TFI Newsletter - University of Newcastle · 2013-11-07 · 1 TFI Newsletter Spring 2013 Arid...

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1www.newcastle.edu.au/tfi

TFI NewsletterSpring 2013

Arid Ecology in Outback Australia

WetlandCare Australia Photography Prize

Environmental Accounting 101

Flame Blame

Newcastle Bike Lane Trial

Solar Cooking with Celestino Ruivo

Small steps towards big changes

Local Markets hold the key to strong community ties

and much, much more!

The Great Koala Count

Is what you knew about the maps of the world

really correct?

2 Tom Farrell Institute for the Environment Spring 2013

Directors ReportTFI secures investment grant

The Tom Farrell Institute (TFI) is part of a successful 2013-2014 Investment grant worth $1.66 million.

The submission was a collaborative effort anchored by Louise Duff of WetlandCare Australia and TFI and will be used to fund the Riparian-Ramsar Connections project.

We have been talking with Newcastle City Council about this for several years and we saw the opportunity to get funding for it and were lucky enough to find collaborators who could combine to make it work.

The grant will be used towards rehabilitating the catchment of Boatmans Creek which runs along the back of the University near the railway line.

We are all delighted to have gained this support. We believe in our hearts that such a project will yield a significant outcome for the Bushland Campus and will yield a range of scientific papers as well as provide significant work experience for undergraduate students.

Tank Paddock

The Department of Planning and Infrastructure has approved the rezoning of new employment lands supporting 3,600 jobs near Black Hill, west of Newcastle.

The rezoning also includes 545 hectares of new conservation land. The decisions are a key step in realising the vision of a Lower Hunter green corridor linking the Watagans National Park with the coastal

plains of Port Stephens.

As part of the same rezoning, 545 hectares of bushland at Tank Paddock and nearby Stockrington will be permanently preserved as a State conservation area for present and future generations.

The Tank Paddock and Stockrington area contains threatened flora and fauna species including:

• the Lower Hunter Spotted Gum Ironbark Forest endangered ecological community

• Powerful Owl and Masked Owl• Grey-headed Flying-fox• Little Bentwing-bat “These lands also

form part of an east-west migratory pathway and provide a drought refuge for inland species,” Mr McIntyre said.

Best Practice Ecological Rehabilitation of Mined Land Conference & Biomass International Conference 2013

The conference showcased research and practice and regulation aimed at generating biodiversity and adaptive reuse through rehabilitation of mined land This years attendance figures surpassed previous years at 170 delegates. We also ran our first International Biomass Conference. The objectives were to bring together researchers, practitioners and the mining industry to showcase developments in biomass availability, pyrolysis, bioenergy, and use of biochar to return carbon to the soil. Som 80 delegates from mining industry, pyrolysis industry, forestry, agriculture, and the community were in

attendance. Overall the two conferences were a great success.

Our Don Morris Walk Book was released in conjunction with National Tree Day and our annual trek down Don Morris Walk on Sunday 2 September. Copies of the book are available to purchase from our office for a small fee.

Our Hunter Valley Electric Vehicle Prize was run and won on 18 August at Cameron Park Kart Raceway. I was delighted with the number of entrants in this years competition, 22 schools entered and 5 privateers. Planning is well underway for our EV Fest in 2014 where we will combine our Show and Prize in the one weekend to create a super event. Sponsorship and volunteering is always being sought for this major event. If you are able to help out in any way, large or small, I would be pleased to hear from you.

Once again we have had a hugely successful year, with many community engagement activities and much change prompted through those activities. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our staff and volunteers for their tireless efforts in assisting with the overall success of the TFI. We have hit another milestone this year, with an enormous amount of volunteer hours achieved, this is only possible through the willingness of these individuals to strive for the success of the Institute.

Tim Roberts, Director

During the last few months, we said “See Ya Later” to Peter Dormand, Manager, Environment And Climate Change Services Future City, The City of Newcastle, when he accepted a golden handshake .“I have had a wonderful 26 years at NCC and have enjoyed every single day (believe it or not, and I suppose that makes me a bit weird)”Thank you for everything Pete! You’ll sure be missed!

ContentsDirectors Report 2

Arid Ecology in Outback Australia 3-4

Forget what you know about the world - it’s no longer flat 5-6

Melbourne City bike lanes and how these could work in Newcastle City 7

Wetland Care Australia Photography Prize 2014 9

Tamera 11

Solar Cooking with Celestino Ruivo 12

Watt The?? Hunter Valley Electric Vehicle Festival 13

Environmental Accounting 101 15

Local Markets hold the key to strong community ties 16-17

Small steps towards big changes 18

Great Koala Count 20-21

Flame Blame 22-23

Mick Chapman Memorial Criterium Wrap-up 23

I have found that one of the most important assets

to my own learning is the use of numerous volunteer opportunities, helping scientists to gather data

As a student at University of Newcastle, I have found that one of the most important assets to my own learning is the use of numerous volunteer opportunities, helping scientists to gather data. Over the July university break I volunteered to participate in ecology research for the Sydney University Desert Ecology Research Group (DERG) at their Simpson Desert study site. Sydney University’s collaboratively funded DERG group has been studying predator-prey interactions, fire and grazing ecology as well as numerous other projects in the Simpson Desert for two decades. Meeting up at Sydney and heading off with a team of 10 people the 3 day trip to the red playground gave us a great opportunity to get to know our fellow volunteers and team leaders.

Arriving in far western Queensland at the main research camp we are in the Simpson Strzelecki Dune IBRA bioregion. The Simpson Strzelecki bioregion spreads over four states and forms one of Australia’s largest dune-based desert ecosystems. The camp is composed of an old caravan storing most of the essential gear, a fire pit and some food storage crates all under the shade of a stand of Gidgee trees (Acacia cambagei). Over the course of the next 2 weeks this small stand of trees in the swale between two large red dunes would be our home and study centre. Our main research foci of the trip were to be pit-trapping animals within

many long term grids and the recovery of several GPS collars placed on foxes and cats the previous year containing data of their movements.

As we began our work opening pit traps we began to discover a huge variety of life active on the dunes. Arid areas are a stronghold for reptile diversity in Australia, and the Simpson is definitely no exception. On warm sunny days many reptiles were seen to scuttle at speed along the dune and many more left networks of tracks, scats and burrows without being seen. Often seen, Central Military Dragons (Ctenophorus isolepis) abounded on the sandy surfaces, racing between clumps of spinifex (Triodia) with speed, making them extremely hard to catch. While these were probably the most abundant reptile active on dunes their speed was so great they would often race right over an open pit trap without dropping in, lowering the amount caught.

Another more recognisable, unique and endearing lizard was one of the highlights of the trip for me. Occupying the sandy arid zone from far western Australia to the Simpson Desert, Thorny Devils (Moloch horridus) are one of Australia’s most peculiar lizards. Covered in large hard tipped thorns with bright red-yellow camouflage and a lurching gait – the appearance alone makes this animal spectacular. Even more peculiar

are the species’ diet and drinking methods. Thorny Devils eat nothing but small black ants, all of a single genus, often standing above a long line of the ants and picking them off one by one. The Thorny Devil possesses further unique adaptation for the extremes of arid life. As water contacts its skin, capillary action draws it along tiny channels to its mouth, allowing it to drink from dew, tiny puddles or perhaps even wet sand.

