Tuesday, May 31, 2011

UC: Australia's first bottled water free uni


Sandy Rose

February 2011: The University of Canberra is the first university in Australia to go bottled water free. The move is the largest of its kind in the country and was initiated by students and assisted by action group Do Something!

New water bubblers and bottle refill stations have been installed on campus with funding from the ACT Chief Minister’s Department. Students and staff will also be offered a chilled water alternative to bottled water through Australia’s first WaterVend machines, which dispense filtered, ‘flash-chilled’ still, sparkling or flavoured tap water into the customer’s own refillable container.

University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Parker said the decision was an important part of creating a sustainable campus.

Monday, May 30, 2011

The Bottom Line...

Is Profit killing Planet Earth?

Surfing's bottom line is a far cry from the traditional business Bottom Line, or is it? 


As Surfing (and all Industries) expands, so to does its exploitative behaviour and the environment, which surfing so greatly depends, suffers immensely... Ironic? Billabong and other companies publicly floated on the Stock Exchange, answers to their seemingly anonymous shareholders, who just want a Return On Investment, regardless of actual cost... 

This super dangerous and irresponsible approach to "Getting Ahead" (for what?) is having dire and irreversible effects on our social fabric, our health, our planet and its future...

Lets get to the bottom of it...

What Does Bottom Line Mean?

Refers to a company's net earnings, net income or earnings per share (EPS). Bottom line also refers to any actions that may increase/decrease net earnings or a company's overall profit. A company that is growing its net earnings or reducing its costs is said to be "improving its bottom line".

But What Does Bottom Line Really Mean?

It means that companies and businesses alike, particularly public listed or floated companies on the stock exchange, place the vast majority of their focus on Profit. Profit at all costs, ultimately profit at the cost of the environments, society and future generations... This is the old way of doing business that ultimately leads to total devastation as no one seems to claim responsibility for their actions... Nuclear Radiation fallout, BP Oil spill, Air Travel Industry CO2 pollution etc etc...

Business, Companies and Organisations that fail to commit to sustainable practices are contributing to the accelerated destruction of the society and environment or which we are all so dependent...
Patagonia's Dan Ross at Shipsterns commits to a Triple Bottom Line.
What Does Triple Bottom Line Mean?

In practical terms, Triple Bottom Line (or TBL or 3BL) accounting means expanding the traditional reporting framework to take into account ecological and social performance in addition to financial performance. The concept of TBL demands that a company's responsibility lies with stakeholders rather than shareholders.

But What Does Triple Bottom Line Really Mean?

The TBL is made up of "social, economic and environmental" the "people, planet, profit" succinctly describes the goal of sustainability. The best way to demonstrate the TBL is visually...
A Sustainable Model
See the balance and inter relationships that are present and pay close attention to the common joining words, Viable, Bearable, Equitable. In traditional bottom line business models, the economic outcomes are the only considerations for the shareholders, they operate in an exploitative manner until the resources are dried up, IE. Fossil Fuels, Natural Resources etc...

Our Global Goals must transform from profit to Sustainability...

Necessary Sustainable Time Line

Companies like www.patagonia.com and organisations like www.onepercentfortheplanet.org are leading the way in this transformation, but it needs to happen much faster and across all industries and they can only lead by example...

Adopt a TBL approach to your life and business today...

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Blind man can see...



As the song suggest Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu was born blind, but its plain to see that being vision impaired connects him deeply to his music and spirit...  Something most of us with 20/20 rarely, if ever, do in a life time...


Intuitively and spontaneously in the moment!

Easy Organic Chicken & Vege Soup with Quinoa

Out come 3x2 Steamers and soup recipes...

Chicken Soup is one thing, but with vegetables and grains (esp Quinoa pronounced keenwa) is something else, enjoy!

INGREDIENTS: Quantities don't really matter...

