recycling All Paper) Ltd
C/o Holsworthy High School Huon Cr, Holsworthy 2173
Ph: 02 9825 1062 Fax: 02 9825 6972 ABN 40 079 741 227

So my answer to your question is, Evolve Office is the best.
Xerox' best offer is "Green Wrap" although it is not as GREEN as it would like to seem.

EVENT: ALL ABOUT GREEN ENERGY &PASSIVE SOLAR SOLUTIONS

I will be running afew workshops in the Hunter region this year.
If you live in the Blue Gum Hills region (Maryland, Fletcher and Minmi) you might like to come along to the workshop I will be running there on Wednesday April 18 (in the school holidays) From 12 noon-2pm.
ALL ABOUT GREEN ENERGY &PASSIVE SOLAR SOLUTIONS:
Learn about the different options available for your home (eg. appliance, passive solar measures and simple lifestyle changes) to save energy and how you can use your power bill to invest in a renewable future for your children (and theirs).
You will need to book for this workshop so call 49742837 if interested.

EVENT: Green Energy Workshop

I will be running a green energy workshop, organised by Newcastle City Council, on the 27th of March, from 5.30-7pm.
Some of the things I will cover :
-reducing energy use in the home
-generating renewable energy from your home
-options for purchasing renewable energy
The venue is yet to be announced.
Please contact Newcastle City Council closer to the date for details.

WEBSITE REVIEW: Low Rise, Low impact

Well from Very High-Rise to Very Low rise.
I feel like a hobbit might answer the door here.
This is very much a hand-made house in Wales. Have a look at the sweet website for more info and images.

BLURB:high-rise living

At university I studied through post-feminist philosophy eyes alot of the time. I did alot of

Image: LeCorbusier "the radiant city"

reading on LeCourbusier and used to look scornfully at his utopian city visions, of everyone living in highrise towers, separarted miles apart by huge tracts of forest with high-speed motorways in between. The main criticisms of this design from a feminist perspective were about alienation, women being stuck at home in these high-rise towers with the children playing in a playground 50 stories below and somethings else I can't think of right now.. any LeCorb fanatics add to comments please... Anyway, the point being that Singapore feels like an interpretation of that LeCorbusian plan which works is a way that I could have never understood when I read the texts, because I was reading from a perspective of isolated home life not densly packed life with exteded family structures still inplace. So you may be a mother at home on the 48th floor and the children may be playing outside on the ground in the (nice, clean, safe) playground, but they are watched over by your mother/aunt/grandfather and the local community. Or even possibly from LeCorbs day and today in Singapore, servants (gasp!)
This has me reconsidering my feelings on high-rise towers. I must say, I don't generally like their appearance on the skyline, or their powers to overshadow and block natural wind paths. So number one I would suggest to keep the population as small as possible.
But I realise we need more housing, our population is increasing, and I think immigration is a cool idea. Going up is infinitely better than going out. It's crazy to build on good farming soil or to destroy forests for these "housing" estates. New individual homes are so big that they are left with tiny gardens anyway, so why not have upwards sprawl? If combined with really good urban planning, and integrated systems in high-rise towers, such as a dedicated recycling shute, on-site water recycling, private garden spaces, communal vege plots etc, then I am thinking its worth thinking about.

HELLO:From Singapore

I am currently visiting my Brother in Singapore. Singapore is a country, an island, and a city. It's small and has 4 million inhabitants. This city/country has had me thinking alot about architecture, urban planing, and the environment.

