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 Contents Volume 39 Number 1 January 2011
habitat Australia is published by the
Australian Conservation Foundation,
authorised by Don Henry CEO.
Inc. ABN 22 007 498 482
Melbourne (Head Office)
Floor 1, 60 Leicester St,
Carlton VIC 3053
Ph: 03 9345 1111
Freecall 1800 332 510
Fax: 03 9345 1166
Sydney
Suite 3, Level 7, 222 Pitt St
Sydney NSW 2000
Ph: 02 8270 9900
Fax: 02 8270 9988
Canberra
PO Box 2699, Canberra City,
6 10 13
13
ACT 2601 PHOTO: Lisa Tomasetti
Ph: 02 6247 2472
Adelaide
Level 1, 157 Franklin St, 5 A change of habitat
Adelaide SA 5000
Freecall 1800 332 510
6 Tasmania’s tree change photo gallery
Cairns
Suite 1/Level 1, 96 – 98 Lake St,
Cairns QLD 4870
8 Big blue groundswell to protect more than 5% of our ocean
Ph: 07 4031 5760
Fax: 07 4031 3610 10 Green School life lessons inspire the best lessons
Broome
PO Box 1868 (Lotteries House) 22 A drink to our Murray-Darling the year ahead for our river
Broome WA 6725
Ph: 08 9192 1936
Fax: 08 9192 1936
24 Black Saturday two years on
www.acfonline.org.au
Email: habitat@acfonline.org.au
28 Campaign updates
ACF membership:
membership@acfonline.org.au 26 Ask the Economist solar versus GreenPower
President
Professor Ian Lowe 21 Eco travel penguin parade at Phillip Island
Chief Executive Officer
Don Henry 12 Eco shopper bag yourself a bargain
Editor
Tabatha Fulker 4 Letters to the editor
Advertising
Stavro Dascarellos 4 Letter from the CEO
habitatads@acfonline.org.au
Pang & Haig Design
www.panghaig.com
ISSN 0310-2939
13 Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton making a play
Copyright to cut climate change
Reproduction in whole or in part may
only occur with the written permission
of the editor. Views expressed in this
15 GreenHome sustainable living joins habitat
magazine are not necessarily views of the
Australian Conservation Foundation. 16 Apartment living take to the sky and cut your eco footprint
habitat is printed on FSC
certified paper. 17 Love and how to meet your greenie
18 GreenGarden
19 House design for the future
20 You said it we quote you

SKZZZF\NODFRPDX

habitat January 2011 3

Letters to the editor Letter from the CEO
ear ACF Supporter,
Election scorecard
So ACF, what is your take on the Victorian election result?
The Greens might have done well on their primary vote, but Ted
Baillieu is in power now, so how will this effect Victoria’s green
D 2010 was a busy year
for ACF and as we look
forward to the year ahead
our commitment to hard
projects (big solar up at Mildura, installation of wind farms, the
work across all our campaign
solar feed in terrif, biodiversity programs, greenhouse reduction
areas and building upon the
targets, protection of state forests, that sort of thing)?
achievements we have made
I’d love to hear ACF’s view on it all and what to expect. grows only stronger. Let’s look
Keep up your great work ACF. across our campaigns and at
Cheers, what 2011 holds for preserving
Rishi Viner our environment.
Torquay, VIC We have made encouraging
progress in achieving
protection of Tasmania’s old growth forests. ACF has undertaken
Think big, use less important partnership work with the Trade Union movement to
To all you people constantly whingeing and moaning about the highlight job opportunities if we move to a cleaner economy by
cost of petrol, electricity and water, here’s a revolutionary idea: cutting greenhouse pollution. This has enabled a serious discussion
TRY USING LESS. about the future of forestry and conservation in Tasmania.
Sincerely, Our forestry campaigner and I have been involved in talks with
Matt Harris key environment union and industry players and we delivered
North Melbourne, VIC a Statement of Principles to Federal Parliament to rapidly end
logging in Tasmania’s high conservation forests and a move to a
Say no to palm oil new industry based on plantation forestry. 2011 will be a decisive
year for Tasmania’s forests.
I want to say that I think we really need to stop letting people
ACF has worked hard on the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and
carelessly and illegally log and burn down all the natural
our commitment to return the Murray-Darling River system to
rainforests in the world. We don’t need palm plantations to live
health. We have been pleased that there is bipartisan support to
happily. I think we all know that in our hearts we would be much,
return the river to health, however, since the release of the plan
much happier about our lives if things like this were stopped once
tension over the allocation of water from the Murray-Darling
and for all.
has spilled over. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get the
Do we want the next generations to grow up thinking a really balance right and we’re rolling up our sleeves for tough, hard yards
wild and magical animal is a cow when we thought it was an on this issue over the next 12 months.
elephant or an orangutan? We are directing our attention towards our great seas and the
I certainly don’t, and I would do anything to prevent that from Federal Government’s marine planning process. We are advocating
happening. for marine sanctuaries to be placed in each marine reserve network
Romi Foster to minimise risks to ocean life, fish stocks and ecosystems. The
Tasmania south-west plan is expected very soon and we will enlist your
support to protect our marine life.
ACF’s Northern Australian efforts have focused on working with
Indigenous people to help them protect high conservation value
areas. In many cases this has also involved the return of lands to
WIN: The first five people Traditional Owners – a matter of great cultural significance to them
to write to us why they love and a basis for nature, social, and economic regeneration. ACF’s
their new look habitat will crucial work in this area is ongoing in Cape York, the Kimberley, and
receive a double pass to your Kakadu and is as urgent and important as ever.
choice of film at Moonlight I’m very pleased to report to you the work of the Al Gore
Cinema (Moonlight booking trained Climate Presenters throughout Australia. The Government
conditions apply). Simply has been pushed to act on climate change and The Climate Project
email your letter to the editor has been a key driver of this.
to habitat@acfonline.org.au I look forward to keeping you in touch with these and other
and include your name environmental matters, and as always, sincerely thank you for
and address. your wonderful support of ACF and hope that you feel some
satisfaction with what we are able to achieve together in the face of
great challenges.

With kind regards,

Don Henry, CEO Australian Conservation Foundation

4 habitat January 2011

A change of habitat

”
…while we’ve been fighting for
big scope changes people
all over Australia have been
asking us “what can we do to
make a difference?”

W elcome to your new look habitat. But this is not just a

design makeover for an old friend. habitat is transitioning
to reflect ACF’s challenge to society to change.
Since its beginnings in the mid-1960s, ACF has worked with
governments, communities and industry groups to achieve many
So, in habitat in 2011, while we will continue to share news and
information about ACF campaigns as well as the latest research
and science we will also be shining a light on the fantastic things
that our supporters are doing in their every day lives.
This month we are launching a regular GreenHome supplement
significant reforms for our environment. with loads of stories and sustainable living ideas. We want habitat
ACF has worked hard to influence policy makers on behalf of to be a forum for information exchange where we share our
all Australians and we will continue to represent your aspirations experience and you share yours. What’s more, habitat will now be
for a sustainable, responsible society. issued six times a year.
But while we’ve been fighting for big scope changes people Welcome to the new habitat, with stories of what people like
all over Australia have been asking us “what can we do to make you are doing day in and day out. They inspire us, we hope they
a difference?” inspire you too.
Giving thought to what habitat should deliver in 2011, we
reflected on our mission to inspire people to support change
in favour of our environment. The thing is: organisations don’t
inspire, people do.
“
…organisations don’t inspire, people do. h

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habitat January 2011 5

Photo gallery

Tasmania’s tree
change
6 habitat January 2011
On the cusp of a landmark decision
to protect Tasmania’s native forests
photographer Rob Blakers reminds us
of why we care so much.

n early 2010 talks commenced

I between environment groups, forestry

unions, timber communities and industry
representatives to seek a solution to the
conflict over forestry in Tasmania.
ACF’s Chief Executive Officer Don Henry
and our Forests Campaigner Lindsay Hesketh
were involved in the six months of discussions
that followed, negotiating a Statement of
Principles to lead to unified agreement.
The outcomes included agreement
to rapidly end logging in Tasmania’s high
conservation value public native forests
and transition wood production from
native forests to a new industry based on
plantation forestry.
The Statement of Principles was handed
to Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett who
then sought support from Prime Minister
Julia Gillard. ACF and the other signatories
subsequently presented the Statement of
Principles to four Federal Government
Ministers in Parliament and have since been
involved in discussions aimed at delivery
and maximising the future outcome.
The campaign to protect Tassie’s forests
has been hard fought by many Australian’s
and will continue to be one of ACF’s major
focuses. It would not have been possible
without financial security that our regular
donors give to ACF.
This campaign is a wonderful example of
how long it can take to reach an agreement
and how important it is to be able to see the
campaign through to the end.
To all our regular givers, thank you for
your support, and if you are not already a
regular giver please consider becoming one by
visiting www.acfonline.org.au/earthvoice
Now let’s take this opportunity to pause
and take in the view of these beautiful trees.
For updates visit www.acfonline.org.au

