Innholdsfortegnelse for 165 / Oct-Dec 2023 i Renew Magazine

Oct-Dec 2023 Hi there, I saw a funny/not-so-funny meme the other day where a man is in a hotel bed on the landline, saying, “I'd like a wakeup call,” and a receptionist is pictured below him, replying, “The seven hottest days on Earth in the last 100,000-plus years all happened in the last week.” Oof. I don't suspect many Renew readers would be needing the wake-up call that we've had over the past few months, but it is a reminder to get ready for warmer temperatures ahead, and also a reminder of why the things Renew has been advocating for, and will continue to advocate for, are so important. With BOM formally declaring that an El Niño weather event is underway and likely to contribute to hotter, drier conditions in…

Modular bike tyres? For avid bike riders, changing tyres for different conditions means swapping tyres or swapping wheels to a spare set. Both take time and can be a real pain. reTyre have solved this issue, at least for some situations, with their reTyre One modular tyre system. The reTyre One is a road tyre that is available to fit 26”, 27.5”, 28” and 29” rims. On its own you just use it as a regular road tyre. However, when you need more grip, such as for icy roads or on gravel, you can zip-on a “skin” which gives your tyres a completely different tread. There are four treads available: Winter Traveller, Ice Racer, Nordic Commuter (all of these are studded for ice) and Gravel Chaser, which is designed for…

FEATURE “Ideally, homes are wellinsulated and draftsealed before running air conditioning units all day long, especially if no-one's home.” While Greece burned and the Mediterranean baked in a July “heat attack”, Australians wondered what might unfold back home this summer. As some people rethink a future holiday to Southern Europe at the height of summer, and their carbon miles in the face of climate change, it's also time to prepare our homes for the challenges that a dry, warm El Niño summer might bring. With not much money to spare and limited time before warmer weather hits, what actions will be most effective for households looking to beat the heat, reduce energy use and lower their energy bills this summer? Talina Edwards, architect and director at sustainable design practice Envirotecture,…

Every keen gardener has spent time pondering their idea of the perfect garden. Over the years I have settled on my own personal formula that consists of three main elements: food production, exotic flowering annuals and perennials for pollination, and areas of native climate-ready plants that support local biodiversity. Here, we're focusing on the latter. As Australia's weather shifts and we're approaching a dry, hot summer, it's time to start thinking about ways to make our gardens adaptable in periods of low rainfall. 1. Replace your lawn Lawns require a huge amount of water to stay healthy and happy through Australia's hot summers. It is not difficult to replace your lawn with beautiful native grasses and groundcovers, dramatically reducing water use as well as providing habitat for local biodiversity. The…

1. Water conservation and sustainability: Residential rainwater tanks play a crucial role in conserving water resources. Australia has regular dry climate cycles with high levels of water scarcity. Rainwater harvesting allows homeowners to collect and store rainwater, reducing the strain on traditional water sources and ensuring a more sustainable water supply. As our cities get hotter we need to make better use of local water supplies to make our cities greener and cooler. Having an independent source of water in a bushfire and other natural disasters makes our cities more resilient too. 2. Mitigating drought impact: Australia frequently experiences drought conditions, which can have a severe impact on water availability. In a drought our dam catchments dry out and most rainfall doesn't make it to the dam. Rainwater harvesting is…

Morgan Williams, who runs a design studio in Daylesford, Victoria, bought eight old steel radiators from a salvage yard in Ballarat for his commercial property, and then home, around 15 years ago. He loved the look of the raw metal, the fact that he was using a recycled material, and later discovered that he prefers the way the heat makes him and his family feel. Comparing the heat at home to their reverse cycle air conditioners, he notices the way hot air makes his eyes itch in a way radiant heat does not. Morgan speaks highly of both the aesthetic and function of the five radiators he had installed in his commercial property, but says the older ones are more reliable, and much heavier to move around. Newer and smaller…

Charging any EV is simply a matter of following the manufacturer's directions. For e-bikes and similar, you must use the charger provided with the bike, as use of aftermarket chargers may increase the risk of fire through overcharging, and void your warranty. For motorbikes and motor scooters, you will either have an external charger like an e-bike, or a charging port that uses a proprietary cable (if the bike has an onboard charger) or a standard type-2 charging cable, as is used for LPVs (if the bike uses a standard external EVSE). If you don't have access to charging your LPV at home, there are still options you can use, so a lack of charging connection shouldn't put you off ditching that ICE vehicle. In apartments and other higher density…

