Yahoo!7 Answers Blog Australia

Is it just me or has there been an increase in natural disasters over the past few years? Maybe it’s just that we have greater awareness and media coverage available on a world level, or maybe it’s simply a side effect of the continuing issue of global warming.

In Australia alone over the past few years, we have experienced wide scale flooding, devastating bushfires, severe storms, cyclones, landslides and of course the never-ending drought. Last year alone saw over a hundred people perish in the Black Saturday bushfires that swept through Victoria, plunging our nation into mourning. We’re not alone; tsunamis, earthquakes – like the one experienced in Haiti last week, volcanic eruptions and other natural disasters have touched every corner of the world, seemingly without rhyme or reason.

Here are some of the natural disasters experienced in Australia over the last 60 years:

• Drought – Since 2002, many areas of Australia have been affected by drought with little or no relief. Dams levels have been at all-time lows and water restrictions have become the norm. There have been other stretches of drought, most typically last 5-10 years in duration.
• Bushfires – Tasmania in 1967 with 264,270 hectares burnt out in 5 hours with 64 deaths and the loss of 1,400 homes; Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia in 1983 which saw 180 simultaneous fires across both states destroy nearly 2,500 homes and cause the deaths of 75 people; the Canberra bushfires in 2003, with 4 deaths and over 500 homes lost; and last, but by no means least – Black Saturday. These are the worst fires to date in Australia, with 400 separate fires across 4,5000km² in the state of Victoria. This resulted in 173 lives lost, 414 persons injured and is by far our worst bushfire to date.
• Heatwaves.
• Earthquakes – the most memorable would be the Newcastle earthquake in 1989, killing 13 people.
• Floods – Nyngan in NSW, 1990; Brisbane in 1974 with 4 fatalities recorded; Grafton and surrounding areas in 2009.
• Cyclones – Cyclone Ada in 1970, 14 deaths; Cyclone Tracy in 1974, 71 deaths; Cyclone Larry in 2006, no loss of life but a $A1.5 billion damage bill and long term affects to Australia’s agriculture, particularly banana crops.

With all of this in mind, we have asked the following question:

• What is the worst natural disaster seen in the last 60 years?

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below or answer our question on Yahoo!7 Answers.

Kate
Community Manager

Last week, we had a chat with Lynne McGranger who plays Irene on Home and Away. This bubbly actress gave some great answers to your questions in this interview.

The wonderful thing about Yahoo!7 Answers is the conversation with celebrities isn’t one way, she also has the opportunity to ask you guys a question. After a bit of thought, Lynne explained that the environment has been on her mind recently. As she said:

It’s becoming more and more apparent that we all need to work together to help save the environment. After all, out of small things, big things grow! At my place we’re recycling water and using energy efficient light bulbs. I’m wondering what you’re doing in your home to help save the planet?

This is her question: What simple things have you done to make your home more environmentally friendly?

We think it’s a great question. With the global financial crisis, fluctuating unemployment predictions and swine flu, some of us have become a bit forgetful about the environment.

Here are some of the best suggestions so far, such as Doug M’s idea:

I am removing every plant from my garden that is not native to the district, starting with those that pose a threat to the native bushland (agapanthus, cotoneaster, sweet pittospurum, mirror plant, etc., etc.)

Jeetee suggests:

Save water by not flushing toilet constantly. the old saying if it’s yellow let it mellow if it’s brown flush it down..

Deeza07:

We use vinegar and bicarb to clean most surfaces. Vinegar kills germs and is a fantastic cleaner – great for bathrooms, floors, sinks, etc.

Whome?:

Use the first cycle of washing machine water (with suds) for the garden.

Well done, those suggestions are easy ways to make a difference! And if you haven’t answered yet or want to pick up some ideas for saving the environment, check out the question here – What simple things have you done to make your home more environmentally friendly?

Remember, every little bit helps!

Caitlin
Community Manager

It’s a pretty exciting night for Australians. Earth Hour began in Sydney as an initiative by the City of Sydney Council and now it’s a huge global event with over 50 million people taking part last year. This year, they’re aiming for 1 billion people, which is a huge goal but if we all do our bit we can help make a difference.

