Turning over a

NEW LEAF

Heeding the call on climate change

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Contents4 The gen on water recycling

5 Meet Team Green

6 Cover story: Climate Change centre solvesmystery of the dry

8 Monitoring silicon cells just got easier

9 How green is my campus

10 The map of green UNSW

12 Taking green work into the community

13 Green innovations go global

14 Where waters meet

16 Gum tree in a time machine

17 Landscape’s history lesson

18 Greening coal

19 Flight of the waterbirds

20 Last Word: Deo Prasad onenvironmental leadership

Dr Paul Brown, environmentalist, scriptwriter and Head of the School of History and Philosophy, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

What attracted you to workin the environment?I grew up in Oatley, home to someearly environmental activists. I dida Geology PhD because I wasinterested in natural history andthe earth sciences. Maybe I hadsome mis-spent years, because inthe 1970s I became interested inpolitical street theatre! Later I tooka further degree in History andPhilosophy of Science; and in theearly ’90s I was GreenpeaceAustralia’s Campaign Manager. Allthat comes together now inenvironmental policy andmanagement.

How do the humanitiescontribute to environmentalresearch?Changing society’s response meansunderstanding human values andmoral responsibility to take action.Science provides a chilling accountof environmental problems, yet we also need the inputs from environmental ethics, and fromhistorical accounts of how human society can change; and clear thinking about the social andpolitical dimensions of technology.

Why the interest in theatre and film?My research emerges in scholarly work as well as theatre and film. I became heavily involved incommunity cultural development in the 1980s. One of the theatre projects I was involved infocused on the Murray River and what it meant to the people in the Albury—Wodonga area. Theconcept behind this type of theatre is that knowledge comes from unrest and dissent and that byaddressing the dissent in this way, you manage it and hopefully develop environmental solutions.I’m still involved in scriptwriting, and I recently made an SBS Television documentary about thetoxic waste around Botany Bay, called 60,000 Barrels.

Do you have environmental interests outside of work?I live in a house that was originally a workers’ cottage, but we overhauled it, so that it is nowenergy efficient and has a solar passive design. Our latest project is that our nine-year-olddaughter wants to run a windmill on the back shed to power the light there!

What inspires you?The passion of the staff and students with whom I work.

What would an ideal weekend entail?As long as there’s a settling 10 km run, breakfast with those I love most, and glimpses of bushand sea, the rest falls into place.

— Susi Hamilton

Uniken is produced by the UNSW Media Office T 02 9385 2873 E uniken@unsw.edu.auwww.unsw.edu.au/news/pad/uniken.html

Editor: Mary O’Malley

Editorial team: Erin Rutherford, Jane Hunter,Susi Hamilton, Victoria Collins, Dan Gaffney, BradHall and Judy Brookman.

Design and production: Gadfly Media

Proofreading: Pam Dunne

On the cover: Leaf by Australian Picture Library.

Australia Post print approved PP224709/00021

UNSW, Sydney NSW 2052CRICOS Provider No 00098G

Five minutes with ...

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The Faculty of Law is developing adistinctive approach to commercial lawwith a focus on social justice, according

to Dean Professor David Dixon.“This is a very exciting time for commercial

law at UNSW,” Professor Dixon says. “We arebringing in new staff to develop the area anddeveloping our own distinctive approach.

“Longer standing colleagues, AngusCorbett and Deborah Healey for example,have had this orientation in their work, butthese new appointments will extend andstrengthen the social justice approach.”

Professor Dimity Kingsford Smith is takingthe lead in developing commercial andcorporate law, securities and financialproduct regulation. She also has teachingand research interests in regulatory studies, asking not only what the law is, but how it might better meet publicregulatory purposes.

The Faculty recently welcomed ProfessorRoss Buckley, an expert in banking and finance law.

“The interesting thing about ProfessorBuckley is that he works in a very centralcommercial area but has the ability to put it in a much broader context, including the

kind of social justice perspective which fitsUNSW’s tradition,” Professor Dixon says.

Associate Professor Joellen Riley alsojoined the faculty recently. Her teaching and

research couples commercial law withworkplace relations law and policy. Theinterests of employees and workers haveoften been downplayed or overlooked incommercial and corporate law.

Younger academics such as Bryan Mercurio(world trade); Dr Hui (Robin) Huang (securitiesregulation); and Justine Nolan and Gig Moonwho work on the overlap of human rights andcorporate law, are also focused on the socialresponsibility side of commercial law. Theyare, according to Professor Dixon, the stars ofthe future. n

—Victoria Collins

New order in the courtThe jury is still out. It is considering the case ofa man accused of killing his wife’s ex-partnerwho was stabbed 36 times and shot with an airrifle. The man is known to have borrowed arifle from a friend; there is no eyewitness butforensic DNA trace evidence is central.