Clockwise from far left:

The Styx Valley is a pristine wilderness in south western
Tasmania. It is home to the tallest hardwood trees in the
world, averaging over 80 metres.
The majestic Upper Florentine Valley.
Styx Valley forest with views of Mt Anne.
Extending the boundary of Ben Lomond National Park
will protect rainforest and mixed old growth
eucalypt forest.
www.robblakers.com h

habitat January 2011 7

Campaigns
Big blue groundswell
Currently less than 5% of Australian waters are highly protected.
ACF’s Healthy Ocean’s Campaigner Chris Smyth looks at the swell of
support to protect more.
What’s big and blue and deep and shallow at the
Q same time?
A: A blue whale who thinks a lot but only of itself!
Jokes aside, big, blue, deep and shallow also describe
the south-west marine region between Kangaroo Island in South
Australia and Geraldton in Western Australia.
The south-west is a big area of more than one million square
kilometres, with ocean life that is unique, diverse and largely
found nowhere else.
It is one of four marine regions for which the Federal
Government is currently preparing marine plans.
Iconic areas abound, from the shallow waters of the Houtman-
Abrolhos Islands and Recherche Archipelago to the mysterious
depths of the Perth Canyon, Diamantina Fracture Zone and
Naturaliste Plateau.
Linking these icons is the Leeuwin Current, its warm tropical
waters flowing 5000 kilometres from the Timor Sea to the west
8 habitat January 2011
PHOTO: marinethemes.com/Tony Wu
coast of Tasmania. Tuna, turtles, whales and other migratory
species use it as an ocean highway.
The Houtman-Abrolhos Islands near Geraldton are a major
transit hub. These islands, reefs and lagoons support a globally
significant mix of tropical and temperate ocean life and the Indian
Ocean’s most southerly tropical corals.
Further south, and only a few kilometres off the Perth coast, is
our largest submarine canyon and one of only three blue whale
feeding areas in Australia. Water moving up the slopes of the Perth
carries krill and plankton to the surface, which attracts whales.
Waters deepen further in the south-west corner off Western
Australia. The Naturaliste Plateau is our deepest submerged
plateau, while the Diamantina Fracture Zone is the deepest water
anywhere in Australia’s oceans. Scientists believe that these
isolated places are likely to support unique ocean life.
Turning east the Leeuwin Current passes through the Recherche
Archipelago, an important breeding area for shearwaters, terns,
Australian sea lions and New Zealand fur seals.
Krill, squid, toothed whales, Australian sea lions, sharks and
seabirds are attracted to upwelling in the Kangaroo Island Pool
off South Australia, and it is a spawning ground for giant crab,
southern rock lobster and gummy shark.
With its remarkable ocean life you would expect the south-west
region to have been given protection long ago. Not so. Less than
one per cent is protected.
That needs to change and it can.
This year the Federal Government will be making the most
important nature conservation decision in Australian history.
Through its regional marine planning process it will establish a
national network of marine reserves in Commonwealth waters, an
unprecedented opportunity for it to give our oceans the protection
they need.
Over the course of the year the government will release marine
plans for the south-west, the north-west, north and east marine
regions. The first, in the south-west, is expected any day now.
Of critical importance to the future of life in the south-west and
the rest of Australia’s oceans will be quality of the marine reserve
network proposed in each plan.
ACF and a number of environment groups are advocating
that the reserve network in each region contain large marine
sanctuaries – areas that are free of fishing, offshore petroleum and
other extractive activities.
Scientists from the University of Queensland’s Ecology Centre
recently released Australia’s first, science-based blueprint for
managing our oceans that would safeguard marine life and
protect economic and social interests as well.
The blueprint focused on the south-west and found that
50 per cent of the region will need protection in a network of
marine sanctuaries to minimise risks to ocean life, fish stocks and
ecosystems. This could be achieved while also allowing economic
and social activities to continue.
To get the best outcome for ocean life in the Federal
Government’s marine plans we will need your support. As soon
as we know the details of the south-west plan we will be making
contact to enlist your help.
Oh, and just to set the record straight, blue whales are big, blue
and deep thinkers but are not shallow. They are truly blessed with
a social conscience.
To support our campaign for the creation of a large network of
marine sanctuaries in Australian waters, visit acfonline.org.au/marine
Good seafood
choices
Choosing sustainable seafood can be tough. To take the
guesswork out ACF and the University of Technology Sydney
have developed the Sustainable Australian Seafood Assessment
Program.
Early in 2010 we announced five seafood products assessed as
sustainable by the program’s Science Reference Panel.
They include:
• Red emperor from the Pilbara trap fishery
• Farmed barramundi from Cone Bay near Derby
• Spencer Gulf king prawns
• Coorong Yelloweye mullet
• Hawkesbury River squid
Our attention has now turned to Victoria after receiving
funding from the Lord Mayors Charitable Foundation to conduct
a sustainable seafood assessment project there.
A team of researchers is compiling the initial data for each
seafood product to be assessed. In February the Science Reference
Panel will meet to review the data and conduct sustainability
assessments. These preliminary assessments will then be sent out
for peer review, followed by input from the fishers and fisheries
managers of the assessed products.
This will be the first time that an independent third-
party assessment of Victoria’s seafood products has been
conducted. The project’s key outcomes will include the reward,
encouragement, promotion and guidance of the efforts of the
seafood industry to enhance the sustainability of Victorian seafood
products.
So the next time you look for sustainable seafood choices, let us
help you.
www.acfonline.org.au/seafood
habitat January 2011 9
 John Hardy, founder of Instead of an administration block there is the Heart of School.
Green School.

reen School in Bali, Indonesia, is the brainchild of Canadian

G John Hardy, who settled in Bali in 1975. Established in 2008,

Green School aims to give its students ‘a relevant, holistic
and green education’ in the lush tropical environment of
this island paradise.
One of the things that inspired John to found the school was Al
Gore’s milestone documentary An Inconvenient Truth.
ACF hosts the Asia Pacific branch of Al Gore’s The Climate
Project (TCP), and trains TCP presenters. John has not trained as a
presenter, but took action based on watching the film.
John shared his passion for green education with Habitat.
“I was living quite a convenient life and I really didn’t want to
see An Inconvenient Truth. My darling wife dragged me along and

A thing of it was definitely hard to watch.

“I have four children and I’ve had a pretty luxe life, like the rest
of the society; burning off everything we could burn off, selling off
the rest. Where is the thought for the children if even part of what

beauty is a Mr Gore represented is true? What if the climate is ruined? It’s one
thing being out of oil and it’s another thing being out of climate.
“When we built Green School, we didn’t try to ‘green’ things,
we just looked at what we saw and decided whether we needed it
or not. For instance, instead of using cement, we made sidewalks

Green School
Simple steps have led to inspiration in education
out of ground-up volcanic stones and gravel and roads out of lava
stone from the local volcano. We also saw that this land is a garden
– and had probably been for thousands of years – so let’s just keep
it a garden. We drop in the structures as carefully as possible,
without interrupting the vegetation.
Jodie Davis discovers. “We tried to keep our cement use small; we basically practice
using it underground. Above ground we use bamboo and thatch
and other things that were either recyclable or sustainably
produced. And we made compost toilets.
Tell me, and I’ll forget. Show me, “We did our best to make things beautiful; I mean, how
happy is anyone in a prison? Are prisons designed to be ugly as
and I may not remember. Involve a punishment to the prisoners? Because the same people that
design prisons designs our schools, and how could anyone be
me, and I’ll understand. inspired in a cement block box, filled with this pestle tiles and
fluorescent lights?
Native American saying “The students are learning a relatively conventional curriculum
but in the presence of beauty and organic vegetables and a green
life, while learning how to plant, harvest and cook rice.
“The Balinese were living in a completely sustainable life for
the last few thousand years. It’s only our western revolution that

10 habitat January 2011

changed things and really screwed up the whole system with big
water, big chemicals and big pesticides. Certainly most Balinese
people would rather go to the supermarket and show off on their
fancy motorcycle than go to the field and pick something. But,
slowly, they’re getting it.
“We have young gardeners here doing our bio-intensive
agriculture. They’re actually street kids, eaten up by the machine
we created and spat out and now they’re learning to grow organic
vegetables at the learning farm.”
Since day one the school has continued to increase its physical
size and student body.
“People are coming to Green School from all over the world
and next term we hope to get them to plant enough bamboo to
neutralise their travelling footprint. Parents, for the most part, are
not happy sitting back watching the same old system being forced
on their children, so when they see something different and alive
they will travel great distances to be there.
“People are coming to help mastermind how we can build 20,
50, 100 of these incredible schools around the world. The same
old education model really didn’t work for our grandparents and
didn’t make our parents happy, so isn’t it time to give our children
and our grandchildren a chance?”

