The amount of heat-trapping CO2 in the air jumped dramatically in 2012, making it very unlikely that global warming can be limited to another 2 degrees as many global leaders have hoped, new US federal figures show. In 2009, President Obama pledged to reduce America’s greenhouse gas emissions by 17% from 2005 levels by 2020. On Monday, he announced the appointment of two seasoned officials who could fulfill that pledge – but only if the President himself helps them navigate the formidable political obstacles ahead. Both believe global warming is one of humanity’s most pressing challenges. Read More

2012 Rise In CO2 Levels Second-Highest In 54 Years

By Seth Borenstein in Huffington Post (5 March 2013):

WASHINGTON — The amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the air jumped dramatically in 2012, making it very unlikely that global warming can be limited to another 2 degrees as many global leaders have hoped, new federal figures show.

Scientists say the rise in CO2 reflects the world’s economy revving up and burning more fossil fuels, especially in China.

Carbon dioxide levels jumped by 2.67 parts per million since 2011 to total just under 395 parts per million, says Pieter Tans, who leads the greenhouse gas measurement team for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

That’s the second highest rise in carbon emissions since record-keeping began in 1959. The measurements are taken from air samples captured away from civilization near a volcano in Mauna Loa, Hawaii.

More coal-burning power plants, especially in the developing world, are the main reason emissions keep going up – even as they have declined in the U.S. and other places, in part through conservation and cleaner energy.

At the same time, plants and the world’s oceans which normally absorb some carbon dioxide, last year took in less than they do on average, says John Reilly, co-director of Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change. Plant and ocean absorption of carbon varies naturally year to year.

But, Tans tells The Associated Press the major factor is ever-rising fossil fuel burning: “It’s just a testament to human influence being dominant.”

Only 1998 had a bigger annual increase in carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas from human activity. That year, 2.93 parts per million of CO2 was added. From 2000 to 2010, the world averaged a yearly rise of just under 2 parts per million. Levels rose by less than 1 part per million in the 1960s.

In 2009, the world’s nations agreed on a voluntary goal of limiting global warming to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit over pre-industrial temperature levels. Since the mid-1800s temperatures haven already risen about 1.5 degrees. Current pollution trends translate to another 2.5 to 4.5 degrees of warming within the next several decades, Reilly says.

“The prospects of keeping climate change below that (2-degree goal) are fading away,” Tans says.

Scientists track carbon pollution both by monitoring what comes out of factories and what winds up in the atmosphere. Both are rising at rates faster than worst-case scenarios that climate scientists used in their most recent international projections, according to Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann.

That means harmful effects of climate change will happen sooner, Mann says.

Source:  www.huffingtonpost.com

Two Enlistees in the Climate Wars

New York Times (5 March 2013):

In 2009, President Obama pledged to reduce America’s greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. Thanks to several factors, the country is halfway there. On Monday, Mr. Obama announced the appointment of two seasoned officials who could fulfill that pledge — but only if the president himself helps them navigate the formidable political obstacles ahead.

Mr. Obama nominated Gina McCarthy, an experienced clean air regulator, to run the Environmental Protection Agency, and Ernest Moniz, an M.I.T. physicist and strong advocate of natural gas and nuclear power, to run the Energy Department. Both believe global warming is one of humanity’s most pressing challenges. Both have deep experience — Ms. McCarthy as an assistant administrator at the E.P.A. and an adviser to Republican governors in Connecticut and Massachusetts, Mr. Moniz as an under secretary of energy in the Clinton administration.

Both will be required to use their regulatory authority creatively and aggressively. There is zero chance that Congress will enact the “bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change” that Mr. Obama called for in his State of the Union address. This means that his second-term agenda on climate change will run through Ms. McCarthy’s and Mr. Moniz’s agencies, and will depend almost entirely on executive actions that do not require Congressional approval. Here are three strategies that could make a big dent in carbon emissions.