But it’s not the verdict that is of most interestin this case. It is the weight given to thecircumstantial DNA evidence in deliberations.

The jurors are participants in mock trialsconducted as part of a cross-faculty projectbetween Medicine and Science on the use ofmultimedia to assist juries with complexexpert evidence.

Associate Professor Jane Goodman-Delahunty, in Forensic Psychology and DrLindsay Hewson from the Education MediaUnit in Medical Sciences spent two monthslate last year conducting on-campus and

online mock murder trials.”We formulated this project in response to

the Australian Law Reform Commissionrecommendations to help juries avoid errorsin assessing complex probabilistic evidence”says Dr Hewson.

Following a model applied in a recent NSWcourt, jurors in these simulated trials wereprovided rigorously researched evidence onDNA technology and statistical probability.“The material is scientifically accurate,unbiased and acceptable to both theprosecution and the defence — no easy task,”says Dr Hewson.

“One question we are testing is how muchjurors know about DNA and whetherpresenting this information using multimediareduces common misunderstandings ofexpert evidence and assists jurors to accord

scientific evidence more appropriate weight.” “What’s innovative in this study is the

development of a generic tutorial suitable foruse in many DNA-based cases and its deliveryvia multimedia,” says Associate ProfessorGoodman-Delahunty. “Our goal is to be ableto make recommendations to Australiancourts on ways to present DNA evidencemore effectively.“ n

— Mary O’Malley

Commercial law & socialresponsibility

“ “

Ross Buckley and Dimity Kingsford Smith

This is a very exciting time for commercial

law at UNSW.

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n N E W S B R I E F S

I think this may be the most significantreferral of powers from the states to theCommonwealth in Australian history.Professor George Williams of theFaculty of Law on the decision totransfer power over the Murray—DarlingBasin to the Commonwealth.

This has transformed our veryunderstanding of genetic disease.Professor Robyn Ward, oncologist andprofessor of medicine, on research thatshows it is possible to inheritabnormalities that affect the activity ofa gene but not its DNA code.

People’s lives have not been favourablytouched by the income growth andemployment rates of the majority ofsociety. If anything, the web ofdisadvantage has become moreconcentrated.Professor Tony Vinson, EmeritusProfessor of Social work, on newresearch showing the economic boomhas bypassed the nation’s poor.

Clearly it is not as acceptable as it oncewas to get stoned.Paul Dillon of the National Drug andAlcohol Research Centre on researchshowing that smoking marijuana hasbecome as socially unfashionable assmoking cigarettes.

The Howard Government has beenprogressively dismantling the democraticprocesses that create the capacity forpublic debate and accommodatedissenting opinion.Sarah Maddison, from the School ofSocial Sciences and InternationalStudies, at the launch of her bookSilencing Dissent.

In-vitro toxicity tests can improve thescientific, economic, and ethical value ofresearch and play a significant role in thescreening of toxic chemicals and thereplacement of animals.Dr Amanda Hayes, from the School ofSafety Science, on a new way to testthe safety of the air we breathe withoutexposing laboratory animals to airbornechemical hazards.

For the recordThe gen on water recyclingFrom July 16—18 the issue of water recycling will be front andcentre at REUSE07 — the Australian Water Association’s Reuse and Recycling Conference to be held at UNSW.

Organised by the Centre for Water and Waste Technology,REUSE07 will showcase current research and practices aimed at meeting the challenges that face the reuse of water. Theconference will look at whether water reuse is an economicallyviable strategy, what reuse strategies will be acceptable to thecommunity, and ways to assess and protect public health andenvironmental impacts.

International speakers at the conference will include ProfessorTakashi Asano from the University of California and AssociateProfessor Jörg E. Drewes from the Colorado School of Mines.

More information about the conference can be found athttp://www.cwwt.unsw.edu.au/reuse07/

Get connectedCreativity and innovation are at the core of excellence indesign. And collaboration across disciplines is central fordesign concepts to become reality, whether working in theengineering, built environment or design professions.

The emerging field of multidisciplinary design offersopportunities for new models of design education, saysRobert Zehner, convenor of ConnectED’s OrganisingCommittee and Associate Dean (Education) of the Facultyof the Built Environment, which is hosting the conferencealong with the Faculty of Engineering and the College ofFine Arts.