* Please limit letters to 350 words. Due to space restrictions we can't promise to publish all letters received, and letters published may be edited for clarity and length. SEND TO: Renew magazine, 552 Victoria Street, North Melbourne VIC 3051 or email renewmag@renew.org.au SOLAR ORIENTATION APP I thought you might be interested to know that I've recently had a need to choose an optimal position and orientation of a solar array which is limited by solar access by tree shadowing. What has been used in the past was a ‘solar pathfinder’ device, but they are expensive and I found a very useful free smartphone app called Scan the Sun, which does it all and better, and I thought your readers might also like to know about: scanthesun.com/en It not only…

Oct-Dec 2023 In late July, the Victorian government announced that from 2024 all new homes requiring a planning permit will be allelectric. The decision was followed in August by City of Sydney councillors voting to investigate planning measures to end new gas connections in the municipality. Pressure is mounting on governments and industry to accelerate the shift away from household gas. The emergence of renewables means that replacing fossil gas in homes with efficient electric appliances is a critical step to reducing emissions over the next decade. Victoria has over two million homes and small businesses connected to gas, and those homes are more likely to use gas for heating (alongside cooking and hot water) than in other states. Research from Environment Victoria found that without action to reduce residential…

The July and August climate disasters around the world send a clear message to the Australian government, business and other governments around the world. Our present international mechanism for setting climate targets is deeply flawed. Climate is about keeping cumulative global emissions within carbon budgets, not annual emissions from individual countries and businesses. The emerging focus on Scope 3 emissions (those that a business or country influences but does not control) of influential groups like the Science Based Targets Initiative is a key indicator. We must all collaborate to cut the upstream and downstream emissions related to our actions. The conflict between the Australian government and environment advocates over emissions from gas and coal exporters is, at its heart, a debate over whether Australia should take any responsibility for emissions…

With a huge shift to electric vehicles and general electrification, there has also been a massive increase in demand for high quality batteries for both mobility and stationary storage. While most people are aware of manufacturers like Tesla and LG, the largest battery manufacturer, and arguably the one with the most advanced battery technologies, is Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (commonly known as CATL)—the largest battery manufacturer by far. CATL not only supply many of the world's EV makers—including Tesla—they are also developing the most advanced batteries available. Recent advances include their sodium ion battery which completely eliminates the need for lithium. These batteries are set to appear in EVs this year, with CATL signing a new partnership with EV maker Chery to supply sodium ion batteries…

Climate change and the generally hotter and drier conditions in play from the El Niño-like weather has communities worried about bushfires this summer. The Seasonal Bushfire Outlook released by the Australian and New Zealand National Council for fire and emergency services (AFAC) warns of an “increased risk” of bushfires this spring, with the summer bushfire forecast due late November. The report notes that “Australia's climate influences have shifted significantly since last spring” and the move away from wet La Niña weather, with increased fuel growth in many regions due to above average rainfall of recent years. For immediate information about property maintenance, emergency kits and how to write and share a bushfire plan for the coming season, go to the fire authority website in your state. The Country Fire Authority…

Pictured here are examples by award winning garden-designer Phillip Johnson, who specialises in creating sustainable gardens that are climate-ready and provide habitat. While his amazing designs may seem out of reach, Phillip encourages people to do what they can, even in the smallest suburban yards. You can visit one of Phllip's gardens in the Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden in Olinda, on Wurundjeri Country. The garden features 15,000 plants from over 400 native Australian species, and showcases sustainable and water-wise design.…

It is undeniably the stored energy source that has enabled the past few human generations to become so affluent, to the point that we now critically depend on it. From the outset, I claim that ‘petroleum is a poison'—perhaps a controversial stance. Its toxic credentials are evident in both its liquid pre-combusted state as well as its burnt gaseous state. If you were to ingest just a few millilitres of either petrol, diesel or avgas, and swill its content around in your mouth, it may not kill you, but its toxic impact will scar your health and your memory of the event. Any contact with the lungs, skin or gut is toxic. Toxicity aside, the list of negative implications from the petroleum industry is enormous. Take crude oil for a…