GREAT ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES OF SINGAPORE INCLUDE:
Public transport.
Today's sad news that Howard is not agreeing to ratify the Kyoto protocol. ( click the "taking action" link in TOPICS if this enrages you too) .
Of course, Cars contribure HEAPS to co2 emmissions (I know, so do airplanes, and no, I didn't sail here.. but I will if you'll take me on your yacht).
The Public Transport system here is AWESOME. People are discouraged form owning cars due government restrictions, meaning the road system of this huge city is rarely congested. There are buses and a super-fast Mass Rapid Transport (MRT-a subway/train system) which depart every 2-10 minutes, and all interconnected. You buy a plastic card which you keep forever, and charge it up with credit wherever, like adding credit to your mobile phone. The card is elecronic, and you just tap it on a machine when entering and leaving a bus or MRT station. This way you are only charged for the length of trip you make. Being useable on both systems is also awesome, and the efficiency with boarding busses and entering MRT stations is amazing.
Each bustop is a social hub, with outdoor markets, food stalls, the local MRT station, supermarkets etc, and housing towers right above. Its all very convenient ... no-one really needs a car. Hooray!

QUOTES: tasty inspirational lines from the wise!

Feel free to add any of your own favourites by clicking the comments link, and I'll put them on the main page!

Mindfulness is an awareness that's cultivated by paying attention on purpose, and in the present moment, which is the only moment we are ever alive in.
-John Kabat-Zinn , Transcript from "The Spirit of Things" ABC Radio National, 26th November 2007, http://www.abc.net.au/rn/spiritofthings/stories/2006/1793842.htm

We are, in terms of what we do to the environment, a fairly disgusting species and although man, as none other, can modify his environment, he will have to fit in with it eventually or sooner or later, if he goes on exterminating his surroundings, he will exterminate himself!
-Lady Eve Balfour in Andre Leu, "Why are we organic?" Hunter Organics Magazine, Winter 2003, p6.

There is more information
of a higher order of sophistication and complexity
stored in afew square yards of forest
than there is in all the libraries of mankind
-Snyder in CA Bowers (1993). Education, Cultural Myths and the Ecological Crisis. State University of New York Press

To the dull mind nature is leaden.
To the illuminated mind the whole world burns and sparkles with light
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The wilderness holds answers to more questions than we have yet learned to ask.
- Nancy Newhall

..Singing this one works best!...
I'd rather be a forest than a street.
Yes I would.If I could, I surely would.
I'd rather feel the earth beneath my feet.
Yes I would. If I could, I surely would.
-Paul Simon (1970) "El Condor Pasa"
Side 1 Track 2 on Simon& Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water"

Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.
-Frank Lloyd Wright

Sustainability will always be re-established, as the unsustainable cannot last.
-"Golden Feelings". Andrew Spannenberg (2005) aspannenberg@iprimus.com.au

Consume less. Share more. Enjoy life.
-A Green Manifesto for the 1990's. Penny Kemp and Derek Wall

HOORAY: for Tim Flannery

Tim Flannery received the Australian of the year Award for 2007.
From what I see and read of him, he is a very passionate and active environmental scientist.
I love his books/ edited compilations, particularly
-The Birth of Sydney(Melbourne, Australia: The Text Publishing Company, 1999)
-The Life and Adventures of William Buckley (Melbourne, Australia: The Text Publishing Company, 2002)
and of course
-The Weather Makers, The history and future impact of climate change (Melbourne, Australia: The Text Publishing Company, 2005)
I recommend them thoroughly.

NEWS: Banner drop creates climate awareness

This news story is from the Aotearoa Independant Media Centre and is well worth the click.
It seems 2 talented climbers from the Save Happy Valley Coalition shimmied up these cranes and hung their banner early this morning.
I like the the wording on the banner "solid energy=govt sponsored climate change". Energy sources which come from solid matter such as coal and biomass are major contributors to CO2 and methane emission buildup, unnaturally heating up the atmosphere, thus contributing to climate change. Non-solid energy sources such as solar, air and tidal energy are such a great alternative.
Is that something significant? Yes.. probably the tying up/ release of carbon! Since black coal is at least 92% carbon, dry brown coal about 70% carbon! And methane is 60 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than CO2! (Figures from Tim Flannery, The Weather Makers, The history and future impact of climate change (Melbourne, Australia: The Text Publishing Company, 2005)(A great book to read if you haven't already))

NEWS: Research suggests coalmining caused Newcastle Earthquake!

