Ecos articles from October 2007

Ecos archives from October 2007

Micro power makes sense.(Editorial)
October 1, 2007... 'Mega' solutions are not necessarily the best approach to large-scale environmental problems. In fact, as our story on page 4 demonstrates, the solution to one of South-East Asia's, and the world's, biggest vehicle pollution problems--the...

Engine retrofit kit helps Filipinos breathe easier.(Envirofit)
October 1, 2007... Retrofitting the engines of smoke-belching Philippine motorcycle taxis to reduce pollution could cut their fuel use more than 30 per cent and emissions by 90 per cent according to non-profit US company Envirofit. The two-stroke engines in...

Race to protect WA's last tuarts from extinction.(Western Australia)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Western Australia is the only place in the world where native tuart trees (Eucalyptus gomphocephala) grow, but an unknown cause is killing them. Researchers warn that, within a single generation, the core population...

'Weird' secret life of reefs revealed.(symbiodinium)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... The genetic library of the microscopic algae that feed corals the world over is revealing important dues to improve our understanding of coral bleaching and, ultimately, climate change. Symbiodinium algae grow within coral tissue and use...

Grey water recycling without buckets.(Perpetual Water)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... A Canberra company has developed a domestic grey water recycling unit that can recycle 660 litres of water a day, reducing the amount of water purchased by a typical household by 50-60 per cent. Perpetual Water has supplied 130 units for...

Oz 'carbon aid' for Asia-Pacific forestry.(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Australian scientists are training foresters in Asia-Pacific countries to measure carbon storage in trees, enabling these nations to gauge their contribution to achieving carbon targets and to participate in carbon trading markets. Leaders...

Weaning native birds from 'strange fruit' habit.(weeds)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Australia's Weeds CRC has developed a web-based tool to help gardeners and land managers choose native plants to replace weeds with fleshy fruit, such as camphor laurel and lantana, which have become an accessible food source for native birds....

Investment opportunity for bush tomato entrepreneurs.
October 1, 2007... The Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) is calling for private investors to partner with remote Aboriginal communities in an innovative business development. CRC Managing Director Jan Ferguson cites Titjikala, a remote...

Guidelines for groundwater health.(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... A University of Technology Sydney scientist is developing guidelines for assessing the health of groundwater ecosystems. Dr Grant Hose says that current water quality guidelines do not take into account the chemical and fuel spills and seepage...

Engineers Without Borders making a difference.(Organization overview)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... In 2002, a group of young Melbourne engineers--interested in doing volunteer work for disadvantaged communities, but finding no ready outlet for using their vocational skills--got together to form Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Australia. ...

Australian banks shine in sustainability listing.(2007 Dow Jones Sustainability Index)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... The 2007 Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) ratings announced recently in Zurich, Switzerland, included three Australian banks among the 25 banks globally that qualified for inclusion in the DJSI. Westpac and ANZ both received the top...

Thinner, clearer, cheaper solar panels.(NanoMarkets)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Critics of photovoltaic (PV) technology have pointed to its high cost relative to other renewable energy technologies. However, US company NanoMarkets has forecast a 75 per cent decrease in cost over the next decade...

Recycled content still low in tissue paper products.(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Australians blow and wipe their way through over 195 000 tonnes of tissue and toilet paper a year, but only 3.1% of this is made from recycled paper, according to figures from the Australian Plantation Products and Paper Industry Council (A3P)....

Low-level ozone, plants and global warming.(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... In a letter to the journal Nature in August, four UK scientists warned that an increase in near-surface ozone concentration from industrial sources is likely to markedly reduce plant productivity. Plants and soil slow down global warming by...

Beyond the price tag: the costs and benefits of going green: today it's not enough for manufacturers to make the cheapest or best-quality on the market if the product, or its production, use and disposal leave a big environmental footprint. Product stewardship requires key stakeholders to share responsibility for product impacts--an idea that's slowly catching on in Australia.(FOCUS: PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When Anthony Halas, the Australian owner of the Seafolly brand of swimwear, caught a plane to visit his clothing factory in China last year, he experienced something of an epiphany. His awakening came in-flight after...

The many dimensions of sustainable development: these days, everyone seems to be talking about sustainability. But are we all on the same wavelength when we use the term? Steve Hatfield Dodds--senior CSIRO researcher and President of the Australia New Zealand Society for Ecological Economics--begins a series examining the meaning behind this often-invoked word.(DEFINITION OF SUSTAINABILITY)
October 1, 2007... Sustainable development is one of the most important ideas, and goals, of our time. It is defined as 'development which meets the needs and aspirations of the current generation without impairing the ability of future generations to meet...

