MYTH 1: Solar is only for the rich

The most common argument we hear against solar energy is that encouraging it will somehow widen the gap between rich and poor. The logic goes that because “only rich people can afford solar”, the so-called poor people without it will then have to pay a larger share of the costs to maintain the national grid.

More on this sharing grid costs thing when you hit Myth #3, but in a nutshell, we say, bah humbug to that! Statistically, we’re seeing that solar being a rich kid’s game is simply not true. Of the customers using solar provider solarcity’s “solarZero” energy service, around 40% are below median income households. Under this service, households can get rigged up without the cost of buying the solar system.

And if you think about it logically, this makes s... Read more >

A major palm oil company, which had its sustainability certificates suspended for violating rules designed to prevent the destruction of Indonesia's forests and peatlands, has had those certificates reinstated. This shocking decision by the industry's own sustainability group to lift the suspension sends a message that it's OK for palm oil companies to continue trashing forests in pursuit of profits.

Tree stump in the PT Bumi Sawit Sejahtera (IOI) oil palm concession in Ketapang, West Kalimantan.

IOI, one of the biggest palm oil suppliers in the world, was suspended by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in April 2016 for clearing peatland areas and developing land without obtaining required permits. As a result, many of its big-name customers walked away such as Unilever, Cargi... Read more >

12 Aug 2016 - Fonterra has this morning committed to using only responsible palm oil products throughout its supply chains. This means it'll use only PKE and other palm oil products from suppliers that aren't clearing rainforest, developing peatlands or exploiting local communities and workers. A big first step for Fonterra....although we'll now be looking to them for a full PKE phase out.

Environmental campaigning often requires patience. As Gandhi used to say "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win”.

This week our hard work (and patience) paid off. But it’s not so much us who won, as our farms and rainforests and climate.

Landcorp has announced it will no longer use palm kernel expeller (PKE) on its farms and will focus on grass-feeding its a...

This blog was written to mark International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples.

Greenpeace campaigner Steve Abel greets Elvis Teddy with a hongi, a traditional Maori greeting, as the Greenpeace crew of the new Rainbow Warrior meet Te Whanau a Apanui at Whangaparaoa, East Cape to celebrate the withdrawal oil giant Petrobras which had planned to drill for deep sea oil. Elvis Teddy, who skippered the San Pietro fishing boat, was arrested by police during the protest.

Kia ora my name is Mike. I am a Maori member of the northern tribes of the far north territories of Aotearoa - New Zealand. I’ve been an indigenous rights activist for most of my adult life. During the 1980’s through to the 90’s together with many others, I was engaged in the struggle to correct historical and contemporary ... Read more >

On Wednesday, I had barely had breakfast when I was surprised by some absolutely amazing news: The Brazilian environmental agency – IBAMA – announced it would cancel the process for licensing the São Luiz do Tapajós (SLT) mega-dam in the heart of the Amazon.

Once my heart rate returned to normal, I started to call my colleagues and Munduruku leaders, seeking confirmation.

Today, it’s official: IBAMA has cancelled the SLT mega-dam. It’s time to celebrate this incredible news! I'd like to thank all of you who stood with the Munduruku Indigenous People and helped make this victory possible.

Over these last months we truly believed that sooner or later IBAMA would need to recognise the meg-adam project's significant environmental and social impacts in the region. Now, with IBAMA's decision...

Plastic is ubiquitous. It’s in our clothing, our shoes, our phone, our furniture. We store food in it, we eat and drink from it, we sit on it, we brush our teeth with it. It comes in all colours, shapes and sizes. The reason plastic is ever-present? It’s cheap, it’s convenient, and it lasts. But plastic comes at a cost: plastic pollution.

On average, a plastic bag is used for 12 minutes before it’s thrown away, but it takes anywhere between 400 to 1,000 years to degrade. That’s plenty of time to wreak havoc on our marine life – 30% of the world’s turtles and 90% of seabird species have now ingested plastic debris.

Plastic-free July highlighted problems associated with single-use plastic, and challenges us to avoid plastic for a day, a week, or even a whole month. Unsurprisingly, going... Read more >