tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75843012952257355802024-03-13T14:18:29.105+11:00The GleanerGleaning, retrieval, resourcingBrigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-74731279661646391232015-04-23T06:29:00.000+10:002015-04-23T06:35:49.310+10:00Disposition before acquisition --- please consider<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CsdKcTu2kJs/VTf-L_XhQ7I/AAAAAAAAamc/Fna_MejJQaE/s1600/Cartoon%2B-%2Bshopping%2Blist.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CsdKcTu2kJs/VTf-L_XhQ7I/AAAAAAAAamc/Fna_MejJQaE/s1600/Cartoon%2B-%2Bshopping%2Blist.png" height="320" width="195" /></a>What does your shopping list look like? Whether its clothes or groceries or furniture and furnishings, the motto should be <i><span style="color: red;"><b><u>Consider Disposition before Acquisition</u></b></span>. </i><br />
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In short, as we make a decision to purchase we should be considering what to do with all the stuff we acquire after we have finished with it?<br />
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What do we really need? <br />
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On the shopping list on the left, all that is necessary is the fruit and vegetables. And as for that category, there can be a great deal of culling if we grow our own. <br />
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I am a renter and so have my limitations with gardening. Almost all of it is done in pots - and I have a wide definition of what is a pot. Irrespective of size or what it is made of, it is surprising what can be a pot. In my yard, I have the sort of pots one buys at Bunnings, old saucepans and pots, a watering can, pallets lined with weed matting, storage jars, storage crates, a Woolworths shopping basket, and there are the pots I 'acquire' - from others' throw aways mostly. <br />
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I love a good forage among my herbs and veges in preparation for the evening meal. And I don't stop at what is in the pots. You see, I take an interest in <a href="http://www.survival.org.au/bushfood_weeds.php">edible weeds</a> - particularly dock and plantain.<br />
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And if I have fruit and vegetable waste? That's easy - a no brainer, in fact. Things like onion peels and citrus skins and crushed eggshells go in the compost (and I add, through the compost's life span, stuff like lime and blood and bone to my compost). The other stuff - the vegetable peels, skins, cores etc - go into my busy farm of red wriggler worms who convert the stuff into worm poo and worm juice which goes back to the garden. <br />
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This way my food waste becomes beneficial</div>
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and part of an on-going cycle of life and death.</div>
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Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-51649330858218922992015-04-16T13:57:00.000+10:002015-04-16T13:57:38.978+10:00Oceans: Plastic, our waste, is killing turtles<div align="center">
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Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/denis.wilson.507">Denis Wilson</a> on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/denis.wilson.507/posts/10153779260439829">Wednesday, 15 April 2015</a></blockquote>
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Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-25982708405355878852015-04-15T14:37:00.002+10:002015-04-15T14:37:59.968+10:00Waste and wastefulness: a turn around is needed - and a remembrance of lives past<div align="center">
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Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-18539474235060510372015-04-13T09:17:00.000+10:002015-04-13T09:17:24.526+10:00Plastic Planet : learn about the impact we are having on our planet and its creatures by our use of and waste of plastic<div align="center">
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Plastic Planet is on at the <a href="http://creswicknc.org.au/">Creswick Neighbourhood Centre</a></div>
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on Monday 27 April from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.</div>
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Car pool meeting place at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/savecivichall">Ballarat Civic Hall</a> Carpark - 6pm</div>
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Donaton $10 to cover venue hire AND delicious vegan meal.</div>
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Hosted by</div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ballarat-Climate-Action-2015/1422025221367818">Ballarat Climate Action 2015</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BallaratGreens">Ballarat Greens</a></div>
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Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-52425675326163472352015-04-10T17:03:00.001+10:002015-04-10T17:03:33.307+10:00Recycling : Container deposit scheme<span style="color: #38761d;"><i><b>From Greenpeace:</b></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>
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<span style="outline-style: none;">The benefits and, well, benefits! Your 11-step guide to effective recycling in Australia</span></h1>
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Plastic trash is a problem all over the world. Many bottles and cans do get recycled, but billions don’t, so they end up in landfill, on our beaches, in our oceans, parks and other public spaces.</div>
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In Australia around 15 billion drink bottles and cans are consumed every year and fewer than half of these are recycled. In fact every single minute in Australia 15,000 bottles and cans are littered or thrown into landfill.</div>
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Many countries like Germany, Norway, Finland and Canada, states throughout the USA, as well as South Australia, have found a way to keep recycling rates at over 90% by offering a simple refund on bottles and cans returned at <a class="zoom" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZwEtbPC3fxo" style="background: url(http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/Templates/Planet3/Styles/images/bg-zoom.gif) 100% 2px no-repeat; color: #467f0d; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline-style: none; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">cost efficient “reverse vending machines”</a> scattered around towns and cities.</div>
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So why can’t the rest of Australia follow suit? The trouble is, some parts of the Australian beverage industry are actively campaigning against this scheme, primarily Coca-Cola who say it’s “too complicated” and expensive for consumers.</div>
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Here are the facts you need to know:</h2>
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<li style="color: #0e0f0e; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 18px; outline-style: none;"><strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">It is not a tax</strong>. It’s a fully refundable 10 cent deposit returned to consumers when they give back their used bottles and cans for recycling. And overhead costs in a modern scheme are more than paid for by unredeemed deposits and the sale of the recycled materials.</li>
<li style="color: #0e0f0e; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 18px; outline-style: none;"><strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Councils and taxpayers will save money</strong>. <a class="zoom" href="http://www.lgnsw.org.au/key-initiatives/container-deposits" style="background: url(http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/Templates/Planet3/Styles/images/bg-zoom.gif) 100% 2px no-repeat; color: #467f0d; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline-style: none; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">An independent study</a> has shown that councils could be $183 million better off under a national Cash for Containers scheme. That means more money for other council services.</li>
<li style="color: #0e0f0e; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 18px; outline-style: none;"><strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Recycling rates will rise</strong>. Cash for Containers schemes lead to rates of recycling of 80-95% and above. South Australia’s rate is nearly twice that of the rest of the country. No other recycling system around the world is proven to achieve this.</li>
<li style="color: #0e0f0e; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 18px; outline-style: none;"><strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Litter and plastic pollution will fall</strong>. Groups like <a class="zoom" href="http://www.cleanup.org.au/au/Whatelsewesupport/container-desposit-snapshot.html" style="background: url(http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/Templates/Planet3/Styles/images/bg-zoom.gif) 100% 2px no-repeat; color: #467f0d; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline-style: none; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">Clean Up Australia</a> who are dedicated to cleaning up litter have <a class="pdf" href="http://www.cleanup.org.au/files/national-final.pdf" style="background: url(http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/Templates/Planet3/Styles/images/pdf-icon.gif) 100% 2px no-repeat; color: #467f0d; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline-style: none; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">repeatedly seen</a> that litter rates of bottles and cans are much, much lower in South Australia. This includes less rubbish on our beaches which ends up in our oceans.</li>
<li style="color: #0e0f0e; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 18px; outline-style: none;"><strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Not all industry is opposed</strong>. Coca-Cola and its industry group the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) are vocal in their opposition to Cash for Containers. But other beverage companies have actively supported the scheme in South Australia and Northern Territory, including companies like Fosters and Diageo.</li>
<li style="color: #0e0f0e; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 18px; outline-style: none;"><strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">It would be a massive boost for the recycling industry.</strong> Recycling companies expect to invest <a class="zoom" href="http://www.envirobank.com.au/news/international-investment-australian-recycling" style="background: url(http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/Templates/Planet3/Styles/images/bg-zoom.gif) 100% 2px no-repeat; color: #467f0d; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline-style: none; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">$500 million dollars and create 3,000 jobs</a> in Australia if Cash for Containers goes national. </li>
<li style="color: #0e0f0e; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 18px; outline-style: none;"><strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Fewer animals will die of starvation</strong>. The link here mightn’t be as clear, but two-thirds of Australian seabirds are affected by plastic pollution <a class="zoom" href="http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/3583576.htm" style="background: url(http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/Templates/Planet3/Styles/images/bg-zoom.gif) 100% 2px no-repeat; color: #467f0d; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline-style: none; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">and around 25% of this comes from the beverage industry</a>. Seabirds, turtles and some whales mistake bottle tops and other bits of floating plastic debris for food, so when they swallow too much their stomachs are too full of plastic to ingest real food. They <a class="zoom" href="http://www.midwayfilm.com/" style="background: url(http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/Templates/Planet3/Styles/images/bg-zoom.gif) 100% 2px no-repeat; color: #467f0d; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline-style: none; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">literally starve to death on a full stomach</a>.</li>
