Glen Elmes, Member for Noosa, Queensland State Parliament

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UPDATES ON SOLAR HOT WATER & OTHER ENERGY SAVING NEWS:

You may all be aware of the recent issues surrounding the suspension of both the State Government's and Federal Government's solar hot water programs - click here for the updated Federal information and click here for the updated Queensland Government information

Following on from the information below, here's an excellent website to browse for really informative sustainability material - click here

I found this entry in Wikipedia about SUSTAINABILITY and, given that the word does not always get used appropriately, I've put the information here for you to read:

"Sustainability, in a broad sense, is the capacity to endure. In ecology, the word describes how biological systems remain diverse and productive over time. For humans it is the potential for long-term maintenance of wellbeing, which in turn depends on the wellbeing of the natural world and the responsible use of natural resources.

Sustainability has become a wide-ranging term that can be applied to almost every facet of life on Earth, from a local to a global scale and over various time periods. Long-lived and healthy wetlands and forests are examples of sustainable biological systems. Invisible chemical cycles redistribute water, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon through the world's living and non-living systems, and have sustained life for millions of years. As the earth’s human population has increased, natural ecosystems have declined and changes in the balance of natural cycles has had a negative impact on both humans and other living systems.[1]

There is now abundant scientific evidence that humanity is living unsustainably.[1] Returning human use of natural resources to within sustainable limits will require a major collective effort. Ways of living more sustainably can take many forms from reorganising living conditions (e.g., ecovillages, eco-municipalities and sustainable cities), reappraising economic sectors (green building, sustainable agriculture), or work practices (sustainable architecture), using science to develop new technologies (green technologies, renewable energy), to adjustments in individual lifestyles."

Below you will find further information and some of the science around climate change

From Wikipedia:

Carbon footprint
A carbon footprint is "the total set of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, event or product" (UK Carbon Trust 2008). An individual, nation, or organization's carbon footprint is measured by undertaking a GHG emissions assessment. Once the size of a carbon footprint is known, a strategy can be devised to reduce it.

Carbon offsets, or the mitigation of carbon emissions through the development of alternative projects such as solar or wind energy or reforestation, represent one way of managing a carbon footprint.

The concept and name of the carbon footprint originates from the ecological footprint discussion.[1] The carbon footprint is a subset of the ecological footprint.

Ecological Footprint

Although the focus of current policy and science is on accounting for greenhouse gases, constraints on other resources such as food are also becoming increasingly apparent. The ecological footprint is a broad measure of resource use which highlights where consumption is exceeding environmental limits.

The ecological footprint uses units of bioproductive area (global hectares) to assess the nature and scale of the environmental impact of a country, region, community, organisation, product or service.

The use of bioproductive area as a composite measure makes it a powerful and resonant means of measuring and communicating environmental impact and sustainability. In this sense it is comparable to many economic indicators such as the Retail Prices Index (RPI), Gross Value Added (GVA) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The ecological footprint can be used in cost-benefit analyses, to assess corporate risk and to model alternative business strategies and scenarios.

more............


	Suite CB05, 28 Eenie Crk Rd, Noosaville \| T (07) 5449 8988 \| F (07) 5449 9719 \| E noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au

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MOBILE PHONES

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UPDATES:

I came across this tip and thought it a good one. if you think you may have a shower which is a little too generous with it's flow rate, then here's a simple way to check: if you can just about fill a 10 litre bucket in less than 1 minute, your showerhead is a little too liberal - consider upgrading to a better model.

It's time to think about our cars and driving habits - here are some of the things I will be doing to help reduce my carbon 'car print':
- lighten the vehicle's load
- clear out the boot and remove roof racks if not needed
- drive smoothly instead of braking at high speed
- ensure the tyres are filled to the maximum recommended air pressure
- have the car serviced regularly.

Checking on the electricals - Unplug your electronics: Most electronics still use some energy even when turned off. This 'standby mode' or 'phantom load' drains up to 10 percent of electricity used in most homes.
- Use surge protectors to make it easier to unplug lots of things at once when you leave a room. Of course, if you have solar powered hot water, you are already doing well!

Changing to CFL lightbulbs
Compact fluorescents are a type of fluorescent lamp that uses less energy than a normal incandescent light bulb - but remember to dispose of them responsibly as they contain mercury (check with Council about this)

Use the dishwasher, stacked properly and full, instead of washing the dishes by hand - more hot water is used when doing them manually. NOTE: check your machine to make sure you are using it's most efficient cycles, and during the dryer winter months you really don't need the heated drying option either.

Changing the thermostat - up 2 degress in summer, 2 down in winter
Heating and cooling is responsible for a large percentage of a household's energy consumption. Turn up your temps. in warm weather and down in winter.

Not letting the taps run
As you are brushing your teeth, washing your face, washing your hands, etc... turn the water off when you are not using it .

Making compost
The use of compost for planting, adds water-holding organic matter to the soil - it feeds the soil micro-organisms that help the soil and the plants stay healthy.

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Tell us your ideas for low impact living

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