WWF-Australia has a new radio ad out to raise awareness of landclearing in QLD. Have a listen here:

Tell the QLD government how you feel here.

Tourism Queensland has a brilliant campaign to find a contract employee for 6-months where all they have to do is sit on the beach and enjoy the Great Barrier Reef. More than 35,000 people from around the world applied using video applications. That number has been short-listed to just 50. And guess what - one of WWF-Australia’s most active and dedicated Ambassadors is on that list! TV Presenter David Whitehill (former Seaworld dolphin trainer and Cleo Bachelor) is in with a chance at being that lucky position holder. But he needs our help to get there.

All we have to do is go to the website and vote for Dave. Help support our fellow reef lover!

Its amazing how great you feel when you choose to make an effort & help to protect earth.

This week my husband & I made a decision to concentrate on less electricity, so we have been having lots of candles lit around the home, which has proven to be romantic, creates a great ambience and leaves a beautiful scented aroma from the candles we bought - ha.

Lights left on at home when you don’t need them is wasted energy & adds up especially on your bill. Remember when you head out to turn them off, & choose energy saving bulbs.

After taking the footprint calculator it has been constantly playing on my mind the impact that my everyday life has. Part of the cause is the amount of travelling I do being based in Italy and also having Australia as my home. Can they make safe flying fuel that doesn’t harm the earth??? Hmm I’m working on that strategy.

Since last week, we have started dividing up our rubbish as well.

We now use three bags; general rubbish, recycling plastics and glass. Yes it adds more space but who cares when you are putting them in the right bins.

We are making a difference slowly. When you set challenges and you achieve them it makes you really aware of what we are trying to achieve, preserving the earth for as long as we can!

There are many hints & helpful ways of finding out more about how to help the environment & Earth Hour, simply jump on the following website earthhour.org and have fun. Until next time, stay fresh & energized the right way.

www.elkawhalan.com

I was nervous and excited to take the footprint calculator test, after all, I recycle, I walk & ride a lot, so I thought I would be pleased. It takes around 15minutes if you do the detail version of it, (which I highly suggest all to do). It was so much fun and it covered everything from your car fuel, to electricity in the house & what foods you eat. It made me think so much of the worlds resources as I was taking it, even before the results came out.

My score revealed that 3.9 planet earths are needed for me to provide enough resource, that was huge shock, as it was to my husband as well. I re did the test again to make sure I had not made an error and the same score came back. CRUNCH. I felt in disbelief but also challenged to know as of this moment I can start making a difference.

My first test will be to eat less poultry, I love chicken & turkey and eat it nearly everyday, its lean in fat & great protein, but I can also get that from avocados, seeds, nuts and fruit.

I’m also going to have my family & friends take the test, its a good way to measure up against and all work together.

Better get to it.

Stay fresh, stay energized in the right way.

Elka!!

Discovery Channel and WWF are giving away a great trip to the Coral Sea to research and dive with sharks alongside Aussie shark investigator Richard Fitzpatrick and Discovery prize packs for six lucky runners up.

Go here to win!

If you fancy taking a virtual trip to the Coral Sea to see for yourself exactly why and how WWF is working hard to protect it, please tune in to Discovery Channel to watch ‘Mysteries of the Sharks Coast’ 7.30pm Sunday January 18th.

‘Mysteries of the Shark Coast’ was filmed almost entirely in Australia’s Coral Sea and follows a team of marine scientists as they undertake one of the largest shark tagging expedition in Australian history. Their mission: to try and understand the mysterious decline in shark populations in our tropical seas and what can be done to prevent it. The documentary provides an exciting and entertaining opportunity to gain an insight into some of the scientific research WWF-Australia has been supporting as part its campaign to Save the Coral Sea.

One of the key scientists featured in the movie is world renowned shark researcher Richard Fitzpatrick. Since the launch of the Coral Sea campaign in 2007, Richard’s research has been invaluable. Through the deployment of satellite, telemetry tags and underwater cameras we now know just how important the Coral Sea is in terms of providing at least one last stronghold for viable shark populations, such as endangered hammerheads, galapagos sharks and vulnerable grey and white tip reef sharks.

Alarmingly, we also now know just know how vulnerable these populations are to human impacts. For example, white tip and grey reef sharks are shown to be homebodies, never veering much further than 2nm nautical miles from their favorite reef - Osprey reef. This restricted movement makes them particularly vulnerable to the threats of overfishing- an illegal raid could literally wipe out the population overnight.

Watching the documentary will give you a real sense of the highs and lows of shark research and the patience required to get great results. You’ll also be amazed at the some of the new research that goes against the grain of what scientists thought they knew about our oceans top predators, showing just how important it is for conservationists, policymakers and decision makers to understand the movements and behaviors of these large and mobile species, particularly when it comes to designating and implementing effective marine protected areas. Just one of the reasons why WWF-Australia (with the kind support of Discovery Channel) hosted the movie premiere of ‘Mysteries of Shark Coast’ in Parliament house in November last year.

Unfortunately though the Coral Sea and its sharks still remain largely unprotected. In light of the ever increasing threats sharks face from overfishing, the shark fin trade and climate change it has never been so important to protect their habitat.

Watch the movie and it speaks for itself - We need the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Arts, Peter Garrett, to act quickly and declare the Coral Sea a Marine Protected Area, before it is too late.

Interesting if somewhat scary video about the potential ramifications of ignoring climate change.

It’s that time of year again - we’re launching Earth Hour! This year we’re aiming for one billion people worldwide. Over 93 councils in Australia have already committed to taking part. It’s a crucial time for Australia and the world to put pressure on leaders to commit to good emissions targets.

World leaders will meet in Copenhagen in December 2009 to commit to emission reduction targets to replace the Kyoto Protocol. Preliminary meetings are taking place in Poznan, Poland, right now. We need to put as much pressure on our leaders between now and then as possible. There are a few ways you can do this -

• take part in Earth Hour 2009
• contact your local representative and let them know how you feel about climate change
• donate to the WWF Australia Earth Hour appeal.

Earth Hour Australia is a project of WWF-Australia, and this year we are asking for your help to make it the biggest one yet. If you are able to, please consider donating to the WWF Earth Hour Appeal

Hope to see you there!

Are you cutting down your carbon emissions? How are you doing it? If you want to be featured on the blog here, drop us a line with a story or a link to your Youtube video (it doesn’t have to be fancy, use your webcam!).

Also, if you’re on Twitter you can add us here: @wwf_australia and @earthhour. Tag your posts with #earthhour so we can see what you’re up to! You can also tag your Flickr photos with ‘earthhour’ or ‘WWF’ and they’ll show up here too.

Keen to take action on climate change, but worried about being tagged ‘carborexic’? Well there’s a few things you can do! For starters, check out the Climate Change Action page here. We’ve set up the page so you can email Senator Steve Fielding, Senator Nick Xenophon, Minister for Climate Change and Water Senator Penny Wong, Greg Hunt MP, Andrew Robb MP, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Treasurer Wayne Swan and Leader of the Opposition Malcolm Turnbull in only a few minutes! Let our leaders know how you feel about international climate change.

Secondly, check out the list of ways you can lower your emissions here.

Lastly, tell your friends! Leading by example is one of the most effective ways to convince others. There’s plenty you can do without having to visit your family doctor!