Eco-friendly
Seabins
products
Underwater drones OCTOBER 2018
THE WAR ON WASTE
TABLE OF CONTENTS WAR ON WASTE ISSUE
Community spotlight
Seabins for cleaner oceans
Australia's wasted opportunity
Starfish
Jokes
The “how” of recycling
Tips and tricks
Why recycling is important
Chicken & corn soup
Eco-friendly products
Ham and potato rissoles
Underwater drones
Food waste issue
Water management
Sea shepherds
Puzzles
Produced by the participants of the Workways West End Townsville Work for the Dole Community ZINE project. Cover: Chris Brown
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT Act for Kids – What we stand for
Purpose: To prevent and treat child abuse and neglect. Our Vision: That all kids have a safe and happy childhood, free from abuse and neglect. Our Values: We are a professional, ethical team who is caring, courageous and collaborative. Act for kids is an Australian charity providing free therapy and support services to children and families who have experienced, or at risk of child abuse or neglect. We have helped thousands of children and families for over 30 years. Act for Kids operates over 26 centres with a team of over 350 staff from Adelaide all the way up to the Cape York Peninsula. Our services have expanded to include integrated therapy, support for vulnerable families, special workshops to empower kids and safe houses in remote Aboriginal communities. Our Story: March 1988 - the health professionals and the legal fraternity, establish the Abused Child Trust and launch a public campaign to fund a treatment and rehabilitation centre in Brisbane. 1989 – 20 June a child abuse treatment centre is opened at Wooloowin in premises provided by the Queensland
Government. By the end of the year the centre has treated more than 140 abused and neglected kids. 1995 - The Trust holds seminars for foster parents in Maryborough, Rockhampton, Townsville and Cairns. 1997 - A part time counselling service is established for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders at Koolyangarra. The Trust wins the Albert & Rose Hingeley Service of Excellence Award for Childrens Services. 1999 - A treatment centre is established on the Gold Coast, and a part time outreach service is provided for Redcliffe and districts. 2002 - A treatment centre is opened in Townsville. The Trust is Highly Commended in the Excellence Category for Services by the National Council for the Prevention of Child Abuse. 2006-2007 - A treatment centre is opened in Cairns, along with a second centre on the Gold Coast. The Platinum Class Lottery, a major fundraising initiative, is launched. 2008 - The Trust is renamed ACT for Kids. A centre is established in Weipa, Cape York, and a protective behaviours program is delivered to Year 1 children in primary schools on the Gold Coast. 2009-2010 - ACT for Kids begins its SafeKIDS program, opening Safe Houses in Napranum, Doomadgee, Pormpuraaw, Aurukun and Kowanyama. Dr Neil Carrington is appointed CEO in August 2010. 2013-2015 - The charity is rebranded Act for Kids and opens centres in Gympie, Maryborough, Ipswich, Toowoomba,
Roma, and Adelaide. A Child and Family Centre of Excellence is opened in Townsville. SafeKIDS program wins the 2015 Queensland Reconciliation Award Community category. 2016 - An integrated therapy centre is opened in Blacktown and an Early Education Program is launched in Cairns. Act for Kids now helps over 15,000 kids and families every year through 22 centres across Australia. The Learn to be safe with Emmy and friends protective behaviours program has been delivered to over 10,000 kids, with funding received from the Vita Foundation to reach 3000 more kids in the coming year. The Issue: Child abuse and neglect is one of Australia’s biggest and most misunderstood social problems. Despite being underreported, Australian authorities confirmed 49,315 children were abused or neglected in one year alone*. (Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Child protection Australia 2016/17) Thats one child every 11 minutes suffering physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect, often by someone they know and should be able to trust; most often in their own home. Thousands more cases go unreported, and the number of children and young people in out-of-home care is increasing. 47,915 children and young people were in outof-home care. What is child abuse and neglect?: When people think of child abuse they often think of severe beatings or sexual abuse, however emotional abuse (48%) and neglect (24%) are more common and the impacts are just as damaging to a child. Each state and territory has different definitions, and not all child abuse is a crime. Types of abuse: It can be a single incident, or a number of incidents that occur over time. It doesnt matter how much a child has been harmed, but whether they have been harmed, are being harmed, or are at risk of physical, psychological or emotional harm. Physical Abuse: Sometimes it can be difficult to know if your instincts about child abuse and neglect are right. There are often behavioural or physical signs of stress when a child has been, or is experiencing abuse. It can include:
Sexual touching or kissing Talking in a sexually explicit way that is inappropriate for the age and development of the child, including via phone, email, text and other forms of communication Persistently intruding on a childs privacy Exposing a child to pornography or sexual acts Forcing a child to pose or perform sexual acts Any form of penetration or oral sex.
Emotional Abuse: Emotional abuse occurs when a childs emotional, social or intellectual development is threatened or impaired. It happens when an adult repeatedly makes a child feel frightened, ashamed, upset, alone or worthless. It can include:
Excessive yelling, threats and using fear Persistent criticism, teasing, bullying or embarrasing and humiliating a child Rejection and hostility Witnessing domestic violence.
Neglect: Neglect is when a childs basic needs are not met and their development and well-being are affected. It can include:
Nutritious food A clean, secure home Access to health care and medicial treatment Adequate clothing Good personal hygiene Adequate adult supervision Positive, nurturing engagement and mental stimulation.