The solar generation sets sail.(International Solar Boat Challenge)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Over recent months, teams of school students throughout the eastern states have been designing and building their entries to compete in the second International Solar Boat Challenge, reports Robin Taylor. In...

Local weather station for 'slip slop slap' alert.(Caulfield Junior College monitors weather including ultraviolet radiation levels)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... This spring and summer, a flag at Caulfield Junior College, in Melbourne, Victoria, will be raised every time the UV index is high. Students from the college are monitoring UV levels at their school as part of the 'UV and me' project, which...

No time to lose.(Progress)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In his latest book, On Borrowed Time, leading Australian ecologist Professor David Lindenmayer writes that biodiversity loss is 'the most significant environmental problem facing Australia'. In fact, he continues, we...

From little things, big things grow: Jane Goodall's visionary program for empowering young people to get involved in making their community and their environment a better place for all has taken root in Australia.(Roots & Shoots)
October 1, 2007... In the bigger scheme of things, Sandy the bearded dragon at first looks very small. But to the students at Marree Aboriginal School, Sandy is their link to a global movement aimed at young people, called Roots & Shoots. The Roots & Shoots...

Energy superpower--or sustainable energy leader? Australia has the potential to become an energy leader in the carbon-constrained future--but first we need to make sure we are heading in the right direction.(Focus: OUR ENERGY FUTURE)(Cover story)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Australian Prime Minister John Howard last year coined the phrase 'energy superpower' when he identified the further development and export of energy resources as an ambition to which Australia should aspire. In...

ANZANG 2007 winners captured in print.
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Short-listed and winning entries from the 2007 ANZANG (Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea) Nature photography competition--the most prestigious of its kind in the Australasian region--have been brought...

10 years and 800 000 volunteers down the track ... as the Natural Heritage Trust celebrates its 10th birthday and moves to its third phase, Sophie Clayton examines its evolution, achievements and lessons learned along the way--including the important legacy of community capacity building.(Progress)(Organization overview)
October 1, 2007... It's been credited with improving more than 2 million hectares of native bushland, mobilising 800 000 volunteers, and directing government funds into more than 27 000 regional and local natural resource management projects around the country....

Keeping birds off the radar.(Research)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] They've been blasted with noise, even shot at, but birds--common and endangered--seem to gravitate to airports, creating a flight hazard. New Zealand authorities are looking at two low-impact solutions to the...

Heart of gold: waiting around for someone else to do something about the reduction of greenhouse gases is not in the agenda for this highly motivated community group in central Victoria.(Progress)(Castlemaine the heart of Mt. Alexander Shire)(City overview)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the 1850s, a stampede of 25 000 gold-diggers rushed to Castlemaine in central Victoria when word got around that it was in the middle of the richest shallow alluvial goldfield the world had ever seen. You...

Making sure your home is not an energy sink 2: the second part of a series in which electrical engineer Peter Seligman reveals the hidden patterns of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions around the home. In this issue, domestic hot water goes under the microscope.
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the first part, I mentioned how some appliances use a considerable amount of energy when not in use. For example, my son recently installed a 5-star split-system air-conditioner. It draws 10 watts on standby. ...

The formidable challenge of managing our water.(Managing Water for Australia: The Social and Institutional Challenges)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Managing Water for Australia The Social and Institutional Challenges Karen Hussey and Stephen Dovers CSIRO PUBLISHING 2007, Paperback ISBN: 9780643093928--AU$49.95 Available from CSIRO Publishing: www.publish.csiro.au Local call: 1300 788 000...

Taking a stand on deep-sea conservation.(The Silent Deep: The Discovery, Ecology and Conservation of the Deep Sea)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... The Silent Deep The Discovery, Ecology and Conservation of the Deep Sea Tony Koslow UNSW Press 2007, Hardback ISBN: 9780868404158--AU$49.95 If you're looking for a cause, now is the time to stand up for the deep ocean. This cold and dark...

DIY billabongs to protect farm biodiversity.(Research)(Birchip Cropping Group)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Thanks to an innovative community organisation known as the Birchip Cropping Group, farmers in Victoria's north-west Wimmera Mallee region are being encouraged to establish low-cost wildlife ponds on their farms, to...

Events calendar.(Calendar)
October 1, 2007... Save Water Save Energy Expo Melbourne, 19-21 October www.savewatersaveenergyexpo.com.au National Water Week 21-27 October www.savewater.com.au/index.php?sectionid=595 Awareness to Action: Sustainable Finance for...