Low Impact

The 100 Mile Diet is an enjoyable and educational read

The concept of being a “locavore”, or of trying to eat only what is produced locally is now pretty well known. Eating local produce greatly reduces your environmental impact due to the reduced transport, packaging and refrigeration required. This is particularly relevant in Australia where any food that has been flown or shipped from overseas is likely to have traveled literally thousands of kilometres. Green factors aside, it can also have you eating fresher, tastier, healthier food as well as reconnecting with what is produced in your corner of the world.

This book is about the Canadian couple, Alisa Smith and JB MacKinnon, who almost single-handedly… Continue reading

A feed-in tariff can reduce the pay-off time for solar cells.

Recently the ACT (the Australian Capital Territory) passed legislation for a “Feed-in tariff” for renewable energy. This is a concept that has been very successful in Europe, particularly Germany, in boosting domestic uptake of solar panels. The ACT legislation is due to take effect by June in 2009 (to allow the underlying regulations to be drafted and for retailers to implement the necessary systems).

The idea is simple. Basically, Electricity Retailers are obliged to pay over and above the normal wholesale rate for electricity sourced from a domestic renewable energy system (typically wind turbines or photo-voltaic solar cells). This means that the pay-off period (how long it takes the system to pay for itself) is reduced.

Of course, nothing is free! The Electricity Retailers need to … Continue reading

Wasted food costs money as well as the environment

Most things that we buy or use go through a similar lifecycle.

1. The item is produced and transported to the customer
2. The item is used or consumed by the customer
3. The item is disposed of.

This general pattern is common to most things we consume, with minor variations. An apple is produced by a farmer and delivered to the supermarket. The customer eats the apple (so its useful life is pretty short!), and the apple core is thrown in the bin. A fridge is manufactured, delivered to the customer, and after 5 or 10 years of faithful service, sent to the tip.

Where things get a little absurd… Continue reading