Your Sustainable Community 2012 by Echo Publications

Your Sustainable Community

Your guide to sustainable living on the north coast Another great

publication!

Your Sustainable Community – March, 2012

What’s in it for you – a look inside… Alice teaches the green way p3 Going big with solar p10 Cleaning safely and cheaply

Why electricity prices are spiking

Graeme is helping to build a culture of sustainability p6 Good work going on in Byron Council

Rotational chook yards p7 Brrrp, bip, berk, bergurk!

Rail is on the right track p8 Public transport beyond private cars

Good and bad of the web p9 How the internet chews up resources

AN ECHO SUPPLEMENT

THE BYRON SHIRE

www.echo.net.au

Why not use all that Oz sunlight?

Building a smarter economy p4 Plastic bags are bad p11 Peak load the power villain p5

Your Sustainable Community

For turtles and their environment

Long road to organic farming p12

NETDAILY

www.echonetdaily.net.au Supplement Editor: Michael McDonald

Dave Forrest tells it like it is

Advertising Manager: Angela Cornell

Time to act for the sea p13

Design & Production: Ziggi Browning

Marine activists need to be inspired

A quick guide to managing the planet wisely p14

Client Liaison: Penny Bagshaw

Front cover: Photo Eve Jeffery (www.treefaeriephotos.com), many thanks to model Anthony Bear Skinner for catching the sunset. Contributors: Nina Bishop, Victoria Cosford, Mary Gardner, Daniel Harper, Eve Jeffery, Karin Kolbe, Mandy Nolan, Obi McDonald- Saint, Pat Miller and David Hunter Tow.

Can we work it all via the web?

Photographers: Eve Jeffery, Jeff Dawson, plus images from Stock.XCHNG www.sxc.hu.

To breed or not to breed? p15

© 2012 Echo Publications Pty Ltd ABN 86 004 000 239 Village Way, Stuart Street, Mullumbimby Phone 02 6684 1777 Fax 02 6684 1719 Byron Bay: 95 Jonson St. Ph 6685 5222 Printer: Horton Media Australia Ltd Reg. by Aust. Post Pub. No. NBF9237. Printed on recycled paper

Baby capitalism at work

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Your guide to sustainable living on the north coast

Alice teaches the green way to clean your house safely Story & photo Eve Jeffery

course. ‘We had a great turn-out for that event and people loved Did you know that common getting involved and getting salt scours, disinfects, deodortheir hands on making some ises and is an antiseptic and home green cleaning products’. that white vinegar is a solvent Like many of us Alice has that bleaches and deodorises been using the basics of her as well as killing 82 per cent of cleaning kit for a long time. Vinmould? Why would you use egar and bi-carb have been her chemical bleach ever again? stalwart buddies in the kitchen Byron Region Community and the bathroom, but it has College tutor Alice Moffett is really only been in the last year fast becoming an expert on or so that she has been taking getting your environment her research to a deeper level clean without the toxic risk-tak- and finding a whole new source ing involved in many commer- of supplies. ‘Now I am making cial cleaning products and she my own clotheswashing liquid, is bringing her knowledge to a all-purpose sprays and even new Green Cleaning course at natural bleaches and I am so the college. impressed with the results’. Alice says that a trip down In the modern era is it a shopping aisle will show possible that two things have you an array of expensive and happened. In this ‘antibactepotentially toxic cleaning prod- rial’ age people are aiming and ucts lined up on the shelves. expecting to have things too In her course students explore clean while at the same time what is actually in products wanting to put less and less and find out how to replace elbow grease into the process, harmful cleaners with a natural, relying more on the strength homemade cleaning kit made of the product rather than the on the day that is cost effective effort of hard work – hence the and actually works. products that we are using to Alice initially presented the achieve the outcome are havcourse in Brunswick Heads as ing to be stronger and stronger part of the council’s Sustainto kill off more of the things able Streets program and the we don’t want in our pristine response was so positive that approach to cleanliness. she has decided to continue the Alice says that if we look

to the medical industry for answers we will find a surprise. ‘The medical definition of disinfect is: to kill or remove bacteria physically or chemically. So if we can remove the habitat of the bacteria by hand in the action of wiping or rubbing, then that removes the bacteria. There were some studies done on a commercial bathroom mould remover which is basically common bleach. The results of the research showed that the product would only clean bacteria effectively if firstly the surface had been pre-cleaned then the product left on the area for at least ten minutes. The reality is most people don’t do that’. Alice says that the products that can be found in her cleaning kit, which is made up of common household items, are as effective as anything else at cleaning away bacteria – she says that it might not be as effective in the short time that many toxic products take but the end result is the same. ‘If you think about it, even though it might take a minute or two more to kill bacteria but you can have a clear conscience knowing that you are not contributing to a chemical build up in the waterways’.

Alice’s Green Cleaning bag of tricks can clean anything. She says that the items are all from mineral sources and even though they are more natural, some of those can still be a bit toxic.

‘Things like tea-tree oil for example are less chemically harmful than its commercial counterpart but there is still a low level of toxicity that you need to be aware of’. To set up the green clean-

ing system is also a lot less expensive than one may think. Alice says that if you were to scrap everything you currently use and start from scratch, you would be looking at around $30 to create an entire repertoire of items to keep your home spick and span. ‘You can also use the old spray bottles from your previous cleaners so there is no need to go out and buy more’. The course teaches that it doesn’t take much to add a few key products and basic supplies to the tea-tree and bi-carb that we have all been using for years and make up a kit that will help you take natural cleaning that one step further. Alice says her favourite item in the basket is definitely the white vinegar. ‘I always have a mould problem, especially at this time of year. My leather goods, my woollens around the house and in the bathroom. I have made a very simple vinegar spray that has effectively killed the mould’. Alice says after a good cleaning her house does smell like a fish and chip shop for a day. ‘But compared to the smell of mould that I had before the vinegar, I am happy to put up with that’.

Make the most of your living space with practical ideas – before it’s built It’s a good idea to face your living areas north or close to north if you can. This way you’ll get loads of winter sun and easy shade in summer if you have eaves. Open plan living is popular and can create a wonderful flow of space. But when living areas are too open, especially if they have mezzanines or high ceilings, they can be difficult (and expensive) to heat and cool. They can also be noisy. Some designs give you the flexibility to open up or divide up the space as you need. Clever design of space is crucial in a living area. It’s the feeling of spaciousness rather than the amount of space that matters most – and how well

the spaces function. Look for practical, well-designed areas that use space cleverly and don’t waste it – after all, you’re paying for it! You could also talk to your builder about modifications that allow you to use space flexibly, like room dividers or sliding partitions. This way you can also adapt space to suit your family’s changing needs. To keep living areas cool in summer make sure you have windows or openings on more than one side of the living area. This allows cooling breezes to flow through. High windows or skylights work well to get rid of hot air as it rises. Just make sure they can be closed in winter and the frames have good weather seals.

Your kitchen

really add value to your home. A good kitchen gives you Kitchens are said to be the room to move but is compact heart of the home, where enough to allow easy reach everything happens. It’s often between different activities, the kitchen and living areas like preparing food, cooking that people fall in love with and and rinsing. It’s a good idea to that’s important if you’re thinkleave generous bench space ing about resale value. A wellbetween the sink and the designed, functional kitchen can cooktop as this tends to be

the most useful space for food preparation. Locate dishwashers close to sinks to allow easy loading – this also concentrates your plumbing needs in one place and saves money. Multi-bin sorters under kitchen sinks are a great idea – you can separate your rubbish for recycling straight away. Did you know that the fridge typically uses more energy in a year than any other appliance? It’s responsible for about 13 per cent of the average family’s electricity bill. It pays to buy an efficient and appropriately sized fridge. Make sure kitchen cabinets allow a decent air gap around the fridge (especially at the

back) as it needs good ventilation to work efficiently.

