permaculture

[Gary Gallon <cibe@web.net>]

                THE GALLON ENVIRONMENT LETTER
       Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment
           506 Victoria Ave., Montreal, Quebec H3Y 2R5
            Ph. (514) 369 0230, Fax (514) 369 3282
                    Email  cibe@web.net
                Vol. 3, No. 11, April 22, 1999 

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          INTERNATIONAL   INTERNATIONAL   INTERNATIONAL
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QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA'S CLEANER PRODUCTION PROGRAM

The Honourable Rod Welsford, Minister for Environment and 
Heritage (EPA) and Minister for Natural Resources, Queensland, 
Australia, announced initiatives for industry Cleaner Production 
Partnerships Program. It includes the Sustainable Industries 
Partnerships and Projects which serves Queensland industries 
with environment management advice and expertise, supplier 
networks, financial assistance programs, and recognition for 
best environmental practice achievement.

The program includse the Environment Industry and Technology 
program which assists the development of Queensland environment 
management industries and their capabilities through support for 
innovation, publicprivate sector collaboration, and enhanced 
market awareness. And it has the Sustainable Management Systems 
program which facilitates new and smarter management approaches 
for integrating business growth and environmental protection 
through measurable strategies for reducing material and energy 
intensity in industry, extending product durability and 
serviceability, and maximising the sustainable use of renewable 
resources. It also has a grants program for Queensland industry 
will provide financial assistance to companies, particularly small 
to medium enterprises, to undertake actions like waste and energy 
audits; cleaner production reviews; site management and environmental 
impact audits; implementation of Environment Management Systems; 
and, life cycle assessment. Contact, Murray Vincent, Project Officer, 
EPA, Department of Environment & Heritage, Ph. 07 32276599, 
Fax 07 32276670, email Murray.Vincent@env.qld.gov.au

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AUSTRALIA NGO GUIDE TO PURCHASING WOOD

In March 1999, the book, "Forest Friendly Building Timbers" 
was launched in Australia at the hardware chain stores in
Australia called, BBC Hardware. It was produced by Catholic 
priest, Father Paul Collins and coauthor, Alan Gray. 
The book, with the subtitle, "Don't Wreck Wildlife Homes to Build 
Yours," provides Australian consumers with information on sources 
of timbers either grown in plantations or from recycled sources. 
Within days of the book launch, the National Association of Forest 
Industries (NAFI) had its lawyers send letters to Gray, coeditor and 
publisher the Howard Smith Group, the parent company of BBC 
Hardware, and the book's distributors Gordon and Gotch, claiming 
that the contents of the book contravened provisions of the Trade 
Practices Act aimed at preventing "deceptive and misleading conduct." 
NAFI warned that unless Gray withdrew the book from sale within 
24 hours the forest industry would commence legal proceedings. 
However, Australia's corporate watchdog, the Australian Competition 
and Consumer Commission (ACCC), is, itself, investigating the timber 
industry body for possible breach of the anticompetitive behaviour.
NAFI executive director, Dr. Robert Bain complained that, "the aim 
behind the book is to advance the extremist campaign to stop all 
native forest logging in this country."

Earth Garden Publications, Alan Gray's company, and environment 
group The Wilderness Society have lodged formal complaints with 
the ACCC regarding the actions of NAFI. The complaints allege that 
the forest industry pressure that led to the withdrawal of the book from 
BBC Hardware stores constituted a breach of legislation designed to 
prevent anti competitive behaviour. By Bob Burton, Environment 
News Service (ENS) 1999. All Rights Reserved.  

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IFC WORLD BANK APPOINTS NEW ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) appointed an
officer to improve environmental and social performance for
private sector institutions that receive IFC funding. World Bank
and IFC president, James D. Wolfensohn, appointed Ms. Meg
Taylor as the first Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman for the IFC
and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). She
will operate at a vice presidential level, and will help address the
concerns of local communities which may be adversely affected
by IFC funded projects. Ms. Taylor, a national of Papua New
Guinea, received her LL.B. degree from Melbourne University,
Australia in 1974, and an LL.M. from Harvard University in 1986.
More information on IFC and MIGA environmental and social
matters can be seen at the websites
<http://www.ifc.org/enviro>http://www.ifc.org/enviro
and <http://www.miga.org/welcome.htm>http://www.miga.org/welcome.htm

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MEXICO  U.S. BORDER ENVIRONMENT MEETING

There are serious environmental problems on the border between
Mexico and the United States. This is primarily due to U.S. companies
setting up polluting operations just south of the U.S. border in Mexico
in places like Tijuana to produce goods that are exported back into the
United States. To address this issue, the Second Annual Meeting on the 
Border was held April 22, 1999, at the Hotel Camino Real in Tijuana.
Workshops, round table discussions, panels, border environment cyber 
cafe, and the resource fair were held. There was also a tour of Tijuana's 
Ecoparque (Eco  Park) where they have a decentralized wastewater
treatment and water reuse center. Check the website at 
<http://w3.arizona.edu/%7Elaac/bordconf.htm>http://w3.arizona.edu/~laac/bor
dconf.htm