¶Invoke the E.P.A.’s authority under the Clean Air Act to limit pollution from stationary sources, chiefly fossil-fuel power plants that account for almost 40 percent of the country’s carbon emissions. The agency has already proposed strict standards requiring new power plants to capture their emissions, an untested technology. The bigger problem is what to do with existing plants, which provide a big chunk of the nation’s electricity and which cannot be shut down quickly or by fiat. Devising a gradual phaseout will require ingenuity and persistence in the face of what are sure to be strong legal and political challenges from industry.

¶Make natural gas safer. Thanks to hydraulic fracturing, the country is now awash in natural gas. One major reason for the unexpected decline in national carbon emissions is that many power plants have switched from coal to natural gas, which emits only half as much carbon dioxide. But there is a downside: drilling for and transporting natural gas can produce methane leaks, and methane is a potent greenhouse gas that can cancel out whatever carbon advantage gas has over coal. Much tougher restrictions must be imposed throughout the system, including on thousands of miles of pipelines.

¶Improve energy efficiency across the board. One of the success stories of the last 30 years has been the increase in energy efficiency in appliances, new commercial buildings, and cars and light trucks. But there is plenty of room for improvement. The task of designing ever-stricter standards will fall largely to Mr. Moniz.

There is obviously more: finding new refrigerants to replace climate-warming hydrofluorocarbons, investing not only in familiar renewable energy sources like wind and solar power but also in basic research, next-generation nuclear plants and experimental technologies that could smooth the path to a low-carbon economy.

Little of this will happen without a good deal of push-back from industry and its Congressional allies. From start to finish line, Ms. McCarthy and Mr. Moniz will need the president at their back.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Victoria Harbour and Barangaroo South, two of Australia’s largest urban regeneration projects, have been officially recognised by the C40 Cities Climate Positive Development Program for their strategies and tactics on the pathway to achieve climate positive outcomes. This achievement represents the spirit of collaboration, determination and goodwill between the C40, Lend Lease, Barangaroo Delivery Authority, Places Victoria, and the City of Melbourne to target low carbon outcomes in these projects. Read more

Australian city regeneration projects lead way for next generation of green development

C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group Recognises Victoria Harbour and Barangaroo South

6 March 2013:

Victoria Harbour and Barangaroo South, two of Australia’s largest urban regeneration projects, have been officially recognised by the C40 Cities Climate Positive Development Program for their strategies and tactics on the pathway to achieve climate positive outcomes. This achievement represents the spirit of collaboration, determination and goodwill between the C40, Lend Lease, Barangaroo Delivery Authority, Places Victoria, and the City of Melbourne to target low carbon outcomes in these projects.

With the recognition from C40 and the Climate Positive Roadmap Review Committee, Lend Lease’s Victoria Harbour and Barangaroo South projects take their place as leaders of the next generation of green development across the globe, committed to working to create communities that operate with a net zero increase in greenhouse gas emissions, and supporting cities to adapt to the challenges that climate change and rapid urbanisation introduce.

“Lend Lease is proud to be playing a leading role on two of Australia’s most progressive urban regeneration projects; leading the way for C40 and the Climate Positive Development Program globally,” said Lend Lease Chief Operating Officer Dan Labbad. “These projects serve as a new international benchmark for the C40 Cities network, as well as our own development pipeline, creating a legacy based on partnerships between the private sector, state and local government.”

By successfully demonstrating possibilities and identifying critical collaborations between developers and their state and city government counterparts, these projects are creating a case for joint planning and development that improves the local environment, creates jobs, and enhances quality of life.

“As a network of the world’s megacities committed to taking climate actions, C40 harnesses the expertise from its membership to provide solutions to the most vexing problems facing cities,” said Dr. Rohit Aggarwala, Special Advisor to the C40 Chair, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “The enormous opportunity and accomplishment that Lend Lease’s Victoria Harbour and Barangaroo projects have made as part of their participation in the Climate Positive Development Program are an example of what can be achieved and the impact we can have.

As a result, the cities in the network can benefit from their experiences and successes and hopefully emulate them locally as they continue to tackle the challenges presented by global climate change.”

