A green solution for unloved computers

A new recycling scheme aimed at tackling Australia's growing mountain of unloved idle computers has been launched in Victoria.

It's hoped Byteback, the joint project between the Victorian government and the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) to be launched in Geelong, will encourage homes and small businesses to send in old computers for recycling, rather than dumping them in local landfill.

The scheme is partly a response to a report commissioned by Environment Australia in 2001, which estimates 1.6 million computers and 1.5 million printers will end up in landfill this year.

"A lot of computers and peripherals are ending up in landfill," AIIA chief executive officer Sheryle Moon said.

"We're missing out on an economic opportunity. The more we can recycle and use, the greater the cost saving."

The Byteback scheme, with nine collection centres throughout Melbourne and Geelong, may be expanded across the state next year.

Each centre will receive computers, printers, monitors and other peripheral devices free of charge. The items will be broken down and sent to various recycling centres across the state.

Ms Moon says she believes there is a strong desire in the community to recycle computer waste, as seen in projects such as the Mobile Muster.

But she admits she doesn't know exactly how much waste is out there.

Organisers say they hope the scheme will be expanded nationally and include collection of other electronic items such as televisions and home entertainment systems.

"We are also exploring another tier of participants, large non-technology organisations who, by their nature, generate significant levels of computer waste. These may include government departments, major banks and financial services companies," Ms Moon said.


©AAP 2007

Endangered Animals - Red List

Following are highlights of a 2007 "Red List" of endangered species of animals and plants issued by the World Conservation Union on Wednesday.


The Union, which comprises governments, conservation groups and scientists, said that 16,306 species are threatened in a mounting global "extinction crisis", up from 16,119 in 2006.

WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLA. Moved from Endangered to Critically Endangered in 2006. The number of gorillas, found in several central African nations, has fallen by 60 percent in the last 20-25 years because of the Ebola virus and hunting. Logging has opened up roads for hunters to reach once impenetrable forests.

YANGTZE RIVER DOLPHIN OR BAIJI. Moved to Endangered/Possibly Extinct from Critically Endangered in 2006. The last firm sighting of the baiji, a type of dolphin unique to China's Yangtze River, was in 2002. The baiji have been killed by entanglement in fishing gear, boat propellers, dam construction, silting up of the river and pollution.

GREAT HAMMERHEAD SHARK. Endangered, previously insufficient data. The sharks' fins are prized as a delicacy, hammerheads also suffer from getting entangled in nets and only breed once every two years. Numbers in the eastern Atlantic may have crashed by 80 percent in the last 25 years.

BORNEAN AND SUMATRAN ORANGUTANS. Sumatran orangutans are critically endangered, Bornean endangered: unchanged after a new survey. About 7,300 Sumatran orangutans live in the wild while there are probably fewer than 45,000 to 69,000 in Borneo. Both are threatened by habitat loss, to palm oil plantations in Borneo and to logging in Sumatra.

CORALS/SEAWEEDS. Three corals from the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific are entering the Red List for the first time -- the first coals on the list and threatened by climate change and the sea warming effect known as El Nino. Also, 74 Galapagos seaweeds have been added in 2007.

GHARIAL. Moved to Critically Endangered from Endangered. A type of crocodile found in India and Nepal, the gharial suffers from a loss of habitat because of dams, irrigation, artificial embankments and sand mining. The population has crashed from 436 in 1997 to 182 in 2006.

VULTURES. Both Asian and African vultures are under threat. In Asia, the Egyptian vulture has moved from Least Concern to Endangered and the Red-headed vulture from Near Threatened to Critically Endangered. Numbers have fallen partly because a drug used for livestock, diclofenac, is poisonous for vultures. In Africa, three vulture species are facing greater threats.

WOOLLY STALKED BEGONIA. The woolly stalked begonia is the only species declared Extinct this year. It was only found on Penang Island, Malaysia.

BANGGAI CARDINALFISH. Endangered, entering the list for the first time. The Indonesian fish, with zebra-like stripes, are prized by the aquarium industry with 900,000 caught every year.

MAURITIUS ECHO PARAKEET. In a success story, the bird is moving from Critically Endangered to Endangered. The world's rarest parrot 15 years ago but there are now more than 320 in the wild after captive breeding, better protection and feeding.


REUTERS NEWS SERVICE

Earthdance

The global dance aid festival Earthdance returns to Sydney for another year to move hearts and feet. This year the Sydney Earthdance falls on Sunday, the 16 September, when the entire city is invited to boogie for peace on the rolling hills of inner-west Sydney Park in St Peters.

http://www.earthdance.org.au/mambo

World's 10 Most Polluted Places

Russia and two former Soviet republics have four of the world's top 10 most polluted places, according to the Blacksmith Institute, a New York-based nonprofit group.