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WORLD WILDLIFE FUND IN EUROPE CALLS FOR
ACTION ON MINE TAILINGS

Highly toxic waste from metal mining poses a major threat 
to the environment and human health across Europe, and 
existing laws can do little to solve the problem, reports the
World Wide Fund for Nature, headquartered in Gland,
Switzerland. A year after a waste storage lagoon burst at 
Boliden Ltd.'s Los Frailes zinc mine in Spain, sending a 
toxic wave into Donana national park, the World Wide Fund 
for Nature warned this could just be the tip of the iceberg. 

WWF reported that, "in five European countries, we have 
evidence of spillages and severe pollution of river basins
from leaking mine tailings."  WWF set out a fivepoint plan 
to improve mine tailing sites in Europe. It recommended that
the European Commission should draw up an inventory of 
toxic mine tailings lagoons in Europe and should develop
safer ways of handling mine tailings, including strengthening
legislation on pollution spills and ensure that existing mining
rules are being properly put into practice.

Mining companies store waste from metal extraction under 
water to stop it coming into contact with the air, which would 
cause a greater environmental risk, according to Corina Hebestreit 
of Euromines, the European Association of Mining Industries. 
Source,  (C) Reuters Limited 1999.  Planet Ark News at 
website <http://www.planetark.org/>http://www.planetark.org

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BP AMOCO OIL COMPANY DIVERSIFYING INTO RENEWABLES
SPLIT IN OIL INDUSTRY ON COMMITMENTS TO KYOTO

As EXXON and its sister company, Imperial Oil Ltd., fight 
efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and efforts to
meet the internationally approved Kyoto Protocol to reduce 
global warming gases, British Petroleum (BP Ltd.) and Amoco 
continue to meet their international responsibilities to reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions. In their latest move, BP Amoco 
announced that about 200 of its service stations worldwide 
will be given solar power. It is the largest single project of its 
kind ever undertaken. According to the BP announcement, 
solar electricity will help meet the power needs of all new 
service stations to be built in the UK, Australia, Germany, 
Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Japan, Portugal and 
Spain. 

Solar installations will also be incorporated into 
prototype sites in France and the US as part of an extended 
pilot program. The program will start with a twoyear, 
$50 million effort to install up to 400 solar panels on each 
fuel pump canopy at some 200 service stations across eleven 
countries. The 3.5 megawatt project will save around 3,500 tons 
of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions every year (one kilowatt of 
solar power installed saves the equivalent of one ton of CO2 
emissions per year.). It will also make BP Amoco one of the 
world's largest users of solar power in addition to its statue as 
one of the world's largest manufacturers of solar cells and 
modules. Visit the website of the recently merged BP Amoco 
oil companies website <http://www.bpamoco.com/>http://www.bpamoco.com/

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US. DEPT OF ENERGY REPORT ON CARBON SEQUESTRATION

DOE released a 200page "working draft" detailing the 
emerging science and technology of carbon sequestration  
the capture and secure storage of carbon dioxide emitted 
from the combustion of fossil fuels. The draft report provides 
a starting point for government, industry and academia to begin 
setting priorities and identifying specific directions for research 
and development activities that could extend over the next quarter 
century. The report focuses on ways to reduce carbon dioxide 
levels in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is one of the primary gases 
that contribute to the "greenhouse effect"  the phenomena where 
certain trace gases in the atmosphere trap earth's radiated energy, 
causing a gradual warming of the earth's surface.

The draft report was developed jointly by DOE's Office of Science 
and Office of Fossil Energy with assistance from national laboratories, 
the department's Federal Energy Technology Center, and experts from 
academic and industry groups. A limited number of printed copies are 
available from the DOE Fossil Energy Communications Office at 
ph. (202) 5866503. For more information, contact, Robert C. Porter, 
DOE Office of Fossil Energy, (202) 5866503, email 
robert.porter@hq.doe.gov . The report is available in electronic form 
from the Office of Fossil Energy website at 
<http://www.fe.doe.gov/sequestration>http://www.fe.doe.gov/sequestration
or, the
Office of Science's website 
at <http://www.er.doe.gov/>http://www.er.doe.gov  

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GREEN TAXES IN EUROPE

A detailed new report on the potential for environmental and carbon
taxes in Europe has been released, called Report 1995:7, entitled, "A 
Painless Solution, An Analysis of Two Alternatives for Global 
Taxation for Financing Climate Activities Under the United Nations
Umbrella". The purpose of the report is to provide an interdisiplinary 
analysis on complex fiscal and taxation implications of green taxes. 
The report comes from a group of economists and experts from 
different institutions. Vetle Hvidsten and Birger Vikøren from 
Norges Bank (the Central Bank of Norway), are dealing especially 
with the "Tobin tax", Jan Fuglestvedt from CICERO writes on how 
air traffic affects climate, Hans Christian Bugge from the Legal 
Department of the University of Oslo focuses especially on the 
technical and legal aspects, and Asbjørn Aaheim and Rolf Selrod 
from CICERO concentrated on climate issues and a possible tax 
on aviation.