National geographic news reports about a study by Christian D. Klose of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York. Christian Klose claims that coalmining caused the Newcastle Earthquake in 1989. After about 200 years of coalmining in the Newcastle area and the use of groundwater pumping in the mining process stressed the geology and caused the earthquake. "All told, he added, the monetary damage done by the earthquake exceeded the total value of the coal extracted in the area."
Time to go renewable Newcastle?

PRODUCT: Zelfo

I have been informed by Zelfo Technology that the below information is no longer relevant. In a recent email to me, Richard Hurding let me know that
"

Hello Jo

We are the owners of the Trade marked and Patented material Zelfo - as mentioned in your blog article on Zelfo.

Firstly I would like to thank you for running this article and for giving Zelfo a presence on your website.

Zelfo Technology are now concentrating on streamlining the manufacturing aspect of Zelfo and our product emphasis is no longer as shown in your article. From both your and Zelfo Technologys' side I believe it is important that we issue information that is current as it is of no benefit to either side to confuse the market. Therefore as Zelfo Technology are not ready to issue any press text or to show the latest range of Zelfo products, can I please ask that for now you remove all existing materials from your site.

Naturally as and when we are ready to issue any material that is relevant to you we will inform you immediately .

For you information, the microsite www.zelfo-technology.com is now live.

Many thanks for your assistance with this matter.

r

Richard Hurding

Zelfo Technology

richard.hurding@zelfo-technology.com

http://www.zelfo-technology.com
"

Hopefully we will hear again from Zelfo in the future.

A kind of plastic made from plants! Here is what they say:

Zelfo is a solid wood-like and mouldable material made from natural fibres, recycled paper or other cellulose raw materials. Zelfo is a strong, light 'plastic from plants' produced by means of a sustainable process.

Sounds like a great alternative to plastic, and from the website's vibe I think they are sound in their environmental priciples.

Zelfo are the manufacturers of the materials, so if you have some amazing design for a chair or whatever they will mould it for you (more like mould 1000 for you...).I look forward to their upcoming products link.

Image: Peanut Chair by Fürst/Bartosch

TIPS: Big Questions

Sydeny Morning Herald weekend edition 9-10 December 2006
Published my answer
(with some other good ones in the paper, and alot more online)
to the question:

Is it better to tip the cold water out of the kettle and boil hot water (saving electricity) or re-boil the cold remains (saving water)?

Water from the hot water service is not good for drinking. Cold pre-boiled water re-boils faster than cold never-boiled water. Switch to a 100 per cent renewable energy provider and re-boil your kettle. Then you can save water and have a carbon-emission-free cup of tea.
Josephine Vaughan, Newcastle

You should boil an amount of water equal only to the quantity required at the time of use. You are then conserving water and saving electricity as the kettle doesn't have to boil water unnecessarily.
Dean Alger, Coogee

Unless your hot water is solar-heated, you waste energy resources by boiling hot water from the tap, as the water has been pre-heated by electricity or gas, and there are always energy losses in the waterheater-jug-cup system, albeit small. What you will gain is time, though not much. It's better to boil ordinary tap water, but not chilled water from the fridge, of course.
Peter R. Green, Marrickville

If you tip the cold water out of the kettle over the nearest pot-plant, then boil hot water, you can have your cake and eat it too.
J. Barrie Brown, Gordon

It's best just to boil the correct amount of water in the first place.
Sandy Parkinson, Hilton, WA

It is better to fill the kettle with only x cups of water when you make x cups of tea.
This means (a) you save water, (b) you save electricity, (c) the question becomes irrelevant.
Milton Wheeler, Harbord

