Could parents please encourage their children to protect the vegetation in the mounds.  It is hard enough, and a lot of work, to encourage the growth in the mounds, but even harder when children clear swathes across them for bike jumps.  

The mound at the bottom of Yacca Way is regularly targeted as a bike jump, and last weekend, a whole swathe was cleared, with ground cover ruthlessly cleared out down to bare earth. 

The boys who did it, were in the process of also of digging up a sheoak tree when they were very politely asked to stop, but they argued that they "were allowed to dig it up & replant it". After further argument, they were finally chased away, and the tree was saved, but the ground cover is gone. 

Please, parents, point out that they must respect the mounds and the work that has gone into trying to establish them, and that they are not play areas. 

Annette 

With researchers increasingly turning their attention to the social and environmental impacts of community gardening, the Australian City Farms and Community Gardens Network (ACFCGN) has just published a fully revised and expanded second edition of its Annotated Bibliography of community gardening research and analysis. The new edition provides a comprehensive summary of the latest research right up to August 2010 including how-to manuals as well as publications in academic and professional journals, books and theses.

The Australian City Farms and Community Gardens Network has produced the Bibliography in response to requests from students and researchers, and to assist gardeners seeking evidence of the benefits of community gardening to support their applications and submissions. We hope it will meet their needs and encourage further research.
Copies of the 50-page booklet are available for free download from:
http://communitygarden.org.au/bibliography [pdf 676 KB]

Monbiot sees the politics of climate change as a self-fulfilling prophecy: Quietly in public, loudly in private, climate scientists everywhere are saying the same thing: it’s over. The years in which more than two degrees of global warming could have been prevented have passed, the opportunities squandered by denial and delay. On current trajectories we’ll be lucky to get away with four degrees. Mitigation (limiting greenhouse gas pollution) has failed; now we must adapt to what nature sends our way. If we can! Read more at:
http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2009/03/17/a-self-fulfilling-prophecy/

The longer you sit, the earlier you die: Unlike most bad news, this one is best heard standing up: people who sit more than 6 hours a day are more likely to die earlier. That's even for people who exercise regularly after long sit-a-thons at the office and aren't obese. That's the sobering news from a new study that tracked more than 100,000 adults for 14 years. See:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sns-health-healthy-aging-sitting-early-death,0,6105710.story

Friends of the Earth urges end to 'land grab' for biofuels: European Union countries must drop their biofuels targets or else risk plunging more Africans into hunger and raising carbon emissions, according to Friends of the Earth (FoE). In a campaign launching today, the charity accuses European companies of land-grabbing throughout Africa to grow biofuel crops that directly compete with food crops. Read more at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/aug/30/biofuels-land-grab-friends-of-the-earth

“Human kind still has a lot to learn about the nature of value, and the value of nature,” says Pavan Sukhdev - head of the UNEP Green Economy Initiative and an expert on the natural capital that gets left off today’s corporate balance sheets. His pioneering work considers what it would take to put nature on the balance sheet - so that we do not continue borrowing from the future to pay for the present. In an interim report released by the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity Project, he pointed out that we’re trying to navigate this complex terrain using a defective economic compass.  He also referred to Adam Smith’s observation that prices are often out of whack with what things are really worth.  Water is essential for life, yet incredibly cheap.  Nobody dies without diamonds, yet diamonds are expensive. At the link, you can WATCH Pavan Sukhdev’s Sydney lecture filmed for the ABC's Big Ideas Program, or READ the transcript, or LISTEN and download the podcast:
http://cpd.org.au/2010/08/value-of-nature-pavan-sukhdev/

‘Deepwater Horizon’ fears resurface as rigs probe for oil under Arctic ice: In a few days' time, officials at the Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum in Greenland will reveal the winners of a new round of licences to drill for oil and gas in its waters. The announcement promises to be explosive. Among those waiting to drill are most of the world's leading oil companies, including ExxonMobil, Shell and Norway's StatOil. Watching with equal attention will be the planet's leading green groups, who have pledged to block every effort to drill in the Arctic, fearing a broken well could gush for years in such a challenging environment. Read more at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/aug/29/deepwater-horizon-greenland-oil-drilling-arctic