Learning Best green

practices in NSW schools
For 32 years NSW-based Andrew Best has been educating: school
children mostly but, more recently, citizens of all ages, as a
presenter for ACF’s Climate Project – Australia.
“I was in the pilot of The Climate Project in 2006; I’d seen An
Inconvenient Truth two weeks beforehand,” says Andrew.
“My ‘A-ha!’ moment came in 1995, when I visited the
Athabasca glacier in Canada and saw how much it had retreated
since I was born. That’s when I realised there’s something to this
global warming.
“As principal of St Helens Park Public School in 1996 I started
by planting a wildlife corridor for the endangered Regent Honey
Eater. I then progressed to developing an outdoor ‘Learnscape’,
and was invited to be involved in the pilot of the Australian
Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI). After running a successful
pilot program I was invited to represent NSW on a national
planning forum for AuSSI. I also chair a local network, Macarthur
Sustainable Schools Network. We have run a Sustainable Schools
SUMMER 10/11
Expo each year in September since 2005.
“In 2006 I moved to Leumeah Public School and started the
Tickets and information
journey as a sustainable school there. We became involved in at moonlight.com.au
a program to develop curriculum material on climate change
and worked with two other primary schools and our local high
school to develop a program called ‘Cool in Campbelltown’. This
program led to the development of curriculum materials for Ford Fiesta Moonlight Cinema is a proud partner of the
children in Years 5–8. Australian Conservation Foundation. ACF members are
entitled to purchase Moonlight tickets at the concession
“Two years later I was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study price throughout Moonlight’s 10/11 season. Present this
‘The impact of environmental education in engaging children,
Moonlight Cinema, Level 1, 49 Market Street Sydney NSW 2000

voucher at the Ford Fiesta Moonlight Cinema box office

particularly Indigenous students, in the learning process’. The to buy your discounted tickets.
study took me to the UK and the USA.
Conditions:
“In 2009 I moved to Harrington Park Public School, which is - This offer is valid at Moonlight venue box offices only; this offer
where I am now. Here, we have established a ‘Learnscape’ and run is not valid when booking online.
- Offers are subject to availability. Visit moonlight.com.au for session
a program called HEAT (Harrington Park Environmental Action times and availability.
- Limit of 2 tickets per transaction applies.
Team). This year we joined a pilot of the Clever Climate Energy - This offer is not valid with any other Ford Fiesta Moonlight Cinema
Savers Program and developed a series of posters, which are about offer or promotion.
- This voucher is valid for multiple use. Retain and use as required.
to be printed for use around the school.”
www.acfonline.org.au/climateproject h

habitat January 2011 11

Eco shopper
Putting thought into what we buy

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Pencil/cosmetic case $15 packaging reclaimed from landfill,
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12 habitat January 2011

sustainability environment community
Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton:
Making a real play to cut climate change
TOP:Andrew Upton, Dr Zhengrong Shi,
Mrs Vivienne Shi, Cate Blanchett
PHOTO: Sue Murray Imagine It © 2010
”
forests crash down under the
axe, billions of trees are dying,
the habitations of animals
and birds are layed waste,
rivers grow shallow and dry
up, marvelous landscapes are
disappearing forever.... Man
is endowed with creativity in
order to multiply that which
has been given him
Astrov, Uncle Vanya, Anton Chekhov
GreenHome
Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton turned a green spotlight onto Sydney’s
premier arts precinct with their Greening the Wharf project. They spoke with
Tabatha Fulker on why they dare to care.
U
pon entering a conversation with
Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton,
three things become clear: they are
passionate because they care, intelligence
rules and in harmony and enthusiasm they
finish one another’s sentences.
I spoke with the Oscar winner and the
playwright, co-artistic directors of Sydney
Theatre Company (STC) about their Greening
the Wharf project. What began as a plan to
retrofit one of Sydney’s heritage arts buildings
into a beacon of sustainable design has grown
into a hotbed of action on climate change.
“It was one of the first initiatives we outlined
to the Board that we wanted to achieve,” says
Andrew. “It was easier than programming!
I don’t want to sound glib, but it really was.”
“We have had an incredible amount of
support,” Cate enthuses. “The Shi Foundation,
the University of New South Wales and
in-kind support. It is the direct and simple
action that inspires evolving engagement.
Like the things ACF encourages in its own
space and culture. People become engaged
when they can participate.”
It’s a philosophy based on personal
experience for the couple. In 2006, Cate and
Andrew trained under Al Gore in The Climate
Project Australia (TCP), hosted by ACF. TCP
presenters commit to deliver an updated
version of the slide show featured in the
Academy Award-winning documentary An
Inconvenient Truth, but more than that, it’s a
personal commitment to participate in
action against climate change.
“I am in awe of The Climate Project
program and the individual growth it inspires,”
says Cate. “It is driving us to face what we
habitat January 2011 13
 PHOTO: Grant Sparkes-Carroll © 2010
Continued from overleaf

fear most. Naysayer be the loudest, they are

about to lose the fight.”
“Yes, it’s making people aware of the issues
in a profound way,” says Andrew. “It presents
an ongoing, existing challenge.”
On November 26 the switch was turned
on to the second largest capacity roof-top
solar energy system in Australia, allowing not
only STC but fellow wharfies Sydney Dance
Company and Bangarra Dance Theatre to
derive up to 70 per cent of their power from
renewable sources.
The project also aims to provide 100 per
cent of non-potable water required for use on
the wharf via a rainwater harvesting system.
However, new technologies are just one aspect
of rollout. ACF’s GreenHome program has
conducted workshops with tenants housed on
at the wharf to work at minimising current levels
of energy and water use through behavioural
change. An interactive kiosk in the foyer at STC
offers theatre goers similar practical advice.
“When we undertook the project, we
developed a series of green parameters for
STC, similar to an artistic carbon trading
program,” Andrew explains.
“It looks at material used in the theatre and
balances out their environmental impact. It’s They view arts as a measuring stick for “ACF as an organisation inspire and
a methodical process and it has been well social commitment to change. Life influences practice simultaneously to speak to huge
received. James Mackay, our head of set arts, arts inspires the beautiful action. changes and the minutiae of changes. There
construction, toured theatre groups across “It has a knock on effect and changes the is a vacuum and ACF knows it is important
the States and Europe, and it helped build a way we view aesthetics,” says Cate. to make people support and build on the
strategy for him to bring into the workshop “The role of arts is to not to educate, but to groundswell and drive the changes in policy.
to minismise environmental impacts in set inspire. There is naturally some overlap, take I, for one, feel desperate about Australia’s lack
construction. Lighting has been re-rigged so Uncle Vanya (STC’s production of Uncle Vanya of progress on climate change.”
it’s much less power hungry. We’ve created an ended January 1). One of the characters, It’s action that speaks loudest and
experimental space which has led to a change Astrov, he talks a lot about the historical STC’s Greening the Wharf project is talking
and shift to how we do things.” destruction of forests, but it is coincidental…” sustainable change to a global audience. Cate
“Others benefit from the solar panels and “We are giving context for the audience and Andrew have greened their home, their
the water reticulation system,” Cate continues. who see it. We don’t want to squash thematic work and the arts. Andrew gives context to
“When we initially started talking about or undertake social engineering - that would their life choices.
it, people said ‘we make plays, what does not be the best cultural outcome. But we do “You can make change and still engage in
climate change have to do with art?’ Their want to impact the way people see theatre,” the life you lead,” he says.
attitude has changed. People now connect Andrew explains. “You can make massive change and
the faces of climate change with action and “Climate change is a large challenge and it make steps to create what comes next,”
understand its connection with arts.” needs leadership,” says Cate. Cate finishes.

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14 habitat January 2011 GreenHome
 PHOTO: Julian Pang

GreenHome continues to grow in Habitat

Inspiring change begins at home and in our communities. GreenHome Program
Mangager Sarah Johnson has been delighted to watch it happen first hand.