Organic Free Range Chicken Drumsticks
Organic Vegetables (Carrots, Onion, Potato, Pumpkin, Celery, Parsnip, Turnip etc)
Organic Soup Mix (White & Red Haricot Beans, Red & Green Lentils, Buckwheat, Green Peas, Urad Dahl, Pearl Barley, Millet)
Organic White Quinoa (most complete chain of amino acids, yew!)
Organic Shitake Mushrooms (& secret ingredient is...)
Organic Vegetable Stock (Swiss Nature Vegetable Cubes are awesome!)
Organic Virgin First Pressed Olive Oil
Organic Garlic, Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Filtered Water (Preferably alkaline with high pH level of 9-10)

Season large soup pot with olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper on high heat
Brown drumsticks and add rough chopped onion, carrots and celery
Add 1-2 liters of boiling filtered water with 3-4 stock cubes
Add grains, quinoa & shitake mushroom
Add rough chopped potato, parsnip, pumpkin & turnip
Taste and season further is necessary
Remove drumsticks from bone and return cooked flesh to the pot (suck the hell out of those bones)
Simmer on low heat for 30-45 min (longer and lower the better)

I usually start at lunch have a bowl with fresh bread and (heaps of) butter, then leave the pot to blend all the flavours and reheat for dinner, better still the following day...

SERVING SUGGESTIONS...
Shaved and grilled Parmesan on country grain crusty bread

Best between surfs on these Wintery days ;-)

On this Day...

At 11:30 am on 29 May 1953, Edmund Percival Hillary (New Zealand) and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay (Nepal) became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest...

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Free Filters...

With the strong Aussie Dollar and all the talk of Fracing for Natural Gas and toxin potentially entering our precious aquifers, there couldn't be a better time for free filters...

The crew at ALKAWAY are having an End of Financial Year Sale, till June 30th 2011...

BUY ANY ELECTRONIC WATER ALKALISERS & GET 4 FREE ADDITIONAL FILTERS VALUED AT $440! (Enough filters for approximately 5 years...)

Kangan

Venus

Melody

Delphi

Alphion
All the Electronic Water Filtration Alkalisers have slightly different applications and price points, depending on needs and tastes. But, they all filter, micro-cluster, ionize and alkalise the water, which basically transforms dead municipal tap water into energised water that improves re-hydration, energy, recovery and general well-being...

For more info go to: www.alkaway.com.au

Did you..?



Why are funniest things often the most true..?

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Back in the day...



Everything just seemed super simple... Lay Back & enjoy!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Gear Shift...

What gear are you in?


There seems to be a whole lot of talk about what should and/or shouldn't be done about climate change. Politicians seem to be stuck in neutral waiting for someone else to make the shift...

Next time you're shifting gear, consider minimising and offsetting your carbon footprint...

Every bit helps...

Peace

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Spin the bottle...

 
Where does the water bottle point for you?

The global bottled water sales have increased dramatically over the past several decades. The global rate of consumption more than quadrupled between 1990 and 2005. Spring water and purified tap water are currently the leading global sellers. By one estimate, approximately 60 billion bottles of water are consumed per annum in the U.S. and around 250 billion bottles globally.

Bottled water has been described as "one of the greatest cons of the 20th century" and as "marketing's answer to the emperor's new clothes" and has come under intense criticism in recent years for the environmental impacts of groundwater extraction, the energy and environmental costs of the plastic packaging and transportation costs, and concerns about water quality and the validity of some marketing claims...

The bottled water industry in Australia is worth approximately $400 million per year... That's a lot of money being made by the like of Norlex and Coca Cola (that owns Australian bottled water brands Neverfail and Mount Franklin) extracting water from our groundwater... What do they give back for the privilege?

In 2009, the New South Wales town of Bundanoon voted to become the first town in the world to outlaw bottled water. Its citizens voluntarily chose to ban bottled water in response to a bottling company's desire to sell water from the town's local aquifer. To learn more, go to www.bundyontap.com.au

THE University of Canberra become the first Australian campus to ban the sale of bottled water on March 22 2011, encouraging students to use refillable bottles, the ban  could reduce bottled water sales by 140,000 a year. Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/university-to-ban-bottled-water-sales-20110120-19xzl.html#ixzz1N3CJY9N0

So thankfully it appears as if the scales are tipping back in favour of health & sustainability, and commonsense is finally prevailing! Think about banning bottles water in your area...

