Environmental Impact, definition of

Any change to the environment whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from human activity, industry or natural disasters.

• Climategate, what is going on?
  Global warming, climate change, greenhouse effect and climategate; how 'valid' is the climate science?
• Solar Energy - how you can use the Sun
  The Sun's Energy can be used in way different ways, we look at the various options available.
• Solar Power - the facts about setting up Solar Power
  Solar Power systems installed at the home or office can reduce environmental impact. How solar panel systems work is described and how you and the environment benefit.
• Eco Tourism, how to minimise your effects
  Eco tourism is about enjoying remote places and destinations whilst minimising your environmental or cultural impact. This article goes into some detail on this subject.
• Carbon Offsets, what they are and how they help
  Carbon offsets can help with reducing overall carbon emissions by possibly balancing out the carbon impact on the environment. This article goes into more detail on the subject.
• Ecologically Sustainable Development, what it is and how you can do it
  Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) is defined and explained in detail in this article; and how it helps you to be more green and eco friendly.
• Is using a wood fire to heat being Green?
  We look at whether using a wood fire to heat your home is being really green or not.
• Being Green in your Bathroom
  How to be more green in your bathroom from saving water to bathroom cleaning.
• Water for Melbourne via pipe from Tasmania
  Discussion over why its far better for the environment to pipe water from Tasmania to Melbourne than building the Wonthaggi desalination plant
• Top Ten Going Green Tips & Tricks
  Top ten green tips and tricks you can do to be Green and more Eco friendly in your day to day life.
• Green Home Building and Ecology in Australia
  Info and sites that help with building a sustainable and green home in Australia and useful government agencies to be aware of. Also advice on dealing with architects and builders.
• Keeping your home Cool in Summer or Warm in Winter for free!
  How to keep cool or warm in your home by design, either in Summer or Winter, whilst reducing costs to you and the Earth..

• Second hand building materials
  Second hand building materials offer an excellent way to reduce environmental impact, we show you how.
• Landfills May Be Greener Than Recycling, finds study
  Recycling plastic bottles might not always be the most environmentally-friendly option for disposal, according to a study by an independent consultancy based near Zurich, Switzerland.
• 10:10 cut carbon emissions viral video nightmare
  The 10:10 global campaign to cut global carbon emissions has demonstrated in a video they just pulled of their website (but has gone viral, so too late) exactly what they think of those who disagree with them...
• Royal Society acknowledges significant uncertainly in climate predictions
  A recent report from UK Royal Society (layman's guide to the science of climate change) has actually acknowledged that there is significant uncertainly in future climate models and predictions.
• National Broadband Network - is it really Green?
  How green is the National Broadband Network (NBN) and what are the alternatives?
• Solar Cells at the nanoscale
  it appears that some recent research is promising to improve the efficiency of solar cell light capture by up to 12 times..
• It does look like the Sun influences climate after all
  The idea that changes in the sun's activity can influence the climate is making a comeback, after years of scientific vilification, thanks to major advances in our understanding of the atmosphere.
• BBC calls for UN climate chief resignation
  As reported by the BBC several environmentalists, UK MPs and scientists has called for the resignation of Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN’s climate science body.
• Yahoo's super efficient Data Center
  Yahoo has been able to apply passive cooling and hydro-electricity to a data center to produce massive savings in power usage and environmental foot print.
• Reducing cows' methane production the natural way
  It appears that oregano can actually reduce the methane 'emissions' a cow produces..
• Climate Disruption
  Climate Disruption equals Climate Change equals Global Warming - the great global rebranding of AGW rolls on..
• WA Greens get evicted a Feedlot Operator for not believing in AGW
  It appears in Western Australia that the Green's have no shame in wrecking a families livelihood because they expressed anti global warming opinions. This has resulted in the family been given 4 days notice of eviction.
• Passive Solar Design advice
  Passive Solar design can be applied to existing buildings as well as new buildings. We explain some useful techniques and give links to useful resources.
• EarthCare Centre open day
  The EarthCare Centre in Western Sydney is having an open day on Sustainable House Day
• Sustainable House Day on this weekend
  Sustainable House Day 2010 in Australia is on this Sunday 12th September
• Forestry investments have all gone rotten
  The Managed Investment Scheme (MIS) operators have all gone to the wall in Australia, we look at why and if they were actually green.
