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Re: recycling high quality garment scraps
2008-02-02 17:46:53 UTC
Hi Dave
I'd suggest you contact a craft group of some sort and give the scraps to crafters. The two links that I have are for Craft Magazine that blogs regularly and is read by thousands weekly: http://blog.craftzine.com/ Maybe email the craft editor here: [email protected] or the owners of etsy, a site where crafters gather to sell their hand-made products: http://www.etsy.com/ here: [email protected] or maybe your best bet: http://www.buyhandmade.org/why-buy-handmade (not sure of the correct email here, but have a look at some of the links here - there is sure to be at least one that wants the scraps!) This is a fabulous movement with over 10,000 people who have pledged to buy handmade goods rather than brand-new.
Good luck with this!
Amanda -
RE:Please Read: Important Proposed Changes to Listserv -- Feedback
2007-03-26 19:21:32 UTC
Dear Doug
I find forums clunky and difficult to follow, so your suggestion of a daily digest of topics posted would be very welcome if you decide to go down this route. Thanks for the effort to get this right, it's much appreciated.
Amanda -
RE:ecosystem services
2007-02-27 16:40:51 UTC
Unfortunately, the way the decisions are made in our world revolve around 'economic benefit'. I (have a background in financial management, with a recent side-order of economics) have looked at the way 'economic benefit' is measured and agree with a number of thinkers on the subject, that it is inherently flawed. Marilyn Waring (ex NZ MP and author) is a wonderful source of information on the reasons why it is, and on the acknowledged, though not widely publicised belief that Gross Domestic Product & Gross National Product are not good measures of wealth. That said, I think that it is good to show individuals how they can save money by taking environmentally friendly steps. There is no doubt in my mind that this can encourage/contribute to people taking those steps. But I don't agree with assigning a monetary value the environmental elements. How much fresh air is worth, becomes (like the whole economic system) an exercise in asking how much it is worth to this person and that person and we come up with (for example) 3cents per square centimetre and what does that really mean? Which square cm? And is that my air that you are breathing, or my neighbours? Is water only worth something if it powers hydroelectricity or waters crops, and is it worth the same if it sits in a pristine water hole in the mountains that has never been touched by a human (rare I know!)? While I'm glad to be able to show people that it is to their financial advantage to respect the environment, I would hate to hand the value of the environment over to governments to assign their arbitrary values to in their 'economic' system. I would rather we value (literally, place a value) on the environment that does not equate to money, but equates to well-being, health, or some other factor. This isn't impossible, and it is measurable, it just isn't measured by our current system.
Amanda _
There is also the point that currently the costs of many ecoservices are borne by the few. Promoting the value of those services provides a way for the labour of these few to be better appreciated in both environmental and economic terms. We have been working with very low income families living in remote water catchment areas, creating links between them and downstream water users who have identified decrease in water quantity and quality. By increasing the appreciation of the sheer time and resources involved in catchment rehab, yet also the economic benefits to people on the plains if people upstream do the work, it is having the potential to draw resources into this previously unsupported remote area.
Many Thanks
Dorothy Lucks
Executive Director
Sustainable Development Facilitation
92 Aclare Road Barragup WA 6209
Tel: (08) 9582 9228
Fax: (08) 9582 9226 0413 766 299 -
Re: seeking information on City-wide Food composting
2007-01-16 13:50:49 UTC
Hi Lucille
Germany has a country-wide food recycling program. I googled "food recycling Germany" and got several links, the first of which is this one (in English): http://www.howtogermany.com/pages/recycling.html which has a good overview and several links from it.
Amanda -
Re: Seeking Electronic Waste Recycling Info
2007-01-12 16:34:03 UTC
Megan
I don't have the information that you need, but here in Australia, we have a not-for-profit organisation that may have some of the answers you need. It's http://www.greenpc.com.au/about.shtml, and they recycle computer equipment and sell it at very low cost to low-income earners. They also train people with low-skills and a history of unemployment to do the refurbishment, giving them increased skill levels. I'm sure they'd be able to share some of their research/insights with you.
Amanda -
Re: Quantifying the Costs/Revenues of Urban Sprawl Compared to
2006-11-10 17:09:28 UTC
Hi Terry
this isn't a study as such, but have you read Jane Jacobs's "The Death and Life of Great American Cities"? It is 'literature', but it's methodical and sensible and based on great amount of experience in and research on living in large cities, and what makes them work. The author addresses each of these questions that you pose - "Does crime increase in more densely populated areas? What effects come into play when individuals are more distant from nature, such as wildlife, quiet, and open space?" - in a very thorough way.
Amanda -
Re: Community influence on land use planning
2006-10-25 01:13:07 UTC
Hi Emily
I just found this in my research today. I don't have anything to do with the project, but found the link on the www.worldchanging.com website. I hope that it's of some use, it's certainly inspirational in how practical it is.
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/005135.html
How to Wean a Town Off Fossil Fuels |
Hana Loftus
The story of the Kinsale Energy Descent Action Planis an extraordinary one. A mid-thirties Englishman with a penchant for permaculture and an interest in peak oil moves to rural Ireland, starts teaching at the local further education college, and ends up writing, with his students, a ground-breaking document: the first timetabled strategy for weaning a town off fossil fuels. And what is more, that small Irish town actually adopts the action plan and starts to implement it. Kinsale is a seaside town of 7000 inhabitants renowned as Ireland's gourmet food capital, as well as the home of a well-known jazz festival. Kinsale 2021 is the title of the document: Rob Hopkinsis the man, who persuaded Kinsale Further Education College to start the first full-time two year course in Europe training in people in Practical Sustainability...
Amanda -
Re: Proper disposal of pet waste
2006-08-22 03:13:55 UTC
Hi Doug
the City of Melbourne has introduced by-laws geared toward this. At the same time, they have introduced free biodegrabable bags to collect the waste (that attach to the dog's lead for easy carrying), and convenient bins in it's parks. The same initiative has been introduced across a number of councils. There *is* a lot less waste on the streets and in the parks than a few years ago. http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=6&pg=534
Amanda
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