Electrify your powered garden tools
By Lauriston Muirhead Petrol engines come in two main types – two and four stroke. In a “two stroke” the piston goes up (one stroke) and down (two stroke) to produce one push on the crankshaft. In a “four-stroke” the piston goes up and down and then up and down again – making four strokes …
Knitting Nannas for Renewables
By Jen Huber, Albury Wodonga Knitting Nannas for Renewables Albury Wodonga Knitting Nannas for Renewables are a group of grandmothers who want the best for our kids and grandkids, as we all do. We are very aware that we are in difficult times and that action is needed. The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) latest …
The night before Christmas
By Lauriston Muirhead ‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the land Wind turbines were turning supplying demand. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care; The chimney long rested to clean up the air. The moon on the gum leaves and new-fallen dew Gave the lustre of mid-day to the aspects in …
Weighing up our energy choices
By Graham Parton When looking for ways to live lightly, an important consideration relates to our energy sources. Clean energy means lower greenhouse emissions. Australia’s National Party have recently become advocates for nuclear power, and their coalition partners the Liberals would like to have “an intelligent conversation” about it. Both Barnaby Joyce and David Littleproud …
Recycling Renewables
By Bruce Key – member of Wodonga Albury Towards Climate Health (WATCH) One of the challenges of a modern society is how to dispose of waste. A particular concern that people often draw to my attention is the massive amount of waste that will come from solar panels when they reach the end of their …
Water is Life
By Olivia Brozecki As a first generation Australian, it took me an embarrassingly long time to realise my olive-skin is read as ‘white’ in every way that matters. I’ve never been refused a job due to the colour of my skin. I’ve never had someone grip their handbag tightly upon my approach. Etc. Up until …
Hollow firewood
By Graham Parton In the winter months who doesn’t like a nice warm fire to warm the house up. Unfortunately, this may be something we should be giving up if we want to preserve native species such as koalas and gliders. The main driver for species extinctions in Australia is not climate change, or cats, …
The big switch
By Bruce Key, member of Wodonga Albury Toward Climate Health (WATCH) Saul Griffith is an Australian inventor, entrepreneur, engineer and author of a number of books aimed at reducing emissions so that the earth remains liveable. His most recent book is The Big Switch which describes the wonderful assets that Australia possesses and how to use …
Hydrogen, panacea or pitfall?
By Alan Hewett As we move, albeit tardily, towards a clean energy future, hydrogen has been hailed as a major solution to reducing global emissions, halting climate change and creating employment. What is hydrogen exactly? Well, it is an invisible, colourless and odourless gas that burns cleanly and is the most abundant element in the …
Innovate to Regenerate
By Kirsten Coates What would Australia look like by 2030 if we simply listened to the needs of its people? Imagine what a high-speed rail network connecting regional areas and cities would look like! Imagine what large scale wind, solar, battery and hydrogen projects would do for hundreds of thousands of employees and imagine the …
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About Living Lightly …
Living Lightly is a column in the Border Mail newspaper on Wednesdays featuring local stories about sustainable living.
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