Got some questions about Earth Hour? We’ve got the Answers!

What’s the point of Earth Hour?

It only exists to raise awareness of energy usage and the benefits of conservation. In reality, it does nothing in the way of actually significant energy usage reduction…

The hope of the creators is that this event will get people thinking about their energy choices the entire year. More

What should I do about Earth Hour as I have an event planned?

Perhaps you could incorporate it by turning out main lights in the hall for one minute. I probably wouldn’t turn them all out because who knows what might happen. Or perhaps you could set up a donation jar at the entrance and then donate the money to WWF, which is the organisation who organised Earth Hour. Have fun! More

How does wasting energy promote global warming?

Well, first of all, one of the main gases that cause global warming is carbon dioxide.

By saving energy, the power station that generates electricity to power your house doesn’t have to generate as much energy. Currently, the main method of generating energy is to burn coal, which produces a lot of carbon dioxide.

So, in short, we save energy –> power station doesn’t need to generate a lot of energy –> power station doesn’t need to burn too much coal –> less carbon dioxide is given off –> less carbon dioxide means slower global warming. More

Need more of a reason to join the cause? Check out this video from the organisers.

How about you, how will you be spending Earth Hour tomorrow night?

As the Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Peter Garrett would like to ensure that your concerns about the environment are looked at and has turned to Yahoo!7 Answers to get the low-down from Australians like you.

While he is well known for his time as an Aussie rocker, these days Peter burns the midnight oil (excuse the pun!) coming up with environment policies and new ways to tackle climate change.

Peter will be choosing a Best Answer to his question and respond via a video which he will link to in his question, so share your ideas with Peter, the Labor Party and your fellow Australians…

What do you think the Australian Labor Government should do to tackle climate change?

Alana

It has been many weeks coming, but we are finally able to announce that a winning response has been chosen for the Yahoo!7 Answers / Be a Better Planet $50,000 question!

The judges had the heavy going job of reading through and considering more than 1100 fantastic responses – many of which had truly inspiring ideas on how to use $50,000 to create a more sustainable environment in Australia. It was great to see that so many people put so much thought into their responses and certainly very difficult for the judging panel to choose just one winner.

In the end though, it was user Fritz whose answer was chosen as best –

“The best use of $50,000 for the planet would be as a reward to the greenest school in the country. The money could be shared out to schools who are implementing a go green program. It may be divided into $30,000, $20,000 & $10,000 to provide a number of prizes that would encourage schools to go green. It is our children who will be most affected and it is our children who need to change the way we use our planet.”

This answer was decided upon as the winner because it was a simple idea that can easily be implemented, but it has the potential to have a positive effect all over the nation. Yahoo!7 and Be a Better Planet are now working with a partner to create this incentive program for schools, and we will definitely keep you up to date as it progresses!

We have to say thanks one final time to the Be a Better Planet Judging Panel, which includes Planet Ark founder Jon Dee, University of Technology Professor Derek Eamus, Better Homes & Gardens presenters Jason Hodges and Joanna Griggs, New Idea editor Robyn Foyster, All Saints star Virginia Gay, media personality Annalise Braakensiek, Yahoo! founder David Filo and Yahoo!7 CEO Ian Smith. They certainly had their work cut out for them choosing just one winner out of so many brilliant responses.

And of course thanks again to everyone who took the time to answer – you’ve helped to make this competition a huge success and we hope to see you again soon on Yahoo!7 Answers!

Yahoo!7 Answers Team

The judges have begun collaborating to find the best answer to the Yahoo!7 Answers/Be a Better Planet question – and they certainly have a stack to sort through! While the question is yet to be resolved it is no longer officially taking answers to be considered to win the competition, however you are still welcome to add your thoughts on the best way to spend $50,000 to improve the Australian environment if you have any.

Before the big announcement is made let’s meet one more of our judging panel members – Professor Derek Eamus. An expert and well renowned environmental scientist at the University of Technology Sydney, and author of over 150 research papers, book chapters and reports into climate change, plant ecology and water use, Professor Eamus is well armed with knowledge to help decide which response to the $50,000 question has the most merit.

Professor Eamus took some time from sorting through the myriad responses to tell us about why he feels so strongly about environmental issues…

When did you first become passionate about environmental issues?

