Heard about Noah’s Seed Ark?
The first seeds were placed in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault at an opening ceremony on Tuesday, February 26, 2008. During the ceremony, thousands of crop varieties from countries around the world were placed in the fail-safe facility carved into the Arctic permafrost in the remote Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard.
Constructed by Norway as a service to the world, and nicknamed the “doomsday vault” or “Noah’s Seed Ark”, the facility is located nearly a thousand kilometres north of mainland Norway. The seed vault will house and protect virtually every variety of almost every important food crop in the world.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is designed to store duplicates of seeds from seed collections from around the globe. If seeds are lost, e.g. as a result of natural disasters, war or simply a lack of resources, the seed collections may be re-established using seeds from Svalbard. The seed vault is owned by the Norwegian government which has also financed the construction work, costing nearly NOK 50 million. For more information: www.seedvault.no
With thanks for the story from Glen Moore of Wollongong Science Centre and Planetarium http://sciencecentre.uow.edu.au/ Arsenic and bugs but not old lace!
Australian scientists have discovered an arsenic eating super-bug that can chomp its way through the toxic leftovers of a century of mining and farming to help clean up the landscape. The microbe may also offer a low cost way to help save tens of millions of people from the worst poisoning event on the planet.
The super-bug was identified after screening thousands of samples of microbes from soils heavily contaminated with poisonous arsenic that was once used to control parasites on sheep and cattle. At these sites arsenic is usually present in the highly toxic form arsenite, or as the less toxic arsenate. It is the highly toxic arsenite which is most difficult to remediate.
The super-bug holds hope of developing an efficient biological method for cleaning up the hundreds of thousands of arsenic stock dip sites in Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and other countries, places where arsenic-treated timber posts have been made or used, sites of old railway lines, as well as old gold-mining regions where arsenic flushes out of tailings dumps into surface and groundwater, posing a risk to those who drink it.
The microbe could also be used to cleanse household drinking water in Bangladesh, India, China and South East Asia where an estimated 100 million people face daily poisoning from arsenic in their well water.
CRC CARE scientists assessing arsenic contamination (Courtesy of Rio Tinto)
A study by the Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE) scientists found not only drinking water supply is affected by arsenic poisoning, with rice and vegetables also absorbing arsenic when grown or boiled in contaminated water. This means arsenic poisoning has become a global problem, with supermarkets sourcing products from countries affected by contaminated groundwater.
(From www.EnvironmentalManagementNews.net ) CETO “waving” energy to the next stage
Previously I&I reported on two wave energy initiatives, one at Port Kembla and the other in Western Australia. One of these, the CETO technology, has now moved to another stage.
Clean technology developer Carnegie Corporation has successfully deployed the second CETO II Wave Energy prototype off the CETO test site at Fremantle in Western Australia. It follows the deployment of the first CETO II prototype unit in January 2008.
Subsequent CETO II units will be deployed offshore at Fremantle throughout 2008 creating a "mini CETO wave farm", the company said in a statement. This will then be followed by the deployment of a full-scale CETO III unit at a deepwater test site, which will complete the CETO development program in 2009. Using gold to “taste” chemicals in water
Erika Davies, a science student from the University of NSW, has recently been working with the CSIRO to explore the use of an inkjet printer that prints gold nanoparticles to make sensors that 'taste' chemicals in water. These new sensors can detect very low levels of environmentally important organic chemicals like octane or toluene leaking from ships, for example.
Erika Davies working on sensors to taste chemicals in the environment
For more information: www.scienceimage.csiro.au/mediarelease/mr08-26.html Interested in the future of our coastlines?
Futureworld Eco-Technology Centre will be presenting two lectures as part of Sustainability Week 2008:
• Coastal Sustainability - The Way Ahead: Presented by Professor Bruce Thom who is a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists concerned with advancing innovations and solutions to secure the long term health of Australia’s land, water and biodiversity.
• Coastlines and the impacts of climate change - global threats and the challenge for the Illawarra South Coast Region: Presented by Professor Colin Woodroffe who is a coastal geomorphologist in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong and is the Coordinator of the GeoQuest Research Centre. He is a lead author on the coastal chapter in the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment report.
To be held on Tuesday April 1, 2008 from 6.30pm at McKinnon Building, Building 67, Lecture Room 104, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, North Wollongong. For details: Email: ftrworld@bigpond.net.au Ph: 02 4226 9147 Fax: 02 4226 9130
www.futureworld.org.au Decision Making for Growth
The first Women in Manufacturing Event for 2008 is to feature a presentation by Helen Lennie, Sales and Marketing Director of Signature Prints.
Since 1998, Helen and her husband, David Lennie, have been the driving force behind successful growth in their design and printing business Signature Prints. Specialising in premium textiles, wallpaper and limited edition art prints for the design and architectural industries, Signature Prints is gaining worldwide attention and acclaim for its exquisite collection of Florence Broadhurst prints as well as its own collection of designs.
Helen has been at the pointy end of many difficult business decisions and understands the challenges faced by women in manufacturing.
Venue: Western Sydney Business Centre, Level 2, 470 Church St (Cnr Harold St), North Parramatta
Time: 7.15am for 7.30am – 9.00am followed by a roundtable discussion.
The Women in Manufacturing Network connects like-minded women owners and executives in manufacturing. The network provides the opportunity to meet and learn from other industry professionals, access business advice from leading consultants, academics and practitioners, and participate in seminars, workshops and site visits.
To find out more or to register, email your details to dsrdparramatta@business.nsw.gov.au or contact Lindsay Cohen at lindsay.cohen@business.nsw.gov.au or on 8843 1102. FutureWorld’s Eco Innovation in Business Award 2008
This award aims to recognise leadership amongst the Illawarra business community in eco-innovation, (i.e. novel strategies to reduce the environmental footprint of a business). Eco-innovation may include the development of novel strategies to:
• reduce energy, fuel or water consumption
• reduce waste
• recycle, re-use or reduce the use of materials
• educate staff or clients on environmental or sustainability issues
• change client and community attitudes or behaviours to make them more environmentally responsible, and/or
• develop novel products or services that achieve any of the above.
The winner will be announced at Futureworld’s Gala Dinner on May 22 and will receive a $1,000 cash prize and a winner’s plaque to be presented by the guest of honour.
To be eligible, you need to be a business (sole trader, registered business or company) operating in the Illawarra region. Small and large businesses are encouraged to apply. Closing date Thursday April 24.
For further details contact Futureworld Eco-Technology Centre at PO.Box 1754, Wollongong NSW 2500 or email: ftrworld@bigpond.net.au or visit the web site www.futureworld.org.au Your Ideas, Innovations or Events?
If you want publicity for an idea, innovation or technically related event, contact the I&I editor, Colin Seaborn on 4254 0200 or 0419 841829 or click here->
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