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Coke’s four-step strategy to crush our “Stop Coca-Cola trashing Australia” campaign has been to:</div>
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<li style="color: #0e0f0e; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 18px; outline-style: none;"><strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Over-complicate</strong> the issue</li>
<li style="color: #0e0f0e; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 18px; outline-style: none;"><strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Deny</strong> the gravity of Australia’s recycling problem</li>
<li style="color: #0e0f0e; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 18px; outline-style: none;"><strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Scare</strong> consumers into believing beverage costs will skyrocket</li>
<li style="color: #0e0f0e; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 18px; outline-style: none;">Propose a<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;"> half-baked and inadequate alternative </strong>of putting more bins in the street.</li>
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Greenpeace is, and always has been, advocating for what’s good for the future of our planet.<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">That’s why we believe Australians should be able to access the most effective and proven recycling scheme in the world.</strong> After all, public polls have found that 82% of Australians want a national Cash for Containers scheme.</div>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Read on below for your definitive guide to Coke’s claims about effective recycling in Australia.</strong></div>
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Myth #1: There is no problem. We already have high recycling rates in Australia</h2>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Coke says</strong>: <em style="outline-style: none;">“Things are moving in the right direction. Under the current industry driven schemes, Australia's packaging recycling rate has increased from 39% in 2003 to 63% in just eight years.”</em></div>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Reality</strong>: Packaging recovery overall has increased largely due to buoyant markets and demand for used cardboard. The recycling rate for beverage containers (Coca-Cola’s core business) is still abysmally low in Australia at around 30-40%. The exception is South Australia which recycles over 80% of beverage containers and of course has a well-established Cash for Containers system.</div>
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Myth #2: Industry leads recycling efforts</h2>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Reality</strong>: Coca-Cola and other beverage producers have a miniscule impact on recycling rates as the collection and processing, of used packaging is undertaken by local councils paid by ratepayers. Similarly, it is local councils and not the beverage producers that fund ongoing, day to day, litter collection; and of course it’s the valiant efforts of hundreds of thousands of Australian’s on Clean Up Australia day every year and other similar community efforts.</div>
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Myth #3: Coke cares about recycling</h2>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Coke says</strong>: <em style="outline-style: none;">“Our engagement on the issue means that we do have views about the best way to achieve improvement and that at times we disagree with some proposed solutions. But let's be clear we share the same objective of doing more.”</em></div>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Reality</strong>: Coca-Cola says it “shares the [same] objective of doing more” – so long as this doesn’t place an obligation on them to engage in the ongoing recovery of used containers. The current National Bin Network is just such an example. The industry would fund for initial bins and the ongoing liability for collection and transport. But processing is allocated to public facility owners or local councils. Coke <a class="zoom" href="http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2013/03/05/318262_ntnews.html" style="background: url(http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/Templates/Planet3/Styles/images/bg-zoom.gif) 100% 2px no-repeat; color: #467f0d; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline-style: none; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">took the NT Government to court</a> over its Cash for Containers scheme and ran misleading campaigns calling it a ‘tax’.</div>
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Myth #4: Existing kerbside system does a good job and a Container Deposit Scheme will undermine this program</h2>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Coke says</strong>: <em style="outline-style: none;">“Today, many Australians use our world-class kerbside recycling scheme: more than 90% of homes have access to recycling and approximately two thirds of cans and bottles are recycled at home.” They also say that Cash for Containers is “inefficient, very expensive and would undermine the system that works well - kerbside recycling."</em></div>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Reality</strong>: The idea that a container deposit scheme would undermine street recycling is blatantly wrong. Local governments and shires support Cash for Containers precisely because it will save them money – and this means rate payers’ money will be freed up for other important services. <a class="zoom" href="http://www.lgnsw.org.au/key-initiatives/container-deposits" style="background: url(http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/Templates/Planet3/Styles/images/bg-zoom.gif) 100% 2px no-repeat; color: #467f0d; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline-style: none; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">A report for the NSW</a> Local Government & Shires Association showed that in NSW, councils would save between $63-183m per annum.. Every major report for environment ministers <a class="pdf" href="http://www.scew.gov.au/publications/pubs/packaging-impacts/att-c-cost-benefit-analysis-report.pdf" style="background: url(http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/Templates/Planet3/Styles/images/pdf-icon.gif) 100% 2px no-repeat; color: #467f0d; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline-style: none; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">has demonstrated a net benefit to local councils</a> of a container deposit scheme. In dozens of places around the world kerbside and container deposit recycling schemes exist happily alongside one another.</div>
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Myth #5: Cash for Containers encourages “scavenging” and is a supplement to the welfare system</h2>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Coke says</strong>:<em style="outline-style: none;"> “Some people argue that [the 10 cent refund] is a supplement to the welfare system by providing income to people who scavenge bottles and cans from bins. Some say it could help charitable groups with fundraising and provides pocket money for the kids. It promotes more recycling and less litter of bottles and cans and enables a network of drop-off facilities to be established for returning product.”</em></div>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Reality</strong>: Some of this is true, but not all. Cash for Container schemes are proven to help the community sector. In South Australia for example, a Scouts owned operation turns over $22 million every year with profits ploughed back into camps, equipment and membership subsidies. It’s a no brainer that people who want to make some money would collect any discarded containers for the deposit, virtually eradicating this consistent litter problem.</div>
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Myth #6: The problem is that consumers don’t pay 10 cents</h2>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Coke says</strong>:<em style="outline-style: none;"> “…as the Northern Territory experience has shown, under a Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) they pay up to 20 cents more per drink, because the cost of running the extensive infrastructure needs to be paid for and inevitably is passed on to consumers.”</em></div>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Reality</strong>: The Boomerang Alliance has been advocating for ‘Cash for Containers’ for years. They undertook <a class="pdf" href="http://www.boomerangalliance.org.au/images/pdfs/final%20profiteering%20report%20282012-1.pdf" style="background: url(http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/Templates/Planet3/Styles/images/pdf-icon.gif) 100% 2px no-repeat; color: #467f0d; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline-style: none; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">analysis of the Northern Territory scheme</a> and found that Coca Cola, Lion and Schweppes (the companies that took the NT Government to court) <strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">were profiting from the scheme by overcharging consumers</strong>, as well as running very inefficient operations. It also showed that other beverage companies were not price gouging and did not raise their prices above the 10 cent deposit.</div>
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Myth #7: It hasn’t worked in the NT</h2>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Coke says</strong>: <em style="outline-style: none;">“It’s worth noting that after 12 months of Container Deposit Scheme, Northern Territory recycling rates are well below the Australian average, with only one in every three containers currently being recycled.”</em></div>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Reality</strong>: This is completely misleading. <a class="zoom" href="http://newsroom.nt.gov.au/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewRelease&id=10860&d=5" style="background: url(http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/Templates/Planet3/Styles/images/bg-zoom.gif) 100% 2px no-repeat; color: #467f0d; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline-style: none; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">Northern Territory recycling rates doubled in the first 12 months</a> of operation with more than 52 million containers recycled. This is consistent with rates around the world as new schemes are implemented. The NT scheme was on track to continue to raise recycling rates further and should reach the expected 80% within about 18 months.</div>
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Myth #8: It’s too expensive</h2>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Coke says</strong>: <em style="outline-style: none;">“…it’s not just industry that says a CDS costs money - the Council of Australian Governments found the cost of a national CDS to the economy would be between $1.4 and $1.76 billion.”</em></div>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Reality</strong>: This “cost” of $1.7 billion is complete spin. The actual financial impact on producers and passed through to consumers – as a result of the <a class="pdf" href="http://www.boomerangalliance.org.au/images/pdfs/ba%20future%20fund%20v2%203%20final%20smallest.pdf" style="background: url(http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/Templates/Planet3/Styles/images/pdf-icon.gif) 100% 2px no-repeat; color: #467f0d; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline-style: none; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">Boomerang Alliance’s model</a> and its handling fee for recycling – is <a class="pdf" href="http://www.boomerangalliance.org.au/images/pdfs/cd%20costs%20final.pdf" style="background: url(http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/Templates/Planet3/Styles/images/pdf-icon.gif) 100% 2px no-repeat; color: #467f0d; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline-style: none; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">estimated to be zero</a>. This is because the small fee is offset through the application of unredeemed deposits and sale of material.</div>