Lord Mayor of Melbourne Robert Doyle, Chair of the C40 Sustainable Urban Development Network, said, “Victoria Harbour will become an exemplar for cities, developers and governments to work together to create strong, sustainable communities.”

The C40 Sustainable Urban Development Network launched in Melbourne in March 2012, bringing together the world’s leading experts on sustainability from 17 cities in order to develop a blueprint for sustainable communities. The two day workshop showcased the progress at Victoria Harbour in Docklands, a landmark sustainable precinct in Australia.

“As chair of the C40 Sustainable Urban Development Network I am delighted with the achievements at Victoria Harbour. The City of Melbourne, Lend Lease and C40 partnership has delivered real results that will not only benefit Melbourne but cities around the world,” the Lord Mayor said.

The Climate Positive Development Programme was created to meet the pressing challenges of rapid urbanisation and climate change. It supports large scale urban projects that will demonstrate how cities can grow in ways that are ‘climate positive,’ i.e., taking action to reduce their net operational greenhouse gas emissions to below zero.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:

Christian Sealey                                                                                    Mike Marinello

Media Relations                                                                                    Director of Communications

Lend Lease                                                                                           C40

(m) +61467 767 592                                                                               (e) mmarinello@c40.com

About Victoria Harbour

Victoria Harbour has been labelled the ‘jewel in the crown’ of Melbourne’s Docklands, the largest and most prestigious waterfront development being undertaken in Australia. A key part of Melbourne’s Docklands regeneration site in the CBD, Victoria Harbour brings together a community which includes residents, businesses and recreational users of the waterfront precinct. Victoria Harbour also boasts the highest concentration of green buildings in Australia.

About Barangaroo South

Barangaroo is a $6bn urban transformation of the western edge of Sydney’s central business district and will provide extraordinary benefits for Sydney, NSW and Australia. Lend Lease is responsible for Barangaroo South – the southern 7.5 hectares of the site which is destined to become the greenest and most advanced financial district and the first large scale, carbon neutral precinct in Australia. With a mix of uses, including commercial, residential, retail and dining along with a new landmark hotel, on completion it will be home to around 1,200 residents, 23,000 office workers and more than 2.9 hectares of public space.

About Lend Lease

Lend Lease is a leading and international property and infrastructure group, with a focus on core markets in Australia, Asia, Europe and the Americas. Listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and with circa 18,000 employees, Lend Lease’s capabilities span the property value chain and include development management; investment management; project management & construction and asset & property management. Our expertise covers multiple sectors including commercial, residential, retail, retirement and infrastructure. We create innovative and sustainable property solutions, forging partnerships and delivering maximum benefits to clients, investors and communities. Sustainability has always been an integral part of our culture and through design and investment in new technologies, we are delivering the next generation of sustainable property solutions. Safety is our number one priority and Lend Lease is committed to operating Incident & Injury Free wherever we have a presence.

About The Climate Positive Development Program

The Climate Positive Development Program is a network of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40), in partnership with the Clinton Climate Initiative Cities Program (CCI) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). C40 is a network of large and engaged cities from around the world committed to implementing meaningful and sustainable climate-related policies and programs locally that will help address climate change globally. C40 works in an aligned partnership with the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) Cities program, which was started by the William J. Clinton Foundation. CCI Cities became the delivery partner of C40 in 2006. The closer alliance between the two organizations — announced in the spring of 2011 — brings significant resources and infrastructure that will enhance and accelerate their historic activities and positions the combined effort as one of the pre-eminent climate action organizations in the world. To learn more please visit http://www.c40.org/

Climate Positive Roadmap Review Committee

Every Climate Positive project has a unique profile, given their distinct economic, political, and climate challenges, yet each is striving for the ambitious goal of lowering their operational GHG emissions below zero. Development Partners accepted into the Program are expected to pursue the integrated planning of energy efficient buildings, low carbon transportation solutions, and waste and water management systems at the district scale.

