How does your shiny halo sit? - 27 May 2010
How is your halo? Is it a shiny halo sitting perkily just above your
head, or is it a bit tarnished and hanging around your neck? Mine's
hovering somewhere around nose level: I get credits because we're
putting in solar panels but debits because I keep jumping in the car
for short trips when I could rug up and ride the bike.
If you are feeling virtuous about something "green" that you've been
doing, then you can let the world know about it through a website
hosted by Centroc (Central NSW Councils). The Shiny Halo blog is
administered by Centroc's new Climate Adaptation Officer, Lis
Bastian. Lis is well-known through the region as the former Arts
OutWest presenter on Prime TV and through her more recent work in
promoting permaculture. If you log in to the blog and report on a
positive action you are taking, Centroc will plant a tree for you
somewhere in the central west region. The web address is http://
centroc.com.au/shinyhalo
,,,
In another bit of good news, Centroc will host an electric car
challenge on Mt Panorama during its regional summit on July 29-30.
The challenge will include cars ranging from the Tesla Roadster to be
driven by Simon Hackett from Internode, to the retrofitted electrical
car built by students from Orange High School. It can only be a
matter of time before we see a fully-fledged electric car race on Mt
Panorama. It will be a strange event, though, with the cars silently
swishing around, rather than the trademark roar of motors!
,,,
In the midst of all the controversy surrounding the new mining tax,
the Australian Conservation Foundation's Charles Berger has pointed
out in an article in the Age newspaper that the mining sector pays
nothing for its greenhouse pollution. He writes: "In 2006, the 65
million tonnes of pollution attributable to the mining sector had an
implicit cost of $1.3 billion, at a very conservative cost of carbon
of $20 per tonne." While the miners are howling, there is a good
argument that they are not paying prices that reflect the finite
nature of the resources they are digging up, or the long-term
environmental damage caused. This is not to oppose mining; it is
simply to say that the environment should be a stronger player in
economic calculations.