Every day we shape our planet's future when we make small life decisions - what we buy, what we eat, how we travel. The future of the planet is in our hands; the future is man-made. And we are all "Futuremakers". If we choose to live sustainably, we can assure a future for all living things. And we can have some fun doing it too!
This site, created by WWF-Australia, is a place where you can share ideas with other Futuremakers so that we can live more sustainably. We hope the tips and stories here will be useful for you. (More about this site)
What can I do?
To browse the ideas on this site by category or difficulty, click on the icons below.
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 -
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
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!
Remember the heady days of BMX bandits? Many people are looking cool again with new BMX bikes, but did you consider how cool a bike could be for your health, bank balance AND well being?
Hi there everyone, I’m Helen, communications manager for WWF’s Threatened Species Network here to tell you all about National Threatened Species Day.
Although National Threatened Species Day, held on Sept 7 each year, commemorates the death of the last Tasmanian tiger, we at WWF’s Threatened Species Network look at it from a positive point of view – we have the opportunity to make a difference!
This year it’s all about Australia’s amazing kangaroos and wallabies. Not many people know that over half of our 76 types of kangaroos and wallabies are threatened. We’ve all seen our iconic red and grey kangaroos but have you heard about the bridled nail-tail wallaby or the Gilbert’s potoroo, two of our smaller species that are in a bit of trouble? Read more…
Californian singer/songwriter sensation Brett Dennen is here!
The talented 28 year old is making his first ever tour of Australia with his unique brand of music. The exquisite intimacy of Brett’s vocals and the finger-picked, jazz-influenced chord structures of his songs have seen comparisons drawn to Dave Matthews, John Mayer and Tracy Chapman. The strength of Brett’s soulful sound has seen his songs featured on Grey’s Anatomy, House and Scrubs. 2008 saw the release of his latest album So Much More.
The Washington Post called the album “a folk rock revelation” and American Rolling Stone proclaimed him as “one of 10 Artists to Watch in 2008″. Read more…
Garbage Warrior is a documentary and it provides a really important environmental message that we all should be doing, that is, questioning the way that we currently depend on conventional forms of energy.
Garbage Warrior provides a solution - energy independent housing that provide all necessary home heating, clean water, electricity and even food. In a time where we are beginning to experience the ever increasing consequences of global warming, coupled with the troubles of an energy crisis, this message and your organisation’s activities are particularly important.
Hi - I’m Rick, WWF-Australia’s Tropical Marine and Coastal Policy Manager and I’ve just returned from the Coral Sea on board the Undersea Explorer - a research/tourism vessel. Part of WWF’s work to push for more protection for the Coral Sea is to raise the profile of this spectacular area, and that’s what this trip was all about.
Going out to sea for 4 days with a bunch of media people and a couple of WWF’s celebrity ambassadors might not sound like hard work, but with 2-3 metre swells and 25 knot winds it wasn’t too easy either! Fortunately everyone one board loved the trip and once we were in the water checking out the Coral Sea’s awesome marine wonders any thoughts of sea-sicknesses soon disappeared.
A major highlight of the trip was when marine biologist Richard Fitzpatrick retrieved a data logger that had been placed on a grey reef shark 6 months previously. This is a world first and we are keenly waiting to hear what insights into these amazing animals these data will provide.
I think we all returned to shore with a greater appreciation of the uniqueness of the Coral Sea and the realisation that we need to protect the wonderful area before it suffers a similar fate to other tropical marine regions. Please keep coming back to the blog to hear how the campaign is going and hear some more tales from WWF’s Coral Sea expedition.
Ask your government to prioritise safe alternatives to desalination
This month’s lead Futuremakers story focuses on desalination’s impact on our environment. WWF’s June report on the issue was met with significant support from people in areas where desalination plants are being implemented.
Many of you wrote in to express your disappointment and concern over the elected government’s decision to progress local desalination plans without community consultation, against environmental groups’ legitimate concerns, and governments’ own coastal planning guidelines.
You can take action to stop the construction of desalination plants in coastal communities. If you are concerned about desalination and the impact on the environment, take steps to write to your local MP (if you’re not sure of your electorate, you can find it here) or State premier, or to the Federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Ask that priority be given to safe alternatives to desalination. Such alternatives include localised water collection such as rainwater tanks, water efficiency projects, demand management and leakage reduction.
WWF was the global green partner for the Live Earth series of concerts and was astounded by the number of supporters who attended the Sydney event.
Despite the huge international turnout, there was ongoing media debate following the concert questioning whether Live Earth fulfilled its mission to create an international movement to combat climate change.
Like WWF’s Earth Hour campaign (which was recently launched for 2008 - more on that soon!), Live Earth was a success in that it got people thinking about climate change, inspiring them to make simple changes on a daily basis to reduce their emissions.