Why we need ‘efficient, smart electrification using renewables’, not just ‘electrify everything’ The recent Northmore Gordon study for the Energy Efficiency Council has opened up a new perspective on electrification. It shows that much of the climate benefit of electrification, until electricity emission intensity drops a lot, is actually linked to improved energy efficiency. It is quite possible to electrify inefficiently, and doing this would increase climate impacts and energy costs. Consider some examples. Today, a grid-connected resistive electric hot water service produces around three times as much climate impact as a gas storage water heater. If the government's 2030 electricity target is met, it would still generate 80 percent of gas-fired HWS emissions. Over a 13-year life, emissions would still be higher than gas. A typical resistive electric hot…

I was reading an article in Renew magazine and I came across Damien Moyse's request that if we were experiencing problems with getting a new solar system connected, you would like to know. I wonder if you can increase the profile of this issue which is a big problem in far north Queensland currently. This is what we have experienced. First, some background… A family of four, we moved from Victoria and bought an acreage property in Kewarra Beach, Queensland, with two existing dwellings (main house and two bedroom unit) in September 2010. In 2010, the effects of the global financial crisis were still being felt, and although we wanted solar, it was not something we could afford, and had to tighten our belts and work hard to make it…

Renew Renew is a national, not-for-profit organisation that inspires, enables and advocates for people to live sustainably in their homes and communities. Established in 1980, Renew provides expert, independent advice on sustainable solutions for the home to households, government and industry. Renew engages with more than 250,000 people each year around Australia and beyond. We work with more than 10,000 members in a network of 14 active branches throughout the country, and have helped thousands of households save money and reduce their environmental footprint with information on energy efficiency, solar power, rainwater tanks, materials reuse and waste. Our community includes attendees at our Speed Date a Sustainability Expert and Sustainable House Day events, users of our online information and calculators, people contacting our advice service, and our research and advocacy…

Talina Edwards from Envirotecture says to focus on passive cooling first when preparing for heatwaves this summer. Passive cooling: Keeping yourself cool on a budget • Exclude summer sun during the day with external blinds, pergolas and shade-mesh • Keep out direct sun and hot air • Use cross ventilation, stack ventilation and night purging for cooling • Sleep in cooler parts of the house • Take short cool showers or apply wet towels to face • Sleep with a damp cloth • Don't cook a roast! • Drink water–stay hydrated! Passive cooling: keeping your home cool • Upgrade insulation–not just for winter! Roof first, then walls, then floors • Draught seal gaps • Fit external blinds • Shading on the north–horizontal eaves overhead • Shading on the west/east–vertical screens/blinds…

Fortunately, Australia is home to thousands of varieties of native plants that will fare well in hot, dry conditions. Here is a roundup of some personal favourites that thrive in the area that I live, in Melbourne. The best way to find plants that will work in your garden is to speak to staff at your local plant nursery. Or, peer into your neighbours’ yards and see what is working for them! Lomandra longifolia, mat rush Lomandra is a genus of strappy or grass-like plants, native Australia wide except for the Northern Territory and Western Australia. There are many Lomandra varieties, and they are typically very hardy, tolerating most growing conditions from extreme wet to drought. Lomandra longifolia is a reliable choice, though a personal favourite is Lomandra hystrix variety…

The heart of all electric vehicles is the battery, and by far the most widely used battery type (except for a few low-spec, low-cost e-bikes), is the lithium ion battery. For EV use, these come in two main flavours—ternary batteries (such as nickel manganese cobalt) and lithium iron phosphate (often written as LiFePO4 or just LFP). Ternary chemistries have somewhat higher gravimetric energy density (energy stored per unit of weight) than LFP but suffer from shorter lifespans and a vastly higher fire risk (for an example of this see BYD's test of their Blade LFP batteries at youtu.be/CGQwqWqzkNA). It is ternary battery chemistries that are to blame for the various EV fires, whether they be light passenger vehicles or e-scooters. Pretty much all of those fires have been from ternary…

In 2018, Sandy Xu watched a documentary that changed the course of her career. She was an accountant in Sydney at the time, and in a job that she says was “all about making rich people richer.” When she watched Under the Dome, she knew something had to change. “The documentary was about air pollution in China, how it affects the people living there, and what the future looks like,” Sandy explains. “I was born in China, and it really hit me just how much harm has been done to the environment.” “At the same time, I came across the movement ‘Effective Altruism’, which stressed the importance of making an impact through your day job, because you spend eight hours a day, which is approximately 80,000 hours of your life,…