1 Camera, 1000 Smiles

 So a couple of months back I purchased a new camera. I didn't want a SLR, as that's what friends are for! hehe!! But I wanted something that took decent snaps and was reliable.  My old trusty Sony was nearing its death, plus after playing up on me in Denmark (losing half my photos AND photos from 3 years back, I know my bad I should have backed up, well I didn't), it was time for a new camera.  On the recommendation of my housemate, I got myself a Lumix Lx5, one of the sell points was it had a Leica lens.  Word on the streets is Leica in the photography world is synonymous for sexy.  Can't afford a Leica camera but can afford a Lumix!  Now all I need to do is to learn how to use it.  But what about the old Sony?  It still works.  Since everyone around me seems to have a better camera anyway, I guess I could do what I usually do, that is give it to the op shop or I could google a project I had heard about in passing.  So to google I entered "donate camera melbourne children" and voila, 1 Camera, 1000 Smiles.

1 Camera, 1000 Smiles is a "project that runs photography workshops with young people living in rural villages in Bali."  They are committed to empowerment through photography and believe that by learning photography skills, young people are better able to express themselves, tell their own story and develop problem solving skills.

Wow, imagine my no longer loved Sony could bring about 1000 Smiles.  Thus, it's a no brainer, I got in touch with the guys running the initiative, dropped $6 in postage to 87 Evans Street Port Melbourne, Attn: Richard Piscioneri, and hello good deed for the day! 

Project WHY DO YOU RIDE?

I've started a little side project, which I hope will support bigger and greater things.  But in saying that, the project is ultimately all in the name of sustainable behaviour. Project WHY DO YOU RIDE? in a nutshell, is a platform that showcases the person behind the bicycle. The idea is to put the human element back into cycling, as sometimes we forget cyclists are people too (yes, I'm looking at you road rage driver).

If you’d like to participate, which I'd love you to, please get in touch, either on Twitter @cangreenbechic or via email.

Happy - The Movie

Two words: WATCH IT. 

http://www.thehappymovie.com

My Eco Bag that's not made Eco

My everyday bag holds a lot of stuff. It's stuff that helps me lower my impact on the environment.

• Reusable water bottle - which I refill with cold filtered water. We're pretty lucky that filtered water can be found pretty much anywhere these days.

• KeepCup - for my coffee naturally

• Foldable/crunchable carry bag - say no to the consumption of throw away plastic bags

• iPhone - no longer do I rely on a paper diary. I do however still carry a notebook which gets much use as oppose to a diary which never really ever gets filled. I don't know about you but I somehow have conditioned myself into believing that if the date has past, I can no longer write in that space... what wasted space.

• Hairbrush - made from bamboo, a natural renewable resource
  

• Melbourne Bike Share blue key - while I do have a bike and I do ride it, I don't always have it with me. With a bike share station a 2 min walk from my work, it's perfect for those days when it rains in the morning, thus I don't ride but clears up in the arvo when I can ride (very Melbourne). It's also great when I'm at one end of the city wanting to get to the other end of the city. However, one of the problems why Melbourne Bike Share hasn't been a success like in many other cities is that riders in Melbourne must wear a helmet. Thus in order for me to use one of the blue shared bikes, I need to carry my helmet with me pretty much at all times. While carrying my helmet hasn't become habit yet, wishful thinking has me hoping it will become a habit...? At present, my bag can't accommodate a helmet but I guess I can clip the helmet onto it. The question then is can I put up with having a helmet hanging off my bag? I guess I'll have to convince myself it's just like one big fancy keyring?! We'll see or I could just use a bigger bag?... hmmm.....

Anyhooz, Melbourne Bike Share is another product/business I can add to my #collcons list. While I'm a little behind on reporting on the #collcons list, it is happening and to be honest most of these collcons businesses are startups, thus the traction isn't really there yet. But that's where it's about supporting small businesses that are forwarding thinking. You got to start somewhere right? And isn't it grand to be a part of the change that transform hyper consumption into collaborative consumption? Damn straight it is.

Hello belated 2012

Berlin Street Artist @Chxxx - created on the back of a cereal box


I'm back! Well I've been back for a while, it's just that 2012 has been a rather fruitfulness start of the year.

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I've been consulting on the implementation of an Environmental Management System for Sentia Media, for their Australian and New Zealand offices, with interest now being expressed from the company's Southeast Asian offices. Majorly awesome but everything in due course. What's amazing is that it all started from one office in Melbourne, to now being taken off globally! However, much is still to do. Greatest achievement has been the formation of the Green Team (official name not yet determined as the naming competition is still running). Working in conjuction with Sustainability Victoria has also been a blessing.

What I've found is you can only do what you can within your means but that shouldn't hinder you from any opportunity to create change.

"Senita Media Green Team is a program for staff, lead by staff"
Monetary investment is little but non-montary support in great.

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I've also started working as a "Story Teller" for a vintage clothing brand, creating original content for their blog through travel tales and the people who crosses pathes with them. What I love about this project is bringing pieces from a past life back to life again. A fine way of reducing consumption, while celebrating the individual that you are. In time, more will be divulge as we're still only in planning stage. So watch this space.

On a Big jet plane

I am a fan of Angus and Julia Stone. #Justsayin.

But I guess as a sustainability campaigner (which is what I note as my occupation on custom forms!), I really ought not to be a fan of big jet planes. But travel is important.

For Norwegian environmentalist, Erik Dammann, travel allowed him to “challenge Western values and lifestyles in order to promote a more responsible attitude to the environment and the third world.”

Dammann returned to Norway with the realisation that the West’s focus on competition for personal gain had more to do with social structure than human nature. He also came back with a deep respect for other cultures and with a sense of responsibility for the way they were being destroyed by the consumption-oriented Western lifestyle and world view. He perceived an immense gap between the stated values of Western society, such as justice, freedom, responsibility and solidarity, and the actual impact of that society on people in other countries and on the Earth.

So for the following month I will be blogging from http://www.travelgreenchic.tumblr.com/, documenting the amazing stuff happening in the UK, Denmark and Germany. I am out to prove being green is simply not all mung beans and no style. Far from it. It's everything we know but just simply tweaked for the better.

*this blog post comes to you from the skys... Emirates A380 OnAir internet... crazy this technology stuff!

In all colors and in all sizes

The festive season tis upon us with jolly times catching up with me this weekend. But I got through it. Maybe it's the excitment I'll be jetting off soon that is helping me push through it. And before you start questioning the "jetting off" aka isn't flying really bad for the environment, I refer you to this post (the start of my travel blog which explains why travel is important).

As I start preparing for my trip, working out what to pack, I realize it's also the perfect opprtunity to do a big clean especially since when I return it'll be 2012, a start of a new year. The big clean involves going through items I no longer wear or use and d0nating them to charity. What always seems to stump me is what to do with bras I no longer wear. Is it rude/offensive to donate used under garments?

Several months ago I remember reading an article about an organization who were collecting bras for third world countries. Thanks to trusty Google I came to find Uplift Bras, an Australian charity that collects and distributes new and secondhand bras to third world countries as well as indigenous communities in the NT.

"It is not just a matter of comfort for these women. There are medical issues as well including back problems and skin diseases particularly for those who are doing hard manual labour."

Check out Uplift Bras and the good work they do.

So in the keeping up with the crazy season and borrowing a quote from Damien Hirst "it's not me but the drink speaking", I asked my girlfriends if they had any unwanted bras they could give me. Given that I am the so-called "hippie" of the bunch, I had to explain they weren't for me... whether they believe me, we'll see come time we exchange chrissy gifts!