Month: September 2011

The oceans were once thought of as vast and endless repositories of fish and food for human consumption. The bounty was plentiful and there for the taking, and mankind perceived the right and capacity to source all manner of seafood from the ocean’s currents and seas. But as conservation and green living has become a reality, so too has the realisation that our oceans are not an endless and unlimited source of food for us. They are finite reserves, carefully and sometimes precariously balanced, requiring forethought, management and even restrictions to ensure ongoing survival and viability.

Tuna is one such fish now considered under threat. Five out of eight of the world’s species of tuna are urgently in need of protection. Extinction is a real possibility and Australia’s Southern Bluefin Tuna is one of those most endangered.[1] The statistics are delivered in the Red List of Threatened Species which was produced by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

These IUCN Red List assessments and statistics were developed in consultation with many international scientists from Fisheries Management Organisations, international conservation organisations and also government agencies, universities, independent fisheries research institutions and other bodies.

On the 11th July 2011, the IUCN released its findings with the following being placed in the Near Threatened IUCN or Threatened Categories:

• Southern Bluefin Tuna
• Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
• Bigeye Tuna
• Yellowfin Tuna
• Albacore

Many of these species have exceedingly high economic value and the information may assist governments to develop appropriate fisheries management strategies to monitor and safeguard against their extinction.

Dr. Bruce Collette who is the current Chair of the IUCN Species survival commission’s (SSC) Tuna and Billfish Specialist Group has said that “this is the first time that fishery scientists and ichthyologists and conservationists have come together to jointly produce an assessment of the threats facing a commercially important group of fishes.”[2]

Australia’s Southern Bluefin

Dr Kent Carpenter from the IUCN’s Marine Biodiversity Unit has stated that “all 3 of the Southern Bluefin Tuna species are susceptible to collapse under continued excessive fishing pressure.”  He has also made it very clear the Australian Southern Bluefin has already crashed in numbers, with very little hope or possibility of it recovering. The IUCN maintains these species must be managed appropriately and that a shutdown or wind down of the fisheries stocks until a point in time when they are rebuilt somewhat, would be the best strategy in the immediate term.

Even if legal fishing of the tuna was suspended for a period of time, the problem of escalated illegal fishing of these species would be another concern that would require overseeing. Management of the problem needs to encompass both legal and illegal fishing of the threatened tuna species.

Envirosafe Solutions has long supported a healthy and responsible attitude to our oceans and waterways, and that is why its products are phosphate reduced and have a low impact on water quality. Call Envirosafe Solutions and talk to a sales representative about economically viable and environmentally sustainable cleaning and liquid products that will not hurt our precious oceans and marine life. Envirosafe Solutions 1300 889070.

---

[1] http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/tuna-species-under-threat/story-e6frg6so-1226090508368

[2] http://www.iucnredlist.org/current-news

The Triabunna Pulp Mill sale has gone ahead. But not to the Aprin Company, as was expected! The mill, situated on Tasmania’s east coast, has been a stalwart of the Gunns timber company for many years. It has been purchased by the new wave of green business people currently making their presence felt on the Australian corporate scene.

Gunns Limited is possibly the largest and one of the oldest Australian timber companies with a $600 million turnover and over 900 sq km of eucalypt plantations. According to Wikipedia, it is also Tasmania’s largest landowner and by far “the largest export woodchip operation in The Southern Hemisphere.”[1] It has had a difficult profile over recent years because of its destruction of old growth forests in Tasmania. Environmentalists have attacked and criticised the company for its continued native forest wood chipping enterprises which have decimated areas of Tasmanian old growth forest.

Triabunna Sale

The Triabunna mill sale is an exciting prospect for environmentalists, who view the purchase as a symbolic and necessary shift in the battle between the timber industry and green groups in the apple state. The new owners have declared the mill will continue to operate for the short to medium term, (the next few years) to ensure job and town security. But the long term plans are already causing a stir as there will be a transition and conversion of the site into an eco resort. One of the new owners stated “we don’t want to see people thrown out of work but we also probably see more clearly the need for a restructuring in the forest industries generally and for people to open their minds about new ways of making a living in that part of Tasmania.[2]

The Australian newspaper also reported that “with new ownership of the mill comes immense power: its closure would, according to the state government and the industry, bring logging of native forests in southern Tasmania to a standstill.”[3]

The Buyers

The two buyers who comprise the main duo of the consortium are Jan Cameron and Graeme Wood. Cameron, originally a New Zealander is one of Australia’s wealthiest women, and made her money with the Kathmandu chain of clothing and camping supplies. She lives a reclusive life in Tasmania and in the past 4 years has donated approximately $30 million to charity. She is a committed and humble philanthropist and environmentalist – down to earth and considerably low-key, who tends her free range chickens daily. Graeme Wood is the owner of the online tourist accommodation “wotif” site and is also a committed environmentalist who donated over $1 million to the Greens before the last federal election.

