STEP Matters, Issue
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
STEP Matters Number 142, November 2007 Another Year Gone! This is our fifth and last newsletter for 2007. In it we tell As we report below, the long campaign by Nancy Pallin you about the remarkable student who has won the STEP and the Bluegummers may well come to a successful Young Scientist award and cover quite a variety of other conclusion in 2008. Their persistence and effectiveness is subjects that we hope you will find interesting. inspiring. 2008 should see the resolution of the future for UTS, Apologies for the commercial for Sydney’s Natural World Lindfield and, despite our objections to the process being below but we do believe that this is a landmark book that used, we are confident that bushland can be saved there documents what we now have in Sydney and what we and added to the national park. Fingers crossed! We wish strand to lose. It also makes an excellent Christmas we saw as much hope for the Adventist Hospital site. The present! Your support in buying our publications allows us potential there for an environmental and traffic disaster is to make grants and to keep fees low. quite high. One difference between it and UTS is that UTS is public land now whereas the Adventist site is private. Best wishes for Christmas and 2008 to all our members! Good Blue Gum High Forest News The campaign to buy the last block of land to complete the preservation of the Blue Gum High Forest between Mona Christmas Gifts from STEP Vale Rd St Ives and Rosedale Rd Gordon received a boost in October when Brendan Nelson announced that the Commonwealth would add another $200,000 to the $150,000 that they have already pledged. This is important for the cash but also because it sends a message to the current land owner that they are up against more than just a local campaign. Your environmentally conscious family and friends will appreciate a book or map from STEP. It is now up to Ku-ring-gai Council to negotiate with the owner. The conflict is headed for the Land and The walking track maps of the Lane Cove Valley Environment Court next year unless it is settled earlier. and of Middle Harbour are high quality productions Court costs would be absurd in the circumstances – the that any walker would appreciate! money should be put towards the purchase of the land. But of course people are not always so rational. For the more serious student of nature there is the Field Guide to the Bushland of the Upper Lane Public donations are now heading towards $60,000 and Cove Valley. This is a remarkable and beautifully these demonstrate the depth of community feeling as much illustrated book that covers the history, geology, flora of this money is in small amounts from individuals. STEP and fauna of the valley and more besides. It has offered $5,000 in the event that the purchase is contains details of 15 bushwalks with descriptions of achieved. Should you wish to donate, go to the Blue Gum the natural history features of each walk. section of the STEP website. If you have not yet obtained a copy of John Martyn’s STEP Traditional End of Year Barbecue Sydney’s Natural World then there is plenty of time to do so. There is a copy of the brochure on our The usual Christmas get-together will be from 4.30 pm on website. This is a landmark book that exults in the Sunday 16th December in the park behind Leuna Ave at beauty and uniqueness of the natural world around the end of The Broadway at Wahroonga. Harry and Neroli us. It makes a wonderful present for conservationists Lock will supply the barbecue and hot water – BYO food and cynics alike. It will convert the latter! and everything else. This is a good chance to meet other STEP members – see you there. There is an order form at the back of this newsletter and also on our website. STOP PRESS Environmental walk and talk with Nancy Pallin with nd The Sydney Bushwalkers Saturday 2 February A great short video on global warming 2008 from St Ives to Roseville. See the STEP web http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=bDsIFspVzfI site for details. STEP Inc Community-based Environmental Conservation since 1978 PO Box 697, Turramurra, NSW 2074 [email protected] www.step.org.au ABN 55 851 3472 043 STEP Continues to Support Young Scientist Awards The Science Teachers Association atramentosa, and the tenacity of its have long left NSW holds annual awards to foot in various salinities. STEP school.’ STEP celebrate the achievements of young judges, Syd Smith and Michelle judges must school students who conduct Leishman regard Nina’s work as have been on scientific investigation. This year the research of the highest order and the ball awards presentation was held at the said ‘The project was rigorous, kept because Powerhouse Museum. Of 700 entries to strict scientific method and was Nina was later from across the state 50 finalists investigated over a long period of presented were recognised at the 2 hour time. Records were highly detailed, with the ceremony. As in former years Dr Karl expertly interpreted and further Young Scientist of 2007 Award. This Kruszelnicki entertained parents, hypotheses submitted after means Nina is now eligible to attend teachers and students with an conclusions were drawn. STEP is an international science student’s animated Powerpoint presentation on very concerned with environmental conference in the USA next year. how scientific equipment is degradation and the general decline transported to Mars and methods for in sustainability practices. STEP Syd Smith who attended the award transmitting images back to Earth. believes Nina's project provided a ceremony and presented the awards window into further research for on behalf of STEP also presented a STEP has been supporting the climate change, sea level fluctuations highly commended certificate to Young Scientist Awards for several and the possible influence of people Ellenore Forrester of Redeemer years now and this year a cheque for in a coastal environment. It is Baptist School in Parramatta for her $200 was presented to Nina Pinto of gratifying to see young people excellent research into an Hornsby Girls High School. The contributing to our knowledge of the Enviropump. Ellenore is a student in research topic she chose was: The future and even educating others who only Year 7 but showed great habitat of the marine snail, Nerita potential as a future scientist. Book Review Energy Production – Global Warming STEP committee member, Jim Wells, has been to hear Dr Mark Diesendorf speak and has read his recent book On October 13th a number of source in Victoria. In this scenario recurrent. Space here precludes members had the privilege of hearing there will still be a lot of greenhouse showing too much detail but the total Dr Mark Diesendorf of the University gas being emitted. costs for selected items in cents per of NSW speak on the topic of his kW hour are (2005): latest book ‘Greenhouse Solutions The one figure that does seem very with Sustainable Energy’ (UNSW high is that for bioenergy, derived Black coal, NSW 3.5 Press, 2007). The occasion was a from biomass. Biomass is material Wind farm, 50mw, ‘good’ site 8.3 festival ‘Your Future is the Natural produced by photosynthesis (ie Residential photovoltaic 47.4 World’ held at the Turramurra plants) or is an organic byproduct (solar) grid connected, Sydney Masonic Hall. from a waste stream. To produce electricity the material is burnt in a Diesendorf does say that solar cost might come down to 19.2c per kW His presentation was factual and thermal power station. Greenhouse 1 thought provoking. His book is to be gases are produced but hour with sliver or chrystalline silicon thoroughly recommended, written in a photosynthesis compensates so the on glass technology. very readable style. It is process is self-sustaining. As with comprehensive with chapters on all other ‘fuelled’ sources, the energy The capital cost for wind is much the main alternatives to coal; use in production and transport of the higher than for coal but so also is technical enough to be a good material cannot be ignored. ‘operations and maintenance, excl. reference but still highly useful to the fuel’. Wind turbines would not be non-technical reader. What is also relevant here is peak oil. easy to maintain. Diesendorf is If petroleum declines as a source of enthusiastic about wind power and One way to summarise the position is transport fuel bioenergy will expand doesn’t seem too concerned about to present a scenario for the supply enormously. Already the price of the ‘blot on the landscape’ problem. mix for Australia’s electricity palm oil has soared. See the article in generation in 2040 (Clean energy the Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday Read the book if you can. It has sold scenario 2 as shown on page 45). October 13th entitled ‘Green fuel gets well, indeed it is out of print but This is a black name’ p25. should be available shortly. Ku-ring- Black coal 9% gai Council library has a copy. Hydro 7% It is not surprising that solar is so low A set of lecture slides from Dr Diesendorf Oil 1% at 5%. It is just too expensive. can be found at Bioenergy 28% http://www.ies.unsw.edu.au/events/GHsol Gas 30% There is a very useful table on p355 utionsWithSustEnShort.pdf Wind 20% of the book summarising costs. This is quite detailed; Diesendorf is well Solar 5% Total 100% aware of the difficulties of assessing 1 Sliver technology was developed by the total cost given that some costs are Australian National University’s Centre for Note that nuclear is not included, nor periodic (capital expenditure and Sustainable Energy Systems.