Crybaby Capitalists! The big guys on Wall Street, they can't take their losses - they're crybaby capitalists, they preach capitalism for everybody but themselves! See this excellent ABC program - 'Overdose', a documentary on global financial crisis (43 mins total):
http://cruxcatalyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/crybaby-capitalists.html

The price of Britain's disappearing wildlife: Food is relatively cheap and plentiful in Britain today, but will that still be the case in 50 years? Overfishing and the decline of species on land has left some experts saying it is getting both harder and more expensive for the UK to feed itself in the long term. That decline also opens up questions about the sort of countryside being left to future generations as nearly half of Britain's native land mammals are now considered a priority for conservation. See:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_8950000/8950389.stm

[Thanks to John H, Cruxcatalyst, and The Centre for Policy Development for the links.]

Thanks to Pat F for the following good laugh:

Kulula is a low-cost South-African airline that doesn't take itself too seriously. Check out the ATTACHMENT to see their new livery! And have a read about their Customer Relations. For example:

"Your seats cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments." Now read on:

Kulula Airways

Stop wasting food - save the world’s energy! The energy footprint of food is enormous. We could save an enormous amount of energy by tackling the huge problem of food waste. Doing so is likely to be quicker than many of the other options on the table, while also saving money and reducing emissions. Read more at:
http://cruxcatalyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/stop-wasting-food-save-worlds-energy.html

Think Australia’s cities have traffic jams? Try China! China’s hellish 10-day-old traffic jam now stretches 100 km and could last another three weeks. It's a metaphor for a nation that sometimes chokes on its own breakneck growth. Read more at:
http://cruxcatalyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/chinese-traffic-jam-extends-60-miles.html

A cup of cold undies - how silly can you get!!! This is surely one of the more ridiculous examples of unnecessary consumption and packaging! In reaction to one of the longest heat waves in Japan’s history stores everywhere have been stocking ice cold panties in disposable cups. To see how dumb marketing can get, see:
http://cruxcatalyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/cup-of-cold-undies.html

New eco-philosophy to permit new “One Planet” homes in rural Britain: In areas of Britain, the construction of new homes has long been forbidden in rural areas. However, there is now a radical new policy being implemented in Wales to permit qualifying homes in which people will live nearly self-sufficiently with an eco-footprint that uses on their fair share of our one planet’s resources. Read more at:
http://www.pembrokeshire.econews.org.uk and http://www.ecocymru.org

19th Century economist had a better idea for valuing natural resources: Herman Daly, US Professor of Ecological Economics, says nineteenth century economist Henry George has much to teach us about how to share the value of common natural resources... Read more at:
http://cruxcatalyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/modernising-henry-george.html

Calling all ‘Future Eaters’! The human species during its brief time on Earth has exhibited a remarkable capacity to kill itself off. And now we sit passive and dumb as corporations and the leaders of industrialised nations ensure that climate change will accelerate to levels that could mean the extinction of our species. Read more at:
http://cruxcatalyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/calling-all-future-eaters.html

The politics of climate change denial: It was Australia's second climate change election. Climate change deposed the former leaders of both main parties: Kevin Rudd (Labor) because his position was too weak, Malcolm Turnbull (Liberal) because his was too strong. When Julia Gillard, the new Labor leader, also flunked the issue, many of her supporters defected to the Greens. Read more at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cif-green/2010/aug/23/deniers-climate-change-rightwing-handout

Amazon, droughts driving drop in plants' ability to store carbon: Recent observations have led to worries that land use changes and rising temperatures themselves might start inhibiting the natural carbon sinks (plants and oceans). A new science study provides some evidence that this may be taking place: droughts over the past decade have caused the amount of CO2 taken up by land plants to drop. Read more at:
http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2010/08/amazon-droughts-driving-drop-in-plant-ability-to-store-carbon.ars

