Habitat Australia articles from October 2008

Habitat Australia archives from October 2008

Editor's letter.(Editorial)
October 1, 2008... Dear ACF Supporter As an environmental organisation, ACF believe it is most important that our work be carried out with minimal impact on the environment. One area that has the potential to use a large amount of paper, water and...

Sustainable Australia campaign.(DISPATCHES FROM THE FIELD: ACF CAMPAIGN UPDATES)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... There are significant opportunities to influence government thinking on our sustainable cities agenda, through bodies such as Infrastructure Australia and the Major Cities Unit. Our hope is that by incorporating environmental criteria (in...

Care for country campaign.(DISPATCHES FROM THE FIELD: ACF CAMPAIGN UPDATES)(McIlwraith Range)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... On 6 August in the town of Coen in central Cape York Peninsula, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh formally signed an agreement with four Traditional Owner groups for the protection and management of the spectacular McIlwraith Range area. ACF...

Climate change campaign.(DISPATCHES FROM THE FIELD: ACF CAMPAIGN UPDATES)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... The next six months represents a major milestone in the campaign to prevent dangerous climate change. On 30 September the Garnaut Review on Climate Change released its final report, with recommendations for the Federal Government. Billed as the...

Healthy ecosystems campaign.(DISPATCHES FROM THE FIELD: ACF CAMPAIGN UPDATES)
October 1, 2008... The healthy rivers campaign has been setting the national agenda on the crisis facing the Murray-Darling Basin. Our work in June detailing different options that should be considered by governments to save the Coorong and Lakes Albert and...

Australian forests on a climate change knife-edge: whilst our precious forests and their inhabitants are under increasing threat of climate change, new research reveals that protecting our forests could actually be part of the climate change solution.
October 1, 2008... Forests in the age of climate change: thirsty and hungry... Although many tree species have, in the past, adapted to changes in climate, the rapidly increasing rate of climate change has seen the adaptive capacity of individual species...

Protecting tropical rainforests in Papua New Guinea: as the world wakes up to the importance of forests in the global climate change effort, ACF is supporting local communities protecting tropical rainforests in Papua New Guinea, Australia's nearest neighbour.(Australian Conservation Foundation)
October 1, 2008... THE PRIME MINISTERS OF AUSTRALIA and Papua New Guinea recently signed a 'carbon and forests partnership'. But the people of the Gildipasi area in PNG's Madang province aren't waiting for bureaucrats in Canberra and Port Moresby to work out the...

Sustainability: a tale of two cities: when she moved to London from Melbourne four years ago, Julie Taylor Mills was presented with two very different concepts of sustainability.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] THE INITIALLY STRIKING OBSERVATION was the sophistication of the average Brit's understanding of climate change. Four years ago, discussing climate change in Australia was like discussing politics--a no-go zone...

Next US president: environmental leader, or business-as-usual? In the lead-up to the US Presidential elections, Habitat examines the climate credentials of both major candidates' policies.
October 1, 2008... The Democrat In the early stages of his own race to the White House, Democrat Barack Obama raised sceptical eyebrows among the environmentally-aware but as time has passed, his position on climate issues has reassured many. His climate and...

Northern Australia revealed: special Habitat feature.(Special lift-out feature)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Northern Australia: globally significant Northern Australia is the top quarter of the Australian mainland. Roughly speaking it starts just north of Townsville in Queensland on the east coast, and stretches across...

Take a glimpse into our fuel future: how can Australia ready itself for the twin realities of climate change and increasingly scarce and expensive oil?
October 1, 2008... EIGHT DOLLARS A LITRE FOR FUEL--that's the future predicted in the CSIRO report Fuel for Thought if we don't prepare for the reality of dwindling oil supplies. And Australia is particularly vulnerable. First, we are extremely car...

Sustainable consumption: myth or reality? The concept of sustainable consumption appears to be challenging, fraught with contradiction, and surely not something an economist would agree to write about. After all, jobs and economic prosperity are intricately linked to expanding consumption patterns, aren't they?
October 1, 2008... IN THE JANUARY 2008 EDITION OF HABITAT ACF President Ian Lowe made a strong case for ACF's policy development on population and sustainability. An important part of any discussion on population dynamics is how this planet withstands the...