Checklist: Can our living areas be divided up as needed, for economical heating and cooling? Will our living areas get plenty of sunlight in winter? Will our living areas be shaded in summer? Can windows be opened on more than one side of living areas to let cooling breezes through? Is our kitchen set out so there is easy reach between different activities? Do our kitchen cupboards use low-emission particle board and finishes? – from www.yourhome.gov.au

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Your Sustainable Community – March, 2012

Building a cleaner, smarter, renewables economy Erwin Jackson, deputy CEO, The Climate Institute www. climateinstitute.org.au

measures and renewableenergy targets. They’re not only reducing pollution, they’re busy building The recent Productivity Comenergy efficiency into their mission report on pricing economies and measuring carcarbon pollution confirms bon productivity – that is, the much of what we already know amount of pollution per dollar – the world is moving to limit of GDP – in order to find lowpollution and drive clean encarbon opportunities in their ergy investment, and Australia industries, goods and services. needs to keep moving too. They are making use of However, the report has led all three policies to increase some in media, politics and domestic energy security and business to jump to the wrong improve living standards by conclusion – that putting a reducing local, regional and price on pollution, by itself, will global air pollution. be the silver bullet solution in the climate change debate. The long view There is no question that pricing pollution is fundamental to Our competitors are taking cutting emissions cost effective- the long view, realising that ly across the entire economy. investing today in energy effiBut it’s only half the story. We ciency and renewable energy, in need equal weight on policies addition to a carbon price, brings that will unlock the opportuni- long-term benefits. Pollution can ty to promote energy efficiency be cut even more quickly and, and develop our world-class eventually, more cheaply. renewable energy resources. As a direct result, clean enWith our power sector the ergy investments globally now eighth dirtiest on the planet regularly outstrip investment in and barely a toehold in the traditional power generation. world’s multi-billion dollar low- In 2008–09, 46 per cent of the pollution economy, Australia world’s total electricity capacity needs to be looking at the came from renewable energy bigger picture. sources such as wind and solar. Competitor countries in Asia Globally, it’s estimated the reand Europe are combining a newable energy industry now triple set of policies: a price on employs up to three million pollution, energy efficiency people.

Bake Off.

On with the job Suzlon Energy (www.suzlon.com) is a company adapting to Australian conditions. We have some catching up to do. A recent study by global technology giant GE found that energy efficiency growth in the US, Germany and the UK is almost double that of Australia. Besides reducing pollution, energy efficiency measures conserve and cut energy use and save industry and businesses money – making them more competitive internationally. Independent modelling commissioned by The Climate Institute shows effective action on energy efficiency could save

AU$43 billion on the investment required by the electricity sector to meet long-term pollution targets. The Renewable Energy Target (RET) cuts another $5–6 billion off the bill by driving and fast-tracking innovation. Importantly, energy efficiency measures come into their own in helping households manage their energy bills. Modelling undertaken in 2010 for the Prime Minister’s Task Group on Energy Efficiency showed that households could save between $50 and

$245 a year under a proposed National Energy Savings Initiative. More recently, the Victorian government found that extending its energy-efficiency schemes would deliver a net benefit of $1.9 billion to $2.6 billion to the state’s economy. The other leg of the policy trifecta is the Renewable Energy Target. Under the RET, introduced in 2009, Australian companies and industries are already adopting cleaner technologies and innovation is underway in our universities and on the factory floor.

Amid the scaremongering and short-sighted politicking, it’s encouraging to see many businesses intelligently getting on with the job. A carbon price is central to cutting Australia’s pollution, but to reap the full dividend of our efforts now is the time to aim higher and smarter with a bolder policy approach. With the right tools and imagination – and a little less fear – Australia can become a competitive, clean-energy nation with an energy-efficient culture. There is much to gain and we should not be afraid to step up and take our place among the best global players.

Celebrate Christmas and New Year.

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Thanks from all of us at the market. And don’t forget to be here on 28 December, come snow or shine over the holidays. New Brighton Farmers Market, 8am - 11am, New Brighton Oval 6684 5390. newbrightonfarmersmarket.org.au

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meats, meats,breads, breads, local localcheeses cheeses and andfoods, foods,live live chooks chooksand andducks. ducks. Call Call6684 66845390. 5390. Don’t Don’tmiss miss Mullum Mullumat atits itsmost most colourful colourfulbest. best.

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Showgrounds Showgrounds Mullum MullumFarmers Farmers Markets Marketsbrings bringsyou you locally locallygrown grownfruit, fruit, vegies, vegies,nuts, nuts,honey, honey, dairy, pasta, dairy, pasta,olives, olives,

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Locally hand made, hand screen-printed market bags made from recycled fabric. Proceeds will support the NBFM sponsored ‘Local School Food Garden Project’. On sale at the market from 24 Nov. New Brighton Farmers Market, 8am - 11am, rain or shine, New Brighton Oval Tel: 6684 5390.

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We are participating in The Sydney Morning Herald Crave Sydney International Food Festival. Get creative using market produce and bake a sweet or savoury dish and win some great prizes. Sign up & buy the specified ingredients on Tues Oct 5 and return with your ‘creation’ for judging on Oct 12 by Manfred from ‘Yum Yum Tree’ & Mat from ‘Cino Bambino’. More on 66771956 and the website: newbrightonfarmersmarket.org.au

For example, Suzlon Energy, one of the world’s largest wind companies, has reduced costs through a number of programs since setting up in Australia. It now pre-installs cables in wind towers, works with local wind tower manufacturers adapting generic designs that suit Australian specifications and is researching ways to incorporate Australian OHS standards, hot-weather operating conditions and local grid requirements into local operations.

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Your guide to sustainable living on the north coast

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Daniel Harper During the last few years, electricity prices around the country have risen by over 35 per cent with prices going up 22 per cent in NSW in one year alone. While for some people it means little, for a growing number of families and businesses it is a cost they can ill afford. To make matters worse, it is estimated that prices could double over the next six years. While it is argued that higher prices can be a positive by reducing demand for electricity and encouraging energy efficiency, it is rarely understood the real reason prices are increasing. Different reasons for recent price hikes have been bandied around as political ammo.

ered a necessity more so than a luxury. Now more than 70 per cent of Aussie homes have air conditioners with close to two million homes installing them in the last sevn years alone. So how does peak load and AC use translate to rising electricity prices? Simply, there has to be a huge upgrade of electricity infrastructure needed to cope with increasing peak loads. Federal energy minister Martin Ferguson has mentioned on numerous occasions this unnerving statistic: Every time someone installs a $1500 air conditioner, it costs $7000 to upgrade the electricity network to make sure that AC unit can run on the hottest days of the year. All up, it is estimated that upgrading the electricity network over the next few years to deal with peak load in NSW is costing around 15 billion dollars. How do the electricity companies recoup that cost? By passing that cost on to consumers in the form of higher electricity prices.

time of day and their associated costs. This means electricity companies could make peak load times more expensive to consumers and help reduce demand. Unfortunately it also means that electricity companies can make more money by charging people more when demand is high. Digital meters are a good tool but are a doubleedged sword; the people most likely to benefit will be actively monitoring the energy use and increasing efficiency with behavioural change. Education is also critical, connecting the dots between electricity use and electricity bills as well as the ramifications of peak load.