Blacksmith did not rank the top 10 because complete health records from some developing countries were unavailable. For each site the group included the number of potentially affected people, who could face problems ranging from asthma to premature death.

The annual list was compiled with help from specialists at Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Hunter College in New York, India's ITT, University of Idaho, Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York and others. The full report can be found at www.worstpolluted.com.

Below are the worst polluted places listed alphabetically.

Sumgayit, Azerbaijan

- Potentially affected people: 275,000

- Pollutants: Heavy metals, organic chemicals

- Sources: Petrochemical and industrial complexes

Linfen, China

- Potentially affected people: 3,000,000

- Pollutants: Fly-ash, volatile organic compounds, lead

- Sources: Car and industrial emissions from coal industry

Tianying, China

- Potentially affected people: 140,000

- Pollutants: Lead and heavy metals

- Sources: Mining and processing

Sukinda, India

- Potentially affected people: 2,600,000

- Pollutants: Hexavalent chromium

- Sources: Chromite mines

Vapi, India

- Potentially affected people: 71,000

- Pollutants: Chemicals and heavy metals

- Sources: Industrial estates

La Oroya, Peru

- Potentially affected people: 35,000

- Pollutants: Lead, copper, zinc

- Sources: Heavy metal mining

Dzerzhinsk, Russia

- Potentially affected people: 300,000

- Pollutants: Sarin, lead, phenols

- Sources: Cold War-era chemical weapons, manufacturing

Norilsk, Russia

- Potentially Affected People: 134,000

- Pollutants: Heavy metals, phenols

- Sources: Nickel mining

Chernobyl, Ukraine

- Potentially affected people: 5.5 million

- Pollutants: Radioactive dust including uranium, other metals

- Sources: Nuclear meltdown of reactor core in 1986

Kabwe, Zambia

- Potentially affected people: 255,000

- Pollutants: Lead, cadmium

- Sources: Lead mining and processing

WHO ON EARTH CARES?

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing Australians today. It's up to all of us - individuals, business and government - to act quickly and ensure we protect this wonderful country for our kids and their kids.

Who On Earth Cares brings together Australians from all walks of life who want to reduce our greenhouse pollution and avoid dangerous climate change. Who On Earth Cares shows what we are all doing in our lives to save energy and helps each of us let our politicians know we want leadership and real solutions to this important issue.

Each of us really can make a difference, but together we can do even more. Put yourself on the map today and be one of the many Australian who is showing that they care about climate change.

Who On Earth Cares is an initiative of the Australian Conservation Foundation. To learn more about us and the solutions to climate change, visit http://www.acfonline.org.au/Default.asp?c=65552 or http://www.whoonearthcares.com/

Australia's Qantas Plans Pollution Offset Program

MELBOURNE - Australia's largest airline, Qantas Airways Ltd, said it plans to start a carbon credit program in September to partly offset the pollution emitted by its aircraft.


Travellers will be offered a choice when they purchase a ticket to buy carbon credits to offset the carbon dioxide emissions from their trip, Qantas Chief Risk Officer Rob Kella said.

"It won't be a mandatory component of the ticket price," Kella told Reuters. Qantas will join a handful of airlines around the world that offer such a program, but is keeping details of how the scheme will work under wraps until it is launched at the end of September.

Kella said that on the day of the launch, Qantas plans to buy credit for the entire emissions of the airline on that day.

From then on, Qantas will buy credits for its staff's air travel and for the use of ground equipment, but it will be up to passengers whether to buy offsets for their own travel.

"Our market research indicates there is a broader interest. Whether or not in a voluntary scheme, people will take that up, it's a personal decision on the day," Kella said.

British Airways introduced a carbon offset scheme in 2005, but a British parliamentary inquiry last month said that only 1,600 tonnes of offsets were purchased on average each year, the equivalent of four return flights from London to New York.

Kella said Qantas hopes to learn from the experiences of other carriers, including BA and Scandinavian Airlines.

"We are hopeful that over time our percentage participations will be greater than what some of the other carriers have experienced," he said. The scheme will cover travel on Qantas and on its discount Jetstar carrier.

UN studies say that projected global passenger growth of 5 percent a year will far outstrip efficiency gains from better fuel or plane design.

On a one-way flight from Sydney to London, each passenger is responsible for 1.9 tonnes of greenhouse gases, according to estimates by a UK offset company CarbonNeutral Co. Qantas disputes claims the airline industry is a heavy emitter of greenhouse gases, saying that aviation only contributes 2 percent of total carbon emissions in the world, despite contributing about 8 percent of world economic activity.

International flights are now excluded from the Kyoto Protocol, the main UN plan for curbing climate change to 2012.

Qantas, whose shareholders rejected a US$9 billion buyout bid in May, reported a 50 percent jump in annual profit earlier this month as passenger demand rose.


Story by Victoria Thieberger