Can emissions trading stop climate change? The Federal Government's emissions trading scheme can help Australia do its bit to avoid catastrophic climate change, but only if we set strong targets to cut carbon pollution and take the opportunity to invest in climate change solutions.
October 1, 2008... GOVERNMENTS, INDUSTRY and environment groups agree that one of the best ways to put a limit on how much carbon pollution we pump out is through an emissions trading scheme. The Australian Government has called its emission trading plan the...

Green jobs: the misconception that climate change action equals job losses has been totally demystified with the release of a major report showing that strong action on climate change and jobs growth can go hand in hand. So what will these 'green' jobs look like?
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] GROWING THE GREEN COLLAR ECONOMY, a report by ACF and Dusseldorp Skills Forum (DSF), includes CSIRO's analysis of the latest economic modelling, and identifies the employment impact associated with cutting greenhouse...

How to party for the planet.(ECO FESTIVITIES GUIDE)
October 1, 2008... Whether you're organising a birthday bash, housewarming or a kids party, big gatherings tend to involve lots of extra shopping and consumption. Here's how to cut down the waste, water and energy that will go into your next celebration. ...

How to give a green gift.(ECO FESTIVITIES GUIDE)
October 1, 2008... The joy is definitely in the giving, when you give a gift that leaves minimal impact on the environment. Here's how: 1. Give a service, not a product Instead of buying another thing to sit on a shelf collecting dust, why not purchase...

A community comes together for solar: when Al Gore explained to the world what our reliance on coal, oil and gas was doing to the planet, solar power suddenly seemed very attractive. It seemed obvious that a community could benefit from a solar bulk-buy. No one was organising one, so we did it ourselves.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MY MATE BILL AND I had just started a local sustainability group called SEE-Change (Society, Environment, Economy) and we did a pamphlet-drop around our suburbs asking if anyone was interested in solar....

Championing GreenHome: ACF's GreenHome workshops have been so successful at helping individuals green their lifestyle that the next challenge was clear: how to get the GreenHome workshops to as many people as possible? The answer: train some GreenHome Champions!(Australian Conservation Foundation)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] PARTICIPANTS in the first GreenHome Champion program, held in Bendigo in Victoria, learned how to help the environment by greening their homes and lifestyles, from saving energy and water to cutting down on waste....

Tasmania's Wilderness Battles.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2008... Tasmania's Wilderness Battles By Greg Buckman [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The fight to protect Tasmanian wilderness is close to the heart of many ACF supporters and staff. For decades, thousands of us have been attending protests,...

The Atom Bomb and the Origins of the Cold War.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2008... The Atom Bomb and the Origins of the Cold War By Campbell Craig and Sergey Radchenko [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For 50 years we were fed the line that the atom bomb was an object of destruction and peace. Sure, thousands were massacred...

The 100-Mile Diet.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2008... The 100-Mile Diet By Alisa Smith and JB MacKinnon [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Most of us know that the food we choose to eat can have a huge impact on the environment, especially if the produce is transported long distances. But would...

From Buddha to Bono: Seeking Sustainability.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2008... From Buddha to Bono: Seeking Sustainability By Tor Hundloe [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sustainability is increasingly becoming the catchphrase of our time. Climate change and water scarcity are now mainstream concerns, and it's almost...

ACF farewells Michael Fogarty: this month, ACF farewells Michael and thanks him for 15 years of hard work and service to the environment, a dedication that began 25 years earlier when a young Michael, who had travelled extensively around Australia, learned of a river in the Tasmanian wilderness that was set to be destroyed.(Australian Conservation Foundation)
October 1, 2008... ITS EXISTENCE HAD BEEN WHISPERED ABOUT in the hallways of ACF for years, but it wasn't until the Habitat team was trawling through its photo archives for the 40-Year retrospective that the photo actually came to light: Michael Fogarty, ACF...

ACF and Origin: a not-so-unlikely partnership.(Australian Conservation Foundation)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... WHEN ACF AND ORIGIN JOINED FORCES with other high profile businesses at the historic Australian Business Roundtable on Climate Change, they appeared on the surface to be unlikely partners. Now, ACF and Origin have entered into an exciting new...