InDenialEarth.com

I sometimes get quite despondent about the world we live in.

One of the big downsides to having access to so much information via the web is that you can quickly lose sight of all the good and focus on all the bad.
Global warming, plight of wildlife, melting arctic, whaling and a host of other issues often lead me to believe that humans don’t really contribute much to the planet other than to ruin it.

In recent years I’ve lost quite a bit of faith in humanity. People seem to be so selfish and really not too concerned about the environment and the animals impacted by our lives.

This week has seen a very sad story unfold in NSW, Australia. A baby humpback whale believed to be 2 or 3 weeks old was found nuzzling up to a yacht searching for his Mum. He has been abandoned although no-one really can say why, apparently it just happens sometimes.

He has been affectionately named Colin and there really has been an outpouring of emotion by Australians. Most people wanted the authorities to do something to save him stating that every effort should be made to keep him alive and either reunite him with his Mum or find another pod.

It has been distressing to watch him this week nuzzling boats trying to find Mum and the food he so desperately needs to survive.
Unfortunately, the authorities have decided to euthanize Colin tonight after experts concluded that he is too young and too sick.

Although I feel this decision should have been made earlier in the week to avoid undue distress on this poor little baby, I am pleased action is finally happening.

This story is very sad and it breaks my heart but it has been incredibly powerful to see the outpouring of emotion for Colin.

I only wish that this level of compassion was displayed for all animals, all the time.

This is amusing. I might add that there are probably quite a few leaders around the world who know as much as President Bush on this issue ;-)

Enjoy.

I’ve just read a really interesting article on a German town called Marburg that has made it law that all new homes, renovated properties and those requiring roof repairs must install solar panels.

It has come under fire and some believe that it may in fact be to the detriment of the environment.

The town council took the significant step in June of moving from merely encouraging citizens to install solar panels to making them an obligation. The ordinance, the first of its kind in Germany, will require solar panels not only on new buildings, which fewer people oppose, but also on existing homes that undergo renovations or get new heating systems or roof repairs.

To give the regulation teeth, a fine of 1,000 euros, about $1,500, awaits those who do not comply.

Critics howled that the rule, which is to go into effect on Oct. 1, constituted an attack on the rights of property owners. The regional government in Giessen stepped in and warned that it would overturn the rule.

In the middle of this political chess match sit homeowners like Götz Schönherr.

From his deck, Mr. Schönherr can see the town’s famous hilltop Gothic castle as well as two of its three power-generating windmills. On his roof, a solar panel glints in the sunlight. He already uses the solar energy to heat his water, which has allowed him to turn off his boiler for roughly six months a year, a boon for his pocketbook but a decision he said he made for the sake of the environment.

And yet Mr. Schönherr opposes the new ordinance.

Mr. Schönherr had hoped to reinsulate his home, but to do so, and to satisfy the solar regulation, he would have to install a larger solar panel. It would cost him close to $8,000.

“That leads, in my case, and I would think in other cases as well, that people say, ‘Well, let’s just not reinsulate the roof,’ ” Mr. Schönherr said. “So it’s absolutely counterproductive.”

If in the future governing bodies decide to implement laws to force citizens to be environmentally friendly, similar issues may surface as they have in Marburg.

I think that people are starting to become more aware and I hope Governments don’t need to force the issue by implementing laws.

This is quite interesting. Environmentalists from Australia are concerned about the amount of paper being used by telco’s to send out bills to iPhone users.

Apparently some bills are made up of 80 double sided pages of itemized entries! Read full article here

You can opt to use an online system to view and pay your bills which I think is a good idea given that they aren’t even using recycled paper for printing!

An interesting report from Australia has been released today that has found eucalypt forests from southeast Australia store the equivalent of 25.5 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases.

Trees consume carbon dioxide when they grow, which they store. If the trees are chopped down, the carbon is released as carbon dioxide.

Prof Mackay said the global community should pay closer attention to the value of native forests in tackling climate change. Globally, deforestation created the same amount of greenhouse pollution as transport.

Australia is set to implement a carbon emissions trading scheme in 2010 but it will not include carbon emissions from logging our native forests.
Personally, I would like to see no logging of any old growth forests and hope that these types of reports persuade Government to legislate appropriately.

It still surprises me when I hear or listen to climate change skeptics. I don’t know what annoys me more, their apparent lack of concern or their complete disregard for the environment.

Last week we watched an Australian Tv show called Q&A. It’s quite a good show because they invite a panel on each week made up of industry leaders and politicians. What I like about the show is that it is unscripted. People from the audience ask questions of the panel and it’s really fascinating to see how they respond.

