The Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia is calling for nominations for the Community Wildlife Conservation Award that will be awarded to a community conservation group that is making a major contribution to wildlife preservation in Australia. To celebrate our Centenary in 2009, the cash prize for the Community Wildlife Conservation Award has been increased to $5,000.Nominations close on 19 December.
It’s hard to believe that it’s nearly December, which means Coastcare Week 2008 (Dec 1-7) is just around the corner! Now in its 13th year, Coastcare Week recognises the hard work and many hours that volunteers have done to preserve and protect our fragile coastline.
This year, Coastcare Week is being used to launch ‘Life on the Edge’, a major fundraising and awareness campaign that will run over the entire summer.
The South Australian government has announced it plans to ban single-use polyetheylene plastic bags from 4 May 2009. Other states in Australia are working towards a phase-out or reduction in plastic bag use.
This move to ban plastic check-out bags presents a simple question for retailers and communities. Are You Ready?
Whether you’re a retailer, a community or an individual, the Are You Ready? website will help you prepare for your own phase-out or ban. The site is designed to inspire and inform you about the actions that you can take today. It also provides practical assistance for sourcing items like paper bags and reusable bags.
Sustainable Table celebrates local sustainable food, educates consumers on food-related issues and works to build community through food.
The new Queensland Conservation ‘Grow Local‘ campaign is about getting people involved in growing food locally in back yards and community gardens. It’s about understanding where our food comes from and supporting local farmers. Grow Local will help to reduce food miles and cut greenhouse emissions while reconnecting people with their local landscape to ensure Queensland has healthy, active communities.
The 29 October 2008 issue of CO2 news includes articles on:
The Sydney Morning Herald
29 October 2008
SYDNEY’S iconic beaches, coastal houses, commercial property and roads will be threatened by rising sea levels by 2050, while the city’s temperature is expected to rise by at least 2 degrees, a new scientific study, launched by the Premier, Nathan Rees, reveals…
Read the full article here.
The Canberra Times
29 October 2008
Canberra has the intellectual capital on tap to become Australia’s most innovative city in meeting the local and global challenges of climate change, the head of a new research institute says.
The chief executive of the Australian National University’s new cross-disciplinary Climate Change Institute, Professor Will Steffen, has an inspired, exhilarating vision of the Canberra region becoming ”one big laboratory” leading a climate change revolution.
”We can be the city that takes a bold lead in innovation. We can be a focus for experimenting with new energy sources, better infrastructure and greener public transport…
Read the full article here.
ABC News
27 October 2008
The Victorian Opposition has endorsed a proposal to bolster Melbourne’s water supply by capturing stormwater.
A parliamentary committee inquiry is considering the submission, which says the method could lessen the city’s flood risk and reduce pollution of waterways from urban run-off…
Read the full article here.
The Australian
28 October 2008
A TOTAL of 2.6 million residents of southeast Queensland will become the first Australians to drink their own waste, as about 60 megalitres of recycled sewage a day will soon be pumped into their water supply.
The Queensland Water Commission said the recycling process would go through seven levels of purification, ensuring the water was safe to drink for the people of Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and other centres in the region.
Opposition to the move has been surprisingly muted, given the furore that surrounded a 2006 referendum in Toowoomba, when 62 per cent of residents voted no to recycled water…
Read the full article here.