• Self-Assembling Solar Cells Recycle Themselves Repeatedly
  MIT has been researching into creating natural cell like solar cells which are able to reassemble themselves and the research so far looks quite promising...
• Chicago Climate Exchange drops 50%, new record low
  Basically, if it gets any lower it will be ZERO..
• IPCC must reform, recommends IAC
  An independent review said the scientists who produce the periodic United Nations reports on climate change (IPCC) should be more open to alternative views, more transparent about their own possible conflicts of interest and more realistic in the reporting of the likelihood of climatic events.
• Alternative Solar Energy
  Alternative Solar Energy - this phrase often creates images of hippies and flower power... We look at what it really means.
• US Thermal Solar Plant approved in California
  California approves the first U.S. Thermal Solar Plant.
• solar power efficiency
  What are the factors that are important in efficiently harvesting solar power - we look at what they are..
• Special Interest Groups
  To make it easier to find information on certain important topics we have made a set of SIG's (Special Interest Groups)...
• New Rainwater harvesting calculator
  This new calculator allows you to work out the practical tank size given average per month rainfall, your roof area and expected monthly water usage.
• More Efficient Solar Cells with Selenium
  Researchers have discovered that just adding a minuscule quantity of 9% selenium with zinc oxide base radically improved the sun light absorbing efficiency of the material...
• Climate Change Policy in Australia
  With an election just around the corner the politically sensitive issue of how Labour is to deal with Climate Change has been presented as policy today.
• GE Ecomagination Challenge $200m for good ideas
  GE Ecomagination contest hopes to gather ideas for improving electrical grid technology.
• Call for tighter review of IPCC data
  Prof Jean Palutikof, who spent 5 years at the British Met Office preparing the UN report, Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, admitted the existing system was flawed because "quite a lot" of information had not been peer-reviewed by independent scientists before publication.
• IPCC conclusions fail under legal cross examination
  A cross examination of global warming science conducted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Law and Economics has concluded that virtually every claim advanced by global warming proponents fails to stand up to scrutiny.
• new low cost solar cell tech - dye films
  solar dye film cells will be available at a projected price of 3p per kw/h, a tenth of silicon cells.
• Give Curry to sheep and save the planet
  Strange but true, feeding sheep curry could save the planet...
• Solar companies receive $2 billion
  Two solar companies have been awarded nearly $2 billion in Recovery Act funding for solar projects in three states.
• New Square LED's more light directional
  A new LED fabrication technique produces squares of LED's that are more directional.
• Best Solar Panels for home
  We look at what are the best solar panels for home use
• Climatic Modelling - the problems with getting it right
  Climatic Models are being used more and more to demonstrate human induced climate change is happening; we look at the problems with this.
• Solar Power Calculator Updated
  Our solar power calculator has been updated..
• Gillard is in
  Julia Gillard is in as the new PM of Australia, replacing Kevin Rudd; what does this mean for the Green Agenda?
• Insulation, how much do you need?
  Working out how much insulation to install can be difficult, we show you how.
• Green Home Loan Calculator
  A home loan calculator that allows you to also work out what you can do to be more green, and pay off your loan quicker as well.
• Quantum dot solar cells - is this the breakthrough?
  Quantum Dot Photovoltaics look to be able to double solar electricity collection efficiency. Is this enough to improve the viability of solar power to be practical to more of the community and make it sustainable green?
• Buy Green Books and Products
  We now have an online facility to purchase green books and products.
• Resource Super Profit Tax is Super Stupid
  We look at the Resource Super Profit tax and show why it will not work as advertised.
• Climate Change: the ice is fine
  Electromagnetic survey to measure ice thickness uncovers vast areas of resilient "old" ice in the Arctic; leading researcher concludes, "Any talk about tipping points, a sudden drop and no recovery ... I don't think it is going to happen."
• Keeping Cool in Summer
  Keeping cool in Summer as always a challenge, we show you how to do it whilst being green.
• Wind Power, is it really Green?
  Can wind power be considering a really green alternative energy source in its own right?
• Time to comment on the IPCC
  The IPCC is awaiting your feedback, tell it as it is...
• A study: The temperature rise has caused the CO2 Increase, not the other way around
  Differentiating the CO2 measurements over the last thirty years produces a pattern that matches the temperature anomaly measured by satellites in extreme detail. That this correlation includes El Niño years, and shows that the temperature rise is causing the rise in CO2, rather than the other way..