One of the proposed taxes is on air transportation. Planes are a major
source of greenhouse gases and could be assessed with a green tax on a
polluter pay principle. The revenues generated by the tax could be used 
to reduce greenhouse gases in developing countries. To establish a tax
fund from plane assessment revenues with an illustrative figure of 
US $10 billion revenue per year, we would need about US $9.00 as an 
average charge per passenger (departure tax), or about 0.5 US cent per 
passenger kilometre, or a tax on an average flight of about US $650.00.

The combustion of fossil fuel by aircraft gives emissions of 
pollutants well known from other environmental problems: 
CO2, carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO + NO2 = 
Nox), hydrocarbons (HC), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and soot/particles, 
in addition to production of water vapour (H2O). Aircraft's emits 
about 3% of the global emissions of CO2, thereby contributing 
directly to the enhancement of the greenhouse effect and climate 
change. Due to the long lifetime of CO2, the climate impact of 
CO2 emissions is independent of the spatial location of the emissions. 
This is not the case for emissions of NOx and this gas has received 
much attention due to the effects on the concentrations atmospheric 
ozone (O3) which is an important climate gas.

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OIL SPILL BY MOBIL OIL IN NIGERIA

WARRI, Nigeria  Nigerian communities demanding compensation 
for a Mobil Corp oil spill threatened to halt the operations of other 
oil majors working in the Niger Delta. A statement from the group of 61
communities said Royal Dutch/Shell, Chevron Corp, Agip and Texaco 
would be targeted To put pressure on Mobil to pay for damage which 
they allege was caused by a ruptured oil pipeline. "We will take 
appropriate steps to make operation difficult or impossible 
for all oil companies in Niger Delta if that is what Mobil wants," said a 
statement from the Association of Mobil Spill Affected Communities 
group. The compensation claims follow a spill from Mobil's Idoho 
offshore platform in January 1998, which affected some communities
further west along Nigeria's coast where Mobil itself has no operations. 
(C) Reuters Limited 1999. Source, Planet Ark website 
<http://www.planetark.org/>http://www.planetark.org

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IRELAND'S REPORT ON GLASS IN RECYCLING

Studies on glass in recycling in Ireland and the U.K. produced 
interesting results. The Irish government environmental information 
service (ENFO) provided the information. Reminding us that from
2,000 to 3,000 bottles\jars to make 1 metric tonne, ENFO found that
the average household in Ireland discards 1.4 kilos of glass per week.
It found that glass products constitute 7.5% of Irish domestic waste.
By weight, up to 80% of raw recycling material can be waste glass.
More information at ENFO's website <http://www.enfo.ie/>http://www.enfo.ie   
Email info@enfo.ie

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IN INDONESIA DIMINISHED

A special report by Asia Environmental Review (ASER) 
found that Indonesia's financial crisis has meant the nation's 
efforts to prevent pollution and environmental degradation 
are "on the brink of collapse" according to Mr. Sudarsono, 
Secretary to Indonesia's Minister for Environment. The crisis 
has also meant that environmental management strategies have 
had to be adjusted, Sudarsono told a seminar in Australia on 
environmental business prospects in Indonesia. There has been 
a reduced focus on monitoring and enforcement while more 
support is provided to meet basic human needs, he said. Commenting 
on the passage last year of Law Number 23/1997 on Environmental 
Management, Sudarsono said the Indonesian Government is 
preparing eight environmental regulations under the Act. 

Mr. Sudarsono said that the Government had recently appointed 
24 civil investigators to work with police officers on investigations 
of breaches of environmental laws, including the illegal lighting of 
forest fires. Yanti Koestoer, the Jakartabased marketing manager 
with Australia's Austrade said that despite the dramatic drops in 
private sector environmental work, some opportunities remain within 
the environment and water sectors because of internationallyfunded 
projects in these sectors by the World Bank and the Asia Development
Bank (ADB).

