Category Archives: Environmental sustainability

The story of microfibres

Posted on 4 March 2017 by

The latest video from the makers of The Story of Stuff focuses on microfibres. The use of synthetic fibres has been steadily increasing with two-thirds of new clothing now being made from synthetic fibres. Microfibres in oceans and waterways are … Continue reading →

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Jasmine on the Tiny House Project (from The Owner Builder magazine)

Posted on 8 February 2017 by

The latest edition of the Owner Builder magazine has an article about the Tiny House Project written by Jasmine. Here’s the text of Jasmine’s article (but see the article for the photos and layout). When I was little, I remember … Continue reading →

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Jasmine and Larni’s tiny house on national TV

Posted on 7 February 2017 by

Last week, the National TV show, Better Homes and Gardens,  featured Jasmine and Larni’s tiny house. You can see the segment here. Planning for the tiny house started in June 2016 when Cathy suggested that Jasmine and Larni might like … Continue reading →

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Special days and dates for the environment – 2017

Posted on 14 January 2017 by

Here are some significant international and national days/weeks/months that focus on environmental issues.  I’ve also created a list of days and dates focusing on families and communities. Please let me know if I have missed any important ones. (Days marked … Continue reading →

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Photographic reflections on the Fair Share Festival

Posted on 16 November 2016 by

The Fair Share Festival is over! I’ll post some more detailed reflections later, but here are a few photos and some initial thoughts. After a successful screening of The True Cost (a documentary about fast fashion) on Thursday, we woke … Continue reading →

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Two girls and a tiny house

Posted on 25 October 2016 by

Jasmine (my 15-year old daughter) and a friend Larni (16) are building a Tiny House out of second-hand, discarded and waste material for the Fair Share Festival next month. As the theme of the Festival is over-consumption, waste and upcyling, … Continue reading →

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The Fair Share Festival

Posted on 9 September 2016 by

The latest Transition Newcastle newsletter received the biggest response we’ve ever had. As part of the Fair Share Festival in November, Jasmine and Larni (both in year 10) are going to construct a tiny house out of second-hand and waste … Continue reading →

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How do we respond to the One Nation party?

Posted on 18 August 2016 by

Watching Q&A on Monday night was very disturbing. The recently elected One Nation senator, Malcolm Roberts, was arguing (amongst other things) that: “The empirical data says quite categorically that the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are a result … Continue reading →

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Cathy, upcycling and raising children

Posted on 4 August 2016 by

Cathy (my partner) has just been featured in Textile Beat, a website about slow clothing, dressing with conscience and natural fibres. The associated story discusses Cathy’s passion for upcycling as a way of challenging consumerism and over-consumption, our approach to … Continue reading →

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Transition Newcastle Convenor report (May 2016)

Posted on 5 May 2016 by

Last night I gave a de facto convenor report at Transition Newcastle’s annual general meeting (AGM). Even though I had stood down as convenor at the 2015 AGM, the position had remained vacant and I’ve been doing quite a few … Continue reading →

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