Gunns had initially been negotiating with the logging company Aprin, in a deal which would have secured the timber industry in Tasmania for many years to come. Aprin owners Ron and Brendon O’Connor – a father and son team who see Tasmania’s future linked with ongoing logging and timber production, have been bitterly disappointed by the sale to Cameron and Wood, and believe the sale to the green entrepreneurs will also spell the death of the Tasmanian Forest Peace Plan that is currently underway.

Envirosafe Solutions director Murray Simon has stated the Triabunna Mill sale is an exciting step in the right direction for green business and industry in Australia. “When business leaders such as Cameron and Wood move forward with sustainable ideas and practices that can also ensure job security for a region, the future looks bright,” he said. He also added the move gave smaller and less robust companies a sense that sustainability and new modes of doing business are a viable economic reality that can be embraced.

Envirosafe Solutions believes new direction and economically sustainable approach to business can also be profitable and productive. The Extreme Green range of eco-friendly products are developed with the environment in mind. Call the team now to purchase, on 1300 889070.

---

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunns

[2] http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/logging-off-mill-deal-saves-native-forests/story-fn59niix-1226094217303

[3] Ibid

Ground Zero on Global Warming¹

Global warming is the continuous rise in the average sea, surface and atmospheric temperatures around the Earth. This increase in average temperatures began in the last 50 years and coincided with the industrial revolution and increasing consumption of fossil fuel by people on Earth. Our use of CFC (Chlorofluorocarbon) in aerosol sprays, refrigerators etc. further exasperated the problem by blowing a hole in the protective ozone layer allowing harmful radiation to penetrate all the way to the Earth.² While it may at times seem like a script for a Sci-fi movie, the situation is a stark reality facing humanity in 2011.

Valuable Time Lost in Proving Humans were Responsible for Global Warming

Any child will confirm that if we sit in a car with doors and windows closed and one of us starts smoking, then the interior is going to get pretty uncomfortable very soon.

When scientists first presented the data and proof that the Earth was heating up, governments around the world scrambled to debunk the suggestion that industries and our appetite for consumption was somehow fuelling global warming³. In fact this state of denial derailed the Word’s first convention on global warming and the scientists lost valuable time in proving that global warming is not a myth or imagination by half crazed scientists crying wolf because the temperature on their thermometers jumped a notch higher.

Instead of asking the scientists to begin planning a strategy on how to turn off or reduce the heat that was causing global warming, the governments asked the scientists to prove that humans were responsible for global warming. By the time scientists proved their theory, and a new convention on global warming was agreed to, a few more years of valuable time was lost⁴ and the average global temperatures went a notch higher. Governments waited but global warming did not⁵.

While we waxed on eloquently about how to tackle global warming, the magnificent glaciers began to melt and sea levels rose slightly but high enough to permanently inundate certain low lying regions in the world⁶. For the first time there was tangible loss – people lost homes and property to global warming and yet, our penchant for procrastination did not stop.

Too little too late

The next convention on global warming set targets for the reduction of green house gases and stipulated the setting up of a global fund for research on alternate fuels. This effort was doomed to fail because the developing countries had just begun their industrial revolution and the developed countries were asking them to stop without offering any viable alternative that would secure and fuel growth in the developing countries without the accompanying pollution and its effects on global warming⁷. Of course there is also the fact that there wasn’t and still isn’t a real cost-effective viable alternative to fossil fuels⁸.

Meanwhile the Earth is slowly and inexorably moving towards a future in which humans and animals will not be able to step into the open without an air conditioner strapped on to their back. Will plant life still be there? Will the Earth even look the same? While we might not be able to reverse global warming – at least not yet, we might at least stop it from spiralling out of control by adopting a pro-Earth lifestyle and the time to do it is now, today. Tomorrow or 2012 might just be too late.

