Category: Sustainable Settlement and Agriculture

The Generator is founded on the simple premise that we should leave the world in better condition than we found it. The news items in this category outline the attempts people have made to do this. They are mainly concerned with our food supply and settlement patterns. The impact that the human race has on the planet.

Gillard pledges housing boost for regional cities

admin /18 July, 2010

Gillard pledges housing boost for regional cities

By online political correspondent Emma Rodgers

Posted 44 minutes ago

A re-elected Labor Government would give $200 million to help boost affordable housing in regional cities in a bid to take pressure off ever-growing urban centres, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced.

Ms Gillard made the announcement in Brisbane where she kicked off her first full day of the election campaign by cuddling babies at a family picnic in Brisbane.

Labor is likely to focus heavily on campaigning in Queensland where it holds 10 seats which are on a margin under 5 per cent.

In a speech to the Eidos Institute Ms Gillard has moved to focus on population concerns.

Ms Gillard says the August 21 election is on a “knife edge” and will be a “referendum on our quality of life”.

She says a re-elected Labor Government would give $200 million to local councils so they can build more affordable homes.

Greens call on Gillard to guarantee public service lobs

admin /18 July, 2010

Greens call on Gillard to guarantee public service jobs “Tony Abbott should explain his plans to cut public spending.” With both the big parties pledging cutbacks, Australian Greens LeaderBob Brown today called on Prime Minister Gillard to guarantee publicservice jobs for Australians. “The Prime Minister should make clear what the impact of the cutbacksshe has Continue Reading →

Re-using bike parts to power water pumps, corn crushers and more

admin /18 July, 2010

Reusing bike parts to power water pumps, corn crushers and more

Mira Olson

15th July, 2010

A tiny workshop in rural Guatemala is pioneering cheap, eco-friendly, pedal-powered machines made from discarded bicycle parts

A group of elderly, indigenous women wearing traditional hand-made dresses sit in a circle and exchange stories. Their continuous pedalling would go unnoticed, were it not for the noisy churning of the blenders placed on top of tables in front of them. The machines have enabled these women to form their own business: the sale of blue agave shampoo produced at their humble, cinderblock home.

The pedal-powered blenders are capable of speeds of up to 6,400 RPM and are used in multiple capacities in the community, from simple food processing to more creative applications.

They are but one example of several bicimáquinas (bike-machines) designed and built at Maya Pedal, a locally-run NGO in the small, rural town of San Andrés Itzapa, Guatemala, which is still primarily inhabited by the Mayan people of Cakchiquel descent.

Thanks to the organisation, community members benefit from water pumps to irrigate their fields, mills to grind corn, devices for manufacturing concrete tiles, electricity generators capable of storing electricity in car batteries, coffee pulping machines that can accumulate up to 8000 pounds daily, trikes and trailers to transport people and goods within the community, and even three-cycle washing machines, all operated essentially while exercising.

In the frozen waters of Everest, I learned the value of humility

admin /18 July, 2010

In the frozen waters of Everest, I learned the value of humility

I had to perform a U-turn to accomplish the hardest task I have ever faced. And a volte-face is our only hope of solving climate change.

On 15 July 2007, I swam across an open patch of sea at the North Pole to highlight the melting of the Arctic sea ice. Three years later, I remember it as if it were yesterday. I recall walking to the edge of the sea and thinking: I’ve never seen anything so frightening in my life. There were giant chunks of ice in the water, which was –1.7C (29F) and utterly black.

If things go pear-shaped now, I thought, how long would it take for my frozen body to sink the 4.2km to the seabed? And then I realised that was perhaps the single worst thought one could have before attempting a symbolic 1km swim wearing nothing but a pair of Speedos. I was shaken to the core, terrified.

After thousands of hours of planning and training, the only way I could complete the swim that lured me to the northernmost point of the world was committing 100%. Nothing is more powerful than a made-up mind. I disappeared inside my head and my blood simmered. After listening to some rousing music (everything from Verdi to P Diddy) to get myself into the right state of mind, I threw myself into the water and swam with as much speed and aggression as my body could muster.

Greens offer stable leadership, climate action now

admin /17 July, 2010

Greens offer stable leadership, climate change action “A strong safe crossbench in the Senate” – Brown “I offer the electorate experienced and stable leadership, and theprogressive policies and clear vision for Australia’s future which thebig parties are ignoring,” Australian Greens Leader Senator Brown saidin Canberra today. “Moving forward will mean a carbon tax on polluters; Continue Reading →

Study lists properties at risk of rising sea levels

admin /16 July, 2010

Study lists properties at risk of rising sea levels ABC July 16, 2010, 11:39 am       Wollongong City Council’s coastal zone study has identified more than 2,600 properties which could be affected by a major storm if sea levels rise 90 centimetres by 2100. Council spokeswoman Renee Campbell says a 90-centimetre increase in Continue Reading →

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