Invest in the future – Create your own eco-ripple by multiplying your $900 bonus
Received your $900 stimulus bonus? While a little extra cash never goes astray, if you’re thinking like us, you might have preferred that the money was spent on tackling climate change.
There are plenty of ways to act on climate change while stimulating the economy. Here are few ways you can create your own eco-ripple and multiply the effect of your one-off purchase.
- Re-green your solar: buy back your RECs-easy, effective and tax deductible!
- Eliminate the load: do a home energy audit and save money on your electricity bills!
- Switch watts: replace 50watt halogen down-lights with 5watt LED globes to help save the world and your wallet!
- Green your investments: buy shares in a community-owned renewable energy project!
April 30th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
I’m pretty annoyed that the stimulus money isn’t being directed to address climate change so I’ve decided to buy and retire $450 worth of EU carbon permits through Sandbag (an NFP in the UK, http://www.sandbag.org.uk). I’ll hang onto the other $450 until an Australian emissions trading scheme starts operating, then I’ll do the same thing again.
May 7th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
I think you like the government have forgotten a large slice of the community that did not receive
the $900, and they are the pensioners who do not pay tax as this incentive payment was only paid
to people who paid tax. I for one would love to extend my solar energy to the power side as we
already have solar hot water but with a pension that is out of the question.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Hi David,
According to the PM Media Release of 14/08/08 (http://www.pm.gov.au/media/release/2008/media_release_0550.cfm), it appears pensioners are eligible for the incentive payment:
“The $4 billion down payment for pensioners will be made available through a lump sum payment of $1,400 to single pensioners and $2,100 to pensioner couples”
Maddie
May 30th, 2009 at 8:30 am
I have spent my stimulus on a solatube for the kitchen so that the light does not have to be turned on all the time. Would love to have used it for solar power to go with my solar hotwater, but that’s still a dream.
Melody