Using the hot water tap for drinking isn't recommended. A hot water heater - which itself is less than sterile - often contains impurities such as lead from household plumbing that are concentrated in the heating process and also dissolve more rapidly in hot water, making drinking it a risky business. Better to save electricity elsewhere.
John Moir, Mollymook

Neither, if you want to make tea or coffee. Tip any water remaining in the kettle on a plant and boil water from the cold tap. Do not use water from the hot tap or remaining water because it is low in oxygen necessary to develop the flavour of the beverage. Hot tap water also contains far more dissolved minerals from your hot water system potentially harmful to health. Older houses and renovations sometimes retain lead pipes and lead soldering.
Paul Roberts, Lake Cathie

It is better to tip the unused boiling water straight into a thermos and then pour this water back into the kettle, when needed, and reboil. Save water and electricity.
Sandra Christie, Beacon Hill

It's best to put the cold water from the kettle on the garden plants, say: the Morning Glory; or the Red Hot Poker.
Steve Barrett, Glenbrook

Reboil the cold remains; boiling hot water doesn't save anything, as it has already been heated using electricity or gas. Even better is to only fill the kettle with the amount of water that you need each time; water freshly drawn from the cold cold tap and heated once only makes the best tea or coffee.
Conrad Henley-Calvert, Tarago

...

Here is the link to the relevant smh web page but knowing the smh site, they will probably have dropped the link by the time you want to access it. Then they might charge you, if you can ever find the relavant page again. YES! I do think the smh website is terrible!

REPORT: Ian Lowe's talk "Energy for a Sustainable Future"

Climate Action Newcastle hosted an inspiring talk last night by Emeritus Professor Ian Lowe AO, President of the Australian Conservation Foundation entitled "Energy for a Sustainable Future".

Prof.Lowe opened with the notion of planning for the future- for a sustainable future. Using the example of taking a family holiday, he explained how we don't usually pack our family and camping gear into the car and drive randomly on the road system until we run out of fuel, set up camp for 2 weeks, then hitch home.
We spend time planning our lives, so why not spend some time planning for the future of humanity, and chose the path to sustainability.
Our lives are full of choices, said the professor, so each time we have a choice, we can take the most sustainable one, which will lead us all to a sustainable future, to reduce climate change.

Presenting us with graphs and maps showing the effect of climate change on different regions of Australia, he showed that climate change is indeed occurring, at a rapid pace, with temperatures having increased by several degrees in some areas, and fallen in others. The intensity of rainfall has decreased all around our most populated areas, and increased in the uninhabited areas.
Reminding us of current climate related disasters, hurricanes, tsunami, bushfires etc, Prof.Lowe did use a bit of the old scare tactic to keep us listening.
Maybe we need the old scare once in a while. As the professor pointed out, scientists have been warning of Climate Change have been largely unheeded. Similar warnings from an economist however about the effect of climate change on the economy, media attention is gained, eg. The Stern report.
Different projections were shown for the future if we were to continue producing carbon emissions at our current level. In order to return CO2 emissions to a manageable level, the professor showed that we would have to make a reduction of 60%-90% by 2050 of our current emissions. This seemed extreme, but he went on to show how this is not a far-fetched notion.

The main way to reduce CO2 is through alternative energy systems. Prof.Lowe showed figures demonstrating attainableness of sustainable energy compared to alternative energy notions from the government and industry such as "clean" coal and nuclear. Government studies into Nuclear showed that 25 new nuclear reactors would take over 12 years to build, and only then reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 18%, producing expensive power and still no way to deal with that 760 million year radioactive waste disposal issue.
Compatively he showed renewable energy as cheaper than nuclear, faster to produce, greater greenhouse gas reductions, and reliable.
It was good to hear the facts from a scientific viewpoint. According to Ian Lowe we are running out of oil, and we will be paying over $3/L by 2010 (only 3 years away!)

