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?

I love beer, especially now that I am pregnant and shouldn’t drink it

My husband brews a pretty good drop from our garage, which usually comes top of my list for taste.

But now there’s a new beer I’d like to try (when I can) and that’s Cascade Green, which Cascade claims is 100% carbon offset.

What does this mean? Well according to the Cascade brewery, all remaining greenhouse gas emissions from the beer are offset from the moment the company sources its hops to when the beer bottles are placed in recycling bins.

Cascade also says that it uses bio-degradable vegetable oil based inks in the beer’s packaging, and the carton is 100% recyclable.

Have you tried this beer? Let me know what you think.

Another good news solar story from Adelaide.

Work has finally begun on installing solar panels to Adelaide airport’s roof, producing the second-largest rooftop solar plant in Australia.

The panels will be attached to the airport’s Terminal roof 1, and will generate 160 megawatt hours of electricity a year, equivalent to the average electricity consumption of 30 houses. Read the full story on the Adelaide Now website.

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.

Interesting article in the Sydney Morning Herald saying that for the cost of a local phone call Australians could cut their greenhouse gas emissions to the same ambitious levels now being considered by the most advanced European countries.

I’m back from a great trip to New Zealand. Besides seeing some amazing places, I also managed to catch up with some very good friends that I haven’t seen for a while.

While in the nation’s capital, Wellington, I stayed with a friend who is working for a design company called Moxie. However, Moxie is no ordinary design company because it also advises companies on how to improve their sustainability through their practices and products. Such a great idea and good to hear this company is flourishing in NZ.

On another note, the one thing that did take my notice in a big way was the fleet of Green Cabs driving around Auckland. These cabs are all hybrid Toyota Prius and the company claims to help the environment by being carbon neutral and cheaper for its passengers. The cars are also available in Wellington (although I didn’t notice any while I was there) and the fleets are growing.

Apparently, such an initiative has been approved for Sydney (and is already underway in Perth) but I haven’t seen any such cabs in my traffic choked city. Has anyone in Australia seen a green cab in their city or town?

Being a very regular Google user, this news comes as a pleasant surprise. Google has announced it will spend hundreds of millions of dollars to investigate alternative energies like solar, geothermal and wind power.

The incentive is for Google to reduce its own rising energy costs in running its data centres but also to fight climate change. Read the full story on the New York Times.

Last year roughly 80,000 people joined in the Walk Against Warming rallies across Australia.

This Sunday, November 11, the walk is happening again and just before the federal election. The walk aims to show the next Australian government that Australians demand urgent action on climate change.

So get your walking shoes on this Sunday to help push climate change to the top of the political agenda.

Find out where a walk is happening near you.

About a year ago I purchased green energy. At the time it was a pretty confusing task. There were so many products on the market and each one seemed to offer different things at different prices.

Luckily at the time, the Total Environment Centre, Australian Conservation Foundation and WWF Australia had launched Green Electricity Watch, a guide which ranked green electricity products in Australia. It was really useful and helped me make up my mind.

Once again, the organisations have updated the guide for 2007 so if you’re shopping around for a green energy supplier, check it out.

A work colleague of mine is busily organising and promoting national Ride to Work Day. Watching him stick posters up around the office has reminded me to promote this worthwhile event.

According to the event’s organisers, the day will stimulate over 10,600 tonnes of greenhouse gas savings in the first three years. This is more than 2650 hot air balloons.

Besides the obvious health benefits, cycling just 10km each way to work instead of driving can save1.3 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year.

So if you can, get on your bike on October 17. Register at the site to be a participant or a work place co-ordinator. You will also go into the running to win some great prizes.