Fair@Square Festival (Melbourne, Dec 2-4)

The Fair@Square fair-trade + ethical festival 2011 will be held in the heart of Melbourne at Federation Square from Friday evening December 2nd. Including a variety of entertainment, including live musical acts, fashion shows, interactive presentations, lifestyle workshops and fun activities for children, the festivities will continue  through to Sunday December 4th.

posted by seamas on November 26, 2011 at 2:49 pm · filed under

Yes Men Fix the World film (Melbourne, Dec 6)

Big Picture

A Big Picture screening of THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD, a true story following two political activists who, posing as top executives of giant corporations, lie their way into big business conferences and pull off outrageous pranks to expose the ways that corporate greed is destroying our planet.

At Ross House, 247 Flinders Lane, Melbourne on Tuesday, December 6th from 6pm.

posted by seamas on November 26, 2011 at 2:38 pm · filed under

Coral Sea marine park to be largest on the planet

CNN

The Australian Government has announced plans to create the world’s largest marine protected area in the Coral Sea, covering almost 1 million square kilometres of biodiversity rich waters off the country’s northeast coast. Conservation groups want a larger area covered, but have described the announcement as “a good start”.

posted by seamas on November 26, 2011 at 2:30 pm · filed under

Greens back mining tax through lower house

ABC News

The Government’s proposed new mining tax has passed the lower house, with Labor and the Greens reaching a last-minute deal to balance a higher $75 million minimum profit threshold demand from independent Andrew Wilkie with measures to ensure the tax will still generate revenues meeting the original forecasts. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott strongly criticised the deal, the details of which remain unclear as the bill goes to the Senate.

posted by seamas on November 24, 2011 at 7:35 am · filed under

Renewable energy investment growing

Sydney Morning Herald

Almost half the new investment in the energy sector is being directed towards solar, wind, and hydroelectric projects according to new figures from the Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics. Wind power dominated, accounting for 41% of new investment in the year to October 2011. While the Government has expressed doubts these projects will be enough to meet demand, Tim Sonnreich from the Clean Energy Council cites South Australia (where 20% of power needs are met by renewable sources) as a leading example of how the sector has already become a major part of the nation’s energy mix, and also of renewable energy growth that other states should be aspiring to.

posted by seamas on November 17, 2011 at 8:21 pm · filed under

Support grows for Reflex paper boycott

The Wilderness Society

More than 1,000 companies and organisations have signed the Wilderness Society’s Ethical Paper Pledge, promising to ditch Reflex paper products. The Wilderness Society has linked the Reflex brand with the destruction of native forests and is campaigning for the manufacturer to change its ways.

posted by seamas on November 11, 2011 at 7:21 am · filed under

Senate passes carbon price into law

Reuters

On Tuesday, Australia became only the second major economy in the world (after the European Union) to pass legislation dedicated to limiting carbon emissions through economic reform. A carbon tax of $23 per tonne will be levelled on the top 500 polluters starting July 2012, with the fixed price to make way for an emissions trading scheme after three years.

posted by seamas on November 8, 2011 at 7:52 am · filed under