Category Archives: hippie

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This is supercool (well, superhot really, I guess)
Power station harnesses Sun’s rays
“A concrete tower – 40 storeys high – stood bathed in intense white light, a totally bizarre image in the depths of the Andalusian countryside.
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It is Europe’s first commercially operating power station using the Sun’s energy this way and at the moment its operator, Solucar, proudly claims that it generates 11 Megawatts (MW) of electricity without emitting a single puff of greenhouse gas.
It works by focusing the reflected rays on one location, turning water into steam and then blasting it into turbines to generate power.”

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South Pacific to stop bottom trawling

“A quarter of the world’s oceans will be protected from fishing boats which drag heavy nets across the sea floor, South Pacific nations have agreed.
The landmark deal will restrict bottom trawling, which experts say destroys coral reefs and stirs up clouds of sediment that suffocate marine life.” BBC
I’ve been following this issue for years, from back in the days when I still ate seafood. Good news on a lazy Sunday.

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Life in Laos…

BBC: In pictures: Life in rural Laos
It explains a lot of what we saw as we travelled around – cows or buffalo grazing on scraps of grass in what looked rice paddies. It was ‘burning season’ while we were there and it was amazing to see how much land was being cleared, particularly on the trip over the mountains from Luang Prabang to Vang Viang, and on down to Vientiane. I couldn’t see how much was being cleared in the south because it was dark. I really don’t understand why the government lets people clear land they won’t be able to irrigate, and I worry that they’ll lose their top soil in floods and dust storms once they’ve cleared the trees and destroyed the infrastructure of the soil. I guess sometimes you can only go for short-term solutions, but it was kinda heart breaking.

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Point/Counterpoint: (RED) Raises $100 Million, Spends 82% On Advertising
“(RED), the global co-branding experiment that directs a percentage of (RED) product revenues towards fighting AIDS in Africa, has only directed $18 million out of $100 million spent. AdAge reports that this is raising eyebrows other than our own.”

The disproportionate ratio between the marketing outlay and the money raised is drawing concern among nonprofit watchdogs, cause-marketing experts and even executives in the ad business. It threatens to spur a backlash, not just against the Red campaign — which ambitiously set out to change the cause-marketing model by allowing partners to profit from charity — but also for the brands involved.

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“Prime Minister John Howard has clashed with Sir Nicholas Stern over climate change, saying the former World Bank chief economist’s views should not be treated as “holy writ” and could do great damage to the Australian economy.
Sir Nicholas has called on Australia to be an international leader in the fight against climate change by slashing its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 60 per cent by 2050, ratifying the Kyoto Protocol and being at the forefront of new technologies, such as clean coal.
But when asked by Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd if he would commit to the 2050 target, Mr Howard declared he would put the national interest first.” The Age
Is he really that short-sighted? Or does he think a political win justifies the environmental damage? From this distance it seems Australia is already suffering the effects of global warming, I don’t understand why it’s not the first country to respond.