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This ‘economic impact’ is made up of two figures: the amount of economic activity generated and the value of people’s time to recycle taken over a 20 year period. Most of this figure is private sector investment in new recycling depots and processing equipment, but the remainder is literally your time to wash bottles and recycle with a monetary value placed against them. All studies show that consumers are ‘willing’ to support this activity.</div>
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Take housing developments as a comparison. If it “cost” $1.7 billion it would be seen as positive economic activity, creating jobs and investment; so it is with the national Cash for Containers proposal.</div>
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Myth #9: Cash for Containers will see the cost of living rise for families</h2>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Coke says</strong>: <em style="outline-style: none;">“Modeling has shown that a CDS is likely to raise the cost of an average household grocery basket by 1.35% - double government estimates of the inflationary impact of Australia’s carbon price on grocery bills. It is therefore a significant – and permanent – increase in the cost of necessities, coming at a time when many families cannot afford it.”</em></div>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Reality</strong>: <a href="https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CC4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.afgc.org.au%2Fdoc-library%2Fcategory%2F9-packaging-recycling.html%3Fdownload%3D770%253Anational-cds-shopping-basket-impacts&ei=dO-eUan6EOnwiAeGjoHYBQ&usg=AFQjCNF43VYu3STSwIOXskhyU-YVd4VK_w&bvm=bv.47008514,d.aGc" style="color: #467f0d; font-stretch: normal; outline-style: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">This report by ACIL Tasman economists</a> and commissioned by the AFGC was described by a Senate inquiry as “based on poor data and methodology’. It includes absurd assumptions such as: all product prices would rise by 20 cents (they didn’t in the NT); no consumers would return their used container for the refund; there would be a ‘handling’ fee of up to 10 cents (which would make it higher than the most expensive handling fee in the world). It is completely flawed and represents a gross manifestation of the political and public fear campaign Coca Cola and its allies are attempting to wage.</div>
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Myth #10: The community doesn’t really want Cash for Containers</h2>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Coke says</strong>: <em style="outline-style: none;">“Eighty-seven percent of those surveyed initially supported container deposits, which fell to 75% (still strong) when made aware of cost impacts. However, when offered the alternative of being able to recycle “out and about”, those surveyed eagerly embraced it. Sixty-eight percent supported "out and about" recycling systems, while 26% still preferred a CDS (6% remained unsure).”</em></div>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Reality:</strong> Coca-Cola’s community ‘survey’ was an example of push polling, where it presented respondents with a series of negative images and associations of a CDS scheme and tried to represent their findings as facts. <a class="zoom" href="http://www.boomerangalliance.org.au/cash-for-containers/cash-media/91-newspoll-results-reveal-overwhelming-support-for-deposits-on-bottles-and-cans.html" style="background: url(http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/Templates/Planet3/Styles/images/bg-zoom.gif) 100% 2px no-repeat; color: #467f0d; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline-style: none; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">Newspoll surveys</a> for the Boomerang Alliance consistently shows over 80% support for a national CDS scheme and in South Australia, where the community have day-to-day experience of the scheme over 30 years - the support is 98% for its existing deposit / refund.</div>
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Myth #11: Coca-Cola has an alternative</h2>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Coke says</strong>: <em style="outline-style: none;">“<a class="zoom" href="http://nationalbinnetwork.com.au/" style="background: url(http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/Templates/Planet3/Styles/images/bg-zoom.gif) 100% 2px no-repeat; color: #467f0d; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; outline-style: none; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">The National Bin Network</a> (NBN) we propose is a comprehensive industry plan to reduce litter and increase recycling. It includes the installation of recycling bins in major venues throughout Australia,”</em></div>
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<strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">Reality</strong>: Coke’s so-called ‘alternative’ to a Cash for Containers scheme to is to install more bins (LOTS of bins) with the aim of making it easier for people to recycle their rubbish. The trouble is, this National Bin Network would only be<a class="zoom" href="http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/state-government-gives-kentucky-fried-chickent-40000-to-install-recycling-bins-at-43-queensland-stores/story-e6freon6-1226622836690" style="background: url(http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/Templates/Planet3/Styles/images/bg-zoom.gif) 100% 2px no-repeat; color: #467f0d; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline-style: none; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"> installed in places like shopping centres and main streets</a>, <strong style="color: #333333; outline-style: none;">but not on beaches, parks and other places where plastic pollution is having deadly effects on marine life</strong>. It doesn’t take an expert to see that it doesn’t make much sense.</div>
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If Coke wants to pay for more bins, that’s great. They should also offer to pay for the emptying of these bins which is actually much more costly and is paid for by us, the taxpayers, through local councils. And they should drop their opposition to Cash for Containers.</div>
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Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-34011143718851587572015-04-08T08:18:00.000+10:002015-04-08T08:18:18.829+10:00A hell of our own wasteful making - hidden away in a dark corner of the world<div align="center">
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'Green' Technology it is not: </blockquote>
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"I’d seen some photos before I left for Inner Mongolia, but nothing prepared me for the...<br />
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Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-34544974043228197622015-02-26T11:02:00.003+11:002015-02-26T11:02:46.229+11:00Consumers are willing to do the right thing - but are the large beverage corporations prepared to come to the party!<h1 class="title" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Thanks to <a href="http://insidefmcg.com.au/">Inside FMCG</a> for this info!</span></i></h1>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Good onya, <a href="http://www.sodastream.com.au/">Soda Stream</a> - but, at the risk of being seen to be cheeky, you would go for this wouldn't you. Because, as far as I am aware, none of your products come in cans or commercial soft drink bottles.</span></i></h1>
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SodaStream supports recycling scheme</h1>
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<span class="devis-icon icon-date" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span> February 24, 2015-Inside FMCG</div>
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<a href="http://insidefmcg.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/558596_10362448.jpg" style="background: 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #9e1717; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="558596_10362448" class="size-full wp-image-1004 alignright" height="304" src="http://insidefmcg.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/558596_10362448.jpg" style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; float: right; height: auto; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" width="409" /></a></div>
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While beverage industry giants continue to remain silent in response to the weekend’s NSW Government election promise to introduce a state wide beverage container <a href="http://insidefmcg.com.au/2015/02/23/baird-firm-nsw-recycling-scheme/" style="background: 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #9e1717; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">recycling scheme,</a>SodaStream, has come forward in full support of the move.</div>
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“Not only is there overwhelming community support for the NSW Government’s recycling scheme there should be more support from the beverage industry to ensure that full responsibility is being taken for the products they place into consumer’s hands,” SodaStream’s MD for Australia, Myles Anceschi, said.</div>
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“It is great to hear that there have been significant discussions with the beverage industry in the lead up to the announcement of the proposed scheme and it would be even better to see individual brands within the sector publically showing their support to take responsibility for their products particularly as they have been so opposed to such a scheme for decades,”</div>
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The NSW government plans to put at least 800 reverse vending machines at popular beaches, parks, and public spaces by July 1, 2017.</div>
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The technology works by giving people a deposit, a slip of paper, when they put a container in the machine.</div>
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“Consumers are willing and ready to recycle and do the right thing, it’s time that some of the biggest brands in the beverage industry did more than just encourage recycling, but actually incentivise it,”Anceschi said.</div>
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Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-23475847614913491382015-02-12T08:37:00.000+11:002015-02-12T08:37:44.875+11:00Compost produces an elegant beauty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Cross-posted with <a href="http://tradpad.blogspot.com/">The Trad Pad</a></i><br />
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My compost bin is, at the moment, half full. I sometimes leave the lid off to catch a bit of rain. On my last visit to the bin, this is what I found.<br />
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My friend Alida said: <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 15.1272716522217px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i>They're very pretty, but I do suggest your compost needs more nitrogenous material so bacteria grow as well. This seems to have too much carbohydrate in it. Add manures if you can, or fresh green waste. And turn it.</i></span><br />
