[permaculture-oceania] Tools

[Russ Grayson]

The Eco-Fingerprint
http://vox.3legs.com.au/ecofingerprint  Instead of looking back at where we
have already been and the eco-footprint we¹ve left behind us, this new
³eco-fingerprint² tool inspires people to look to the future and how they
can be specifically and practically hands-on in shaping a sustainable
future.  The Eco-Fingerprint is a creative new tool ­ a bookend to
complement that equally great tool ­ the ³ecological footprint².  While it
acknowledges the past, it places more emphasis on inventing a personal
future ­ exciting, relevant and measurable ­ which is publicly declared to
the world and can be certified and registered. The existing Footprint tool
assists us to observe the effect that our consumption choices have on the
planet; like the marks we leave behind in the sand, tells us where we have
been. This is very useful as, if we forget our history, we risk repeating
it. Equally important is the future. We can just let the future happen or we
can take steps to shape it. Once we realize, the impact we are having as
individuals, groups and nations, it is time to start planning how to begin
reducing the impact. Having made a decision to repair our footprint ­ the
Eco-Fingerprint® tool can help each of us to map out a plan for our future.

Alternative Fuels ­ New Research Initiative
www.csiro.au/news/newsletters/0606_energy/story3.htm
As part of its Low-Emission Transport research the CSIRO National Flagship
research program, Energy Transformed, has begun a new research initiative
into alternative fuels. The move addresses the need for transport fuels
other than oil during the period until electric or fuel cell cars are
dominant, which will likely be 15 to 20 years or even more. The initial
focus is on developing a roadmap for a project that rates alternative
transport fuels in terms of life-cycle emissions and economic impact,
recognising Australia's unique land and gas resources. According to the
International Energy Agency, the hydrogen economy is three or four decades
away, so it is vital that Australia has an authoritative evaluation of
alternatives and their effects, especially in a time of uncertainty in oil
supplies.  The site gives an introduction to the new research project and
contact information.


TRANSPORT & MOBILITY
The Business of Sustainable Mobility ­ From Vision to Reality ­ Book
www.greenleaf-publishing.com/catalogue/mobility.htm  This new book is based
on the sustainable mobility stream in the 2003 International Greening of
Industry Network conference in San Francisco. In many parts of the world
there is a crisis of mobility. The choices we have made over the past 200
years on modes and technologies of transport have brought us unprecedented
global interaction and personal freedom ­ but at a cost to society, to the
economy and to the environment.

Mobility is in crisis, but few seem to
realize the full extent. Though most are aware of congestion, accidents,
parking restrictions, and fuel prices, few have considered the effects of
the Morning Peak-Hour Traffic in Shanghai Photography: Ben Mountford
Sustainability Network Update 60E  Page 20 of 25 dramatic increase in
mobility expected in China, India and elsewhere.

Nor do many people in their
daily lives consider the impact of climate change on our environment and the
contribution our cars make to it. The central problem addressed in this book
is the private car: how to power it, how to build it and how to deliver
personal mobility to customers in a more sustainable future. ŒTechnology¹
may well not be enough in itself and that for a genuinely sustainable
transport future far more radical change ­ affecting many aspects of society
­ is needed. It is likely, for example, that new business models are needed,
as well as users and consumers adopting new forms of behaviour. Disruptive
technological innovation may well contribute, but needs to be induced by a
combination of market forces and government regulation. [Published June 2006
by Greenleaf Publishing; ISBN 1874719802]


The 'Neighbourhoods that Work' project
http://home.iprimus.com.au/chec    (or for information email:
chec at iprimus.com.au)  For those of us who would like to participate in
sustainable neighbourhood activity, there are many good reasons why we may
not. Research by Edith Cowan University, the National Church life survey and
Anglicare, concludes that many people are left with very little time for
family, let alone for community life.  The increasing cost of housing is by
far the largest and most inescapable financial burden facing Australian
families. Figures prepared by Planning NSW show that from 1988 the cost of a
medium-priced house in Sydney rose by about 200% compared to a CPI increase
of only 60%.  This increasing commitment to housing and the specialisation
of work means that both time and the essential skills for local sustainable
development like the ability to produce more for ourselves, to live more
simply, to cooperate and to share are being compromised and lost.  In the
'Neighbourhoods That Work' project, a selected group of ten participants
would be offered a new type of housing opportunity that would actually draw
them into, not out of the neighbourhood. With a long term lease over 10
adjoining homes, the project would offer secure rental housing in return for
a commitment to neighbourhood programs. This committment would total around
100 hours per week from the 10 households.  Neighbours to the project would
be able to feed into these well organised programs as they were inclined.
In this way we could achieve a critical mass of neighbourhood activity and
the potential for growth based on sustainable local cooperation. It would
mean that people needing affordable and secure rental housing would become
integral to sustainable neighbourhoods of the future. With a number of well
placed projects, we really could have neighbourhoods that work.



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
RUSS GRAYSON
journalism, online content production, photojournalism, instructional
manuals, media services for overseas aid

PO Box 1045, Manly, NSW 1655 AUSTRALIA
info at pacific-edge.info
P: 0414 065 203
www.pacific-edge.info

TerraCircle international development team, Oceania
www.terracircle.org.au

Australian City Farms & Community Gardens Network
www.communitygarden.org.au
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^