Month: April 2013

Measure Food in Exercise, Not Calories

- Adam Clare

walking
Yesterday we looked at labelling gas nozzles and today here’s good news about a better way to label food. A series of studies add up to the conclusion that if people were aware of how much walking it would take to burn off food they eat less. Calories can be confusing so by telling people how much time walking it can help people understand how much energy they are consuming.

“People who viewed the menu without nutritional information ordered a meal totaling 1,020 calories, on average, significantly more than the average 826 calories ordered by those who viewed menus that included information about walking-distance,” writes Scientific American. People who saw the menu with walking-distance info also ordered less than people who just saw calorie info.

Read more.

Now I’m going to go for a walk…

A Proposal to Label Gas Nozzles

- Adam Clare

warning
The overwhelming majority of personal cars use planet-killing, people-damaging, production-intesnive engines that consume a product that literally kills us. Most everyone understands this at some level, but it seems they don’t connect their fuel consumption with world hunger, polar bears dying, or even smog. A new organization in Toronto wants to change that.

Our Horizon wants to label gas nozzles at gas stations the same way that cigarette packages are labelled to warn users of potential harm.

“Imagine if we see these labels every time, how long will it be before we demand more from government institutions,” said Shirkey.
Canada led the world when it placed health warnings accompanied by images on cigarette packages, and Shirkey said that he hopes Canada can once again be a pioneer.
…
“If you’re concerned with helping people but not the environment, it’s like putting a bandage on someone sitting in a boat that has a giant hole in the bottom,” Neville said. “We’re all dependent and addicted to fossil fuels.”

Read more.

Consumers Care About Social Responsibility

- Adam Clare

I recall early in the last decade that companies didn’t respond to calls for corporate social responsibility because consumers didn’t care. That seems to have changed, which is a very good thing. Since then, corporations have had to accommodate the growing concerns of people and have even gone so far to create new brands that focus on ethical behaviour. The consumer times are changing!

Treatment of employees is the biggest factor (45%) when people decide how responsible a company is. Environmental impact follows close behind (38%). Transparency, corporate oversight, and impact on society are also important factors.

Companies shouldn’t think that the trend towards socially-responsible purchasing means that they can just claim that their products are “green” and call it a day. According to the survey, 63% of people trust company claims about social responsibility only sometimes–when they do verify information, it’s often by reading product packaging, checking out the news, and doing independent research.

Read more.

Australia Can Make Easy Transition to Renewable Energy

- Adam Clare

Presently, 10% of Australia’s electricity is produced from a renewable resource, and that number can grow easily with minor adjustments to federal policy. By cutting back subsidies for the oil and gas sector (yes, most developed nations actually provide subsidies to that insanely profitable sector) and upping the cost of carbon the Australian economy can make an easy transition to more renewable energy. To top it all off, the country is looking at a feasibility study of 100% renewable energy use by 2030!

The researchers found currently available renewable energy technologies such as wind and concentrated solar thermal power could displace all fossil-fuelled power plants in the National Electricity Market, according to a peer-reviewed paper published in the international Energy Policy journal.
…
Running simulations based on power demand and supply data for 2010, the researchers found wind would contribute most in a switch to fully renewable energy. It would account for between 46 and 59 per cent, while solar PV and concentrated solar would supply 15-20 per cent each, and hydro and biofuel-based gas generators the remainder.

Read more.

Burning in the Sun: The Small Solar Industry in Africa

- Adam Clare

A few years ago in Mali some filmmakers went to chronicle what’s going on in the country and ended up making a documentary about solar energy. Daniel Dembele is an entrepreneur who brought solar power to the people by starting a company and bringing photovoltaic panels to rural Mali. This looks like a good doc!

Founding a small business is something that is deeply embedded in American and European culture. But most have never seen this universal kind of effort take place in Africa, traditionally portrayed by mainstream media as a land of the starving and war ravaged. In our portrayal of Daniel, who undertakes a familiar effort in an unfamiliar environment, we attempt to open the door to on what is viewed as possible in Africa, and update Western cultural awareness with a profound dose of optimism. Daniel’s work shatters notions of the need for African dependence on outside aid and embraces the view that ultimately it is Africans who will develop Africa in their own way.

Now more than ever, people around the world see green-collar jobs as a necessity for survival in our rapidly changing economies and environments. Daniel’s daring, charisma and intelligence remind us of the leadership required to encourage this level of transformative change, anywhere in the world. We showcased Daniel as an African leader, as well as a global trendsetter. We think this allows viewers to understand the kind of micro business development that makes sense for Africa, while also hopefully stirring a profound inspiration to take action in their own communities.

Find out more at the movie’s website.

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