Ecos articles from October 2005

Ecos archives from October 2005

Changing valuations.(Editorial; organic food)
October 1, 2005... When considering this issue's Focus on the pros and cons of organic agriculture, I decided it would be worthwhile, as an urbanite, to try 'going organic', as a way of assessing both its effects on well being, and the practical experience of...

New insights on the early sources of greenhouse methane.
October 1, 2005... An international study into how methane levels in the atmosphere have evolved during the past 2000 years has given atmospheric researchers new insight into the history of both the Earth's climate and one of the most influential greenhouse...

Global winner, Biolytix[R], is taking on effluent society.(Dean Cameron wins Global Award at World Expo in Japan for Wastewater Treatment System)
October 1, 2005... Dean Cameron has collected a Global Award at the World Expo in Japan for his home-grown Biolytix[R] Wastewater Treatment System. It was the only sewage and greywater recycling system in the world to win. Cameron's award is given to...

The farmers' tree program that's growing potential.
October 1, 2005... Research suggests that most farmers could plant trees and shrubs on up to 15 per cent of their land helping farm health, agricultural productivity and income. A new three-way partnership will ensure that farmers, researchers, governments,...

A vegetable alternative to toxic transformer oil.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... A CSIRO-led research team has developed a vegetable oil-based fluid that could replace the estimated 40 billion litres of toxic mineral oil currently used in power and electricity distribution transformers across the world. Major oil...

Radioactive waste technology is locking up interest.
October 1, 2005... Construction is underway of a new plant that will transform liquid radioactive waste into a unique, synthetic rock product--known as 'synroc'--developed in Australia. The technology is drawing international interest for its capacity to safely...

Natives tackle cotton pesticide residues.(native plants)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Pesticides that build up in the recycling water used on cotton farms can be significantly reduced using a simple biological filtering process developed at the Cotton Cooperative Research Centre. Doctoral student Michael Rose of the...

Help design the world's biggest metropolitan park.
October 1, 2005... Landcom and the NSW Department of Planning are asking for the public's ideas in jointly developing the first stage of the Western Sydney Parklands, set to be the largest metropolitan park in the world. Stretching 27km from Quakers Hill in...

Going organic.(THE PROS AND CONS OF ORGANIC AGRICULTURE: Progress)(Cover Story)
October 1, 2005... Once regarded as a peculiarity for its attention to the health of soil, organic farming is moving steadily into the mainstream as demand for organic produce has surged. The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that the US, European...

The ceramic house may solve Filipinos' problems; a building technology originating from the Middle East, developed by an Iranian-American, is generating a buzz in the Philippines as an environmentally benign solution to a pressing shortage of shelter and school buildings.
October 1, 2005... Nader Khalili, the awarded California-based architect author and teacher of Iranian-American earth architecture, says his ceramic house and earth architecture techniques are also a quick, inexpensive way to build mass shelters for calamity...

Natural services open for business.(ECOSYSTEMS SERVICES MARKETS: Progress)
October 1, 2005... Nature's good works, the 'ecosystem services' on which all life on Earth depends--and which actually underpin our entire economy--have long been taken for granted. In modern society we've tended to undervalue such integral environmental...

The ecosystem marketplace.com.(ECOSYSTEMS SERVICES MARKETS: Progress)
October 1, 2005... Since 1978, over 530 000 [km.sup.2] of Amazon rainforest have been destroyed to make way for cattle ranches and soybean farms. (1) A further 20 million hectares of forest and woodland is earmarked for soybean cultivation in the next 15 years....

How do locals value their habitat?(ECOSYSTEM SERVICES MARKETS: Progress)
October 1, 2005... Most people appreciate that healthy, sustainable landscapes must balance the competing demands of agriculture, industry and the environment. But in planning for the future, some tough decisions have to be made about the best way to configure...

A voyage of discovery: revealing Western Australia's deep seabed ecosytems.
October 1, 2005... The oceans are our last unexplored frontier. Although Australia is the world's largest island nation, its surrounding seas make up almost twice the size of the country's landmass. Most of what lies within and beneath them still awaits...

Aquaculture's feed demands are pressuring wild fish populations.(Progress)
October 1, 2005... In response to the recent Ecos article, 'The green frontier: RNAi biotechnology's promising applications' (Ecos 125), which made reference to aquaculture's offsetting of fishing intensity on wild fish stocks, Adele Pedder of the Australian...

A guide to the hot topic.(Climate Change: Turning Up the Heat)(Book Review)
October 1, 2005... Barrie Pittock, CSIRO Honorary Fellow and one of the world's leading climate researchers, is another expert arguing that we need to argue less, and act urgently to avoid increasingly severe climate change. His recent book aims to help decision...

Remedial vision.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... In A Big Fix a clear initative, pre-eminent scientist and environmentalist, Professor Ian Lowe diagnoses a current environmental crisis in Australia, the causes behind it, and what we can do to remedy it. It also offers a comprehensive vision...

Plants are in control.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Do you like a radical view? Here's one: lateral thinking ecologist Tom White presents a challenging notion of how plant life keeps animal population explosions in check. 'In Why Does the World Stay Green? I explain that animals are not...

Cooperation nets the benefits of bycatch reduction.(Research)
October 1, 2005... Prawn fishers and scientists have spent the last 10 years investigating the best way to reduce the wasteful bycatch of undersize prawns and important non-target fish species, such as juvenile bream, luderick and snapper, during commercial prawn...

Smarter chook shed design powers efficiencies.(Research)
October 1, 2005... With some simple assessments, any industry can make common sense changes to standard practices to significantly improve its environmental footprint--and probably the bottom line. The chicken growing industry is a great case in point. When...

A red mud remedy.(Research)
October 1, 2005... Following years of diligent research, scientists at Alcoa Western Australia have developed an effective way to deal with 'red mud', an undesirable bauxite residue generated in large quantities by alumina refineries. For every tonne of...

Events calendar.(Calendar)
October 1, 2005... Australasian Wildlife Management Society: 18th Annual Conference Hobart, 21-25 November. www.awms.org.nz/files/awmsconf2005.pdf Business of Energy Efficiency Conference 2005 Melbourne, 22-23 November. ...