Why care about waste?

Did you know…

Everything we use is made from natural resources or raw materials or energy that we take from our environment. Natural resources are available only in limited amounts. It would be bad news if we use them up. To use resources we must extract them from the environment, process and make things with them, ship those things, use them and dispose of them. This affects our planet every step of the way. Victorian households on average generate 947kg of rubbish a year!! If we don’t start acting now, we will permanently damage our environment forever!!!

To become more sustainable and waste wise you should reduce, reuse and recycle, which will dramatically improve our environmental impact!!!

• Only buy what you really need.

• Try borrowing or renting books, tools or items that you’ll use only briefly or occasionally.

• Avoid disposable items, like paper towels, cups or napkins.

• Try rags, ceramic cups or cloth napkins instead.

• If something is broken, give it a new life! Refurnish or repair it.

• If you can’t use something again yourself then sell it or give it away.

Find out what can be recycled in your community – and do it! Remember, only put something in the trash as a last resort.

What it a shopper to do?

• Buy products in large packages if you can use them. Larger packages have less packaging per unit of product.
• Buy products with the least amount of packaging that is recycled and recyclable.
• Look for actual products made from recycled content.
• When buying durable goods - like furniture, equipment, tools, or toys – consider buying used rather than new.
• It is a good idea to take your own shopping bags to all kinds of stores.
• products with minimal packaging, or with packaging that you can reuse or recycle.

Isnt Trash, just... Trash?

The shear volume of trash we generate in Australia is a big problem. The things we throw away don’t really go away. There’s no such place as "away"! A whole lot of what we toss is actually useful stuff. As much as three quarters of our household waste could be recycled, reused, repaired, composted or otherwise put to good use! Minimising the amount of waste we generate in the first place is an important way to lessen our impacts on the environment.

So why is packaging an issue?
Did you know…

More than one third of our household waste is packaging material. Packaging – just like everything else – is made of valuable natural resources. You can find lots of opportunities to reduce, reuse and recycle with packaging. It’s best to try and avoid packaging whenever possible. When you can’t avoid packaging, try to find products with minimal packaging, or with packaging that you can reuse or recycle.

What's the scoop on Composting!

Did you know that a lot of our household waste can be composted? Most of our household waste is kitchen scraps or yard waste. If you live in an apartment, you can set up a small box composting system. Fruit peel and vegetable scraps, yard trimmings and even some paper products can be composted. Composting is a natural process so it’s not hard to do. With just a little time and attention, you can help nature turn garbage into something useful.

Recycling at Mater Christi

Mater Christi is in the Shire of Yarra Ranges and one way that the Shire of Yarra Ranges residents can contribute is to recycle correctly. All of the following materials can be collected for recycling at kerbside Fortnightly / Weekly in the Shire Of Yarra Ranges area.

• Aluminium Cans
  
• Glass Bottles/Jars
  
• Milk Cartons
  
• Newspapers
  
• Office paper
• Juice Cartons
• Magazines
• Aluminium Foil
• Cardboard
• PET Plastic (#1)
• HDPE Plastic (#2)
• PVC Plastic (#3)
• Steel Aerosol Cans
• Steel Food Cans

If you would like to know what materials could be recycled around your area, just ask your local council.

Biodiversity - Did you know?

• Since 1950, 600 000 plant and animal species have disappeared and nearly 40 000 more are now under threat
• By 2025 humans will be using 90% of all available fresh water, leaving just 10% for plants and animals.

Every 2 seconds, an area of forest the size of a football oval is logged or burned

• In the last 50 years, nearly half of the worlds forests have been lost.
• Unclean water, sanitation and air pollution kills 15 million people a year.
• On an average day, Australia receives enough sunshine to supply 25 times the countries yearly energy needs.

