Home Tags Environment

Tag: environment

Saving the world with behavioural economics

A recent study revealed that adding personalised smiley or unhappy face icons on people’s energy bills had a dramatic effect on their future consumption. Could something this simple -- playing on bourgeois guilt -- help reverse climate change?

Melbourne to lead Australia with green building retrofit initiative

The City of Melbourne announced yesterday that it aims to retrofit two thirds of the city's commercial buildings in a huge sustainability initiative.

The hottest market opportunities in Japan for entrepreneurs located elsewhere (part 1)

Which trends in Japan will turn into hot opportunities for entrepreneurs located outside the country? I gave this some thought while sliding down Japan’s best powder ski slopes as Australia was sweltering over summer. Here are the first two of four “hot” sectors at the top of my list.

A serene pod office for your back yard

It might look like something out of Lord of the Rings, but the UK-designed Archipod contains all the modern comforts of a compact office, transplanted into the sanctuary of your back yard.

Test driving Renaut’s 100% electric car, the Fluence (lame name, cool car)

While in Copenhagen for last year’s climate change summit, Anthill contributor Dave Sag had an opportunity to test drive the Fluence, Renaut’s 100 percent electric car. As Sag reports, the loudest thing about the Fluence is its indicator. But is it a game-changer?

New basin-toilet design combines water saving and aesthetic style

The award winning W+W is an L-shaped single unit toilet sink all-in-one system with a stunning minimalist design. Developed by the Roca Innovation Lab and designed by Gabriele and Oscar Buratti.

Seth Godin asks us to lead a tribe and make a difference [TED talk]

Over 18-minutes, Godin outlines his theory that the internet has banished the era of mass marketing, and that the ancient social unit of the tribe has returned, empowering ordinary people to lead extraordinary movements. It's both educational and inspirational, with Godin conveying his message with purpose and humour (helped along by some witty photo slides).

Peepoo: Solving the developing world’s messy toilet problem

According to a report in the New York Times, Swedish entrepreneur Anders Wilhelmson has developed and tested a biodegradable plastic bag that acts as a single-use toilet for urban slums in the developing world. The Peepoo can be buried after use, where a layer of urea crystals kills off pathogens that produce disease and converts the waste into fertilizer.

Peepoo: Solving the developing world's messy toilet problem

According to a report in the New York Times, Swedish entrepreneur Anders Wilhelmson has developed and tested a biodegradable plastic bag that acts as a single-use toilet for urban slums in the developing world. The Peepoo can be buried after use, where a layer of urea crystals kills off pathogens that produce disease and converts the waste into fertilizer.

Switched-on innovation converts pedestrian footsteps into energy

There's an interesting post over on Springwise about Pavegen slabs, an eco innovation by UK-based Pavegen Systems, which harvest the kinetic energy from pedestrian footsteps and converts it into electricity.

All atwitter at Copenhagen

Dave Sag is in Copenhagen this week covering the COP15 climate change summit for Anthill. This is his first post in the series.

Green Box: Pizza box turns into plates and storage unit

Saving the planet one pizza at a time... sort of. Green Box is manufactured from 100 percent recycled material and can be easily broken down...

I see REDD, I see REDD, I see REDD

Okay, this is, for some people, going to be an uncomfortable column to read as I am going to seriously challenge what for many seems like an obvious 'conventional wisdom'. In many cases it is better for the planet if you offset your carbon emissions than if you reduce them via your own in-house efficiencies. The woman with the fully carbon offset Hummer is probably a better friend to the planet than the man in his non-offset Prius.

A Smarter Planet: The Next Leadership Agenda

As the world wakes up to the danger and promise of global integration, Australia's business and political leaders have a choice. Will we content ourselves with surviving the storm, or will we use this opportunity to change the game by infusing intelligence into the systems that support our economy and our society?

Hip! Sneakers made from London Underground seats

Eco-conscious footwear company, Above+Below London, is now selling shoes made from material that once adorned seats on London's transport system. The shoes' leather upper parts are made from discarded wallets and the soles from used car tyres. They are assembled in Portugal in non-sweaty shop conditions.

One man's trash is another man's shelter

Twelve-year-old Max Wallack recently won Grand Prize at the recent Design Squad 'Trash or Treasure' competition for his "Home Dome" design - make-shift shelter for the homeless made out of trash.

One man’s trash is another man’s shelter

Twelve-year-old Max Wallack recently won Grand Prize at the recent Design Squad 'Trash or Treasure' competition for his "Home Dome" design - make-shift shelter for the homeless made out of trash.

Carbon pollution reduction — for fun and profit

When the Department of Climate Change decided to change the name of the national Emissions Trading Scheme to the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, they really hit on a winner. Yes, it’s a bit harder to say – the CPRS doesn’t roll off the tongue like the NETS. In fact, it sounds a bit like a medical procedure, but it’s a brilliant name change because now the scheme is being referred to in terms of its goals, rather than its mechanism. The new name puts all the focus on what the scheme wants to achieve. The emissions trading scheme is simply the way in which it’s going to be done.

ClickGreen.com.au

A few months back I wrote about FreeRice.com, an online word definition game run by the UN's World Food Programme, which donates 20 grains...

On bio-fuels

There has been a lot of criticism of late about bio-fuels and, like many issues, the good technologies are being tarred with the same...
Subscribe to the Newsletter Over 30K subscribers

FREE BUSINESS TOOLS

FREE BUSINESS TOOL

Five essential things to get right if you want to raise...

So you’ve got a brilliant idea, or maybe you’ve even started building your nascent business, but you think it might help to bring on some extra money. You try to raise the money, but wherever you go it seems there are roadblocks and challenges, and it’s difficult to know where to start. To help tackle this tricky tropic, we interviewed Bryan Vadas. He’s the founder of iPledg (Australia’s leading crowdfunding platform for creative, commercial, charitable and community projects) and Capital Exchange Australia (an education and funding platform for startups).

INFOGRAPHICS

New Zealand’s Xero eyes US IPO, further disruption as subscribers increase...

Xero recently held its annual meeting in Wellington, during which the company revealed some interesting details about its future. As has been widely suspected, the...

OPINIONS & ADVICE