AGIC is soon to announce the first draft of the National Sustainability Rating System for government infrastructure. The scheme is designed to provide a national framework for sustainability assessment of infrastructure in the development, construction and operation stages. Organisations who submitted an expression of interest are already being selected for trials of the program. Those who have not submitted an EOI can still be part of the round 2 trials. Participating in a pilot trial is … read more
A revolution in energy efficient commuting – 20 km/hr for just 35 watts!
Shweeb, a NZ company, has come up with a fantastic low energy commuting concept that could transform our city scapes. Its based on a monorail concept under which an enclosed recumbent bicycle operates. The aerodynamic fairing reduces wind resistance, and as the rollers are steel on steel (a bit lot a railway) rolling resistance is very low. Its absolutely brilliant! Check out the shweeb website: http://shweeb.com If you are a cyclist you'll really appreciate the following elements of the shweeb … read more
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Fast trains – a quantum leap in public transport
I’m starting this blog posting at 277 km/hr on a very fast train with 16 carriages and 100 seats per carriage. The train is full. Where am I? Not in Japan or France. I’m somewhere between Wuxi and Shuzhou in China, where public transport operates at a speed and efficiency that is a quantum leap above the XPT train from Melbourne to City that I’ve caught a few times. And these trains don’t just go short distances. In a couple of weeks I’ll be travelling 1200 kms in less than four hours from … read more
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Research on Behaviour, Ethics and Climate Change
This is an article "We Cannot Fight Climate With Consumerism" by George Monbiot from his ZSpace Page, Monday, November 09, 2009 http://www.zcommunications.org/we-cannot-fight-climate-with-consumerism-by-george-monbiot. It outlines and gives examples of the 'licensing effect': Researchers have found that buying green can establish the moral credentials that license subsequent bad behaviour. "How many times have you heard the argument that small green actions lead to bigger ones?" "I've heard … read more
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Linfox video on their carbon reduction program
This 8 minute video shows how Linfox is going about reducing its carbon emissions. What stands out for me in this video is the broad commitment across the organisation to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Use it to help inspire a similar commitment in your organisation. … read more
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Electric cars – affordable and available in Australia by 2012?
Nissan has just unveiled the prototype of its first electric car, the Leaf, available in Australia from 2012, and in Japan and the USA from next year. It will have a range of 160kms, a top speed of 140km/hr and a 5 to 30 minute rapid charge. The car is a 5 door hatch. Incredibly the battery pack will only weigh 200kg. By going for a rapid-charge battery the Leaf is competing with the Better Place model of physically changing the battery once depleted for a fully charged battery. Presumably you … read more
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Electric vehicle and battery swap videos
Videos of the Better Place project and battery swap. Project Better Place Electric car battery switching station … read more
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Canberra to be Better Place’s first city for electric vehicle recharge network
Yesterday Better Place announced that Canberra would be the first site in the national rollout of its electric vehicle recharge network. Construction of the network will begin in 2011, with services available to electric vehicle owners from 2012. ActewAGL - the electricity distribution business and retailer in the ACT - responsible for sourcing and distributing the renewable energy that Better Place will use to power electric vehicles within the ACT. “A significant influence on our decision to … read more
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Linfox cuts energy use by 9%, on track for 15%
Linfox is well known for the “You are passing another Fox” sign on the back of its vehicles. But the company has also cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 9% in the last eighteen months, and is on track to cut its emissions by 15% by December 2010. I had the privilege of interviewing David McInnes, Group Manager Environment and Climate Change yesterday and being inspired about Linfox’s approach to the climate change challenge. It was refreshing not to hear the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme … read more
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Imagineering a better place
Today I had the fortune to see Shai Agassi, founder of Better Place, talk about his vision for the electric car future. Shai calls himself an imaginer – “I imagine the future and engineer towards it”. His vision of an electric car future is elegant, simple, and achievable. Australia is a key part of his strategy to get the world to a tipping point which results in all cars becoming electric. For electric cars to replace petrol cars they must be cheaper and more convenient. Yet the electric … read more
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