Envirosafe Solutions has developed a range of quality Extreme Green products that fit in with the pro-Earth lifestyle of this new era. For more information on these exceptional products, telephone Envirosafe Solutions on 1300 889070

1.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming

2. http://www.centerforsustainability.org/resources.php?category=50&root=

3.  http://www.unep.org/ourplanet/imgversn/154/lieberman.html

4.  http://www.fao.org/kids/en/gw-un.html

5.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instrumental_temperature_record

6.  http://www.climate.org/topics/sea-level/index.html

7. http://www.everydaycitizen.com/2009/12/copenhagen_clash_between_devel.html

8. http://www.livescience.com/5114-true-costs-renewable-energy.html

Today, Envirosafe Solutions looks at some of the new techniques in green agriculture that are being developed and adopted in Australia.

Whenever we refer to agriculture, we always think about large scale harvesters, massive use of fertilizers, large scale irrigation, aerial crop dusting, etc. Well, all that has changed with the introduction of Regenerative Agriculture in New South Wales, Australia. ¹ This new approach to agriculture is gaining significant momentum and is now considered a hallmark of green agricultural practices amongst those “in the know” when it comes to developing sustainable agriculture techniques.

Regenerative Agriculture

These days it is fashionable to talk about the need for new techniques in agriculture and how there is need for agriculture to be pro-earth and not against the natural ecosystems. ² We hear how new techniques in agriculture should maintain and even improve the soil structure, enhance biodiversity, maintain water resources, maintain the levels of soil organic matter, etc. Regenerative agriculture, the latest of new techniques in agriculture does all that and more.

Until recently scientists and farmers took these set of requirements to be a pipe dream until, a few innovative and observant farmers from the Central West of New South Wales decided to study how Mother Nature managed its affairs and mimic it to whatever extent possible.

The Theory on Regenerative Agriculture

After studying how nature managed green cover, a handful of Aussie farmers came up with new techniques in agriculture which they called ‘pasture cropping’.³ Principal amongst these were two farmers Colin Seis and Darryl Cluff. These new techniques in agriculture were christened Cluff and Seis pasture cropping technique. The farmers observed that the native Australian grasses (C4) grew only in warm season whereas the Australian winter cereals (C3) grew only in the winter season. Further, they calculated that if they seeded the pasture land with winter cereals (C3) it would be ready for harvesting by summer and the same land could then grow the native grass which is eaten by the cattle. So they hypothesised that they could do cattle farming as well as agricultural farming on the same land. This is something that was never done before. Effectively, new techniques in agriculture were being created.

Problems associated with standard agricultural practices⁴

Normally, preparation of land for agriculture involved the removal of all existing vegetation from the land to be cultivated. This resulted in barren land both before and after cultivation. Barren land resulted in soil erosion and also between seasons the land would be taken over by unpalatable grasses or weeds resulting in rapid nutrient decline. Fertilisers only provided temporary relief. In the long term the soil always degraded.

The Birriwa-Gulgong district in Central West of New South Wales receives an average of around 600 mm of annual rainfall. ⁵ Those who remember it, in 1995 there was an 18-month drought. During this period Darryl Cluff seeded oat crop in an area normally covered with native red grass. Tests indicated that the subsoil moisture level was zero. Conventional logic indicated that the oat crop would not survive but not only did it survive, it flourished and new techniques in agriculture locally called the ‘Cluff and Seis pasture cropping technique’ were born.⁶ The winter season saw crops being planted and the summer season was for native Australian grass which was used to feed the cattle. Soil testing indicated that the soil did not degrade and also the biodiversity was maintained.

Envirosafe Solutions supports developments and adoption of regenerative agriculture practices. And the Envirosafe Solutions Extreme Green range also fits in with this approach. With a lower environmental impact and a greater respect for the Australian ecosystem, these products can make a considerable difference to your carbon footprint. For more information please call Envirosafe Solutions on 1300 889070.

1.  Regenerative agriculture explained: http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/features/0802/regenerative.shtml

2.  Pro-Earth agriculture: http://www.sdc.admin.ch/en/Home/Themes/Water/Water_for_food

3.  Pasture cropping explained: http://www.winona.net.au/farming.html

4.  Problems associated with standard agricultural practices: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_farming

5.  Gulgong, New South Wales: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulgong,_New_South_Wales

6.  Upcoming courses on pasture cropping: http://regenag.com/web/upcoming-courses.html

Once upon a time it was possible. Once upon a time, a landowner – whether a small suburban household owner, or a larger scale landowner on rural acreage – had the right to more or less do as he/she pleased on owned land. But the issue of lad clearing in the global warming era is no longer that simple. As governments, corporations and the international community become more aware of global warming and the need for trees to capture and store carbon, so too does the need to police and oversee what we actually carry out on our land.