“ConnectED will be a platform for the discussion ofresearch and strategies that address the possibilities ofdesign education that crosses disciplinary boundaries,”says Zehner. “By bringing together scholars, researchersand designers from around the world, it also promises tobe the most significant international forum on designeducation in 2007.”

The conference runs from 9—12 July 2007. For furtherinformation see www.connected2007.com.au

Earth Hour UNSW will be able to prove how much energy it savedduring Earth Hour, an action in which lights acrossSydney were turned off for an hour on March 31. Metersallow Facilities Management to measure consumptionperformance on the night against previous Saturdays.

Solar triumphUNSW’s solar car, Jaycar Sunswift III, has broken theworld record for the fastest solar-powered road trip from Perth to Sydney. The student designed solar cartook just five days to cross the continent, defeating Dick Smith’s previous world record by just under three days.

By Cameron Little,Manager Ecoliving Centre

1. Food. Grow what you canfrom home then buy locallyowned and produced productswith minimal packaging.

2. Energy & Water. Purchase100 percent of your energyfrom an accredited GreenPower supplier.

3. Transport. Set yourself anachievable weekly trip-basedemission reduction targetthen commit to meet ithowever you prefer — publictransport, ride sharing,combined trips, bicycle, walk.

4. Biodiversity. Join the UNSWLandcare Group to have funand restore biodiversity oncampus and out there in thebeautiful places worthsupporting.

5. Money Matters. Ensuresomeone else isn’t undoing allof your good environmentaldeeds with your savings andsuperannuation — investethically.

For more help with issues likethese please contact the UNSWEcoliving Centre.

QUICKECOTIPS5

UNSW has more than 200 people engaged in environmental research or teaching. Here is just a sample of our impressiveenvironmental strength, in areas ranging from climate change to watermanagement, and a demonstration of how we walk the talk on campus.

team green

ÜU N I K E N 5

Solving the mystery of why rainfall hasdeclined so heavily in Australia’s mostheavily populated region — its eastern

coastline — will be the focus of a major newresearch effort at UNSW.

Two of the nation’s top climate scientists,Professor Matthew England and Professor Andy Pitman, are joining forces in a bid tounderstand the phenomenon in the hope ofbeing able to predict whether worse, or better,is to come.

“Virtually the whole of the eastern coastline,from Cairns in the north down to Melbourne,has seen an incredible decline in rainfall inrecent decades,” says Professor England, whowith Professor Pitman will head a new $6 millionUNSW Climate Change Research Centre.

“Compared with the relatively wet years ofthe 1950s, rainfall over the last 10 years hasfallen by 300 to 400 mm on average. Placesthat used to receive 1,300 or 1,400 mm nowonly get 1000 mm.

“The consequences are painfully apparent forabout half of the nation’s population, especiallyin the major urban water supply problems nowfacing Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

“We recently had a round table of Australia’sleading climate-change researchers and thisemerged as the biggest unknown issue amongthe many major changes in rainfall patternsacross Australia in recent decades.”

The continent’s south-west and Tasmania

have become drier as a result of rain-bearinglow-pressure systems shifting further south, by about five degrees in latitude.

It is thought that higher evaporation ratesfrom the ocean to the north-west of thecontinent, combined with air pollution from Asia — mainly China — explain why the westerndeserts have received more rain. Likewise, partsof northern Australia have become wetter as aresult of greater ocean evaporation. [see graphic]

“But we all agreed that the east coast issue is the key one we urgently need tounderstand better, especially if we want topredict what’s going to happen in the future,”says Professor England.

Professor Pitman, who resigned fromMacquarie University to join the UNSW initiative,notes that climate of New South Wales has beenrelatively poorly explored, and the project hopesto tackle that problem in particular.

“A major effort has been under way inAustralia for many decades to understand thegreenhouse effect, natural climate variabilityand other related processes, including changesin landcover,” Professor Pitman says.

“But this effort has been focused on thesouthern states — mainly Victoria — and onsouth-west Western Australia, due to a majorWestern Australian government initiative.

“The vital role the northern monsoon plays in Australian climate has also been carefullyresearched by the CSIRO, the Bureau ofMeteorology and various university groups.

“Caught in the middle, our understanding of the climate of NSW has major gaps. For example, we do not know in detail themechanisms that cause climate variability over NSW, nor why the rain-bearing low-pressure systems that refill our coastal dams, vary greatly year by year.

“We do not know why we are in such asevere drought, nor if this is natural orsignificantly enhanced through humanactivities via global warming.

“The initiative that UNSW has launchedprovides a world-class team of scientists whowill provide a focus, a critical mass, to build our understanding of NSW climate.

