Habitat Australia articles from December 2003

Habitat Australia archives from December 2003

Dam fine people.(green Views)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... Reading Suzie Brown's article on the reunion to mark 20 years since the High Court decision that stopped the damming of the Franklin and Lower Gordon rivers prompted me to recall the splendid ACF people involved in that battle. Ross Scott...

Toxic bottle hoax.(green Views)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... I have just received an email regarding the potential chemical threats of re-using PET plastic bottles. The email, which I believe has been doing the rounds, states that users might be being exposed to toxic chemicals like diethyl hydroxyl...

Environmentalist or phoney?(green Views)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... I have been reading with interest the newspaper opinion column debate on Bjorn Lomborg. Can you tell if his arguments have any merit? Philip Martin, Via email Danish statistician, Bjorn Lomborg visited Australian cities in early...

Outta control climate control.(green Views)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... Congratulations on the Clean Energy supplement in the last edition of Habitat and on the Green Electricity Watch scorecard. They contain very practical information that I'm sure will assist many in taking action and making some environmentally...

Radioactive reality check.(green Views)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... A recent Senate Inquiry into the Australian uranium industry has found a real risk of "serious or irreversible damage" because it is failing to meet key standards. Democrat Senator Lyn Allison, who chaired the Inquiry, said the Inquiry found...

Member milestones.(green Views)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... ACF would like to warmly congratulate and thank the following loyal people from around Australia who in the months of October and November 2003, reached the milestones of 25 and 30 years of continuous membership. 30 years Ms M...

Meet your council.(green Views)(Australian Conservation Foundation)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... In September, elections were held for the Australian Conservation Foundation Council. The results are as follows. *Current Councillors NSW Ross Tzannes* Phil McManus* Colleen Watts* Penny Figgis* John Sinclair QLD Lyn...

A word from the executive director.(green Views)
December 1, 2003... Right now, Australian leaders are facing the need for some clear decisions over the environment. The Murray River is a national treasure that we need to protect not only for the web of life it supports but for tourism, fishing and healthy...

60L receives Premier's Green Award!(campaign Trails)(Australian Conservation Foundations' Green Building)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The 60L Green Building, home to ACF, has received a major Victorian award for Business Sustainability. In presenting the Premier's Business Sustainability Award 2003, Premier Steve Bracks paid tribute to both the outstanding technical...

Land clearing in Queensland: land clearing campaign.(campaign Trails)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... In May 2003, the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments announced a joint proposal to protect all threatened ecosystems in rural areas of Queensland and to phase out the broadscale clearing of previously uncleared bushland by 2006. ...

Leaked Murray river report: rivers campaign.(campaign Trails)
December 1, 2003... A group of top scientists have confirmed that the Murray River is desperately in need of an extra 1,500 gigalitres of water per year, to make any changes to the current deterioration. The Murray Darling Basin Commission's (MDBC) Scientific...

International financial institutions campaign: Asia Pacific campaign.(campaign Trails)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... ACF will be embarking on a campaign in conjunction with PNG Centre for Environmental Law and Community Rights (CELCOR). This will be to monitor and campaign for greater transparency, and better social and environmental outcomes of projects...

Environment groups respond: charities bill.(campaign Trails)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... ACF has coordinated a submission by 14 Australian environmental charities to an inquiry into the Federal Government's proposed Charities Bill 2003. The submission welcomed the positive aspects of the draft Bill but also addressed the serious...

National wildlife conference.(campaign Trails)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... In July the first ever Coming Together conference was held at Victoria University. The conference brought together several hundred local and overseas delegates and speakers, who discussed standards of wildlife rehabilitation, advancements in...

Marchers on the move! International Peace Pilgrimage.(campaign Trails)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... It's been almost 60 years since the world witnessed the destructive force of the atomic bombs droppedon Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Yet weapons stockpiles continue to grow, nuclear waste dumps are overflowing, mines are still scarring the...