When I started a research project in Scotland looking into the impacts of acid rain on forest growth. Acid rain was a serious problem for much of Europe and North America in the 70’s and 80’s but through the research we conducted we were able to convince government and industry of the need to reduce emissions of sulphur dioxide and other acid forming chemicals. Consequently acid rain is not a problem for Europe and America now (although it is in China and elsewhere).

What made you decide to become involved in spreading the word about climate change?

A second research project that I started in Scotland looked at the impact of carbon dioxide on forest growth and physiology. I continued this research in Darwin, NT and now am part of a major research team growing Australian trees in giant chambers in the field with a CO₂ enriched atmosphere. These research projects clearly revealed to me that forest growth and forest water use will be altered in response to climate change and that there was a need for this research to be widely understood in the public domain. Consequently I lecture about this topic to my students.

What is your biggest concern about the state of Australia’s environment? The rate of climate change and the impact this has on Australia’s natural environment, (including water resources) will be faster than politicians and industry are willing to respond.

What do you do in your own daily life to reduce carbon emissions? I use public transport as often as possible. We buy the most energy and water efficient appliances we can for the household. I ride a motorbike in preference to a car. We recycle as much as we can and we repair as much as we can (I’ve repaired the vacuum cleaner three times with new carbon brushes for the motor) before buying new. We try to buy locally grown produce to reduce the transport costs embedded in food. We don’t iron many clothes!

Is Australia lagging behind other countries in terms of reducing carbon emissions and generally being environmentally friendly?

Australia has particular problems not shared by many other countries, such as the lack of consistent rainfall, the high temperatures and the large distances between major centers of population. This presents challenges. We should be harnessing renewable energy more effectively and re-evaluating the crops we grow in Australia. For example, why do we choose to grow cotton and rice in Australia when rainfall is so unpredictable? We are very poor at investing in effective accessible and cheap public transport. So, on balance, we could be doing better than we do at the moment.

Do you think people have their heads in the sand when it comes to climate change?

I don’t think people have their heads in the sand about this, but I think they feel that the politicians and industry groups need to unite and act on this and provide some sustained and intelligent leadership.

Professor Eamus is joined by his fellow judges, including Yahoo! Founder and co-chief David Filo, New Idea Editor Robyn Foyster, Planet Ark founder Jon Dee, and Better Homes and Gardens Landscaper Jason Hodges, to whittle more than a thousand entries down to just one. I don’t envy him the task – there are so many great responses – take a look for your self!

Clea

We have already heard from several of the Yahoo!7 Answers / Be a Better Planet competition judges over the past couple of weeks, who have given us the lowdown on their own personal involvement in environmental issues.

This week we’d like to introduce another important figure who will be taking part in the decision making process, sorting through hundreds of answers to the question How would you spend $50,000 to create a more sustainable environment in Australia until a winner is chosen – the Co-founder and Chief of Yahoo! David Filo.

David cares so much about the environment that he is the driving force behind the push for Yahoo! offices all over the world to go carbon neutral, and is even asking for your thoughts on how to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Here are some of David’s own thoughts and tips on ‘green’ living -

What do you do in your own daily life to reduce carbon emissions?
I’ve done simple things like changing out my light bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs, buying green power through my local utility, recycling and owning a hybrid car, but mostly it’s just being mindful of the choices I can make every day.

How can companies make their offices more environmentally friendly?
By examining their facilities to determine the most practical actions for reducing energy consumption. Options might include installing motion sensors to turn of lights in unused offices or conference rooms, recycling aggressively, investing in renewable energy programs, installing window films to reduce the need for climate control, upgrading appliances and mechanical systems with energy-efficient products and encouraging employees to pursue alternative commute options. Little changes can go a long way.

What is one really simple thing people can start doing right now to reduce global warming?
Think differently about everything. Whether replacing incandescent lights with more energy-efficient CFL light bulbs, turning off computers at night, or choosing public transport over driving, if people consider the environment before they act, we could see a dramatic impact.

