he tide has washed

away our footprintstor2O12 and now2013 lies clean and

clear ahead of us,

with just a few steps

already marked in the sand.

Many of us have spent time at the

beach and have had a brush with sun-

burn to prove it ... all part of a typical

Australian holiday season.

So, back to pick up what awaits.

People talk so much about New Year

resolutions, but how many of us really

carry them through is highly debatable.

The holiday season can give us time

for our minds to wander into what

could be possible in a fresh new year

- a change of direction, new goals to

achieve, new schools, new courses, new

f challenges ...

' My holiday reading found some quirky

directions being followed in the renew-

able energy conversation.

fhe Sydney Morning Herald on the

31 .12.12 had a story about architects

in Paris using the excess warmth of the

body heat of people in the Metro as well

as the heat from friction on the trainlines

to power underfloor heating for public

housing apartments nearby.

ln Sweden, the rail ventilation system

heats water in tanks underground,

which is then pumped to heating pipes.

Swedish engineers are working on a

way to 'capture excess body heat on a

scale large enough to warm homes and

office buildings in a perpetual cycle of

mutual generosity'. What can we say

but, "Wowl", recognising that those

Swedes are serious people and are look-

ing towards designing the system into

new buildings where possible.

Another apparently quirky idea was

in The Australian of 29/30.12.1 2. lt told

the story of Odette Lenane, a Tasmanian

oyster grower. Apparently, oysters filter

6 litres of water an hour, which seems

astonishing. She has a grant to investi-

gate cleaning polluted estuaries around

the world through the use of billions of

oysters. Their shells could also be used

by the building industry (as they were,

in fact, in the early days of the colony in

Sydney). I guess one of the problems in

a hungry world would be to stop people

eating them, every one, like the Walrus

and the Carpenter in Alice, before they

had a chance to do their job.

I know the media use these stories

over what is called the 'silly season', but

nonetheless it's interesting to hear ofpeople letting their minds think outside

routine channels - that's how discoveries

lctngonthecake with Susie Dunn

and changes are made. A lot of those

discoveries happen at our university, of

course, but also in businesses around

town, where people develop new ideas

and better ways of doing things.

Locally, among other such groups, the

New England Wind Consortium and the

Farming the Sun people are working to-

wards 'community owned renewable en-

ergy as part of the shift to sustainability'.

I can never understand why the principle

of renewable energy shouldn't be whole-

heartedly embraced by everyone, unless I

suppose they have a vested interest that

overrides all other considerations.

It underlines a chance to rethink and

perhaps readjust our lives within our

community to maximise the available

advantages.

There is so much available for every

interest here, that I always hesitate to

start listing for fear of leaving something

out. Make the effort to try something

new this year - go to a cricket school,

go to the opera, listen to a new band in

town, take up a new hobby, join a group

(there's one for just about everything).

And doing something with the com-

munity comes back to give you pleasure,

as well as what you give.

Cast your bread on the waters ...

_---_**;ffi$kil

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