“Through its strong national andinternational links to the world’s leading climate groups, the UNSW team will provide a catalyst to accelerate climate research in NSW and re-position the state as a nationalleader in climate science.” n

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Mystery of east coast’s big dryResearchers in UNSW’s new Climate Change Research Centre are tackling one of the biggestunknown issues of recent decades. By Bob Beale

““The Strategic Priorities

Fund is contributing $2.4m over five years

to support this initiative. We aim to be Australia’s

best university in this field of research.

Vice Chancellor

Professor Fred Hilmer

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U N I K E N 7

Professor Andy Pitman, the first star recruitto the new Climate Change ResearchCentre, is one of Australia’s most

respected climate scientists.Professor Pitman, an expert in climate

modelling, was lead author of the chapterdealing with that issue in the recent globalreport issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Professor Pitman will continue his role asConvenor of the Australian Research CouncilResearch Network for Earth System Science,which links together relevant scientists inuniversities, the CSIRO, ANSTO and the Bureauof Meteorology.

He is a lead author of Working Group 1 of IPCC2005 and 2007; editor of the Journal of Climate;Chair of the World Climate Research Program’scommittee on Global Land Atmospheric SystemStudy; National Representative to theInternational Geosphere Biosphere program;Member of the National Academy of Science’scommittee on Earth Systems Science, and of theAdvisory Board of Risk Frontiers NaturalHazards Research Centre.

Professor Pitman said UNSW’s strong supportfor the new $6 million project and its existingbreadth and strength in scientific research werekey factors in his decision.

“The climate change initiative at UNSW isclearly at a scale that is simply outstanding,” he says.

“The opportunity to co-locate with genuineworld-class scientists in climate, hydrology,vegetation science and many others is simplytoo good to refuse. Instead of competing as wedid before, we can now develop a synergy thatwill allow us to lead climate science nationally.”

The new centre will bring together some 60academics from across the University in anintegrated research program into all aspects ofclimate change.

Professor Pitman plans to focus initially onexploring the likelihood of abrupt climate changeover Australia driven by terrestrial processes, andexploring the role of increasing carbon dioxidelevels in causing plants to shut down transpiration,which leads to higher surface temperatures. Hehas an Australian Research Council grant toexplore this issue over the Murray—Darling Basin.

UNSW Dean of Science, Professor Mike Archer,has warmly welcomed Professor Pitman’sdecision: “Andy Pitman and Matthew Englandare two of the best and brightest climatescientists Australia has produced and they willform a formidable team. So much is at stake forthe world with climate change and itsconsequences that we need to focus our bestresources on tackling it.”

Professor Pitman holds a BSc (Hons) and PhDfrom Liverpool University and is the author ofmore than 100 internationally peer-reviewedjournal publications. n

— Bob Beale

Top climatechangescientistjoins ranks

Andy Pitman and Matthew England

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Climate changethreatens health systemThe NSW health system will not cope withthe increase in extreme weather eventsthat scientists predict will be caused byclimate change, according to a report byJane Carthey, Director of UNSW’s Centreof Health Assets Australasia in the Facultyof the Built Environment.

“Scientists are telling us that climatechange will result in an increase in thenumber of heatwaves and bushfires,floods, storm surges and cyclones,” Janeexplains. “Those events will put enormousadditional pressure on the health system.”

In her report Jane cites the potentialimpact of a heat wave as one example ofhow the health system can be affected.

“In Australia heatwaves are responsiblefor more deaths then any other naturalhazard. An increased number of peopleare admitted to hospital creating a needfor additional staff and medical supplies.Heatwaves also result in increasedbushfires which create respiratoryproblem for many people, as well as burnsand other injuries,” she says.

Jane is currently working with NSWHealth to assess the problem and whatchanges to infrastructure are needed. n

— Victoria Collins

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Two researchers from the ARC Centre forAdvanced Silicon Photovoltaics andPhotonics have pioneered equipment that

could be of substantial benefit to the industrialproduction of silicon solar cells.

The equipment, developed by AssociateProfessor Thorsten Trupke and Research FellowDr Robert Bardos, is the first in the world to givea picture of the material quality of silicon wafersin one second.

“Our tool is very sensitive and very quick inproviding a map of the electronic quality of thewhole wafer,” says A/Professor Trupke.

A silicon solar cell is manufactured from asilicon wafer in various processing stages. AsPhotoluminescence Imaging (PL) is a non-destructive characterisation tool that requires no contact with the wafer, it potentially can beused for process monitoring at every stage ofproduction.