Effects of child abuse and neglect: The effects of child abuse and neglect can be significant and lead to lifelong problems. It can impact a childs brain development, how they feel and think about themselves, how successful they are at school, even their physical development and skills. In the long term it can lead to drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, difficulty developing and maintaining good relationships, unemployment and all sorts of social disadvantage all due to their childhood experiences, and not their fault. If your worried about a child or need help and support contact a trained professional on 1300 228 000
Shaking Hitting or kicking Burning Pinching or biting Female genital mutilation
Sexual Abuse: Sexual abuse can be physical, verbal or emotional and happens when an adult, adolescent or another child uses power or authority to engage a child in any form of sexual activity. It can include:
AC – September 2018 – www.actforkids.com.au
AUSTRALIA’S WASTED OPPORTUNITY Attempting to fix an old issue with modern methods
"Science is the knowledge of consequences, and dependence of one fact upon another.”; Thomas Hobbes said this in the 17th century. So why is that now in the 21st century, 400 years later, we haven’t been able to grasp the concept adequetly? Our world’s industrial infrastructure and economy contain an imperative component in the form of it’s plastic production. We’ve known the damagine effects of plastic and other non-biodegradeable materials for quite some time now, the consequences they impose upon the environment. Yet our reaction as a whole has been mostly relevant toout-of-sight, out-of-mind in. Suddenly removing the production of plastic from an infastructure so adapted to it’s presence would be similar to wrenching a cog from a working machine. Just as plastic makes up the garbage in our oceans, it makes up the bonding agent within multiple facets of our framework as a working society. So how as a perpetually advancing society do we approach this issue? And are there methods that have just recently become viable via modern day advancements that can aid with this?
ABC news reports state that the average Australian is sending more than a tonne of waste to landfill each year whereas the average Swedish household sends around three kilograms. Avfall Sverige, Sweden’s waste and recycling association, reaffirms this. So, how is Sweden accomplishing this, and do we possess the capability to at least somewhat mimic it? Well, firstly let’s take a look at our own track record thus far. The Australian Bureau of Statistics recorded that in both instances of 1996 1997 and 2006 – 2007 the volume of waste produced per person in Australia grew at an average of 5.4%. The gap between those two main surveys (1997 – 2007) itself found an increase of 100% in the production of annual waste.
“With a projected population of 40 million people in 2050 that would rise to over 100 million tonnes. It is an abstract figure, but we know it is big. On a finite Earth, it logically cannot increase forever.” – Nick Kilvert (ABC)
Australia following by example If we look at this from a localized point of view, we can paint a clearer picture of what it is we can do. An article posted by Nick Kilvert from ABC news earlier this year states that if Australia were to follow Sweden’s lead we would be sending a negligible amount of waste to landfill in comparison to current quantities by 2050. Sweden is currently one of the world’s most rapidly advancing countries in terms of waste management. They have been an established stable infrastructure for far longer than us, so some distance in terms of advancement within certain facets of society is to be expected. But the discrepancy should by no means be this large.
Now of course, populations grow, so an increase of waste is expected. But an increase in the efforts to reduce waste and the technology with which we may do that is also to be expected. So why isn’t a larger effort by our government or general populace noticeable? In 1997 Australia’s population was 18.5 million whereas in 2007 it grew to 21 million. That is an 8.11% increase in the exact same span of time that our waste increased by an aforementioned 100%. Our situation is rapidly getting worse and something needs to change. Australia has started looking into the limitation of plastic but it’s been a slow process with only some states adopting the
ideas. New technology might give us the extra push we need however. On the topic of technology we’re right back to the question at hand; Can we change and adapt moving forward into the future with technology, using it to help clear our waste instead of merely producing more via e-waste? Microrecycling factories capable of creating 3D-printer feedstocks from plastics and metal alloys are already being conceptualized and could find a common place in cities and towns around the world. Researchers at our very own University of New South Wales (UNSW) are developing the
technology as we speak. "Microfactories are really designed to generate local solutions," Veena Sahajwalla (seen above) from UNSW said in an interview with ABC news earlier this year. The factories are small enough to be mobile and modular, meaning they can be tailored to reprocess specific types of waste. The technology is still in it’s infancy but as of right now computer and car parts, clothing, tools, cutlery, telescopes, drones and prosthetic limbs have been produced using 3D printers. The capability of turning waste into a range of products is the essence of recycling. Estimates from around the world show that oil reserves have nearly peaked, meaning we will then enter a terminal decline of the resource. How we handle our plastic is going to become incredibly important very, very soon. Which is why researchers developing depolymerisation technology, able to return plastic into it’s chemical components, which includes oil is such an important endeavour. Our landfills once again enter the equation here since these piles of seemingly useless junk contain billions of litres worth of oil contained in the form of plastic. In closing; As effective as Sweden has been at it’s recycling endeavours, they themselves admit that incineration isn’t a long-term fix for waste. Burning trash creates dioxides, which isn’t great for us or our planet in the long run. So, we can’t burn it for much longer, we can’t shoot it into space (finite resources etc. Plus it cost A LOT) and we obviously can’t just dump it in the ocean. As we move into the future we have to do better. Recycling is our one plausible option. Be informed and be pro-active. Author: J.V. 27|09|18
The mindset You can ask anyone if they’ve ever littered and there’s a good chance that they’ll admit to at least one or two instances of it. More so if they’re a horrible turtle-murdering poopy head. However, there’s a decent chance you know someone who claims to have never done so also. Maybe you yourself have never done so. The responses are going to be a little mixed. However, if you were to ask someone if they have ever seen litter, well- It goes without saying that they have, it’s just an unfortunate reality. Trash littering our streets has become a constant for us; So much so that we just take it for what it is, an ever-present issue that we throw countless laws and regulations at, all for naught. With issues like this, we can look at the waste management of most countries as a whole and immediately see a pattern and a leniency towards waste from the respective governing bodies in place. This isn’t to say that governments are completely oblivious to the issue however. For example in 2006 Forbes stated that the U.S’s rate of recycling moved up from 29% in 1990 to 55% in 2003, and it only continues to improve over time. When this is contrasted alongside the U.S’s ever-increasing annual waste output however, the improved recycling isn’t as comforting as it may have seemed. The U.S is currently producing 236 million tonnes of waste annually, and with an increasing population, and with an increasing population this is only going to keep going up. The recycling rate is not a longterm solution, it is off-setting the produced waste to the same extent that the produced waste is offsetting the recycling. Two steps forward, two steps back. Sources: ABC news (Nick Kilvert), Australian Bureau of statistics, Avfall Sverige
JOKES CORNER Animals that make you laugh! Q) Why did the chicken get a penalty?