G reenHome is a way of life. Our goal

has always been to encourage individuals
to make change in their own lives and show
that all our efforts towards sustainability are
important.
GreenHome recently delivered its final
workshops funded by the Department of
Climate Change and Water NSW, and the
Department of Sustainability and Environment
Victoria, however, we know that by engaging
directly with people, and taking the time to
listen as well as educate, we’ve encouraged
an extraordinary appetite and capacity for
change that lives beyond workshops.
Evidence shows our program has led to
significant savings in water and energy, and a
reduction in waste. That has always been our
aim and we’re proud to have achieved it.
Some of our other achievements are less
obvious but still incredibly valuable.
We proved it’s possible to work with a
diverse range of people to achieve real and
lasting change.
By working with people in their own
communities, we not only supported them to
make individual change but we also increased
their social connections and confidence to
contribute to change as part of a group.
Our program has always focused on
four themes; environmental awareness
and sustainability; building local expertise;
connecting communities; and encouraging
participants to influence others.
Over 5000 people have attended our
workshops and now believe that the changes
they make in their own homes do really impact
on the long-term health of our environment.
And we’ve helped many small, local
community and environment groups to
increase their membership.
GreenHome would like to congratulate
the councils, sustainability groups,
parents, gardeners, leaders, football clubs,
primary schools, participants and staff for
courageously and collaboratively working to
build a more sustainable Australia.
GreenHome offers an important resource
for living more sustainably in our homes,
workplaces and communities. We are
delighted to offer habitat readers 8 pages of
GreenHome news, products, tips, events and
member profiles in every issue.
We look forward to sharing GreenHome
with you through the pages of habitat and at
www.acfonline.org.au/greenhome

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GreenHome habitat January 2011 15
Take to the A
s Australia becomes increasingly
urbanised, our capital cities’ populations
are expected to grow by an average
of 47 per cent by 2031, according to the
Australian Sustainable Built Environment

sky and live

Council Cities Report 2010.
Residents in apartment buildings may
deliver a smaller eco-footprint than their
house-dwelling counterparts but the fact is
apartment buildings face plenty of their own
sustainability challenges.
Common property is one. Almost half

sustainably
Choose a high rise and lower your eco-footprint.
the energy consumed in some apartment
buildings is used in common areas and
facilities such as corridors, car parks and
hot water systems. Around 30 per cent of
water use across capital cities comes from
apartment buildings, and most do not have
composting facilities that would greatly
Sara McMillan tells us how. assist residents to reduce landfill waste.
Passionate environmentalist and
apartment-dweller Christine Byrne recently
launched a wiki designed to provide simple
and effective advice to people wishing to
make sustainable changes to apartment
buildings: www.greenstrata.com.au
For apartment-dwellers struggling to
convince their body corporate to implement
environmentally sustainable building practices,
or just don’t know where to start, there
are solutions.
Get your facts straight
Find out how decisions concerning your
building are made and what your rights are
at www.greenstrata.com.au/category/
strata-101
Love thy neighbour
Foster a greater sense of community by
getting to know your body corporate and the
other tenants. These are the people who make
decisions about ‘greening’ the building www.
greenstrata.com.au/category/community
Know your impact
Undertake an audit of common property energy
and water use – by yourself or with a third-par-
ty. The audit will determine wasteful practices
and identify costs.
Money talks
Body Corporate is responsible for energy
and water-use costs, so when you know
what these are, you can then present the
Body Corporate with cost-saving strategies
and suggestions for sustainable changes.
Consider backing up these strategies with
case studies of apartment buildings that have
successfully reduced their eco-footprint.
www.greenstrata.com.au/case-studies
Identify the solutions
Check out Christine’s wiki for a
iStockphoto

comprehensive guide to effecting sustainable

changes in apartment buildings at
www.greenstrata.com.au

16 habitat January 2011 GreenHome

 GreenEvents
February

World Wetlands Day

Feb 2
The international theme for World Wetlands
is Forested Wetlands: their importance and
wise use www.wetlandcare.com.au
Sustainable Living Festival, Melbourne

Red hot green love Feb 12-27

Be a part of Australia’s largest sustainability
event www.festival.slf.org.au
ACF Member Night
Feb 15
orget marriage and children, we’ve got The first of our 2011 series of Member

F to meet each other first! To that end,

here is our green guide to finding (and
sustaining) love.
We spoke to Suzie Brown, founder of
Good People Out There and former manager
of our GreenHome program. Good People Out
There hosts singles events for people who are
looking for love and are passionate about the
environment, social issues, their community
and spirituality.
The group started because of a very basic
need: “Single friends were telling me about the
difficulty they found in meeting others with the
same values,” Suzie said.
“Even with the assistance of the internet
and speed dating, people had to sift through
hundreds of potential partners before they
came across someone who felt the same way
about the things that were important to them.
So we organised a dinner party fundraiser for
an environmental charity and invited our single
friends and networks and it’s just grown
from there.”
So, you meet someone and pluck up the
courage to ask them out. According to Suzie
properly planning your date can be the make
or break of finding love.
“How you plan the date reveals a lot about
who you are as a person. From the venue you
choose to the transport you take to meet up, it
all tells your potential partner a lot about your
”
Single friends were telling
me about the difficulty they
found in meeting others with
the same values.
values. So if you’re honest about yourself and
you let that guide your actions, someone with
similar values will appreciate that.”
Dinner date or action adventure?
If it’s dinner you desire choose one of the
growing number of restaurants and cafes
specialising in sustainable produce, including
locally grown produce, indigenous foods,
vegetarian options and organic.
Of course, dates don’t have to be over
dinner. If you share similar values you’ll
probably get excited about the same things.
Invite your date to a community event or
festival, suggest a walk, or head to a beach or
national park.
Also, don’t be afraid to suggest taking
public transport together, walking or cycling to
meet up. And if things go really well send us
an email invitation to your own green wedding!
Email goodpeopleoutthere@gmail.com
for upcoming events.
Nights looking at campaigns and discussion
on the year ahead. 6.30pm at 60L Green
Building,
60 Leicester St, Carlton, Victoria. RSVP or
information call 1800 223 669.
David Suzuki movie
Feb 20
ACF promotion night at Moonlight Cinema
Melbourne www.moonlight.com.au
March
Clean Up Australia Day
March 6
Join the hundreds of thousands of
volunteers who take to their streets with
white and yellow bags and clean up their
local community. Create or join a Clean-up
site at www.cleanup.org.au
GreenHome Q&A Café in
Lane Cove, NSW
March 13
GreenHome Q&A Café in Lane Cove. All
Lane Cove residents, 2065, 2066 and
nearby postcodes are invited to attend a
FREE opportunity to ask experts about
sustainability issues. It’s at Lane Cove
Library Meeting Room, Longueville Rd, Lane
Cove, 10.30 to 1.30pm. Register at www.
acfonline.org.au/LaneCoveQA

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GreenHome habitat January 2011 17


Clucking good eggs
W hy spend money on free range,
organic eggs when you can keep your
own chooks at home? That said, keeping
chickens in an apartment may present a
few problems but for anyone with a garden,
they’re a wonderful addition to an eco-friendly
household.
Think of the nutritious, delicious, fresh, free
range eggs you could have at your fingertips
– not to mention the endless supply of chook
manure, which is an excellent garden fertiliser.
Happy chooks equal healthy eggs.
Research suggests that backyard eggs,
compared to factory farm eggs, have 25 per
cent more Vitamin E, a third more Vitamin
A, 75 per cent more beta carotene and,
significantly, more Omega 3 fatty acids.
Eat home grown free range organic
Garden briefs
Get your school involved in the
Stephanie Alexander Kitchen
Garden Program.
Additional government investment of
$1.1 million will provide funding for 14
Victorian schools to participate in the ‘Go
for your life’ Kitchen Garden Project and see
thousands more children growing, cooking
and eating their own food at school.
Grants of up to $62,500 per school will
contribute to the costs of building a kitchen
and a garden, and employing specialist staff.
Visit the Kitchen Garden Foundation
website for more information:
www.kitchengardenfoundation.org.au
18 habitat January 2011
If you have kids, or have friends and family
with kids who regularly visit, chooks make
great pets, teaching young people about
responsibility, the origin of food and the
connection between nature and living things.
Getting started
Visit your local library and borrow a book on
chicken breeds – if they don’t stock any, ask
them to order one. There are many varieties of
chooks, including rare and heritage varieties
and it’s important to know that these breeds
differ markedly in temperament (ranging from
placid to downright aggressive!) and the
average number of eggs they produce.
Become familiar with chook runs and how
they will fit in with the rest of your garden –
including orienting the run to provide shade
in summer. Also, check your local council’s
regulations regarding domestic chickens.
Caring for your chooks
Pens must be cleaned regularly to avoid lice
infestations. Essential to a chook’s wellbeing
is a daily supply of fresh food and cool, clean
drinking water (rainwater where possible as
a chook’s immune system can be affected
by fluoride and chlorine). Recommended
food includes grains, minerals and shell grit,
supplemented with unspoiled greens and
kitchen scraps.
Let your chooks out of their enclosure
for at least an hour a day to scratch around
pecking at living greens and unwanted insects.
What are you waiting for? Start researching
the new addition to your family and the best
source of happy, healthy eggs.
Sweet, plump
strawberries
The Diggers Club is a great source of gardening
advice and one of their sweetest pieces of
advice for the home gardener is to grow
strawberries. Why strawberries? Because
growing you own means sweeter and pesticide-
free fruit.
Eating blemish-free supermarket
strawberries comes at a price to our health.
According to the Environmental Working Group,
strawberries are third highest in pesticide
residues out of 50 popular fruits and
vegetables ranked.
The good news is that home-grown
strawberries are easy to grow. They thrive
in pots, hanging baskets or in the ground
amongst other vegetables.
When purchasing plants, select ‘runners’ in
winter and potted plants in spring. Use quality
potting mix if growing in pots, or compost-rich
garden soil if growing in the ground. Feed with
organic preparations of seaweed solution or fish
emulsion to aid establishment and fruiting.
If planting in the garden, ensure good
drainage by mounding soil or by planting in
raised beds. Each plant needs an area of
around 30cm. Plant in sheltered warm locations
that receives full sun and keep well watered
throughout the active growing period. Protect
young plants from frost.
Heritage varieties like Chandler produce fruit
in late spring to summer but newer varieties,
called ‘day neutral’ plants, fruit from spring well
into autumn. It is best to plant a combination of
both. Plants will fruit best in their second year of
establishment and will need replanting with new
runners after their second to third year. Protect
fruit from slugs and snails by using beer traps or
copper wire tape.
Then sit back and enjoy plenty of juicy,
sweet, chemical-free fruit.
www.diggers.com.au
iStockphotos
GreenHome
Build a home
Sustainable design
that grows with your life
ost of us have some sense of how we