Is there enough awareness in the community about the deteriorating state of the planet?
Awareness is definitely growing — efforts like “An Inconvenient Truth” and recent global media coverage have been very effective in making the issue top of mind. However, I think people still feel overwhelmed by the problem and they aren’t convinced that their individual actions can change anything. That’s the mindset we need to start changing. Millions of actions contributed to our problem and millions of actions can reduce it.

The big question still needs answers! There’s plenty of time to register and make your own suggestion on how 50,000 big ones could be best spent to improve the environment in Australia – each entry will be considered by David and his presitgious panel of fellow judges, including Better Homes and Gardens’ Jason Hodges, New Idea Editor Robyn Foyster, Planet Ark Founder Jon Dee, University of Technology Sydney Professor of Environmental Science Derek Eamus, All Saints actor Virginia Gay and Yahoo!7 CEO Ian Smith.

Yahoo!7 Answers Team

Whales – still under threat

Residents in the far north of Western Australia will not be taking advantage of unseasonably warm weather being experienced by the whole nation this week – as a 3 metre long crocodile has been spotted lurking about Cable Beach –the area’s most popular tourist spot. Wildlife officers fear they will have to shoot the reptile – not an ideal solution – they are hoping it will tire of waiting for an unsuspecting traveller to wade into the ocean and take off in search of other potential food sources.

Killing a crocodile would cause some upset from animal conservationists, but not nearly as much as the idea of killing whales does. There is certainly a lot of discussion on Yahoo!7 Answers about countries such as Japan moving to lift a ban on commercial whaling. For now the ban is upheld – as the International Whaling Commission has been convinced that the world is at risk of wiping out these majestic mammals permanently, however Japan has not ruled out going against orders and continuing whaling it it’s own economic zone.

In other news – you may have noticed a lack of coverage in this blog of the recent exploits of the starlets Miss LL and Miss PH. It was recently decided over muffins and coffee by the Yahoo!7 Answers Team that these particular partying and scandal causing young celebrities shall not be mentioned by name or deed as they are completely overexposed on a global level. Henceforth no rehab stints or prison stays will be mentioned in this blog – despite the fact that it is very tempting and easy to poke fun at particular incidents of airheaded behaviour.

Even mentioning certain people’s initials is almost breaking the newly created guidelines so I will stop here and say have a good weekend and don’t forget to add your contribution to the Yahoo!7 Answers/ Be a Better Planet $50,000 question if you haven’t already!

Clea

Our third Yahoo!7 Answers/Be a Better Planet $50k competition judge is Robyn Foyster – Editor of the longstanding and hugely popular women’s magazine New Idea.

As well as giving women all the latest celebrity news and fashion tips New Idea has a strong environmental conscience – the magazine works closely with the World Wildlife Federation and recently supported the Lights off Australiaand Earth Hour campaigns that are aiming to reduce the country’s planet damaging carbon emissions. Robyn also makes sure New Idea has regular features on how to save money by being environmentally friendly.

Robyn took time out of her hectic schedule to give us some of her thoughts on environmental issues…

What made you decide to become involved in spreading the word about climate change?
Being in a position to be able to motivate a lot of people to change things for the better and give our readers a voice is something I am very passionate about. Also, I am a mother of two and as such feel a responsibility to do the most I can to ensure a better future for my children.

What is your biggest concern about the state of Australia’s environment?
Perhaps more than any other country, the effects of climate change is really impacting us – with the drought, the degradation of the Murray-Darling river basin – our farmers are suffering.

What do you do in your own daily life to reduce carbon emissions?
Our family uses a shower timer, we walk as much as possible rather than drive and our family car is small and economical. We have energy efficient light globes as well as white goods.

How can people make their homes more environmentally friendly?
By installing solar panels, a rain water tank and making use of grey water. Also simple things like using energy efficient light globes and whitegoods and using less water by timing your showers.

Is Australia lagging behind other countries in terms of reducing carbon emissions and generally being environmentally friendly?
Yes and no. As Australians, we are one of the highest per-capita greenhouse gas polluters in the world, because most of our electricity comes from burning coal so we have to start using energy more efficiently and switching to cleaner energy sources now, which will result in a major reduction in climate change impacts.