Q) What happened to the cat that ate a ball of wool?
A) For fowl play.
A) It had mittens.
Q) What’s the worst thing about having a party in space?
Q) Why can,t you say a joke while standing on ice ?
A) You have to planet.
A) Because it might crack up.
Q) Why did the opera singer go sailing?
Q)Why is tennis such a loud game?
A) She wanted to hit the CS.
A) Because each player raises a racquet. Q) What did the porcupine say to the cactus? A) Are you my mother?. Q) Why are frogs always so happy? A) Because they eat what ever bugs them.
Q) What did 0 say to 8 ? A) Hey that’s a nice belt. Q) Why do bees have sticky hair ? A) They use honeycombs. Q) What did the judge say to the dentist? A) Pull the tooth, the whole tooth, nothing but the tooth. Q) What did the skeleton take to the barbecue? A) Spare Ribs. Q) How do bees get to school? A) They take the school buzz. Q) What gets wetter the more it dries? A) A towel.
Author: SD September Acknowledgement Take 5 Mega Puzzler
Q) Why do crabs never give to charity? A) Because they are shellfish. Q) Why are the floors of basket ball courts always so damp? A) The players dribble a lot. Q) Why did the golfer wear two pairs of pants? A) Just in case he got a hole in one. Q) What did the digital clock say to the grand father clock? A) Look grandpa no hands.
TIPS & TRICKS Cleaning 7) If you want fluffier white rice you can add a teaspoon of lemon juice to the boiling water before rice goes into the pot. 8) To make potatoes last longer store them with an apple in the mix so they won’t soften or bud nearly as fast. 9) If you’re cooking anything that’s likely to drip on your oven floor place a piece of foil underneath it remove the foil and discard it. 10) Wooden chopping boards are more hygienic than plastic or marble ones because they contain tannin, which is a natural antibacterial agent. 11) At least once a week soak your sink sponges and cloths in water and bicarbonate of soda, then rinse thoroughly . Replace at least once a month. Tips and Tricks with environmentally friendly products. 1) To make your own natural air freshener combine ¾ cup water 2tbsp vodka and 5 drops each of eucalyptus and tea tree oils in a spray bottle. 2) If you spill salad dressing on your clothes sprinkle the spot with artificial sweetener it will soak up the oil and make it easier to wash.
12) To get the smell of garlic off your hands after cooking,simply rub them on the bottom of a stainless steel sink. 13) Cockroaches are attracted to the warm motor underneath your fridge, so sprinkle some salt there to get rid of them –they absolutely hate it!
3) Store your sets of bed linen in a matching pillowcase . Next time you need to change your sheets everything is neat and accessible.
14) To banish the odour, place a bowl of vanilla essence and another of bicarbonate of soda inside the fridge close the door and leave for a few hours. (Also works in microwaves.)
4) To clear a blocked nose, sip boiled water with a squeeze of lemon juice and a hint of ginger.
15) The average Australian household does between 260312 loads of washing per year.
5) If you have a bottle of champagne that has recently gone flat, drop a raisin in it. The carbon dioxide left in the bottle will cling to all the grooves in the raisin and then release back into the liquid again, making it bubbly.
16) Buy washing powder in bulk- it’s usually 30 per cent cheaper.
6)Can’t afford Microsoft Word? Get Open Office; it’s the same thing except it’s free and has more features.
18) Use a wash bag to keep socks from disappearing and to protect delicate fabrics from wear and tear.
17) Using cold water cuts your energy bill by approximately $1 per load.
19) Use white vinegar instead of fabric softener – it’s nonallergenic and environmentally friendly 20) When moving heavy appliances, spray Windex in front and around the feet of your appliance so that they slide more easily across the floor 21) When you buy bagged lettuce, always, look for the flattest bag. When the greens are packaged, all of the air is sucked out. As they age, they release gas making the bag puffier.
Author: SD September Acknowledgement: Take 5 magazines
CHICKEN & CORN SOUP Recipe for leftover roast chicken
READY IN: 30 mins SERVES: 4 INGREDIENTS Use what ever amount of chicken is left 2 x 400gm tins of creamed corn ½ a bunch of spring onions 1 clove of crushed garlic ½ - 1 teaspoon of sesame seed oil 1 – 1 ½ litres of vegetable stock 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil
METHOD 1. Shred leftover chicken and slice up sring onions 2. Heat vegetable oil in pot 3. Add shredded chicken and spring onions and gently fry until onion is soft 4. Add crushed garlic and sesame oil lightly fry for a minute 5. Add creamed corn and vegetable stock stir so all ingrediants are mixed 6. Gently simmer soup for 20mins 7. Serve with bread rolls Summary
Author; LB and 09/18) :
Freeze for easy reheatable meals Large amounts easily made Great portion size
HAM AND POTATO RISSOLES Recipe for using leftover ham and mashed potatoes
READY IN: 30mins SERVES: 8 Rissoles INGREDIENTS
METHOD 1. Mince the ham up until it is the same consistency as minced beef. 2. Add the ham, onion and rice into a mixing bowl
200g cold cooked ham 500g boiled potatoes
3.