Local production

Locally produced electricity is another essential way for Conservatives have argued reducing peak load. Transthat feed in tariffs, renewmission loss (transporting able energy subsidies and the electricity from power station carbon tax have all been the to end user) is around 30per culprits and, as a result, argued cent, meaning only 70per that they should be removed cent of power generated gets or stopped to halt prices going to the consumer. Domestic up even more. Far from being solar panels are a great start Consumer cops it a lefty plot, the reality is that but much larger local sources While domestic breakdown none of these reasons has need to be established to help had a substantial effect on the of electricity costs are hard to reduce peak load. This would come by, it is estimated that recent price rises. take strong initiative from the 30 per cent – 40 per cent of The real reason, and the federal government to remove your bill goes to the cost of reason NSW is locked into 10 current financial barriers and getting the electricity to you, in encourage more investment in per cent annual price rises for the next three years is, in a nut- the form of maintenance and alternative power sources. shell, peak load and the cost of the upgrading of electricity One thing we do know is, upgrading electricity infrastruc- networks. like climate change, we can’t So, what is the solution? The stop electricity prices rising but ture to cope with it. most readily agreed upon and we can affect how severe the Peak load is caused when most effective method would there are huge spikes in damage will be. electricity consumption, nearly be to simply reduce peak load. always caused in Australia from Unfortunately it is easier said n Most of the facts in this artithe 40-degree days in summer than done. cle have been sourced from ElDigital time-of-use meters, when everyone likes to turn on len Fanning’s ‘The Hidden Cost their air conditioners. Air condi- education and removing barri- of Infinite Energy’ http://www. tioning ownership in Australia ers to generating more power theglobalmail.org/feature/thelocally will all be part of the has skyrocketed over the last hidden-cost-of-infinite-energysolution. decade, with units becoming part-1/19/#. Daniel Harper is the Digital meters allow electric- founder of Cool Planet http:// much more affordable. For ity prices to vary based on the many AC units are not considwww.coolplanet.com.au.

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YOUR COLLEGE YOUR FUTURE

Your Sustainable Community – March, 2012

Graeme is helping to build a culture of sustainability Story & photo Eve Jeffery Graeme Williams has been Byron Shire Council’s sustainability officer for almost five years and he feels like a pig in the proverbial. With a degree in enviromental management from Maquarie University, Graeme has navigated his way from the forests of Tasmania and the wilds of Sydney’s Kuring-gai Council to what some of his peers may consider the sustainability mecca. It’s Graeme’s job to try to build a culture of sustainability both within and outside of the council organisation. Graeme has been a visionary for many of the council’s sustainability projects such as sustainable streets, community gardens and the car-pooling project just to name a few. But is it also in his job description to help council walk the sustainable walk. He works internally on writing policy and overseeing corporate sustainability right down to things like making sure councillors use recycled paper in their envelopes and business cards – he is also looks over council’s shoulder ensuring that their carbon emissions and energy use don’t squander the planet’s resources. Graeme says that when he arrived in the shire there was

a lot of goodwill as far as the concept of sustainability went but without someone with an eye for the workings of the idea, it sometimes fell short of the mark. ‘I have to say that having someone in a designated position of sustainability officer does make a world of difference. You can knit all the ideas together. The Byron Council does have the intention to be sustainable but people have different intepretations of what that word means. The concept of sustanability is increasingly being analysed and pulled apart’.

‘In so many cases when I speak to colleagues in Sydney or Melbourne or further afield, the classic comment I get is “Oh wow Byron Bay”. They have that immediate envy. It’s wonderful. It reminds me of how lucky I am to be here and I am entirely grateful to have such a responsive and pro-active community who are always keeping me on my toes. Just yesterday I had the Byron Bay Youth Climate Action group on my doorstep agitating for something – you know it’s fantastic that there is that drive and dynamicism.

Really special

Meeting our needs Graeme says he does stand by the classic interpretation of sustainability as the ability to meet our needs today without compromising the needs of future generations but he also has a more personal view of the concept. ‘I think on a pragmatic, grass-roots level for me, the vision is really about building a culture of sustainability. Building opportunities for people to engage and intergrate into the sustainability program – incoporating local skills and local knowledge to get that information out’. Graeme feels that his work

in the area has been made easier because of the general motivation toward sustainability which communites outside the area may yet have to warm to. ‘In terms of environmental sustainability within the council, in my experience I have certainly been able to achieve things here where I know my colleagues in neighbouring councils haven’t even got the tar on the road, so to speak’. Things that we now take for granted, such as community gardens, are ideas that Graeme says some other councils are

‘When I worked in Sydney people didn’t even know who the mayor was, let alone the councillors or staff members struggling to even contemuse 100 per cent recycled, non- – it sounds funny but it is not plate, whereas he is currently bleached envelopes, business a joke. This is actually a really working with the Suffolk Park cards and a range of other special, unique place in that community and there will soon items. people do know who they are be a third garden in the shire, ‘The “wholemeal’” look is dealing with and are much a new cousin for the estabsomething that a lot of councils closer to the powers that be. lished Mullumbimby and Shara don’t like the appearance of, ‘That means the microscope gardens. as they don’t think it suits their is much more focused than it is He says it is the small things image, yet the councillors and in other places. The scrutiny is that make a difference in our staff here really embrace that. there but the potential for the shire. ‘We are doing really inIn some places the brown encommunity to collaborate is novative things that are simple velope is considered too radical unique. I can get a lot of things but for a bureaucracy to be and is not even on the agenda. done here not because we have able to do is still unique. In 2010 ‘Working in the Byron Shire masses of money to chuck at it we were profiled throughout has given me a huge scope to but because of the relationships the state for our corporate be creative. Sometimes I wonand goodwill in the community. office recycling program. We der where do I go from here? It’s precious’.

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Your guide to sustainable living on the north coast

Create a rotational chicken yard – and protect vegies Nina Bishop

and following the tragic years of Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge Regime. At a very well organised Cambodian orphanage founded and supported by Australians, managed by locals, permanently free-ranging poultry are doing all the usual annoying things, as well as the risk that the odd aggressive rooster might pose to the smaller children. Under these circumstances, I imagined how a system like Rita’s could benefit these people; to start, some tin, wood, wire and bamboo. In poor countries where every resource is valuable, the reasons to take time to build such a system are obvious, given the space and materials available.

I love a good system, in particular where living things support each other by doing what comes naturally to them. Science calls it symbiosis. The permaculture model refers to something similar known as ‘stacking functions’. So how can we benefit by bringing chooks and veggie crops together? Many growers would wince at the thought. The trick is to rotate them, let them share the same space, but not at the same time. For this we need what is known as Rotational Chicken Yards. The inconvenient or annoying aspects of the combination, once a well managed rotation is in place, become convenient assets.

Chook Woman Last year I met local Chook Woman, Rita Oort, writer for TROPO (Tweed Richmond Organic Producers’ Organisation). Rita’s family and chooks have enjoyed the benefits of a large productive rotational system for over 30 years. Their efforts not only at a subsistence level but also supplying organic vegetables and eggs to the district. On a recent journey through S-E Asia with village stays and long bus and train trips, my

WHAT CHOOKS DO:

WHAT WE & OUR GARDENS WANT:

Eat bugs, grubs, grasses, greens and seeds. Scratch and aerate the soil and compost. Lay eggs. Drop manure.

Managed populations of bugs, shorter grasses. Our soils and compost tilled and aerated. To eat eggs (possibly meat). Fertiliser and compost.

brain was often on overwhelm from the beauty and charm, the chaos and poverty. Farm animals and their manure everywhere, which was partly responsible for the pollution.

Cambodians know about poverty and starvation. Hunger has driven a pattern of eating what is near, including their wildlife, some species almost to the point of extinction. Food

sources such as chickens and their eggs are important and the roosters, however scrawny, are short-lived. The people are doing what they can to exist under difficult circumstances

For Tomorrow Support the Byron Greens today The Greens are the only party formulating policies to meet the coming challenges. It is now more important than ever that all those who support a cleaner healthier Australia stand up and be counted. We are facing great challenges: Global warming, Pollution, Resource depletion, Social breakdown, Food production. At the local government level we are greatly constrained but are an integral part of the growing green movement. Byron Council, although not having a majority of Green councillors, has done much to maintain the integrity of Byron Shire as a sustainable area in the face of constant pressure from vested interests and political pressure. Our four committed Greens Councillors have been instrumental in: Greatly slowing inappropriate development Fighting a fierce rearguard action against State Government land grabs. Leading the state in a coastal policy which is now being widely adopted around Australia. Driving sustainability policy. Overseeing major community projects such as: The Sports and Cultural Facility The Community Gardens The Byron Library Farmers Markets Extensive environmentally award-winning Waste Treatment projects. With your support we will continue to meet the challenges of our Shire with maturity, intelligence & an unwavering commitment to sustainability. The Greens promote things that make sense. Putting long term vision ahead of short term self interest. A Green economic vision is imperative: The current economic system is unsustainable, it depends on the exploitation of non renewable resources. With the Greens “Clean Energy Future” package 30,000 jobs are being created in regional Australia, driving the transition to a clean economy. The Greens did this. We must act now to secure a safe climate for our future. We need a Coal Seam Gas Moratorium This reckless industry needs to be brought under control before it damages NSW. Greens MP & Spokesperson on Mining Jeremy Buckingham has introduced the “Coal Seam Gas Moratorium Bill”, with full Byron Greens support

From left to right: Tom Tabart, Jan Barham, Richard Staples, Simon Richardson. They have collectively 65 years of experience in local Greens politics.