“Your Development”is a new website for sustainable urban development: It allows assessment of a development and provides information as Fact sheets; Case studies; Brief case studies; Links to other sites; News articles and more. See:
http://yourdevelopment.org/about/

Climate Change Science - Questions & Answers: This PDF publication from the Australian Academy of Science gives the latest on peer-reviewed climate change science. See:
http://www.science.org.au/reports/climatechange2010.pdf [Large file 1.2 MB]

[Thanks to Vanda R, John H, Deb Harding and Cruxcatalyst for the links.]

As you aware the Community recently approved the transfer of Lot 145 that included materials such as wood and the cobbles located on the farm.
 
Resources on Lot 145, as well as the cobble stones stored on the farm, will soon be owned by the Community and therefore should be used in the best interests of the Community as a whole. Until this usage is considered and a guideline developed, the Management Committee would like everyone to refrain from taking these cobbles for their individual, private use.
 
Existing and new common-land applications that include use of cobbles will not be affected.
 
Should you have any questions about this, please do not hesitate to call or visit me at home.
 
Brad N - 8557 7163 or email

I'm sure that most of us have seen and read this Desiderata piece at some point (ATTACHED). I have not read it for many years, and it is so beautiful and relevant.  Take a couple of minutes to read it if you can.

Jacqui G
Go placidly

Thanks to Annette I for sending in the ATTACHED set of hilarious quotes from a book called “Disorder in the American Courts.” They are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who suffered the torment of staying calm and straight-faced while these exchanges were actually taking place.

Here’s a preview:

ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.

Now read on:
Silence in Court

Population: The Multiplier of Everything Else: When it comes to controversial issues, population is in a class by itself. Advocates and activists working to reduce global population growth and size are attacked by the Left for supposedly ignoring human-rights issues, glossing over Western overconsumption, or even seeking to reduce the number of people of colour. They are attacked by the Right for supposedly favouring widespread abortion, promoting promiscuity via sex education, or wanting to harm economic growth. Others think the problem has been solved, or believe that the real problem is that we have a shortage of people (the so-called “birth dearth”). One thing is certain: The planet and its resources are finite, and it cannot support an infinite population of humans or any other species. A second thing is also certain: The issue of population is too important to avoid just because it is controversial. Download this Post Carbon PDF reader (1.5 MB) at:
http://www.postcarbon.org/Reader/PCReader-Ryerson-Population.pdf

UK also has open day for Eco-Houses - much like our Sustainable House Day: See:
http://ecoopenhouses.org/

Privatisation of beaches for the wealthy causing angst in Italy: Class war breaks out on Italy's beaches, as the ultra-rich carve out their patch of sand. Private beach clubs are taking over the country's coastline, forcing average families onto crowded patches of shoreline. See:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/22/italy-beach-berlusconi-rossi-zucchero

Rising temperatures reducing ability of plants to absorb carbon: Research shows warming over past decade caused droughts that reduced number of plants available to soak up carbon dioxide. Droughts have wiped out plants that would have absorbed the carbon equivalent of all the man-made greenhouse gas emissions from the UK every year. Read more at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/aug/19/rising-temperatures-plants-carbon

Critical plant bank in danger: Plant scientists around the world are warning that hundreds of years of accumulated agricultural heritage are in danger of being ploughed under after a Russian court ruled on 11 August that the land occupied by a world-renowned plant genetic resources collection on the outskirts of Saint Petersburg may be transferred to the Russian Housing Development Foundation, which plans to build houses on the site. Read more at:
http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/57617/

[Thanks to Deb Harding, John H, Steve P and the Post Carbon Institute for the links.]