50g rice cooked till firm to the bite 1 diced onion 1 beaten egg Oil for frying
4. 5. 6.
2 tablespoons of flour Salt and pepper
7.
2 tablespoons dried mixed herbs
8. 9.
D.C September 2018
and stir until evenly mixed. Mash potatoes until they’re slightly lumpy and then add them to the mixture along with the herbs, salt and pepper. Mix the beaten egg into the mixture so it will stick together and retain shape. Cover a plate/cutting board with flour. Using a serving spoon, scoop out the mixture into your floured hand and squash into a 2/3cm disc/patty shape. Place the patty onto the floured surface and make sure it’s covered in flour completely. Repeat step 6 and 7 until all the mixture is used. Fry the rissoles until they are a nice golden brown on both sides.
http://allrecipes.com.au/recipe/23124/ham-and-potato-rissoles.aspx
REDUCING FOOD WASTE Food waste in Australia:
Australians are wasting billions of dollars worth of food a year. Average households are wasting nearly 14% to 15% of foods that they have purchased which equals around 9.6 billion dollars a year according to surveys. This includes city and urban areas. Annika Scott from the Ozharvest group has been leading studies, research and helping to find solutions to the large increase in food wasting. What we see as appealing to eat or food that is fresh produce. The standards are what supermarket culture of everything looking perfect and being available all year round. The food also being cheap to buy is a reason to why we have assumed that food that looks otherwise is acceptable to chuck out and not eat.
(Graph above shows food waste) Things to consider: Shops need to change general policy’s about what types of food is allowed in general market’s also the consumers need to rethink and allow farmers to sell fruits and vegetables that may not be the right shape size or color to be purchased and not thrown away.
Ways to reduce food waste:
1: Buy only what you need.
2: Use what you already have at home.
3: Dont dispose of foods that are still good or still within their used by date.
4: Managing and knowing what food is in your fridge, freezer.
All of these points play a huge role in stopping the amount of food wastage will also contribute in the huge goal to reduce dioxide and greenhouse gas emmisions in australia. Author: (P.G 19/09/2018 Acknowledgments: Luke cooper
We as Australians should make sure we do our part to reduce food waste.
THE SEA SHEPHERDS International, Non-Profit Marine Conservation Organisation
The Sea Shepherds are a marine conservation group, their mission is to protect the worlds oceans from pollution and illegal fishing and whaling.
How it began Sea Shepherds was started in June 1977 by Captain Paul Watson after he left Greenpeace where he was one of the founding members. Sea Shepherds started off called Earth Force and in February 1978 their first campaign was to protect elephants in Africa, later that year they bought their first ship, a fishing trawler they renamed Sea Shepherd and the group was later renamed The Sea Shepherds, the following year in 1979 they undertook their first sea campaign to stop seal hunting in Canada by spraying the baby seals coats with a indelible organic dye that makes them commercially worthless. Since then, they have launched hundreds of campaigns around the world.
Their mission They want to stop illegal whaling and fishing, polluting and other ocean crimes, a lot of countries struggle to enforce these laws because of the lack of political will, insufficient economic resources or transnational boundaries that blur jurisdiction, so Sea Shepherds tries to enforce it themselves.
“Unless we stop the degradation of our oceans, marine ecological systems will begin collapsing and when enough of them fail, the oceans will die. And if the oceans die, then civilisation collapses, and we all die.” - Paul Watson
Why they fight Whaling – In 1986 whales of all sorts almost went extinct and a global law was put in place to ban whale hunting, but some countries refuse to acknowledge the ban, countries like Japan that sends fleets south to hunt in whale sanctuaries under the guise of "scientific research”. Norway and Iceland also continues to hunt whales, there is also the slaughters that happen in the Faroe islands. Because the other countries can’t intervene the Sea Shepherds do what others can’t and try to stop these cruel killings. In the south alone, Sea Shepherds have saved over 6000 whales from slaughter. Pollution – The ocean is full of rubbish. Fish, turtles and marine mammals can cause death or injury by drowning, getting tangled or even starvation from eating plastics and other rubbish. Ocean pollution can also be a health risk for humans, when fish eat
plastic they absorb the toxins in the plastic such as PCB, DDT, BPA and Mercury. Offshore drilling – Oil spills in our oceans are one of the worst man made disasters, they effect marine animals and coastal communities. In 2016 to stop another potential disaster from happening. The sea shepherds stopped BP from setting up another offshore drilling operation in the Great Australian Bight. Illegal Fishing – Illegal and over fishing is a real problem that threatens ecosystems and makes life harder for legitimate law-abiding fisherman to make a living. Around 30% of the worlds catch is from illegal fishing. Smaller countries struggle to enforce these laws so Sea Shepherds works with local law enforcement to help put a stop to it.
Neptune’s Navy Neptune’s Navy is what the Sea Shepherds call their fleet of ships. Currently they have 13 active ships all around the world undertaking various operations. Their flagship the MY Steve Irwin was originally called the Robert Hunter after the co-founder of Greenpeace and was later renamed Steve Irwin in memory of him with permission from his widow. Sea Shepherd also has a number of unmanned drones and a helicopter to aid in their campaigns. All the ships have a number of smaller boats like zodiac inflatables and jet skis.