“One wafer is passed through a productionline every two to three seconds. PL is severalorders of magnitude faster than competingimaging techniques and, as a result it is the only

technique currently available for in-lineapplications,” says A/Professor Trupke.

“The tool also measures different faultmechanisms in solar cells, depending onoperating modes. As such it is extremely versatileand may replace several more expensive tools in solar cell research laboratories.”

The development of PL imaging has triggeredworldwide interest. Several patents have been filedand its commercialisation is being pursued by theresearchers through NewSouth Innovations.

In other developments, UNSW’s semiconductorfinger technology, which is co-developed and co-owned with China’s Suntech Power, is exceedingexpectations in improving efficiency on lower-grade and poor quality silicon wafers.

The technology allows Suntech to producelower cost silicon wafers at higher conversionefficiencies than competitors who wouldotherwise treat these wafers as returns or rejects.

Semiconductor finger technology overcomes afundamental weakness of cells that have been onthe market for more than 20 years. n

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Shining example of quality Monitoring silicon solar cells in production lines can now happen in an instant. By Mary O’Malley

Solar hydrogen:cleaning up coalBy Victoria Collins

Coal is currently the key Australianenergy resource while hydrogen is seenas the fuel of the future. Researchersfrom the Centre for Materials Research inEnergy Conversion (CMREC) are workingon ways to combine present and futureresources. They are working to developsolar hydrogen as a commercial fuelsource while using the same technologyto create solar methanol, or “clean coal”.

Professor Januz Nowotny and Dr LeighSheppard are working on processing anew generation of photosensitive oxidesemiconductors that will be able toefficiently harvest solar energy and use itfor the production of alternative types ofenergy such as hydrogen fuel (solar-hydrogen) and “clean coal” (solar-methanol).

“Solar-methanol is a cleaner form ofcoal than we currently use because thebasic component of solar-methanol,hydrogen, is generated from renewableenergy,” Dr Sheppard explains.

“The development of this process,whether it is used for solar-hydrogen orsolar-methanol, will mean that people willbe able to consume energy and maintaintheir current lifestyles without producingcarbon emissions.”

Recognising the significance of solarhydrogen to the global energy andenvironment scenario, the USDepartment of Energy has launched amajor program aimed at supportingresearch in this area. In recognition of theleading role of the UNSW team, ProfessorNowotny and Dr Sheppard have beeninvited to join the US Department ofEnergy Panel of Experts on hydrogengeneration using solar energy.

Their research also has a number ofpotential spin-off technologies, includingpurification of air and water. n

Robert Bardos and Thorsten Trupke (right) with the spectral photoluminescence system in the optics lab.

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ENERGYUNSW’s Facilities Management department isextraordinarily active. And its countlessinitiatives have brought hard savings to UNSW.For example, for the second consecutive yearUNSW has used less electrical energy than theyear before, representing a saving of more than1300 tonnes of greenhouse gases.

Other initiatives include:l Tapping into a 42k Wp photovoltaic array

on the roof of the Quadrangle building.l Tenders being sought for the supply of 100

percent Green Power for five percent ofthe University’s consumption. This level willmake us one of the country’s leaders.

l Solar thermal systems or natural gas usedto replace appliances utilising electricalenergy wherever possible.

l Ongoing Spot It and Stop it campaign toeliminate energy and water use.

l Environmental criteria in new tenders forcontracts such as cleaning services andmotor maintenance.

l Variable speed drives on electric motors tosave on greenhouse gases, energy and cost.

l Lighting Challenge beginning in theLibrary. A campaign to improveeffectiveness and efficiency in lightingwithout compromising aesthetics.

l The recommissioning of major air conditioning plant, tighter control of equipment operating hours and lighting upgrades.

WATERUNSW has reduced its potable waterconsumption by a third over the past sevenyears. The University uses bore water from theBotany aquifer to replace drinking water formany uses and has installed Sydney’s largestpercolation pit to replenish the aquifer with 70 percent of the stormwater from the campus.It is estimated that 160 million litres — equivalentto 64 Olympic swimming pools full of water —will be harvested each year and returned to the groundwater.

Other water-saving features on campus:l Waterless urinals. About 35 have been

installed so far and will be included in all new buildings.

l Timed-flow taps are being installedthroughout Kensington campus. Each tapsaves an estimated 20,000 litres of watereach year.

l A borewater-treatment plant to be built forthe western end of Kensington campus.The plant will enable recycling ofharvested stormwater collected via thenew percolation chamber to be used ascooling water for airconditioning systems,in laboratory water systems and in toilets.The treatment plant will save the sameamount of potable water consumed by 375Randwick households in a year — or about100 Olympic swimming pools full of water.

