Habitat Australia articles from April 2004

Habitat Australia archives from April 2004

Choking response.(green views)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... After my initial response of shock and overwhelming sadness I wondered why images such as this (I refer to your photo of the pelican with beak tied shut by plastic bag, Habitat, October 2004) are only shown in Habitat magazine, which is read by...

Of wind and wildlife.(green views)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... I have always been a strong advocate of all types of alternative energy, however I would like some information on the numbers and species of birds that are being decimated by the propellers of the turbines producing this energy. Sure, we have...

For the love of Cod.(green views)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... To: The Hon. Dr David Kemp, Minister for Environment and Heritage Dear Dr Kemp, In the summer of 1950 I caught my first Murray Cod, a 3.5 pounder, on a bamboo rod. Of course I thought it was Christmas. I have very vivid memories of the...

US energy bill.(green views)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... I have really enjoyed being a member of ACF for about five of six years. I now live in the USA and am naturally appalled at the US's very poor attitude to the environment both at a governmental level and a community level. I have a...

Composting toilets.(green views)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... The October Habitat contains a short article by Professor Keith Walker, University of Adelaide, in which he asks the readers how they would cope if their water allocation were halved. We in Adelaide are familiar with many ways of saving water,...

Ningaloo needs some services.(green views)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... Re "How the reef was won", sorry but the Ningaloo Reef has not been saved, only the development at Mauds Landing has been halted--it may only be temporary. Thousands of people every year converge on nearby Coral Bay putting pressure on the...

Dombrovskis's rock of ages.(green views)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... Peter Dombrovskis's wonderful photo of Rock Island Bend on the August 2003 Habitat cover also brought back memories of an important step in my conversion to greenness. I was nine years old, accompanying my father to the local primary school in...

Biodegradable plastics.(green views)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... Regarding the article in Habitat of February 2004, I don't believe that the willy nilly introduction of biodegradable plastic into the product stream would be environmentally beneficial--on the contrary. With current waste management systems,...

Member Milestones.(green views)(Australian Conservation Foundation)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... Member Milestones will no longer be apprearing in each issue of Habitat. Instead, the loyalty and support of long-term members will be recognised in a way that better reflects the gratitude of ACF and the outstanding contribution these...

A word from the executive director.(environment movement and political action)
April 1, 2004... For those who have been involved with the environment movement for some time you might have noticed a rather interesting trend recently. On big national environment issues, the '70s and '80s were a time when one often had to convince the...

ACF Sydney Branch meetings.(green views)(Australian Conservation Foundation)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... The Sydney Branch meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 6pm. We plan local campaigns, community events, conduct field trips and hear guest speakers. Our next guest speaker is Monica Richter, ACF Campaign Coordinator for Greenhouse...

ALP agrees not to dump in SA.(Anti Nuclear Campaign)(Australian Labor Party)(South Australia)
April 1, 2004... ACF representatives joined with Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and other groups at the ALP National Conference in Sydney in late January to highlight the importance of nuclear issues and policies in this federal election year. The...

Commercial buildings a prime culprit in greenhouse pollution.(campaign trails)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Greenhouse gas pollution from commercial buildings in Australia is set to double by 2010. This threatens our wildlife and fragile ecosystems, and creates volatile climate chaos. Help ACF's work towards reducing the wasteful energy consumption...

Radioactive dump hits international bump.(campaign trails)(Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The federal government's push to impose a national radioactive waste dump in South Australia has been criticised in a recent report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The report is especially damning as the IAEA is a pro-nuclear...

Round-up of Tas forest regions due for logging.(Forest Campaign)(Tasmania)
April 1, 2004... The fate of over a third of a million hectares of Tasmania's remaining ancient old growth and high conservation value forests remains in the balance. Outrage to the ongoing destruction is growing across Australia and spreading internationally....

Our energy usage needs to be reduced.(Climate Change Campaign)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... One of the main ways we can reduce our energy consumption is through demand management options. Demand management is about making energy usage more efficient. It includes energy efficiency options (for example, installing solar hot water,...

Queensland: beautiful one day ... and brimming with promise the next. Habitat gleefully reports on the outstanding environmental pledges made by Queensland's reinstated Premier.(Peter Beattie)
April 1, 2004... ONE OF THE MOST significant environmental decisions in Queensland's history--that was how ACF and other environment groups greeted Queensland Premier Peter Beattie's commitment to end large scale land clearing in that state. And that was...

