Category Archives: technology
Japanese town cut waste by 80%, but…
In 2003, the Japanese town, Kamikatsu, resolved to go waste-free by 2020. They did incredibly well, but couldn’t manage it. Why? The packaging industry makes it impossible. Please read this incisive short essay by Olivia Sullivan. She describes what got … Continue reading
The Idle Off Project
Breathing in vehicle fumes is bad for you. It is particularly harmful for children. And yet, every afternoon, buses and parents’ cars spew the noxious stuff in school parking areas. This is why the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA) has … Continue reading
Inspiring cooking stove
Uganda is dying because of deforestation. Its women are terribly affected by smoke from cooking fires. One man has done something to reduce both problems. He has devised a zero-cost mud stove that reduces firewood use to half, and eliminates … Continue reading
Alternatives to Amazon shopping
My friends know I am no fan of Jeff Bezos, who is hauling in the profits at everyone else’s expense. I am not alone. Green America magazine has compiled a helpful list of alternatives. Vote with your money, and divest … Continue reading
Support court case against Apple etc. for using cobalt from child-killing mines
Sumofus is raising money for a court case in the USA: families of children killed in an African cobalt mine are suing the ultimate users: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Dell and Tesla. If these companies were decent, they’d settle out of … Continue reading
Recycled safety
Here is a breathing mask that doesn’t hide your face. It uses your clothing as the filter, and even stops you from scratching your face. And it’s made from a recycled throw-away bottle, protecting wildlife. The offcuts can still go … Continue reading
Does bike riding have a carbon footprint?
I enjoy Lloyd Alter’s writing. It’s a combination of understated humour and serious environmental action. Here, he examines a claim that bike riding does have a carbon footprint. My immediate thought was, the extra food the rider burns up is … Continue reading
A better way to feed a city
Cuba was in danger of starvation when the Soviet Union collapsed. Read the inspiring way they solved the problem. Better still, apply it to where you live.
Are you still buying bottled water?
For one thing, it is more expensive per volume than gasoline. It’s a great profit maker: you go to a location that may already be desperately short of water (a quarter of the world’s population lives with water stress), pump … Continue reading
Should we use Mars as a lifeboat for humanity?
A person whose first language is not English asked a question with this meaning. His opinion is that the problems we face on Earth will only follow us to Mars. I’m interested in your reaction to my reply to him … Continue reading