Fill2Pure make the ultimate in reusable water filtration bottles, each replaceable filter removes 99.99% of all pollutants and contaminants, whilst providing 400+ liters of clean, great tasting, safe drinking water from any water source (tap, river, flood, pond anything but salt), which saves hundreds of plastic water bottles going to landfill or the environment... Great for ensuring optimum Health and even better for Environmental health, WIN-WIN! For more info go toALKAWAY

Me & Julio



This morning I was whistling Paul Simon's - Me & Julio between sets... and I'm super stoked to share yet another piece of Sesame Street magic, as heaps of crew were diggin' Mr Wonder's Superstition last week...

So chords & lyrics below, strum n' sing along... or just dance, dance, dance... Enjoy kids!


ME & JULIO - Paul Simon        

 G/D A/D G/D D  (rpt)  
G                                                     C
Mama pajama rolled outta bed, she ran to the police station
          D                          
When the papa found out
                                         G
he began to shout and started the investigation
                  D                        G
It's against the law, it was against the law
               D                        G
What what mama saw, it was against the law

The mama look down and spit on the ground 
Every time my name gets mentioned
The papa said "oy, if I get that boy
I'm gonna stick him in the house of detention"

CHORUS:
                 C                G
Well I'm on my way, I don't know where I'm goin'
          C              G            A          D
I'm on my way, takin' my time, but I don't know where
            C            F       G
Goodbye to Rosie, the queen of Corona
                 F    C/E             D     G C G D
See you, me and Julio down by the schoolyard
                F    C/E                D   G C G D
Seein' me and Julio down by the schoolyard

(Instrumental break - whistle ya ass off!!!)

In a couple of days they come and take me away
But the press let the story leak
And when the radical priest come to get me released
We was all on the cover of Newsweek ...CHORUS
          G        F   C/E           D       G  C  G  D
See you, me and Julio down by the schoolyard


G/D: x x 0 4 3 3  A/D: x x 0 6 5 5
C/E: 0 2 0 0 3 0

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Brazilian Ukulele



What? ;-)

RIO PRO 2011 - Final Day Highlights...


An emotional end to the event with local lad Adriano De Souza taking the win and the U$100k against Taj Burrow in what were exceptionally difficult small close outs..

It was great to see the big framed Bede Durbidge surf well in the small stuff to progress to the Semi's and I thought that Owen Wright surfed really well being was very unlucky in his Quarter final lose..

A good result for Rossy, where this events 9th ties him equal 17th with Adrian Buchan, CJ & Daimen Hobgood overall in the World Title rankings...

All aboard for the J-Bay Express Jul 14 - 24... ooottt ooottt...


Friday, May 20, 2011

Heat 3, Round 3...

Here at FM we like to post Dan's heats win or lose, here's a win. Rossy and Ace fighting out a hard fought heat in tough conditions over in Rio De Janeiro. Commentators were comparing it to Munduka, personally I think they had rocks in their heads!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Patagonia Dan Ross Surf Camp



Location:         Surfing Australia HPC on Casuarina Beach (15 minutes south of the Gold Coast), NSW

Date:               Sat 25-Jun-2011 to Sun 26-Jun-2011

Course Time:  7:30AM - 4:00PM Daily

Cost:                $275.00 (inc. GST)

Description:    Patagonia Daniel Ross Surf Camp

CLICK HERE to download the information flyer.

The Surfing Australia High Performance Centre (HPC) has called in Daniel Ross to help prepare surfers for the upcoming junior competition season at the inaugural Patagonia Daniel Ross Surf Camp.
Daniel currently competes on the ASP World Tour and is well known for his superior fitness and competition strategies that give him the edge in close competition. He has coached the Red Bull team including Julian Wilson and Sally Fitzgibbons and his training programs will help you to achieve your best competition result.

