The Solartaxi and its crew finally reach Perth. But only after days of driving through the desolate plains of the Nullarbor.The side-effects can be seen by the crew's strange behaviour. On their arrival, there is much cause for celebration.
But after 20,000 km, Louis Palmer and the Solartaxi are only half way on their journey around the globe.Next stop: Asia! Watch the video here.

The Solartaxi continues its great Australian adventure. It moves on to Adelaide, where it was part of the Solar Cities Congress. Special appearances by Robert F Kennedy (environmentalist and lawyer), Chris Selwood (World Solar Challenge), Peter Pudney (TREV) and a whole lot of thirsty dogs.

Watch it here.

In the second part of its journey Down Under, the Solartaxi team gets to speak to some locals, and finds out what their views are on solar powered cars. Watch out for some lead-heads!

The next port of call for our Club of Pioneers cameraman and the Swiss innovator Louis Palmer is Australia, where they will travel from the East coast of Sydney all the way to Perth in the West. Not too bad, but they are travelling on solar power alone in the Solartaxi.
Keep checking Club of Pioneers for regular updates. - Editors
After the heat of Asia-minor and the tropics of Bali, the Solartaxi was greeted with surprisingly heavy rainfalls and flash floods. Not exactly what one would expect from the “lucky country”. Luck was not on the cards at all it seemed, as the Solartaxi, which had not encountered rain for over 5 months battled with the weather conditions.

But despite that, there was still Sydney to see, a stopover in the capital of Canberra, and of course, the Cockatoos and Kangaroos! Watch the video here.

This week the news is filled with celebrities doing their bit and more, not just in Bali but all over the planet. The Antipodean contingent at Club of Pioneers (me) can't get enough of the good news coming out of OZ! First Australia signed the Kyoto protocol under the new labour leadership of Kevin Rudd (backed by former Midnight Oil frontman and now minster for the environment Peter Garret, pictured). Then they announced a planning initiative that aims to green the city roofs of Sydney with roof-gardens. Now we hear via the Treehugger grapevine that a fleet of Lexus hybrid EcoTaxis is offering lifts for free. It's all in protest against their services being stopped as the Ecotaxis were ....too short!
Read more of the ridiculous story here or watch the news report.

Garret on stage. Image from paradigm oz.
"Make it Right" certainly has caused a stir, with a clever marketing campaign and a celebrity face at the helm. The project is an initiative that has brought together 13 architect studios to design replacement housing in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. Spearheaded by hobby architect Brad Pitt and Berlin/LA studio Graftlab, the 150 buildings are currently wrapped in bright pink, awaiting the necessary donations to get them started. We like it. You can check out all the designs here and make your donation.

Graft's house design for the Lower Ninth Ward.
Staying with the architecture theme, the annual Architectural Review awards have been presented. The three winners from the "emerging architects" category show the welcome trend towards green and sustainable housing. Perhaps having Archigram's Peter Cook on the jury had something to do with the unconventional vibe.Winner: Ecoboulevard from Madrid, SpainIn Berlin, a new initiative has begun to make the parliament carbon free. It aims to be the first climate neutral parliament in the world. And we don't just mean the solar panels on the Reichstag. Under the Club of Rome's youth think tank tt30, measures to be put forward to all parties include the use of renewable energy, turning off equipment when not in use, emission reduction through clean business travel and at least one eco-local vegetarian meal in the canteen! So far its received support from Al Gore and German political luminaries such as Hans-Peter Thul and Renate Künast. Read more about Berlin'sClimate Neutral Parliament .

The first Climate Neutral parliament in the world?

Nothing beats a successful Media hoax, and it seems the group Rising Tide network, claiming to be the United Sates Climate Action Partnership have pulled one off. With a fake website and press release, the "USCAP" (who represent big corporations such as Shell, Pepsi and Xerox) pledged to cut their emissions 90 percent by 2050. They also called for a stop in the construction of coal-burning power plants. Although outed as a fake, the stunt does bring attention to the “real” USCAP, who have committed to a lot less. You can read an interview with the pranksters on Wired.

Being green is hip right now, no doubt. Everyone wants to be green or greener or, better even, 100 percent Carbon neutral. It’s like a competition. And there are many out there trying to help – companies, organizations, politicians. But really it all starts with your own action, the first step you take. And as we all know, that’s sometimes the hardest.
The company easybeinggreen is devoted of helping you to get off your butt and do your first green step - and not just you but also the rest of your family, your business, your clients and even your pets.
With a lot of humor and even more efficiency, this Australian company managed to reduce 620.000 tonnes of CO2 pollution per year since they started in 2004. All with a simple idea: they sent Climate Saver Packs containing six energy-efficient light globes and a water saving showerhead to some Australian households. And…it worked because, really, it ain’t get any easier! You don’t have to think, to shop – just screw it in.
Now, there exist easybeinggreen solutions for businesses, commercial buildings, even for musicians and artists - offering them to make their gigs carbon neutral. As one of a few, easybeinggreen is accredited under the Australian Federal Government’s Greenhouse Friendly program, a guarantee that the owners really use the money to decrease their customers carbon footprint and not enlarging their own by buying new cars for themselves.

And what’s so humorous about easybeinggreen? At this company they certainly know how to treat even this serious topic of climate change with some fun – let’s say in a typically Australian “No Worries” way. Or who else would offer to make 3 of Santa’s reindeers carbon neutral - with the blunt explanation that even christmas reindeers graze, burp and fart (releasing methanol into the atmosphere).
Ever thought about the impact of your pet’s flatulence? Well, easybeinggreen has and offers a pet-compensation – for a few dollars your cat is allowed to fart as much as it wants! As said in the beginning, every little step helps….

Nic Frances, chairman and founderFotos: website

In a world first move, Australia will try to slash greenhouse gases from inefficient lighting. Malcom Turnbull, federal minister of the environment, officially announced that new energy efficiency standards will be introduced in order to phase out all inefficient light bulbs. Hopes are up that within the next three years they will be replaced by energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs which should reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by 4 million tonnes by 2012. The idea is not that new after all: in connection with California’s initiatives to reduce energy use and greenhouse gases the implementation of the “How Many Legislators Does it Take to Change a Lightbulb Act” has been discussed already - but not yet taken in to action.
Australia seems to be one step ahead of everyone. The joy is not untroubled though. Critical voices point to the fact that Australia has not yet signed the Kyoto-Protocol (just as the US). Therefore banning light bulbs might simply be a mean to cover up the fact that Australia has not been willing so far to commit on the international level. With the national election coming up the announcement might also be just politically motivated. But no matter what the motivation: stepping out and taking action can only be acknowledged – and may lead to other countries taking on the challenge.Read moreFoto: Website