Habitat Australia articles from August 2005

Habitat Australia archives from August 2005

Man from Snowy River isn't dead.(green VIEWS)(Alpine National Park)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... Thankfully the Bracks government has finally moved to ban cattle grazing in the Alpine National Park in Victoria. It's about time our sensitive, unique alpine environment was protected from the ravages caused by cattle. Critics who complain...

Mountain cattlemen keep out the hoons and stop fires.(green VIEWS)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... I believe that more damage to alpine areas is caused by hoons on trailbikes than by mountain cattlemen. These people have no sense of responsibility--they drop their rubbish, tear up the path causing erosion and damage, and they have no...

ACF-Central Coast help Bushcare group on World Environment Day.(green VIEWS)(Australian Conservation Foundation)(Bulbararing Reserve Bushcare Group)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Prior to their monthly meeting some members of the ACF Central Coast Branch helped the Bulbararing Reserve Bushcare Group at Avoca Beach do some bush regeneration in the Bulbararing Reserve. The reserve is located in a gully which makes its way...

Want to make an impression?(green VIEWS)(t-shirts and bags)(Buyers Guide)
August 1, 2005... You can look good and educate people about the enviroment by buying our t-shirts and bags. The artistic design encourages people to think about reducing their ecological footprint, it depicts the old energy providers such as electricity...

Draft ACF policy statement.(green VIEWS)(Australian Conservation Foundation)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... As part of its policy review, ACF Council approved a draft policy statement on Energy at its May 2005 meeting and seeks comments from members and other interested parties. The document is available on ACF's website website:...

ACF +10--a ten year strategy for the ACF.(green VIEWS)(Australian Conservation Foundation)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... ACF's Vision Statement outlines our broad objectives. It outlines that ACF is committed to: * Working towards an ecologically sustainable society * Stimulating public discussion of ideas and actions for the environment *...

Professor Ian Lowe--shaping a sustainable future--in Canberra.(green VIEWS)(Calendar)
August 1, 2005... Shaping a Sustainable Future will be the subject of ACF president Ian Lowe's address to a National Institute of Environment forum at the ANU. ACF members are welcome to this free public event, which on his recent performances will be erudite,...

A chance to meet Ian Lowe.(green VIEWS)(Australian Conservation Foundation function)(Calendar)
August 1, 2005... ACF members are also invited to join Ian and other ACF members in Canberra for an informal gathering over a drink and nibbles. It's an opportunity to meet Ian and hear more on how he sees ACF is and can continue to help shape a more sustainable...

A word from the President.(green VIEWS)(Editorial)
August 1, 2005... I have now met groups of members and supporters in most capital cities. It has been a wonderful experience. I have been energised by the commitment of these people and informed by their wisdom. At every meeting, discussion turned to the...

Two forest wins worth celebrating.(campaign TRAILS)(Great Otway National Park)(Brigalow Belt Western Woodlands)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The Victorian Government has announced the creation of a new National Park that will take in former state forest from Anglesea to Cape Otway. The 100,000 hectare Great Otway National Park will be nine times bigger than the existing Otway...

Action for a sustainable Sydney!(campaign TRAILS)(Sydney Metropolitan Strategy stalls)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The Sydney Metropolitan Strategy appears to be languishing in Government indecision. While planning laws that serve the interests of developers are quickly passed, the Government has not made a commitment to sustainability targets in a legally...

And the 2005 Peter Rawlinson Award goes to ...(campaign TRAILS)(Conservation Award)(Brief Article)(Biography)
August 1, 2005... ACF is delighted to announce that the winner of the 2005 Peter Rawlinson Conservation Award is Louise Morris. Louise has spent a decade campaigning tirelessly for forest protection. Originally from north west Western Australia, Louise...

Christians fight climate change with ACF.(campaign TRAILS)(Australian Conservation Foundation)(National Council of Churches)(Changing Climate, Changing Creation brochure)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Increasingly, Australia's Christians are finding that ecological causes matter to them. The Catholic Bishops of Queensland stated recently that "care for the environment and a keener ecological awareness have become key moral issues for the...

From the ACF/Rehame newsroom.(campaign TRAILS)(Australian Conservation Foundation)(Alpine National Park cattle licence cancellations)
August 1, 2005... ACF used Rehame's media intelligence and monitoring service to keep in touch with all the media surrounding the cancellation of licences for cattle grazing in the Alpine National Park. When the Victorian Government announced that it would...

It's all a balancing act: you might not be thinking about this as you drink it, but when you buy a glass of orange juice at the local cafe you are having an effect on the environment, society and on the economy.(Balancing Act)(report quantifying an industry's impact across ten social, environmental and financial criteria)
August 1, 2005... Of course you are directly contributing to the income of the cafe and the employment of the person that served you. But further down the supply chain you are supporting jobs and income in the delivery businesses who transport the oranges, and...