Checking pit traps over the next week allowed us an insight into the many nocturnal animals roaming the dunes. Most of the small mammals caught are highly secretive and rarely seen active at night when walking on the dunes. The use of pit traps allowed us to gather numerous forms of data on many species including native mice, hopping mice, and insectivorous Dunnarts. Mammals in the extreme arid including the Simpson often operate on a boom-bust cycle where rainfall triggers increases in numbers which dwindle over poorer years. This system holds true for many of the small native mice we caught and is even more important for the (currently absent) Long Haired Rat (Rattus villosissimus) which spread into the Simpson from the nearby channel country only in extreme boom periods.

The Central Military Dragon, a true speedster of the dunes.

The Thorny Devil, a unique and endearing reptile well adapted to the harsh arid zone of inland Australia.

Arid Ecology in Outback AustraliaBy Stephen Mahony

As well as the many rodents some unique Australian mammals of the Dasyurid family turned up. The Dasyuridae is a family of mostly small, carnivorous mammals, and the largest we caught, the Brush-tailed Mulgara, is one of the most impressive of them. The size of a fist and weighing in at over 100 grams, this little wrecking ball is a terror of the dunes, hunting any form of arthropod, mammal, lizard or even snake that it can possibly overcome. This large and attractive species is relatively poorly known preferring to live in the harshest of desert country, and studies like this are important for better understanding the conservation of such unique amazingly adapted species. The second half of our trip was focused on the recovery of GPS collars from cats and foxes containing data of their movement over the past year. This involved a great deal of walking around the landscape with a radio-receiver hoping to pick up a signal from the device. Foxes and cats have been an ecological disaster in Australia, more than likely the major factor in the extinction of 50 Australian birds and mammal. While many conservation areas like the Roxby Downs arid recovery park attempt to assist conservation by eradicating cats and foxes in an area, research into their movement and behaviour in the arid environment is crucial in assisting management. Over a period of 5 days we managed to retrieve 4 collars worn by feral foxes, although no cat collars were detected. Hopefully data from this research will go a long way to understanding the movements of these feral predators during booms and busts in the Australian arid zone.

After spending nearly three weeks on important research into the ecology of the Simpson Desert we returned to Sydney, somewhat dirtier than we set off. I returned having made great new friends, sharing great experiences and highlights of awesome reptiles as well as learning a huge deal about field research and the Simpson Desert. I would strongly recommend for any undergraduate students looking into the field of ecology to volunteer with this project, there is no substitute for getting out there and doing it.

Further information on trips can be found on the Rat-Catchers Facebook page and website. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ratcatchers-Desert-Ecology-Research-Group-University-of-Sydney/215607685142522?fref=ts Website: http://sydney.edu.au/science/biology/sites/dickmanlab/news.shtml

Feral cats are a major predator of reptiles in the arid zone, Central Netted Dragons like this are particularly common find in their gut content.

The night sky is beautiful in the Desert. Photograph by Volunteer Enyi Guo.

This Brush-tailed Mulgara, being handled by a DERG researcher, is a carnivorous marsupial found only in the Desert of Australia.

Native Bee Workshop

February 2014Further details will go out soon

Register your interest nowbelinda.mcnab@newcastle.edu.au

Hunter Valley Great Eastern Ranges Initiative

Annual Stakeholders Forum

Tuesday 19 November 2013

10am – 4pm

North Court 2, Tocal Agricultural College,

Tocal Road, Paterson.

RSVP to Denise Aitken daitken@ozgreen.org.au or

02 6655 2180

Since the age of the first cartographers, we have looked upon the world from a “flat” perspective. Have you ever thought to question whether the cartographers got it right? James Gall and Arno Peters questioned exactly that. And so was born the controversial Peters Projection World Map. When this map was first introduced by historian and cartographer Dr. Arno Peters at a Press Conference in Germany in 1974 it generated a firestorm of debate. The first English-version of the map was published in 1983, and it continues to have passionate fans as well as staunch detractors. It was even highlighted on an episode of The West Wing.

The earth is round. The challenge of any world map is to represent a round earth on a flat surface. There are literally thousands of map projections. Each has certain strengths and corresponding weaknesses. Choosing among them is an exercise in values clarification: you have to decide what's important to you. That is generally determined by the way you intend to use the map. The Peters Projection is an area accurate map.

The Peters Map and The Mercator Map

Which is bigger, Greenland or China? With the traditional Mercator map (circa 1569, and still in use in many schoolrooms and boardrooms today), Greenland and China look the same size. But in reality China is

Forget what you know about the world - its no longer flat!almost 4 times larger! In response to such discrepancies, Dr. Arno Peters created a new world map that dramatically improves the accuracy of how we see the Earth.

Mercator’s projection (created at a time when navigators were sailing on the oceans in wooden ships, powered by the wind, and navigating by the stars) was particularly useful because straight lines on his projection were lines of constant compass bearing. Today the Mercator projection still remains useful for navigational purposes and is referred to by seafarers and airline pilots.

The Mercator is also a “conformal” map projection. This means that it shows shapes pretty much the way they appear on the globe. The mapmaker’s dilemma is that you cannot show both shape and size accurately. If you want a true shape for the land masses you will necessarily sacrifice proportionality, i.e., the relative sizes will be distorted.

The Greenland Problem

The Mercator projection creates increasing distortions of size as you move away from the equator. As you get closer to the poles the distortion becomes severe. Cartographers refer to the inability to compare size on a Mercator projection as “the Greenland Problem.” Greenland appears to be the same size as Africa, yet Africa’s land mass

is actually fourteen times larger (see figure below right). Because the Mercator distorts size so much at the poles it is common to crop Antarctica off the map. This practice results in the Northern Hemisphere appearing much larger than it really is. Typically, the cropping technique results in a map showing the equator about 60% of the way down the map, diminishing the size and importance of the developing countries.

Greenland: 0.8 million sq. miles

Africa: 11.6 million sq. miles

This was convenient, psychologically and practically, through the eras of colonial domination when most of the world powers were European. It suited them to maintain an image of the world with Europe at the center and looking much larger than it really was. Was this conscious or deliberate? Probably not, as most map users probably never realized the Eurocentric bias inherent in their world view. When there are so many other projections to chose from, why is it that today the Mercator projection is

still such a widely recognized image used to represent the globe? The answer may be simply convention or habit. The inertia of habit is a powerful force.

The North compared to the South

The North is 18.9 million square miles.

The South is 38.6 million square miles.

Europe compared to South America

Europe is 3.8 million square miles.

South America is 6.9 million square miles.

Africa compared to the Former Soviet Union

The former Soviet Union is 8.7 million square miles.

Africa is 11.6 million square miles.