Daniel will work with the HPC coaches to deliver a camp that will include:
• Warm up and preparation strategies for heats
• Physical training programs
• Video analysis of every surfing session
• Heat simulations and strategies
• Patagonia goodies bag for each participant

Date: June 25th to 26th 2011

Location: Surfing Australia HPC on Casuarina Beach (15 minutes south of the Gold Coast)

Times: 7.30am to 4pm each day

Price: $275

Extras (contact HPC to book extras)
 

Silicon Coach DVD:  Surfers receive a DVD which includes surfing footage with digital pencil drawings identifying where a surfer can improve technique, comparisons with the world's best surfers and audio commentary from your coach...COST $120

Breakfast and Lunch each day:  $55

Who: Competition surfers under 18 years of age.

Bookings and Further Information
James Eggington, HPC Manager
Phone: 0266749868
Email: james@surfingaustralia.com

CLICK HERE to download information flyer

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Rossy & Mick RIO style...



Dan Ross and Mick Fanning blowin' off some steam in the lead up to the RIO PRO

Rio Pro Round 1

Rossy through to Round 3..


Check the pit to floater combo...

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Welcome Aboard The Bob Barker

FRESH MULLET had the privilege of stepping aboard The BOB BARKER, one of 3 vessels in the SEA SHEPARD CONSERVATION SOCIETY fleet today. The ship is in the area getting some well deserved TLC and a new camo paint job for its next mission up into the tropics to help police illegal shark fishing around the Palau (Caroline Islands) waters.
Fresh Mullet was lucky enough to get a tour of the ship and talk conservation with Ben Potts and Andrea Gordon (Bob Barkers Bosun and Ships Manager).
Stay tuned for more in the coming week, but in the mean time check out The Bob Barker high, dry and naked....
Some interesting facts about The BOB BARKER, it was originally a Norwegian whaling vessel built in 1950 making it 61 years young. Its the 2nd ship in the Sea Shepard fleet. The money to purchase the ship was donated by the American T.V personality Bob Barker (The Price Is Right) who is an avid conservationist of wild life. If you were to stop and fill up The Bob Barker at the petrol station it would set you back close to half a million bucks...ouch. If your petrol bill isn't that much and you can afford to donate to Sea Shepard and stop the killing of whales in the southern oceans..here's a link
HELP SEA SHEPARD


Monday, May 16, 2011

Everyday hero...


Red Cross is the ultimate in sustainability (Sustainability is the capacity to endure...)

We don't usually encourage TVC's, but when we saw this on www.redcross.org.au it struck a chord...

Not only is the graphics and segues brilliant, the facts are mind blowing and it reminds you of the freakish start to 2011...

No one would appreciate this more than the victims of these unprecedented natural (& not so natural) disasters across the World and their savours...

The Red Cross are always the unsung heroes in these testing times and need every cent...

Its coming up to Tax Time again! So whether you're a struggling individual or a thriving business or company that needs to lower your taxable income, there are always people and organisations that need the your help...

Go to: http://www.redcross.org.au/taxtime2011.htm

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Too Busy...


... to bother Father Time, when we can toy with Uncle Newton's Gravity...

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Mr Minimalist...

At FM we froth over simplistic design...

From single fins to simple architecture, we subscribe to less is more and all that stuff...

But this one is for the Fantastic Mr Fox, whom has boldly embarked on a career in design, LIVE SIMPLY...


Construccion Basic 10/1 from Herreros Arquitectos on Vimeo.

Sustainability, LIVE SIMPLY, less is more, just hurry up and draft me one of those puppies...

Check out more images and plans at http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/05/prefab-prototype-growing-house-casa-garosa.php

Super Superstitious...


Had the pleasure of this little nugget of 1972 Gold floating around my head yesterday...