• Sustainable House Day 2010 in Australia
  Sustainable House Day 2010 is on for Sunday 12th September 2010, we look at how this can help you been more sustainable.
• Sustainable House and Home
  Sustainable housing, we look into what you need to do to make your house more green and sustainable.
• Passive Solar
  Passive Solar is often banded around as a good thing to do to make your house more green; we look at it in more detail.
• Bilderberg 2010
  Bilderberg 2010, a meeting you have never heard of, full of people you have never heard of - trying to manage the world without your say..
• Rain fall and rain harvesting calculator
  A new calculator that uses some publicly available rain fall data to help work out your monthly rain fall and hence collectible rain water.
• Green Directory
  New Green directory service on line.
• Architects held to be "Fit For Purpose"
  Trade Practices Amendment (Australian Consumer Law) Bill (No. 2) 2010 will seek to remove an exception requiring Architects and Engineers to comply to a 'Fit for Purpose' warranty. We think this is a good thing.
• The Skeptic Global Warming Conference
  The Fourth International Conference on Climate Change is taking place in Chicago, Illinois.
• New Scientist, in denial on denial
  New Scientist has just published a 'Age of Denial' special edition..
• Kids test with added global warming propoganda
  The recent NAPLAN test in Australia has caused an outrage due to it containing an inaccurate article that pits roo meat against beef & the coal industry in terms of environmental impact.
• Is Cap and Trade really the way to care for the planet?
  I reckon Cap and Trade is not the way to go..
• Is Climate Change caused by Photoshop?
  We look at the images used in the media to portray climate change and find quite a few have been run through PhotoShop..
• Home Sustainability Assessment - do you really need one?
  Home Sustainability Assessments, are they actually assessing your home or assessing your ability to pay for more green modifications...
• Most convinced global warming not man made
  It appears that down in Australia that there is an outbreak of common sense occurring.
• Hot Water Heat Pumps - are they a rip off
  We have a quick look at the cost benefits behind heating hot water using a heat pump...
• Lets the climate models tell the truth we want to see..
  Climate models are just that, a model, based on assumptions and theories. Their accuracy is limited not only through the complexities of the climatic systems they model but also by the conclusions researchers want to see from them..
• More exact monthly means...
  Following up with more data set pairs showing the difference in accuracy between min/max daily monthly means and taking the mean of all hourly measurements in that month..
• What exactly is a monthly mean?
  A lot of climate analysis is done using the monthly mean temperature. Given that data is quite often available for hourly measurements I thought I'd have a look at whether creating a monthly mean straight off all the hourly measurements would produce a difference; initial findings indicate it does.
• Australia has a growing obesity problem
  Australia has a big problem, obesity is now the #1 preventable cause of death..
• Global Warmings unscientific method
  Peer review seems to be more about peer pressure when trying to publish anything that goes against the Global Warming group think.
• Australian Bureau of Meterology tweaking the climatic data?
  Its seems that the Australian Bureau of Meteorology might have been tweaking the data a bit to show false warming..
• Climategate Parliamentary Inquiry in the UK, the whitewash results are in
  The parliamentary inquiry into ClimateGate has just published its report, we have a look.
• heathrow expansion stopped due to climate change?
  It appears that a UK judge seems to have swallowed hook line and sinker the 'settled science' of climate change and stopped Heathrow from being expanded..
• Green Environment Blog Network - a closed blog ring?
  It appears that the Guardian and sites like realclimate.org have been engaging in closed content sharing ring..
• Earth Hour - the flop?
  Although Earth Hour left people with a nice warm glow, did it actually make a difference...
• Climate Change caused an island, erm sand bar to disappear..
  "Climate change sunk my sandbar..." hmm
• Earth Hour - lights out, minds alight
  On March 27th, 115 countries will put their lights out for one hour. We discuss what this means and what you should do long term to help the environment.
• Missing, one weather station
  It seems Australia is having a bit of a problem with missing weather stations.
• WWF's Amazon carbon trading cash cow
  It appears the World Wildlife Fund could be on its way to securing up to $60 billion in carbon credits from 'saving' the Amazon - more like 'cashing in' on the Amazon if you ask me..