The Queensland Department of Environmental Management currently states that “the clearing of native vegetation is regulated by the Vegetation Management Act 199. This Act sets down the rules and regulations that guide what clearing can be done, and how it must be done to meet the requirements of the law.”[1] Various vegetation guidelines and clearing guidelines exist and landholders are also required to apply for permits in many instances to safeguard against illegal clearing and stripping of the land.

Stiff Penalties

The area of Longreach in Queensland has been the site of a recent legal battle over land clearing. This case has impacted notions of individual property rights and ownership and has called into question what it actually means to “own” land in the current environmental climate.

Between 2004-2008 landowning couple Walter and Annette Cooper systematically cleared approximately 431 hectares of vegetation from their land at their property at Tanamera, west of Longreach. They did so without a permit. Some sources have stated “the couple were using the cleared vegetation to feed stock during the drought.”[2] They were recently fined $50,000 and were also ordered to “pay more than $28,000 in costs to the Department of Environment and Resource Management.”[3] This brings the total fine amount to close to $80,000.

Rachel Nolan, Qld Minister for Natural Resources has said that “the Qld Government introduced tough new vegetation management laws to protect endangered wildlife and ensure important vegetation is protected.” She also maintains that “the scientists assessing the areas found the clearing could impact on flora including landscape fragmentation, loss of habitat and possibly lead to the introduction and spread of exotic plant and animal species.”[4]

The clearing was not reported at the time and the landowners did not follow the legal chain of command required in Queensland for land clearing. They did not apply for permits or contact the Department of Environment and Resource Management. Rather, the cleared land was discovered through a routine assessment of satellite imagery by the Queensland Governments Statewide Landcover and Trees Study.

Independent Federal MP Bob Katter has gone on record to state the fine amount is excessive and ludicrous.

Given the current global environmental crisis, Envirosafe Solutions understands and supports the need for tighter government regulation regarding deforestation and land clearing. Envirosafe Solutions is at the forefront of driving industry and business change regarding green procedures and processes.

Join The Green Revolution. Purchase Envirosafe Solutions eco-friendly products. Call them now on 1300 889070.

---

[1] http://www.derm.qld.giv.au/vegetation/clearing/index.html

[2] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-04/couple-cop-50k-land-clearing-fine/2823890

[3] Ibid

[4] http://www.cabinet.qld.gov.au/mms/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=75936

Envirosafe Solutions keeps a careful eye out for those businesses and organisations and concerns that are forging new environmentally friendly practices in production, development and business modelling. Today, the focus is on one very forward thinking winery that is making a real mark on the Australian wine market and wine industry.

There’s nothing like a glass of good red with a meal.

But green wine?

Well…it’s not really green, but it is organic and environmentally sound. One winery is producing quality wine the eco-friendly way, and proving that quality production, an organic approach, and great wine can and do go together.

Tamburlaine Winery is Australia’s largest producer of organic wines and is situated in the Pokolbin district of the Hunter Valley in NSW as well as Orange on the Central Tablelands of NSW. James Halliday, one of Australia’s leading wine authorities, has bestowed it with a five star rating, indicating that quality and environmentally sound practices are now established hallmarks of great wine production.[1]

The Organic Approach

The organic approach to wine making means that the wine is produced without any synthetic herbicides, pesticides, fungicides or artificial fertilisers. Sulphur dioxide is used carefully in the process, and traditionally used wine additives “which are residual in the end product” are excluded.[2]

This approach has benefits across the board and Tamburlaine Wines lists a number of key advantages to organic farming methods for grape vine growing.

• It leads to sustainability by optimising humus in the soil
• The vines are supported and sustained by the natural fertility of the soil as opposed to synthetic fertilising products
• Significantly minimises need for irrigation as increased humus leads to increased water retention
• Eliminates harmful effects of farm chemicals on surrounding areas
• Eliminates possible wine toxins for the consumer
• Promotes and maintains healthy vineyard ecosystem.[3]

A Formal Environmental Management System

The Australian Government’s Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities states that an EMS “is a tool for managing the impacts of an organisation’s activities on the environment. It provides a structured approach to planning and implementing environmental protection measures.”[4]

Tamburlaine Winery developed and implemented a formal EMS in 2003, and this is now the underpinning foundation of their business system and their decision-making. It includes such practices as

• Sustainable farming practices
• Water management strategies
• Solid waste management
• Energy efficiency
• Environmental purchasing

Envirosafe Solutions supports the kinds of approach put forward by businesses and concerns such as Tamburlaine Winery. It strongly supports and promotes the need for environmental purchasing and believes smart business sources and utilises materials and products that are less damaging to the environment. Envirosafe Solutions believes a greener alternative can always be adopted, even in areas where there is an historical reliance on high toxicity products and materials. Products such as biodegradable cleaning liquids which are healthier for soil and land and water, and safer alternatives for harsher products are available from Envirosafe Solutions.

