At one extreme master planned 'communities' can be soulless,sterile suburbs. The danger at the other extreme is social engineering. The question I have is can a city with character and soul be created without community input?

I went down to the Caloundra South display centre yesterday and spent a few hours with a friend discussing the possiblities and problems.  More >>

How far is it to the edge?  At some point business and community is going to clash if one keeps pushing the other. More >>

Australian's of the Year, our leading lights for 2011, are right up our ally.  Simon McKeon, a social entrepreneur, equal rights campaigner Professor Ron McCallum and round the world sailer Jessica Watson.  Local Hero of the Year is Donald Ritchie who lives near The Gap in Sydney, a notorious location for people intent on ending their lives by jumping off the cliff. Three men concerned with social issues and a young lady from Queensland. More >>

Carbon reduction and keep all the mod cons?  It's really just about spreading the word..... More >>

What's the glue that sticks communities together?  Do we have some of it?  You bet!   More >>

Mental ill health and particularly suicide takes such a terrible toll on families, friends and society it is difficult to understand how support for those suffering is largely left up to families and communities through voluntary support organisations.  I say ‘largely’ because it is true there are government programs and social enterprises such as religious organisations and a variety of (under) funded organisations, staffed by poorly paid support workers, who do their best for people in need. More >>

This goes out to all the fishing fans out there - and no, it's not your fault! It's all of us! We Australians love our beautiful oceans yet we are conducting our life in a most greedy and wasteful way - only surpassed by Americans.  More >>

I attended the 'no Quarry in Kin Kin' public meeting in Pomona last Thursday. One audience member was referring yet again to the Biosphere as a 'toothless tiger'. I'd like to clarify: The UNESCO MAB program has never been designed to be a TIGER - with or without teeth.  More >>

With 'risk' currently being on many politicians lips, I would like to introduce to you 'the passionate science teacher'. He explains how climate change is a question of risk management. More >>

Copenhagen - United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 - arguably the single most important event in the history of human kind. I have been following reporting mostly through the 'stupid show'. (excuse the occasional swearing, children! Franny is a potty mouth!)  More >>