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I said no to the manure. A couple of inches below these beautiful things is a couple of inches of horse manure. I did say yes to the turning. Will see to that.<br />
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My friend, Denis, of <a href="http://peonyden.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Nature of Robertson</a> has identified the fungi for me. The elegant black and white mushrooms are <a href="https://www.google.com.au/search?q=Coprinus+calyptratus&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=u8bbVOPBMuahmQX5-ICIBQ&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1093&bih=465" target="_blank">Coprinus calyptratus</a>. The small white hooded ones are the young of the species.<br />
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<br />Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-29870348113206885472014-08-08T15:44:00.000+10:002014-08-08T15:44:31.362+10:00Talina Edwards, Substainability Architect - Green Drinks at Mr Rede's - Knowledge Hub and Ballarat Bloggers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last night was our monthly fix of Green Drinks.</div>
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Our speaker was Talina Edwards</div>
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who, to-morrow, is Mistress of Ceremonies</div>
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at the</div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/249180301943407/?fref=ts">Knowledge Hub</a> of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/BallaratBloggers/?fref=ts">Ballarat Bloggers</a>.</div>
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<span style="color: #e06666;"><i><a href="http://talinaedwards.com/">Find out more about Talina and her work here.</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Study nature, love nature,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">stay close to nature.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">It will never fail you.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Frank Lloyd Wright</i></b></span></div>
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Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-86646052186169175502014-08-08T11:43:00.000+10:002014-08-08T11:43:46.204+10:00Concern about chemicals. Is the concern only in relation to the bomb-making brigade? Do chemicals of environmental threat get the same concern from the Attorney-General? <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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We don't often talk about chemicals. Well, we do talk about some chemicals - fluoride, vaccinations, safe consumer products. There is tucked away in the Commonwealth Department of Health an agency with the cute name of <a href="http://www.nicnas.gov.au/home">NICNAS - the <b>N</b>ational <b>I</b>ndustrial <b>C</b>hemicals <b>N</b>otification and <b>A</b>ssesment <b>S</b>cheme</a>.<br />
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However, the Attorney-General has some concerns.<br />
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The Australian Attorney-General is Senator <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Brandis">George Brandis</a>. It needs to be noted that George, a libertarian of some note, has not been travelling to well politically this week.<br />
<a href="http://goo.gl/PaGtWF">http://goo.gl/PaGtWF</a><br />
<a href="http://goo.gl/EVKxqY">http://goo.gl/EVKxqY</a><br />
<a href="http://goo.gl/1l69Mw">http://goo.gl/1l69Mw</a><br />
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The Attorney-General - well, his department actually - wants to receive submissions up to August 27, 2014. <a href="http://www.chemicalsecurity.gov.au/ris">Please for here for details of what is required and how a submission can be made. </a><br />
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I have no opinion on this because I don't know what the existing situation is. So I have no idea whether this matter can lead to an overreach or it might lead to sensible and necessary regulation.<br />
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I am concerned though - because George has background and form.<br />
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The Abbott Government of which George is a member seems to want over-reaching freedoms of a most dastardly kind for their friends such as employer organisations and wealthy institutions while cracking down in many ways on lesser mortals. So until someone well-qualified advises me otherwise, I am suspicious.<br />
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I am more concerned about the adverse impact on the environment and living species of manufactured chemicals. I wonder if George shares my concern. Again, a well-qualified adviser might like to enter into converse with me on this matter.<br />
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<br />Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-22459762905356285442014-08-08T10:56:00.000+10:002014-08-08T10:56:49.065+10:00Travelling light in a world of increasing consumption<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
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<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5519/1183/1600/Live%20simply%204.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5519/1183/320/Live%20simply%204.jpg" height="622" style="float: right; height: 176px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 181px;" width="640" /></a>This has come to me from <a href="http://jonnybaker.blogs.com/jonnybaker/">jonny baker's</a> blog. I think it is wonderful.<br />
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<em>If you don't own the latest thing,</em></div>
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<em>it won't go out of date. </em></div>
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<em>If you don't own much, </em></div>
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<em>you won't have much to lose. </em></div>
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<em>If you own next to nothing,</em></div>
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<em>you won't worry about ending up with nothing. </em></div>
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<em>If you own less than you want, </em></div>
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<em>you will still have more than you need. </em></div>
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<em>If you spend less money on things, </em></div>
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<em>you can spend more time on you. </em></div>
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<em>If you own less, you will value it more. </em></div>
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<em>If you own only what you can carry,</em></div>
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<em>you will carry less baggage around with you.<br />Travel light. </em></div>
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Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-83260917155179325282014-08-04T14:17:00.000+10:002014-08-04T14:17:55.412+10:00Art, Waste and Consumption<h1 class="title" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 32px; line-height: 36px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; max-width: 900px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">
How Abstract Art Can Change The Way You See Waste And Consumption In America</h1>
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<span class="thirdparty-logo" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Huffington Post </span><span class="name fn" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.9375em; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> | By <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/priscilla-frank/" rel="author" sl-processed="1" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #999999; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Priscilla Frank</a></span></div>
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If you're a human being who goes on the internet or wanders outdoors from time to time, you know this is a precarious time for planet Earth. While often the message is delivered in the forms of alarming headlines or dire infographics, we rarely see a call for conservation that looks as beautiful as this:</div>
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<span class="posted" style="border-right-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-right-style: solid; border-width: 0px 1px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="brian" src="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1916765/thumbs/o-BRIAN-570.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; display: inline-block; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /></span></div>
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Brian Belott, Clooz</div>
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<span class="posted" style="border-right-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-right-style: solid; border-width: 0px 1px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">This colorful abstract image isn't your typical illustration of consumption and waste, but the mixed media assemblage of reused materials certainly strikes a chord. It offers no scolding, no morals, no parting principles. But something about the image sticks -- a suggestion of waste's beauty, of its potential and ours.</span></span></div>
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<span class="posted" style="border-right-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-right-style: solid; border-width: 0px 1px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">'Posted: <time datetime="2014-07-21T09:15:54-04:00" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">07/21/2014 9:15 am EDT </time></span><span class="updated" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Updated: <time datetime="2014-07-22T11:59:04-04:00" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">07/22/2014 11:59 am EDT</time></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/21/save-it-for-later-sotheby_n_5597312.html?&">For more please go here</a></div>
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Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-80787522263096644982014-05-09T09:05:00.001+10:002014-05-09T09:05:51.774+10:00From the late great Pete Seeger - how we should use stuff, how we should manage stuff, how we should continue the life of stuff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LpIApWBYDws/U2wNGlXrOhI/AAAAAAAAY5c/czAc1JCk47Y/s1600/Peter+Seeger+-+reuse+recycle+sayiung.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LpIApWBYDws/U2wNGlXrOhI/AAAAAAAAY5c/czAc1JCk47Y/s1600/Peter+Seeger+-+reuse+recycle+sayiung.png" height="544" width="640" /></a></div>
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Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-42179800425079089052014-05-03T08:12:00.000+10:002014-05-03T08:12:47.137+10:00Buy, Make, Thrift, Swap, Borrow, Use What You Have<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Photo: This is from the story of stuff . Love it!" height="640" src="https://scontent-a-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t31.0-8/p843x403/1519810_10152089114392875_2044580454368980596_o.jpg" width="618" /></div>
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<i>If you haven't come across Maslow's Hierearch of Needs before,</i></div>
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<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs">please go here</a></i></div>
Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-17550365028200295052013-08-26T09:04:00.000+10:002013-08-26T09:06:33.899+10:00Govt strategies make boring reading - but to make change one has to begin at the beginning, as the King said in Alice in WonderlandHere is the Waste Strategy for Ballarat, the city where I live. I know it looks boring but what I would like to know is - do you think it does the trick? Does it help people to REALLY know how and what to recycle?