Hasta la vista, greenhouse gas!(climate CORNER)(Governor Schwarzenegger)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The fight against climate change has found a surprising ally in former action hero and now Governor of the US state of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Governor Schwarzenegger plans to say "hasta la vista, baby" to California's greenhouse gas...

Cool and green with over the top price tag.(climate CORNER)(Conergy solar powered air conditioning system)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Well done, your house is heated by solar energy--but how is it cooled? It's been 25 years in the making, but at last German solar energy market leader, Conergy, has managed to create a solar powered air conditioning system, that they say could...

Thinktank thinks nuclear tanks.(climate CORNER)(New Economics Foundation)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The New Economics Foundation, a progressive UK thinktank, has officially given the thumbs up to renewable energy and a big thumbs down to the nuclear alternative. In a report released in June this year, the New Economics Foundation...

Whale meat and greet.(Australian Japanese relations and whaling practices)(whale burgers)(Cover Story)
August 1, 2005... Whale meat The Japanese schoolgirl wraps her mouth around the burger--a whale meat patty in a sesame seed bun--the camera clicks and another image is processed for the Japanese whaling industry's global charm offensive. Lucky Pierrot,...

It's a park not a cow paddock! After 150 years, cattle grazing has finally been moved out of Victoria's Alpine National Park. As Corey Watts explains, it's been a long time coming, but now the way is clear for the Australian Alps to become a World Heritage Area.
August 1, 2005... If you've ever stood in the deep quiet of the high country at twilight and looked out over the changing colours of a land swathed in wildflowers, you'll understand why it's so important to set some places aside for real protection. On New...

Northern Australia Program: people, culture, and nature.
August 1, 2005... ACF's Northern Australia Program (NAP) is making real progress in its goals to protect northern Australia's natural and cultural heritage values. Since joining ACF in January, the Northern Australia Program's newest staff member Justin McCaul...

Affluenza: is there a cure? Which contagious disease shows symptoms including excessive debt, overwork and skyrocketing stress levels? It's affluenza--the disease of wealthy nations gripped by attachment to money and material possessions.(Affluenza)(book)(consumerism as a disease)(Book Review)
August 1, 2005... Which contagious disease shows symptoms including excessive debt, overwork and skyrocketing stress levels? It's affluenza--the disease of wealthy nations gripped by attachment to money and material possessions. First coined by author John...

If nuclear power is the answer, it must have been a pretty stupid question: nuclear power is expensive, slow and dangerous, and it won't stop climate change.
August 1, 2005... The debate about nuclear energy is welcome recognition of the urgent need to respond to climate change. But the nuclear option is not a wise response. It is too costly, too dangerous, too slow and makes too little impact on greenhouse...

Forest package entrenches destructive practices: after the backslapping, the analysis. And the news is not all good.(The Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement)
August 1, 2005... THE TASMANIAN COMMUNITY Forest Agreement, announced by the Prime Minister and the Tasmanian Premier under the tall trees in the Styx Valley, ends neither the logging of old growth forests nor the ongoing conflict over the practice. The...

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.(Ideas in Print)(book)(Book Review)
August 1, 2005... Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed Jared Diamond Allen Lane RRP: $32.95 Environmental determinism--the idea that societies are primarily reactive to their environment, with environment determining culture--has gained an ugly...

Down the Hopkins.(Ideas in Print)(book)(Book Review)
August 1, 2005... Down the Hopkins Bob McKenzie RRP: $35 ($5 to ACF) Available from Dindy Vaughan PO Box 668 Ringwood 3134 There are those who dream about doing something and there are those who get out and do it. Bob McKenzie was 74 in the spring of 2000...

Sustainability has natural advantages: if you've ever read Jared Diamond's Collapse or Clive Hamilton's Growth Fetish, you may have wondered just what you can do to address the issue of sustainability. The Natural Advantage of Nations has the answers, showing how people from all walks of life across the world can find sustainable solutions in the workplace.(The Natural Advantage of Nations)(book)(Book Review)
August 1, 2005... The Natural Advantage of Nations, edited by Karlson 'Charlie' Hargroves and Michael H Smith, has been called the successor to the groundbreaking Natural Capitalism by Amory Lovins. Natural Capitalism suggested that the next wave of innovation...

Penny Figgis, an environmental treasure.(ACF MEMBER PROFILE)(Australian Conservation Foundation)(Biography)
August 1, 2005... It was with much sadness that earlier this year, long-serving ACF Vice President and Councillor, Penny Figgis, stepped down from the organisation she had been involved in for over two decades to pursue her career in standing up for the...

Make your super choice a green choice: you've switched to green power, installed the water-saving showerhead, and stopped eating beef six times a week. Now it's time to take the next step: switch your superannuation to a socially responsible investment (SRI) fund.(consuming CHOICES)
August 1, 2005... From 1 July 2005, many Australians are for the first time able to choose how and where their superannuation savings are invested. For eligible employees, this means better control not only over their financial future, but also over the social...