This week the news is filled with celebrities doing their bit and more, not just in Bali but all over the planet. The Antipodean contingent at Club of Pioneers (me) can't get enough of the good news coming out of OZ! First Australia signed the Kyoto protocol under the new labour leadership of Kevin Rudd (backed by former Midnight Oil frontman and now minster for the environment Peter Garret, pictured). Then they announced a planning initiative that aims to green the city roofs of Sydney with roof-gardens. Now we hear via the Treehugger grapevine that a fleet of Lexus hybrid EcoTaxis is offering lifts for free. It's all in protest against their services being stopped as the Ecotaxis were ....too short!
Read more of the ridiculous story here or watch the news report.

Garret on stage. Image from paradigm oz.
"Make it Right" certainly has caused a stir, with a clever marketing campaign and a celebrity face at the helm. The project is an initiative that has brought together 13 architect studios to design replacement housing in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. Spearheaded by hobby architect Brad Pitt and Berlin/LA studio Graftlab, the 150 buildings are currently wrapped in bright pink, awaiting the necessary donations to get them started. We like it. You can check out all the designs here and make your donation.

Graft's house design for the Lower Ninth Ward.
Staying with the architecture theme, the annual Architectural Review awards have been presented. The three winners from the "emerging architects" category show the welcome trend towards green and sustainable housing. Perhaps having Archigram's Peter Cook on the jury had something to do with the unconventional vibe.Winner: Ecoboulevard from Madrid, SpainIn Berlin, a new initiative has begun to make the parliament carbon free. It aims to be the first climate neutral parliament in the world. And we don't just mean the solar panels on the Reichstag. Under the Club of Rome's youth think tank tt30, measures to be put forward to all parties include the use of renewable energy, turning off equipment when not in use, emission reduction through clean business travel and at least one eco-local vegetarian meal in the canteen! So far its received support from Al Gore and German political luminaries such as Hans-Peter Thul and Renate Künast. Read more about Berlin'sClimate Neutral Parliament .

The first Climate Neutral parliament in the world?

Nothing beats a successful Media hoax, and it seems the group Rising Tide network, claiming to be the United Sates Climate Action Partnership have pulled one off. With a fake website and press release, the "USCAP" (who represent big corporations such as Shell, Pepsi and Xerox) pledged to cut their emissions 90 percent by 2050. They also called for a stop in the construction of coal-burning power plants. Although outed as a fake, the stunt does bring attention to the “real” USCAP, who have committed to a lot less. You can read an interview with the pranksters on Wired.