Greenland Compared to China

Greenland is 0.8 million square miles.

China is 3.7 million square miles.

Important characteristics of the Peters Map

The Peters Map is an equal area map.

This new map shows all areas - whether countries, continents or oceans - according to their actual size. Accurate comparisons become possible.

The Peters Map is an equal axis map.

All North-South lines run vertical on this map. Thus, geographic points can be seen in their precise directional relationship.

The Peters Map shows equal positions.

All East-West Lines run parallel. Thus the relationship of any point on the map to its distance from the equator or the angle of the sun can readily be determined.

Fairness to All Peoples

In the complex and interdependent world in which nations now live, the people of the world deserve and need an accurate portrayal of the world.

The Peters Map is the map for our day.

World mission and aid-giving agencies use the Peters map because it serves to represent the developing countries at their true proportion.

Arno Peters was one of the first to assert that maps are unavoidably political.

For more information, please visit http://www.petersmap.com/

Melbourne City Bike Lanes and how these could work in Newcastle CityIf you’ve ever been to Melbourne, you would have noticed the ever present bike lanes and cyclists who use them endlessly. What is in place there is a safe and easy cycling network for riders of all levels.

It reduces the traffic and congestion from parking vehicles in the Melbourne CBD, and the city of Melbourne is so committed to this change, that they have invested in new routes complementing the existing 135km of on and off-road routes in and around the city.

Recent improvements to the Clarendon Street bicycle lanes have improved rider safety, with the lane being placed outside the zone where a car door can impact on the rider, and also ensures the rider is a safe distance from moving cars.

With more and more people riding for pleasure, fitness and just to get around, can the Melbourne City model work here in Newcastle?

A trial has been proposed to commence in early 2014, where cycleways will be formed down both sides of a section of Hunter Street in Newcastle, between the west end from Bellevue Street right up to Perkins Street. This means that the existing driving lanes, of which there are 4, will be reduced to 2, one in each direction. Parking will remain in place, giving commuters the chance to share the road and experience what it is like to take a different, more environmentally friendly form of transport to town.

Under this proposal, current traffic will not be affected, nor will parking in Hunter Street. It is hoped that this initative will breathe new life into our city and help reactivate interest in visiting the city in a whole new way.

“In March 2013, bicycles were 13% of all vehicle movements in Melbourne city in the morning peak”

Bicycle skills training rolled outHunter Cycle Skills is a new Austcycle accredited training organisation that delivers a range of courses designed to help people of for all ages and levels of experience improve their riding skills, cycle safely and maintain their bikes.

Classes include:

• Essential Maintenance – routine repairs, adjustments and servicing

• Essential Cycling Skills – core bike handlingskillstaughtinatrafficfree environment

• City Cycling – safe urban cycling on roads and bike paths

Hunter Cycle Skills is a not-for-profitorganisationcommittedtoempowering people to enjoy cycling withskill,confidenceandsafety.Courses are either free or a small fee covers costs and improving services. There are regular courses open to the public or training can be arranged for your workplace, school or organisation.

For more information, class dates and enrolment, go to huntercycleskills.org.au

Here in Newcastle we are lucky enough that Hunter Street is wide enough to accommodate parking, a bike lane and through traffic. In some Sydney areas where trials like this have taken place, the streets have not been nearly as wide, and traffic congestion has occured and cyclists were less inclined to use the bike lanes due to safety concerns. Here the proposal is to have a buffer zone between the cars who are moving, the cars who are parked (allowing for them to open doors without hitting a cyclist) and the bikes themselves. The model that is proposed links safety with planning to create a workable design.

If Newcastle were to adopt the same model as Melbourne, it would mean less traffic in our CBD, and in turn have an effect on parking availability and also create new industry through regular bike hire facilities at each end of town and in prominent locations throughout the city..

If the trial is successful and is well used, it may just become a permanent fixture in our city, mirroring the successes that Melbourne has achieved.

An artists impression of how the bike lanes might look in Hunter Street

Australia’s Biggest Electric Bike Grand Prix!!

EV Fest 2014Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th August 2014

NEEDS YOU!!!

Would you like to sponsor???* Supporting youth skills* Australia’s best training ground for future

clean energy engineers and entrepreneurs* Showcase your industry* Support a team* Sponsor a prize* Enter the challenge!!!

contact us on 02 49215700, or danielle.lloyd-prichard@newcastle.edu.auor check us out on the web www.hunterevfestival.com.au

CallDani 0249215700

WetlandCare Australia invites photographers of all ages to enter our Photography Prize. Exhibit your work in Townsville, Queensland, and celebrate World Wetlands Day with us on Sunday 2 February 2014.

World Wetlands Day falls on February 2nd each year and commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention) in Ramsar, Iran, on the 2nd February 1971.

The theme for World Wetlands Day 2014 is Wetlands and Agriculture.

Wetlands are one of the most valuable environments on earth, essential for providing clean water in our rivers, streams and oceans. They provide vital habitat for wildlife and are productive landscapes for everyone to enjoy, be inspired!

Our Photography Prize gives everyone an opportunity to share their favorite wetland and take part in raising awareness about the importance of wetlands for all life on our planet.

Categories

The four categories open for entries are:

Wetland Flora Sponsored by NSW Office of Environment and Heritage

Capture the complex and vibrant world of wetland plant life

Changing Landscapes

Sponsored by NSW Office of Environment and Heritage

Explore the changing face of Australia’s wetlands, from seasonal transformations to larger scale landscape change

WetlandCare Australia Photography Prize 2014

Wetland Fauna Sponsored by the Queensland Murray-Darling Committee

Profile the rich and diverse animal life of wetlands

Our Wetlands Sponsored by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority

Discover and share your magnificent local or regional wetland

People’s Choice

A People’s Choice prize will be run through the WetlandCare Australia Facebook page. A gallery of the winning entries will be posted online, and the entry that secures the most ‘Likes’ by March 31 2014 will be awarded a Canon Waterproof Camera, valued at $345, donated by Dolphin Office Choice Ballina.

The Ramsar Convention website has a wealth of free and fascinating materials on wetlands

To find out more visit:

www.ramsar.org

Who can enter?

The Prize is open to all Australian residents of any age, in all States and Territories.

Key dates

Entries close: Friday December 7 2013

Entry specifications

A digital copy of your photograph is submitted via email to entries@wetlandcare.com.au or posted on disk for judging. The file must be no bigger than 2MB. Entrants may be asked to provide high resolution files if required.

How to enter

Before entering read the entry instructions, terms and conditions online at http://www.wetlandcare.com.au/index.php?cID=639

Submitting Your Entry

Payment

There is a $15 non-refundable entry fee for entries in all categories.

Payment can be made on-line via PayPal or credit card by logging in to our online shop. Record the receipt number to include in the entry form.

Alternatively, you can post a cheque, money order or pay by direct deposit. The details for paying by direct deposit can be found in Submitting Your Entry

Contact our office on 1800 816 147 for information on how to pay.

