Sustainable Tools – for SustainabilityNews.net.au

GoodOnYou app for fashion brands and accessories

Shopping, Social Sustainability, Sustainable Tools Comments Off

Oct 212016

Hi everyone,

We’re more than half way through Buy Nothing New Month and a good time to take a look at the companies that make the fashion products we buy.

The Good On You App has been developed to help us make better choices. The App rates brands using the three categories of people, the planet and animals. The rating are based on a set of principles and independent date sources. So far the App has rating for almost 1000 . The aim is to provide a rating for every brand you can readily buy.

When we decide to buy something new (after this month) we can support companies doing the right thing for our people, our planet and our animals.

You can download the App from Apple App Store or Google Play.

For more information, go to: www.goodonyou.org.au/

Source: The Good On You app makes shopping fairer, Buy Nothing New Month email dated 17/10/2016, Good On You web site, www.goodonyou.org.au/

Get more informed about the companies that make your favourite brands and help to support the good ones.

Many thanks

Lila

Resource Management Specialist,

The Shop Ethical! App – From Lila

Shopping, Social Sustainability, Sustainable Tools Comments Off

Aug 052016

Hi everyone,

Going to the supermarket is mind boggling these days. The shelves are packed full of so many choices. If you’re like me and want to choose products from companies that are socially responsible and doing the right thing for the environment then you’re going to love the Shop Ethical! App.

The App provides us with access to over 5000 products with related company information to help us make better choices in what we buy. It even covers fashion and gadget brands. Companies are rated based on information sourced from lots of areas including organisations such as Greenpeace, Choose Cruelty Free, WWF, Free2Work and Friends of the Earth. It’s regularly updated with data from the Shop Ethical! website. By shopping ethically you can help make change and support practices that make our world a better place.

The App is available for iPhone and Android at a cost of $4.94. This helps to fund the Ethical Consumer Group which is a not-for-profit community based organisation set up to help consumers like us make more sustainable purchases.

For more information, go to:

http://www.ethical.org.au/3.4.2/get-involved/resources/shop-ethical-app/

Source: Shop Ethical! App http://www.ethical.org.au/3.4.2/get-involved/resources/shop-ethical-app/

Making better choices and working towards being an ethical consumer is a good thing to do for our planet.

Many thanks

Lila

Resource Management Specialist,

Visit the Tankulator: ATA’S online rainwater calculator website

ATA, Resources, Sustainable Tools Comments Off

Jul 182012

Visit the Tankulator: ATA’S online rainwater calculator website

With the price of water expected to increase by more than 50 per cent in the next four years and climate change creating uncertain rainfall patterns, rainwater tanks are a necessity for most Australian homes.

The Tankulator is a free interactive online calculator that helps people plan for a new rainwater tank or improve the performance of existing tanks.

It calculates how much rainwater can be harvested from a roof anywhere in Australia over one, three or five years based on rainfall figures from the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station, the roof type and size, and flushing and overflow capabilities.

The Tankulator has been developed by the Alternative Technology Association (ATA), a not-for-profit organisation promoting water saving and household renewable energy, with support from the Victorian Government Sustainability Fund, managed by Sustainability Victoria, and the City of Whitehorse.

Ian Porter, the ATA’s chief executive, said the innovative new tool would help people save money on water bills.

“While government rebates and environmental concern has meant a rapid growth in the number of rainwater tanks in recent years, there are still thousands of homes across Australia without them,” Mr Porter said.

“The Tankulator gives people an in-depth understanding of how much water they will harvest and the choices they need to make to get the most out of their tanks.”

The Tankulator’s interactive page gives a summary of water usage, the amount of days the household tank is empty or overflowing and presents suggestions to the user. There is a tank level graph and another graph displaying available rainwater against selected uses.

The website includes pages on material types, tank positioning, filtering and other information to help people choose and plan for rainwater tanks.

Website: tankulator.ata.org.au

Speed Date A Sustainable Designer 23rd June 2012

ATA, Events, Sustainable Tools Comments Off

May 102012

What is Speed Date A Sustainable Designer?

Are you renovating or building? Do you have plans and ideas you’d like to discuss with green architects or building designers?

The Alternative Technology Association (ATA) would like to invite you to Speed Date A Sustainable Designer.

Speed Date a Sustainable Designer brings together Australia’s leading architects and building designers in the one spot so that you can meet and discuss your plans in a relaxed “no obligations” environment.

The first Speed Date A Sustainable Designer event was held as part of Victoria’s 2010 State of Design Festival and was a great success. At this event we arranged 90 “dates” between homeowners and 10 sustainable architects and designers. Watch the short YouTube video overview. Over 500 homeowners applied to be part of that first event, so make sure you register quickly!

With the support of bankmecu the ATA is conducting speed dating events in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in 2012.

Want help planing your water tanks ?

ATA, Sustainable Tools Comments Off

Mar 072012

Visit the Tankulator: a free online tool which calculates what size rainwater tank best suits your needs.

Behaviour change for Sustainability tools

Resources, Social Tools, Sustainable Tools Comments Off

Feb 082012

It can be quite hard to bring people over to views that we need to care for our environment, this includes natural, social and economic sustainability.

Why is there so much misinformation and why are facts not enough ?.

You will go someway to answering these questions if you read the following item on “The Conversation” a new information source written by people who know what they are talking about, rather than after a underpaid rushed journalist has manipulated the facts Fighting fact-free journalism: a how-to guide. I can thoroughly recommend you get the Debunking Handbook referred to.

If you want to get right into it consider downloading the paper The Second National Risk and Culture Study: Making Sense of – and Making Progress In – The American Culture War of Fact which is still relevant in Australia.

Finally if you would like to start a project to work with others to dispel misinformation and promote facts for sustainability why not join us in the topic Behaviour change for Sustainability tools at LaSourceProjects Google group.

What is Speed Date A Sustainable Designer?

Ok, so what do I bring?