In order to get beyond carbon neutral and achieve a Climate Positive outcome, Development Partners shall sequester emissions on-site and abate emissions from surrounding communities. There are many different paths to the Climate Positive outcome of net-negative operational GHG emissions; each project will use a different set of strategies and technologies according to its local opportunities, guided by the Climate Positive Development Framework, which lays out the four stages of the Climate Positive journey.

One of the core tenets of the Climate Positive Development Program is the tiered levels of recognition that projects receive as they strive to achieve a Climate Positive outcome, a by-product of the focus to drive outcomes and results in helping create models for how cities can grow in ways that are low carbon and economically viable. The Program’s recognition platform reinforces the notion of this being a journey toward a Climate Positive outcome, and serves the dual needs of providing established opportunities to validate that projects are proceeding on an appropriate path to achieve a Climate Positive outcome; and providing the opportunity to publicly recognize that projects are on track.

The first phase of recognition, where a project is declared to be a “Climate Positive Candidate” is associated with being accepted in to the program. The second phase of recognition is provided upon approval of a project’s submission of the strategies and tactics that will result in a climate positive outcome, and shall be comprised of a) their Climate Positive Roadmap; b) a Measurement and Verification Plan; c) Evidence of Commitment and Partnership; and d) a Timeline of Milestones.

The Roadmap Review Committee is a small group of volunteers who are supporting the Climate Positive Development Program by providing expert reviews of Climate Positive Development Project’s roadmaps. The role of this group is to ensure that the Project teams have adequately documented and submitted viable strategies and proposals as called for in the Climate Positive Development Program Framework. This volunteer group provides an independent review of the deliverables in order to ensure that all of the proposed strategies to achieve a Climate Positive Outcome are reasonable for their project, and each Climate Positive project is reviewed by a subset of this committee.

www.lendlease.com and www.c40.org

Eco-friendly public transport is the next frontier in sustainable development, especially in developing nations. Electrical jeepneys, or ejeepneys, which run on batteries, are starting to take over the streets of the Philippines resulting in lower greenhouse gas and pollutants emissions, thanks to the work of ejeepney and the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities. These two concerns are the main drivers in the hunt for alternatively fuelled public transport systems, though more government support through financial incentives will be required to expedite the process. Read more

Philippines pioneer eco-friendly public transport in SE Asia

English.news.cn (19 April 2012):

MANILA, April 19 (Xinhua) — The Philippines recently launched the first franchise of electric public utility vehicles — a move seen to pioneer the Southeast Asian region’s shift to a more eco- friendly public transport system.

Starting March 1, a 20-vehicle fleet of electrical jeepneys, or ejeepneys, the “green” version of a popular vehicle originally made from American military jeeps left over from the Second World War.

The ejeepney, which runs via a set of electric-charged batteries, is now plying the streets of the business district of Makati and charging a minimum fare of eight pesos (0.19 U.S. dollar) per commuter.

Diesel-powered jeepney remains the popular public vehicle in the country, but proponents believe that this is just the beginning of a more sustainable form of transport in the Philippines and in the region too.

There is no doubt that the Philippines is leading Southeast Asia in terms of developing sustainable transport options, particularly electricity-powered alternatives, for public utility vehicles, said Red Constantino, director of policy think-tank Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (iCSC).

Fast growing Southeast Asian economies may have created more opportunities for its citizens, but rising prosperity came at a cost. Rapid urbanization has led to massive use of motor vehicles, contributing to air pollution and endangering public health. This, combined with threat of climate change, pushed stakeholders in the region to look for ways to develop public transport system that will reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality.

This includes looking for alternatives to fossil fuel-dependent vehicles. Singapore has developed and deployed one hydrogen- powered public bus. An inventor in Thailand has devised a solar- powered tuk tuk — Bangkok’s iconic three-wheeled vehicle.

In the Philippines, sustainable public transport starts with ejeepney. Constantino said that for ejeepney proponents like him, ejeepney is about making the “transport solutions of tomorrow available to working Filipinos first.”