Award Presentation and Exhibitions

Winners will be announced at an Award Presentation and Exhibition celebrating World Wetland Day on Sunday February 2 in Townsville, Queensland. The venue for the event is to be confirmed, and more information will be available leading up to World Wetlands Day.

Winning entries are exhibited in our on-line gallery.

For more information contact:

Liz Hajenko

WetlandCare Australia Photography Prize Coordinator

T: 1800 816 147

Email: entries@wetlandcare.com.au

Australia’s Biggest Electric Bike Grand Prix!!

EV Fest 2014Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th August 2014

NEEDS YOU!!!

Would you like to sponsor???* Supporting youth skills* Australia’s best training ground for future

clean energy engineers and entrepreneurs* Showcase your industry* Support a team* Sponsor a prize* Enter the challenge!!!

contact us on 02 49215700, or danielle.lloyd-prichard@newcastle.edu.auor check us out on the web www.hunterevfestival.com.au

CallDani 0249215700

Brick Veneer House Retrofit Impact

Pre 1945 Office Retrofit Impact

The Buildings Plan shows how Australian buildings can reach zero carbon emissions within 10 years, while reducing energy bills. It is the result of three years of research from some of Australia’s best architects, engineers, builders and researchers. The project was managed by non-profit Beyond Zero Emissions and the University of Melbourne’s Energy Research Institute.

The launch will be preceded by tours of the Hunter TAFE solar desiccant cooling system, and will include talks on and local low carbon initiatives, a Q & A session, sponsored displays and supper and networking opportunities.

Book Launch for BZE’sBuildings Plan for a

Zero Carbon Australia

The innovative TAFE solar desiccant cooling systemThis won a recent local Engineers Australia Excellence Award, and is one of only two in the world. It uses low-cost heat from

solar collectors.

Illawarra Flame Zero Carbon Fibro Retrofit This won the World 2013 Solar Decathlon for TAFE Illawarra

and the University of Wollongong.

Proudly Supported by

Extend an Invitation to you to attend

For further information please contact John Shiel 02 49525209, or jafshiel@gmail.com

4:30pm Tour registration – bar open/ tea/coffee/nibbles with nuts, fruit Sponsor Display tables5pm to 6pm 3 twenty minute, free tours of Hunter TAFE solar desiccant air conditioning system4:30 for 5pm Refreshments and nibbles5:30pm Launch registration5:30 for 6 pm Book Launch MC - BZE’s CEO, Steve Bygrave

• TAFE Solar Desiccant Air Conditioning System by Daniel Rowe, CSIRO Project Leader

• Innovative Climate Control Strategies, Andrew Bagnall, GHD Leader - Building Engineering & Sustainability

• The Illawarra Flame Energy Positive Fibro Retrofit, Dan Daly, Design Team Member, Uni of Wollongong

• Sustainability and Digital Learning, Kevin Bryan, TAFE Communication and Engagement Lead, Digital Learning Project

• BZE Buildings Plan book launch, Trent Hawkins, Directed the Buildings Plan

• Q&A – Speakers plus Paul Scanlon from NSW Public Works7:30pm Supper, Sponsor Display tables and networking8:30pm Finish

Thursday 14 November Hamilton TAFE 91 Parry Street Newcastle West Parking in student parking, first boom gate on left in Parry St, after the building, heading west

Register

Book Launch http://bit.ly/1brG1hB

5pm Tour http://bit.ly/HoUvFt

5:20pm Tour http://bit.ly/1c8JnH7

5:40pm Tour http://bit.ly/1ah7kia

Free AdmissionBookings are essential, places are limited for the tours and launch

Overall information can be found at:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamera

Tamera was founded in 1995 by three Germans Dieter Duhm, Sabine Lichtchenfels and Rainer Ehrenpreis. On the surface the community looks very reminiscent of the Nimbin type communities founded in Australia during the 1970’s. All have a similar theme that is to live in harmony with the environment and be self-sustaining.

The aim is to create several ‘Tamera’ type centre throughout the world as ‘Healing Biotopes’

Meanwhile, Tamera is the headquarters for a number of independent projects which include the Solar Village and the Permaculture Project. Obviously, all the projects interlink with each other.

Past papers state that by 2010, the community wished to produce all its own electricity and purchase of food from supermarkets.

Dieter Duhm has stated that:-

• Water, energy and nutrition can be provided for free to all human beings, if we follow the logic of nature and no longer us the laws of capital.

TAMERA

The Solar Village (http://www.tamera.org/index.php?id=113)

This is monitored by physicist and inventor Jürgen Kleinwächter. Lenses are used within greenhouses to focus the sun’s rays. The heat produced is stored in a hot oil system to enable cooking to be done at any time during the day/night. Power and electricity can also be provided by the sun. By 2011, Testfield 1 was in progress using Jürgen’s inventions along with Scheffler mirrors and biogas digesters.

The Stirling motor (invented in 1815) is the main source of mechanical power as it converts temperature difference into mechanical energy. It consists of a hot and cool chamber connected by pistons that drive a motor. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_engine). In Tamera the hot side of the engine is heated from the sun.

By June 2012, the community were modifying their cooking equipment and using refrigerators run on biogas. Biogas was used as an alternative source for cooking while improvements were made to the Scheffler mirrors.

Since then work has been done on the ‘Solar Water Pump’

The Permaculture Project Water is essential to grow plants and a system of ponds and oases have been developed on the premise that water is life and by reinstating the water cycle of the area to heal the disturbed landscape. (This area of Portugal was destroyed in during the Spanish Civil War to create a place for industrial cereal production).

This article and video show the development of the landscape at Tamera. (http://kjpermaculture.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/water-retention-landscape-of-tamera.html)

Permaculture principles are used to provide food for the community.

This Micro-biogas Plant at Tamera was completed in three days. The organic kitchen waste from one day was enough gas to give 2 hours of cooking.

The Sunpulse Water Pump at Tamera is a low-temperature Stirling engine which is driven directly by the sun. As it is simple to construct and uses readily available materials while being simple to build and maintained, it is ideal for isolated communities.

Conclusion

Since every product that we use in our lives can inflict suffering and violence in populations, the aims of the Tamera Community is to provide peace training, education and means of non-violent actions for the International community while at a regional level to teach ecological skills and enhancing regional networks for energy, food and water sustainability. Leila Dregger (a member of the community since 2003) states that ‘It will not be the global contacts that help us [to] survive but the surrounding region and neighbourhood with safe and trustful networks.’

Recently we had the pleasure of hosting European solar cooking authority Professor Celestino Ruivo from Algarve University in Portugal.

Prof. Ruivo is a mechanical engineering PHD and is currently doing research at CSIRO in Newcastle. He came to share knowledge with his Australian counterparts. Following three days of information exchange a big winter solar cookout, possibly the biggest gathering in Australia of solar cooking enthusiasts, was held at Stretton QLD.

Attendees from all over South East Queensland (the sunshine state) cooked up a real solar storm on Sunday, 21 July 2013. Over seventy solar cooking enthusiasts attended a bakeoff with about twenty five cookers being used. The exchange of ideas was fast and furious.