The Extreme Green team at Envirosafe Solutions may be able provide you with safer alternatives to the products you are currently using.

To find out more about the many products that are produced and supplied by Envirosafe Solutions, telephone 1300 889070

---

[1] http://www.tamburlaine.com.au/public/aboutus.html

[2] http://www.tamburlaine.com.au/public/what-organic.html

[3] http://www.tamburlaine.com.au/public/what-organic.html

[4] http://www.environment.gov.au/land/management/ems/index.html

Every so often Envirosafe Solutions likes to take a look at the fauna of the world and how our animal friends are impacted by climate change and a denuding earth. Today, we focus on the beautiful and often much maligned bat.

How many of us think about bats when we think of “conservation”? Say the word “conservation” and our kids will rattle out the names of large exotic and magnificent animals such as the Tiger, Lion, Hypo, Panther, and so on.

In our often blinkered approach to supporting conservation it is often the smaller animals that are denied our love and support. Visit any fund raising event for animal habitat conservation and you will notice the absence of bats, dragon flies, owls and even butterflies in the glossy and otherwise informative leaflets. The fruit bats (Pteropus bats) are one such mammal that has been left out of most conservation projects. ¹ These cute little birdlike mammals fly in the night, have their fill and return to their roosting spots before day break. They usually stay away from humans (not surprising considering the racket we tend to make). Unfortunately, this aloofness keeps them out of our sight, out of our mind and might I add, out of most conservation projects.

Luxury and conservation don’t mix. Our hunger for wood and rate of consumption has fuelled deforestation at an alarming rate especially in the rain forest regions of Amazon and the Pacific region. ² Today we no longer see men chopping down trees using a pickaxe or a saw. The process of cutting down trees is so mechanized and speeded up that a visit to a tree cutting site would fill us with dread and a sense of the disaster that we are helping create.³ Forests with their fruit bearing trees are the prime source of food for fruit bats. When trees are chopped down there is nothing left to bind and hold the soil together. Movement of heavy tree cutting equipment further damages the soil and ensures no large trees ever grow there again. Unfortunately, forest mitigation, logging and conservation don’t mix – not because they can’t but simply because we don’t have the will to enforce laws to make it so. ⁴ A single large fruit bearing tree can aid conservation and provide enough food for hundreds of bats. Take away a hundred trees a day and the math reaches frightening proportions – especially when you consider that large scale unsupervised and often un-licensed tree cutting has been going on for many years now. ⁵

Some conservationists (instigated by logging companies?) have been blaming hunting and cyclones for the decimation of the bat population and failure of bat conservation attempts. However, men have been hunting bats for many hundreds of years and cyclones have been displaying their awesome destructive power even before the bats came into existence on this earth. The fact is, the bat population has been declining for the past decade and this coincides with the arrival of massive automated logging machinery and the large scale deforestation that followed.

Bats are part of the eco-chain and ecosystem. They help in pollinating flowers as well as carrying seeds to other locations and help spread the coverage of fruit bearing trees. Any school going child will tell you that if you break any part of the eco-chain the entire ecosystem will collapse. ⁶

Envirosafe Solutions urges you to consider the smaller and less prominent fauna on our planet. These animals form a vital part of our ecosystems and our food chains and are as needing and deserving of our understanding and support as the grand lion, the leopard, the white panda and the orang-utan. Use your liquid products wisely and consider using greener alternatives that respect our denuding earth. For more information on quality Extreme Green products please call Envirosafe Solutions on 1300 889070.

References

1. Wikipedia on Pteropus bats: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pteropus

2.  Illegal logging in Asia-Pacific region: http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2011/03_illegal_logging_felbabbrown.aspx

3.  Mechanised logging. This location has good content, pictures and links for more information: http://www.snowwowl.com/rltreesclearcutting.html

4.  Forrest mitigation explained: http://climatetechwiki.org/technology/jiqweb-ar

5. Effects of deforestation: The site is poorly designed but the article is great: http://www.theguardians.com/Microbiology/gm_mbr10.htm

6.  Bats and the ecosystem: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/res/Education_in_BLM/Learning_Landscapes/For_Teachers/science_and_children/caves/index/caves_bats.html