Get over it.

I have a confession to make, I am subscribed to Andrew Bolt’s blog. Yes, Andrew Bolt, the crazy environment hating global warming, capitalism loving right wing nutter. If nothing else it is good for a laugh and besides, it never hurt to look inside the mind of the enemy…. Anyway.A few day’s ago Mr Bolt posted a lengthy whinge post about being asked to pay 10c for a plastic bag;

BORDERS has at last crossed a border of my own – demanding I pay 10 cents for a plastic bag to carry home their books. This senseless green bullying is the last straw. For 10 cents it’s lost a customer who’s been worth hundreds of dollars a year. I’ve since learned that Borders is far from alone in this green bullying of customers. IKEA does much the same, and Bunnings doesn’t even give customers the option of a bag. Crazy. If plastic bags really were a public menace to rival cigarettes or a Tim Flannery, I could understand such finger-wagging and 10-cent fines. Enough of this hectoring, moral show-boating and donating with other people’s money. It’s the principle of the thing: If Borders wants to donate to Coastcare, let it do so with its cash, not mine. And give me my damn bag. [Source]

Mr Bolt seems to have gotten his knickers in a major knot over something very trivial. While I am tempted to agree with his point that some plastic bag figures are blown our of proportion, I am still against them in many ways. The fact is they are a non-renewable resource intensive items

This reminds me of an experience I have been meaning to share but have not had the time to do (expect this to be the last entry for a while, am stil very busy). Last week while buying a new pair of shoes I literally had to fight with the sales assistant for her to not give me a plastic bag! Madness indeed. She at first offered me an overpriced and ugly ‘City Beach Canvas Bag’ which I declined (it was in excess of $3, ugly and un-needed). She then offered a plastic bag which I refused. For the next 2 minutes while I paid for the item she constantly nagged me about taking a plastic bag because surely it must be inconvinient for me to carry them without a bag, I explained I didn’t mind and finally left with no shoes sans bag. A crazy world… 

Thanks to reader Shane for emailing me about the article. If you have any news tips please send them to contact.hstae@gmail.com

As for you Andrew, I suggest you stop being such an arrogant, tight arse whinger, build a bridge and get over it =)  

..and Pete, I will get round to the survey one of these days… 

 

AGL Energy

Has anyone else noticed lately the massive number of AGL Energy ads on TV. They are good ads (seen above) with some great music but I can’t help but to look on with raised eyebrows. I have been seeing about 10 per day for the last week or so and while they are doing a little bit for the enviornment, there seems to be a lot of (wasted, in my opionion) money going into a really big PR campaign….do I smell Greenwash?

Thought of the day…

I am still going, don’t worry. Finding time to work on the blog/book ideas is getting harder and harder. Just thought I would share this gem from my Ecology professor today. On growth rates of organisms;

“Exponential population growth of organisms occurs rarely in nature, and when it does, it results in all kinds of problems; usually over-exploitation of their available resources and destruction of the habitat – oh well, I’ll be dead by then anyway…”

I love the way he adds his pessemistic little facts between the lines…

I’m still alive!

Firstly I must wholeheartedly apologise for the shocking lack of activity on this blog over the last few weeks. As sometimes happens, life has been moving at a million miles and the blog has landed on the back burner. I will be back soon though, hopefully by next week.

I have been a busy boy in my off time and hopefully by next week I will have an extract (albeit a very rough) first draft of a chapter in the book idea I am currently playing around with. I have an excellent concept in mind but executing it is not as easy as I first thought. It is slowly coming along though and keep your eyes peeled on the blog for my first draft of the chapter ‘Conscience Offsets and Carbon Indulgences’. Constructive criticism will be welcomed.

I have also been busying applying for to attend a couple of upcoming important events, more on that if anything comes of it.

Thanks again for reading the blog and sticking with it through this slow time – I’ll be back soon, hopefully better than ever.