If you’re superstitious, you might not like the fact that it was Friday the 13th...

But if you’re Stevie Wonder, it was your 61st birthday... Now that is very superstitious... 

Happy Birthday Mr Wonder!

NB. Check the little grommet shakin' it Stevie Style on the raised platform...

Below is the catchiest riff, so grab ya axe... Enjoy!!! 

SUPERSTITIOUS - Stevie Wonder 1972

Tune your guitar down a half step to Eb

Main Clav riff:
e|--------------------------|--------------------------|
B|--------------------------|--------------------------|
G|--------------------------|--------------------------|
D|-----------------5--------|-----------------5--------|
A|-----7---5---7-------5----|---------5---7------5-----|
E|-0------------------------|-5---7--------------------|



Very superstitious, writing's on the wall.
Very superstitious, ladder's 'bout to fall.


e|--------------------------------|-----------------------------|
B|--------------------------------|-----------------------------|
G|--------------------------------|-----------------------------|
D|--------------------------------|----------------/9---5-------|
A|-----7---5-7----------5-----5-7-|-----7---5-7-------------7---|
E|-0--------------5-6-7-----7-----|-0---------------------------|


Thirteen-month-old baby broke the looking glass.
Seven years of bad luck, the good things in your past.

            B         C              B           Bb              A
When you believe in things that you don't understand, then you suffer.
B
Superstition ain't the way.

Horn riff:
e|-12---------------|-10---9---7---9----|
B|------------------|-------------------|
G|--9---------------|--7---6---4---6--9-|
D|------------------|-------------------|
A|------------------|-----------------7-|
E|------------------|-------------------|


Ooh, very superstitious, wash your face and hands.
Rid me of the problem, do all that you can.
Keep me in a daydream, keep me goin' strong.
You don't wanna save me, sad is my song.
When you believe in things that you don't understand, then you suffer.
Superstition ain't the way.
Hey, hey, hey.

Very superstitious, nothing more to say.
Very superstitious, the devil's on his way.
Thirteen-month-old baby broke the looking glass.
Seven years of bad luck, the good things in your past.
When you believe in things that you don't understand, then you suffer.
Superstition ain't the way.
Hey, hey, hey.
Very superstitious.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Planets align of Friday the 13th...


Astronomy, Astrology and superstition all come together tomorrow before dawn, as Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter all share the same spot in the Eastern sky, weather permitting.

The last time this happened was in 1910.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Kieren Taylor advances...


Friend of FM Kieren Taylor advances through the Trials at The Naish La Torche Pro, presented by O'Neill with a second place to qualify for the main event...

Stay tuned for more...

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Cool but Short by Shoan Jack

Shon's mix, Nav and Wood. from Navrin Fox on Vimeo.

Part 4 - Boycott McDonald's in Yamba


Hello again,


The time has come to properly BOYCOTT McDonald's in Yamba, unite as a community, act by supporting local business & get serious by actively talking about this with your business, family and social networks...


Friday the 6th of May 2011, not 1 but 5 new McCafe signs where installed on Bus Shelters in the small town of Yamba on the North Coast of NSW, Australia...

Pardon the pun, but the "signs" are evident!


Firstly, lets think about how much signage there is in Yamba and furthermore what proportion is now RED & YELLOW...

There's approximately 10 Bus Shelters in Yamba, with 2 signage opportunities on each shelter, meaning there are approximately 20 Bus Shelter signage opportunities in Yamba... Therefore, McCafe now occupy 5 of 20 available signage opportunities, some 25% of Bus Shelter signage in Yamba...

One could argue that posessing 1/4 of Bus Shelter signage in any town is excessive or over the top, but we are talking about the multinational company that penned the tag line "SUPERSIZE" and encourages purchasing excessive amounts of food (calories) in the name of value...


Secondly, lets think about why so many signs are required...


Surely, if they were doing well financially they wouldn’t need to advertise in this manner and massively dominate the Bus Shelters and visual landscape so dramatically...Is this advertising or dominating visual pollution?