“The jeepney is a cultural icon that can capture the imagination of the public. If one can change the jeepney — if we can improve it and yet retain its distinct place in our culture — everything else is possible,” he said.

But more than that, Constantino said it’s important to prove that ejeepney is a viable business.

“The real test is not just technical viability but commercial feasibility,” he said.

After all, the technology behind ejeepney is nothing new. Years before ejeepneys came to the Philippines, the electric-powered tranvia or cable cars roamed Manila’s streets in the pre-War era.

But Constantino said that the only way for green solutions and technology to be mainstreamed and adapted is for it to help “create business models that work for everyone.”

This is a new investment agenda, he said, adding that it will generate green jobs while at the same time yield profit for businessmen who go into ejeepney production and operation.

Yuri Sarmiento, chief executive officer of franchise holder Ejeepney Transport Corp. said his investment in the ejeepney, is both an advocacy and a business decision.

“We are ready to help grow green enterprises. We can tap new revenue streams such as battery leasing operations, electronic ticketing and scaled-up replacement programs aimed at converting public and private fossil-fueled vehicles into environment- friendly transport,” Sarmiento said.

Editor: Lu Hui

http://www.4evriders.org/2012/03/usa-e-vehicle-backers-call-for-incentives/

USA: E-vehicle backers call for incentives

THE GOVERNMENT must catch up with electric vehicle developments by lifting the tax burden on investments in the green transport sector, industry leaders yesterday said.

Government policies and programs, said speakers at a conference organized by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC), are also key to spurring consumers and public transport operators to convert from fossil fuel-powered vehicles, which in turn will cut down carbon emissions.

“The government is two steps behind in helping the electric vehicles sector … What we need from the government is a serious partnership,” said Yuri P. Sarmiento, E-Jeepney Transport Corp. CEO.

He cited the lack of support infrastructure, inadequate policies, manufacturing constraints, and low social acceptance as barriers to the growth of the alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) sector.

The government, Mr. Sarmiento said, can help by supporting a bill designed to give incentives to both electric vehicle makers and owners.

“We are not asking for the government to subsidize the cost of the electric vehicles,” he said.

Senate Bill 2856 is seen to bring down the cost of electric jeepneys, for example, by at least 20% by offering nine-year excise tax and duty exemptions to AFV assemblers and parts producers as well as importers of completely built AFVs.

More bworldonline.com

www.ejeep.org

The world’s energy demand may double in the next 50 years as the population grows to 9.5 billion and millions of people rise out of poverty, according to projections by oil and gas giant Shell, also predicting that by 2070, solar photovoltaic panels will become the world’s largest primary source of energy. Why then would Singapore hark back to the bad old days and commission a power plant to burn coal – its first and only one to use the worst of the fossil fuels? Read More

Singapore: First coal-fired power plant here limits emissions

By Grace Chua in The Straits Times (23 February 2013):

SINGAPORE’S first utility plant to burn coal will be opened officially next Wednesday – although it has been operational since August.

The first stage of Tuas Power’s $2 billion Tembusu Multi-Utilities Complex on Jurong Island burns low-sulphur coal, palm kernel shells, wood chips, natural gas and diesel to supply steam and electricity to industries here.

Its customers – which include petrochemical firms like Asahi Kasei, Dairen and Lanxess – save about 10 per cent on utility bills as these methods are cheaper than burning natural gas alone. Unsold electricity is used for the plant’s operations or channelled into the national grid after being traded.

The plant was conceived in 2006 even before China Huaneng Group bought Tuas in 2008, said Tuas Power president and CEO Lim Kong Puay.

Construction began in 2009 and the first phase was completed last year. It consists of a circulating fluidised bed (CFB) boiler that produces 450 tonnes of steam per hour, two 200-tonne gas- or diesel- fired boilers, a powerful steam turbine and a demineralised water plant supplying water for steam.

