New Climate Anthem  Beds are Burning

A revamped version of a classic Australian rock anthem, made famous by Peter Garrett’s Midnight Oil, is the soundtrack to a new campaign aimed at drumming up support for upcoming global climate talks,  while a Melbourne hotel goes carbon neutral as part of the Enviroweek campaign 11-17 October.

A revamped version of a classic Australian rock anthem is the soundtrack to a new campaign aimed at drumming up support for upcoming global climate talks.

Sixty musicians and celebrities from around the world have put their voices to a reworked version of Midnight Oil’s 1987 hit Beds Are Burning to highlight climate change issues ahead of the United Nation’s talks in Copenhagen in December.

The song, which features pop singer Lily Allen, Simon Le Bon from the ’80s group Duran Duran and charity single stalwart Bob Geldof, has been released today as a free download.

The former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and French actress Marion Cotillard also added their voices to the cover version.

The song is part of the “tck tck tck” project, which aims to draw attention to the urgency of the global warming crisis.

It is considered a “musical petition” that can be “signed” by downloading a copy.

Mr Annan, who now heads the Geneva-based Global Humanitarian Forum, says the Copenhagen agreement “must be ambitious, it must be universal and it must be fair”.

“For there is gross injustice at the heart of climate change. The countries and people who are most damaged by its impact are those who have done least to create it,” he told a news conference when the song was launched.

“Our task is to ensure that their voices and those of future generations are heard so loudly over the next two months or so, that the political leaders are forced to listen and to act.”

Midnight Oil’s former frontman, Peter Garrett, is currently the federal Environment Minister and declined to take part in the re-recording.

Source: www.abc.net.au

From the Enviroweek website. Read about all their activities – 11-17 October 2009  www.enviroweek.org

30 September 2009, Australia:

Alto Hotel on Bourke in Melbourne has achieved the prestigious NoCO2, or Carbon Neutral Certification through the Carbon Reduction Institute, Australia’s leading climate change certification consultant. Having achieved NoCO2 certification means that the Hotel’s operations have zero impact towards climate change. 

To achieve certification, Alto Hotel undertook a comprehensive carbon emissions audit that captured and quantified all of the hotel’s greenhouse gas emissions. The audit included emissions from fuel and energy consumption onsite; staff travel, water and waste usage and flights taken by Alto Hotel staff. In addition, the embodied emissions in the hotel’s assets and expenses items were also audited to capture indirect emissions from supply chain purchases and any products bought, used and sold through the hotel. 

Prior to certification, Alto Hotel had already committed to reducing their carbon footprint through offsetting emissions from electricity usage, fuel and flights directly with their service providers. NoCO2 certification furthers the hotel’s strong commitment to sustainability and demonstrates ongoing efforts to contribute to a healthier environment. 

The Alto Hotel on Bourke has enhanced its reputation as one of Melbourne’s leading hotels in guest satisfaction as well as innovation by becoming the Australia’s first carbon neutral hotel. Some food & beverage style hotels, cabins and cottages have offset carbon from some of their services or provide an option for guests to pay for offsets, however Alto is the first city hotel to provide all of its services and facilities as carbon neutral within its pricing. 

About NoCO2 Certification 

Managed by the Carbon Reduction Institute, NoCO2 certification is the highest level of carbon certification offered in Australia. The carbon credits used in the certification program received a ranking in the highest category offered in Australia from the Carbon Offset Watch, the first independent ranking of Australian offset providers. 

The NoCO2 standard gives businesses a comprehensive overview of their impact on climate change while also providing the option to immediately reduce and offset this impact. The carbon performance of each certified business is monitored quarterly, and NoCO2 businesses undergo annual re-auditing to ensure their carbon claims remain valid and substantiated. Achieving NoCO2 Certification means that a business is carbon neutral and that it has completely removed its climate change impacts. 

Rob Cawthorne, Managing director of the Carbon Reduction Institute said: “Certifying Alto Hotel on Bourke has been a delight for us. The hotel is already committed to sustainable tourism practices through various initiatives and all of the hotel’s staff members were really keen to move forward towards becoming completely carbon neutral. It has been an exemplary carbon audit which was a great experience for our team. The level of commitment that Alto Hotel showed prior to certification is rare and deserves the highest credits. Alto Hotel can now make an even bigger difference for our planet by providing carbon neutral accommodation, and we certainly hope that others will follow their lead.” 

About Alto Hotel on Bourke 

Alto Hotel on Bourke is located in the centre of Melbourne’s business district. The boutique Alto Hotel, which combines environmental construction technology and best practice initiatives with style, charm and a high level of comfort, has proven to be popular with business and leisure travellers many of whom have become fiercely loyal. The hotel provides the previously missing link for a sustainable and carbon neutral travel experience. 

The hotel is unique in that it proves that being eco friendly does not mean you have to “rough it” in a natural setting or use lower grade products and services to leave a smaller footprint. It is possible to enjoy a 4 star hotel in an urban location and minimise your impact on the environment. You can put your head down in comfort and let your mind rest easy knowing that your environmental footprint is minimised.

The building, which brings together classic architecture of late 19th century and a contemporary interior plus a range of inspired services, is rich in environmental features including double insulation, staggered stud construction on all lightweight walls and ceilings, double glazed; tinted & laminated windows & 100% wind powered green electricity. 

“We have already been recognised as a leader in sustainable tourism yet wanted to ensure we continue to innovate and show that it is possible to have guilt free travel without compromising on quality or service” said Gary Stickland, General Manager of Alto Hotel on Bourke. “Instead of simply paying someone to make our environmental footprint go away we have ensured that we have minimised our output as much as practical first, then made the decision to offset the remaining carbon that we have not been able to remove from our operations” he said. “All of our environmental initiatives have been made by considering our guests first. This means that some guests are not even aware that they have stayed in a sustainable hotel as we have designed our programs to effectively be behind the scenes and not require any effort from our guests, unless they want to be more involved.” The hotel provides the key ingredient for the potential to have a low carbon holiday or business trip to Melbourne. 

Source: www.altohotel.com.au, www.noco2.com.au & www.enviroweek.org