Sustainability and zero waste on Islands?
Some 11 islands in the North Sea belonging to Germany, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands and Britain are taking part in a project to carve out a sustainable, zero waste region. The project will be using the cradle to cradle model of German chemist Michael Braungart, in which material flows cyclically and all ‘waste’ is either reused or organically decomposed.
Braungart, who wants the project to be a catalyst for innovation across the whole region, helped popularise the cradle to cradle model that, according to his website (http://www.braungart.com/indexEN.html), advocates using “environmentally safe and healthy materials; design for material reutilisation, such as recycling or composting; the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency; efficient use of water, and maximum water quality associated with production; and instituting strategies for social responsibility”.
A range of innovations will be put to the test, including electric vehicles, a desalination system for drinking water that removes salt in a usable form, the purification of household wastewater, and new buildings with paint on the internal walls containing micro-organisms that clean the air, and cement on the external walls that removes particulates from the atmosphere.
European universities will test small-scale energy generation, transport and water management projects. The target is to make the islands “self sustaining” by 2030, according to the officials of the northern Dutch province of Friesland who will be managing the project.
Different islands will showcase different innovations and renewables ideas. Britain's Shetland Islands, a group of 100 islands north of Scotland, will trial generation of energy from waves and tidal streams along its coastline and between the islands. The Dutch islands of Texel and Ameland will get a network of electric motor scooters and recharging posts, while a Dutch water research company, Wetsus, will experiment with a system to produce electricity by mixing salt water and fresh water. More from: http://www.environmentalmanagementnews.net/StoryView.asp?StoryID=1002491
Who invented the Telescope?
Glen Moore, Director of the Wollongong Science Centre and Planetarium (http://sciencecentre.uow.edu.au) reports on an ongoing debate in this international year of Astronomy.
"The invention of the telescope was a major advance in the science of Astronomy, but who invented it? Maybe you think you already know the answer.
Well, what would you say if I told you that you're probably wrong? After all, it was Galileo Galilei who invented it, right? You might be surprised by the answer to that question. Although Galileo Galilei was a great astronomer, he didn't invent the telescope.
If not Galileo, then who? A man named Hans Lipperhey invented the telescope. He was born in Wesel, Germany and made his home in Middleburg, part of the Zeeland province in the Netherlands. He was married there in 1594, and became a citizen in 1602. He was a spectacle-maker by trade.
The Italians developed new glass-making techniques which were introduced to the Netherlands in the 1590's. These new techniques helped to bring about new ideas and innovations in the glass-making community and people started to experiment with different ways to combine lenses.
Where is the proof? Many other people claim to have invented the telescope, but Hans Lipperhey is the only person documented to have applied for a patent for the device.
Child's play. Legend has it that it wasn't Hans himself, but his children who actually invented the telescope while they were playing.
A Geosynthetic alliance for water and gas
Local investment company E&A has formed an alliance with US-based Layfield Geosynthetics & Industrial Fabrics to boost its reach installing geosynthetic materials and industrial fabrics. Layfield and E&A subsidiary Fabtech SA specialise in producing the materials for storage dams, floating covers and other membranes and liners for collecting and conserving water, wastewater and biogas recovery.
“This alliance will create a source of unrivalled global expertise for water catchment and conservation, as well as advancing the science of biogas collection, which has the potential to become a major new source of industrial energy,” E&A’s executive chairman Stephen Young said.
“The scope of the alliance will include the supply, distribution and promotion of Layfield’s specialised products in Australia by Fabtech, as well as extensive technology transfer in design, fabrication, installation and marketing practices between the two companies.
“Fabtech’s industry leading expertise of geo-membrane containment systems and floating covers in conjunction with Layfield’s highly engineered geo-membrane materials, will provide the Australian market with access to industry leading geo-membrane system designs and materials.”
E&A has a 24 year history of providing services to the resources, environmental and water industries and has been working with Layfield “for a number of years” in areas of common interest, including thin film geo-membrane technology and advanced geo-membrane design solutions.
Its subsidiary, Fabtech, was established in 1986 and has grown from a rural-based fabricator of rainwater tank liners to a national provider of flexible geo-membrane liners and floating covers for dams, reservoirs and tunnels in industries including mining and potable and waste water containment. Fabtech’s flagship project is a 367,000 square metre floating cover and liner it created for the Potts Hill Reservoir in Sydney.
Layfield is a fully owned subsidiary of the Layfield Group, a US company that designs, manufactures, fabricates, installs and distributes a diverse range of environmental, construction and industrial products and services. Sourced from www.EnvironmentalManagementNews.net
Uni gets into SMART Infrastructure
The University of Wollongong has won $35M in Commonwealth funding towards its Higher Education Endowment Fund (HEEF proposal) – a $50M, 10,000m2 facility – the SMART (Simulation, Modelling and Analysis for Research and Teaching) Infrastructure Facility (artist impression above). The SMART Infrastructure Facility will be the first facility of its kind in the world, bringing together teaching and research across all infrastructure issues from transport and railways, to water, telecommunications and energy.
The proposal draws together the University’s expertise in Engineering, Science, Commerce and Information Technologies to develop the comprehensive research and training facility to address the many issues relating to infrastructure development. Its hub will be a simulation and analysis facility using mathematical, statistical and IT techniques to simulate the characteristics of national infrastructure grids. The grant is the largest single funding ever obtained by the University. More at: http://media.uow.edu.au/releases/UOW053267.html
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