Future phases, to be ready in 2014 and 2017, will add two more CFB boilers, a gas boiler, two steam turbines and waste water treatment and desalination facilities. When fully completed in 2017, the plant will be able to produce 160 megawatts of electricity and 900 tonnes of steam per hour.

About 66 per cent of its capacity will be fed by low-ash, low-sulphur coal, 16 per cent by palm kernel shells and wood chips, and 18 per cent by natural gas or diesel.

Environmental groups have criticised it for burning coal, which produces twice as much carbon dioxide per unit of energy as natural gas. But, from barge to boiler, the coal remains enclosed to minimise coal dust. Filters trap particles and sulphur dioxide, while nitrogen oxide emissions meet National Environment Agency standards, Mr Lim said.

The coal is stored in enclosed silos that hold 22,000 tonnes, or two weeks’ supply. And energy-efficient processes, such as producing steam and electricity at the same time, mean most of the energy stored in the fuel is used rather than lost.

Coal was chosen to diversify the plant’s fuel mix for energy security and price stability. Coal prices have remained stable, while oil prices are volatile.

Source: www.wildsingaporenews.blogspot.sg

By Fiona Chan in The Straits Times (4 March 2013):

The world’s energy demand may double in the next 50 years as the population grows to 9.5 billion and millions of people rise out of poverty, according to projections by oil and gas giant Shell.

Depending on the pace of global economic growth, Shell foresees either natural gas becoming the dominant energy source, or coal remaining widely used until solar power takes over.

These two scenarios, released by Shell on Thursday, underscore the critical role that governments and businesses play in shaping the energy system of the future, said chief executive Peter Voser.

“Above all, the scenarios reinforce the urgency of addressing the world’s resource and environmental stresses,” he added.

In the next seven years, the world could generate new energy demand equivalent to China’s entire energy system, he said.

To address this, more use should be made of natural gas, renewable energy and technology that captures carbon dioxide emissions and stores them underground, he said.

Shell’s scenarios highlight the danger of “policy drift and unbalanced regulation”, which Mr Voser said could lead to higher greenhouse gas emissions and more pressing resource scarcity.

The first scenario, which Shell has termed Mountains, projects a sluggish pace of global economic growth, taking some pressure off energy demand.

In this environment, policymakers undertake smart urban planning in growing cities, triggering a transformation of the transportation sector.

Cars and trucks powered by electricity and hydrogen could dominate the road by the end of the century, and global demand for oil might peak around 2035.

This leads to greenhouse gas emissions starting to fall after 2030 and the eventual displacement of coal by natural gas, the cleanest burning fossil fuel.

This scenario also envisions the use of nuclear power becoming more widespread as well. Its market share could increase by about 25 per cent by 2060, Shell said.

The second scenario, called Oceans, paints a more prosperous but volatile world where the energy landscape is dictated by market forces and civil society, rather than government policies.

Public resistance and slow adoption of policies and technology limit the development of nuclear power and restrict the growth of natural gas outside North America, Shell said.

Coal remains widely used until at least the middle of the century, and oil demand continues to grow until about 2040, with higher energy prices spurring the development of hard-to-reach oil resources.

But Shell surmises that in this scenario, the rise in oil prices will also encourage the development of solar power as an alternative.

By 2070, solar photovoltaic panels will become the world’s largest primary source of energy, according to Shell.

Although both scenarios project that global emissions of carbon dioxide will drop to near zero by 2100, the Oceans scenario takes a longer time to get there. This will result in greater fossil fuel use and higher total carbon dioxide emissions over the century than in the Mountains scenario, said Shell.

In drawing up the scenarios, the company noted areas of public policy likely to have the greatest influence on a more sustainable energy future.

These include measures to promote energy-efficient cities, transportation and buildings, encourage the safe development of cleaner-burning natural gas, and put a price on carbon dioxide emissions.