RECYCLINGUNSW has gone a new way for containerrecycling. With the resulting increase inrecycling rates, UNSW has surpassed the NSWGovernment 2014 waste reduction/resourcerecovery targets.

Recyclable containers and general rubbish are now collected in the same bin.

These bins will be clearly labelled with“Garbage and Recycling” stickers. Thesematerials are delivered to WSN EnvironmentalRockdale Transfer Station. WSN Environmentalinputs materials into the UR-3R resourcerecovery facility at Eastern Creek whichrecovers more than 70 percent of materials.

Clean paper is still collected separately in bluebins. This is a dedicated paper recycling service.

UNSW implements a range of waste andrecycling services to manage materials in over 10 different streams for reuse, recycling and

disposal. UNSW clearly supports source separation,with a focus on computers and electronics (e-waste), batteries, food and garden organics,paper, furniture, laboratory equipment etc.

BUILDINGSThe design team working on the planned newCancer Research facility to be built in theUniversity’s upper campus biomedical “hub”have stars in their eyes — green stars, to bespecific. The Green Building Council ofAustralia, to which UNSW belongs, hasestablished a set of environmental buildingrating tools known as “Green Star”. Through theKensington Campus Master Plan, UNSW hascommitted to achieve a Five Star or betterrating for new buildings and majorrefurbishments, recognised by the GBCA as“Australian Excellence”.

UNSW’s Environment Unit manager, PaulOsmond, has been working with the GBCATechnical Working Group to develop a new ratingtool for education buildings, due for release as apilot version in the first half of this year.

BIODIVERSITYAn embankment infested with litter and weedsis being transformed into a sanctuary for smallbirds on the Kensington campus. An initiative ofthe Faculty of Science, the Fairy Wren projecthas won support from UNSW Facilities, the Ecoliving Centre and a small army of studentand community volunteers. Hundreds of localnative plants are now thriving on the site, nearGate 7, which will serve to publicise the declineof small birds across Sydney and become part of the biodiversity corridor.More details www.recycling.unsw.edu.au;www.energy.unsw.edu.au; www.environment.unsw.edu.au.

U N I K E N 9

How green is my campus?UNSW aims to be the most environmentally friendly campus in the southern hemisphere. Here’s how we walk the talk.

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UNSWhas launched its bushtucker walk,the first step in the creation ofthe Green Trail — an integrated network ofinterpretive eco-tours located within ourKensington campus.

The Green Trail showcases many of the

initiatives we’re taking at UNSW to promote and

practise environmental sustainability, starting with

our extensive native gardens. As you walk around

campus, you will discover about 25 different

indigenous foods or useful plants signposted.

And there are more to come …

The map above suggests a trail to follow, but

you can stop anywhere you see a Green Trail sign

to learn more about these fascinating and

attractive plants.

The Green Trail caters for anyone with an

interest in sustainability, from schoolchildren and

tourists to international conference delegates.

Clearly mapped and signposted, the walks are

designed to be either self-guided or escorted,

and of varying durations depending upon the time

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you have available to explore.

Once the Green Trail is complete it will follow

three themes: Bushtucker and Biodiversity;

Buildings and Technologies; and Programs and

People. Bushtucker and Biodiverstiy seeks to

highlight the beauty and ecological significance of

the plants native to the Sydney metropolitan

district. Buildings and Technologies highlights the

technological innovations and environmentally

friendly policy that UNSW upholds in the design

and construction of new buildings. The Programs

and People walk aims to acquaint visitors with the

environmental research, teaching and operational

programs that feature on campus.

The Green Trail is a joint initiative of the UNSW

Office of Media and Communications; Facilities

Management; the Faculty of Science; Nura Gili

Indigenous Programs; the School of Media, Film

and Theatre and the Environment Policy Advisory

Committee.

For more details call Cameron Little on

9385 6940 or email environment@unsw.edu.au. n

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Below are just some of the keyenvironmentalfeatures on Kensingtoncampus.

1 Start of Green Trail.

2 Organic food co-op.

3 Percolation pit.

4 Proposedborewatertreatment plant.

5 Compost facility toprocess campusfood waste.

6 Heffron building-Green star ratingapplication beingprepared.

7 Furniture andstationery reusecentre.

8 Heritage-protectedfig trees and flyingfox population

9 Photovoltaic arrayon Quad rooftop.

10 Photovoltaic arrayinteractive kiosk.

11 Biodiversitycorridor.

12 Fairy Wren garden.

13 C25 Proposed five-green star building

12 U N I K E N

One of the biggest challenges today issustainable development, an area inwhich UNSW is engaging the community

in innovative projects that address a host ofsocial and environmental problems.