The Climate Change Elephant-in-the-Room gets a TV interview: A little comic relief amongst all the hype and spin of the election campaign - from the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. See the video clip, and listen to the news anchor start giggling when the reporter begins to interview 'the elephant'!!
http://cruxcatalyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/climate-elephant-in-room.html

GetUp’s Election Issues scorecard: An independent guide to where the parties stand on the issues. See:
https://www.getup.org.au/campaign/election2010&id=1354

Win Australia’s Greatest Train Journey: To celebrate the launch of Great Southern Rail’s new and improved user-friendly website, we are giving people the opportunity to experience Australia's greatest train journey with three of their friends. It's easy, simply click on the link, choose your dream itinerary, enter your details and you're in the running:
http://www.greatsouthernrail.com.au/site/competitions/win_australias_greatest_train_journey.jsp

New political party, Stop Population Growth Now fields an election candidate for Mayo: Stop Population Growth Now, a body of Australians seeking to reduce Australia’s population growth, has formed a new political party in time to field a first candidate, Bill Spragg, for the SA seat of Mayo. This is a direct response to recent polls that show a majority of Australians do not support a “big Australia”. Read more at:
http://www.stoppopulationgrowthnow.com/ and http://www.billspragg.id.au/

Earth is officially in overdraft from Saturday: Data from the Global Footprint Network reveal that, as of this Saturday 21 August, humanity will have demanded all the ecological services – from filtering CO2 to producing the raw materials for food – that nature can provide this year. From now until the end of the year, we will meet our ecological demand by depleting resource stocks and accumulating greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Read more at:
http://cruxcatalyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/overdraft-notice-served-on-earth-21.html

Confessions of a recovering environmentalist: This is one of those rare pieces that lays down the gauntlet to the climate change movement - in essence it asks the question are we concerned for the planet or merely concerned to hold on to what we have?  Can we continue a consumption driven lifestyle and still claim to be concerned for the environment? Without stating it this piece highlights the problem of removing population growth from the sustainable equation. This is a very moving essay for anyone truly concerned for our global environment:
http://www.opendemocracy.net/paul-kingsnorth/confessions-of-recovering-environmentalist?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzEmail&utm_content=201210&utm_campaign=On-Demand_2010-08-16%2013%3a27

[Thanks to Deb Harding, Cruxcatalyst, GetUp, and Zero Carbon Future for the links.]

Want a good laugh about “ocker” shed culture? Try the “Institute for Backyard Studies”:
http://www.ibys.org/shed/?page_id=7
especially Hoke’s Tool Co: http://www.ibys.org/shed/?page_id=101
and Deep Shed Culture: http://www.ibys.org/shed/?page_id=17

A different system of ‘eco burial’: An Australian company is claiming to be the first in the world to offer a watery grave. The new service will present bereaved families with an alternative to burial or cremation that involves essentially dissolving a body in hot water. A newly registered business, Aquamation Industries, aims to appeal to people who want to eliminate the 200 or so kg of greenhouse gases associated with a typical cremation. The first ''aquamation'' unit is expected to be declared operational on the Gold Coast today. See:
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/dissolve-a-loved-one-and-save-the-planet-20100811-11zqe.html

Weird buildings - Who said buildings had to be straight or perpendicular! See:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/gallery-e6frg6n6-1225904799702

The Greens famous “Gruen Nation” ad: Watch it as a YouTube clip:
http://greens.org.au/content/have-you-seen-ad-everyone-talking-about

GetUp’s Climate Change T-Shirts: Show your support for climate change action:
https://www.getup.org.au/campaign/election2010&id=1312

Thoughts on ‘peak population’ for Dick Smith: With his documentary 'The Population Puzzle', Australian entrepreneur and adventurer Dick Smith has done something very brave, and very important, in working to break the taboo on speaking about population. Read more:
http://cruxcatalyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/thoughts-for-dick-smith.html

Dick Smith’s $1 Million Wiberforce Award for population action:
http://cruxcatalyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/wilberforce-award.html

Nurture not nature makes boys and girls think differently: A new slant on whether boys and girls brains are really wired differently. Seems they hardly differ at all! Read more at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/15/girls-boys-think-same-way