The shapes of the solar cookers used varied from the very basic box cooker converted from a Pizza box carton through to Prof Ruivo’s renowned “funnel cooker”.

Prof. Ruivo conducted a workshop at the Tom Farrell Institute to showcase his famous solar funnel cooker. This was

Solar Cooking with Celestino Ruivo

constructed from corflute but back home in Portugal he has one constructed from concrete in his yard. This is a permanent, weatherproof structure which he uses daily.

Upon his visit to the Tom Farrell Institute, he cooked up a storm on what was a pretty dull day, however, the solar cooker did not let him down, and we enjoyed fresh baked “Solar Cakes” for our morning tea.

There is a small but dedicated group of solar cooking enthusiasts who are trying to spread the solar cooking message but in the last couple of years groups have sprung up all over the country from Alice Springs to Castlemaine central Victoria (Check out this group) www.masg.org.au

Thank you Celestino for visiting the TFI and giving us so much inspiration.

The Hunter Valley Electric Vehicle Festival aka ‘EV Fest’, is an annual event initiated in 2011 by The Tom Farrell Institute for the Environment at the University of Newcastle. It uses electric vehicles as a platform for engaging audiences in a range of fun and informative science, technology, engineering and mathematics based activities. The event is designed to display the value of science literacy, research, and innovation in building an informed community and vibrant future that responds to global challenges.

At the heart of the EV Fest is a competition called the EV Prize where community, industry, high school, TAFE, and University teams are challenged to design and build an electric vehicle from scratch and come together to race them on a public race day at the Newcastle Kart Club Raceway. There are a number of different classes which allows for a range of vehicles from modified low cost electric bicycles to high performance motorcycles and open wheeler cars.

The EV Prize race day has grown rapidly over the last three years from 8 teams entered in 2011 to 50 teams in 2013, it is now the world’s largest electric motorcycle race event (in terms of competitors). The Schools Cup is the largest class in the competition with 34 teams from 24 Hunter High Schools entering in 2013. By placing high school teams alongside TAFE, University, Industry and professional electric motorcycling teams in the pit area, we have connected and created an EV community that provides opportunities for skills development and career pathways in these emerging electric vehicle and sustainability technologies.

There is a strong participatory element to the science communication activities of the EV Fest as a result of the ‘free, design, build and compete’ format. This encourages members of the public to become involved through both an enjoyment of the racing spectacle, as well as through family and community connections to participating teams.

WATT THE??? HUNTER VALLEY ELECTRIC VEHICLE FESTIVALby Dani Lloyd Prichard

In 2014 the EV Fest will become a high profile multi day event (Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th August) combining the EV Prize competition race day with an electric vehicle expo that includes exhibits, demonstrations, workshops, come and try activities, and entertainment. The National Science Week Cup and Power Source EVolution will be central events within the EV Fest 2014 program aimed at engaging festival goers in excitement and relevance of science for modern and sustainable communities.

The National Science Week Cup was first run in 2013 and is an endurance race, within the open single seat division of the EV Prize, for moped scale prototype electric motorcycles with a capped battery limit. It challenges teams to build an innovative prototype motorcycle and then work out the most efficient race strategy for the tight and twisty kart racing circuit. In 2013 the National Science Week Cup drew competitors from as far afield as Perth. The new Power Source EVolution award will challenge teams competing in any of the racing or demonstration events within EV Fest 2014, to design and build a prototype portable zero emissions power source for recharging their electric vehicle. This allows EV Fest 2014 to engage with the broader societal challenges of energy and environmental security.

Continued growth and success of the EV Fest is based on collaborative and supportive relationships between industry, research, community, local and state government, and educational institutions. Early indications are EV Fest 2014 will be the biggest yet. Entries are free and open to all. See www.hunterevfestival.net or phone 49215700 for more information. Registrations for race and/or stall participants will open in February 2014.

T U E S D A Y

3 DECThe Bradford HotelNew England Hwy, Rutherford10am - 3pm(Lunch provided)

HCCREMS BIODIVERSITY SEMINAR 4

BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION MECHANISMS: Enhancing andProtecting Biodiversity ?

COST: $55 inc GST (HCCREMS members FREE) To register for this seminar, please complete the attached registration form and email or fax to HCCREMS

E hccrems@huntercouncils.com.auF (02) 4966 0588

RSVP by 22 November 2013

HCCREMS Seminar Series 2013

Watch our website www.hccrems.com.au for details on other HCCREMS Seminars

Topics to be discussed will include:

• The range, nature and complexity of the key NSW conservation mechanisms • The relative strengths of each as a conservation tool to provide genuine and

lasting biodiversity conservation outcomes. • The incentives offered to, and costs incurred by, land owners and managers. • The “take-up” rate of conservation mechanisms within the region.

Accompanying the EDO keynote will be presentations and case studies by councils, agencies and organisations describing their experiences in the implementation of the various mechanisms.

This seminar will be of value to anyone with an interest in biodiversity conservation planning, including council managers and planners, support

agencies, community groups and private landholders.

The public reserve system cannot solely be relied upon to adequately conserve Australia’s biodiversity. Therefore a number of mechanisms and instruments have been designed to support conservation on a range of public and private lands, but how well do they work and to what extent have they been taken up in the Hunter, Central and Lower North Coast region? Showcasing a 2013 Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) report commissioned by HCCREMS, these are some of the questions the seminar will explore.

Environmental accounting 101by Peter Stevens - PhD Candidate, TFISome streams and rivers in Australia are being nurtured back from the ravages of time and colonial landuse. Most are not. Some landscapes are set aside from commercial development in the hope that the biota and endemic biota and ecosystems will thrive without human intervention. Most are not. In each case we are watching changes in the biota and the mass transfer and loss of what little productive soil remains after millions of years of weathering in a vast and arid continent. Here there is no new soil. The incision of creek lines and destruction of habitat complexity continues across the developing landscape. Anthrosols (or anthroposols- soils derived from human intervention) have entered the State of Environment Reporting, along with the ongoing loss of soil carbon.1

In less than 230 years the evolved biomass has been transformed, modified and diminished. In a few short years of export focussed resource extraction we have removed the bulk of nutrient, minerals and water from the land. We have become accustomed to wealth and comfort in an export economy and social ecology based on the creation of unliveable deserts. Our towns and cities are reliant upon imported energy and resources. They are discharging wastes that require more energy before being returned to the biological processes that deliver life

We hug together on the blue green coastal belt as tightly as any society on earth. We are the most urbanised, the most energy rich, the most advantaged and the most polluting society in the history of man. This is the naive dream and reality of terra australis.

Australia is naturally unique and well endowed. It is second only to the Promised Land, the Garden of Eden, the Paradise offered in an afterlife.

This is a case of practical accounting in a dual economy where on one hand Capital is deemed the foundation for growth and wealth and on the other, growth, abundance and longevity are determined by biological and atmospheric cycles that are beyond human control. It is clear where the ultimate power lies. It is clear that the human experiment in Australia to date has produced both a survival culture and an extinction vortex.