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Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-51602807623509730482013-08-20T12:24:00.000+10:002013-08-20T12:24:24.660+10:00Tackling food waste<div align="right">
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Dear Waste Wielders,</div>
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Sometimes it would be great to have a jet aircraft or time machine at one's beck and call. And if I had some marvellous free transport near at hand, I would be off to New York City for this event. Food, food waste, composting etc are topics of great interest to me. </div>
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It appears that a star-studded cast has been assembled for this <a href="http://foodtank.org/">foodtank</a> event.</div>
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I live in Ballarat - and I would love to have such an event with speakers of this calibre speaking here. Locally, if such an event were to take place in Ballarat, we might have some speakers to touch on the topics of the waste associated with the destruction of fruit trees because the processor won't give producers contracts; the waste if low supermarket prices drive dairy farmers from their farms or into other forms of food production.</div>
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There are three things that keeps us alive - clean air, clean water, fresh food. While we are working to alert the world to Climate Change and renewable energy, we ignore at our peril this trinity of basics. Included in this short list are the background issues - good, sound, productive soil; regulation of any interference or possible interference with the cleanliness and freshness of our air, water and food; the maintenance of fair livelihoods.</div>
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So can we have a big think and discussion about this?</div>
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Blessings from Miss Eagle ~~~</div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><em style="color: #666666; font-family: 'times new roman', times;">A very special evening discussion bringing together the New York City food movement for food waste awareness week. Hosted by <a href="http://www.foodtank.org/" style="color: #0f90ba; text-decoration: none;">Food Tank: The Food Think Tank</a></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><strong>Sept 19th 5:30PM t</strong></span><strong style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">o 7:30PM EST</strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 15px;">The Snapple Theater, </span><span style="line-height: 15px;">1627 Broadway, New York, NY, 10019</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Musical Guest:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jen_Chapin">Jen Chapin, singer/songwriter</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Speakers:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.wastedfood.com/">Jonathan Bloom, author of American Wasteland</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.law.harvard.edu/faculty/directory/11185/BroadLeib">Emily M. Broad Leib, Director of Food Law & Policy at Harvard Law School</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.cencom.org/ecom-prodshow/764.html">Mary Cleaver, the Green Table: Cleaver Company</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2013/08/new-york-citys-compost-state-of-mind-video.html">Christine Datz-Romero, Lower East Side Ecology Center</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.cityharvest.org/senior-staff">Kevin Duffy, City Harvest</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.usda.gov/oce/about_oce/leadership.htm">Elise Golan, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.nrdc.org/food/files/wasted-food-ip.pdf">Dana Gunders, Natural Resources Defense Counci</a>l </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.ediblemanhattan.com/author/bhalweil/">Brian Halweil, Edible Communities</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://dianehatz.com/">Diane Hatz, Change Food and Tedx Manhattan</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W2YfXiGfyM">Stephanie Hanson, One Acre Fund</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://foodtank.org/danielle-nierenberg">Danielle Nierenberg, Food Tank</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Nuttall">Nick Nuttall, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.ampleharvest.org/">Gary Oppenheimer, AmpleHarvest.org</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.feeding5k.org/">Tristram Stuart, Feeding the 5000</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">and many more to be announced soon!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Drinks and light snacks included!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">$25 donation. </span><span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Limited tickets available, <a href="https://foodtanknewyorkcity.eventbrite.com/" style="color: #e95c41; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">purchase now</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">If you have any questions, please call 202-590-1037 or email danielle@foodtank.org.</span></div>
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Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-27624053487798547732013-03-16T08:32:00.000+11:002013-03-16T08:32:00.098+11:00UN World Water Day 22 March 2013 - a reminder about water waste and what might be doneI know that many parts of the east coast of Australia have been too darn wet this year and for a while. Places like Bundaberg in Queensland are still suffering dreadfully from the effects of flood. Victoria is no longer either in flood nor is it experiencing drought. Vic only came out of a twelve year drought a couple of years ago. The people of Victoria learned not to waste water - even those living in Melbourne. While things are not as bad they were, there are indicators that we have drifted away somewhat from our water thrift. The comments below from Danielle Nierenberg will, I hope, serve to remind us about water waste as we come up to UN World Water Day on 22 March.<br />
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<tr><td style="margin: 0px;" valign="top" width="18"> </td><td align="left" style="color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px;" valign="top"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><strong>March 22, 2013</strong> <strong>is the 20th anniversary of World Water Day.</strong> In honor of this important anniversary, this week we are highlighting <strong>7 Strategies for Reducing Water Waste. </strong>Please visit the <a href="http://www.foodtank.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Food Tank website</a> each day over the next week for posts focused on innovations around water. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Although the earth has 1.4 billion cubic kilometers of water, only 0.001 percent of that</strong> <a href="http://www.barillacfn.com/en/position-paper/pp-water-management/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">is accessible for human consumption</a> and use<strong>.</strong> <strong>And </strong><strong>70 percent</strong> <strong>of water is used for agricultural purposes</strong>. In 2012, the United States experienced the <strong>most </strong><a href="http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/in-the-news/us-drought-2012-farm-and-food-impacts.aspx" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><strong>severe drought</strong></a><strong> in at least 25 years</strong> which, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), affected 80 percent of agricultural land in the country. Couple that with recent droughts in other parts of the world, <a href="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=41943&Cr=sahel&Cr1#.UTev-xlW2UF" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">most notably in the African Sahel</a>, and the urgency for action to safeguard water resources is clear.<br /><br />As water supplies face <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/05/the-coming-global-water-crisis/256896/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">mounting pressures</a> from growing populations, climate change, and an already troubled food system, analyses of “water wealth” and “<a href="http://www.unwater.org/TFsecurity.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">water security</a>” are laying the groundwork for future cooperation and stability. <strong>In order to meet all municipal, agricultural, and ecological needs for water, it is crucial to develop innovative water saving systems for the future of food production.</strong><br /><br /><strong>Here are seven strategies for reducing water waste in the food system:<br /><br />1. Eating Less Meat</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif;">According to Sandra Postel of the Global Water Policy Project, it takes roughly 3,000 liters of water to meet one person’s daily dietary needs, or approximately 1 liter per calorie. The amount of water needed to produce one kilogram of red meat can range from 13,000 to 43,000 liters of water; poultry requires about 3,500 liters of water; and pork needs about 6,000 liters. Eating more meatless meals, even one or two days a week, can help conserve water resources. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>2. Using intercropping, agroforestry, and cover crops</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif;">Soil health is critical to water conservation. Diversifying farms by including cover crops, planting trees on farms, and intercropping can help keep nutrients and water in the soil, protecting plants from drought and making sure that every drop of water delivered by rainfall or irrigation can be utilized.</span><br /><br /><strong>3. Implementing micro-irrigation</strong><br /><span style="font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif;">Approximately 60 percent of water used for irrigation is wasted. Drip irrigation methods can be more expensive to install, but can also be 33 percent to 40 percent more efficient, carrying water or fertilizers directly to plants’ roots. </span><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif;">4</span></strong><strong>. </strong><span style="font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Improving Rainwater Harvesting</strong></span><br />Since the 1980s, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute, farmers in Burkina Faso have been modifying traditional planting pits known as zai, making them deeper and wider and adding organic materials. As a result, the pits retain rainwater longer, helping farmers to increase yields even in years of low rainfall.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>5. </strong><b style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><strong>Using mobile technology to save water</strong></span></b><br />Santosh Ostwal is an innovator and entrepreneur in India who has developed a system that allows farmers to use mobile phones to turn their irrigation systems on and off remotely. This helps reduce the amount of water and electricity wasted on watering fields that are already saturated.</span><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif;">6. </span>Planting perennial crops</strong><br />Perennial crops protect the soil for a greater length of time than annual crops, which reduces water loss from runoff. According to a report from the Land Institute, "annual grain crops can lose five times as much water and 35 times as much nitrate as perennial crops."<br /><br /><strong>7. Practicing Soil Conservation</strong><br />Soil conservation techniques, including no-till farming, can help farmers to better utilize the water they have available. According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), studies have shown that no-till techniques improve water-retention capacity and improve water use efficiency in crops.<br /><br />Be sure to visit <a href="http://www.unwater.org/water-cooperation-2013/get-involved/en/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">the official World Water Day website</a> for more details about the day’s events, including activities in your community and tips for reducing your water footprint. You can also learn more about water issues from the <a href="http://www.barillacfn.com/en/position-paper/pp-water-management/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition</a>, the <a href="http://www.globalwaterpolicy.org/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Global Water Policy Project</a>, <a href="http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Food and Water Watch</a>, and the <a href="http://www.nrdc.org/water/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Natural Resources Defense Council</a> (NRDC).<br /><br /><strong>What do YOU think? What are the best ideas, studies, and on-the-ground innovations helping to conserve water? </strong><br /><br />Check out some of our newsletter articles below, reply to this email or call me, and please join the conversation on our <a href="http://www.foodtank.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">website</a>, on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/TheFoodTank" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, on <a href="https://twitter.com/DaniNierenberg" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, on <a href="http://pinterest.com/DNierenberg/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/107283596094324478261/posts" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Google+</a>, and on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/daniellenierenberg" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">YouTube</a></span></td><td style="margin: 0px;" valign="top" width="18"> </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">All the Best,</span></div>