Last week on Q&A they had the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Penny Wong, Shadow Treasurer, Malcolm Turnbull, scientist and global warming activist, Tim Flannery, businesswoman, Catherine Harris and the Director of the IP and Free Trade Unit at the Institute of Public Affairs, Tim Wilson. It didn’t take long for the skeptics in the audience to start asking questions.

It seems that many people out there just don’t see the need to change our ways. As the opposition treasurer pointed out, regardless of what you believe, is there any real harm in making changes to the way we do things? He also quoted Rupert Murdoch who apparently said, let’s give the world the benefit of the doubt.

The businesswoman on the panel was also a surprise. She was quite taken back by the skeptics and believes that business has an amazing opportunity to set new directions. She was shocked that people are still talking about it and not just getting in there and doing what is needed.

It is very encouraging to see our leaders thinking along these lines. Whatever changes we make are going to be positive for the environment and also for our society. We have become so incredibly selfish. The reality is that the world doesn’t seem to be all that happy.

What has to happen now is that Governments need to set policies in place to encourage Industry to make the necessary changes to reduce their omissions. And we need to stop waiting for Governments to tell us what to do. We all know what is needed and there are plenty of sites out there with a wealth of information on things we can all do to reduce our impact.

It isn’t rocket science and it won’t impact your life that much. So I think it’s time people just sucked it up and dealt with the fact that our world is under stress and we need to just get in there and do what we can to help it out.

I’ve included the Q&A video link, it’s well worth watching if you have time :-)

This morning I watched a disturbing report on the illegal logging of the Amazon and some very brave locals that are putting their lives on the line to stop it.

This fight needs to be taken up by us all and not left to a few poor villagers given the impact it has on us all.
Don’t think for one moment that we aren’t partly responsible either. Developed countries are buying this highly prized timber so we are contributing to it.

I hate feeling helpless and I hate the short sightedness of people who put profit above everything else.

The issue is complex as many locals rely on the timber sawmills for income, given how poor they are I really can’t blame them for being involved.

Unfortunately I can’t embed the video so have provided the direct link to YouTube. It is well worth watching. So the question is, what can we do to support the locals going up against the logging companies?

Watch video

If you have a blog or site that relates to green issues please consider linking to this video. Perhaps if we increase awareness something positive will happen. I really hope so, it’s just heartbreaking.

National Tree Day is Australia’s biggest community tree-planting event. It is a Planet Ark initiative and is really starting to become a popular and significant event on the Australian calendar.  Since Tree Day started in 1996 more than 1.5 million volunteers have planted over 11.5 million native trees and shrubs!

National Tree Day is this Sunday, 27 July 2008. Even if you don’t live in Australia, why not consider planting your own tree and perhaps we can one day make this a world event. That would be very cool.

I read this great article this morning over at News.com.au regarding the cost to the environment because of lazy shoppers:

SHOPPERS too lazy to walk to their local supermarket or shopping strip are responsible for adding nearly 1.9 million tonnes a year to Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, a survey has found.

A national audit into everyday shopping habits by online search directory TrueLocal (owned by the publisher of NEWS.com.au) also found shoppers who travelled outside their local area to make their purchases were robbing local businesses of up to $92 billion a year in revenue.

The study revealed that over a 12 month period, the average Australian made over 43 trips, travelling up to 477 kilometres outside of their local area and spending over $7000.

Collectively, this generated 7.3 billion kilometres of extra travel, the study found.

The article also points out that people should try and buy local produce rather than imported products. This is good advice but can be very difficult, especially if your local store isn’t proactive in sourcing products from your area.

Still, it is quite staggering to see the cost in terms of gas emissions.

On Sunday my partner and I went to one of our favorite places for a walk. It’s one of the many national reserves we are lucky to have in our State. Even better, we have one about 5 minutes from where we live.

Even though my partner wasn’t feeling well with a sore throat and slight fever, she was adamant that getting outdoors would do her the world of good.
We are so in-love with this particular reserve that it’s almost an addiction!

Within a few minutes of arriving we were immersed in a world far removed from suburban life. This particular place has a massive water and swamp area that is literally teeming with bird life.

We commented at the time that given it’s close proximity to the suburb and city that you would think more people would visit this magical place. I think it’s really important to be connected with nature for so many reasons. For me it continually reminds me why I’m making all of these positive changes.
Seeing all those incredible animals, trees and plant life has created a connection that I’ve never experienced before.

I know that for many people it is difficult to find green spaces due to location but I think it’s well worth the effort finding places. Quite often you will find parks and gardens hidden in cities and suburbs that you never knew existed. This was the case with our local reserve. I lived in this area for 5 or 6 years before I stumbled on it!

People who are moving towards the simple life are nature lovers, after all it’s one of the key reasons we are trying to make a difference so finding areas that bring you closer to it can only make you feel even better.

I thought I’d share a few pics of our local reserve :-)