The situation would be glum were it not for humanity, the connection between people and the rest of the biota, and the efforts of reformers including PA Yeomans, Peter Andrews, Bill Mollison, Masanobu Fukuoka, Stuart Hill, Philip Pollard and many more who seek to rewater the land and nurture the biota2 that gives us life. These champions of water, soil and amenity have demonstrated that there is another way. It involves a more astute response to the environment and adherence to the notion of humanity as a source of humility and care towards the rest of the biota and the land.

Peter Andrews has provided the TFI insight into the nature of his work over 40 years in the NSW Bylong Valley. The work will be explored in depth as part of the TFI research program. The TFI is looking for project partners interested in balanced land use afforded by a focus on rewatering the landscape. This will build on the current analysis of University of Newcastle reforms undertaken between 1989 and 2005.

This research investigates a simple, readily adopted tool for transition from an engineered environment and fragile economic paradigm to an ecology-based human environment mode in which systems, planning, design, resource-use patterns and creative human endeavour are aligned with the processes that give and sustain life in the evolved biosphere. A single, easily communicated concept can be drawn from embryonic work undertaken on the University of Newcastle Callaghan Campus between 1990 and 1996. The concept is no more complicated than developing a scalable, biologically driven pattern on the ground with elevating architecture, infrastructure and access patterns that respect topography, contours

Widden Ck., NSW after Andrews

References

1 2011 Australia: State of Environment Report pp.275,279 Commonwealth of Aust. Can print Communications 2011. ISBN:978-1-921733-35-2

2 Robert Pogue Harrison speaks at length on this subject in Gardens: an essay on the Human Condition ,University of Chicago Press 2008 ISBN-10 : 0-226-31789-7

3 Michal Kravcik, Goldman Environmental Prize Winner from 1999, NGO People and Water, Awarded EU/US Prize for democracy and civil society, Slovakia,www.waterparadigm.org <http://www.waterparadigm.org/>

and biological capacity, with more than 70% vegetation cover and biomass under an energy creating (photosynthesis) and energy dissipating (rainfall, wind, heat load) canopy. This preliminary work provides an opportunity to create the world’s first Ecotown model for a truly sustainable learning and living Campus. Champions of a rewatered landscape and ecology-based economy include PA Yeomans, Peter Andrews, Bill Mollison in Australia and Kravcik et.al in Slovakia3.

Ulan NSW (Myall Stevens 2013),

University of Newcastle NSW after Bioscale (Peter Stevens 2013)

Local Markets hold the key to strong community ties

by Belinda McNab, TFI

Have you been to the Farmers Markets? No, well you are missing out on a great deal of great quality fresh produce, great artisan products, and wonderful local producers all wrapped up in a vibrant atmosphere.

The very first NSW Farmes Market was held at the historical river port of Morpeth in 1999. In 2000 you may remember the original fine food market being held at the Honeysuckle Railway Sheds. Following these trials, establishment of regular farmers markets have been made right across Australia. They are an important part of local producers connecting with the general public, and enhancing the food and

produce experience for all who attend. This ensures sustainability of local producers through economic incentive, strengthening local food diversity and security.

Farmers and the public alike relish the chance to get back to basics, and buy direct from the producer.

Organic farming produce has become a real winner in todays markets, with most producers offering some form of organically farmed products.

It is not only food products that are a big hit at these markets, they also give a chance for local artisans to sell their wares. Everything

from wood craft products through to jams and spreads are crafted and sold onsite. It gives the local community a chance to see where these products come from and also support their local communities.

Your local farmers markets are a bright and vibrant place to go, with loads of attractions to see and experience.

Overall farmers markets are a great product which enhances product development, diversity, helps sustain the local economy, good for the environment, good for well-being and good for tourism. So get down to your local farmers market this weekend and support your local community.

The Maitland Harvest Markets provide a forum for farmers, producers and artisans to sell farm-origin, home-grown and hand-made produce and products directly to customers.

The Harvest Markets feature a colourful array of seasonal fruits, vegetables and herbs, free range meat and eggs, seafood, olives and olive oils, sourdough breads, pastries and cakes, nuts, jams and chutneys, honey, fresh dairy products, handmade cheeses, wines, candles and soaps, plants and flowers.

Linger over a freshly brewed coffee or a wonderfully fragrant cup of tea. Listen to live music while the kids play, or feast from the wonderful array of food stalls offering tasty and fresh hot food. Spend the morning chatting with breeders, farmers, horticulturists, chefs, artisans and musicians. Buy some gum boots or a chook, or have your knives sharpened.

Every Saturday from 8am-1pm at Maitland Showground, Blomfield Street, Maitland. Maitland Harvest Markets 02 4962 5522

www.maitlandmarkets.com.au

Since early 2005 the market has called the Newcastle Showground and Entertainment Centre our public space for bringing together local farmers, producers and hand-made artisans to 6,500 customers per week.

Behind the array of an avenue of marquees brimming with vibrant vegetables and fruit and melt in your mouth products like goat and sheep cheeses, lebanese hummus and fresh baked breads, patisseries, meats, seafood and other gourmet delights are the farmers and artisans who attend rain hail and shine. They offer their knowledge, enthusiasm and products that exemplify a passion for local food, a commitment to farming and the environment and the

fruits of a lot of hard work.

The markets offer many traditional cuisines from hearty country gourmet sausage rolls, quiches and pastries, to Tibetan food, Lebanese, Turkish, Spanish, Thai, German - we’ve got it all.

Along with food, you will find artisan stalls selling the Hunter’s best range of quality goods from clothing to wooden items and everything in between.

Newcastle City Farmers & Makers Market is run every Sunday from 8am-1pm at Newcastle Showground, Griffiths Road Broadmeadow.

www.newcastlecityfarmersmarket.com.au/

Lake Macquarie City Farmers Market, set in the beautiful Speers Point Park, will on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month come alive with an avenue of marquees brimming with vibrant seasonal fruit and vegetables, meats from the farmer, fresh baked bread, delectable patisserie items, gourmet cheeses, jersey milk cream and butter, free range eggs, coffee, chai tea and many other gourmet foods.

There will also be hand made items on offer as well. Not to mention the food to sit and eat Greek, Thai, Modern Australia so drop by for breakfast, brunch or lunch.

2nd and 4th Sundays of the month from 8am-1pm.

Contact us on 0427630144. or www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-Macquarie-City-Farmers-Market/438532816181087

I’ve always had a love for Australia’s beautiful natural environment and been interested in environmental campaigns and living sustainably – although we didn’t call it that when I was growing up. I remember recycling with my sister and mum before it was the norm and you had to drive your recycling to a monthly drop-off - and being really excited that we were making a difference. I remember the Wilderness Society fighting to stop Uranium Mining in Kakadu. I studied science all through school and biology was my favourite subject so it was only natural for me to go on and do a Bachelor of Science at Newcastle University.

