Think about it, before the next rain drop falls

Posted to Your News, Waverley Leader on 5/2/2011 at 10:46 pm
Think about it, before the next rain drop falls
http://waverley-leader.whereilive.com.au/your-news/story/think-about-it-before-the-next-rain-drop-falls/

Many new residential blocks are small; the house, driveway and garage occupy most of the land, leaving very little room for lawn and plants.

Although earlier subdivided land sizes are bigger, many people have turned the non build-up areas into rock gardens or concreted outdoor area due to busy life style. Rain is not absorbed, and goes down to the drain literally, and if not, causes flood in low lying areas. Paved areas are not only a better medium for faster water flow, but also act like impervious bases of mini-reservoirs in flooded regions.

With fewer plants, absorption of carbon dioxide is reduced, and in the meantime, emission of oxygen is reduced as well.

With all these taken into consideration, should new building and planning codes be amended to incorporate “rainfall friendly” clauses?

Carlton protester dices with death in hunger strike

Posted to Melbourne Leader on 17/12/2009 at 12:49 AM

Commenting on “Carlton protester dices with death in hunger strike”
http://melbourne-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/carlton-protester-dices-with-death-in-hunger-strike/

Paul Connor does not get a sympathy vote from me. His inaction of doing something constructive, sitting for more than a month outside the Parliament House, makes him just as useless as the rest.

If Paul is really passionate about the climate change issues, he should start demonstrating and giving talks to the public especially the younger generation how he can help to bring about a clean and healthy Earth - he will use a bike or walk instead of a car, install renewable energy generator, drink from glass bottle instead of plastic one, (photo of Connor in the paper shows that he was holding a plastic bottle of water) grow his vegetables instead of buying from green grocers, turn off his heaters and wear more clothing, etc.

Words are cheap - are Paul's ideals implementable ideas? Almost all the people in the world fail to realise that the experts and governments concentrating on slowing down climate warming will not avoid any future global destruction. Paul, should the climate change gets worse, are there any escape routes for the victims? Why don't you start "preaching" / campaigning for funding in global cooling research?

Einstein was not accepted by his peers when he talked about the Theory of Relativity. Climate cooling is not that farfetched. Is it?

Ban the external heaters outside the cafes

Posted to Your News, Waverley Leader on 25/11/2009 at 2:35 AM

Ban the external heaters outside the cafes

http://waverley-leader.whereilive.com.au/your-news/story/ban-external-heaters-outside-cafes/

The outdoor heaters mounted on the "ceiling" or on a stand are wasteful of valuable energy. A lot of the heat is loss to heating up space not to the benefit of the customers and the pockets of the business owners. At times, heaters are not turned off even when there were no customers. Let's be serious about protecting our environment and slowly down climate change, ban the use of outdoor heaters. Customers should wear the proper clothing, and don't be an idiot to eat in the cold!

Ban external heaters outside cafes

Posted to Your News, Waverley Leader on 25/11/2009 at 2:35 AM
Ban external heaters outside cafes
http://waverley-leader.whereilive.com.au/your-news/story/ban-external-heaters-outside-cafes/

The outdoor heaters mounted on the “ceiling” or on a stand are wasteful of valuable energy. A lot of the heat is loss to heating up space not to the benefit of the customers and the pockets of the busines owners. At times, heaters are not turned off even when there were no customers. Let’s be serious about protecting our environment and slowly down climate change, ban the use of outdoor heaters. Customers should wear the proper clothing, and don’t be an idiot to eat in the cold!

City Alfresco Style Dining

Posted to Your News, Waverley Leader on 10/5/2009
City Alfresco Style Dining
http://waverley-leader.whereilive.com.au/your-news/story/city-alfreco-style-dining/

Many cafes extend their trading floor space to the side walk. The furniture occupies area, thus narrowing the walk way. On very busy sunny days, this hinders free flow of pedestrian traffic, and may post a safety problem.

While the side-walk Alfresco-style dining may give the city a touch of European atmosphere, the negatives may outweigh the positive. Most diners are considerate, but some leave unsightly mess of used bags, bottles, containers and cigarette butts.

Side-walk diners, like many people, are concerned about the air quality they breathe, and yet they are quite contented to sit next to busy roads where unhealthy exhaust fumes are continuously emitting from motor vehicles. If the diners are smokers, they will suck in double dose of carcinogens – the tar and the exhaust particles.

Diners who choose to dine outside on very cold days should wear appropriate attire instead of using external gas heaters installed by the business owners. Most of the heat is wasted in warming up the open air, and only small proportion benefits the diners. Such inconsideration reflects on the naivety and hypocrisy of the diners on climate change and global warming argument.

I would like to call upon all authorities to ban the use of external heating devices, unless for emergency purposes, in the name of energy conservation, climate change minimisation and being a good global citizen.