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INDONESIA HAS 5% OF ITS POPULTATION CONNECTED 
TO SEWERS AND
50% CONNECTED TO CLEAN WATER SUPPLIES

Only 5% of urban dwellers in Indonesia are connected to proper
sewage treatment systems. About 49% of Indonesia's urban 
population (37.2 million people) had access to clean drinking 
water through the public piped water supply system, according to 
Sunaryo Sumadji, Secretary General of Indonesia's Ministry of Public 
Works. Existing old pipelines have so many cracks and breaks that
the Indonesian water system pumps and losses 40% of its total clean
water production. Commenting on solid waste management in 
Indonesia, Sunaryo Sumadji stated that public facilities for solid 
waste management were operating in 188 cities, servicing about 
12.2 million people. Indonesia, in a scramble to generate more
hard currency revenue made a decision to support import into 
Indonesia of hazardous waste from Singapore.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION ON INDONESIA'S ENVIRONMENT

For more information about Indonesia's environment, contact, 
ICEL Tel. +62 21 7394432 Fax+62 21 7233390, Email icel@igc.apc.org 
Check the Indonesian Nature Conservation database at 
<http://www.bart.nl/%7Eedcolijn>http://www.bart.nl/~edcolijn/   Also, contact
Dr. Louis Lebel Institute 
of Research & Development Walailak University, Tha Sala, Nakhon
sritammarat 80160, Thailand, email  louis@praduu2.wu.ac.th  Fax
6675384271 Tel  6675384000 ext 3555.
Or visit the Global Change Impacts Centre for Southeast Asia (ICSEA) 
website at  <http://www.icsea.or.id/>http://www.icsea.or.id/   or the
Southeast Asian Science Policy Advisory Network (SEASPAN)
<http://www.icsea.or.id/seaspan>http://www.icsea.or.id/seaspan/ SARCS
Integrated
Study
<http://www.dataserv.com.au/sarcsisp.html>http://www.dataserv.com.au/sarcsi
sp.html Walailak University
<http://www.wu.ac.th/>http://www.wu.ac.th/

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              CANADA    CANADA    CANADA    CANADA
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CARLETON UNIVERSITY TO HOST CONFERENCE
ON SECURITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at the Carleton 
University, Ottawa will host a conference on human security, social
equity and sustainable development, September 18 and 19, 1999.
Contact, Human Security Conference Committee, Norman Paterson 
School of International Affairs, Level 2A Paterson Hall, Carleton 
University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6
email  human_security@carleton.ca or visit the website at 
http://www.carleton.ca/humsec

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ATTEND CANADA'S LATIN AMERICA EXPORT 
BUSINESS TRAINING

The Newfoundland, Environment Industry Association (NEIA)
will plan to host with Industry Canada a "Latin America Export 
Readiness Training and Market Information Session", May 13th,
1999, at the Delta Hotel and Conference Center in St. John's, 
New Brunswick. Guest presenters include Dr. Dorothy Riddle 
(Service Growth Consultants) and Ms. Doreen Conrad (DFAIT).
Contact, Trent Langdon, NEIA Programs Coordinator at Tel 
(709) 7723013 Email  trent@neia.org or Bryan Holland, 
Communications Manager,  Tel. (709) 772 3337,  Fax (709) 
772 3213,  Email bryan@neia.org, Website http://www.neia.org

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JOIN THE CANADIAN ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY 
ASSOCIATION (CEIA)

If you are a company working in the environment in Canada, join the
Canadian Environment Industry Association (CEIA). It is a business
association that provides support for better business in environmental 
protection, sustainable development, and climate change. CEIA serves 
as a forum for the development of consistent national messages on 
priority issues affecting the industry. As the voice of the industry, 
CEIA works to ensure that the concerns of the environment industry 
are represented to the federal government. CEIA encourages and 
facilitates the development of national strategies for export growth, 
both industrywide and for specific sectors within the environment 
industry. 

CEIA offers its Members a range of specific services. A weekly 
bulletin provides timely market intelligence and information 
on domestic and international business opportunities. CEIA's 
conferences, seminars and business events create opportunities for 
members to network and enjoy professional and business development. 
CEIA's Internetbased Environmental Business Network (EBNet) 
provides immediate access to information on the environment industry 
throughout Canada, with links to Canadian environmental companies. 
The National Environmental Exporters (NEE) online searchable 
database lets buyers from around the world browse the capabilities 
of export oriented Canadian environmental firms. The monthly 
CEIA Calendar lists conferences, courses and trade shows across 
Canada and around the world. If you wish to obtain the services of a 
company in Canada, contact Ron Portelli, President, Canadian 
Environment Industry Association, 350 Sparks St., Suite 208, 
Ottawa, Ontario K1R 7S8, Tel. (613) 236 6222, Fax (613) 2366850 
Email: info@ceiaacie.ca   website  http://www.ceiaacie.ca/

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     Copyright (c) 1999 Canadian Institute for
      Business and the Environment, Montreal
              All rights reserved.
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