At the last Federal Election more than 1.5 million Australians voted for the Greens

Think what we could do if another million people did likewise! The Byron Greens Ph: (02)6680 9525 baybell44@gmail.com www.byronballinagreens.org

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designed for areas with high rainfall such as Cambodia and northern NSW. It’s important to keep the enterprise dry if you want to avoid pollution (as in nutrient runoff/loss), smelly ammonia or other unwanted gases such as methane. When it comes to the carbon cycle and soil carbon sequestration, I think our chooks and earthworms should wear badges stating ’Carbon Champion’. It’s not surprising that all our backyard operations such as worm farms, hot and cold composting, for mulching our soil and plants and litter for our chooks, need bulk carbon (eg dry brown leaves, palm fronds, wood shavings) to keep things sweet. Other important design considerations are: Mutual benefit An airy, yet predator- and Here, where we are relatively vermin-proof night house with sun access. rich and fat, it’s more likely to Dry areas for dust baths appeal if you appreciate the and rainy weeks hangout, dry German enterprise attitude carbon storage for litter and called Mittelstand: having an nesting. interest in creating good (orGood wheelbarrow access ganic) products with healthy and nearby composting areas. happy workers (in this case Include forage plants such as chooks, plants and growers) pigeon pea, purslane, comfrey under good conditions for and clovers in the yards. long-term mutual benefit. There’s a huge range of n Nina Bishop is a sustainability designs, sizes and criteria to enthusiast and enjoys the comconsider before building a pany of her chooks. She drew system. Above is an example the picture, too. of rotational chicken yards

oceeds to local h of our net pr We give one fift humanitarian projects tly and global siness differen ence doing bu Making a differ

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ients to t. I want my cl ort term profi sh r fo ys they ne re ur he t jo biggest I am no e on one of the nc me. rie pe ho r ex ei th od go ng have a ying or selli Bu : es liv r ei th in will undertake “spin” I say is not just le to trust what ab from be d to ne ea em gl th I want t wisdom their money, bu ssion ng pa ri m cu co se d at an aimed estate field al re e th in ce en ss with me. years of experi ses to do busine oo ch ho w al du for each indivi ant to nts is as import back to my clie ng ts I hi ec et oj m pr so an g ri Givin l humanita ca lo & al ob gl s. y cade me as the man the past three de lved with over vo in en be ve ha ing to turn UT if we are go O SH e iv ct lle co n our planet We need a loud to self extinctio ry to ec aj tr t en dependently around the pres been working in ve ha I s rs ar ye y to join with othe is on. For man alised I needed re I t bu s ge an to make ch e heard. to make my voic ve reens as I belie ed the Byron G n affect ca ho w e ac I have now join policies in pl ith w y rt pa ve ly e me ha been it is the on all those who lik h ec se the be I . ge real chan me down on to watching, to co ds stry an du st in e el th fu in il sitting g. The foss hat into the rin ur yo w ro th t, . cour e numbers but we have th has the money

ens today t the Byron Gre or p p su w ro or For tom

Your Sustainable Community – March, 2012

Rail is on the right track for sustainable transport Karin Kolbe Transportation is a bit like plumbing: we take it for granted, and only really notice it when something goes wrong. Like when we face congestion, when there’s a road accident, when fuel surcharges on plane tickets increase or when a young person hitchhikes home late at night. Transportation infrastructure is usually big, expensive, involves several levels of government and is notoriously difficult to really understand the true costs and benefits to society, the environment and the individual. Making transport sustainable is hard, but possible. Around the globe rail is increasingly being seen as part of the answer. Transport accounts for more than 14 per cent of our greenhouse gas emissions, largely from road-based transport, and it’s rising every year[1]. Road travel produces more than 40 per cent more carbon pollution than rail travel per passenger kilometre[2], making rail a good choice. Various electric, hydrogen and hybrid cars, like the Prius, are useful in reducing carbon emissions. However this technology can’t be implemented overnight to the whole country. Further, if coal-fired

the reinvigoration of the regional rail network from federal and state funding has been beneficial for Victoria regional and rural tourism, industry and educational opportunities[3]. Globally the world is turning to rail. China, Europe, USA. Even Warren Buffet has been investing billions [4]. Melbourne– Sydney is the fourth busiest air route in the world [5]. While most of Australia has too few people to justify high speed rail on economic grounds, the population density from Melbourne to Brisbane is greater than parts of Europe where HSR is being laid now. For moving passengers and freight, rail has a lot to offer in terms of truly sustainable transport

electricity is used to power the electric vehicles, then we’ve not changed much. Our predominantly roadbased transport system creates problems beyond simple carbon pollution, so in the interests of true long-term sustainability this is a good moment to pause and consider other options. Accidents cost us all, but how much? While clearly it’s impossible to put a figure

on the death of a loved one, we can quantify police time, hospital costs, lost earnings etc. Road transport generates almost eight times the amount of accident costs as rail transport does. In NSW road accidents claimed 2,163 lives, caused 124,061 injuries and cost the NSW economy $13.8 billion 2006–10. So clearly shifting even a modest proportion of passenger and freight traffic from road to rail

will save lives and money. We’re all familiar with road congestion – like driving into Byron Bay, or getting through Sextons Hill and into Brisbane. At first glance it seems obvious that building more or bigger roads will solve the problem. And it does – but only for a while. Why? Because as soon as people see that there is space on the road, they will jump in their cars, and try to use

References: [1] Dept of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency www. climatechange.gov.au/ the road. Martin Wachs, Uni [2} The True Value of Rail, of California Transportation Deloitte Access Economics, Centre says, ‘Like Alice at the Mad Hatter’s tea party, highway available www.ara.net.au planners are caught in a vicious [3] BayFM interview 27 August 2010 cycle. You can never build enough roads to keep up with [4] Many references like this congestion. Traffic always rises one: www.slate.com/articles/ business/moneybox/2011/02/ to exceed capacity.’ working_on_the_railroad.html Enough of the negatives, [5] High Speed Rail Study, what are some positives? Phase 1, July 2011, Prepared for Justine Hanney, chief executhe Dept of Infrastructure and tive of Regional Development Australia Victoria outlined how Transport.

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Your guide to sustainable living on the north coast

Good and bad of the web

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Obi McDonald-Saint

greenhouse emissions than the aviation industry. In 1989 the World Wide Web As this demand grows, so was born. In fewer than 10,000 does the need for newer, faster, days, the web transformed more energy-efficient computnearly every aspect of human ers. So the sourcing of materials, life: how we communicate, the production of components, socialise, shop, learn, play and the manufacture of computers conduct business. Not since and the eventual waste created the Renaissance has such an by the fast-growing industry event had such an evolutionary make up the lifecycle of the effect on mankind. web, all having an impact on We underwent a paradigm the environment. shift where we became aware So how do we deal with that it is more efficient to send the exponentially expansive, electrons than atoms. Meaning, power hungry behemoth we’ve we realised it’s easier to do our created? How can we use such banking online than to drive a valuable service as the web down to the local branch. The and not rape our planet at the convenience of the web drove same time? Ultimately, it comes its popularity and its use to down to changing the way we unprecedented levels. The web do things. became a service as essential to us in our everyday lives as electricity and water. But this demand has come at a price and it’s the environment that has had to foot the bill.