Increasingly, universities are recognising theimportance of meaningful engagement with thecommunity. Learning under this model becomesa two-way exchange in which some of society’sfundamental issues are addressed throughpractical means involving teachers, students andcommunity members.

In 2005, for example, the Faculty of the BuiltEnvironment launched FBEOutThere! to explorethe nexus between research, learning andengagement in the context of education forsustainable development. It coordinates a rangeof programs from multidisciplinary servicelearning electives, research and consultingprojects with state and local governments toschools-based activities, including the nationalSustainable Living Challenge.

The Sustainable Living Challenge is Australia’speak secondary schools program. It has beenrecognised internationally as being instrumentalto the United Nations Decade of Education forSustainable Development, is partnered with theUnited Nations Environment Program andsupports more than 400 teachers and theirschool communities each year. It asks youngpeople to consider their own sustainable livingchallenge, and take steps to research, design andtake action in order to make their vision a reality.

In response to the needs of the secondaryteaching community, a Knowledge Networksproject was developed in partnership with theDepartment of Education and the Board ofStudies. This project sought to develop aparticipatory engagement model for in-serviceprofessional development for secondaryteachers. “It applied these ideas of real-worldengagement, and developed a contextualisedprocess that not only addressed societal needsbut also the needs and concerns of the learners,”says Ben Roche, manager of FBEOutThere!

One output of the Knowledge Networksproject is the first freely accessible onlineresource exchange, teachsustainability.com.au,that provides a space for educators to link up,look up and load up resources to supporteducation for sustainable development.

Cameron Little, manager of the EnvironmentUnit’s Ecoliving Program, is directing his

energies to projects closer to home. “At UNSW, we are a community ourselves and

one with a huge impact on the environment,”says Cameron. “If we can minimise our impactwe not only improve our lives but help to buildthe Uni to a position of strength, credibility and leadership.”

To that end, the Ecoliving Program iscoordinating projects for about 200 students

that address UNSW’senvironmental impact. One project, by a mastersstudent from the Institute of Environmental Studies,evaluates the effects ofclimate change on allUniversity properties so that a risk assessment can be conducted.

Cameron intends to goonline later in 2007 with a list of projects requiringeither Green Campus

volunteers or participants in the AcademicProgram. Cameron coordinates the website,www.environment@unsw.edu.au, which is a one-stop shop for information related to environment-related programs and resources. Also in thepipeline are Environmental Achievement andLeadership Awards which recognise quietchampions of sustainability on campus. n

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Engaging with the real worldUNSW’s passion for environmental sustainability is having atangible effect on the wider community.

Rohan Geddes, Sustainable LivingChampion 2005 for his Flat-packed Solar Cooker for disasterzones and developing countries.

Community participation by degreesUniversity experience internationally showsthat graduate students respond to enhancedcross-disciplinary research opportunities inwhich knowledge from multiple disciplines areintegrated in the formulation of researchquestions and hypotheses, and in researchexecution, analysis and application of results.

A recent new Masters course in CommunityParticipation at UNSW, developed anddelivered jointly by the Institute ofEnvironmental Studies, the Faculty of Arts andSocial Sciences, and the Faculty of Medicine,has attracted more than 60 students fromboth environmental management andcommunity health sectors. These students are now applying knowledge to naturalresource protection, environmental health, and health-service delivery which is improvedby more effective public participation.

“Support and interest in cross-disciplinarycollaboration at UNSW is providing newresearch and teaching opportunities, andenhancing the University’s contribution to

solving important national and globalenvironment and sustainability challenges,”says Professor Garry Smith, director of theInstitute for Environmental Studies.

Meanwhile, the UNSW EnvironmentNetwork, an innovative system for improvingcross-disciplinary collaboration in Australia,continues to grow in strength.

The network has more than 300 members,both from within UNSW, as well as from otheruniversities, state government agencies andlocal government.

A project to promote workshops andconferences for cross-university academics,the public, industry and government, its keytool is an internet portal (www.en.unsw.edu.au)which provides members with an avenue tomake contacts, to collaborate and teachthrough discussion forums, share and evaluatematerials, conduct web surveys and toenhance peer review mechanisms. ProfessorGarry Smith is the EN contact(gj.smith@unsw.edu.au). n

U N I K E N 13

The discoveries of UNSW scientists andengineers are finding supporters in thenew market for eco-friendly products.

UNSW spin-off company Biosignal recentlyannounced a string of business deals withmultinationals in the biotech, retail andindustrial sectors that are testing theantibacterial and antifouling properties of itsnovel antibacterial technology.