Founder Paul Watson
The War with Japan
"We are pirates of compassion hunting down and destroying pirates of profit." - Captain Paul Watson Paul Watson has been a activist most of his life, protesting all sorts of projects that could harm the environment. One such protest was in 1969 against a nuclear testing site, the group that protested was later turned into Greenpeace, after disagreements with Greenpeace Watson left and formed a group called Earth Force Society and was later changed to Sea Shepherds when they bought their first ship. He also created a TV show called Whale Wars, a documentary styled show that follows Watson and his crew as they try to stop Japanese whaling operations in Antarctica, the show ran for 7 seasons.
One of their biggest campaigns was the ongoing battle with Japanese whaling ships in the Antarctic ocean, claiming to hunt them for research, Japan has continued to hunt and butcher whales despite whales being put on the endangered list. Sea Shepherds have harassed and blocked their paths for years to keep whales safe, but Japan has been ruthless and continues to hunt these protected animals.
After years of protecting the whales, Sea Shepherd didn’t go back this year as the Japanese government has given the whalers military support and real time satellite tracking, making it almost impossible for Sea Shepherd to even catch them. Japan has also declared that any unwelcome vessel approaching them within 500 meters will be declared a act of terrorism. Sea Shepherd has said they are going to put it off this year and think up some new tactics. Author: NB 09/18 | Acknowledgments: Image1- Pasticoceans.org, Image2 – onegreenplanet.org, Image3 – Whale wars Wikipedia, Image4 – MY Steve Irwin Wikipedia, Image5 – humanewatch.org
SEABINS FOR CLEANER OCEANS What is a Seabin:
What are seabins and what are they used for: Seabins are a new project to add bins to our oceans and marinas and is used to catch waste and debris that are found floating in our oceans and marinas in an attempt to clean our oceans and save out environment. Seabins are estimated to catch 1.5kgs of waste and debris depending on the weather and can also catch debris around 2mm small things like micro plastics. The seabin V5 is the new updated and improved floating bin and can be placed in any calm environment some of which are marinas, Yacht clubs, ports and any calm body of water in our oceans. These bins are designed in a way were any floating debris/waste are sucked into the bin through the Installed catch bag. Seabin has a large pump installed along side the bin capable of displacing 25.000lph (liters per hour) and is plugged directly into a 110/220 volt outlet. The water then gets pumped back into the marina or ocean leaving the debris/waste into the catch bag.
placed in docks and any location they have found a large amount of trash. Cost of Seabins: The water pump energy cost is around $1 a day if interested in the cost of the seabin please head to the website provided for further details.
Website: http://seabinproject.com/the-product/
How to maintain a seabin: The seabins are checked twice a day and emptied as needed and after a month, they will clean or replace bin if needed.
IF WE CAN HAVE RUBBISH BINS ON LAND, WHY NOT HAVE THEM IN THE OCEAN.
Where they place the seabins: They place seabins in strategic spots were the wind and currents push debris and waste into the seabin also
Author: (P.G 26/09/2018 | Acknowledgments: seabinproject
Doing our part to a cleaner environment and working our way to a better future for oceans reefs and marinas.
STARFISH The life of a starfish & other facts
There are 2,000 species of starfish living in the ocean.
There are species that have 4 to 5 arms and they are the most common, some have 10, 20, 40 arms. They have an eye on the tip of each arm. Most species can see in the dark ocean depths.
Starfish are the most important predator in the shallow eco system. The food they eat controls the whole ecosystem.
Starfish eat basically anything they come across. They feed primarily on mussels, clams, oysters, sand dollars, snail and injured fish.
The bat seastar is different it eats sea cucumbers, sea urchins shrimp, tubeworms, and fish as well as algae and sea grasses.
In New Zealand they are important in keeping a number of organisnms down.
Some starfish can be eaten. In China you can buy starfish on a stick. They are deep fried, you crack open the shell and eat the spongy inside which looks quite brown. They also can be eaten in japan and Micronesia.
With no brain or blood for starfish to survive, seawater is pumped throughout their body as a replacement for blood allowing its organs to function properly.
If a starfish loses an arm they can regenerate an arm, it can take a year to grow. Hungry predators such as fish or crab will bite off an starfish arm. Some species will voluntary break off an arm giving them a chance of escape.
The life span of a starfish is 35 years.
Starfish communicate through chemical signals. They can excrete chemicals into the water to send messages to over species.
Starfish do not sleep they are always moving, during the day theyare waitng for prey. When they sense the presence of prey they come out of hiding. They grab their food and take it back to a rock or eat under some sand. They move using tiny tube feet.
Some starfish have teeth since most species feed through their stomachs, there is no reason to bite or chew. They have two stomachs.
The seastar pushes its stomach through its mouth, digesting food while the stomach is outside its body.
The largest population is found in the Indian and Pacific ocean. Starfish can be found below 6,000 metres of the ocean surface.
They cannot survive in fresh water.
In breeding season the males gonads fill with sperm and the female gonads fill with eggs. Both male and female seastars hold their sperm and eggs in pouches at the base of their arms. The egg and sperm float until they meet up, and then the sperm can utilise the egg. The male and female release thousands of sperm and eggs into the water and hope they meet fertilization. Depending on availability of food and water temperature, a seastar can change its gender to whichever one it is best suited for its enviroment. Many species born either male or female retain their gender until death. The cushoin star Asterina Gibbosa, is born a male and later changes sex to a female. The sex change usually happens when it is has an arm length somewhere between 9 and 16 millimetres. Most of its diet comes from the film of bacteria and diatoms that exist on the surface of rocks. This starfish grows to a diameter of 5 centimetres. The smallest starfish varieties are 5 millimetres less than half an inch.
The royal starfish each arm is 9 centimetres. It is found along the east coast and commonly along the south east coast of the United States. Picture is just below.