Portugal’s clean energy makeover. If they can do it, why can’t we? Nearly 45 percent of the electricity in Portugal’s grid will come from renewable sources this year, up from 17 percent just five years ago. Land-based wind power — this year deemed “potentially competitive” with fossil fuels by the International Energy Agency in Paris — has expanded sevenfold in that time. And Portugal expects in 2011 to become the first country to inaugurate a national network of charging stations for electric cars. Read more at:
https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/science/earth/10portugal.html?_r=1

Sun’s quiet period explained: Solar physicists may have discovered why the Sun recently experienced a prolonged period of weak activity. Read more at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10967292

[Thanks to Sue E, John H, Malcolm Dispain, Cruxcatalyst, and The Greens for the links.]

Thanks to Malcolm Dispain for passing on this piece of “food for thought.”

The ATTACHED pictures of a day at the beach in China might well be an image of our future if If Government policy favours a “big Australia”:

Future of a Big Australia

Turning sterile housing estates into vibrant villages: We are, to a surprising extent, what the built environment makes us. Many of the problems we blame on individual behaviour are caused in part by the places in which we live. Build loose suburbs carved up by busy roads and without green spaces and you help to create a population of fat, lonely people plagued by criminals. Build dense, leafy settlements with mixed uses, protected from traffic, and you help to create safe, fit and friendly communities. Read more at:
http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2010/08/09/turning-estates-into-villages/

Greenwell - a way of making sure trees get the water you give them: Greenwell is a simple-to-assemble “dam” of recycled plastic that makes a water-saving collar around trees. Read more at:
http://greenwellwatersavers.com/

Extreme weather around the world consistent with climate change: Regions across the world have been buffeted by extremes of weather, drought and floods. The extremes of rainfall are getting heavier and are entirely consistent with climate change predictions. See:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/09/floods-mudslides-drought-extreme-weather

Greenland ice sheet faces 'tipping point in 10 years’: Scientists warn that temperature rise of between 2C and 7C would cause ice to melt, resulting in a 7m (23ft) rise in sea level. Signs are that it could happen sooner than first thought. Read more at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/aug/10/greenland-ice-sheet-tipping-point

China deals with polluting industries by edict from the top: China has ordered more than 2,000 highly polluting, unsafe or energy inefficient plants to shut down within two months, state media reported today. Read more at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/09/china-orders-pollution-factories-shut

[Thanks to John H and Cruxcatalyst for the links.]

How about powering our cars with poo?! A "poo-powered" VW Beetle has taken to the streets of Bristol in an attempt to encourage sustainable motoring. The Bio-Bug runs on processed methane gas generated as part of the raw sewage treatment process. See:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-10881080

Dick Smith’s “Population Puzzle”: As Smith sees it, population growth is the thread that links myriad issues that the Australian public - if not its policymakers - has grave concerns about: urban growth, housing affordability, a stretched health system, environmental destruction and the impact that has on food and water supply and border protection. See:
http://cruxcatalyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/dicks-population-puzzle.html

Nature's choreography - desert and rainforest dance together: A world heritage meeting has hailed one of the most remarkable discoveries of the last decade: the role of deserts as deliverers of nutrients to the rainier parts of the planet. Around 40m tons of dust is carried by prevailing winds from the Sahara to fertilise the Amazon basin each year. Read more at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/09/editorial-environmental-research-amazon-sahara

GM plants are now well established in the wild! Researchers in the US and Japan have found new evidence that genetically modified crop plants can survive and thrive in the wild, possibly for decades. A US research team has found proprietary herbicide-resistance transgenes in 80% of wild canola plants surveyed. They suggest the GM traits may help the plants survive weedkillers in the wild. Read more at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10859264

‘Alien horrors’ in our homes: The little critters in our homes are totally shriek-scary when seen with the help of modern electron microscopes. See some amazing ‘scary’ pictures of such domestic wildlife as flies, fleas, silverfish, dust mites and daddy-long-legs, etc, at:
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/gallery-e6frer9f-1225901601728

