Earth Hour 2011: Beyond the hour

At 8:30pm on Saturday, lights will switch off around Australia for Earth Hour. This year’s theme, ‘Beyond the hour’, aims to encourage people who are turning off their lights to think about an area of their daily life they can make lasting changes to.

This commitment to change has already been made by Mission Australia as we strive to be not only socially responsible, but also environmentally responsible.

We know we won’t turn ourselves into a “green machine” overnight, but each small step we make takes us further along the path and builds a groundswell of support that drives further improvements.

For many people, Earth Hour is a great opportunity to get re-acquainted with the charm of candles. What is probably not as widely known is your choice of candle can also have an impact on the environment - so here is a quick guide:

There are four main types of candles: paraffin, soy, palm and beeswax. Although paraffin accounts for approximately 90% of the world’s candle sales, it is the worst of the four options from an environmental perspective. It’s made from crude oil, releases soot and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) into the air and doesn’t burn as long as the other three options.

As agricultural crops, both soy and palm wax have an advantage over paraffin, however increasing amounts of soy and substantial amounts of palm oil come from once-lush rainforests that have been cleared to plant these crops. The destruction of this habitat is a major cause in the decline of orangutans and several other species in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Beeswax is sourced from a natural process, doesn’t encourage deforestation, generates minimal carbon emissions and can improve the air we breathe. It’s an obvious winner followed by soy (as long as you know where it comes from), then palm candles.

Let’s hope that this year’s Earth Hour will spark lasting change both at home and across the globe.

Story from Anthony Ogilvie, Mission Australia’s Sustainability Manager

Ron Paul Visits Google - Raises Issues Sensitive to Catholic Voters

This is a long video, but important to watch because it is an in depth exploration of the issues by a group of very smart and influential people at Google.

Early on in the interview with Elliot Schrage, Google's Vice President for Global Communications & Public Affairs, a number of issues arise which are sensitive to Catholic voters.

• So called "Gay Marriage" & the Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy in the Military
• Legalization of Marijuana
• Legalization of Prostitution
• Forcing Pharmacists to Prescribe Contraception and Abortifacients

Ron Paul has positions on some of these issues present serious questions for the committed Catholic voter:

• Ron Paul has no problem with "domestic partnerships" between homosexuals
• Ron Paul is in favor of the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana
• Ron Paul is in favor of the decriminalization and legalization of prostitution
• Ron Paul supports the rights of employees and employers to resolve issues of conscience through private employment contracts

These are serious issues for the Catholic voter as we are prohibited by conscience for voting for a candidate who supports intrinsically evil public policies that attack the common good.

However, Ron Paul's policies are sophisticated, subtle and complex and not black and white in regard to their moral content. In each of these serious issues, Ron Paul is asking us to reflect on what the Federal Government should and should not be involved with while leaving open the freedom on the local state level for citizens to work out these moral questions.

For example, there is a difference between making the case that gays should have special protection by the law of the Federal Government to get married (an intrinsic evil), versus saying that the Federal Government should not speak on the matter one way or the other, except to protect the local state's right from having to recognize the gay marriage created by another state (a question of prudential judgement and federalism).

In the days ahead, Catholics for Ron Paul will examine these issues and Ron Paul's policy positions in more depth.

On a final note, pay close attention to how many Google questions come from a socialist worldview: the association of fairness with big government education, healthcare, special rights advocacy for gays & women, etc. Of particular interest is the implication made by Elliot Schrage that problems like "Global Warming" call for "collective" action - i.e. socialism on a global scale. This is a red flag in the eyes of Catholics for Ron Paul, especially since Al Gore is a top advisor to the company. The issue of "Global Warming" and the hype around it is seen by some as a ploy to make the case for globalist governance, e.g. to "save the planet" we need a global authority to solve the problem. The tone of Elliot Schrage's question about this issue has only confirmed the sense that Google's public policy drift is toward collectivism.