This Saturday (March 29) at 8pm don’t forget to turn off all your lights and unused appliances at the switch to show your support for Earth Hour.

The event, organised by WWF, began last year in Sydney where over 2.2 million residents and over 2,100 businesses turned off lights and appliances for one hour to help reduce the city’s greenhouse gas pollution. WWF says that this lead to a 10.2% energy reduction across the city.

This year the event has gone global with another 23 world cities formally signing up.

With 24 global cities on board for Earth Hour, WWF anticipates that more than 30 million people will be involved this year.

If you haven’t already, sign up for the event on the Earth Hour website. You don’t have to be in one of the 24 cities to show your support.

Not sure what I’ll be doing yet. I think another candle lit dinner with my family.

What are you planning? Or what did you do for Earth Hour?

Although it’s in the UK, I just love this site. Such a great idea and many of the ideas in this online animation are similar to what is being, and can be, done in Australia.

Check out Greenpeace UK’s EfficienCity - an example of how towns and cities across the UK are using cleaner energy to fight climate change.

Know someone, a business or organisation that has been working hard to help the environment? Then why not nominate them for the United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Awards 2008.

This is a national awards program that recognises businesses, local governments, organisations, community groups, individuals, schools and the media whose work serves to protect, manage or restore the environment.

Anyone can submit a nomination. Nominations close 2 May 2008.

Postcards have hit the cafes and newsagents of Sydney showcasing a new initiative called ‘Sustainable Sydney 2030‘. The City of Sydney is looking to deliver a plan to guide the development of the City of Sydney for the next 20 years. On the website we can get a feel for what they mean and find out how we can contribute to the plan over the next 6 months.

(more…)

These days there is a lot of talk about to how to reduce our own personal impact on climate change. And it seems that many people are listening and trying to do just that.

However, I’m not really sure how many of our politicians are really listening or planning to make changes in their policies to help combat climate change.

Luckily, there is a new website called The Big Switch that provides a way to find out where politicians stand on climate change. The site also provides an avenue to politicians to let them know we want action.

You can also sign the pledge to help create a clean energy future for Australia plus find loads of information about reducing your own greenhouse gas emissions, avenues to take further action, ways to contact local climate action groups, discussion forums and climate change news.

The Live Earth concert, which kicks off in Sydney, is just over a day away. It sounds like it will be great with such a fine line up.

I was meant to be attending to cover the concert for a US based blog, but the press pass fell through.

Never mind because Live Earth will be transmitted worldwide by Intelsat and the concert will also be streamed live online through MSN.

Is anyone going? Let us know how it went. David Jeffery over at Oikos has a few spare tickets if you missed out.

Yahoo!7 is on the lookout for Australia’s most worthwhile environmental initiative and reward it $50,000.

To do this Yahoo!7 is asking “How would you spend $50,000 to create a more sustainable environment in Australia?”. If your answer is the best Yahoo!7 will donate $50,000 to an environmental organisation that will put the funds towards implementing your idea.

While anyone can answer the question, in order to be eligible to have your answer funded you’ll need to register your details with Yahoo!7 using this form.

Thanks to Priscilla Brice-Weller over at Solidariti, I discovered Ripple today.

To quote Priscilla: “Ripple is another one of those “search with us and we’ll donate to a good cause” services, a la Everyclick, Goodsearch, and Magictaxi (there are plenty of others). These three search facilities donate 50 per cent of their revenue to good causes.

However, Ripple is better for two reasons. First, it donates 100 per cent of its revenue to four selected causes. Second, unlike the competition, Ripple’s causes are all based in Australia.

So get clicking to maximise that ripple.

This June the Dalai Lama will be in Sydney and Perth talking at two free events focusing on change and the way we live.

If you are in Perth on June 6 then join the Dalai Lama and the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) at a free Spirituality and Sustainability forum promoting greater awareness and understanding of our responsibilities and interconnectedness with nature.

Horticulturalist, landscape designer and TV personality Jamie Durie will host the forum, which will feature many other speakers plus offer practical tips for helping the environment at home and reducing your carbon footprint.

Details: Wednesday 6 June 9.30 am -  12.00 noon, Burswood Dome, Great Western Highway, Perth.

In Sydney, the ACF will participate in a tribute concert featuring some of Australia’s finest acoustic talent including Mia Dyson. This concert will be staged in Sydney’s Domain in celebration of the Dalai Lama as a living example of the power of compassion and non-violence.

The Dalai Lama will speak for 90 minutes at the event, which will bring together music and a call for change in the way we live.

Details: One Earth Conservation Tribute Concert to His Holiness the Dalai Lama Friday 15 June 2 pm - 6.30 pm The Domain, Sydney.

Visit the ACF website for more information. If anyone goes to either event, please leave a comment to let us know how it went.

I love a good punt! Well not really. But with the federal budget so close I can’t help but take a punt on how many times Peter Costello mentions climate change in his speech.

So far in every budget he has failed to do so, will he mention it this year? Who knows, take a punt now.

View the Costello speech Greenpeace would like to see.