Non toxic paints make homes healthier
Italian non-toxic paint manufacturer, Oikos, has come to Australia. It is a member of Green Building Council Australia and details can be found on their website http://www.designerpaintco.com. Full Story
Category: Archive
Archived material from historical editions of The Generator
Drought forces Qld Gov to pay farmers not to work
Queensland farmers could soon be paid by taxpayers to not work their land if the drought continues into next year, reported The Courier-Mail (24 August 2006 p9).
Moratorium on farming until water situation resolved: As the Opposition announced a $1 billion plan to construct four extra dams, Premier Peter Beattie revealed he was considering the drastic farming plan for properties in the drought-ravaged Lockyer Valley, west of Brisbane.
Hope for recycling solution: Visiting the region on 23 August, Mr Beattie said that, although the plan was a last resort, it might become necessary until the proposed pipeline from Brisbane’s Luggage Point water treatment plant began pumping recycled water into the Lockyer Valley.
The Courier Mail, 24/8/2006, p.9
Source: Erisk Net
New clean formula paints gets 5 Star Green Rating
The virtues of non-toxic paint are extolled in an article in The Australian (19 August 2006 p6). Conventional paints, lacquers, varnishes and other architectural coatings typically contain carcinogenic substances, solvents, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other toxic agents.
User friendly in high human use areas: Non-toxic paints not only reduce chemical wastes but have the added advantage of creating healthier indoor air quality, making them an increasingly popular alternative for use in health-care facilities, educational institutions and child-care centres.
Five star fitout: For the fitout of Investals Sydney head office, the second Australian office fitout to be awarded a maximum five star Green Star rating by the Green Building Council of Australia, paints by Italian manufacturer Oikos were used throughout.
Comprehensive range: Ultra low in toxins and VOCs, Oikos products include water-based paints and finishes in five gloss levels, coloured finished plaster, transparent colourants, opaque paints and water repellents for concrete.
Wattyl do: In North Sydney, all 12 floors of the head offices of Zurich Financial Services Australia were recently repainted using new formula acrylic paint by Australian manufacturer Wattyl – its i.d. range – which is 99.7 per cent VOC free.
Redecorating easy on the nose, too: The Zurich refurbishment’s project manager, Peter McDonald of ODCM, assigned painters to work through the night with the occupants returning to their desks each morning without a whiff of complaint about paint odour. “It wasn’t an issue at all,” McDonald says.
Melbourne endorsement in food and drink establishment: In Melbourne, interior design practice Fox Mint also used the Wattyl paint for the fitout of Abar at Angelucci’s, a lounge bar on the mezzanine level above busy Angelucci’s restaurant in the Jam Factory building in South Yarra.
The Australian, 19/8/2006, p. 6
Source: Erisk Net
European nuclear plants breached regulations
The Swedish government ordered the indefinite closure of four nuclear reactors while it investigated the failure of several safety systems during a power surge at one of them, reported The Economist (12/8/2006, p.45).
Spanish plant fined $2m: Spanish authorities, meanwhile, slapped one of their nuclear plants with a record fine of 1.6m euros ($A2.1m) for poor maintenance in 2004.
Environment rules curb output: All summer, nuclear plants across Europe had to trim output to avoid breaching environmental regulations, the paper said.
Swedish incident most serious: The most serious incident had taken place at Forsmark I, one of three reactors 130km (80 miles) north of Stockholm. On 25 July a short circuit on the national grid cut the plant off from the mains, and an accompanying power surge knocked out two of the four generators that provide the back-up power needed to shut down the reactor. Both a mechanism that protects against power surges and an auxiliary connection to the grid failed.
Failsafe systems kick in: Happily, other safety systems had worked as advertised, and staff shut the reactor down safely within 45 minutes. Vattenfall, the utility that owns the reactor, said it had been always several failsafes away from a meltdown.
The Economist, 12/8/2006, p.45
Source: Erisk Net
Scientists identify 11 key issues facing UK environment
Scientists identified some key issues in the list of 100 biggest questions facing the United Kingdom environment, reported The Guardian in its issue of Monday, 21 August.
Recovery of seabed: These included:
• How long does the seabed take to recover from dredging, wind farm construction and oil and gas extraction?
• How does the ecological impact of UK farming compare internationally?
• What are the ecological impacts of airports?
• What are the ecological impacts of faecal matter, pesticides and undigested food flows from aquaculture?
• How can we better understand diseases within wildlife reservoirs to protect humans and livestock?
• What impact does plastic litter have on the marine environment?
• How can we measure natural capital (renewable and non renewable resources) and integrate such a measure into Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?
• What are the effects of light pollution on wildlife?
• Which habitats and species might we lose completely in the UK because of climate change?
• What hedgerow structure and management produce the greatest wildlife benefits?
• How can flood control be assisted by habitat management and what are the impacts on biodiversity?
Reference: Digest of latest news reported on website of Climate Change Secretariat of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). 21 August 2006. Address: PO Box 260 124, D-53153 Bonn. Germany. Phone: : (49-228) 815-1005, Fax: (49-228) 815-1999. Email: press@unfccc.int
http://www.unfccc.int
Erisk Net, 22/8/2006
Iran out-foxes US in Mid-East oil tensions
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has promised the Lebanese Government $US500 million and Kuwait has pledged a further $US300 million, says The Australian Financial Review (21/8/06, p.16).
Hezbollah gives straight to people: But Hezbollah is giving Iran’s money directly to the people – a year’s rent for a homeless family here, a bundle of notes for some new furniture there, up to $US12,000 per family within 48 hours of registration.
Buys basics – and loyalty: The money buys loyalty to the "Party of God" as well as basic necessities.
US lacks deep weaponry: Adding to the caution of military planners, the Pentagon has been warned that US intelligence has not yet mapped out all of Iran’s nuclear installations and that, in the short term, it lacks the weaponry to penetrate the deep bunkers under granite mountains.
Iran could block oil: Iran, moreover, could retaliate by closing the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow strip of water through which 40 per cent of the world’s oil passes.
Wake-up call: The damage inflicted by Hezbollah on an Israeli ship with a C-802 missile, an Iranian version of the Chinese silkworm, was a wake-up call that there could be more at stake than $US100-a-barrel oil prices.
The Australian Financial Review, 21/8/2006, p.16
Source: Erisk Net