Something dodgy going on…

 

I remember hearing about this a few months ago but it is back in the news big time today following a protest and closure of the track;

VILLAGERS have felled a tree across Papua New Guinea’s historic Kokoda Trail, where Australian soldiers fought Japanese troops in 1942, and declared trekkers unwelcome. Mr Jack said he represented 1000 villagers who are demanding that the PNG Government allow Australian company Frontier Resources to dig up 600 metres of the track to mine a $US6 billion ($A6.7 billion) copper and gold deposit. The villagers have been offered a 5% stake in the mine that could reap them more than $US100 million over the proposed 10-year life of the mine. Sixty-six years after the so-called “fuzzy wuzzy angels” fought bloody battles alongside Australian diggers, villagers along the track are preparing for a new battle, this time against the Australian Government, which is pressuring the PNG Government not to allow the track to be disturbed. Villages waved placards that included “What has Australia done for fuzzy wuzzies in 65 years?” and “Rudd wants fuzzy wuzzy angels to live in perpetual poverty”. Mr Jack said the last thing his villagers wanted was to stop seeing Australian trekkers, who have for years been welcomed with plates of food and showered with petals.

I just love this bit…

Frontier Resources’ managing director, Peter McNeil, spoke with village chiefs before yesterday’s blockade and helped villagers prepare placards. [Source]

While I am definitely not saying that we should deny the people of this area to a better life, I do believe that the Kokoda trail is something we should be working very hard to preserve in full due to its historical, cultural and environmental significance.I just love how the mining company ‘helped’ (in other words did it) the villagers write the protest signs. Unfortunately the offer of $100 million dollars is very hard to resist, especially to these people living in third world conditions. We should however be making money less of an issue in this by better compensating the local people of this trail that so many Australians visit and enjoy – I am looking at you greedy, expensive tour companies…

Binge Polluters

 

Some interesting stats I read today from the ABS;

The ABS 2008 Year Book is an annual report on Australian life, people and the economy. The report found non-renewable fuel production has gone up more than 400 per cent with little growth in renewables. Black coal accounted for half of Australia’s energy production in 2005-06 while renewable energy such as bagasse (derived from sugar cane) solar and hydro electricity made up just 2 per cent. The most recent figures show Australians emit more than 17 tonnes of carbon per person, compared with an OECD average of just over 11 tonnes. The ABS says that is driven by the high use of coal in electricity generation and the reliance on cars. Use of public transport to get to work has risen little over 10 years – up just 2 per cent to 14 per cent. The report also shows people are recycling more and are using less water but are ignoring environmental concerns in other areas of their lives. [Source]

Nothing surprising there, but very embarrassing and shameful nonetheless…

Worrying o’clock…

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR LIVE VERSION

(sorry for the link – can’t embed shockwave by the looks of it)

I have been meaning to post this for a while and here it is. Not much to say really but wow – really puts things into perspective – just look at those numbers shoot up!

On a side note: apologies for the lack of activity on the blog. I am back to work and have been spending a fair bit of my free time entertaining this book idea a little more – I am quite excited about it. I will post up more soon.

“Buisnesses looking for ‘leadership’ (read: excuses) on Climate Change”

I read this article a couple of days ago and could not help but to think that maybe we should replace leadership with excuses…

Businesses looking for leadership on climate change

A new report says 22 per cent of Australian businesses have taken action on climate change, but most see the need to do more. A new survey has found that despite the warnings, just 22 per cent of Australian businesses have taken action in response to climate change. The report surveyed more than 300 business groups around the country that had an annual turnover of $150 million. It found that four out of five corporate leaders want to take a more active role but expressed concern about the quality of emissions data available. [Source]

Look on the bright side – at least those other 78% aren’t trying to pretend to be green….

The Carbonators Ad

 Some of you may remember my rants about the NRMA Carbonators (see here and here). Well for those of you who haven’t seen the ad (doubt you would get it in other States) – this is exactly what I am on about.

Absolute bullshit through and through. I am going to email GE money (rant coming later today) and NRMA to try and find out exactly how their offsets are being done – I will post their responses here, that’s if I get any at all.

That sounds good…oh hang on…

 

Catching up on news today I read this and thought, wow, that’s great to see;

THE US will commit $US2 billion ($2.27 billion) over the next three years for a new international fund to promote clean energy technologies and fight climate change, President George W. Bush will tell Congress today in his annual State of the Union speech. [Source]

…and then I had that figure and commitment put in context…

THE White House will ask Congress for $US70 billion ($79bn) to cover the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for the first part of 2009 until a new president takes office. President George W. Bush has asked Congress to approve a $US196.4bn budget to pay for war operations in 2008. [Source]

What a joke, merely pocket change in the grand scheme of things. Things like this simply further cement the history of the Bush administration as one of great failure….bring on the election I say.