Alternative Energy Sources Newsletter

Something you can do

Let's do something!

Our environmental problems are so huge that people can feel quite paralysed and overwhelmed by them whereas some action, individual action is needed. Any opportunities to do something meaningful about climate change are therefore precious.

Grist Magazine reports that, based on insights of 110 leading thinkers who participated in the 2005 Yale Conference on Climate change Yale University has released an interesting action-focussed report.

It is called "Americans and Climate Change: Closing the Gap Between Science and Action". It is an effort to prod and educate the public on global warming. You can get it here.

If you want to participate in some of that action then go to Yale’s website on taking action about climate change here.

Trust the Swedes!

YES Magazine reports that the Swedish government is certainly action-focussed. It has just announced their intention to be completely oil-free in 15 years time.

How's that for robust action? Applause!

By 2020 Sweden plans to run on renewable energy alone and has committed itself to phasing out its nuclear energy.

It will use, solar, wind and wave power as well as biofuel to run the countries homes, industry and transport systems. Already Sweden gets a massive 26% of its energy needs met by renewable energy sources.

It gives generous exemptions and tax breaks to car owners who do not use petrol but other fuels, such as ethanol-based fuel.

Inspiring.

Fingerprints and footprints

You have heard of our ecological footprint. How roughly our 'footprint' on the Earth’s ecological resources is about a quarter bigger than the Earth can sustain. In other words the footprint is a measure of where we have been.

There is now a practical approach to show where we are going, called the ecological fingerprint. It is in development as a tool that can represent the impact on the environment of the products and services we design and use now.

BASF, the audio giant has gone some way towards a useful fingerprint framework. It measures the effects on the environment in six domains: * Materials consumption * Energy consumption * Emissions to air, soil, and water * Risk potential * Toxicity potential * Land use

See here. And Australian company Vox Bandicoot in NSW are also working on this. Look at it here.

Talk about practical approaches…

International Interdependence Day

As tragic as the atrocity of 9/11 was it was a wake-up call to recognise that we are not separate beings in separate worlds, but we are truly connected. To others and our shared environments.

International interdependence Day is on the 12th of September each year. Interdependence Day is a day of celebration, information and action.

Surely there's something you can do in your community to celebrate this!

Check it out here and here

And read David Suzuki’s Declaration of Interdependence to inspire you here

And talking of action, see if you can sign the Wellbeing Manifesto while you’re at it. Many have already here.

You don’t have to be a hippy

Whereas you cannot "buy" a sustainable planet or community ethical consumer behaviour is a necessary component to get somewhere on the road towards these.

If you’re looking for ethical products online, don’t go past Hippyshopper.

Gabrielle does a great job of giving you an ethical shopping experience.

Check it out here

Keep up to date

Hope you enjoyed this edition of the AES Newsletter.

Check out my latest pages such as "What is nuclear energy" or "What is wind energy".

And you can find an article here for download.

Please come back often. My website is developing fast. Future pages on biomass energy, causes of global warming, energy efficient home design and much more are coming.

Kind regards,

Erik Leipoldt http://www.alternate-energy-sources.com A work in progress using SBI!

3 Warruga Way Wanneroo WA 6065 Australia