<img alt="" src="http://gallery.mailchimp.com/af81786f650f3d9a402f0309e/images/signature.1.png" style="max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br /><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>Danielle Nierenberg</strong><br />Co-Founder, Food Tank: The Food Think Tank<br /><a href="http://www.foodtank.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.FoodTank.org</a><br /><strong alt="Follow us on Twitter" border="0" src="https://imgssl.constantcontact.com/ui/images1/ic_twit_36.png" title="Follow us on Twitter">Please connect with us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Food-Tank-The-Food-Think-Tank/357323844363744" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Facebook, </a> </strong><a href="https://twitter.com/DaniNierenberg" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><strong alt="Follow us on Twitter" border="0" title="Follow us on Twitter">Twitter, </strong></a><strong>and</strong> <strong><a href="http://pinterest.com/DNierenberg" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></strong></span></td></tr>
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Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-31903831154551247082013-03-03T07:41:00.000+11:002013-03-03T07:41:00.496+11:00Opportunities for keeping stormwater run0ff on site at Mt Evelyn<br />
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<i>Not exactly the sort of architecture you would see or want at Mt Evelyn</i></div>
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<i>but you get the drift of what is possible.</i></div>
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An Australian-first
initiative that encourages residents to use more of their stormwater
runoff at home is being proposed for parts of Mount Evelyn.<u></u><u></u></div>
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The
two year pilot, developed by <a href="http://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Home">Yarra Ranges Council</a> and <a href="http://www.melbournewater.com.au/Default.asp?bhcp=1">Melbourne Water</a>,
aims to dramatically reduce the amount of stormwater runoff and
pollution entering the <a href="http://www.urbanstreams.unimelb.edu.au/">Little Stringybark Creek</a>..<u></u><u></u></div>
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Yarra
Ranges Council has proposed an Environmental Significance Overlay to
apply to new developments in the Little Stringybark Creek catchment
which create additional hard surfaces, such as roofs or paving, that are
greater than 10 square metres.<u></u><u></u></div>
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Planning
approval will be conditional on the proponents finding options to
capture and treat more of their stormwater runoff onsite.<u></u><u></u></div>
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The
pilot program will encourage residents to capture their stormwater at
home and use it to flush their toilets, water their gardens and for
other non-drinking purposes around the home. It is a practical example
of how Integrated Water Cycle Management can be tailored to suit the
needs of local communities.<u></u><u></u></div>
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Throughout
the trial, all stormwater capture and treatment systems will be awarded
a stormwater retention score. Calculated by Melbourne Water, the score
will be based on the ability to treat and capture stormwater on site,
with a minimum score needed for new developments to proceed.<u></u><u></u></div>
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Treatment
options such as raingardens or rainwater tanks that go beyond the
minimum requirements may be eligible for partial or full reimbursement
by Melbourne Water. Households may also be eligible for Victorian
Government rebates through the Living Victoria Water Rebate Program.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AYJNcky_4fw" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
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Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-19513407216019529652013-03-02T07:16:00.000+11:002013-03-02T07:16:46.540+11:00From unmentionable human stuff to pellets of useful fertiliser<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HluQPBM5zGs/UTEJhAG8rAI/AAAAAAAANRw/muWgM8Q5WeA/s1600/biosolids-treatment-process.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HluQPBM5zGs/UTEJhAG8rAI/AAAAAAAANRw/muWgM8Q5WeA/s320/biosolids-treatment-process.jpg" width="525" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.biosolids.com.au/what-are-biosolids.php">Picture from here</a></div>
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The Minister for Water,
the Honourable Peter Walsh, MLA, has officially opened the $77 million
biosolids thermal drying facility at the Black Rock environmental
precinct in Connewarre. The ribbon-cutting completed a project that has
been more than 10 years in the making.<u></u><u></u></div>
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Every
day of the year, the Black Rock Water Reclamation Plant treats around
50 million litres of domestic and commercial sewage from the greater
Geelong region and creates almost 140 tonnes of biosolids. Biosolids
are nutrient-rich and make valuable fertiliser, but must be first dried
and turned into pellets.<u></u><u></u></div>
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The
biosolids drying facility was built by the Plenary Group and will be
operated by the Water Infrastructure Group. The $77 million project was
delivered within the Partnerships Victoria framework, an initiative of
the Victorian Government. <u></u><u></u></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TDZIYnNmUk4/UTEKcblWR3I/AAAAAAAANR4/01pViq03S3o/s1600/Peter+Walsh+opening+biosolids+treatment+plant+Geelong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TDZIYnNmUk4/UTEKcblWR3I/AAAAAAAANR4/01pViq03S3o/s400/Peter+Walsh+opening+biosolids+treatment+plant+Geelong.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Walsh_(Victorian_politician)">Water Minister Peter Walsh</a> with <a href="http://www.plenarygroup.com/">Plenary Group</a> Associate Director Carl Retschko </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">officially open the biosolids drying facility.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><b>Further reading</b></i></div>
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<a href="http://www.plenarygroup.com/news-and-media/news-articles-and-press-releases/2012/new-treatment-plant-turns-waste-into-jobs.html">Peter Walsh's Press Release</a></div>
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Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-30365439440974450332013-03-02T05:47:00.000+11:002013-03-02T08:24:52.124+11:00New York to begin municipal food waste collection for compost<div style="text-align: center;">
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<h1 class="story-header" itemprop="headline">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eLXlwyMvamA/UTD2ZfbLu7I/AAAAAAAANRY/C2ZD35_vsmc/s1600/Don't+waste+food.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eLXlwyMvamA/UTD2ZfbLu7I/AAAAAAAANRY/C2ZD35_vsmc/s320/Don't+waste+food.png" width="320" /></a>
Mayor Bloomberg announces compost program for Staten Island during State of the City speech</h1>
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In
a pilot program starting in Staten Island, homeowners will receive two
sealed-top bins, a large one for curbside collection and a smaller one
for their kitchens, and New York will pick up the scraps once a week,
using composting to turn them into fertilizer for parks. The plan could
be expanded to the rest of New York City.</h2>
<a class="goto-comments" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bloomberg-pushes-food-recycling-article-1.1264917#commentpostform" id="commentsTab-1680031" name="7.1680031">Comments (12)</a><br />
<br />
The way New Yorkers clean up after dinner would change forever if <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Bloomberg">Mayor Bloomberg</a> gets his way.<br />
Instead of slopping their leftovers into the trash, homeowners will be
tossing eggshells, chicken bones and other scraps into compost bins in
the city’s first food recycling program, which was formally announced in
Bloomberg’s State of the City address Thursday.<br />
<br />
Starting with a pilot program on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staten_Island">Staten Island</a>, homeowners will receive
sealed-top bins — large ones for curbside collection and smaller ones
that can be kept in their kitchens — and the city will pick up the
scraps once a week and use composting to turn them into fertilizer for
parks, said city recycling czar <a href="http://www.linhardtdesign.com/about_rongonen.php">Ron Gonen</a>.<br />
The city picked Staten Island for the pilot because it has so many
single-family homes, but hopes to eventually expand the program citywide
— where tiny kitchens and apartment buildings faced with sorting waste
into a fourth category could be a tougher sell.<br />
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<br />
Read more: <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bloomberg-pushes-food-recycling-article-1.1264917#ixzz2MJUp2dY2" style="color: #003399;">http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bloomberg-pushes-food-recycling-article-1.1264917#ixzz2MJUp2dY2</a></div>
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<br />
<i>Read about </i><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresh_Kills_Landfill">Fresh Kills Landfil</a>l </b><i>once largest landfill - as well as man-made structure - in the world!</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><a href="http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2011/07/04/1-3-billion-tons-of-food-wasted-every-year/">For more about Food Waste, please go here.</a></i></div>
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Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-63636988430965976662013-02-25T12:44:00.001+11:002013-02-25T12:44:47.726+11:00Bring A Bag Campaigns have to become widely implemented as entry to public events<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Pictures on this post are by Ian Hall. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Ian holds the copyright of these photographs. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>They are published here with his permission.