Here are a few tips on how we can all help to preserve our biodiversity:

• Australia produces about one billion milk and juice cartons per year, and about half of these are recycled.
• A single milk carton can produce 5 sheets of A4 paper.
• By fixing a leaking tap, you can save up to 30 litres of water per day.
• Leave dead and fallen leaves and timber, especially hollow logs, which are home to some of our threatened species.
• If all Australians recycled paper, we could save more than 40 million trees each year.

Environment Actions!

Here are a few suggestions on how we can all take action in helping the environment:

• Separate your waste products from those that can be recycled such as glass, paper and plastics.
• Avoid foods served in plastic or polystyrene containers.
• Buy organic foods.
• Open a window instead of using aerosol air fresheners, or if its hot. If its cold, put on more clothing before turning on the heater.
• If you need to get somewhere, and its in walking distance, don’t get your parents to drive you there, walk or ride your bike.
• Turn off the lights when leaving a room as well as any appliances that aren’t being used.

Helmated Honey Eater!

Mater Christi Environment group is a member of the friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater. As part of the membership you can purchase Helmeted Honeyeater merchandise. If you would like more information or order forms see Sr. Maureen. Some of the items are:

• Memo Note Pads $3.50 with a bird on every page
• Cards $2.00 butterfly, native flowers
• Baseball caps $5.00 green, blue, with bird

T-shirt $20.00 with bird and name

Frogs in the Yarra Ranges!

The Yarra Ranges now have 10 known frog species. A Melbourne Water search of local waterways confirmed the frogs existence and the Amphibian Research centre confirmed the identification of the 10 frogs. Volunteers conducted the recent search and the 10 frogs are listed below!

• Common froglet
• Southern brown tree frog
• Smooth froglet
• Growling grass frog
• Whistle tree frog
• Peron’s tree frog
• Popplebonk frog
• Spotted march frog
• Striped marsh frog
• Southern toadlet

Nigaloo Reef!

Author Tim Winton has donated $25,000 in prize money to help save one of Western Australia’s greatest natural features, Ningaloo Reef. The Premier’s Book Award prize money was for his latest novel, Dirt Music, and it will be used to help save Ningaloo Reef. The Ningaloo Reef is a 280km strip of coral reef that skirts the Cape Range Peninsula, about 1200km north of Perth.

Environment Careers Info:

There is a Careers Day at Melbourne Aquarium that will be held on Friday 21^st June. Students have an opportunity to discover a range of careers related to Marine Science. A behind the scene tour is part of the day. Limited bookings are available and more details are on the website Melbourne aquarium.

MARINE BIOLOGIST

Marine biologists study the origin, structure, functions & behaviour of all forms of life in the sea, and connected water bodies, and how they are affected by environmental factors.

To become a marine biologist usually requires the completion of a degree in science or applied science, with a major in Marine Biology or marine science.

Entry to these courses requires VCE with passes in English, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry or Physics.

Marine Biologists are required to work both in the laboratory and for extended periods at sea or at a shore based field station.

Environmental engineers are concerned with assessing & managing the effects of human and other activity on the natural and built environment. They apply their engineering knowledge and skills to such things as environmental impact assessment, natural resources management and pollution control.

To become an environmental engineer usually requires the completion of a degree in environmental engineering. Entry to these courses usually requires the completion of VCE with passes in English, Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry or Science.

Environmental engineers may specialize in particular industry sectors such as mining, the chemical industry and civil engineering projects.

References:

• Lobster mascot, turtle, shark, (was obtained from Sherman’s lagoon by Jim Toomey)

• Reduce Reuse Recycle, (Recycle Arizona)

• Kerbside recycles

• Biodiversity, (Safeway milk carton)

• Environment actions, (B Magazine)

• Helmeted honeyeater, (Honeyeater newsletter)

• Frogs, (newspaper)

• Ningaloo Reef, (newspaper)

• Careers news, (Melbourne aquarium news from blue zoo)

Well it’s time to go!! See you in the next issue of Lobster Watch!! Remember to drop you questions and info in the blue box in Sr. Maureen’s office!!! But before I go, turn the page and have a go at the Massive Lobster Word Search!! Have fun!!