Crown of thorn starfish are found on coral reefs, they eat coral polpys. They are covered in long poisonous spines. On healthy coral reefs this starfish plays an important role as it tends to feed on the fastest growing coral such as staghorn and plate corals, allowing slower growing coral species to form colonies. These starfish move fast 20 metres in an hour. Starfish use filtered seawater to pump nutrients through their nervous system. Starfish can use camouflage to hide from predators. Some species have bright colours which scares or confuses predators. The largest seastar, it is called the sunflower starfish. It has an arm span reaching 40 inches from arm to tip. It is the world’s heaviest at 11 pounds and has 40 arms.
The Chocolate chip starfish grows up to 15 inches in diameter. It has dark brown pointy horns shaped like chocolate chips over the top of it for protection. They are bad for the reef as they eat the soft corals.
The square biscuit star fish is found mainly in Australia and grows up to 6 centimetres.
For most creatures their hard exoskeleton makes them difficult to eat. Some starfish species have poison in their outer walls for protection. Starfish predators are sharks, manta rays, Alaskan king crabs. The sand sitting starfish flips sand over their bodies when feeling stress of nearby predators. Starfish have a number of spines which are protection against fish, sea otters and birds.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astropecten_articulatus http://echinoblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/echinoblog-travelog-pt-4stories-from.html https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1y08x9/square_biscuit_sta rfish/ https://reefnation.com/milks-perfect-pairing-the-chocolate-chipstarfish/ JP 9/2018
THE “HOW” OF RECYCLING What happens after emptying the bin
When we hear the term recycling thoughts of yellow lidded bins and environmental debates come to mind. However, what happens behind the scenes isn’t a common topic of discussion. Google recycling as a topic and you will find yourself looking at the same information regardless of what site look at. Bringing the issues of recycling and waste into the public eye has been an endeavour taken on by outgoing and concious minded individuals. The consequences of inappropriate waste management and how the everyday person can help make up the greater portions of this discussion and rightly so. There are multiple sides to this topic however and the question of “what happens exactly” can, itself, raise awareness and our ability to relate to the importance of recycling. Different types of wastes are processed and re-purposed in different ways due to their components. Plastic is made up of chemicals which makes it one of the more difficult materials to recycle. After it collected and separated from impurities and into type categories waste plastic is then shredded and sieved into smaller components. From here the components are then melted and made into pellets to b shipped to manufacturers for production use. Paper is slightly easier to reuse being made of simple fibres that can be re-purposed into new paper products. The ink and impurities are removed via bleach and other harsh
chemicals before the waste is moistened and turn into sludge. This sludge is then used to make new paper products for redistribution effectively reducing our reliance on raw materials. It is important to note that raw materials such as wood from trees are still required due to the nature of the fibres in the paper only possessing limited reuses before shortening and becoming unusable. Steel and other metals are simpler to recycle due to the lack of mineral loss when melting and re-purposing it. Using magnetic force, loose metal is collected from recycled waste before being melted down. From here the metal waste can be reforged into different shapes and purposes. Larger pieces of metal do not require the separation process due to their size and are salvaged from different sources fr melting. Metals containing value due their properties like gold, copper brass and many others are salvaged commonly from technology such as phones, computers and even vehicles.
Glass is one of the oldest means of storage that humans developed and is made by mixing sand, limestone and soda ash together at extremely high temperatures. When being sorted from other recyclable materials the glass passes through the various processes due to its weight and lack of magnetism. As such the different forms of glass are collected together and separated based on their colours. These are permanently attached to the glass and as such remain after being made Only glass jars and into new products. After bottles are supposed to being sorted the glass is be recycles as bulbs, crushed into fine grains crystal glass and plates called culets before being have materials in them melted down and placed that cannot be into casts to become new recycled. bottles. Glass gathered from jars and bottles can be recycled indefinitely without the materials degrading. This heightens the need for proper sorting and cleaning procedures as impurities and inapropriate materials making it into the culet phase can cause issues with the production line itself.
Materials such as metals are a bit better as there are often ways of profiting from salvaging various metals from computer parts, TV’s and other electrical devices. However, our dependency on the new replacing the old is causing a strain on both the environment and the economy. Australia currently possesses an unemployment rate of 5.6% in which the government has to take responsibilty for by locating funds and resources to support them. Studies have shown that in the U.S recycling jobs employed up to five times the number of people that solid waste jobs employed allowing over one million people work opportunities in an industry that remains heavily underutilized. Recycling jobs require fine sorting of different waste by trained people with machines doing a portion of the work rather than all or most of it. This means that there exists an industry connected to an underutilised facet of our society that saves both energy and resources in addition to reducing the waste that finds its way into the ecosystem.
An additional benefit to recycling is the energy that is conserved by reusing material in the production cycle. The creation of many products require the use either raw materials or materials that have been recycled from previous items. Regardless of what type of material is used the production process requires energy to perform with raw materials requiring larger amounts of energy than recycled. Raw materials used to produce products include valuable resources like metal ore, and oil which are important for other aspects of our everyday lives. These process accelerate the rate in which we consume these resources with many of them inching closer to depletion. Recycled materials do not re-consume these resources and therefore reduce our dependence on raw materials moving forward. Currently the majority of products come from newly harvested resources such as trees, minerals, oils and other materials. Understanding that this places a great strain on the environment itself has caused concern for many governments and groups of citizens throughout the years. Unfortunately for most people this issue seems far off, something they know of but don’t relate too. For example, recycling of plastics in Australia has been reported as being only around 11% of plastic exports during 2016 and 2017. What this means is that only one out of ten plastic bags used by people would find their way to the recycling plants during these years.