</i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-98a1HeRiSy0/USqZJkfnYhI/AAAAAAAANB4/gdr-608gdtU/w748-h603-p-o-k/Rubbish+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-98a1HeRiSy0/USqZJkfnYhI/AAAAAAAANB4/gdr-608gdtU/w748-h603-p-o-k/Rubbish+1.jpg" width="525" /></a></div>
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On Saturday night, Ian Hall and I were in Melbourne's eastern suburbs for a friend's wedding. After the reception, somewhere about midnight, we went to bed setting the alarm for 3am. You see, Gleaners, we wanted to get into the city to catch <a href="http://whitenightmelbourne.com.au/">White Night</a> which was operating from 7pm to 7am. </div>
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No vehicular traffic was entering the Melbourne CBD but trams were running all night. We drove in and parked in the university precinct and caught the No. 19 (North Coburg) tram into the CBD. Even though the crowd numbers at that hour were well down on the quoted <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/melbourne-captured-by-the-charm-of-white-night-20130223-2ey3q.html">300,000</a>, the transformed city was a wonder to see. Familiar buildings were transformed beyond what our daily imagination could have conjured up. Creativity was released. Music, performers, artists, craftspeople, puppeteers.</div>
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However, there was something very thoughtless and unattractive on what was left behind - massive quantities of rubbish and detritus.</div>
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The sort of demographic which flocked to White Night, I think, would have responded positively to a poll asking their attitude to matters environmental. I am sure the majority of people would have been enthusiasts expressing great love and concern for their environment. The major flaw is that love and concern was not demonstrated on the streets of the Melbourne CBD on Saturday night 23 February 2013.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JvpOYL_HsXc/USq148-95dI/AAAAAAAANFw/CYbHRdk1hXg/s1600/Rubbish+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JvpOYL_HsXc/USq148-95dI/AAAAAAAANFw/CYbHRdk1hXg/s320/Rubbish+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C1kX26tudGA/USq1_aKxUkI/AAAAAAAANF4/tAuRRauAznU/s1600/Rubbish+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C1kX26tudGA/USq1_aKxUkI/AAAAAAAANF4/tAuRRauAznU/s1600/Rubbish+3.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-il-SZVr6O2c/USq2JuPtvxI/AAAAAAAANGA/lio6vJ9IUm8/s1600/Rubbish+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-il-SZVr6O2c/USq2JuPtvxI/AAAAAAAANGA/lio6vJ9IUm8/s320/Rubbish+4.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ETk6zGIHm4E/USq2SV7Z8ZI/AAAAAAAANGI/v8Owo2xqvsU/s1600/Rubbish+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ETk6zGIHm4E/USq2SV7Z8ZI/AAAAAAAANGI/v8Owo2xqvsU/s320/Rubbish+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B34tvjpFgs4/USq2blZlqnI/AAAAAAAANGQ/U6TFJl0V43I/s1600/Rubbish+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B34tvjpFgs4/USq2blZlqnI/AAAAAAAANGQ/U6TFJl0V43I/s320/Rubbish+7.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
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I don't want to hold only the individuals comprising the crowd accountable. The council of the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Melbourne"> City of Melbourne</a> did not have its collective thinking cap on. Did any of the leadership of the City of Melbourne consider the ramifications of 300,000 people coming to town - and a lot of them staying for at least 12 hours?!</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Not to worry - that international corporate, <a href="http://www.spotless.com/au/">SPOTLESS</a>, was there to pick up the pieces. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">I suspect this rubbish might have remained unsorted and unrecycled and may well have been dumped into landfill. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">A possible solution?</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">What if all those who came into the CBD had to pass through checkpoints - entry only if you could produce two bags - one for recyclables and one for other stuff? </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">What if large bin points were strategically located for people to dump their rubbish thoughtfully before they went home? </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">What if the police - who, when we saw them, were standing around bored stiff - were empowered to issue on the spot fines for littering? </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">And what if Spotless were only needed to pick up the dump bins regularly and take them to a spot at which they could be thoughtfully recycled or otherwise disposed? </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">What if these massive CBD crowd scenes were to become admired gatherings for their environmental care? </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Our society, it seems to me, has not got past an out of sight, out of mind attitude to waste disposal. We seem to think that if we clean it all up, take it away, dispose of it or dump it where we can't be reminded of it, we are acting appropriately.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Every item, no matter how small, that we waste, throw away, dispose of goes somewhere on our planet. Waste does not dissolve or get eliminated simply because we cannot see it and have left where it used to be clean. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Above all waste costs. It costs at the front end where there seems to be little awareness of whether packaging is necessary or kept to a minimum. When we purchase a product the waste is included in the price. At the back end, the cost of cleaning, recycling, disposing, and even dumping has a price. The price is included in the rates charges of local authorities which finds its way back into front end product costs. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Shocking costs are often inflicted on individuals and families where it hurts the most - on their bodies through illness, and on the biggest financial investment of most families - their houses and lands. These, the worst costs, are often delayed like a time bomb. <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/cranbourne-residents-win-millions-in-gas-leak-compo/story-e6frf7jo-1226027641635">Cranbourne residents were greatly shocked, inconvenienced, and out of pocket when their local municipality allowed their homes to be built on landfill.</a> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Technology does fix some things but not all things. Recycling ability is being extended constantly - but it costs. Local Authorities, by and large, have not given up on dumping in landfill - and those cheap take-your-frig-away services when you buy a new refrigerator are often a guarantee of your frig with all its gases and chemicals being tipped into a landfill somewhere to become a hazard on time delay.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">We have to ask our local council and our state and federal governments to become care-fully focussed on waste at every level and every part of our daily lives.</span></div>
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">What is the waste policy of your local council?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">What councillors on your local authority are interested in development and what councillors will lend a sympathetic ear to a conversation on waste, its cost, its disposal?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Where is your waste currently going? Waste disposal does not end at the local council's Transfer Station.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">If your local council is currently using landfill, what are its plans for closing all landfill and finding other methods for waste disposal?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">How is your local council transferring its waste disposal costs to business, government, and landholders in your local authority area?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">If you live in a local authority with significant rural land holdings and an agricultural/pastoral economy, what are the local landholders doing? They frequently have their own landfill in which all sorts of things can end up. Yet with the constant expansion of our cities and suburbs, that land often ends up in the hands of the developers to become suburban housing and business development. Again, another slowly ticking hazardous bomb that we can't get our heads around because we are under the illusion that we have plenty of space to place things out of sight and out of mind.</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">In all these considerations, we must consider the air that we breathe, the water that we drink, and the land that grows our food. In short, a cavalier attitude to waste in which we chuck without thought can affect the basic elements of life on this plant - air, water, food. We must become forces of stimulation and collaboration for those who govern us and who take on community responsibility. We cannot force business and government to take on responsible, thought-full and care-full policies if we fail to take our own individual responsibility.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>All this requires more thoughtful conversation </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>matched by thoughtful actions </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>than we are managing at the moment. </b></span></span></div>