Stored online The web is made up millions of interconnected computers spread across the world, called servers. All the content of the internet, the words, documents, links, images, movies, and music are all stored on hard drives connected to these servers. This content is viewed by millions of other computers around the world called clients. These are the computers you and I use to access the internet. Then there are a further horde of computers called routers whose job it is to route information between the server and client computers. Collectively, these computers use a enormous amount of power to run. So much so, it’s estimated the Internet accounts for two per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Some studies predict the internet will be producing 20 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gases within a decade as the web becomes more popular and more users in developing countries come online. This is enormous growth that would see the IT industry become a much greater contributor to

like solar and wind along with traditional power sources like coal and nuclear. If this push is great enough, the renewable energy industry will become a bigger and viable player in the global market. We can add to this push, by taking an interest as a consumer. Ask your cloud provider what their commitment is to renewable energies. Demand more of them. At the end of the day, these businesses are businesses, and regardless of their size, they are at the whim of the consumer. Purchase computers that are built to last rather than ones that are designed to be thrown away in a couple of years when the cheap components inside fail. Computers that are built of quality, recyclable material like aluminium and glass rather than plastics will often outlive cheaper models by many years. Make sure your computer is energy efficient and turn it off when you’re not using it.

E-waste Massive buildings

Once your computer has failed, don’t throw it in the Data centres are one of the trash. E-waste already accounts web’s biggest contributors for a massive proportion of to greenhouse emissions. landfill. Find your nearest These massive air-conditioned e-waste service and dispose of buildings are filled with with your ex-computer thoughtfully. thousands of servers, which are Your computer manufacturer used to store the data of indimay even have an e-waste providuals and companies all over gram whereby they will take the world. These are the storyour computer back without age hubs for the cloud services charging you. offered by Google, Apple and Ironically, the web itself Facebook. These cloud services may be the biggest contribupool resources and are an eftor to offsetting its impact on ficient way to store the world’s the environment. Think of the growing data requirements. activities you did before the So, on one hand, data centres internet came along: sending are a step in the right direction letters to friends and family, toward minimising our impact driving from shop from shop on the environment, but on the looking for something to buy, other hand, data centres use even reading a newspaper. All far too much electricity to be of these activities generate sustainable. greenhouse gases. The web has It’s this demand that could made each of these tasks much actually be a saving grace for more efficient, lowering our the environment. As more environmental impact. and more data is required, the power bill of the data centre n Obi McDonald-Saint is one grows. In order to lower costs, of the founders of Mullum Mac data centres will be forced to www.mullummac.com and embrace renewable energies Byron Host webhosting service.

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Your Sustainable Community – March, 2012

Going big with solar is the way forward for Australia Pat Miller

needs electricity. The industry is tooled up Australia’s energy supply and to produce the majority of infrastructure is in crisis. Our our power from burning ever-increasing demand for petrochemicals, coal and gas. electricity is being met by Hence the insidious rise of the power retailers hamstrung by coal-seam gas touted wrongly labyrinthine legislation yet who as the solution to pollution. are making vast profits. Decentralisation and localisaLegislation in all states tion of power production (and requires power companies to subsequent economies) simply service demand at all times. does not fit the profit makers’ This is compounded by their agenda. unwillingness to raise tariffs The long and the short of it is during peak use. Although that Australia’s power industry power companies wallow in is currently completely unsusgreenwash, the reality is they tainable. are profit driven. Everyone Ironically that’s where the

bones of our beach culture might just save the day. Australia has plenty of the stuff needed for generation of electricity on a huge scale. Sun, space and salt. Big Solar has been a long time coming and has largely flown under the radar because of our love affair with fossil fuels and the entrenched cultures around burning them. Spain’s Gemasolar plant was the prototype, effectively demonstrating that big solar can deal with baseload power demand. Spain will produce seven gigawatts of solar power

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by June 2013 – more than 12 per cent of the national yield – and has overtaken the United States as the world’s premier solar power generator. The idea is incredibly simple. You focus mirrors on a pillar of salt that becomes molten; the heat stored in the salt produces steam used to generate electricity. Australia has the perfect opportunity to at last demonstrate we are the clever country. We need to retool our electricity distribution network, plan for big solar and think through ways to move our country towards zero emissions, minimal dependence on fossil fuels and work towards completely renewable energy sources. This is largely dismissed as fantasy by the mining lobby. Yet people in our neck of the woods are doing it already, installing solar panels and selling what they produce back to the grid. Big Solar is a logical step towards producing clean energy on a large scale. The possibilities are exciting. 100% Renewable, an organisation dedicated to campaigning for clean energy in Australia, has started fighting to build huge solar plants in strategic places in Australia. In the coming weeks local groups are organising the Big Solar launch across the northern rivers. Representatives of the Caldera Environment Centre, Tweed Climate Action Network and Greens joined forces with their Lismore and

Mullumbimby counterparts in Port Hacking in early February to participate in the Big Solar Bootcamp. A weekend to generate the groundswell for renewable energy and examine the benefits of major solar power generation, the bootcamp marked the mobilisation point for the 100% Renewable campaign. Australia’s track record in supporting research and development in clean renewable energy generation is abysmal. Although up to $13 billion was earmarked from the carbon tax

government subsidy to big solar thermal plants in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. The establishment of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency is a step in the right direction but 100% Renewable’s Dean Bridgfoot says it’s not happening nearly fast enough. The 100% Renewable campaign has a vision for: Australia to undertake an urgent transition to 100 per cent renewable energy. This will be achieved by the phasing out of fossil fuels and replacement by renewable energy technology combined with large-scale energy efficiency for all sectors. A just transition for affected workers will be accompanied by the creation of thousands of jobs in the new clean-energy sector. The brilliance of Big Solar to develop renewables, the po- generation involves local econlitical obstacles are thorny and omies and jobs. The compoprogress is slow. The Gillard nents are manufactured locally, government’s Clean Energy Fu- current infrastructure can be tures document gives a broad tweaked through the expenoutline of how the carbon tax diture already earmarked for will support renewables. the national grid upgrade and While the arguments rage there are no environmental about whether the carbon tax impacts. Solar thermal plants is effective and the planning don’t explode, sink, spew oil or for a clean energy future is leak toxic chemicals. adequate, there is a simplistic The research says it’s ecoreality. We can’t just keep dignomically viable. The logic says ging fuel up and burning it. it’s absolutely necessary. It’s a moot point whether we will run out of it or if it will kill n Pat Miller is turning a steep us first. block of dirt into a sustainable It’s a bitter irony that when place for family and friends governments are faced with a who like wit and wassailfinancial crisis they move back ing. Read more here: www. to the old ways. Spain cut its patmiller.net.au.

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Your guide to sustainable living on the north coast

Promulgating plastic bags is an act of terrorism 99 per cent of those being disposed of properly. Even if we did manage to do that and only one small per cent of those bags got into the waterways, we are still looking at 40,000,000 bags going into the ocean,’ says Keith. If that doesn’t alarm you then maybe the extinction of the human race might. Just about every sea life form is now showing traces of petrol chemical toxicity (which ends up in us when we eat things as well). ‘We don’t see plastic in our environment as pollution in

Story & photo Eve Jeffery

Keith Williams and a rescued turtle.