Source: www.news.asiaone.com

Inspired by a trip to Singapore, Spain and the United States last year, Dave Hickson has brought together an exhibition of works that highlights our relationship to our urban environment. His photography, sculpture and drawings explore architecture and the interaction of objects in particular spaces, taking in the grandeur and occasional intimacy of public buildings and structures. The exhibition “New York, Barcelona, Murwillumbah” – recognises the quiet drama being played out in the shapes and colours of our everyday lives – opens at the Tweed River Art Gallery, Northern New South Wales (close to Gold Coast), Australia on 8 March and runs until 14 April. Read More

8 March – 14 April 2013

Most of the work for this show was inspired by a trip to Singapore, Spain and the United States. The work explores architecture and the interaction of objects in particular spaces, taking in the grandeur and occasional intimacy of public buildings and structures. I have attempted to make works that highlight our relationship to our environment, and the relationship of shapes and colours to each other.

I started this series of work by photographing towns in my region. In 2012, I signed up for the Endless Sunrise project, where a group of photographers documented the sunrise each day for a month. Rather than taking images of the sunrise at the beach, I began photographing the towns in my area, from Billinudgel to Crabbes Creek and Mullumbimby. I was inspired by the beauty in the buildings and trees of these areas, and when I had the opportunity to travel overseas with my partner, I wanted to continue developing this interest in architecture and urban landscape.

Travelling first to Singapore, I visited the newly built Marina Bay Sands Hotel, a 55-storey, three-tower building with a 150 meter swimming pool on its roof. The complex includes a shell-shaped theatre and the Art Science Museum, which is inspired by a lotus flower.

Then on to Spain to visit Madrid’s amazing art museums, Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao , where Jeff Koons’ floral puppy guards the entrance to what locals call the “Dog House”. This is a building that has brought millions of visitors a year to a part of Bilbao that was, for a long time, an industrial area and port. Constructed of stone, steel and concrete and clad in titanium, it is a revolution in architecture using computer-aided design to bring Gehry’s organic, poetic forms to life.

Although I was amazed by the history and decorative quality of the buildings and monuments in Spain, it was in Barcelona that I had an architectural spiritual experience. Antoni Gaudi’s cathedral, The Sagrada Familia, has been under construction for 130 years. Gaudi died in 1926 and the construction is expected to be completed in 2026, the centenary of Gaudi’s death. The organic exterior, with sculptures growing out of the stone in every direction is remarkable, and inside the power of the massive columns leading to an undulating ceiling of different coloured stone and marble is incredible.

Reluctantly leaving Spain, we arrived in New York and quickly made a bee-line to Frank Lloyd Wright’s spiraling Guggenheim, and the Met with its buildings within buildings. From New York we drove to Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water house at Mill Run. Its cantilevered structure and natural location are a great example of architecture that interacts with its environment. The original rock formations jut into the interior of the house and the waterfall under the house acts as a natural air conditioner. We then travelled to Washington, San Francisco and Los Angeles before flying home.

My photographs of these buildings and urban landscapes were the starting point for both drawings and sculptures. I have simplified forms and played with scale and colour to produce works that sometimes only vaguely show their connection to the original image.

The series of work displayed in New York, Barcelona, Murwillumbah is simply an attempt to interpret our urban environments, to recognise the quiet drama being played out in the shapes and colours of our everyday lives.

Artefacts:

“New York, Barcelona, Murwillumbah” is a exhibition of drawings, photographs and sculpture inspired by a trip Dave Hickson took to Spain, Singapore and the United States in 2012.

Prior to travelling I had been making a series of photographs of towns near my home, such as Billinudgel and Murwillumbah. Then while overseas I visited a number of buildings designed by renowned architects: Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona; Frank Gehry in Bilbao and Frank Lloyd Wright in Pennsylvania and New York. These buildings were often designed with nature as their inspiration. Frank Lloyd Wright had coined the phrase “organic architecture”, which was architecture that responded to its environment and blurred the lines between the inside and outside. This was possibly a response to the development of the large rectangular-box skyscraper apartment buildings that became popular in the 19th century.

At art school I majored in sculpture, and I find I have always had a strong affinity for architectural spaces, whether it is simply the relationship of objects in a particular space or the grandeur and drama of public buildings and structures.

