Caring for the environment is such a big issue and at the moment it’s so controversial. With things like the carbon tax and the solar feed in tariff in the ACT, it seems like caring for the environment is a hard thing to do. Yes businesses must take big steps to help care for the environment, but it’s the simple things we can all do that make a big difference. I’m talking about stop litter ....

It seems like it’s one step forward and two steps backwards in regards to the state of health of Australia’s children. One day I read a positive report saying our kids are getting healthier, but for every good story I hear, there’s at least two bad ones. Australia’s largest child obesity clinic is warning that cases of Australian children with obesity are still very much on the rise. A d ....

I was pleased to read on ABC about a new scheme in Adelaide, which promotes the use of recycled water to flush toilets, water gardens and wash cars. The scheme offers great benefits to both the environment and consumers. The program will help recycle up to 1.6 billion litres of water annually and those who participate in the program will be offered discounts on their water bills. For a country t ....

Teen Chefs has been created to show teenagers how they can accomplish a healthy and active lifestyle.  After the success of Teen Chef 2010, there was an increase in entries for Teen Chef 2011. Over eight schools were nominated with entries closing 31 May 2011. Entries consist of an entrée, main and dessert with no more than four students to a team. After much deliberation, Chef Tom Moore ( ....

I was pleased to see our new Chief Minister, Katy Gallagher launch a new campaign ‘Unplug and Play’ recently. I’m a strong believer in educating children to be more active instead of watching TV or playing video games. This is why we conceived the Healthy Hoops 4 Active Kids program, teaching kids how to eat healthily and exercise more. What’s pleasing about the Chief Minister’s new in ....

Looking for a healthy snack? Look no further than the walnut. It tastes great and is very good for you. It has twice the antioxidant content of any nut. This is just one of many foods out there that are excellent at keeping your body in strong condition, and it would be very easy to incorporate them into your diet. A study conducted in the United States determined people who consume the recommen ....

I was pleased to read a study by the World Health Organisation which claimed childhood obesity in Australia has begun to decline in some areas of the community. The cause of the reversal has yet to be fully assessed, however the study leader, Professor Boyd Swinburn believes the public perception of childhood obesity has gradually changed: “There has been a lot of media awareness of childhood ....

Canberrans led the way again in adopting sustainable practices, with more than 58% of people participating in Earth Hour this year. Electricity use in the ACT dropped eight percent during the event, that’s the equivalent green house gas reduction of taking seven cars off the road for a year. This year also saw the first ever Earth Hour Awards. Congratulations to the winners: Young Panda Awar ....

The world is such as delicate balancing act, just like the old saying goes ‘the flap of a butterfly’s wings has the potential to cause a tornado on the other side of the world.’ While that’s an exaggeration, the environment has many underappreciated aspects with the potential to cause catastrophe. Take, bees for example. The United Nations has revealed that honey-bee numbers are declinin ....

I was pleased to see the Green Building Council of Australia quoted in the Canberra Times, saying that to be more sustainable we must start building on what we already have, instead of clearing out our surrounding bushlands. One of the most poignant remarks came from chief executive Romilly Madew, who states that we already have as much land as London does, and that place holds almost 7 million ....

A couple of weeks ago I read that the Cancer Council and the Heart Foundation conducted a survey of 12,000 high school children. The main headlines were ‘high school students of today will grow up to be the heart attack victims of tomorrow’ and ‘chronic disease time bomb’ so I knew the results weren’t going to be good. But reading the article was still painful. The study found: One in ....

Having received the first Mitsubishi i-MiEV in Canberra and installed the first commercial electric vehicle charge spot at the Belconnen Fresh Food Markets, Rock Development Group can now add the first residential charge point to it’s credentials. Director of the Rock Development Group Maria Efkarpidis and Canberra TransACT Capitals Captain Jessica Bibby had charge spots installed in their hom ....

Last week John and Maria travelled to Melbourne to watch the first shipment of Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric vehicles for release in Australia arrive. Twenty Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric vehicles rolled off an international container vessel in a convoy led by the Premier of Victoria, the Honourable John Brumby, Victorian Minster for Roads, Ports and Major Projects, the Honourable Tim Pallas, Mitsubis ....