After careful consideration, six talented West African creatives have been chosen to participate in the new Ethical Fashion Initiative (EFI) Designer Accelerator (a flagship of the International Trade Centre – a joint agency of the United Nations and World Trade Organisation). Highlighting the programme’s commitment to African youth, sustainability and diversity, participants selected to enter the two-year programme which will begin...
Eggs laid by battery hens would be phased out within 15 years under a plan to improve poultry welfare in Australia. The proposal signals some relief for the 10 million or so egg-laying hens still kept in battery cages in Australia. But it doesn’t go far enough. Among the recommendations of an independent panel were...
NAIDOC week has just begun and, after several tumultuous years of disasters in Australia, the theme this year is Heal Country. In the last two years, Australia has suffered crippling drought that saw the Darling-Baaka run dry, catastrophic bushfires, and major flooding throughout coastal and inland areas of Australia’s east. Just two weeks ago, UNESCO’s...
The Australian government on Tuesday expressed shock at a draft decision to list the Great Barrier Reef as “in danger”. But the recommendation has been looming for some time. The recommendation, by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), acknowledges Australia’s commitment to implementing...
To start dealing with Australia’s mounting plastic crisis, the federal government last week launched its first National Plastics Plan. The plan will fight plastic on various fronts, such as banning plastic on beaches, ending polystyrene packaging for takeaway containers, and phasing in microplastic filters in washing machines. But we’re particularly pleased to see a main...
Our moana (ocean) is in a state of unprecedented ecological crisis. Multiple, cumulative impacts include pollution, sedimentation, overfishing, drilling and climate change. All affect the health of both marine life and coastal communities. To reverse the decline and avoid reaching tipping points, we must adopt more holistic and integrated governance and management approaches. Indigenous peoples...
An international campaign, World Localization Day, offers a new economic vision – broadly termed ‘localization’ – that can increase wellbeing and prosperity for the majority, while systemically reducing resource-use, emissions and toxic pollution. June 20 2021 marks the return of the international campaign, which aims to galvanize the worldwide localization movement into a force for...
The Australian Federal Court delivered a landmark judgement on climate change, marking an important moment in our history. The class action case was brought on behalf of all Australian children and teenagers, against Environment Minister Sussan Ley. Their aim was to prevent Ley from possibly approving the Whitehaven coal mine extension project, near Gunnedah in...
A new documentary featuring Sea Shepherd is seeing unpredicted success and recently scored the position of top 10 most-watched shows on Netflix in Australia and other regions. Titled ‘Seaspiracy’, the documentary explores the plight of the ocean and claims to ‘uncover alarming global corruption’. The film is sparking heated debate across the globe, and the...
Over the weekend, Tesla chief executive Elon Musk suggested his company could sell off its Bitcoin holdings, sending the cryptocurrency plummeting. It followed Musk’s announcement earlier this month that his company would no longer accept Bitcoin in payment for its electric cars, due to the fossil fuels needed to create the digital currency. Bitcoin is...
SYDNEY, Australia: On the 21st of May, the School Strike 4 Climate is having their first national strike since 2019, organised by students around the country – and this year Australian businesses are joining them. Not Business as Usual is urging other Australian business leaders to join them on May 21 2021 by publicly allowing...
The busy buzz of pollinating bees is a sound most of us associate with summer. If you live in temperate regions of Australia, you may start to notice fewer insects as the weather gets colder. Across most of the continent, however, some flower-visiting insects are active all year round – and some are more common...