Greenlivingpedia is a resource for creating and sharing information and collaborating to lighten our footprint on the planet and live in harmony with nature and our environment.
Where are we at? In the 21st century the world has entered a time of great change. Following the industrial revolution, humans learned how to extract and use fossil fuels in great quantities. This led to an era of cheap and apparently abundant energy for keeping warm, artificial light, transport and creating electricity. First world… Continue reading The end of the world as we know it
The wonderful old growth forest of Brown Mountain in East Gippsland is now being logged. There are more than 50 trees over 300 years old in this area of forest, which is adjacent to Errinundra National Park. One logged tree has been radiocarbon dated to over 500 years old. Many more trees between 500 and 800 years… Continue reading Brown Mountain old growth forest
Suggested legislative amendments to the Brumby Government’s solar legislation. On Monday May 5th 2008 the Brumby Government released some details of its much anticipated solar feed-in tariff. The announcement was met with extreme disappointment by the 40-odd community groups, businesses, unions and councils that had been campaigning for and supporting effective solar lawsi. If the… Continue reading Strengthening Victoria’s new solar laws
The Multi-Party Climate Change Committee was established on 27 September 2010 to help build consensus on how Australia will tackle Climate Change. The Committee will explore options for the introduction of a carbon price. It will report to Cabinet, through the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Greg Combet, with a range of possible… Continue reading Multi-Party Climate Change Committee
This is a Greenprint that identifies strategies, actions and approaches for moving towards a sustainable future. NOTE: Links on this page are being updated. Transport Housing and buildings Dont: Garden Dont: Government action The following actions are the province of governments. If yours is dragging the chain, let you local, state and national political representatives… Continue reading Greenprint
Total fossil fuel subsidies worth almost $9 billion have been identified by research in Australia.[1] Australian governments (federal, state and territory) continue to use subsidies to achieve environmental and social goals. This may be justifiable where the cost of the subsidy is less than the value of the environmental and social gain that results from the… Continue reading Government subsidies for fossil fuel use in Australia
The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) is an emissions trading scheme proposed for introduction in Australia in late 2010. Summary of criticisms The structure of the scheme has been widely criticised, including by the Government’s previously appointed climate change policy adviser [Professor Ross Garnaut] [1], for the following reasons: Structure The structure of the CPRS is not yet finalised.… Continue reading Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme
A feed in tariff provides a fair price for solar electricity generated on rooftops and fed into the electricity grid. Moving towards renewable energy is an essential means of addressing climate change, and solar photovoltaic (PV) micro-generation has an important role to play in boosting renewable energy. By offering a premium price for electricity generated on rooftops… Continue reading Feed in tariff
A Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET) is a government legislated requirement on electricity retailers to source specific proportions of total electricity sales from renewable energy sources according to a fixed timeframe. The additional cost is distributed across most customers by increases in other tariffs. The cost of this measure is therefore not funded by government budgets, except… Continue reading Mandatory Renewable Energy Target
Logging is still allowed in five of Melbourne’s water catchments. This logging has been scientifically proven to reduce the quality and quantity of water from the catchments. Melbourne’s water supply comes from uninhabited Mountain Ash (Eucalytpus regnans) forests in the Yarra Ranges. Approximately 157,000 hectares of forest has been protected for harvesting water and these… Continue reading Stop logging Melbourne water catchments
