MASG news Friday 15th of April 2011
Posted on 15 April 2011 by e-news
Dry Cell Battery recycling and Flouro light recycling
If you have just changed your smoke detector batteries, or have a pile of dry cell AAA’s and others floating around the house DON’T chuck them into the tip. The toxic materials in them can be reclaimed and recycled. Drop them into the MASG office and for $6 per Kg you get peace of mind that your batteries are not leaching out poisonings into the tip…and eventually the environment, but are being reclaimed by a local Melbourne company EcoCycle.
Second Sunny Solar Sessions a Success (try saying that fast….)
Wednesday April 13th saw MASG hold its second solar PV information session as part of the
Goldfields Solar Hub project. Mike Reeves organised the workshop and helped answer many of the questions posed from the 13 people from 10 households attending.
The questions were fairly general, but Mike noted that there was interest in sorting out the difference between the rebate (RECs or STCs now) and the Feed in Tariffs. If you have any questions about solar PV and rebates, feed in tariffs and retailers contact MASG on 54706978 and register for the Goldfields Solar Hub program and look out for the next information and Q & A session from Mike.
Comfy Homes Tradies’ Mini-Expo
Deanna is organising an event that will bring local businesses and tradespeople together around the newer and more alternative methods of building, renovating and retrofitting your home. To date 14 presenters have accepted to attend the Tradies’ Mini Expo. If you have any suggestions of sustainable builders/tradies/designers/products/etc you think should be there let Deanna know. If you are looking for local products and services information, come and 
find it at the Tradies’ Mini-Expo. Entry by donation.
When: Thursday 12th May Time: 3-6pm (including dinner) Where: Castlemaine Uniting Church Hall
Castlemaine RSVP: T: 5470 6978 E: deanna@masg.org.au
Jottings from the Hub Plot
MASG’s garden group has been busy in the garden. New plantings of onions, herbs, garlic and snow peas have just been done. Tomatoes and are ripening and the worms are multiplying.
We’ve had quinces, nashis, pears, tomatoes, pumpkins and apples at our produce exchange. Lots of tomato and pumpkin recipes to share too!
This coming Monday afternoon we will be visiting a local garden which successfully integrates chooks with their veggies.
The group meets Monday mornings from 9 a.m. For further details please e-mail heather@box311.biz or Peter at bundara@netcon.net.au
Field excursion to a Campbell’s Creek Garden
Monday 18th April , meet at the Hub at 3.15pm. For details ring Heather 0409 327791
Castlemaine planting guide for April
Plant seeds (in the ground) of broad beans, radish, peas, spinach and turnips
Plant seeds (in a seed tray with some protection) of broccoli, cabbage, leeks, lettuce, onions, coriander and parsley
Plant garlic “bulbs” in the ground
AND … if you would like a break, why not plant a crop of “green manure” to nourish your garden in time for spring. See www.diggers.com.au or “google” green manure crops or “clever clover”.
Committee of management meeting or Coordinating group
A Committee meeting with participation from working group members and staff is called the Coordinating Group (or CoG) and it welcomes input and attendance from MASG members.
The next CoG meeting is Thursday April 21st 7-9pm @ The Forge (opposite She Sells Seafood). Come and contribute your ideas and energy into the running of MASG and hear what working groups are doing.
Rod Quantock in Malmsbury
Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group and the Friends of the Malmsbury Gardens and Malmsbury Landcare are bringing Rod Quantock’s show “Bugger the Polar Bears this is serious” to the Malmsbury Town Hall on Sat 30th April.at 7.30 p.m. Tickets $25/15. Bookings at Instrumental Kyneton 54221083 or Malmsbury PO 54232261
Northern Territory to ban plastic bags from September this year
The Northern Territory Government is holding information sessions in Darwin today about its plan to ban plastic bags Territory-wide from September, from ABC news on plastic bag ban.
Climate change: a warning from the past
From Dr. Andrew Glikson Earth and paleoclimate scientist. School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Research School of Earth Science, Planetary Science Institute Australian National University(as an aside Dr Glickson also has an Asteroid and an impact crater named after him !!)
The current rate of greenhouse gas rise is unprecedented in Earth history, excepting global volcanic events and asteroid impacts. The rise of atmospheric energy levels since the 18th century by 3.2 Watt/m2, masked in part by aerosols, leads the climate to over 2 degrees C
temperature rise and meters-scale sea level rise. To read more of the latest incontrovertible information and evidence of climate change from this Dr Glickson paper download it here ( 376 kb) CLIMATE CHANGE_ A WARNING FROM THE PAST.
Bio-Briquettes: A more sustainable form of wood heating, and available locally
Bio-Briquettes are a compressed wooden log for use in wood heaters, kitchen wood stoves, and outdoor pizza ovens & other heating & cook equipment. The briquettes are made from recycled waste timber shaving and/or saw dust (Biomass) usually sent to land fill.
By hydraulically compressing of the timber shavings/saw dust under high pressure we can create a Renewable Energy product for heating and cooking.
All timber used is the by-product of plantation hard & soft timber (Biomass) used in the manufacturing of building products. You can get them from the Newstead Briquetting Company
Call Alan 0409 434 964 or Deb 0403 085 560
The Carbon Farming Initiative Will it work for you? Bendigo Workshop
The Federal Government is currently introducing the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) — a voluntary carbon offset scheme for the agriculture, land use and forestry sectors. If you own or manage land or livestock, this scheme is meant to offer you the chance to reduce carbon, improve biodiversity and make money all at the same time. But will it? If not, what can you do about it? This seminar is ideal both for those who could participate in the scheme, and for those wanting to have input into making the CFI effective and successful. Wednesday 20 April 2011 5.30pm–7.30pm RL Campbell Theatrette, Bendigo Library, 251–259 Hargreaves Street, Bendigo There is no charge for this seminar however BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL RSVP: EDO Victoria (03) 8341 3100 or edovic@edo.org.au
Journeys for climate justice
Offsetting your travel emissions. This project was recently launched by the Governor of Victoria to help people offset their travel and household emissions.
Please visit our website to offset or donate.
Peter Harper from CAT in Daylesford
On Saturday 16 April, Peter Harper from the Centre of Alternative Technology, Wales and Zero Carbon Britain will be in the Hepburn Shire for one evening to speak to us about ‘Plants, Land & Carbon’. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear Peter at the Hepburn Primary School at 7.30pm, cost is $10 and supper is provided. Contact Hepburn Relocalisation Network on 53483636 or hrn@internode.on.net
Chernoble and Fukishima: the Unlearned lessons
Do we collectively care about our planet, our home, this Earth, or don’t we? When the economic bottom line rules decision-making, losses elsewhere can be staggering. Look at the ghost town photographs of the former USSR (now Ukraine) town of Pripyat, Ukraine which once had a population of 100,000 before reactor No. 4 blew up at Chernobyl
A city of 100,000 abandoned. How about a Nuke plant in Bendigo...any takers ?
power station on April 26, 1986. Read more from the LA Times.
Quote
“No degree of prosperity could justify the accumulation of large amounts of highly toxic substances which nobody knows how to make safe and which remain an intangible danger to the whole of creation.”
E.F. Schumacher 1973
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