IN THIS ISSUE
(Click on the story link)

1. The Oil Crisis bites deeper - Ford & GM achieve "junk bond" status  

2. Victoria leads the way on the Sustainability front    

3. Australia's ongoing water crisis

4. Climate Change - issues and actions

5. Hills Solar new stock arrives in 2 weeks - $200 early bird discount!

6. Refer a favourite tradesperson

7. Refer our Website and win!

8. Eco events 

9. The Watershed Initiative

10. Handy hints

11. Calculate your ecological footprint

12. Best home loan rates

13. Wise words that inspire

14. Advertise with EcoNews

15. Contact us & your feedback

16. Special Feature: Eden Cove - A Rare Oasis by the Sea  

OUR PARTNERS IN SUSTAINABILITY

SPECIAL OFFER THIS MONTH

ECO EVENTS

The Watershed Initiative

The Watershed is a Sustainability Resource Centre located on King Street in the heart of Newtown. It is a joint initiative of South Sydney and Marrickville Councils.

The Watershed has resources and experienced staff on hand to provide information and advice to local residents and businesses on ways to reduce our ecological footprint.

Visit the Watershed to find out about a wide range of environmental initiatives, such as, worm farming, composting, rainwater tanks, recycling, sustainable housing and permaculture. The Watershed runs free workshops on Saturdays, and is always looking for enthusiastic volunteers.

Contact: Vanessa John 
Tel: (02) 9516 6366 
218 King St Newtown NSW 2042 watershed@marrickville.nsw.gov

Handy Water Saving 
Hints for the Home

• Order and install a DIY "Greywater your garden kit" or a "Water Saver Kit"

• Install a Rainwater Tank to harvest rainwater from your roof (Book a quote) 

• Install a AAA rated shower head (cuts water use for showering by up to two thirds)

• Install a toilet flush water saver (see the Eco Starters Pack for more details)

• Buy a front loading AAA rated washing machine

• Put a cover over the pool to stop evaporation (also helps keep the pool warm)

• Wash your car on the Lawn (make sure you use a bucket - it is illegal to hose your garden during the current water restrictions)

CONTACT US

Ecological Homes Pty Ltd
PO Box 2504, Strawberry Hills
NSW Australia 2012
Phone: 1300 73 07 07
Fax: (+61 2) 9557 8422
twalsh@ecologicalhomes.com.au
www.ecologicalhomes.com.au

Our Shop Address:

230 Enmore Rd, Enmore NSW 2042

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© Copyright 2002 Ecological Homes Pty Ltd (ABN 71 002 980 047)

Best Home Loan Rates

Are you paying the best rate for your Home Loan?

Contact our friendly loans consultants at Choice Home Loans to advise you on the best home loan rates. New purchases, refinances, investment properties, commercial properties. Ask about our "Energy Efficient Home Loan".

Request a Free 
Home Loan Check 

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The Earth Repair Charter

Please Endorse the Earth Repair Charter

(If you haven't done so already)

Visit Their Great New Website www.earthrepair.net

Send an E-Card  
and Help Support Nature

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Vol 3 (Issue 9) May 2005

Dear Reader,

In this month's issue we look at:

• The deepening Oil Crisis and its impact on 2 of the biggest car manufacturers in the world - Ford & GM

• A visionary new Environmental Sustainable Framework released by the Victorian state government

• Australia's worsening water crisis and ways you can save water at home

• Climate Change: issues & action - some alarming consequences of global warming and things you can do to help slow climate change.  

As always, we welcome your thoughts and feedback on the newsletter and stories related to the environment. The deadline for contributions to the next issue (June 2005) is June 3rd 2005. Send us your feedback or stories

Thanks ... The Ecological Homes Team

Q. What Does Ecological Homes Do?
A. We are Your One Stop Shop for Sustainability

We provide a "One Stop Shop" solution for all your eco housing and home finance needs including: 

The Oil Crisis bites deeper - Ford & GM become "Junk Bond" companies! 

On the basis of falling sales and staggering debt levels, Standard and Poors, leading share investment analysts, announced that they had downgraded the shares of Ford and GM in the USA from "investment-grade" to "junk-bond" status.

This announcement had a dramatic immediate impact on the share values of both companies cutting their value by more than 5% in 2 days trading and resulting in a significant overall decline in the USA share market index.

Ford and GM have long been hallmarks of American industry, accounting for about 9% of total US GDP between them.

However, following decades of poor management, expensive staff redundancy programs, production of ever larger, less efficient, gas guzzling cars (notably the SUVs - Sports Utility Vehicles) backed with free finance, reality is now hitting home for these 2 corporate giants.

One of the key factors behind the demise of both Ford and GM is their failure to plan for a future where oil becomes scarcer and more expensive by developing more fuel efficient, hybrid energy cars. With oil prices now peaking at US$55 a barrel, this failure to plan is hitting hard as consumers increasingly abandon the once popular SUVs in favor of more fuel efficient alternatives like the Toyota Prius.

Toyota has sold more than 200,000 hybrid Prius cars in the US since their introduction in 1999 with new sales records being set each month. Ford and GM, in contrast, have played with the idea of introducing a hybrid car for 10 years but have failed to do so (with the exception of the Ford Escape).

Due to the size of Ford and GM, and the enormous importance to the US economy, they are unlikely to reach the point where they have to file for bankruptcy. However, they provide an excellent illustration of what can happen even to the biggest companies when they chose to ignore the limits to the consumption of non-renewable resources like Oil and the impact this will inevitably have on the bottom line.

