Karen Charlton (left) travelled the world before returning to Western Australia to attend Curtin University as a mature age student. She loves the outdoors and is a regular scuba diver, rock climber and bushwalker.

“Ecological footprinting is a way of understanding our impact on the Earth. It gives us a measure of how many resources we use to maintain our lifestyle. My research shows that the footprint of Western Australians is very high when you look at other nations round the world. The more we understand environmental, social and economic issues, the more chance we have of trying to balance these needs in the future.”

Bob Goodale (right) was Curator of Birds in Cologne Zoo and later a natural history film maker, before beginning what is now thirty years work as a naturalist and conservationist. Naragebup, an environment centre in Rockingham, was formed in 1996 and fully opened to the public by 2000.

"Naragebup offers educational programmes that promote the benefits of managing the environment to sustain life. We show efficient energy use, a wind turbine and solar panels, as well as examples of sustainable living and building methods. There is also organic gardening and permaculture, strawbale building, recycling and composting skills and talks about local flora and fauna. The public composting toilets are a working demonstration and rainwater supplies all our needs."

Don Harrison (below, second from left) is a renewable energy scientist with Western Power. His house – designed by architect Garry Baverstock – has most of the windows facing the northern sun. Sunlight can enter the house in winter, keeping it warm, but the eaves keep the windows in shade during the summer. Inside, the family uses low-energy appliances, long-life lights and a solar hot water system.

“We decided to build a passive solar energy house about 10 years ago. You cut your energy bills and reduce your impact on the environment. And it is so comfortable – warm in winter, cool in summer, all by understanding the power of the sun.
We also recycle, all organic waste is composted in ‘green cones’, and the garden is mostly planted with native species, reducing water needs. Moving towards a sustainable future takes one step at a time. These are steps everyone can take.”

FACTFILE
• We are producing more solid, liquid and gas wastes than at any other time in our history. More than three million tonnes of waste were dumped in Perth landfills in 2000.
• About 60 percent of all scheme water in Perth is used on lawns and gardens.
• Australians have a large ecological footprint relative to other nations. Western Australia’s ecological footprint is between 17 and 31 ha per person (depending on whether pastoralism is included.
• Each of us can make simple changes in how we live to move towards a more sustainable society – producing less waste, reduced and more efficient use of water in our homes and in the garden, and recycling and buying recycled goods.