“The Secret Life of Things” is a set of short animated videos exploring the hidden environmental impacts of everyday things. See, for example, “Life Pscycle-ology - the secret life of a little mobile phone:
http://www.thesecretlifeofthings.com/

Australian agriculture faces climate upheaval: 'Land available for agriculture in Australia, one of the world's largest food exporters, is in danger of shrinking because of climate change, a leading scientist said on Tuesday. Read more at:
http://cruxcatalyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/australia-agriculture-faces-climate.html

Europe to step up “raw materials diplomacy”: An EU expert group has identified 14 raw materials seen as "critical" for EU high-tech and eco-industries and suggested that the European Union's global diplomacy should be geared up to ensure that companies gain easier access to them in future. 'Materials diplomacy?' That sounds ominous...seems a resource constrained world is sneaking up on us faster than we think... Read more at:
http://cruxcatalyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/eu-to-step-up-raw-materials-diplomacy.html

Planning the new sounds of the city: Urban design is only really concerned with abating noise made by public transport or industry: the subtle and interesting sounds that can enhance cities are overlooked. With the internal combustion engine on its way out, though, the acoustic fog created by cars, buses and trucks will finally lift and other sounds of the city will emerge. Will we like what we hear? Read more at:
http://cruxcatalyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/beyond-decibels-planning-new-sounds-of.html

Arthritis patients 'may benefit from weight training’: A regular weight training regime may help treat rheumatoid arthritis, research suggests. A study of 28 patients funded by Arthritis Research UK found those who pumped iron saw improvements in basic physical function. Read more at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10864601

Beating dementia - there much we can do to help: Preventing diabetes and depression could have a dramatic impact on cutting cases of dementia, a study suggests. Boosting levels of education and upping fruit and vegetable consumption would also have a big effect, the British Medical Journal said. Read more at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10881685

Ecuador cashes in on NOT drilling forests for oil: Ecuador signed a deal on Tuesday creating a trust fund to hold donations from Germany and other rich nations willing to pay the Andean country to refrain from drilling for oil in an Amazon wildlife reserve. Read more at:
http://cruxcatalyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/ecuador-will-not-drill-in-amazon.html

[Thanks to John H and Cruxcatalyst for the links.]

Thanks to Michael V for this “Friday Funny”.

Terms of dismissal - an interesting essay by Paul Kingsnorth: Terms Of Dismissal – let’s call them ‘TODs’ for short, are a crucial feature of all political and cultural debate. Humans are social creatures and tribal animals. We exhibit a need, apparent in every human culture, both to band together with others and to mark ourselves out from other, opposing tribes. This behaviour spills over into politics daily, where it is disguised, often very thinly, as rational disagreement about policies or positions. The function of TODs is to delineate tribes, so that other tribes may be easily dismisssed without the need to respond seriously to any arguments they might be making. Read more at:
http://www.energybulletin.net/node/53651

Economics dumbed down for the election: Notice something strange in the opinion polls? Essential Media polling has surveyed Australians on a number of specific issues, asking which party they would trust to handle various issues. On education, jobs, industrial relations, housing affordability, climate change and the environment Labor easily scores ahead of the Coalition. Yet on the question “management of the economy”, the Coalition still leads by a comfortable margin. There is a strange contradiction in these figures. If economic management isn’t about ensuring high employment and harmonious labour relations, conserving scarce environmental resources, keeping housing affordable, and investing in education, what is it about? Read more at:
http://cruxcatalyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/economics-dumbed-down.html

US Food Waste Worth More Than Offshore Drilling! More energy is wasted in the perfectly edible food discarded by people in the US each year than is available in oil and gas reserves off the nation's coastlines. Read more at:
http://cruxcatalyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/us-food-waste-worth-more-than-offshore.html

New Climate & Energy Policies Could Create 2.5 Million Jobs, Hold Down Energy Costs: New greenhouse gas emissions and energy policies at the Federal level could generate as many as 2.5 million new jobs and $134 billion in economic activity in the US while keeping energy costs down, according to a new report. Read more at:
http://cruxcatalyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-climate-energy-policies-could.html