In stating that, our awareness is very high, a recent international poll found that 92% of Australians are in favour of measures to counter global warming, we were ranked the highest – so I really think we are starting to make changes. (source – Chicago Council on Global Affairs)

Do you think people have their heads in the sand when it comes to climate change?
No, I think right now people are taking the issue more seriously than they ever have, Australians are realising the issue of global warming needs to be addressed with urgency. Our farmers know this firsthand with the hotter and drier climate that has caused the worst drought in living memory. Pester power is also on the increase – green is the new black!

Robyn will be taking part in the huge decision process involved in finding a best answer for the Yahoo!7 Be a Better Planet competition, and the user with the best suggestion on how 50 thousand dollars could create a more sustainable environment in Australia will see the cash go to the cause or initiative of their choice. There are now more than six hundred responses, but each and every answer will be considered so if you haven’t submitted yours make sure you do so soon!

And don’t forget to register first!

Yahoo!7 Answers Team

EDIT: This competition has closed for new submissions and the winning entry is now being considered by the judging panel.

It’s time to introduce the second of our prestigious panelists in the Yahoo!7 Answers/ Be a Better Planet $50,000 question competition – environmental organisation Planet Ark’s well known founder Jon Dee.

Jon was just 27 when he set up Planet Ark to help show people and businesses the many ways they can reduce their day to day impact on the environment. More than 13,000 Australian businesses now have Planet Ark recycle bins in their offices and nearly 4 million printer cartridges have been recycled through the organization, diverting thousand of tones of waste from ending up as landfill. Planet Ark is also behind National Recycling Week, National Tree Day and a whole host of other earth friendly initiatives.

Jon gave us the story beind his dedication to saving the planet and some tips on how to better reduce your own carbon footprint

When did you first become passionate about environmental issues?
I’ve been keen on nature since I was a kid, but it turned into a passion in the eighties when I watched a movie starring Charlie Boorman called ‘Emerald Forest’ about rainforest destruction. Within a week of seeing it, I managed to get a full time job at a rainforest protection organisation

What do you do in your own daily life to reduce carbon emissions?
I’ve signed my home up to have 100% Government accredited GreenPower with the renewable energy company Jackgreen. That is the single biggest thing that the average person can do in the fight against climate change.

Back in 1992, I also switched all my incandescent lights over to energy saver lights, which has saved me a fortune over the years. I also own a hybrid Prius car but mainly travel up to four hours a day by train to get to and from my office in Sydney. That’s not as bad as it sounds as I manage to work while I’m on the train.

I also make sure that I turn off all electricity devices at the plug at night and when they’re not in use. That takes away the risk of fire when I’m asleep and it knocks up to 10% off my electricity bills (my Dad was a fireman so unplugging things at night was drummed into me from birth!).

How can companies make their offices more environmentally friendly?
Make sure employees use recycling bins that recycle more than just office paper. Not letting people put recyclables in the rubbish bin, switching to energy saving light globes, activating the EnergyStar setting on their electrical goods, buying energy efficient products and giving people reusable coffee mugs and refillable water bottles (that can be filled by a water filter in the company kitchen).

What is one really simple thing people can start doing right now to reduce global warming?
Switch to GreenPower. Visit www.GreenPowerPriceWatch.com.au to find out what the best deals are for GreenPower in your State. It is a site I set up to help people make the switch.

How can people make their homes more environmentally friendly?

Buying energy efficient products and turning the thermostat down by one degree and turning off unused electrical appliances at the wall is a definite way to have a safer house and cheaper bills.

Again, there are many places online that will give you a variety of tips on what you can do.

Is Australia lagging behind other countries in terms of reducing carbon emissions and generally being environmentally friendly?

Yes and we must do more. The one good thing is that the Government took my idea I gave them of phasing out incandescent globes over 3 years so that we could ban them in favour of energy saving light globes. The rest of the world is following our example on that front, which is great!

Do you think people have their heads in the sand when it comes to climate change?
To a degree but it’s changing rapidly. Green is once again the new black!

Jon will be one of the judges scrutinising every entry that answers the question How would you spend $50,000 to create a more sustainable environment in Australia?, with the best answer to receive the money to put towards the cause that they have nominated. There is still time left for you to contribute your idea and have it read by Jon and his fellow judges, but don’t forget to register first.