M want our homes to serve us, but we

need to consider how long we want it
to suit our purposes.
Deciding on long term goals for your home
enables you to explore and articulate what you
value and this will guide the design of a house
that truly serves your needs.
This is the story of Jim Westphal and his
family, who did just that...
“Five years ago my wife and I began a
process intended to provide us a home that
would serve us, as we moved into ‘retirement’,
for at least the next 20 years.
Before we went house-hunting we knew
our home had to be friendly to our family; our
continued personal growth and availability to
others; our growing old; the environment; and
our living sustainably, especially as we aged.
It didn’t take us long to realise that such a
home that we could afford was unlikely to be
found and, in all probability, it had not yet
been built.
So we set out to find a block of land and
design and build a home to serve our needs. each of us a study/work/consulting space. Jim Westphal in his sustainable home
Our home for the next 20 years would need And one of these spaces needed to be
to honour, respect and serve these values. accessible to visitors without their needing to maintenance, drought-tolerant landscaping
Our priorities were about ‘function’ rather than intrude into our living space. would include the beauty of shrubs and
‘form’ – so our house would be something Our desire to grow old together, flowers that would invite native birds and
designed from the inside outwards. speak of the changing seasons.
remaining able to live under our own roof.
So how did the things we value shape our Living sustainably. Our desire is to
It would be a minimal maintenance home. We
new home? live more lightly on this planet. Our home
took advice from our occupational therapist
Our family. We value and invest time in would therefore seek to minimise our use of
our relationships with each other and our five daughter regarding what would make this a non-renewable energy and potable water.
adult children, their spouses, and our (so far) suitable home for the aging; especially should In attending to this, our hope was that the
six grandchildren. Our home needed to be a one of us ever need to use a wheelchair. choices we made would serve to minimise
welcoming, gathering place where all of us It would also be within walking distance of our new home’s 20-year cost.
could easily come together, to celebrate and the station and the shops, to encourage our So far the values-driven design has
to enjoy being family. walking and our use of public transport. delighted us. It is, however, still early days to
Our personal growth and availability Our environment. All the rooms we spent know how well it will serve our growing old
for others. My wife and I both value learning daylight hours in would be warmed by the together. But if growing old is about living
and offering our respective specialised helping winter sun and yet, in summer, would be just a fulfilling life, the house is already serving
skills to others. It would need to provide for as liveable without air-conditioning. Low- us well.”

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GreenHome habitat January 2011 19

Taking time for tea and change
Participants share their stories
“I went through the ACF GreenHome leader’s
course in early August 2010.
At the time I felt I would be out of my depth
and not that well connected in the community.
After the course I thought about the best
way to practice my new skills and decided to
approach the ladies at my golf club at Massey
Park in Concord.
I invited them to a morning tea to share
ways to make our homes more sustainable,
help the environment and save some money.
On the day, I was surprised by the keen
interest the ladies had in sustainability and
their knowledge of what is happening. One
of them, an ex-school teacher, became
my ‘expert guest’ and amazed us with her
stories of how her family survived the great
depression and how she continues to try and
‘waste nothing’.
There was a lot of lively, friendly discussion
and everyone committed to taking on new
ways of living, including better recycling, worm
farms, growing herbs at home and monitoring
electricity use. The morning was so enjoyable
that we plan to visit each other’s homes to see
what we are all achieving. We’ve recently had
You said it
I would like to see every home with a
water tank, green power, passive solar retro-
fits, no toilet attached to drinking water and
home composting.
Dominique Pomeroy
20 habitat January 2011
our second meeting, with another five people Margaret and friends at the sustainable home
attending, and everyone is motivated to act morning tea.
towards a more sustainable lifestyle.”
Margaret May, GreenHome participant,
Concord, NSW
When I ride my bicycle to work I would like to
see more solar panels glinting on roofs and
vegies sprouting in front yards!
I’d love to see council rates directed
toward growing drought tolerant native plants,
removing auto flush urinals, and providing
Susie Scherf
In southern Victoria we have a great firewood
alternative in sugar gum, a South Australian
council funded environmental renovation species that is grown in plantations by
services. farmers. It burns very well, and is very straight
John Friedman grained, therefore easier to split. It bugs
me to see red-gum and yellow box for sale
I was pleasantly surprised that ACF would when there is a totally environmentally sound
be involved in a practical program such as alternative grown by farmers.
GreenHome; a shift from traditional ACF
campaigning work. Craig Allen
Phil Kelly Email You said it at habitat@acfonline.org.au
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GreenHome
 Eco travel
Penguins on parade
Amongst the wildlife of Phillip Island Bluey and Sheila rule supreme Tabatha Fulker discovers.
or a Victorian girl born and bred trips to see the penguins at
F Phillip Island have always been saved for when international
visitors come to stay or are faded memories of primary school
trips as a child.
So when I was recently offered the opportunity to visit the
penguins I jumped at the chance. I’m a mother of two small
children and with not an overseas guest pencilled in for months I
saw this as an opportunity to visit the penguins and get to delight
with them as much as my children, all with the good excuse us
locals seem to need.
Phillip Island has great offerings as an eco tourist destination.
We used a three parks pass to visit Churchill Island Heritage Farm,
the Koala Conservation Centre and to see the Penguin Parade.
Heritage Farm offers incredible views across the bay and a
historical farm experience. Horse and cart rides and friendly farm
animals happy for a scratch behind the ears kept my two young
charges delighted.
The Koala Conservation Centre is a marvellous safe woodland
conservation park for the island’s koala population. Visitors
are kept at a harmless distance to watch our Aussie icons sleep,
occasionally eat, and tend their young.
But as the saying goes, the best things come in little packages.
For my family the Little Penguins, who kept us waiting in
anticipation until the sun set around 9pm at this time of year, were
the stars of our day trip.
We viewed the delight of hundreds of penguins seemingly
appear out of nowhere on a wave onto the beach, bellies so full of
fish for their babies they tumbled and waddled their way home.
The Penguin Plus Viewing Platform offers a prime view of
penguins making their way alongside the pedestrian boardwalk
back to their young and their burrows. No touching, photography
or loud noises are allowed and everyone is under direction from
staff rangers. iPods are also available for detailed talks about the
nightly spectacle.
My two children, with their own stuffed plush penguins tucked
under their arms (named Bluey and Sheila after the stars of the
documentary series Penguin Island) tumbled into our car like a
couple of well fed penguins themselves for the late night drive
home. There is plenty of eco accommodation available on the
island but it’s also a great day/night trip.
So now with my head full of penguin facts and a fresh
appreciation of the natural attractions of Phillip Island may I
suggest you throw the justification of an international guest as
excuse to visit the penguins to the curb. Make the most this natural
nightly spectacle and simply go.
For bookings and information visit www.penguins.org.au h
www.bushwalkingholidays.com.au
habitat January 2011 21
Campaigns
A drink to our
Murray-Darling
It’s been a long time between drinks but Ruchira Talukdar is hopeful
we’re ready to shout our river a thirst quenching round.
was a big year for the reform of the Murray-Darling
2010 with the release of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan
Guide in October. The guide made it clear we need to stop
overusing water for irrigation and put more water back into the
river. It told us returning 3,000 billion litres (GL) of water will give
us a low certainty of achieving a healthy river, while returning
7,600 billion litres (GL) will give us a high certainty.
Debate about putting water back into the Murray-Darling
and protecting jobs and regional communities intensified. One of
the first Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) information
sessions held in Griffith NSW received a hostile public response.
Media focused on the argument between jobs versus environment,
overlooking long-term economic benefits of a healthy river.
In the weeks following its release parliamentary inquiries into
social and economic impacts of proposed water-use reductions
were announced in both houses of Parliament. The MDBA reacted,
announcing it will consider returning the lowest range of water to
the river system.
This response contradicts the Authority’s own words: “The real
possibility of environmental failure now threatens the long term
economic and social viability of many industries…”
A recent economic study by the MDBA shows that the economic
benefits of returning the region to good health are large. The value
of the Coorong at the mouth of the river is predicted to increase by
$4.3 billion alone.
The majority of Australians are behind the plan. Eighty nine
per cent of South Australians, where the worst impacts on the
22 habitat January 2011
PHOTO: Bill Doyle
environment of upstream over-use of water have been felt, want all
political leaders to stand up for a healthy Murray-Darling.
Key decisions over the fate of the Murray-Darling will be made
this year. ACF will continue working with the Basin community,
scientists, economists and other interest groups to ensure that
governments return enough water to ensure a healthy river in
the long-term.
The reform for returning our national icon and Australia’s
largest river-system to health will require the support of all
Australians. To keep updated on the latest information visit
www.acfonline.org.au/murray
Supporting the Murray
• Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke commits to water
reform in the Murray-Darling Basin. There is a total of $12.9
billion of Federal Government money available for transforming
the Basin towards a sustainable future.
• Minister for Regional Australia Simon Crean also commits to a
healthy Murray-Darling and meets with community members
wanting a healthy river.
• ACF released an economic assessment valuing benefits
of restoring environmental services of the basins 16
internationally-significant wetlands at $2.1 billion.
• ACF makes a strong public case for long-term benefits and
opportunities, and not just the costs, of a healthy river system.
PHOTO: james@jsthomasphotography.com