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Victoria leading the way on sustainability

In a refreshing contrast the colossal lack of vision by the senior management of both Ford and GM, the Victorian Government appears to be taking the issue of sustainability very serious with its recent release of "Victoria's Environmental Sustainability Framework".   

"Victorians must make environmental sustainability a fundamental consideration in everything we do if we are to maximise future economic growth, maintain our quality of life and protect our unique environment."

Minister for Environment, the Hon John Thwaites

5 Star Homes

An important component to the Victorian Governments aim to achieve sustainability for that state is the 5 Star Homes initiative that comes into effect on 1st July 2005 when all new homes in Victoria have to meet a 5 star energy efficiency rating.

Achieved mostly through smarter design, making a home 5 star will add little to the cost of construction and will be quickly 'paid back' through lower bills. For more information on the 5 Star Homes, visit www.seav.vic.gov.au.

Sustainable Households Challenge

The Victorian Government is also urging Victorian households to take up the "Sustainable Households Challenge" by completing some or all of the following tasks:

1. Take a four minute power shower

2. Take reusable bags with you when you go shopping

3. Turn off lights and appliances at the switch when not in use

4. Sign up to Green Power with your electricity supplier

5. Buy the most energy and water efficient appliances you can afford

6. Put your food or plant scraps in the compost or worm farm

7. Look for products without unnecessary packaging

8. Walk, cycle or use public transport when you can – and leave the car at home

9. Grow plants native to your area in your garden

10. Go green when you clean

We would add one more task to that list - install an energy efficient solar water heater. This will help cut the energy used by your household for heating water by up to 80% and cut your greenhouse emissions by up to 8 tonnes per annum!

Contact us today for a free quote 

For more information visit www.dse.vic.gov.au

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Australia's ongoing water crisis

As Australia faces the very real prospect of entering into another El Nino period of prolonged drought conditions. The levels of water storage in the major reservoirs that supply drinking water to the nation's capital cities are already alarmingly low. Dam levels for Sydney are down to 41% and falling - Sydney faces a very real prospect of stage 3 water restrictions.

Australia recorded the lowest rainfall in 40 years in the four months from January 1 to the end of April and, if there is not substantial rain in the next four weeks, 60 per cent of the winter grain crop is threatened.

The lack of rain has already hurt beef farmers through lower feedlot prices. Farmers are now worried about another El Nino weather pattern developing. The last El Nino, in 2002, caused the worst drought on record.

Some farmers have yet to recover from the devastation to their winter crop in 2002. That drought resulted in the value of rural exports slumping by almost 30 per cent in the year to mid-2003 and carved about 1 per cent off Australia's economic growth.

The signs are ominous. Rainfall in the four months from January to April has been the lowest since 1965, and the second lowest since all-of-Australia readings began in 1950.

What can be done?

Whilst, ultimately, the nation's of the world need to address climate change by rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and slowing down the rate of deforestation around the world, there are many things we can do to help conserve water.

DIY Water Saving Kit - Ecological Homes offers a DIY water saving kit that can help reduce the water used in an average home by about 38,500 litres of water per annum for an investment of just $57.50 plus postage.

Place an order for your kit

Sydney Water also has a list of 21 easy things you can do in the home to save water. Simply click on the link below to find out more:

21 ways to save water in your home

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Climate Change - Issues & Action

The Howard and Bush governments continue to deny that the world's climate is changing and refuse to sign major climate control initiatives like the Kyoto Protocol. This is despite the overwhelming evidence that shows the climate is indeed changing due to increasing levels of greenhouse emissions.

It would do them good to consider some of the following:

• Climate change could claim up to 37% of the world’s species by 2050

• The global mean sea-level rose by 1-2mm annually in the 20th century. It will continue to rise by as much as 6m by 2150

• In the US alone, protecting coastal property from the combined effects of erosion and inundation due to sea level rise could cost anywhere from $100 billion to $300 billion

• A five-fold increase in extreme rainfall events is expected by 2050

• If no action is taken, economic losses from extreme weather will be larger than GDP by 2065

• A rise of 2°C is accepted by many as the threshold for unacceptable and unpredictable impacts on the planet

Closer to home in Australia, some of the impacts of climate change include:

• Computer models are predicting permanent drought conditions for Eastern Australia

• Perth rainfall levels have fallen 20 per cent in the past 25 years

• Sydney's water storage levels are the lowest on record - based on current rainfall levels, Sydney has enough water storage to last 2 years (the last time Warragamba Dam was filled was in August 1998)

• Melbourne has had 8 successive years of below-average rainfall, this has never occurred before for Melbourne

• 76% of NSW is now in drought

What can be done?

Whilst there are many things that individuals can do on a personal basis to help reduce greenhouse emissions and help slow down the rate of climate change (see story on Vic Government initiatives above), we really need our Federal government to lead the way. 

Online petition to get
Mr. Howard to sign Kyoto Protocol

One thing you can do to help address Climate Change is to petition Mr. Howard to sign the Kyoto Protocol. By signing the protocol this would achieve the following:

• commit Australia to reducing its greenhouse emissions to 8% above 1990 levels

• help establish a national carbon trading scheme that would generate hundreds of millions of dollars to help finance renewable energy initiatives

Click here to sign the petition 

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Wise Words that Inspire

"If you want to change the world, prepare to feel the full force of the reaction against you from those that have the most to lose." Niccolo Machiavelli

"The earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself. One thing we know: our god is also your god. The earth is precious to him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator". Chief Seattle

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