daysofchange.org

daysocfchange.org is a non-profit organisation that has one simple vision: a world where people everywhere are living and working in ways that ensure a bright future.

To do this, we need your help.

We have a number of volunteer and paid positions available for individuals that are passionate about sustainability and making a difference.

If you have expertise in composting, solar PV, buying second hand, sustainable transport or any one of our 31 household pledges or if you are interested in testing new functionality on our website, and you would be interested in helping us on a volunteer basis, then we'd like to hear from you!

Click here to find out more...

From February 2010 to February 2011, Bunnings Warehouse locations in Malaga and Midland will be supporting The Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council (EMRC) trial on collecting and recycling fluorescent globes.

Find out more...

We're delighted to welcome TV Chefs Kylie Kwong and Ian Parmenter as our newest daysofchange.org Champions.

According to Kylie "at a time when we are all striving to reduce our impact on this precious planet, daysofchange.org offers simple, meaningful ways of living more sustainably".

Ian says "my role as WA ambassador for the Stephanie Alexander School Kitchen Garden Foundation has shown me how important hands-on grass roots (or food roots!) education is in spreading the message on sustainable land and water use. A better appreciation by youngsters of where our food comes from will have a major impact on our collective futures."

Check out our other Champions

More than 800 people attended the 19 free Solar PV Information Sessions that were run by Days of Change across the Perth Metropolitan area and in Bunbury during June and July.

Participants found out why we think that rooftop solar PV is such an important action that can be taken that not only has profound sustainability impacts, but that can also deliver substantial savings to the household.

If you weren't able to make it to one of the sessions and you would like to download the slideshow then click on the image below.

Thanks to the generous support of Lotterywest, our web development team are busily at work on some significant enhancements to the daysofchange.org website.

The improvements will mean a more dynamic, engaging website that allows you to take greater control of the content on your profile page and see everything that is going on around you in the area of sustainability.

A key component will be the introduction of a new Dashboard which will be the page that you land on each time you log on to daysofchange.org.

The dashboard will be the place where you can check out everything that is relevant to you on daysofchange.org. You will be able to see the latest actions taken by your friends, what your school and organisation are up to and you'll even be able to load up information about that special project that is dear to your heart - such as the  chook shed you are building.

A mock-up of what the dashboard will look like is shown below.

Angela Nutton from SMG (Seven Media Group) has been fundamental to the success of the daysofchange.org program.

So we know that she is committed to helping people everywhere take simple steps to become more sustainable. However we were even more impressed by her commitment when we found out that she has replaced her fuel guzzling four wheel drive with a much smaller car.

A Word of Caution for Those Thinking of Buying a New Car

It is important that your new car will reduce your fuel consumption by a large enough margin in order to more than cover the amount of embodied energy required to manufacture the new car.

The embodied energy can represent about 25% of the total life cycle emissions of a typical car.

In Angela's case she changed from a Ford Territory to a Volkswagon Golf GTI. According the greenvehicleguide.gov.au she has reduced her fuel consumption from 12.9l/100km to 7.6l/100km - a 40% reduction!

However this doesn't take into account the embodied energy of the new vehicle.

According to ghgenergycalc.com.au Angela's total emissions associated with her vehicle travel, including the embodied energy of the new car has reduced from 6.7t of CO2e per annum to 5.2t of CO2e per annum, which is still an almost 25% improvement, making the change well and truly worthwhile, not only for the hip pocket, but also for the environment.

What to Look Out For

If you replace your existing vehicle with a new vehicle that has only slightly better fuel economy than your existing vehicle, then you might not achieve anything for the environment.

Aim to improve your fuel economy by at least 25% and ideally by 40% or more to make sure you achieve a true sustainable change.

And of course make sure you hang on to the new vehicle for a while - at least until you're ready to make the next 40% improvement in fuel economy.

A good option when looking for a new car is to consider buying second hand. You will often find second hand vehicles that achieve your fuel efficiency requirements, will save you thousands of dollars, and reduce the embodied energy.

Lastly, look for opportunities to avoid using the new car by walking, riding or taking public transport as much as possible.

Some people who have attended the Solar PV Information Sessions have asked for copies of the slides used during the presentation.

We are pleased to oblige. Just click on the following link to download the slides in PDF format.

Download slide show 2.25Mb

We also will include below answers to frequently asked questions as they arise:

1. How do you read a Smart Meter? Click here to view Western Power's on-line guide.

By the end of May, more than 38,000 West Australians were participating in Days of Change and had pledged to make simple changes to help create a brighter future for people everywhere.

This makes Days of Change the largest on-line sustainability program ever seen and sends a clear message to kids everywhere that we care about their future and shows our community leaders that we support change

However this is only the beginning of the journey.

Now is the time to be thinking about how you are going to fulfil your pledges. Don't forget that clicking on the "more" button next to each of your pledges will give you access to support information that will help you fulfil your pledges.

Also, the goal is still 200,000 West Australians participating in the program by the end of 2010so don't forget to invite your friends to get on board too.

Days of Change would not be possible without the support of some amazing people and organisations.

Thanks to Channel 7, The West Australian, GWN, 94.5 and The Quokka for their extraordinary level of support in promoting Days of Change. There were so many people in those organisations who contributed to the success of the program, however we really need to say special thanks to Angela Nutton, Natalia Cooper, Nicola Bedwood, Fred Botica, Simon Hart and Rob Shearwood.

Thanks also to Sungrid. As our Vision Partner, Sungrid shares our vision of a world where people everywhere are living sustainably. Sungrid's support of Days of Change was pivotal and we gratefully acknowledge Phil Livingston, Howard Buckley, and Nicola Holgate for their outstanding support and efforts.

And thanks to our many other partners who are right behind the move to a more sustainable future and so took a risk and supported a program that had never been run before on this scale.

Thanks also to our many Champions who were all willing to stand up and say "we're changing, what about you?" and whose support was crucial to the success of the program.

And lastly thank you for your support of Days of Change and for your commitment to do something about creating a better world for our kids and grandkids to inherit.