A couple of years ago, I published a post about the horror movie marathon in which we’re all taking part (here). I hadn’t thought about that post for ages, until I read an article this week entitled ‘How to stay happy when the sky is… Read More ›
Opinion
Celebrate, respect, remember & sing out loud
It’s Australia Day again (or Straya Day as we say in the local dialect), sparking the inevitable debates about whether this is a day of celebration or shame. We’re also being encouraged to participate in familiar discussions about our national anthem, our flag,… Read More ›
Superficial – Don’t judge these Italian cakes by their looks
The sign in this food store near the Campo De’ Fiori in Rome reads ‘Ugly but good’. I regret not tasting one of these cakes while I was there. It’s great that some suppliers are now taking a similar approach with odd-shaped… Read More ›
Why we still need to stop & draw the roses
I recently discovered a fantastic new app called ‘Waterlogue’ that can turn photos into really good watercolour paintings. It’s a bargain for only a couple of dollars!* (Here’s a picture using Waterlogue that I prepared earlier of my neighbour’s dog and her favourite… Read More ›
Is it April Fools’ Year?
A few times this week I have found myself checking that the date wasn’t April 1. ************ The first was when it was reported that Australia is considering scaling back or postponing the national census that has been conducted every… Read More ›
Is IKEA sustainable or evil? No ikea!
The holidays are great for relaxing with the sort of books that you don’t normally read. One of my choices this Christmas was ‘Horrorstör‘ by Grady Hendrix. The novel opens with a stench of zombies (‘the barely living dead’) that are… Read More ›
New Year reflections on time, life & the universe
I’ve just been reading that the chances of the universe (and the planet that we call home) having been formed by a massive number of very specific random events are so slight that even die-hard atheists are questioning their (lack of) belief…. Read More ›
Do sculptures really need development approvals & building permits? At what cost?
A large outdoor sculpture in a small Australian country town has faced more than its fair share of debate over the past two decades. The sculpture, known as ‘Dreamer’s Gate’, provoked a series of complaints from members of the local community and… Read More ›
Using art & social media to raise awareness about deforestation
It was great news that UNESCO unanimously rejected Australia’s bid to delist a large of area of old growth native forest in Tasmania earlier this week (especially as these areas were only awarded World Heritage status last year). However, the… Read More ›
A cruel irony – When comfort food & pets make you feel guilty
If faith is where you turn when there seems to be no place to turn (to paraphrase Zig Ziglar), then comfort food is what you eat at that time. So what happens if you already feel bad and then you feel worse because… Read More ›
Watered down green buildings vs the whole truth
When I visit buildings and developments that claim to be ‘green’, I like to ask the building owners and facility managers about the details. Not details like ‘What type of corner joint did you use here?’ or ‘Did you use recycled PVC… Read More ›
Unsung heroes in environmental management
Someone commented recently that property managers are the unsung heroes of many organisations. Most people don’t think about these quiet achievers until something isn’t working or a utility bill hasn’t been paid. In promoting energy and water efficiency, we encourage… Read More ›
We play in the garden – where art meets the corporate world
It is a sunny day. Jack and Jill go outside to play.* Mummy is working in the garden. ‘Look at the pretty flowers!’ says Jill. ‘I love flowers!’ ‘Look!’ says Jack. ‘A ladybird!’ ‘I love ladybirds,’ says Jill. ‘Oh! The… Read More ›
Did you know that some ladybirds are dangerous to humans and might sue you?
I have always loved ladybirds. I grew up repeating a nursery rhyme about them whenever I saw these insects in the garden (but never really understood the line about their house being on fire). Gardeners know that the common spotted… Read More ›
The social cost of ‘affordable’ clothes
When I heard about the Rana Plaza factory fire in April 2013, I immediately checked the labels on some recent purchases and found, sure enough, ‘Made in Bangladesh’. But what could I do? At the very least, I decided to inform myself… Read More ›
Why policy makers and communicators need to understand the technology adoption bell curve
A recent article* posted on The Conversation suggested that we should ban the word ‘sustainability’ due to the common practice of using a small number of performance indicators to compare companies or products while ignoring the real issues.** The article also… Read More ›
Google glasses & beer goggles
I was very disappointed when I found out what people meant by ‘Google glasses’. I had imagined it to be a conceptual term that cleverly described the Internet’s impact on the way we see the world. Sort of like ‘beer… Read More ›
Sustainability soapbox 