This week, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology added two more colours to the scale on its heat map to take account of unprecedented temperatures forecast for next week. The new shades are purple and pink and really do look quite pretty. The alarming thing is that they signify temperatures of over 50°C. SO hot! It has been so hot in Canberra this summer. Certainly the hottest summer since we have been living here (the last 5 years). I remember last summer as feeling particularly mild, with only a few days over 30°C. This year though it has been consistently hot here, as with around the country. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the heatwave has broken national records. Last Monday the average daily temperature was 40.33°C.... Crazy!! So hot! And we also broke the record for the most days in a row that the national average temperature was above 39°C between 2-8 January. Tim Flannery says: When you start breaking records, and you do it consistently, and you see … [Read more...]
Best of sustainability on the web
It has been all very busy here lately with a couple of contracts happening. I have however found time to read some interesting articles online and I want to share some of them with you. I hope you enjoy them. The west isn't ready for the rise of China This is a really interesting article on the rise of China written by Kevin Rudd (Australia's former PM). I guess with some extra time on his hands he is able to put pen to paper and write intelligent papers like these! How fair trade supports children's rights to a safer environment This article looks at how fair trade can improve a farmer's (and his family's) standard of living, with better access to healthy land and water. Climate reality bites: Gen-Xers don't care much about global warming Sadly, it seems Gen-Xers don't think climate change is worth worrying about, even less-so than was the case in 2009. And, even worse, those with children seem to care less than those without.... weird. And … [Read more...]
Australian Census 2011 data released
What an exciting morning! I woke up this morning to look at the Canberra Times online and saw that the first data from the Australian 2011 Census has been released! Now, I realise this may not excite everyone, but I really love Census data (I actually nearly trained to be a demographer following on from my undergraduate studies in Adelaide under Graeme Hugo who I have a huge amount of respect for). Closest to home for me is the ACT data and there was some really interesting outcomes from it. A few of the main points taken from the Canberra Times article are: -there are 93,397 families, with an average of 1.8 children -the overall population is up by 10% to 357,222 -we've had a decrease in standalone home and an increase in units (one of which I am living in!!) -the proportion of Canberrans in de facto relationships is up, and marriage is very slightly down -Canberra is more culturally diverse, but still less diverse than the national average -28.9% have no religion which is … [Read more...]
Things are taking off
It has been all rather busy in these parts of late with things really taking off for my business. I'm currently working hard on my first contract which is a study into housing in a community in Queensland. I'm also preparing a couple of submissions for some other opportunities that are in the wings and I can't wait to share about those if they come off! You may have noticed that I have made some changes to my website, both on the home page (simplifying and streamlining), and a couple of new pages: my CV and Why choose me?. Hopefully these changes make it easier to find the information you need. I'd love to hear what you think about them in the comments section below. I've been enjoying developing my templates for my business branding (the ones I will use for proposals, reports and invoices), which has been a bit of an organic process, developing along the way as I've needed it to (as I guess tends to be the case with a home business in its early stages). I've also been … [Read more...]
Canberra lacks ‘something’
I was reading this article in the Canberra Times a week or so ago: Architect wants planning shake-up in the ACT, and it really resonated with me. Probably because I really love the lifestyle Canberra has to offer and yet I know that the city lacks 'something'. I recently went on a trip to Adelaide, one of the cities I used to live in. It was Fringe Festival time, which meant there was a whole lot of fun happening in the evenings. As I wandered down Rundle Street, a place that I used to frequent daily as I worked there and walked to and from uni along there, I just loved the vibe. It was active, funky, and it had soul. People were laughing and social, there was fabulous fashion shops fronting onto the street and there were street vendors smattered along the sides. Another moment on our trip that stands out was just a casual outing to a park in a suburb south of the city called Christies Beach. Many families were there with their kids and dogs running around and playing. The … [Read more...]
National Grammar Day
Yesterday was National Grammar Day in the US and in honour of this I present the comic below for a few giggles. These days spelling and grammar errors are way too common. Call it the age of instant publishing, but everyone should give their work a quick once over before hitting the send, share or tweet button. What's out there on the web presents an image of you or your organisation, so make sure the spelling and the grammar are in order! Or if you'd like someone else to take care of it for you, I offer editing and proofreading services. To find out more or get a quote, just contact me via email using the link in the top right corner of this page, or use the contact form here. … [Read more...]
Creating a better world
I came across this great cartoon while browsing Enviromum's blog the other day. The cartoon is by Joel Pett and was actually first posted back in 2009 but the point is still relevant today. Perhaps even moreso than it was back then. The momentum for taking action on climate change (in Australia at least) has waned and there isn't as much interest in the issue, especially when compared to the big impetus for change we had in 2007 when Kevin Rudd was elected as PM. Having said that, the policies and plans being introduced in the name of climate change are all great initiatives. If (and it's a big IF!) climate change isn't 'real', at least we can say we worked for the greater good of our planet by taking action in the name of climate change. … [Read more...]
Apologies for the brief interlude
A quick little note to update you on my small absence from keeping this blog up to date. Sadly, my beloved MacBook Pro got damaged and has had to go in for repairs. This has slowed me down a little with keeping up to date with all my planned content I had! But I do still have access to a computer and so am able to keep in touch with you all via email, Facebook, Google+ and a the usual range of online communication tools. Plus of course there's always the good old phone! So, this post is just a quick one to say that you are not forgotten, dear interwebs and I am really looking forward to getting back here and posting regularly. I can't wait for my new MacBook Pro to arrive!! But, until then, if posts are a little more sporadic than usual, I am truly sorry! … [Read more...]
Pinterest – a visual treasure trove
If you're on Facebook I'm guessing you have probably heard of Pinterest this year via one of your female friends commenting on how fun and addictive it is, or maybe you've noticed it pop up on your Facebook newsfeed as more and more people are using it. It seems to be gaining momentum and popularity, and therefore there is more and more to find on Pinterest and more potential for organisations or brands to use it to highlights their products or causes. Just in case you haven't heard of it, or you've heard of it but you're not quite sure what it is, Pinterest is like a virtual pinboard where you can pin images onto your boards you find on the internet to refer back to later. Sort of like a bookmarking system, but a very pretty one. To give you an idea of some of the things that people bookmark on Pinterest, examples of the main categories are Food & Drink, DIY & Crafts, Photography, Travel & Places, Kids, Film Music & Books, and People. There are a lot of pretty … [Read more...]