So what did the learned professor suggest we do? The biggest impact on reducing climate change is to reduce CO2 emissions.
Transport is almost a third of CO2 release so we should be walking and riding our bikes and horses.
We should use public transport as much as possible, and encouraging sustainably fuelled (eg hydrogen) public transport.
repeatedly he discussed the importance to people/government/business/industry of finances. We need to understand how much we are spending every time we use power. How much does it cost us to turn on a light, watch the TV, get a cold beer out of the fridge? Receiving a bill every three months keeps us very separate from the actual impact of our actions.

The ACF has been meeting with the 6 largest companies in Australia to determine the effect of climate change on business. The "business leaders round table" found that climate change will significantly interrupt business in the future, and to undertake sustainability measures as part of regular business practice would only minimally interrupt business output for a short while. With immediate, significant change to CO2 emissions, (ie reducing CO2 emissions by 60-90% by 2050) we would have a higher GDP, higher employment, cheaper electricity, lower costs for energy and infrastructure than if we continue with our existing CO2 emission practices.

Other countries efforts to reduce climate change were explored. Iceland aims to be oil and gas free by 2010. Already 76% of that countries power is wind generated. Some of the reasons Iceland can achieve this are that they are an island nation , so they don't need to interface their alternative energy systems with other nations, they are a country with emphasis on scientific knowledge and recognised for their rigorous research and intellectual community, and they have a large land mass compared to population...sound familiarly like another country we know well?

The figures for other nations' uptake and targets of PhotoVoltaic cells on residential roofs were displayed. Compared to 1 million for the USA, Australia has a target of .... zero. The professors humorous approach throughout the talk made it very entertaining. How we laughed at the silliness of our ways! He reminded us about how we look back upon our past and can't believe the ways we did things in the olden days, how 200 years ago the abolition of slavery seemed ridiculous, how allowing all members of society to vote would cause chaos, how could coffee be anything but instant. He dared us to be visionary, utopian thinkers, so that in the future, our descendants would look back at our use over natural resources and titter at our foolish naivete.

Well done, Professor Ian Lowe. I was very inspired.

INFO: pump-in insulation and recycled timber

INSULATION
Pump-in insulation (also know as cellulose fibre insulation)is a great insulation choice for ceiling insulation.
Made of recycled paper, into a fluffy fibre form which is pumped into your roofspace by a truck on the road.
I like it becasue it is made from a recycled material, is healthy (especially compared to fibreglass insulation), and is cheap.
It works by trapping air between the fibres of fluffy paper mulch. The only disadvantege of this insulation is over time the fibres settle and the air trapping pockets reduce and finally dissapear so in 5-20 years you will need to have the job re-done.
There is also a brand which adds wool fibres to the mix. They claim this makes it stay fluffy for longer and improves the warmth. It costs a fraction more.
With any building project, it usually pays to get at least 2 quotes. I usually get 3. Measure the area of the ceiling you want to insulate ( the easiest way is to measure the floor!). Then find "Insulation contractors" in the yellow pages and ring afew who offer "pump-in" or "cellulose fibre" insulation. Ask for quotes for the area you want done. Don't commit to any of them until you have made your choice! Sometimes they can be pushy!
RECYCLED TIMBER
One of the best things to do is borrow a ute or trailer for the weekend and look up where the local council pickup is on at. (This weekend it is The Hill area). Go for a
drive and have a scavenge! Other free secondhand timber you could obtain from your local online freecycle site newcastle freecycle or freecycle generally. Also there is a similar site for buy,sell or trade.
Second hand building yards and tip shops ( shop associated with landfill tips) also sell recycled timber at varying prices.
Sadly second-hand building yards are dissapearing. Look them up under "building materials-secondhand" in the yellow pages.

HOORAY: for Newcastle

International Action day for climate change was the 4th November. I ran a passive solar design workshop at Swansea ( which was great!).
Meanwhile on Nobby's beach, hundreds of Novocastrians made this great call for better energy production, despite the climatic condtions of the day...