One of the biggest issues surrounding sustainability these days is the single-use plastic shopping bag. This is also probably the simplest problem to fix, something anyone can do – even without a degree in environmental science – yet these bags remain one of the most insidious evils and an ecological disaster of terminal proportions. Plastic bags and other plastic products will be the end of humans on the planet. (Some might think that a good thing.) What appears to be the major hindrance to the demise of the plastic bag is human stupidity – people just can’t seem to remember to put their reusable bags back in the car once they have been delivered to the kitchen bench. ‘D’oh. I forgot the shopping bags. Give me plastic. Just this once’. I am guilty of this same response to my own memory lapse. More than once. I suspect I am just plain stupid because I personally love the earth’s creatures but I bet my own forgetfulness has been directly responsible for the death of some wildlife. It would be interesting to see how many

turtle deaths could be attributed to a human who said, ‘Just this once’. So I am going to just say it now and hope it sinks in. Perpetuating the need for single-use plastic bags is an act of environmental terrorism! Because of our forgetfulness, Keith Williams from Australian Seabird Rescue spends his mornings sifting through turtle shit in an effort to save them. He watches for the passing of their lives or the slivers of plastic that can cause them to spend up to three long months baking in the sun on the ocean’s surface as their skin slowly burns and they become infested with parasites while they starve to death. When did we become turtle killers? When the plastic bag we bought our Weetbix and avocados home in finds its way into the ocean. The chances are that one of them has found a path through our waterways. Plastic for a variety of reasons ends up inside sea creatures and not necessarily as you may think, as mistaken jelly-fish in the larger species. Even small pieces of degraded plastic still end up on the ocean floor and that is where the turtles feed.

the same way as we see other things’, says Keith. ‘We don’t see it as a threat to us as humans. In 50 years’ time we will not be able to eat a fish. And what people don’t realise is that the ocean creates a lot of oxygen. ‘Water covers two thirds of the planet’s surface. Carbon dioxide is taken up by the ocean’s phytoplankton. In the process of photosynthesis, phytoplankton release oxygen into the water’. At least half of the world’s oxygen is produced via phytoplankton photosynthesis. Do

the maths. If the ocean dies so do the phytoplankton and we all choke to death. It really is that simple. The solution? Shop where you are forced to bring your own bag, box or trolley – farmers markets are the ideal choice but make an effort to support supermarkets which support resuable bags. Put something in your car or tattoo on your forehead a reminder to deliver back to the car the bags you took inside or, for the totally dim-witted, store the remote for the TV or your iPhone inside the reusables.

‘Green Gene Kids’ Open Day 22nd April 10–2

From there it is a quick trip to the digestive tract and not long before the food starts to get backed-up and, as happens in reptiles with no internal heater to melt things down, the food inside starts to rot. This basically causes a huge fart that can’t get out and the poor creature is doomed by its own gas to float aimlessly on the surface in the hot sun, unable to dive for protection from the weather or to reach the food that sit sometimes only a few feet away on the bottom. Most perish in an unimaginably torturous and drawn-out starvation. The few lucky ones wash up on the beach to be either euthanased or rehabilitated which is why the sunrise sees Keith fossicking through scats. If you think this is scare mongering then maybe some facts will sober you. Keith says that it is sheer volume that is the cruncher. It is estimated that Australia alone uses about four billion single-use, disposable plastic shopping bags a year. ‘Even if we had the best waste disposal and recycling technologies, we are never going to get anywhere near

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Your Sustainable Community – March, 2012

Still a long way to go before organic is mainstream Victoria Cosford

etables. ‘It was a make-it, bakeit, grow-it operation’, he says. According to Dave Forrest, a ‘We’d go to Paddy’s Market in mere half a per cent of fresh the mornings and sell what fruit sales involve organic we had. We also started a goat produce. While it’s very fashion- farm. Being organic farmers we ability might suggest otherwere definitely an anomaly in wise – ‘organics’ the current those days at Paddy’s. buzzword; farmers markets ‘We quickly realised we were proliferating in not only selling the wrong product – regional but also urban areas – people wanted cheap crap, the reality is that its acceptance people weren’t interested in and hence its consumption food! They only wanted novcontinue to be modest. elty. We didn’t do terribly well ‘But you’ve got to start but we were undeterred, and it where you can!’, Dave tells me was enough to survive on.’ in the shade we have gratefully Tomatoes, zucchini, eggsought during a Mullumbimby plant, capsicum – the latter Farmers Market morning. considered strange back then Dave himself started caring in their exoticism – were sold. about organics at the age of Then Sue was offered a 21, back in the early 70s. He teaching position up on the far attended agricultural college in north coast. Together with their the Blue Mountains, majoring herd of dairy goats, a ‘house’ in Production Horticulture. cow and a calf they relocated ‘I went there’, he says, ‘as to a property at Federal. ‘Sue an organic grower with an spun the wool and we made interest in understanding why cheese and milk’, Dave says. organic. I was looking to make a difference.’ Hippy-run He tells me that what triggered the decision was the From ‘day one’ they went into job he entered upon leaving production, supplying goat school: it was in computer pro- milk to the hippy-run Fundy’s gramming. ‘Three months in a in Lismore (‘we’d bring it in in brick and glass tower studying glass flagons’, he recalls) and that I decided it wasn’t the then to Santos. All they could right world!’ obtain was bridging finance In order to pay for his educa- – as far as the banks were tion Dave and his partner Sue concerned they were high risk, started growing organic vegan unmarried couple with not

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Y: 70 K: 58 45

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my full-time teaching load’, Dave says (he had been offered fulltime in 1984), ‘so I planted oranges. I used the kitty money to buy a property with coffee trees, and I converted those trees to organics.’ He became founding member of the Tweed Richmond Organic Producers Organisation, or TROPO, of which he is currently president. It was TROPO which worked towards starting up farmers markets in Byron Bay as early as 1997. Dave established a group called Soilcare, a Landcare group for biological farmers (those growers interested in utilising organic techniques but who are currently unable to drop the use of unapproved inputs). He has been running TAFE courses and field days for Soilcare for the past ten years. ‘It’s been a really good thing – people making incremental changes and eventually becoming environmentallyconscious farmers.’

unstable climate. We’ve lost skills in the farming community to grow things without chemicals. Farmers work long hours for little return so why choose it? We have to make farming profitable again.’ Dave says that the way this is done is by working with the soil, improving it, lessening our need for inputs, so costs are lowered and we have healthier plants and fewer diseases. Strength, he says, comes from the partnership with environment and sound farming systems; partnerships with consumers who want you to look after the environment and who are then prepared to reward you. Dave Forrest in his lush vegetable garden. Dave admits to being wary Photo Jeff ‘Arty Choke’ Dawson of the way ‘organics’ have beenough acres and no money We’d take them to the railhead come fashionable, saying that and Sue the only one with at Bangalow and load them on they have been co-opted by a full-time job. Within seven the train to go to Sydney.’ the big corporations. years, however, they had paid By now Dave was teaching ‘I’m wary’, he tells me, ‘of off their property. By this stage (he was the only teacher of the way society works. Africans Dave had landed casual work agriculture at Lismore at the can grow organic crops for at TAFE teaching Production time), milking, and growSainsbury’s and not feed Horticulture to youth-at-risk. ing vegetables. Through the themselves. Big business is very It was now 1980: having Richmond Valley Reforestation adaptable and willing to claim found a local with a tractor group he planted 10,000 native a new victim. Consumers have to cultivate their paddock trees. In 1985 he also planted to be aware that it’s still hard to they were growing what they his first macadamias into the make intelligent decisions. could, and sending it off to the one-hectare area where he ‘An example is that the Sydney wholesale markets. had been growing vegetables. local coffee industry is almost ‘They didn’t know what organic That has since expanded to five Farmers markets nullified by people who was’, Dave tells me, ‘but if the acres and is still growing. The import from overseas and set quality was good you could get couple now has about thirty Then, in 2000, the first farm- themselves up with a local $2 for a 10kg box of zucchini! acres of orchard and three ers market was up and running. name. Big business co-opts the farms. ‘Around the markets there’s real agenda to suit itself, and this opportunity to develop the local family farmers are a partnership between the the ones that lose out and are Worthwhile people who grow food and over-ridden by those business ‘It’s doing what you think is the people who eat food. We structures.’ worthwhile, what you should had lost this, and we are now For all that, Dave Forrest be doing’, Dave tells me when seeking to redress it. It was one professes to be an optimistic I comment on workloads. ‘It’s of the aims of many people person. Over the 32 years he not work when it’s worthwhile.’ who came to the region’, says has been teaching at TAFE Here is a man who for 16 Dave. ‘We felt in TROPO we he has had ‘a few thousand years slogged away for as had to prepare a blueprint for students’ and it gratifies him to much as 18 hours a day at peak when our unsustainable socisee them all using improved periods. ‘It was full-on all the ety ends. If we learn how to set farming practices. Here is a time – I’d finish night teaching up these networks now, when man who started where he at TAFE, come home and pack the crunch comes we’ll know could – a man who really has CusTOm maDE RECyClED TimbER fruit, get up early when the what to do. made a difference. pickers arrived in the morn‘Currently we don’t have fuRniTuRE anD suRfbOaRD RaCks ing… you sleep with red dots food security, although in n Victoria Cosford is a journalmaDE lOCally in byROn bay in front of your eyes!’ Australia we’re really lucky with ist, food writer and author Goats, macadamias, bush our relatively low population of the memoir Amore and TO ORDER PH. 0413061727 foods like Davidson Plums, and large areas of farming. Amoretti – A Tale of Love and the usual array of seasonal But for how much longer? Our Food in Italy. See more at vegetables – ‘I was still with security is based on oil and an www.lavittoria.com.au.