Apologies.(campaign Trails)(Correction Notice)
December 1, 2003... During the recent ACF Council election an incorrect Candidate's Statement for David Haigh was distributed to Queensland members. The statement, which declared that David Haigh was the President of the North Queensland Conservation Council, was...

Free-trading away our independence: Free Trade Agreement.(campaign Trails)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The Australian Government is rushing to finalise a free trade agreement with the United States without fully investigating the environmental, social and economic impacts to Australia. "The US Free Trade Agreement will provide unprecedented...

Peter Garett returns to the western desert.
December 1, 2003... It has been over a decade since Midnight Oil travelled through the western desert region of Australia for their 'Black Fella--White Fella' tour of 1986. Peter Garrett retraced those steps recently and was struck again by the beauty of this area...

DIY green office programs.(do it yourself)
December 1, 2003... In offices around the country a quiet revolution is taking place. The players may be low in profile but they are making big strides in the environmental sustainability of Australian business. In companies big and small, employees and building...

A challenging climate, but a climate of opportunities!
December 1, 2003... The world's scientific community is warning of more frequent and more intense extreme weather events because of global warming, and in Australia that means more savage bushfires, explains David Suzuki. 2003 has been a fiery year. In...

Protesting is good for your health!
December 1, 2003... As well as potentially changing the world, participating in protest marches and public demonstrations can actually be just what the doctor ordered. THAT'S THE FINDING of a study recently conducted by psychologists at the University of...

Murray River mistakes repeated in the northern territory.(allocation of water resources)
December 1, 2003... At the same time as southern Australia struggles to rescue the Murray and other rivers by clawing back over-allocated water resources for environmental flows, the NT Government is set to implement a scheme that will see all the mistakes made...

The perfect storm hits America.(American environmental movement)
December 1, 2003... ACF Campaigns Director John Connor recently visited the United States and as well as surviving Hurricane Isabel, came face to face with the challenges confronting environmentalists in America. THE AMERICAN environmental movement is caught...

How green is my office paper?
December 1, 2003... One of the simplest and most accessible choices we can make to do our bit for the environment is to buy forest-friendly office paper. BUT AS ANY PURCHASING OFFICER who has tried to source an environmentally-friendly Australian paper will...

World Parks Congress: benefits beyond boundaries.
December 1, 2003... Environmental sustainability wasn't the Only item up for discussion at the 5th IUCN World Parks Congress. Protected Areas Experts also examined the environment in relation to poverty and the changing social and political climate of the world....

North of Capricorn--the Untold Story of Australia's North.(Ideas in Print)(Book Review)
December 1, 2003... Henry Reynolds Allen & Unwin RRP: $49.95 North of Capricorn is the story of towns from Mackay to Broome, north of the Tropic of Capricorn, that in the early nineteenth century were thriving, vibrant, multi-racial societies. Unlike many...

The Future of Life.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 1, 2003... Edward O Wilson Abacus RRP: $24.95 A big thought from a big thinker: for $US30 billion (one-thousandth of the world's combined gross domestic products) all of earth's greatest natural areas can be saved forever. If this seems a high...

Habitat Garden: attracting wildlife to your garden.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 1, 2003... Peter Grant ABC Books RRP: $27.95 This highly practical book is brimming with ideas and advice on how to pursue its worthy aim to try and win back some space in our backyards for the disappearing Australians, our local native plants and...

Switch to greener energy!(consuming Choices)
December 1, 2003... Australia's biggest source of greenhouse pollution is electricity production. The good news is that you can help reduce pollution and support renewable industries in Australia by signing on to cleaner, greener electricity for your home. ...

Gretchen's own backyard.(ACF Member Profile ... for Gretchen Ciapura, environmental protection begins locally)
December 1, 2003... Gretchen Ciapura is a winner of a Future Leaders Environment Award, a pioneer of the student-led Environmental Challenge, coordinator for a Habitat Brisbane Bushcare Group - and still at high school. THE BIG QUESTION hanging over the...