Sunday, July 28, 2024

Environment

Backyard compost bin (Image: Ben Kerckx, Pixabay)
Environment

Recycling food and gardening organics study

Compiled by Karen Smith

Among the global targets set at the 2022 UN Biodiversity Conference, COP 15, in Montreal was an agreement to cut global food waste in half, and significantly reduce over-consumption and waste generation, and reduce by half, both excess nutrients and the overall risk posed by pesticides and highly hazardous chemicals.Continue reading

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The trunks of the same forest have a diameter ranging from 200mm to 400mm depending on the species (Image: Patrick Regnault)
Environment

Miyawaki afforestation – an appraisal

By Patrick Regnault

On social media, radio and television programs, the Miyawaki afforestation method is lauded as a solution to the environmental crisis and land degradation. Akira Miyawaki was a botanist and expert in plant ecology who developed a method of rapid reafforestation using native endemic species.Continue reading

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Environment

Newsbuds

Monitoring particulate matter with trees, shrubs and lichens

Cultural heritage in the form of historical buildings and their contents are heavily threatened by air pollution. Buildings surrounded by heavy traffic flows need constant monitoring to minimise the impact of exhaust gases and particulate matter on exposed surfaces.… Continue reading

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Environment

From food waste to soil food using machinery  

By Bruce Thompson

Australian households waste more than 2.5 million tonnes of food per year which equates to around 4kg per household per week. Although the various tiers of government would prefer all households to use compost bins, worm farms and bokashi systems to remove food waste from landfill, the reality is that machinery is required to make the process of food waste conversion to soil additive viable from a time-cost analysis perspective.Continue reading

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SPICEE, Installed 2016, suspended rotating living air plant sculpture, The Friends School, Hobart, Australia, photgraphed July 2019
Environment

Xeric Tillandsia offer sustainable integration into extreme urban environments

By Lloyd Godman

With expanding cities, foliage cover is often displaced and replaced with concrete and bitumen. A changing climate and increasing temperatures will place greater demands on ways to integrate plants into the urban environment to mitigate the heat island effect.Continue reading

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