Murray needs a drink just add water
ACF staff, friends and supporters gathered outside Old Treasury
House before the Melbourne information session on October 28
calling for a national plan that puts water back into the Murray.
Murray got a drenching – just the way he likes it. View more
images at www.acfonline.org.au/murray
All eyes on the Murray mouth
ACF has installed wetland cameras at three locations around Lake
Alexandrina, SA, to transmit real time images. Recent rains have
sent a lot of water down the Murray-Darling, flushing out the
mouth via the Coorong and the Lower Lakes. Fish numbers have
increased, birds have returned and community spirit has risen. But
South Australians know that nothing can survive on one drink in
a decade and that we have to ‘Just Add Water’. View time lapse
images at www.justaddwater.org.au h

Indigenous Knowledge for a Sustainable Future

Shaping a sustainable future of Australia means understanding where we have come from and understanding Indigenous
knowledges is crucial in the light of climate change and when considering issues of the sustainability of our current society.
A degree, postgraduate diploma or postgraduate certificate in Indigenous knowledges gives you a broader knowledge
base and a strong foundation from which to participate in policy formulation and decision making.
The course is available as a fully external program or come and study in Darwin.
Intensive programs and field trips in the Top End of the NT are scheduled regularly.
Units of study include: Yolngu Languages and Culture : Indigenous Engagement – Land and Water : Cultural Tourism :
Communication and Negotiation : Indigenous Cultures and the Environment : Representing and Recording Country.
For more information contact the School of Australian Indigenous Knowledge Systems
Phone: (08) 8946 6482 Email: indigenousknowledges@cdu.edu.au

www.cdu.edu.au

habitat January 2011 23

Feature

Black Saturday Tree fern regenerating

after bushfire.
PHOTO: Bruce Paton

two years on
The Bushfire Royal Commission’s recommendations for a balance between conservation
considerations and bushfire safety objectives is possible Mark Stockdale reports.

24 habitat January 2011

 he second anniversary of the Black Saturday bushfires that critical requirement to protect ecologically mature forests through

T claimed the lives of 173 people serves as a stark reminder of

the destructive nature of fire but also provides the opportunity
to learn valuable lessons in how we manage our natural
resources into the future.
The aftermath of Black Saturday has redefined the way
fire management is undertaken in Victoria. But what does the
unavoidable and necessary change as a result of these events mean
for the conservation of our natural heritage?
Fire, in an evolutionary sense, has shaped the characteristic
Australian biota, or to put it simply – we wouldn’t have our
unique plants and animals without the role of fire. The paradox of
our love of the bush, however, is that many of us live within one of
the most bushfire prone environments in the world.
conservation policy, and the government needs to take scientific
advice seriously”.
Graeme Brown, a Black Saturday survivor and community
leader in the Marysville area with a background in forestry,
believes conservationists have played a valuable role in recent
policy formation.
“Well managed logging strategies allow for fire as a natural
phenomenon and to get the best policy outcome a collaborative
approach to policy formation is required, particularly by putting
good science and strategic thinking on the table,” Graeme said.
The number of fuel reduction burns is set to increase
dramatically throughout Victoria as a result of Royal Commission
recommendations. The aim of fuel reduction burning is to ‘provide
a high level of strategic protection to human life, property and

”
The number of fuel reduction burns is set to
increase dramatically throughout Victoria as a
result of Royal Commission recommendations.
The 2009 Victorian Bushfire Royal Commission identified that
‘to ensure continuing environmental protection, the State needs to
improve its understanding of the effects of different fire regimes
on flora and fauna’ and ‘more informed and scientifically-based
decision making can accompany the development of prescribed-
burning regimes that meet conservation objectives as well as
accommodating bushfire safety considerations’.
ACFs Healthy Forest Campaigner Lindsay Hesketh considers
that ecologically mature tall wet eucalypt forests, with lush damp
understory, are more suppressive and less conducive to wildfire
events, than when reduced to their denser regrowth form as a
result of logging. The older mature systems display a greater
resilience to post fire impacts giving them the capacity to recover
quickly after wildfire events.
“Previously logged or re-growth forests exhibit a higher wildfire
propensity due to drier understory induced by logging disturbance
and fuel reduction burning. They are therefore more susceptible to
creating destructive wildfires, such as highly destructive ‘crowning
fires’, due to changed characteristics including low height and
increased tree density and have less resilience for post fire
recovery,” Lindsay said.
In terms of policy development that identifies protection of
areas containing significant values Lindsay considered “It’s a
highly valued assets’. State agencies use fuel reduction burning
as a tool of fire management on public land, through hazard
reduction of understory fuel levels, and while its use cannot
prevent bushfire, the intent is to decrease fuel loads and reduce the
spread and intensity of a bushfire event.
The issue with low intensity high frequency fuel reduction
burning, in a conservation sense, is that it is nothing like the
‘natural’ regime of high intensity low frequency fires that many
woodland and forest ecosystems are adapted to. It too often results
in a loss of species diversity and habitat quality.
State agencies have a significant task in balancing the
requirement to protect human life, property and assets, while
maintaining conservation values of highly quality areas. In terms
of fire management in many urban and rural areas, the need to
protect human life, property and assets will override the need to
maintain conservation values.
Areas most susceptible to fuel reduction burning are high
conservation value woodlands and forests. The practice of fuel
reduction burning in high conservation areas is deeply concerning
to many conservationists who consider that a more scientifically
rigorous approach to fire management is required.
Lindsay outlined that changes in fire management may
exacerbate the potential risks in some areas. “Disturbance events in
wet forests, such as frequent burning or logging and slash burning,
increases the propensity of serious wildfire events by stimulating
fire regenerating species competing with lush wet understory
species that act as fire suppressors,” Lindsay said.
Two years past and Graeme’s concern continues to run deep:
“It would be tragic if we didn’t learn good lessons (from Black
Saturday), become more sustainable, more collaborative with
our decisions and work together with the community.” h

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to subscribe to Habitat by becoming an ACF member.
For $65 per year ($39 concession) members receive
6 issues of Habitat, member news, invitations to special
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To subscribe yourself, family or friends become
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www.acfonline.org.au