'Conflict-Free' Electronics Bundled in US Financial Reform Law: The Washington Post reported late last week that the 2,300-page financial reform bill contained a provision focused on eliminating the use of four materials that are commonly sourced in war-torn Congo: Gold, tin, tungsten and tantalum. Read more at:
http://cruxcatalyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/conflict-free-electronics-bundled-in.html

Labour promises national Food Strategy: Agriculture Minister Tony Burke has announced a national food plan that would investigate food security, quality and affordability from paddock to plate, including possible regulation of foreign ownership of farms. Read more at:
http://cruxcatalyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/labor-promises-national-food-strategy.html

Man poisoned by mail-order Ayurvedic medicine: The severe lead poisoning of a Sydney man who bought traditional medicines from India has sparked warnings from NSW health professionals. Read more at:
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/breaking-news/warnings-as-man-in-hospital-with-poisoning-from-traditional-ayurvedic-medicine/story-e6frea7l-1225901186686

SA Community - the hub of community information: Find local organisations and services, and subscribe to an email news service at:
http://sacommunity.org/

Eco Voice Eco News - issue 76 August 2010:
http://www.ecovoice.com.au/eco-news

GetUp Campaigns:
GetUp women speak out on Tony Abbott’s statements:
http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/WomenSpeakOut
GetUp’s mental health vigils next Tuesday 10 August:
www.getup.org.au/campaign/vigils

Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) election issues: Follow the link below to find ACF election statements, and to subscribe to ACF email news:
http://www.acfonline.org.au/

[Thanks to John H, Cruxcatalyst, SA Community, EcoVoice, GetUp & ACF for the links.]

On Saturday at the Arts & Cultural meeting, “eco-awareness” was talked about as a potentially important theme for arts in the Village. Now, in a very timely contribution, Steve P has sent in a good example of art in the environment encompassing what must truly be an intimate knowledge of, and respect for, local biodiversity. See the ATTACHMENT.

Art on African tree

London saddles up for new bike hire scheme: A bike hire scheme designed to encourage thousands more cycle journeys in central London has begun. So far, more than 12,000 people have signed up to the idea, far outstripping the 5,000 bicycles which will be available at special docking stations. Read more at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-10810869

Calcium pills 'increase' risk of heart attack: Calcium supplements taken by many older people to ward off bone fractures could be increasing their risk of a heart attack, research shows. The study, in the British Medical Journal, said people who took supplements were 30% more likely to have a heart attack. Data from 11 trials also suggested the medicines were not very effective at preventing bone fractures. Read more at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10805062

Getaway or Get Away! Do Aussies do it any better? In the UK, millions are setting off on their summer breaks, but for many the experience will be anything but relaxing. Why do we persist with the ordeal of family holidays? The kids are squabbling on the back seat, and beside you, your partner is getting increasingly agitated at the prospect you might miss your flight - pushing up your blood pressure even further. Right on cue, you remember that you left your passport at home. And that's before you've even had the chance to face sunburn, dodgy accommodation and your luggage ending up who knows where. The family holiday may be a byword for mishaps, rows and the overwhelming pressure to have a good time. Yet each year we put ourselves through the ordeal - and pay good money for the privilege. Why? See:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10790074

Chernobyl zone shows decline in biodiversity: Scientists say contamination in the Chernobyl exclusion zone has affected biodiversity. The largest wildlife census of its kind conducted in Chernobyl has revealed that mammals are declining in the exclusion zone surrounding the nuclear power plant. Read more at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10819027

Plankton decline across oceans as waters warm: Phytoplankton is essential for life in the oceans. The amount of phytoplankton - tiny marine plants - in the top layers of the oceans has declined markedly over the last century, research suggests. Writing in the journal Nature, scientists say the decline appears to be linked to rising water temperatures. Read more at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10781621

[Thanks to John H for the links.]