Society has been aware to our excess use of resources on matters of oil and deforestation however common understanding of alternative solutions isn’t commonly expressed by businesses both local and international. The concept that this behaviour is necessary as a culture of consumers doesn’t line up either as the products made from recycling fulfil the same purpose to equal standards. Thus, our behaviour and choices as a society to not express the value of recycling within our communities boils down to convenience as most will never have to interact with this problem on a personal level. There is a level of improvement to be achieved by understanding and enacting positive recycling habits not just within the environment but within the very streets of our town. Reference: Department of Environment and Energy. (2018). National report (p. 16). Retrieved from http://2016–17 Australian Plastics Recycling Survey Leblanc, R. (2018). All About Scrap Metal. Retrieved from https://www.thebalancesmb.com/an-introduction-to-metalrecycling-4057469 Image 2 found at http://yklmetalrecycling.com How Recycling Creates New Jobs. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.thebalancesmb.com/recycling-and-new-jobcreation-2878003
Author: J.M 09/18 | Acknowledgments: Those referenced
WHY RECYCLING IS IMPORTANT Advantages of reusing materials Years ago, no one cared much about waste and the growing landfills. These days, there is a growing concern that something must be done to increase our recycling efforts. Recycling is the process of converting waste into new, useful products. Waste materials that can be recycled include plastic bottles, paper, cardboard, cans, cartons, plastic bags and aluminum foils.
Saves energy – recycling has been proved to save a great deal of energy. Extracting and processing raw resources (wood, oil, ore) to make usable materials (paper, plastic, metal) requires a lot of energy. Recycling often saves energy because the products being recycled usually require much less processing to turn them into usable materials.
So, why should we recycle? Recycling is important as waste has a huge negative impact on the natural environment. Some benefits of recycling are:
Minimises accumulation in landfills – the build-up and overflow of landfills is a growing problem. Recycling reduces the need for more landfills, and no one wants to live next to a landfill. Cities situated near oceans have been polluting the water for many years due to landfill overflow. Leads to creation of jobs – if recycling is increased, more recycling plants will be set up. More recycling plants mean more jobs. Recycling creates 10 times more employment opportunities than landfill waste management. Conserves natural resources – by using materials more than once, we conserve natural resources such as timber, water and minerals. In the case of paper, recycling saves trees and water. Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees and over 64 000 litres of water. Reduces carbon emissions – recycling greatly minimises carbon emissions and greenhouse gases. Decomposition in landfill produces methane, a greenhouse gas with 21 times the heat-trapping power of carbon dioxide.
Ensures a sustainable future – there is a finite amount of natural resources. By recycling, we are reducing our immediate effect on the planet and developing sustainable practices for future generations. Clean cities and neighbourhoods – more recycling means less rubbish on the streets, which makes the place we live look a lot better.
Author: CB Oct 2018 | Acknowledgments: https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/why_should_we_recycle.php Author: CB. September 2018 | Acknowledgement: https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/why_should_we_recycle.php
ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS What are they?
As the world population grows, the importance of protecting the environment has become increasingly high. According to a definition given by the website all-recycling-facts.com, eco-friendly products are “products that do not harm the environment whether in their production, use or disposal”. So simply put they help preseve the environment by decreasing the least amount of pollution they could produce.
Bamboo – is considered a renewable resource as it is a grass that thrives quickly. An oak tree can take up to 120yrs to grow to maturity, while bamboo can be harvested in three. The other important and positive quality of bamboo is that pesticides and other chemicals need not be used while cultivating it. Some bamboo products include bed sheets, flooring, cutting boards and clothing.
Eco-friendly or green products are those that help conserve resources such as water and energy. They also prevent contributions to air, water and land pollution. So at a minimum a product is non-toxic. Other attributes can also include the use of sustainable grown or raised ingrediants produced not to deplete the eco-system. You also have food products that are grown without pesticides or herbicides. Other eco friendly products can also be made from recycled materials. These products may contain glass, wood, metal or plastic reclaimed from waste and made into something new. There are also biodegradable products which breakdown through natural decomposition and are less taxing on landfills. WHAT PRODUCTS ARE OUT THERE? Mostly what everyone knows about when it comes to eco friendly products are generally household cleaning products, however there is a rather large range of eco products out there: LB 09/18 Acknowledgments: SF Gate, Onegreenplanet
Recycled Plastic – when plastic bottles such as milk, shampoo, laundry and household cleaners are recycled they can be turned into new bottles/containers, picnic tables, lawn furniture and playground equipment. Recycled plastic bags and wraps are turned into park benches, backyard decks and fences. They can also be turned into new plastic bags. Plastic bottles used for soft drinks/juice and water can be turned into t-shirts, insulation for jackets and sleeping bags, carpeting and more bottles.
Author | 1
Building materials – when building or renovating their houses, more and more people are choosing to source eco friendly materials for their builds. There are many different eco-friendly materials which are used in the foundation, insultion, interior and exterior walls, flooring and countertops. Some are made from wood sourced from certified products, salvaged products eg. Door frames, materials wth low VOC emissions such as cement paint, PVC pipes, clay roofinf tiles, bricks that have been sun dried, solar panels and many many more. Fabrics – Hemp is one of the most versatile plants available. Its use isn’t limited to clothing but can also be used for cleaning products and building materials. Plus it requires less pesticides and herbicides than cotton when grown on a larger scale. Soy is not just for eating and drinking, it can be made into silk or cashmere. It’s machine washable and wrinkle resistant. Organic cotton is grown without pesticides making it less taxing on the earth than just your standard cotton. However added dyes can take away its credibilty and it’s best to purchase in its natural colour shades such as cream, light brown and pale green. Linen is made from a cellulose fibre commonly derived from flax plants. Its very durable and last up to 20yrs of wear. Linen is also biodegradable and recyclable. Another better fabric choice is to recycle clothing and buy recycled clothing.
