An Introduction to Plastics & Our Climate

Did you know that it’s possible to cut your plastic use in half (or less) while living in the Central West, with a few smart changes to the way you shop?

Kate Hook provides lots of tips, shows you some alternatives, and answers many questions that have been on your mind; for example “Is there an item of disposable plastic that you think you can’t live without?”

Useful Links

Plastics

Plastic Free July website

War on Waste series

Climate Crisis

Related Websites

Australian Parents For Climate Action: (great, simple summary of the science and Australian-specific politics and solutions). Please also like their Facebook page

Climate Council

Australian Government Dept of Environment:  (on why the IPCC is the absolute authority for truth about climate change. Note what it says about peer-reviewed science. Once you recognise this, any articles that don’t align with IPCC recommendations are questionable.)

Highly recommended podcasts

Hot Mess

Juice Media: Renewables, energy and climate policy in Australia (language warning! 😊 but amazing content. Exciting opportunities!)

Juice Media: (one of the world’s leading scientists talking about Australian bushfires and climate change in a totally relatable way.)

Climate Action Now:  (great international perspective, from a Danish company that transformed from 85% fossil fuel production to 85% renewables because they recognised the risk to global climate stability. Amazing knowledge about all aspects of the challenge.)

Outrage and Optimism

Video Interviews and Talks

Rebecca Huntley, “How to Talk About Climate Change in a Way that Makes a Difference” 

David Wallace Wells, Editor, New York Magazine  Interview from 2019

James Hansen, ex-NASA climate scientist, TED talk from 2012 (Note: The facts haven’t changed except for becoming clearer.)

The case for urgent action: 11,258 scientists declare climate emergency

Breakthrough Institute Climate Emergency defined

Local Area Contacts

Central West Women in Council (we need diversity! Please consider. This group is very supportive.

Central West Environment Council FaceBook page: and website.

Futuring Orange Facebook page and website

Reliable Media on Climate Change
  • The Guardian (UK, Australia)
  • The Sydney Morning Herald
  • The New York Times
  • The Saturday Paper (Australia)
  • The Washington Post

*Note: News Corp press – such as The Australian and The Telegraph, specifically takes the position of non-acceptance of the science or that the science is a subject for debate. Much has been written about this over more than a decade, for example, this article from 2013)

Super funds

Australian Ethical

Future Super

Verve Super

and use this website to check how much better these are than alternatives and why.

Energy Providers

It’s very easy to switch to one of the clean energy providers below. They do all the work for you including informing your existing retailer that you’ve changed.

  • Powershop (100% carbon neutral energy in every product. Can choose green options that contribute to creating new renewable energy.)
  • Diamond Energy
  • Energy Locals
  • Enova

See reasons why they are rated greenest at this site.

The site recommends avoiding the “dirty three” which are:

  • AGL
  • Origin
  • Energy Australia

Although they have green initiatives, they still invest massively in coal, oil and gas, which actively undermines the Paris Agreement as noted here.

And the best energy decision you can make is to get solar on your house.

Banks
  • Bank Australia
  • Adelaide Bank
  • Bendigo Bank
  • Newcastle Permanent

See list of banks that do and don’t invest in fossil fuels here.

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Kate Hook

Kate Hook founded Futuring Orange to facilitate local awareness and action on Climate Change and other sustainability issues. She has been actively involved in climate change research and action for 15 years after first studying it 28 years ago and keeping a close eye on the issue ever since.

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