• Costs overruns for school buildings
  It appears that the Australian school building program is having its fair share of 'cost overruns'..
• Climate Rage
  Climate Rage - don't get mad - get even.
• The Green Web Directory is Online
  Our Green Directory is up and running
• Solar Power - hidden costs
  Solar power is all the rage at the moment, we had a look at some quotes and found it is not as good a deal as it looks.
• Climate Change killed my cat..
  It seems that everything from Floods through to Fires through to droughts is being blamed on global warming and climate change. I think this is oversimplifying the story and ignoring local changes we have caused.
• Is keeping data private 'normal practise' in climate research?
  It seems Phil Jones thinks its perfectly normal to do research and publish said research whilst withholding data.
• Yet another Climate Change department?
  Seems the AU government are busy producing yet more Co2 via civil servants for climate change.
• Act on Co2 - the advert..
  Ofcom in the UK is investigating a climate change advert which really takes things too far.
• Met Office proposes to make Data Set Verifiable
  The UK Met Office want to put in place a collation of station data that is publicly accessible.
• Cover-More, you drink and its cover-less..
  If you have Cover-More insurance, don't travel and do any drinking if you want to remain insured - thats the finding of a recent Today Tonight special.
• Is ETS a lame duck?
  The Emissions Trading Scheme looks to be stuck in the Senate. Does this mean it will fail?
• A failure to insulate
  It appears the Rudd governments insulation rebate scheme is beyond repair...
• Climate Change bullies?
  Climate Change Scientists seem to believe they are being bulled...
• Sydney transport - oh what a fine mess!
  Yet more politically motivated tweaking of the Sydney transport system..
• National Climate Change Forum response
  This is in response to the National Climate Change Forum being held in Adelaide.
• What is the fuss with biochar??
  Given the sudden interest in the media on biochar one would think a way of really saving the world has been discovered...
• Bush Fires and being Green, can you do both?
  Given that bush fires cause a lot of destruction and environmental damage, can we manage them and be green at the same time?

• A mega energy project would bring 8,000 workers to the outback. What are the odds of it going ahead?
  Plans lodged with WA's Environmental Protection Authority this month will bring wild transformation to an ancient desert landscape. Experts, who note the proposed scale is "incredible", say the idea has a lot going for it.
• Thousands of hectares of koala habitat are cleared every year, including for renewable energy projects
  We examined approved and proposed projects under federal environment legislation to look at how much koala habitat is being slated for destruction across several industries.
• Climate Change Weekly #514: 🦇 Evidence Mounts that Green Tech Is Wiping Out Species 🐦
  I and other Heartland Institute scholars have written before about the bird, bat, and marine mammals that industrial wind is killing around the world. The Heartland Institute has also written concerning industrial solar’s threat to desert species,...
• How do you cool a reactor and does Australia have enough water for nuclear power?
  Nuclear power relies on millions of litres of cooling water. The federal opposition's plan to build reactors on seven sites raises questions about water use and the effect on the environment.
• Nuclear plants are thirsty. Can the driest inhabited continent on Earth support them?
  Nuclear power relies on millions of litres of cooling water. The federal opposition's plan to build reactors on seven sites raises questions about water use and the effect on the environment.  
• Massive SunCable solar project spanning more than 12,000 hectares gets environmental tick in NT
  A project to develop "the world's largest renewable energy precinct" in a remote stretch of the territory receives crucial environmental approvals, but a final investment decision for the $30 billion-plus project is not expected until 2027.
• Rural residents told to 'get over' look of powerlines as Victoria's renewable targets face barriers
  Andrew Balfour has seven transmission towers on his farm. He doesn't recommend it to others — but sites for new power infrastructure will be needed across the state as renewable energy projects take off.
• University clears hundreds of trees to build solar farm
  La Trobe University's plan to clear trees for a solar farm in Melbourne's north has raised questions about renewables coming at the cost of native habitat.
• Is it worth investing in a battery for your rooftop solar? Here's what you need to know before you buy
  In some cases, adding a battery to your rooftop solar system will pay off. But to be sure, households need information about many factors — and there's no single reliable place to find it, write Asma Aziz and Daryoush Habibi.
• Going from gas to all-electric is cheaper and greener. Here's how governments can help more of us make the switch
  Switching from gas to all-electric has significant financial and environmental benefits, but many households face hurdles that make it hard or impossible to do...