Getting existing carbon out of Earth’s air this November

Getting existing carbon out of Earth’s atmosphere this November – simply, cheaply – gives hope, increases profits. An inspiring project at Bondi Beach will take existing poluting carbon out of Earth’s atmosphere. Food waste will be turned into compost to grow soil on a farm. The why, the hope and the trust that the project embodies is in this article I’ve written, Hope comes to Bondi Beach. Enjoy, Michael    Read More

Watch ice bigger than Manhatten Island break away from a glacier

This speeded up film on Youtube, taken from a remote and distant mountain in the Arctic, shows ice breaking away from a glacier as it gets smaller and smaller. The video shows the 75 minute collapse in 4.41 minutes. Ice in chunks as high as 90 or more storied buildings and the size of Manhatten Island (87 square kilometres) rises three to four hundred metres high as the ice smashes and collapses. It took the glacier 100 years to break up and become 8 miles (~ 20 k) smaller –... Read More

When words fail

To prevent an increase in average Earthly temperatures of 2 degrees we need to cut the human-made carbon we put into the Earth’s atmosphere by 5.1 per cent each year for 39 consecutive years, according to PwC research group. In their report, “Too late for 2 degrees?“, PwC accounts for the carbon humans have put into the atmosphere each year for the last century. PwC measures the amount of carbon put into Earth’s atmosphere. The tumultuous weather we’re... Read More

Funny thing, politics

But is this a laughing matter . . .   www.youtube.com…   M    Read More

So much fun burning oil

Went to Warrnambool, Victoria, these last three days.   Warrnambool Council asked me to speak about sustainable living at their Sustainable Living Festival held on Saturday 14 January.   It was a lot of fun, seeing these places and meeting so many interesting folks.  Saw a great community garden at Warrnambool; info here:   warrnamboolcg.wordpress.com…     Friday morning I flew from Sydney to Avalon airport near Geelong, about 1 hour 20 if you don’t... Read More

Mayor Bloomberg donates $50m to fight coal

Wow. Read this: “Michael Bloomberg will donate $50 million to the Sierra Club’s campaign to get rid of coal-fired power plants. Called Beyond Coal it has helped block the construction of 153 new coal-fired power plants. Bloomberg’s donation will allow the Sierra Club to expand their staff on the anti-coal campaign from 100 to almost 200 full-time workers.They will be spread across 46 states and focus on grassroots organizing, lawsuits and social media. Most politicians... Read More

Food prices and weather extremes

The Sydney Morning Herald’s columnist, Paul Sheehan, has today written a column about food prices and weather extremes; see it here - www.smh.com… Speaking of gardening and food, there’s lots of rain forecast for the next few weeks so it’s a good time to be planting, mulching and composting, Michael  Read More

Gas drilling and fracking

Amidst the gas drilling frenzy across Australia and the limp coverage of it by our media I’ve found this recent blog by one of my favourite energy writers, James Kunstler, and some of it is here: “• The fracking fluid is a secret proprietary cocktail formula amounting to 5 percent of the liquid injected into the earth. It’s composed of: sand; a jelling agent to suspend the sand because water is not “thick” enough; biocides to kill bacteria that... Read More

How to roast your own coffee beans

Every type roasts at a different rate because of a different  density When a bean reaches its individual temperature it cracks, like popcorn pops This first ‘crack’ is caused by the physical expansion of the bean as water and carbon dioxide split and carbon dioxide is released (ah, it’s everywhere this stuff!).  This first crack opens the central divide of the bean and loosens the very light papery sheath that encloses it and which becomes... Read More

Engrossing analysis of the US failed climate bill

It’s in the New Yorker, here: www.newyorker.com… Excellent writing about a key moment in US and Earth’s history. Enjoy, M  Read More