News

NAIDOC celebrates the survival of Indigenous culture and the Indigenous contribution to modern Australia. All Australians are encouraged to participate in NAIDOC Week activities.

Celebrations are held around Australia in July each year. In 2008 this week will be 6-13 July and the theme is ‘Advance Australia Fair?’ For more information http://www.naidoc.org.au/
For ideas on ways to celebrate http://www.naidoc.org.au/what_is/celebrate.aspx

NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has become the name of the week itself.

South Australia leads the way with its solar scheme, which pays people double the going rate for solar power they feed back into the electricity grid.
Premier Mike Rann said the scheme could provide for a bonus payment to households of up to $400 a year.
The premier also welcomed the start of a single national reporting system for energy and greenhouse gas emissions. For the first time, Australian companies will be obliged to report on their greenhouse gas emissions.

‘Bees are as important to our crops as the water and sunshine.’

Robert Edwards,

Farmer of North Carolina.

He was addressing the Horticulture Subcommittee of US Congress where beekeepers, farmers and scientists were speaking on the importance of getting to the bottom of what is causing the decline in honey-bee colonies known as ‘colony collapse disorder’ or CCD. There has been a 36 percent decrease in colonies so far this year.

The Häagen-Dazs ice-cream company is so concerned it is contributing funds to the research into sustainable pollination and CCD at the University of California. They are also engaged in ‘Help the Honey Bees’ campaign.

The Banksia Environmental Foundation, through its Award Programs, aims to raise the profile of the current environmental issues facing Australia and recognise those whose initiatives are an encouragement and an example for others to follow.

To see the list of finalists and to vote for the People’s Choice Award http://www.banksiafdn.com/index.php?page=351

‘I have to say the situation has not improved since I made the movie in 2006.’ Mr Gore said when he was questioned in London in April this year.
Sure, awareness has grown and more people are concerned since scientists said we had just 10 years to take action to halt rising sea levels. But the situation has got worse. The entire North Polar ice cap is melting and could be gone in some areas in as little as five years.
You have to ask, what would it take to set off the alarm bells to make this a top-of-mind priority in the body politic?’

Youth groups presented a petition to Minister for Youth, Hon. Kate Ellis MP, in April 2008.

“As Minister for Youth we’re calling on you to advocate for our future when it comes to climate change in parliament, and we have one climate, one future and one chance to save it,” said Anna Rose of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition.

For more ways young people are taking action see…
http://www.youthclimatecoalition.blogspot.com/
http://energyactioncoalition.org/whoweare/movement/global

Earth Matters is the Earth Trust’s news page. We update this page regularly.

Features include…
• short articles on the state of the environment, climate change and natural resource management
• messages from Elders
• inspirational quotes and images
• ‘good news’ stories on the environment
• tips on how to reduce our ‘ecological footprint’
• sources and resources
• the occasional cartoon

Dates on this page refer to when the item is posted to the site.

In awe of the Earth, our home…

Suddenly, from behind the rim of the moon,
in long, slow motions, movements of immense majesty,
there emerges a sparkling blue and white jewel,
a light, delicate sky blue sphere
laced with slowly moving swirling veils of white,
rising gradually like a small pearl
in a thick sea of black mystery …
It takes more than a moment
to fully realize that this is Earth … home.

Dr. Edgar D. Mitchell (Astronaut)
The Home Planet ed. by Kevin W Kelley
Addison Wesley Publishing 1988

Send an e-card and help save trees!

‘Friends of the Earth’ international site, have beautiful inspiring images and provide this e-card sending service, on their site http://www.foe.co.uk/cards/index.html

Apple iCards are available at…
http://www.mac.com/WebObjects/iCards.woa?aff=consumer〈=en

There are other sources of e-cards available also.

The Australian initiated ‘Earth Hour’ has gone global.

On March 29, at 8 pm local time, people in businesses, communities and at home are asked to turn their lights out for one hour.  Millions of people around the globe will be engaging in this endeavour designed to raise awareness about what people can do together to reduce their carbon emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change.

Last year, 2.2 million people and 2,100 businesses in Sydney turned out their lights for one hour, reducing the city’s energy consumption by more than 10%, the equivalent of taking 48,000 cars off the road for one hour.  This is a great time to take part in a global action to address climate change and begin to see the difference you can make.  For more information, go to www.wwf.org.au

‘We now face nothing less than a global emergency. We must rapidly reduce carbon emissions and encourage alternative energy sources’.

Ian Dunlop
Deputy Convener, Australian Association for the Study of Peak Oil

It is becoming increasingly apparent, from the evidence before us and from the advice of custodial peoples, that the time to act for the Earth and for ourselves is now…

We need to make changes now!
Our survival depends on it.
Solutions exist.
More creative solutions can be found.
Businesses can be leaders.
Our economy can change!

As the corporate sector explores the implications of how climate change may impact their bottom-line the entrepreneurial and creative thinkers are looking at the economic potential of addressing this issue.

‘… We consider that it is fundamentally sound business management for a company to address its social and environmental performance as well as economic performance.
In this context the pursuit of best environmental practice makes
commercial sense. …’

‘Insurance Australia Group Environmental Commitment’
IAG’s Sustainable Performance Commitment

Green News from USA
‘So far the industry sector that includes clean, renewable and efficient energy has been holding up well under continuing bad news from just about every other segment of the US economy. Green energy stands out as a bright spot in an otherwise cloudy economic picture.’

March 16, 2008 - Vol. 12 No. 52
www.green-energy-news.com

The Upside of Down by Thomas Homer-Dixon
This book was published in 2007 As its name suggests it is an exploration, not only of the ‘down’ side of the state of the planet but the opportunity to create a new way through these challenges to create an ‘upside’.

The Upside of Down Thomas Homer-Dixon
Text Publishing, Melbourne Australia 2007
www.homerdixon.com