It was in third year conservation biology class that Professor Mike Mahoney gave an inspiring lecture on the biodiversity crisis during a field trip at Sydney Olympic Park, where we were capturing and tagging the critically endangered Green & Golden Bell Frog to monitor their population growth. He charged each and every one of us ‘soon to be’ scientists with the responsibility to do something and be the change we want to see in the world. What he said really struck a chord in me and I realised I wasn’t doing enough. That’s when the idea for Greening Newcastle came along. That was over three years ago.

Small steps towards big changesby Chelsey Zuiderwyk

Now I am a full-time mum with a baby and toddler and I feel my work with Greening Newcastle is more important than ever. I think that as a society we could be making smarter choices for our future. I believe that people do want to do things differently, and they are aware of the many environmental problems we are facing - but that doesn’t mean they have the tools to do something about it. For me, those ‘tools’ is information made simple, aimed at the everyday person or family, and tailored to the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie areas.

Never underestimate the power of small changes. Small changes either add up to something significant or are the starting point for bigger changes to come. Visit the website and have a browse at some of the information and links. See if you can make a small change in your life.

Chelsey Zuiderwyk is a passionate environmentalist with bachelor degrees in Science and Commerce from the University of Newcastle. Originally from Lake Macquarie, she now lives in Newcastle with her husband and two daughters.

www.greeningnewcastle.info

Healthy Environment Public MeetingEnvironment is far from being the centre of our leaders concerns, is being treated as a nuisance, and rubbish that is better dealt with as land-fill.

The affect is that scientists, citizens and the tireless activists are calling for community strength and commitment to insist that the realities be faced and sustainable solutions and priorities achieve action status.

Sustainability is about checking that what we do now will be good for the economic, social and environment of future generations to come. We all need to be doing ‘what we must”Muswellbrook RSL 12th Nov 6.45pm

FEATURING

- Dr Gary Ellem, Tom Farrell Inst. for the Environment, Univ. of Newcastle: New sustainable energy technologies

- Prof Garry Willgoose, Director, Centre for Climate Impact Management, Univ. of Newcastle: Why we need renewable

energy sources

- Dr Craig Dalton, Public Health Physician, Hunter New England Population Health:

- Dr Tuan Au, Singleton GP:

- Julie Lyford, Groundswell Gloucester:

- Evening MC Kiwa Fisher

NOVEMBER 12, 2013. 6.45pm for 7pm start

For further information contact Wendy Wales 0437 147 249

or email wgwales@gmail.com

Denman Aberdeen Muswellbrook & SconeHealthy Environment Group (’DAMSHEG’)Public meeting Muswellbrook RSL

FREE & ALL

WELCOME

Great Eastern Ranges Initiative PO Box 295 Vincentia NSW 2540 P 02 9560 9144 M 0438 250 600 E rdunn@greeningaustralia.org.au www.greateasternranges.org.au

Dear Supporter, The 2013 Great Koala Count will be happening across New South Wales and South East Queensland from November 7 – 17 and the Northern Rivers Great Koala Count Working Group needs your help to promote the event! The Great Koala Count (GKC) is a National Parks Association of New South Wales (NPA) Citizen Science project, run in partnership with the Great Eastern Ranges Initiative. The aim of the GKC is to create a comprehensive picture of koala numbers and location across New South Wales and South East Queensland by engaging the community in a once-a-year survey. With sufficient support, it is hoped the GKC will be repeated each year to show trends in koala population, movement and habitat use over time. As a Citizen Science project, all of the information collected by the GKC will be publicly accessible to anyone with an interest in koalas via the NPA’s Citizen Science Data Portal and the Atlas of Living Australia. The data collected builds on existing koala records and is an additional useful tool for planning and monitoring koala conservation projects. The GKC relies on the efforts of volunteers from the community to search for and record sightings of koalas using new technology. Developed by the NPA, the BioTag SmartPhone app. will allow survey participants to plot the location of a koala from an iPhone, iPad or Android device while recording a picture of the animal and answering questions about its sex, health, young and the tree it inhabits. When in phone-range, the data is automatically uploaded the GKC website where koala records can be reviewed and shared. The SmartPhone App is free and is now available from both Google Play and iTunes stores. For those without a SmartPhone or other device, koala records can be uploaded directly to the NPA Citizen Science Data Portal at www.koalacount.org.au. Participants will need to register on the koala count website prior to using the App. To help people get started, there will be two community workshops held in the Northern Rivers region, one at Pottsville on October 12, the other at Lismore on October 13. RSVPs are appreciated and can be made anytime up until the day before each workshop. It would be great if people could register on the Great Koala Count data portal at www.koalacount.org.au before attending. People can participate in the Count without going to a workshop. Koalas can be counted anytime during the 10 days of the great Koala Count, between November 7 and 17, 2013. Following the GKC, the NPA will analyse the data collected by its Citizen Scientists and publish a report. The report will be provided to each participant and made freely available to the public.

Koalas are counting on you

www.npansw.org.au/data

There is an urgency to help cool the planet. It would appear folly to assume otherwise or to suggest that the human habit of ‘desert making’ will cease anytime soon.

In the context of global climate change and seemingly catastrophic population growth the current relationship between people and the rest of the biota in Australia appears one of mutual self-destruction. The way in which we describe this relationship is also counterproductive.

Australian media and governance is immature, divisive and highly inflammatory when it comes to life on the most arid continent on earth. It is time for the nation to grow up; to acquire the emotional intelligence necessary to overcome 228 short years of ‘new toy’ arrogance towards these ancient and highly refined landscapes. At this stage in the history of colonial Australia, many of us are yet to accept the wisdom of Country. This is a wisdom accumulated over tens of thousands of years. We remain in denial of the very nature of the continent, its heritage, hydrology and evolved biota. These ‘desert making’ and denial strategies are high risk. They are the elephant in the national security room. Whist there are plenty of visible candidates for circus master we seem fresh out of elephant whisperers.

Australia is characterised by ancient carbon and mineral depleted soils. We are increasingly reliant upon imported nutrients for industrial scale food production under a ‘return on investment’ model that is relatively free of immediate consequences. We are behaving like the possum that eats roots and leaves. We are draining the land and bringing the saline water table to the surface across vast areas. We are polluting the streams and rivers. We are breaking open the aquifers. We are denying the landscape hydrology that has evolved over many millions of years.

We are trading foolishly in precious water, a universal imperative for life, for purposes other than sustaining biomass and the population. We are delivering long buried carbon into the atmosphere, directly and indirectly, and not putting in place the

Snapshot of global trends (World Bank 2013)

Flame Blameby Peter Stevens, PhD Candidate, TFI

biomass needed to recover this resource for use in the soil. These processes and the related development patterns are placing many lives at risk.

Known risks and harms are presented by predictable weather events like storms, lightning strikes, cyclones and earthquakes, and by human activities including commercially driven and ostensibly unsustainable development, as well as arson and foolhardy misadventure. It is odd to hear these events, oil spills and nuclear melt downs described as ‘one-off natural disasters’.