A fine-grain future: the spectacular 100-metre high, shifting dunes of Shelburne Bay have been a source of pride and belonging but also contest for the area's traditional owners, the Wuthathi people. After successfully fending off the miners, they have now pioneered an unusual framework for governing their land and future.
April 1, 2004... When we go along the shore it's like very quiet but after that language been talk. Oh you see everything--fish, shark, stingray. It's like they give room, you know, and they happy to see we come. Crocodile on top of beach, sun bathing, he dry...

Landscapes of the deep: enter the South-east Marine Region; a vast but concealed part of Australia, a place unlike any other and teeming with wonderful and bizarre creatures barely known to us.
April 1, 2004... Australia might be known as a sunburnt country full of sweeping plains and ragged mountain ranges, but in fact, it is more water than land. This, the largest island on the planet, also has the biggest area of ocean--16 million surrounding...

Rough guide to the Free Trade Agreement: confusion surrounds the net effects of the recent US-Australia Free Trade Agreement so we've broken it down into the good, the bad and the downright ugly.
April 1, 2004... NOW THAT THE CURTAIN has finally fallen on negotiations for the high profile trade agreement between Australia and the United States, it is time to take stock of what it all means for the natural environment--the original source of all goods...

Sustainability street: it's the Year of the Built Environment, and we're working towards Five Star Green cities.
April 1, 2004... IMAGINE IF THE SOLAR PANELS on our roof at home supplied energy to our computers at work and school. Imagine coming home to a house that didn't need heating and cooling because it was already a comfortable temperature due to the home...

Federal election form guide: Part 2: Mark Latham has set the scene for a strong contest on environmental issues in this federal election year.
April 1, 2004... "Australia is a big enough country to protect the environment and ratify the Kyoto Protocol, a big enough country to protect our great natural assets--to save the Murray Darling and the Great Barrier Reef." So said Mark Latham at the ALP...

ACF government funding cut, membership fees increase: in light of the latest round of government funding cuts to ACF, the support of our loyal and committed members is increasingly critical to the strength of the organisation.(Australian Conservation Foundation)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT has cut by 50 per cent its 2003/04 funding to ACF under the Grants to Voluntary Environment and Heritage Organisations (GVEHO). This is the latest in a series of cuts to the program, which in 1995/96 contributed almost...

Biting the dust, saving the earth: ever thought about continuing your green principles beyond life?
April 1, 2004... IT'S EASY TO MAKE GREEN CHOICES when you go shopping. You take your own carry bag, you avoid excessive packaging and products that are full of chemicals. If you do end up with plastic or aluminium packaging, you recycle it. You certainly don't...

Fact or Fission?--The Truth About Australia's Nuclear Ambitions.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
April 1, 2004... Fact or Fission?--The Truth About Australia's Nuclear Ambitions Richard Broinowski Scribe Publications RRP: $35.00 From its beginning the Australian nuclear industry has been highly secretive. Remote mining operations were a long way from...

Thylacine--The Tragic Tale of The Tasmanian Tiger.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
April 1, 2004... Thylacine--The Tragic Tale of The Tasmanian Tiger David Owen Allen & Unwin RRP: $29.95 The thylacine's extinction ensured its mythical status--a high price for fame. From early appearances in rock art in the Kimberley and Arnhem Land some...

Ecologic--Creating a Sustainable Future.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
April 1, 2004... Ecologic--Creating a Sustainable Future Sandra McEwen Powerhouse Publishing RRP $35.95 These days sustainability is something of a buzzword, so it's not surprising the Powerhouse Museum tapped into this mood with its permanent exhibition...

'Green calculator' counts cost of building designs: new Australian software takes the guesswork out of assessing the environmental impacts of a planned building.(Goods & Gizmos)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY has a huge effect on the environment, but architects often have very little idea of the environmental and health impacts of the materials they use for their designs. A 'green calculator' software package aims to change...

Wildlife mega Watts: there's no spare room at the Watts house, except of course if you're an injured ringtail or joey.(ACF Member Profile)(Rita and Norval Watts)
April 1, 2004... WHEN ACF CAMPAIGNER Corey Watts returns to Western Australia to visit his parents, he doesn't expect to find his childhood bedroom waiting. He is well aware that when he moved out, 20 others moved in. Corey's parents have turned what was once a...

ACF Council 2003-2006: representing members and guiding the organisation.(Australian Conservation Foundation)
April 1, 2004... As is to be expected in a membership organisation, ACF's elected Council has the critical role of determining policies, plans and program and in providing oversight of the Foundation's wellbeing. It follows from this that the more interest...