Maybe they are NOT doing so well...

Why would they bother with this shotgun approach to marketing in the local area if they where???


A restaurant of this (SUPER) size is and will always be unsustainable in such a small population and has no place in it...

But now they're here;
  • they're doing whatever it takes to get local patronage
  • its self preservation at all costs (financial, business, environmental and social).
I've even heard from a reliable source, that they are willing to run at a loss for up to 4 years!

Please consider this for a moment, run at a loss for up to 4 years... Think about the effect that has on the existing local, small, family owned businesses currently experiencing a challenging financial climate, that can't afford this luxury... Its a bullying tactic that should be outlawed!


Thirdly, I cordially invite you to properly BOYCOTT McDONALD's in YAMBA (or where ever you are) and I strongly urge you to pass this post on, help this gain momentum and to support local business in the mean time... We don't need McDonald's, but they need us!!!

NOTHING SPEAKS LOUDER THAN LOST REVENUE...


Below are some links on how to effectively go about it...



Pass this post on to others who are like-minded ;-)

Peace, Power, Passion!

PS... Stay tuned for more exciting and informative updates...

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Red, White & Blue...

Plastic Bag Free Torquay,,,

Surfers fight against plastic bags 
Geelong Advertiser 29th April 2011

ELIZA SUM

SURFERS are banding together to protect their watery play-ground in a fight against plastic bags this year.
Cats skipper Cameron Ling is known for his love of surfing, and has been named ambassador for the Plastic Bag Free Torquay campaign along with World Qualifying Series surfer Jack Perry. ‘‘It’s a fantastic initiative, and just so important to keep our waterways clean,’’ Ling said. ‘‘I was also blown away by the story on how there’s apparently a plastic island the size of Texas just floating in the ocean. ‘‘You do see a few plastic bags
out in the water here as well.’’
World No. 22 Daniel Ross, who also coached Sally Fitzgibbons to her Bells win this year, was on hand to push the campaign yesterday. The environmentally-minded surfer donates a portion of his income to organisations focused on sustainability, and said he was inspired to raise awareness of the Plastic Bag Free Torquay initiative. ‘‘I’m definitely excited to be a part of this, I’ll get behind any environmental initiative that
keeps rubbish out of the ocean,’’ Ross said. ‘‘I’m sponsored by Patagonia, which has a really good environ-
mental ethos, and have also partnered with 1 per cent For The Planet. ‘‘The water is our playground,
so it’s an issue that’s definitely close to home for us.’’

The campaign is headed by Jan Juc’s Stacie Bobele, who has been surveying local businesses and hopes to assist them in making the plastic-free transition.

Plastic Bag Free Torquay is looking for volunteers to help drive the campaign. For more information, go to www.plasticbagfreetorquay.org.au

Natural Gas....


Maybe not as "natural" as the name suggests...
Gasland is a must see for everyone, it makes you think about the quality of the water you drink...

And raises many questions...
  1. Are they FRACING near you?
  2. Do they need all the deadly chemicals or does it just make it cheaper / easier to extract?
  3. What's the cost to the environment and future generations?
  4. Who really pays while these companies profit?
A must see...
    Peace & safe drinking water to you!




    Steve Perry Organic Bliss Balls



    INGREDIENTS:
    Organic Smoked Almonds - handful
    Organic Dates - handful
    MiEssence Cacao Powder - teaspoon
    MiEssence Berry Radical Powder - teaspoon
    Mirrabooka Protein Powder - scoop
    Organic Goji Berries - handful
    Organic Pepita's - handful
     Organic Desiccated Coconut - handful

    DIRECTIONS:
    Place all ingredients in a food processor & give it a whirl...
    Hand roll into bit sized balls
    Roll in desiccated coconut
    Whack them in the freezer until set...

    And you've got yourself the ultimate power snack!

    Maybe even a great Easter Egg replacement for next year...

    Enjoy!


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