Category: Archive

Hey, boss – buy me a bike

admin /8 October, 2006

In the UK, if the only thing stopping a worker cycling to work is the lack of a reliable bike, they can speak to their boss. A little- known government scheme enables employers to offer their staff cut- price bikes at very little cost to them.

Cycle2Work was introduced in 1999 as part of the Government’s Green Transport Plan. But the scheme has not been widely publicised and until recently, some particularly annoying red tape put off employers. That’s a shame, because Cycle2Work enables basic-rate taxpayers to get 40 per cent off the cost of a bike. Higher-rate taxpayers do even better, with a 50 per cent saving on offer.

The good news is that, after lobbying from cycling groups, ministers have finally agreed to make the scheme less bureaucratic. Until recently, because Cycle2 Work technically requires employers to lend the purchase price of the bike to staff, companies had to apply for a consumer credit licence before offering the scheme. Now this irritating requirement has been dropped.

New clean energy for Wentworth NSW

admin /8 October, 2006

EnviroMission is a newly listed public company committed to establishing profitable, large-scale renewable energy generation power stations for the Australian electricity market.

it is exploring new energy technologies that do not consume fuel resources or produce greenhouse gas emissions.

EnviroMission owns the exclusive licence to German designed Solar Tower technology in Australia.  The company’s first project will focus on developing this revolutionary technology into the world’s first large-scale solar thermal power station capable of generating enough electricity to supply 200,000 typical Australian homes.The tower uses convection of air heated by the sun to spin turbines that produce electricity. The heat is collected over an enormous area and the air drawn up through a tall chimney at the centre. Heat is stored during the day so the process can continue at night.

View an Artist Rendition of the Solar Tower (6.7MB in Windows Media format)

The Solar Tower project has been awarded Major Project Facilitation status from the Australian Federal Government that recognises the national significance of EnviroMission’s major infrastructure development contribution to government objectives including the reduction in greenhouse gases.

State Significant Development status has also been granted to the project by the NSW State Government recognising the significance of the project to NSW and has passed the planning approval process to the NSW Minister for Planning ensuring a streamlined approach to the planning process.

See censored video

admin /8 October, 2006

The Bush administration and Pentagon have restricted video of combat operations in Iraq and coffins returning to the US. Now, YouTube has removed dozens of videos and suspended the accounts of those who posted them. See them here.

Feds use safety rules to block trial of eco-friendly car

admin /6 October, 2006

Federal road safety bureaucrats have "ganged up" to block the introduction of electric cars according to the Western Australian Government which is anxious to test a light-weight version called Reva, reported The Sydney Morning Herald (4 October 2006 p8).

OK for UK why not WA? WA Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan, told the Herald she had asked the Federal Government to grant the State a licence to bring 20 Revas into the country for a trial. She said such cars could dramatically cut motorists’ costs and greenhouse gas emissions, and appeared not to have created safety issues in Britain, where they were in use.

Not-so-level playing field: Federal Government officials were insisting that the vehicle, which weighs less than 400 kilograms, meet safety standards designed for standard cars, she said. This was despite not applying those standards to motor scooters, motorcycles and push bikes.

Bureaucracy promoting negative image: "The road safety and licensing people around Australia have ganged up on the electric car, stressing safety [as a reason to block its introduction]," she said. The trial would restrict the Revas to roads with speed limits of 70kmh or less and would ensure drivers were aware the vehicles were not the same as heavier cars.

Specifications: The US-designed, Indian-made Reva is an automatic two-door hatchback with a turning radius of 3.5 metres and a top speed of 65kmh. A battery charge takes less than seven hours, giving a range of 80 kilometres. The Federal Government has yet to make a decision on Ms MacTiernan’s request to import the cars.

Entrepreneur has a Reva dream: A WA entrepreneur, who runs a solar power products business, hopes to sell the Revas as a package with solar panels for the house so that no fossil fuel needs to be used to power the car. His special import licence for the Reva expires in a month, when he will have to export it or have it crushed.

The Sydney Morning Herald, 4/10/2006, p. 8

Source: Erisk Net  

SA desal research leads the way to save the Murray

admin /6 October, 2006

Karlene Maywald, South Australia’s Minister for the River Murray, says the new $11 million Bookpurnong Salt Interception Scheme is a step toward "salt-proofing" the Murray and such schemes could be linked to promising saline aquaculture in the future.

Anti-salt project took 10 years: Maywald told state parliament the Bookpurnong project between Loxton and Berri, launched on 14/9/2006, had been 10 years in the making, with extensive community consultation and hydrogeological testing and "is the next step in salt-proofing the Murray River in South Australia," she said.

Will block 110 tonnes a day: "The Bookpurnong scheme will initially stop 50 tonnes of salt a day from entering the river—more than an Olympic size swimming pool a day. By 2035 this will rise to 110 tonnes of salt a day," Maywald said.

Proof of community spirit: It was initiated by the local community, alerted to the risks of salinity damage, and 16 enterprises worked together over 10 years to achieve the interception scheme, she said.  Funds came from the SA and commonwealth governments under the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality, and the Murray-Darling Basin Commission. Bookpurnong joins similar schemes in operation at Waikerie, Woolpunda and Qualco.
  
All that salt may be useful: Meanwhile, Maywald said groundbreaking research had the potential to turn a waste stream of saline groundwater from salt interception schemes into the basis of a new industry.

Promise in inland fish culture: The new Waikerie Inland Saline Aquaculture Centre, a research and development demonstration centre initiated by the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), could kick-start a $20-million-a-year inland aquaculture industry in the Riverland, Maywald said.

Innovative use of waste water: "This three-year project, also funded by the state and commonwealth governments through the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality, has captured the imagination of funding bodies because of its innovation in using saline groundwater from salt interception schemes to grow mulloway and, down the track, other aquatic species.

Disposal costs $2m a year: "The saline groundwater which currently has no real use is pumped away from the River Murray in the Waikerie region to the Stockyard Plain Disposal Basin at the rate of 30 million litres a day at a cost of $2 million a year," the minister said.

Fish parks to link with salt schemes: "In a few years time, we could see aquaculture parks aligned to salt interception schemes in the Riverland that would be capable of producing enough mulloway to satisfy both the state and national markets with opportunities for export of wine and fish from the region."

Double research focus: The research would provide information on costs of production, feasibility and potential for commercial operators and private-sector investment in inland aquaculture. The centre would also study bioconcentration of water — using biological systems to concentrate the salt and reduce the amount of water needing disposal.

Aim to cut saline water disposal: "Reducing the amount of water being pumped into disposal basins may extend their life and lessen the need for another disposal basin in the area—another desirable outcome," Maywald said.

Reference: Parliament of South Australia. House of Assembly. Wednesday 20 September 2006. Murray River Projects. http://www.parliament.SA.gov.au/catalog/hansard/2006/ha/wh200906.ha.htm

Erisk Net, 4/10/2006

Greens leader begs Libs & ALP for climate action

admin /6 October, 2006

Tasmanian Greens Deputy Leader Nick McKim says the Federal government has abrogated its responsibility on climate change but the Tasmanian government is just as bad for not seeking mandatory cuts in emissions. Dropping MRETs is Howard’s failure: "We think that John Howard’s abandonment of the mandated renewable energy targets is a shame and demonstrates his Continue Reading →