The Eucalypt dominated landscapes of the colonial era are flammable, just as they have been for tens of thousands of years. There are more than 100 wondrous and inspiring Eucalypt species in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area alone. These have evolved over time in association with other fire responsive flora and fauna to produce landscapes that are unique on the planet. The level of human influence in this evolution is debatable. The future of these species associations is assured by the very nature of the landscapes in which they now exist.

It is clear that we have taken the ‘man over nature’ paradigm too literally in these cavalier and course grained colonial years.

The expert and independent 2011 Australia State of Environment Committee Report highlights the colonial landuse legacy. The Committee suggests that the cost of recovery from these impacts is ‘in many instances beyond the means of even a wealthy nation like Australia’.

Our response to this legacy, to the destructive events of summer fire and to the hydrology and biota of this unique landscape will determine the viability of our communities, towns and cities in years to come. Perhaps we beneficiaries of the pioneering effort and associated belief systems are happy to proceed with ‘business

as usual’ and condone the collateral damage to the lives and wellbeing of others for self interest on the promise of paradise in another life, in another place.

Australians are amongst the 40% of nations still clearing forest. We are also amongst the highest per capita emitters of CO2 and the most urban communities on earth.

A human friendly climate is secured by photosynthesising plants and bacteria. These are ultimately our sole source of sustenance. It would seem logical to make wiser use of available resources, and to position ourselves in watered landscapes where soil, water and highly productive biomass can be renewed with our cooperation and without the need for recurrent fire.

This shift in emphasis challenges the current economic model characterised by collateral damage, ecological disruption, lost biocapacity and risk prone development. In the 1920’s Sir Albert Howard delicately stated that ‘great civilisations pass away’ when commerce overrides the functions of landscape. Events in other Gondwana continents like Africa and in the once Fertile Crescent of the middle east provide ample evidence of the long term cultural and social conflicts generated by the abuse of natural capital and the denial of environmental wisdom.

The promise of terra australis, a great south land, is only as good as the culture, leadership, integrity and intentions of its peoples. The flame blame game that is so visceral in Australian media and social media right now is a virus that will distract us from necessary change.

Solutions and long term community wellbeing in a resource advantaged nation like Australia seem to be outside the primary interests of the Crown, her representatives, industry elected governments and mainstream economic thinking. It is therefore necessary to consider other

ways of approaching the challenges ahead.Fortunately there are many examples of highly refined ecosystems that renew and deliver sustenance without the need fire. These would appear to provide better models for human habitat than the current ‘desert making’ paradigm that dominates our urban and peri-urban development.

Fortunately, there is also ample evidence of the natural sequence that secures water in every landscape across Australia and of the biological responses that secure soil carbon and a healthy productive ecology. These processes can be restored in any landscape with informed practical interventions.

It is therefore possible to state unequivocally that a collaborative, respectful and informed society can live within the laws and functions of the biosphere in Australia, and without the risks associated with coarse grained, commercially driven and often unsustainable landuse patterns of the past.

There is one small caveat. We must get on with the job of moving to a human environment paradigm that secures water, soil, food and community wellbeing in well selected local landscapes with increased self-sufficiency and resilience in the light of predictable change.

We must sterilise the insidious virus of ‘disaster’ and ‘blame’ filled language, superficial commentary and throw away

lines that is pervasive in mainstream commercial and social media. This is unhelpful and counterproductive: as are the inane justifications and falsehoods floated by commentators seeking to add their own spark and ignite debate.

Let’s get rid of the ‘flame blame’ and give full credit to the men and women who consistently place at risk (and lose) their own lives for the health and wellbeing of many others.

In doing so we will be free to collaborate, to recover landscape hydrology and ecosystem functions in urban areas, peri-urban areas and other highly modified landscapes and move to a viable watered landscape and redevelopment model for our society. This is a direct action that will significantly increase the biomass in anthropocentric landscapes and help reduce the heat load on the planet. It will require leadership that is currently missing in policy, investment and all levels of government across Australia.

Most importantly it will enable us as a caring and fair society to provide meaningful choices for people otherwise compelled to live in at-risk landscapes.

Will we, like many of our elected representatives, look to a God for guidance in the blame game when our failure to act as a mature society leads to catastrophic loss of life and destruction on our own soil?

Stunning weather, a bumper crowd and great racing were some of the highlights of the recent Orica Mick Chapman Memorial Criterium at Newcastle’s Honeysuckle Precinct on Sunday 27th October.

Three-time Tour de France green jersey winner and Orica-GreenEDGE technical advisor, Robbie McEwen, was the headline act lived up to his reputation by taking out first place in the Division 1 Race.

Other highlights included the Anytime Fitness Expo which featured a mixture of exhibitors all keen to pass on the message about fitness, eating well and cycling. Other exhibitors included the Tom Farrell Institute with their messages on clean energy plus exhibitors of upcoming fitness events like the ‘Loop The Lake’ and fun runs with H Events.

Overall a huge success with health and fitness of the Hunter brought front of mind.

Wrap-up from the Mick Chapman Memorial Criteriumby Kim Simpson, Business Development Manager, Hunter Prostate Cancer Alliance

11 – 17 November 2013REV LUTI NRECYCLINGJOIN THE

1300 733 712

AssociateSponsors

RecyclingWeek.PlanetArk.org

Available to residents of the Newcastle Local Government Area only. *To be eligible for the free offer, you must book and attend the Home Composting and Worm Farming workshop. One compost bin or worm farm per household and only available to households who have not previously taken up this offer.These workshops are funded through the NSW Government’s Waste & Sustainability Improvement Payment program.

PLACES ARE LIMITED. BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL ON 4974 2863.

Free Sustainable Living WorkshopsHome Composting and Worm Farming

Find out how you can make quality fertiliser from your kitchen scraps and garden waste.

You’ll learn how to set up a compost bin or worm farm, what you can put in them, and how to overcome common problems.

Plus take home a FREE compost bin or worm farm!*

Saturday 23 November, 1pm - 2.15pm Warabrook Community Centre

Food Preserving including Lacto-Fermentation

Preserving is a simple way of enjoying seasonal fruits and vegetables year-round, especially those you have bought in bulk on special or harvested from your garden. Using everyday items found in your kitchen, find out how easy it is to bottle fruits and sauces and to make jam and dried foods, such as fruit leathers and sun-dried tomatoes. We will also cover how to use lacto-fermentation, a process that requires neither canning or vinegar, to prepare foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi and pickles. Ages 16+.

Saturday 23 November, 10am - noon Warabrook Community Centre

The Tom Farrell Institute is run by a small but dedicated team to foster regional solutions for a sustainable future.

For all enquiries, please contact theofficeon0249215700,oremailbelinda.mcnab@newcastle.edu.au or check out our website at www.newcastle.edu.au/tfi

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our supporters, volunteers and friends and family a very happy holiday season, and a very merry Christmas. Thank you for all your support over 2013 and we look forward to working together with youin2014.

TFI Newsletter - University of Newcastle · 2013-11-07 · 1 TFI Newsletter Spring 2013 Arid...

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