The Green & Clean Awareness Team THE GREEN & CLEAN AWARENESS TEAM INC. welcomes you to help clean, plant and protect our precious natural environment at 9am – 12pm, the 3rd Sunday of every month. Meet in the park at the Beach Café. Then, from 12 to 1pm, enjoy a delicious FREE BBQ and be in the draw for one of four excellent prizes. • We collect rubbish from Byron’s beaches, dunes and waterways.

for replanting, enhancing biodiversity of our Flora and Fauna.

• We plant the sand dunes and bush habitat to repair and maintain them, and we collect seeds

• We also have fun, whilst meeting like-minded members in the community.

Please bring gloves, hat, sunscreen and appropriate footwear. Everyone is very welcome, so invite your friends to share the experience.

For further quieries phone Veda: 6685 7991 or Udo: 0413 173 786 <echowebsection=Your Sustainable Community>

Your guide to sustainable living on the north coast

Time to act for the sea

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Story & photo Mary Gardner In early March, an alarmed UNESCO visits the Great Barrier Reef to investigate degradation of this World Heritage Site. The whole world watches as the agitated community of Gladstone fundraise to pay scientists who are examining diseased marine wildlife. The most important hope we have now to lead us to sustainability of the ocean is upset people. In particular, upset young people who are judging the efforts of the older generation and saying they can do better. Here are some tips for them, as well as those still young enough at heart.

the website Dynamic Patterns http://research.dynamicpatterns.com/opportunities. Does something else marine catch your interest? Create a program to build that knowledge. Start a movement or a new enterprise. If you think ‘someone should…’, be that person.

Think systems not thoughts

The ocean challenges us to think differently. Whirling thoughts overwhelm and confuse. But, with training, we can sense a dynamic system of interwoven actions. A pioneer in sustainability thinking, Donella Meadows, Become ‘ocean identified the power of leverage points. These are action literate’ stations in networks that Academics in the US and constantly test a system’s UK find the general public are resilience, its ability to hold poorly informed about the itself together over time. Breakoceans. After all the fascinating ing resilience pushes a system nature shows, we are left with through a phase change into a superficial collections of pretty completely new state. but disjointed facts. Since the 1800s, Chesapeake Marine researchers Fletcher Bay lost oyster beds and fish and Potts point out that a truly while being flooded with nutriengaged public is informed ent run off. The system shifted by ‘deep learning’. Yes, the from a network dominated by full fathom five. So reach into fish of many species and sizes science as well as arts. Train to one dominated by jellyfish yourself to weave experiences and microbes. Ditto 399 other together, whether they be locations with similar system expressed as words, images or changes. numbers. We need every kind When biologist Jeremy of intelligence to understand Jackson summarises modern an alien environment that cov- threats to global seas, he lists ers 70 per cent of the surface major system changes. Our area of the planet. ‘shifting baselines’ and ‘fishing Our savvy of the sea is barely down food webs’. The impacts a step ahead of our exploitaof losing 90 per cent of large tion. There are many types of predatory fish. Nutrient pol‘hands-on’ learning. The latest lution. Misunderstandings UN report urges a ‘greening’ leading to decades of fishery of maritime enterprises with mismanagement. Acidification projects that transform coastal of seawater. Climate changes communities. Fletcher and already underway. Potts call people to take up These all work in subtle and ‘ocean citizenship’ and lifestyle sophisticated ways. Popular changes. media can miss the point altoMany researchers are inviting gether. Train yourself to watch the public to join in ‘citizen systems. Often, these move on, science’. not back. This realisation drives Local programs count sea conservation and precautionbirds, shellfish and sharks. On ary principles. the internet, projects involve Join in as a reliable hundreds of thousands of volunteers. Some help the UK’s team member National Maritime Museum extract weather data from Royal Ocean literacy and systems Navy ship logs dating from the thinking sensitise you to the mid 1900s. Others listen for connections which support meaning in the recorded songs you and the power you have as of orcas at ‘Whale FM’. one informed citizen. Once you More options for you on know everything you do has

impact, you recognise you’re already a team member. From household to region, from humanity to biodiversity, the team is as large as you can care. Make yourself reliable: listen, consider the uncertainties and pick specific things you will do. Then act, from rubbish pick ups, lifestyle changes, enterprise overhauls to political campaigns and protests. Steadily, consistently, peacefully. And enjoy – include musicians.

Upskill everyone Sustainability is for everyone. Whether you are with the 99 per cent or the one per cent, preschoolers or scholars, share yourself. In Byron Bay, Nate McDonald specialises in law interpretation. He coached local teenager Madi Stewart in reading some complex fishing legislation. This added a new dimension to her shark conservation campaign, which is gaining national attention. McDonald, who also coaches Sea Shepherd staff, offers these Mustor Mindset basics free to everyone working to protect animals and the environment. (www.mustor.com online soon).

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Plan for the long haul In August 2011, after a failed attempt eight years ago, Dee Tipping rallied Trude Helm and friends one more time to campaign against free plastic bags in Byron Bay. Now, dozens of local businesses, two farmers markets and Byron Council are taking action. Money is raised for Seabird Rescue to rehabilitate turtles that swallow plastic. Thousands have signed Tim Silverwood’s petition to the NSW government. Elsewhere, the EU pays fishermen to haul in marine plastic. Alka Zadgaonkar, a female Indian chemist, invents an inexpensive process converting any plastic rubbish back to petroleum. Will we see this, along with other changes, converge and transform our relationship with the sea? Sustainability, if we can reach it at all, may take yet another generation. So keep to the course. n Read more of Mary Gardner’s

work at www.tangleoflife.org.

