Friday, 09 November 2007 @ 1:48pm.
HAPPY DIWALI!!! I hope the festival of light is a special one for you all. Many folks, including myself, attended a Diwali celebration a little early (last month). Here are a couple of photos from that event, which was held at Federation Square in downtown Melbourne:
Lots of people from the Indian community came out for music, dancing, food, fireworks, and fun:
There were cool fireworks over the Yarra River:
On a different note, but similar to my last posting on social change, here’s some more food for thought and everyday tips to make a difference:
According to Reader’s Digest and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore’s book “An Inconvenient Truth,” the average automobile puts out a pound of carbon dioxide for every mile of travel. Reducing car travel by just 20 miles a week would save almost 1,000 pounds of the greenhouse gas each year. Where possible, share rides, take public transportation, bike, or walk to your destination. In a related matter, the average meal travels over 1,200 miles by truck, ship, or plane, thereby producing thousands of pounds of carbon emissions. We can do something by shopping more locally at farmers’ markets and food co-ops. One’s home could also be more eco-friendly, not to mention save dollars in your pocket. Homes can be poorly insulated or inefficient in other ways. Check out http://www.energyguide.com for more information. Then there are those billions of plastic shopping bags, which take centuries to decompose and cause us to use up 12 million barrels of oil just to make them. The easiest way to deal with this problem is to use tote bags. I love that this is popular in Melbourne. Reusable cloth and canvas bags are inexpensive, convenient, and washable. In some stores here such as Aldi, customers must bring their own bags or buy them at the store.