Food – The most eco-friendly food out there are the ones that grow out of the ground or fall from trees. Organic food is considered more friendly as they’re certified free of synthetic fertilizers, bioengineering and most conventional pesticides. When it comes to the food you eat the best you can do is to buy locally. Go to a farmers market and ask how they grow their vegetables, ask your local butcher where
they source their meat from. When buying from a supermarket purchase products with the least amount of packaging, check lables to see what sustainable ingrediants are used in the product.
Energy/Water Rated Appliances – Many of our everday appliances such as fridges, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers come with energy/water ratings. These ratings help you compare similar products for there energy/water efficiency use. The higher the star ratings on these lables the more energy/water efficient the product is, so not only are saving energy/water your also on your bills. LIVING AN ECO-FRIENDLY LIFE Living an eco- friendly life won’t cost you the earth, you can start by making small changes to your lifestyle. 1. Use reusable bags for your grocery shopping 2. Check the lables of cleaning products or use some good old fashion elbow grease 3. Don’t put fruit and vege in the plastic bags provided 4. When replacing appliances check there energy/water ratings to make an informed decision 5. Turn lights/appliances off when not in use 6. Recycle as much as possible; clothing, plastic, paper, electronic items.
So as you can see the small changes can make all the difference. By using eco- friendly products not only are you helping the earth, you’re also reducing exposure from harmful chemicals not only to yourself but others as well. Acknowledgment | 2
UNDERWATER DRONES Watching over the reef cover about 28 kilometres per day. Also, divers are only able to work during daylight hours, but the drones can operate both day and night. Six divers cost about $1.44 million to work for a year; six RangerBots will cost about $720,000 to operate for a year. So this drone is an affordable, multifunction solution for effectively detecting and addressing threats to coral reefs.
Scientists in Australia have developed an autonomous underwater drone that can detect and record reef problems such as coral bleaching, pollution and poor water quality. It can also find and kill pest species such as the crown-of-thorns starfish. Known as RangerBot, the prototype device was developed in a partnership between the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Google and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. After two years of research, development and testing, it was officially launched on 31 August 2018.
According to research by the Australian Institute of Marine Science, coral cover between 1985 and 2012 declined by about 50%, and almost half of that decline was due to the crown-of-thorns starfish. QUT’s robotics team, in partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, built the RangerBot after securing $750,000 funding from Google. The Google Impact Challenge helps not-for-profit organisations develop technologies that can help to tackle the world’s biggest social challenges.
The drone is operated using a tablet while still at the surface. Once underwater, it uses a computer vision system to avoid obstacles, and to navigate its way around. The RangerBot has an eight-hour battery life and has computer vision capabilities, allowing it to monitor and map reef areas. It has also been trained to detect crown-of-thorns starfish with 99% accuracy and can inject the coral-eating starfish vinegar or bile salts, which are harmless for other reef creatures. The Great Barrier Reef is about 348,700 km² in size, so having something like the RangerBot will greatly enhance scientists’ ability to monitor the reef. One diver is able to cover about one kilometre a day, whereas the RangerBot will be able to Author: CB. September 2018 | Acknowledgments: https://www.barrierreef.org/science-with-impact/swiss-army-knife-for-the-greatbarrier-reef
WATER MANAGEMENT Easy water saving tips for everyone Essential to life on earth, water is regarded as our greatest natural resource yet many of us take it for granted and are unaware just how wasteful we are with it. And Australian households are the worst culprits when it comes to water use, with a recent study showing each Australian household uses around 341 000 liters of water each year, far more than 2nd placed Canada who use about 279 000 liters. Although Australians live in one of the driest countries in the world, it’s clear we don’t value water as much as we should. Here are a few ways you can play a part in reducing water use, protect the environment and save money on your water bills. In the home In the garden
Fix those leaky taps – even a slowly dripping tap can waste up to 20,000 litres a year
Place mulch around plants to reduce evaporation and discourage weeds
Try a water saving shower head a great and cheap way to save water and money. Limiting shower times to four minutes also helps.
Plant a garden using plants with low water requirements. Australia has a wide range of native plants that thrive in dry conditions.
Keep a bottle of tap water in the fridge for drinking. This way you won’t have to run the tap everytime you want a drink.
Don’t over-water your lawn. Also, set your mower level higher and let your lawn grow longer. Keeping grass longer shades the soil surface and helps prevent the soil from drying out.
Many parts of Australia have restrictions on watering your garden , only water on your allocated days and times. Contact your local council for more details.
If you have an outdoor pool or spa, keep it covered when not in use. Covers help prevent the water from evaporating and keeps it clean as a bonus.
Only use your dishwasher and washing machine with full loads to optimise water usage, or change the settings to suit the load. Install a rainwater tank. In many areas, installing a rainwater tank to collect roof run off is an easy and practical way of gathering rainwater for use in the home or garden.
While water seems abundant it is not an infinite resource, especially the fresh water all of us rely on for survival. With the growing threat of climate change and Australia already being the driest populated country on the planet, Water conservation efforts have never been more important But with a few simple changes Australian households can play their part in reducing water waste to ensure the security of the water supply for future generations.
Author: WH. 2018
| Acknowledgement: www.coolaustralia.org
PUZZLES
D.C September 2018
https://worksheets.theteacherscorner.net/make-your-own/crossword/ http://tools.atozteacherstuff.com/word-search-maker/wordsearch.php