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Your Sustainable Community – March, 2012

A quick guide to managing the planet wisely David Hunter Tow

planet’s outcomes to provide life with a future is the paraThere will be an urgent need mount goal that must focus all to harness the full resources humanity’s skills, creativity and and intelligence of the Web to knowledge, from now into the coordinate and manage major far future. programs relating to global Up until comparatively warming and survival of the recently, managing resources, planet – including its life and infrastructure and catastrohuman civilisation. phes has been largely an ad The cards are now on the ta- hoc affair run on a country ble – the climate skeptics’ bluff rather than regional or global has been called. The latest scibasis. This is not surprising ence suggests that of the criti- considering the evolution of cal indicators of the health of our civilisation, which has been the planet, three have already based on a largely competitive, passed the critical stage and winner-take-all model between the remainder are perilously individuals, organisations, cities close to the abyss. and nation-states. Those past critical are Over the last few decades, biodiversity loss, ozone deple- however, a realisation has tion, and ocean warming and dawned that this is an extremeacidification, with chemical ly inefficient and counterpropollution, land and freshwater ductive approach and totally over-use and nitrogen and unsustainable in the modern phosphorous runoff close carbon-induced warming era. behind. Most importantly, at This is particularly the case current levels of CO2 accumula- when it comes to managing tion, the maximum two-degree critical global issues such as Celsius threshold increase will climate change, spread of disbe breached within 20 years. ease, ecosystem protection and In addition, over the past 50 major catastrophes – including years the world’s population mega-droughts, oil-spills and has almost doubled to seven earthquakes. billion, global consumption of Although still operating food and fresh water has more in largely fragmented mode, than tripled, fossil fuel use has humans are beginning to moquadrupled and vertebrates bilise cooperatively, creating have declined by more than 30 global research consortiums, per cent. trade and business alliances It is clear that managing the and knowledge exchange net-

helping predict and prevent future potential crises. The Living Earth Simulator is expected to predict for example, potential economic bubbles, impacts of global warming, pandemics and conflicts and how to best mitigate them. The FuturicT project has the potential to accelerate this process, operating as an essential catalyst and mobiliser for managing our future. But there are many other advanced projects with the potential to complement this grand design http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/ and working in parallel to help complete the big picture. The focus is on preparing works. But a lot more is needed to create a model of the entire for a smarter future for planet to ensure our survival – primar- planet’s dynamics in real time; Earth – creating solutions for ily by becoming a lot cleverer applying it to solve major prob- managing more efficiently and in focusing our scientific, tech- lems relating to these areas. reliably the world’s infrastrucnology and social resources. There is now a vital need to ture, energy, food, water and One of the most significant better understand the global health. This will be achieved advances recently announced, interrelationships enmeshing through harnessing the imis the European FuturicT prothe society in which we live mense power of advanced ject. This ambitious European and the effect that these have artificial intelligence, mathCommission-funded billion on the planet as a whole. We ematical, computing, commueuro enterprise is designed also need to know how to nication, control and modelling to simulate the knowledge leverage the benefits of global techniques. resources of the entire planet – social systems, while at the Game-changing projects not just physical but social and same time limiting any downsuch as FuturicT are critical, but economic, mobilising partners sides they may generate. managing the planet requires from most of the top university Labelled ‘Reality Mining’, the much more – in essence research centres in Europe. plan is to gather information coordinating and focusing the The ‘Living Earth Simulator’ about every aspect of the living entire knowledge base and is a major part of this project planet, including its life-forms, mind-power of our civilisation. to be completed by 2022. It will and use it to simulate the beThis should implemented mine economic, technological, haviour and evolution of entire as a worldwide public project, environmental and health data ecosystems and economies, in the same manner as the

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internet and web: with each component of the planet’s intellectual mosaic – individuals, research groups, corporations and governments, contributing and mining their knowledge resources – each according to their creative capacity and expertise. Such a global vision is too fundamentally vital and complex to be funnelled through individual private organisations, politicians or states. It must instead function as a self-organising supra-national entity – evolving eventually as a largely autonomous system. Managing the planet therefore will involve the massive task of coordinating thousands of techniques, technologies, systems and initiatives to gain the maximum leverage within the timescale available. There is only one practical mechanism to ensure the ultimate success of such a gargantuan endeavour – harnessing the intelligence of the web itself. n David Hunter Tow is an Aus-

tralian science and technology communicator. Director of the Future Planet Research Centre, he runs a series of blogs, including http://futureplanetblog.blogspot.com, and the science program website www. theoriesofeverything.com.

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Your guide to sustainable living on the north coast

To breed or not to breed? – the sustainability question Mandy Nolan Sustainability is simply not sustainable. It is the ultimate survival of the species riddle. An evolutionary entropic condundrum that goes to the core of our continued existence. Planetary resources are finite, and it has been scientifically established that we need to conserve our use. Back in New Testament times Jesus could turn water into wine, but unless he makes his longawaited return and transforms sand into oil, or those awful Kardashians into coal, then we’re screwed. Alternative energies just aren’t being adopted fast enough to make a difference. In fact it’s pretty clear the planet won’t be able to sustain future populations with energy or food without incurring a minimum 2cm sea-level rise within the next 50 years. Environmental Armageddon is not only predicted to be on the way, some scientists are speculating that with our current unchanging political mindset that catastrophe could await within this century. (On the upside, imagine the party at the ‘End of the World’ Festival – of course it would be in Byron Bay, and the best thing is not only would you not need a DA you wouldn’t have to clean up!)

One certain way to reduce the draw on resources is to reduce the population. It’s maths. Or at least it appears to be. Fewer people equals less land needed for food production, less energy required etc etc. It’s a pretty straightforward thesis based on the theory that less equals less. But we live in a capitalist economy, where less, unfortunately equals less than less, and then even more less, and then… total less: extinction. It took a capitalist like Dick Smith to point this out to a bunch of politicians who seemed unwilling to enter into any discussion about the framework of how our world works.

Image from http://photosofcutebabies.com Dick was right. Turns out that he really is a Clever Dick. Unless we change our economic system and the philosophy under which we operate, it doesn’t matter how many solar panels we whack on our roofs, sustainability simply cannot be sustained. Capitalism is built on unsustainability: that is, continual growth. And that growth applies to everything, from production to people. When I had my last daughter Ivy I noted that a rather unkind letter in The Echo brandishing me for my environmental irresponsibility for having four biological children. At face value

this is a simplistic argument. I am clearly an immoral slut. But, maybe I’m also a saint? People who have lots of children are squeezing resources. That’s hard to dispute. However, our economic system is completely reliant on high birth rates. In fact, in our current system, unless you knock out a few kids, then you are doing future generations great harm. And here lies the conundrum. In order to replace ourselves every woman needs to have 2.1–2.2 children. As more and more women decide to exercise their right to choose not to have children, the bulk of the breeding responsibility falls

on sluts like me. We are providing the people who will not only care for you, but pay the tax to provide the infrastructure necessary to sustain community in the developed world. You see, if you are a baby boomer you need the younger generations to be breeding at an increased rate to provide a workforce of wage earners who pay enough tax to provide the resources you will need for ageing: hospitals, aged care facilities, palliative care, transport, nursing etc etc. It’s already looking pretty grim for a lot of ageing baby boomers as sufficient capital cannot be raised to support their non-taxpaying years. As I am well over the breeding quota I was even considering auctioning off 1.8 of my children’s future earning capacity on eBay to a rich childless boomer. Economic analysts and forecasters like Keating saw this impending social doom and embarked on a quest for boomers to forsake reliance on the system and become self-sustaining through super funds. It was a clever idea but hit an obvious glitch when the market crashed recently and many self-funded retirees lost a good part of their booty. It seems a terrible irony that we need more people to pay for the people we already have,

particularly as more and more people will be living longer, with much longer non-wageearning life than ever before. It seems preposterous but in places like Japan and South Korea where the birth rates are as low as 0.8 by the end of the century that they will be extinct. That’s right. Those Japanese tourists you so often see up at the Gold Coast cuddling our koalas may soon have to be heritage listed themselves. Why, if they don’t get a little more amorous we’ll be visiting the last few surviving Japanese people in nature reserves and getting photographs hugging them. Those two nations could be the next Tasmanian Tigers. I have been giving the future of the human race great thought, and can’t work out how we are going to sustain life by a) reducing and replacing our resources and b) reducing and replacing ourselves. And so we are faced with the Great Extinction conundrum: to breed or not to breed. I really can’t work it out. The fall of capitalist society looks very different from the one Karl Marx predicted, but it seems that we are heading for total system collapse. Bring on the revolution! Ah, it was so much easier when we were just amoeba in a Petri dish, rooting and drowning in our own shit.

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