Black-footed Rock Wallaby

PHOTO: Julian Bentley

habitat January 2011 25


A hot day in Canberra
People power presents more than just support for a price
on pollution to Federal MPs. ACF Climate Change
Campaigner Simon Bradshaw reports.
limate change is firmly back on the political agenda with the
C Federal Government planning to legislate a price on pollution
in 2011. The plan is vulnerable, however, to negativity at the
rising costs of living.
ACF headed to Parliament House in November with 30
representatives from across the Australian community to show
support for a price on pollution on our third Climate Advocacy Day.
Partnering with The Climate Project, Australian Youth Climate
Coalition, Union Climate Connectors and Climate and Health
Alliance, we represented hundreds of thousands of Australians in
showing support for a price on pollution.
Our message was simple: we will all benefit with a price on
pollution. An effective price on pollution will create jobs, improve
public health, support regional development and maintain
Australia’s international competitiveness. Coupled with additional
measures to improve energy efficiency and boost clean energy
investment, a price on pollution is vital to a sustainable and
prosperous nation.
Our delegation met with 32 MPs, 17 senators, seven ministers’
offices and five members of the Multi-Party Climate Change
Committee to express our concerns and show the support for a
price on pollution in the electorates of the Minister for Climate
Change and Energy Efficiency and members of the Multi-Party
Climate Change Committee.
Delegates presented 56 MPs and senators with a copy of ACF’s
Clean Energy Map to help them identify opportunities for clean
energy investment and job creation in their electorate.
By mid this year we plan to hand deliver the map to
every member of Federal Parliament. It’s a powerful visual
representation of how Australia can become a clean energy
superpower.
We have a great opportunity to put Australia on the path
to reducing its greenhouse pollution and transitioning to a
sustainable future. The Greens and rural independents have
used their newfound influence to push climate change up the
government’s priority list. As China, India, the EU and other major
economies pour billions into energy efficiency and clean energy
development, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that Australia is
trailing the world on climate change and needs to lift its game.
ACF will be working hard to create the conditions necessary for
the government to pass an effective package of climate legislation
in 2011. We will continue our direct engagement with Federal
Government and continue to address concerns around the rising
costs of living.
Find out what’s influencing electricity prices and why
we’ll all be better off with a price on pollution at www.acf.to/
electricityprices and for a free copy of our Clean Energy Map
email: organiser@acfonline.org.au
h
26 habitat January 2011
Ask the Economist
Dave Linahan
PHOTO:
Dear ACF Economist,
Can you please outline the real
economics of solar (and wind)
power. While I purchase 100% green
power for my home, my electricity
provider has just offered me a
1.5kW solar system for about $3000
and I’d like to know if this is a
good deal for me and the planet.
Michael Fogarty
Dear Michael – a very timely question as we are increasingly
seeing power companies offering cheaper and cheaper deals to the
customer for a home solar photovoltaic installation.
Since the Federal Government recently made changes to the
Renewable Energy Target (aiming to generate 20% of Australia’s
power from renewables by 2020) it is pleasing to note that the
clean energy we generate from our homes is to be additional to this
target. So in fact, by generating power from our rooftops, we can
increase Australia’s renewable power above and beyond 20%.
But this is also the case for our purchases of accredited
GreenPower. Both GreenPower and our own renewable power
systems are pushing Australia towards a clean energy economy, so
both are really important steps we can take.
Whether this is a good deal for us really depends on our own
budgets. An average financial model for solar power will have
pay back rates at around 7 years, or shorter in states with more
generous feed in tariffs (such as the ACT and NSW). These are
becoming shorter as the panels become cheaper to manufacture.
But often cited additional benefits of home renewable power
are the behaviour change impacts that are possible: many people
become much more attentive to energy consumption when they
are generating it themselves, often leading to overall reductions.
In addition, the upgrades to our electricity networks that are the
prime driver of current electricity price increases are due to ‘peak
demand’ – the hot afternoons in summer when everyone turns
on their air conditioners. Home solar power is at its peak output
right at the very time our electricity networkss
need it, so it lessens the strain on our system
– another significant benefit of what we call
‘distributed’ power.
For his question to the Economist Michael
wins a copy of The World According to
Monsanto, Pollution, Politics and Power by
Marie-Monique Robin.
Email your questions to the Economist at
habitat@acfonline.org.au
h
Sharing a
common vision
Hunter Hall supports ACF through donation

have been a recipient of the the Hunter Hall Shareholder

ACF Nominated Charitable Donation Scheme since 2003, with
total donations exceeding $95,000.
Peter Hall is founder, Executive Chairman and Managing
Director of Hunter Hall International Ltd, a trustee of Hunter
Hall Charitable trust. Peter’s commitment to social change has
driven his wonderful commitment to philanthropy focusing
on environment and world issues both domestically and social, environmental or humanitarian causes.
internationally. “We know the time to act is now,” says Peter.
Peter has been awarded an AM of the Order of Australia for his “Our descendents will not thank us for our passivity. Our
contribution to funds management and philanthropy. environment is withering, bio-diversity is diminishing and
ACF CEO Don Henry was an invited guest speaker at the preventable human suffering is flourishing. Now is the time when
Shareholder Nominated Charitable Donation Scheme luncheon in each of us must do what is in our power.
November to talk about recent developments in Tasmania’s native “Our shareholders understand this and have made their stand,
forests, where he also received a cheque on behalf of ACF towards in the last nine years they have donated more than $7.4m to

e
our ongoing commitment to the environment. charitable causes directed at the preservation of this planet and
Hunter Hall International Limited donates five per cent of its its inhabitants. I applaud their vision, their generosity and
pre-tax profits to charities or charitable purposes that support their kindness.”
h

Investing
Do you know a
ethical
investment in a better
worthy environmentalist? SERVICES world
Nominations are being called for the
2011 ACF Peter Rawlinson Conservation Award.
This annual Award is presented in recognition of
outstanding voluntary contribution by a group or
individual aiding Australia’s conservation efforts.
The prize consists of $3000 to spend on further
environment work and a plaque.
An individual or group can be nominated for their Anne-Marie SPAGNOLO Michelle BRISBANE
B.Bus/Fin.Planning CFP, B.Bus.Fin,B.Sc.
achievements at a local or national level (ACF Councillors

ph 03 9853 0995
and staff cannot be nominated).
Application forms are available from our website
www.acfonline.org.au/rawlinson. Financial Planning
The deadline for nominations is
Superannuation Choices
Monday, 18 April 2011. Retirement Planning
Ethical Share Advice
www.ethicalinvestments.com.au
Ethical Investment
Services Pty Ltd
ABN 38004531800
AFS Licence 222690 16 Princess St KEW 3101