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Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-59952044555099875042013-02-23T08:20:00.000+11:002013-02-23T08:20:32.229+11:00Reduce pollution on our beaches and help keep the oceans pollution free. <div align="right">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PYZ1Swa6lLQ/USfQvOfk4kI/AAAAAAAANAk/ZteDzx36A8I/s1600/clean-oceans+-+Operation+Sea+Eagle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PYZ1Swa6lLQ/USfQvOfk4kI/AAAAAAAANAk/ZteDzx36A8I/s640/clean-oceans+-+Operation+Sea+Eagle.jpg" width="525" /></a></div>
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Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-18803137205726830912013-02-19T07:37:00.001+11:002013-02-19T07:37:03.987+11:00The Klean-Up Kid in his Akubra is on to it<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zJJbJDCvLtw/USKPIH3EwkI/AAAAAAAAMzs/pcD4GLGkZdA/s1600/Ashley+cleaning+up+-+from+The+Courier.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zJJbJDCvLtw/USKPIH3EwkI/AAAAAAAAMzs/pcD4GLGkZdA/s320/Ashley+cleaning+up+-+from+The+Courier.png" width="525" /></a></div>
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The picture and story are taken from</div>
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<i><a href="http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/1307661/ashley-on-a-crusade-to-clean-up-litter/?cs=62">Ashley on a crusade to clean up litter</a></i></div>
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from Ballarat's daily newspaper <i><a href="http://www.thecourier.com.au/">The Courier</a>.</i></div>
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Please take a few minutes to dip into our great newspaper.</div>
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YOUNG, budding wildlife warrior Ashley Straga has launched a campaign to help save the ducks at<a href="http://ballarateast.net/groups/friends-of-lake-esmond/"> Lake Esmond</a> – and the five-year-old has called on some big names to help.</div>
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Ashley has met <a href="http://www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au/?gclid=CNTGisDWwLUCFYcipQodSiYAdA">Clean Up Australia</a> chairman and founder <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Kiernan">Ian Kiernan</a> and<a href="http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/"> City of Ballarat </a><a href="http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/572370/first-time-councillor-burt-to-be-new-mayor/">mayor John Burt</a> to register his own Clean Up Australia Day site.</div>
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He was equipped with an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akubra">Akubra</a>, just like Kiernan’s, and an official T-shirt for his mission.</div>
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Summer trips to the lake sparked Ashley’s concern when he noticed increased picnic rubbish and cans lying about that could harm nearby ducks. </div>
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So he asked his mum to join the Clean Up Australia Day campaign. Ashley’s mum Sarah Straga was proud of her son, but this latest venture had not come as a surprise.</div>
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“I accredit it all to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Irwin">Steve Irwin</a>. He never did the <a href="http://www.thewiggles.com.au/">Wiggles</a> or <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/abcforkids/sites/playschool/">Play School</a>. It’s all been Steve Irwin documentaries,” Ms Straga said. He doesn’t know how to tie shoe laces but he can do <a href="http://www.crocodilehunter.com.au/crocodile_hunter/trapping.html">a top-jaw rope on a crocodile.</a></div>
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“He picks up rubbish on his own accord and makes me lug it around wherever we go. I don’t mind. I encourage the initiative.”</div>
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Ms Straga hoped to join a clean-up group but when finding Lake Esmond was not a registered site, took on the job of site manager.</div>
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Family, friends and Ashley’s new school community at<a href="http://www3.sjsebastopol.catholic.edu.au/"> St James Parish Primary School</a> have all pitched in to help, working the clean-up in with the school’s sustainability programs.</div>
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For all the clean-up work Ashley does in the community, Ms Straga still has to make sure he remembers to clean his room.Ashley says he wants to be like Steve Irwin and will visit the Irwins’ <a href="http://www.australiazoo.com.au/">Australia Zoo</a> for his birthday later this year.</div>
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An estimated 3.029 tonnes of rubbish were collected on Clean Up Australia Day in Victoria last year.</div>
Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-66554127016457070242013-02-18T07:21:00.000+11:002013-02-18T07:21:16.976+11:00STOP THE TOSS - STOP WASTING FOOD - FEED THE WORLD<div style="text-align: center;">
Waste is a world wide issue.</div>
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Food waste is arguably THE major waste issue. </div>
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Not only does wasting food waste human energy, water, and nutrients,</div>
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it can cost human lives.
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dwja77lKn8Y/USE2DKfBmSI/AAAAAAAAMrQ/bI1rIp60VVE/s1600/Food+waste+in+the+USA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dwja77lKn8Y/USE2DKfBmSI/AAAAAAAAMrQ/bI1rIp60VVE/s1600/Food+waste+in+the+USA.jpg" /></a></div>
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THIS IS AN AMERICAN GRAPHIC.<br />
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<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2013/s3667833.htm">Read something of the UK experience.</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/wastepolicy/publications/food-waste.html">News from the Australian front</a></div>
Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584301295225735580.post-54776419329027380242013-01-11T07:55:00.000+11:002013-01-11T07:55:29.013+11:00Wasted junk can be music to our ears<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kpRcEIeevlQ/UO8mXl0htxI/AAAAAAAAMWg/K0xyuEWUMg0/s1600/Scrapheap+Orchestra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kpRcEIeevlQ/UO8mXl0htxI/AAAAAAAAMWg/K0xyuEWUMg0/s525/Scrapheap+Orchestra.jpg" width="525" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://mollyblock.tumblr.com/post/13943214207/via-unconsumption-for-a-project-known-as">Picture from here </a></div>
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The ABC here in Oz on New Year's Night played the wonderful doco, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b017zn47">Scrapheap Orchestra</a>. This was a wonderful program about the top instrument makers in Britain who were commissioned to make musical instruments from junkyard scrap with the aim of having the professional musicians of the BBC Concert Orchestra playing <span style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">Tchaikovsky’s </span><em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1812 Overture</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> on the scrap instruments at the 2011 BBC Proms.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Cambria, Times, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Needless to say there were dramas. There was professional pouting from some instrument makers and some musicians. As well, there was the high drama of whether the whole scenario would meet the exacting standards of the Prom management. At one stage, the whole project seemed to be at risk. There would be no appearance at the Proms. But, in the end, with tweaking here and re-arranging there, all was well and the project in all its glory and humour made it to the stage at the Proms to the great delight of all present.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Cambria, Times, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Following on all this, to-day has arrived this delightful video on a similar theme. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151279562307432&set=vb.759907431&type=2&theater">You can find it here</a>.</span></span></div>
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Brigidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07862531789968068093noreply@blogger.com0