Posts for government
Doing the right thing while keeping powered up
Most portable or mobile devices need power and that is provided by batteries in some form – either rechargeable or non-rechargeable, built-in or replaceable. All of those batteries have their advantages and disadvantages, some last longer than others, some are cheaper in the long-run, some…
How France is stealing a march on sustainability
Emmanuel Macron has signalled readiness to push French leadership on climate even more aggressively to protect the agreement that bears the name of the French capital. He appointed the celebrity environmentalist Nicolas Hulot as his number three.
How Sweden wants to make repairing things cheaper
Sweden’s government wants to give people tax breaks on repairing everything from shoes to washing machines as part of a new green drive to help the environment by making the country less wasteful. Have you ever been upset about a product being designed to fail…
Netherlands moots electric car future with petrol and diesel ban by 2025 | Technology | The Guardian
Dutch politicians have voted through a motion calling on the country to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars starting in 2025. The motion has only passed through the lower house of the Netherlands’ parliament, and would need to pass through the Dutch senate…
Crickhowell: Welsh town moves ‘offshore’ to avoid tax on local business
When independent traders in a small Welsh town discovered the loopholes used by multinational giants to avoid paying UK tax, they didn’t just get mad. Now local businesses in Crickhowell are turning the tables on the likes of Google and Starbucks by employing the same…
Establishing a feed-in tariff for electricity | TOKO Petitions
I sometimes do not agree with what Greenpeace are trying to do, like the one below:We petition the NZ Government to establish a feed-in tariff which power companies must pay for surplus power fed into the national grid by people with photo-voltaic panels or other…
Australia: Tackling housing unaffordability: a 10-point national plan
Looks like Australia is having similar problems as New Zealand is facing.The widening cracks in Australia’s housing system can no longer be concealed. The extraordinary recent debate has laid bare both the depth of public concern and the vacuum of coherent policy to promote housing…
Is NZ ready for $10b of Chinese cash about to drop on property market?
The Productivity commission did a report in 2012 and outlined many issues, actually a very interesting report to read. Another updated draft report was just released two weeks ago and contains pretty much the same findings. Yet again I note that the issues have not…
Ingo @ Green Living Show: Smarter House Design – Affordable And Sustainable Homes For New Zealand
I will be presenting at the Green Living Show 2015 at the ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, Room 3, 10:30 am on Sunday 28 June.The subject will be: “Smarter House Design – Affordable And Sustainable Homes For New Zealand”.Executive Summary: Land and resources become scarcer and more expensive, energy…
Auckland Housing crisis – all the wrong assumptions and information
The median house price in Auckland is now at $750K, a number that our family would probably struggle to afford with us two parents working in well advanced positions. Clearly investors are currently setting the market price as they have access to the required funds,…