Voluntary waste industry protocol for the handling of early collected carbon charges in the landfill sector

The landfill industry, through the Australian Landfill Owners Association and the Australian Local Government Association, has developed this voluntary protocol to ensure that the early collected carbon charges are returned for consumer benefit. Individual landfill owners will have the option to accept to be bound by the protocol. Those who accept shall be identified on the Department of the Environment’s website. The protocol will not override contractual arrangements between landfill operators and their customers. The Minister for the Environment has issued a statement supporting the protocol and calling for wide participation by the landfill industry and other groups in the protocol. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has also encouraged landfill industry participants to work with the Government to negotiate an appropriate solution for the handling of early collected carbon charges

Promoting energy efficiency in the private rented sector

The English House Condition Survey for 1991 demonstrated that levels of energy efficiency in private rented property are significantly below other sectors, even though energy improvements have tangible benefits for landlords. The low level of energy efficiency provision in the private rented sector indicates that landlords are unaware or unconvinced of these benefits and market barriers may have restricted uptake. Information regarding energy efficiency advice to the private rented HMO sector has focussed on offering good practice design guidance, and information about the level of fitness and overall characteristics of the sector. This research project evaluated the PRESS scheme, which encouraged landlords to introduce energy efficiency measures. A total of 78 private sector rented properties in Sheffield were analysed with retrofit measures to improve levels of energy efficiency. The results demonstrate that whilst market barriers exist, the PRESS scheme went some way to overcoming some barriers to energy efficiency.<br /

Decimal growth scale of cereals

Accurate assessment of growth stage is important because the cereal plant\u27s response to herbicide, growth regulator or fertiliser application depends on its stage of development

Effect of frost on cereal grain crops

Loss of wheat production due to frost damage is not common in Victoria. However, while the total loss is rarely great, individual growers can suffer heavy losses in some years. The factors exposing crops to loss are discussed along with tips to minimise the potential for frost damage to occur

Growing wheat

Wheat is the most important cereal grain in world commerce. The framework for all winter crop production in Victoria, Australia, is based on the principles and practice of successful wheat farming. This Agriculture Note gives an overview of those principles

Growing canola

Canola is a profitable cropping option for many cropping regions of Victoria and it also brings diversity in terms of cropping rotations. Background information is provided for potential growers, agri-industry and students

Estimating crop yields and crop losses

Accurate, early estimations of grain yield and crop loss are important skills in grain production and extensive personal experience is essential for estimating yields at early stages of growth

Identification of cereal seedlings

In order to identify different cereal species, close observation of the seedlings at the junction of the leaf-sheath and leaf-blade is required. This Ag Note helps to distinguish the different cereal species

Rattan nursery (1)

The Philippines is endowed with the rich natural resources inherent in many tropical countries. The plant species are so diverse that many plant forms have become integral components in the way of life of many Filipinos. Aside from the woody trees that are the major and dominant components of forest ecosystems, rattans are considered as highly important non-wood forest resources. Over time the rattans became very important sources of livelihood and the mainstays of the global cane industry common to most ASEAN countries. In a recent report, the Philippines was regarded as the centre of the rattan furniture industry and highly acclaimed with the best and most elegant designs known in the world. Rattan poles and finished products have been the top exports. Like any forest product derived from the wild in high demand, rattans in natural stands suffered from heavy extraction. Such pressure was felt in the 1970s, prompting the government to impose a ban on the export of raw materials. This situation was however, partly addressed by replenishing the raw materials by artificial means through plantation establishment. Interest was sustained in rattan nursery improvement because of the governments’ policy of using rattans as reforestation species to rehabilitate watershed areas with added productive value, along with other commercial species. The integration of rattans in forest plantation development opened avenues for livelihood development options for upland dwellers on one hand and for future augmentation of supply of resources on the other. Government projects and tenurial agreements that include rattan are the Upland Development Projects (UDP), Community Forestry Projects (CFP), the Community Based Forest Management (CBFM), the Socialized Integrated Forest Management Agreement (SIFMA) and the Integrated Forest Management Agreement (IFMA). In the private sector the National Development Corporation in collaboration with the Paper Industries Corporation and what was then Provident Farms, Inc. engaged in massive plantation development on a commercial scale. This developed opportunities to explore practical methods of rattan nursery protocols, including seed germination. One step towards the establishment of a plantation is the propagation of planting stock in the nursery. Initially, the government spearheaded the trial planting of this relatively new plantation crop. The dearth of technology on rattan nurseries compelled the government to develop appropriate methods in order to be able to establish plantations. Research work was conducted to explore the technology for rattan seed germination, nursery establishment and silviculture. Thus, the protocols for raising planting stock were developed and were disseminated by various means such as print medium (How to Series, Research Digest), pilot demonstrations and training.Community rattan nurser

Antimicrobial resistance: a biopsychosocial problem requiring innovative interdisciplinary and imaginative interventions

To date, antimicrobials have been understood through largely biomedical perspectives. There has been a tendency to focus upon the effectiveness of pharmaceuticals within individual bodies. However, the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance demands we reconsider how we think about antimicrobials and their effects. Rather than understanding them primarily within bodies, it is increasingly important to consider their effects between bodies, between species and across environments. We need to reduce the drivers of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at a global level, focusing on the connections between prescribing in one country and resistance mechanisms in another. We need to engage with the ways antimicrobials within the food chain will impact upon human healthcare. Moreover, we need to realise what happens within the ward will impact upon the environment (through waste water). In the future, imaginative interventions will be required that must make the most of biomedicine but draw equally across a wider range of disciplines (e.g. engineering, ecologists) and include an ever-increasing set of professionals (e.g. nurses, veterinarians and farmers). Such collective action demands a shift to working in new interdisciplinary, inter-professional ways. Mutual respect and understanding is required to enable each perspective to be combined to yield synergistic effects