I wanted to create work that looked at these relationships: us to our environment, shapes and colours to each other, and the abstraction of our everyday lives.

In this exhibition I’m showing a series of photographs that represent most of the places I have visited on this trip: Barcelona, Madrid and Bilbao in Spain; New York, Washington, San Francisco and Pennsylvania in the US; and Singapore.

I translated some of these photos into drawings, simplifying the compositions, shapes and colours, then translating them further into sculptures; using wood off cuts or reshaping recycled wood using a jigsaw, then playing with the colour, scale and composition, letting accidental associations happen, until it seems to be right.  Sometimes looking nothing like the original image – but still containing the essence and memory of the starting point, whether it was standing in the Metropolitan Museum in New York or in the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

If the viewer feels inspired to check out one of these buildings or to look at their surroundings with a different perspective – I think that’s great.

“New York, Barcelona, Murwillumbah” runs from March 8 – April 14.

The opening will be 6pm (for 6.30pm) on Friday March 8 at the Tweed River Art Gallery. To be opened by Richard Weinstein SC.

Dave Hickson Biography:

Dave was born in Auckland, but grew up in Christchurch and Singapore. After leaving school he studied broadcasting and worked for a small music television station in Christchurch. He moved to Sydney in 1997, where he completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with honours in Sculpture, at the National Art School.

He won the sculpture prize in 2002 at NAS, for a series of wood and welded steel constructions, inspired by painters such as Matisse, Bruegel and Poussin.

Since art school Dave has gained teaching qualifications; and has taught at schools and at TAFE. He continues to make artwork in a variety of media; including sculpture, photography, collage and drawing.

He has been shown in the Salon des Refuses at S.H.Irvin Gallery, Swell Sculpture Festival, and the Olive Cotton award for Photographic Portraiture.

Dave’s current show has drawn its inspiration from a trip to Singapore, Spain and the United States. It explores architecture – delighting in the interaction of objects in a particular space, or the grandeur and drama of public buildings and structures. He has made work that looks at the relationship of us to our environment and of shapes and colours to each other.

Dave has lived and worked in the Northern Rivers region since 2008.

Source: www.davehickson.net

While more is known about climate change and the urgent need for sustainability across all industries led by strong government policies, we are still having a climate change debate when the science is clear and it isn’t something that should be open to debate at all. Michelle Smytheman – who was there at the beginning – takes the Last Word stand to recognise five years of abc carbon express. Read More

By Michelle Smytheman, BA (Jour/Comm), Grad Dip Mrkt Mgt, MPRIA

www.reflectedimage.com.au

Wow! Five years – it’s a contradiction but so much and so little has changed.

While more is known about climate change and the urgent need for sustainability across all industries led by strong government policies, we are still having a climate change debate when the science is clear and it isn’t something that should be open to debate at all.

This makes what Ken and Sustain Ability Showcase Consultancy does – in communicating the issues around climate change and sustainability – even more important than it was when we assisted Ken to send out the first ABC Carbon newsletter in 2008.

As a public relations and video production consultancy, Reflected Image PRoductions, services clients across a range of industries and government level, providing comprehensive communications management.

We assisted Ken with the editing and promotion of the ABC Carbon book when it launched and also provided the RIPR Mail e-mail marketing platform from which he sent the newsletters for the first few years.

I first met Ken when we were both called on to promote a local literary festival in 2007 and we began working together on ABC Carbon soon after.  Ken also introduced me to teaching at the University of the Sunshine Coast, where I have taught Public Relations and Communications for more than five years.

Just as ABC Carbon grew and evolved into the Sustain Ability Showcase Consultancy and saw Ken move from Brisbane to Singapore, Reflected Image PRoductions has grown as well and while we are still based on the beautiful Sunshine Coast just north of Brisbane, our clients are now spread throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Congratulations again to Ken on the milestone – keep up the good work – the need to communicate to everyone effectively about the issues of sustainability and climate change have never been more important!

www.reflectedimage.com.au