habitat January 2011 27

Campaign updates
Sustainable Australia
We’ve been busy on the transport front over the last few months.
We organised a public transport forum in NSW Parliament in
September in collaboration with our Rapid, Active, Affordable
Transport Alliance partners and one of the clear outcomes was the
need to improve governance arrangements for transport in NSW.
In the lead up to the NSW state election this March we have
written to the Premier and Opposition leader asking for greater
priority to be given to investment in public transport as well as
improvements to the institutional arrangements for the managing
transport task.
We jointly organised a forum with the Queensland Office of
Sustainable Transport to discuss priorities and ideas for South East
Queensland given the increase in households living in the outer
suburbs. ACF President Professor Ian Lowe was a keynote speaker.
Responding to Federal election commitments for mandatory
fuel consumption standards and the Cleaner Car Rebate program,
we have been in discussion with the Federal Government to ensure
good environmental outcomes for both programs.
After the successful launch of the Sustainable Cities Index
we have made presentations to a number of groups in Brisbane,
Wollongong and Sydney on the Index and ACF’s sustainable
cities agenda. We are in discussion with government to improve
planning outcomes for our cities to ensure they are more
environmentally sustainable, resilient to future challenges and to
improve our data collection.
Monica Richter, Sustainable Australia Program Manager
28 habitat January 2011
Climate Change
This year brings an opportunity to put a price on greenhouse
pollution. It will require Labor, Greens, and three Independents
to unite, and this will take concerted effort. The climate change
team has been campaigning hard to ensure we get it right this
time round.
It amazes me how rare it is that politicians hear from ordinary
Australians. In November we took an amazing group of volunteers
to Parliament to meet with 55 politicians and their advisors (read
more page 26). We have a further opportunity to represent our
members, supporters and fellow Australians in Parliament. ACF
CEO Don Henry will bring your voice to the roundtable advising
Government on climate change policy he has been asked to join.
While there is an opportunity to switch Australia to a clean
economy, it is little surprise that a wave of ‘shock and awe’ myths
have been appearing in our media. The myths focus on electricity
prices. Electricity prices are going up, it’s a myth, however, to
blame climate change policies. The 20 per cent renewable energy
target will cost each household only 80 cents a week. The truth is,
over the next five years electricity companies plan on spending
$42 billion dollars on poles and wires to deliver more electricity
to more households. The increase has nothing to do with climate
change action.
While we’re pushing hard for a price on pollution, we’re
also watching what our Government is doing in international
negotiations. Don Henry attended the UN meeting in Cancun,
Mexico, meeting with the Australian delegation and Minister
Combet to ensure Australia was being constructive in efforts to get
an ambitious global agreement to follow the Kyoto Protocol.
Tony Mohr, Climate Change Program Manager
Care for Country
In June 2010 ACF and the Wuthathi Land Trust announced the
Wuthathi Cultural Regeneration Project, a partnership to help
Wuthathi Traditional Owners reconnect to their homelands and
develop plans to sustainably use and manage their traditional
lands. A major focus of the partnership is supporting and hosting
‘on country’ meetings near Shelburne Bay on Cape York Peninsula.
In October the Northern Australia Program (NAP) team joined
60 Wuthathi Traditional Owners for the first meeting. For some
older Wuthathi Traditional Owner, the visit was the first in many
years while for most of the younger people and children it was
the first time they had met on country with other Wuthathi. After
settling in and a day spent visiting landmarks such as Captain
Billy Landing and Harmer Creek, Wuthathi Traditional Owners
sat down with the ACF team to speak about their aspirations
to protect and manage country, and ensure Wuthathi culture is
passed on.
ACF CEO Don Henry attended the meeting and spoke of the
long association (over 20 years) between ACF and Wuthathi people
and how important the partnership is for both groups. It is the first
step in assisting the Wuthathi to develop a cultural and country
management strategy.
ACF had been expecting an announcement on National
Heritage listing of the west Kimberley in November 2010 but
Environment Minister Tony Burke recently announced that this has
been pushed to June 30.
The announcement came after Minister Burke toured
the Kimberley and met with conservation and Indigenous
representatives. While conservation and Indigenous groups are
keen to see the listing happen as soon as possible, ACF believes
the extension is a positive move and will allow additional time
for consideration of the inclusion of eight high conservation
value areas that were identified by ACF and other environmental
organisations but overlooked by the Australian Heritage Council
in their recommendations to the Minister. For more details visit
www.acfonline.org.au/kimberley
Dr Suzanne Jenkins, Northern Australian Program Manager
Healthy Ecosystems
I gave a talk on biodiversity to a couple of classes of nine year olds
the other day. They had bagfuls of great questions and thoughts
about special places and species they knew and wanted to
experience. And why not?
In October, the International Census of Marine Life found that
Australia’s ocean life is the most diverse on the planet. Scientists
think that only 10% of Australia’s ocean life has been discovered.
Our healthy ocean campaigners Chee Chee Leung and
Chris Smyth are working to protect those riches. The Federal
Government finally released a report into the catastrophic Montara
oil spill in the Timor Sea in August 2009. ACF is calling on the
Government to halt the expansion of the oil and gas industry until
the a world class network of marine sanctuaries is established
Dr Arlene Harriss Buchan and Ruchira Talukdar, our Healthy
Rivers Campaigners, are giving South Australia’s politicians the
opportunity to pledge their commitment to delivering a strong
Murray Darling Basin Plan. ACF supporters have provided vital
support at a critical time for our Murray campaign over recent
weeks – thank you.
And in the forest, Lindsay Hesketh and Don Henry, along
with colleagues from The Wilderness Society and Environment
Tasmania sat around the table with timber communities, forest
unions, and industry and reached an historic agreement to develop
a more sustainable timber industry and end logging the state’s
remaining valuable native forests.
That’s not a bad Christmas present for those nine year old kids
and our country.
Dr Paul Sinclair, Healthy Ecosystems Program Manager
TOP: Howqua Hills, Victoria
PHOTO: Andrew Haig
h
habitat January 2011 29
On the paper trail Choosing enviro-friendly paper and timber can be confusing.
Tessa Fluence takes stock of the certification process.

e have long been aware of the devastating impact of global

W deforestation, poor management and illegal exploitation

of forests. We also know we can reduce the environmental
impact of our consumption of wood products by being careful
about what we buy. Yet how do we wade through the greenwash?
Many manufacturers purport to care about the environment,
but claims are often misleading. It can be difficult for a consumer
to verify a product’s green credentials.
Take the label ‘recycled’. There is a significant difference
between paper containing 10% and 100% recycled content,
and bleach to ‘de-ink’ the paper can have toxic by-products.
Manufacturers can claim their paper is recycled when it is made
from only a small proportion of pre-consumer waste and otherwise
from old growth native forests.
Accreditation systems such as the Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC) give consumers valuable information about a product’s
My Earth celebrates children’s birthdays with all of the fun,
environmental credentials. The ACF was instrumental in setting
and less of the environmental impact. Kid’s love the cute
up the Australian arm of FSC, which sets the global benchmark for
native animal birthday card and wrapping paper designs.
responsible forest management.
My Earth is printed carbon neutral in Australia with vegetable
FSC is a not-for-profit organisation supported by a wide
inks on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper www.
range of environmental and forestry groups, big business
earthgreetings.com.au
and community groups. Once a forest owner meets strict
environmental, social and economic standards and receives forest Win one of 3 My Earth giveaway packs valued at $50 each.
management certification, a Chain of Custody system traces the Just email habitataustralia@acfonline.org with ‘My Earth My
wood product through the supply chain. This means consumers Habitat’ in the subject line and the first 3 emails received win.
can be sure the wood or paper they buy was sourced from a well-
managed forest.
off-cuts, overruns and unsold newspapers. Post-consumer waste
usually comes from office paper and home recycling.

”
ACF was instrumental in setting up the Australian
arm of FSC, which sets the global benchmark for
responsible forest management.
There are several FSC labels:
FSC 100% applies to both paper and timber products, and
guarantees they come solely from an FSC-certified forest.
FSC Recycled is the only international label to certify claims
about post-consumer recycled paper. FSC recycled paper contains
100% post-consumer recycled content.
FSC Mixed Source paper contains a mixture of FSC 100%,
FSC recycled and/or controlled fibre. Controlled fibre does not
come from an FSC-certified forest, but is screened to exclude
illegally harvested timber, genetically modified organisms, forests
which threaten high conservation values, convert a natural forest
to other land uses or violate civil rights. The percentage of post-
consumer recycled content is specified by the recycling symbol.
FSC labelling is a useful guide to buying paper and timber
products, particularly in guaranteeing the integrity of the raw
material. Nevertheless, consumers should be aware of all the
factors involved.
While recycled paper uses less energy and water, avoids logging
and prevents post-consumer waste from ending up in landfill,
sometimes a 100% recycled paper that has been bleached with
chlorine and shipped from overseas has lower environmental
credentials than paper responsibly manufactured from virgin pulp
from a certified well-managed plantation.
So ask questions. Pre-consumer waste comes from paper
products that have not been used by the consumer, such as
Bleaching removes the ink from recycled paper. More
environmentally friendly bleaching processes include TCF (totally
chlorine free) and ECF (elemental chlorine free). PCF (process
chlorine free) means no chlorine was used in processing
recycled paper.
Buy paper manufactured with renewable energy, and ideally
made in Australia to avoid transport energy. Use the lightest
weight paper possible, such as 80gsm. Consider how the paper is
packaged, and look for responsible manufacturing labels.
* habitat magazine is printed on FSC certified paper.
Checklist for paper
• We aware of the source of the pulp. Choose 100% recycled
post-consumer or pre-consumer waste, or virgin fibre from a
certified well-managed forest.
• Look for TCF (totally chlorine free), ECF (elemental chlorine
free) or PCF (process chlorine free in recycled paper).
• Buy Australian-made and cut transport emissions.
• Look for environmentally responsible manufacture, indicated
by labels: ISO 14001, EMAS, Nordic Swan, Blue Angel and
EU Eco-Label.
Checklist for timber
• Buy timber that has been recycled, reused or salvaged. Ask for
documentation to verify where it came from.
• Buy new timber from certified well-managed forests (eg FSC)
www.fscaustralia.org/buy-fsc.
www.ecolabelindex.com h

30 habitat January 2011

;;;'%7'%()&6);)6='3'31%9
habitat January 2011 31
 Park it in Sydney!
Where your fees go towards environmental
conservation
Remember when a cup of tea was made in a Billy, sleeping
in a tent was fun and all you needed to amuse yourself was
open air and a river nearby?
Well here’s the thing – it still is fun! Now you can camp
just 10 kilometres or 15 minutes from Australia’s largest
city, Sydney. We have powered and unpowered campsites,
barbecue areas, abundant wildlife and well-appointed
cabins if mum and dad are a little past the camping thing!
Whether you’re camping out or walking the many trails or
just sitting quietly by the Lane Cove River, you can enjoy an
authentic, carbon-neutral bush experience. And the money
you spend with us all goes back into conservation and
sustainability projects in the park.
So bring your whole family and explore Sydney’s only
eco tourist park, Lane Cove River Tourist Park. It’s what
camping used to be like and it’s right here in your own
backyard.

> Family cabins

> Ensuite cabins
> Caravan sites
> Tent sites

Lane Cove River Tourist Park

Sydney’s eco-friendly tourist park.
Plassey Rd, Macquarie Park 2113
Telephone: 1300 729 133 or 02 9888 9133
Email: lccp@environment.nsw.gov.au
www.lcrtp.com.au
32 habitat January 2011