In January, the company announced a dealwith two US-based oral care experts to developa range of dental devices and materials usingsynthetic analogues of natural compoundsfound in Australian seaweed. It has alsoannounced research and development trialswith BHP, Santos, Restoration Group, ADSMPty Ltd and CIBA Specialty Chemicals.

The global market for bacteria-resistant oralcare products and devices is estimated at$400m per annum. The antibacterials can beused for dentures, human oral prostheses,devices, appliances, implants, fixtures,restorations, varnishes, composites and resins.If industry tests are successful, Biosignal plansto license the technology to leading companiesin this field.

“The core of Biosignal’s technology arecompounds called furanones,” says Biosignaldirector, Professor Peter Steinberg, who ledthe initial discovery of furanones in the mid-1990s with his UNSW colleague, ProfessorStaffan Kjelleberg. The pair discovered thatDelisea pulchra, a humble seaweed growing inBotany Bay, could resist colonisation bybacteria, spores and larvae.

“Furanones can be incorporated intoproducts such as contact lenses and cathetersto prevent bacterial growth and infections,”says Steinberg. “Unlike traditional antibioticsand biocides, furanones interfere withbacterial communication systems to stop themcolonising surfaces. This mechanism of actionmeans they are less prone to the developmentof bacterial resistance.”

Meanwhile, Australia’s largest manufacturerof steel products, OneSteel, is testing thecommercial viability of using plastic waste as araw material in electric arc furnace (EAF) steel-making, a new process pioneered by UNSWmaterials scientist, Professor Veena Sahajwalla.

If the industrial-scale testing at OneSteel’selectric arc furnace in Sydney is successful itcould be a financial and environmental win-win

by cutting the company’s reliance on coal,reducing greenhouse gas emissions and findinga better home for plastic waste than landfills.

“Plastic is simply another form of carbon,”says Professor Sahajwalla. “In making steelthere’s essentially no difference between thepolyethylene plastic in shopping bags, softpackaging and some drink containers, and anatural resource like coal.”

By adding plastic to slag under intensetemperatures Professor Sahajwalla and herteam have shown that polyethylene plasticaids the “slag foaming” which is crucial to EAFsteel-making. The foam conserves energy inthe manufacturing process by sitting on top ofmolten steel like an insulating blanket. Theresearch led by her has paved the way towardsthe partial replacement of coal and coke asfeedstock for EAFs, as demonstrated in theindustrial-scale furnace of OneSteel.

The building industry is also warming to theidea of a new eco-friendly building materialthat won’t cost the earth. UNSW scientistshave manufactured the new material from flyash, a fine mineral residue produced by coal-fired power stations. This is a win for theenvironment because fly ash is anenvironmental pollutant typically buried ordumped in disused mine shafts.

The breakthrough is the work of Dr ObadaKayali and Mr Karl Shaw of UNSW’s AustralianDefence Force Academy who discovered a wayto “lock up” fly ash to produce strong,lightweight bricks (Flash bricks) and buildingaggregate (Flashag).

Flash Bricks are 28 percent lighter and 24 percent stronger than comparable claybricks while the aggregate, Flashag, can beused to make concrete that is 25 percentlighter and 20 percent stronger than standardproducts. This translates into lowerconstruction costs and fewer greenhouseemissions because of lighter structures,shallower foundations, cheaper transportation,and lower use of cement and steelreinforcement.

The fly ash technology has two patents and licences have been issued for the UK and US markets. NewSouth Innovations (NSi),the University’s commercialisation arm, is alsoholding advanced licensing and productionnegotiations with companies in TheNetherlands, South Africa, China and India. n

Green innovations go global UNSW researchers are hitting the mark with products thatmeet business and environmental needs. By Dan Gaffney

“ “Furanones can beincorporated into productssuch as contact lenses and catheters to prevent

bacterial growth.

S P E C I A L G R E E N I S S U E

14 U N I K E N

With much of Australia in the grip ofdrought and water shortages facingmost cities and major towns, it’s hard

to grasp the idea that Australia has a greatabundance of water.

While public and political interest has been onthe untapped rivers of the continent’s north as anew source of fresh water, Ian Acworth is busytrying to draw attention to the much greaterand more accessible water resources that lieright beneath our feet.

Professor Acworth specialises in studyinggroundwater, the subject of a major new UNSWstrategic research initiative.

The Connected Waters Initiative was given abig kick-start by a generous $1 million donationfrom Mr Gary Johnston, the CEO of JaycarElectronics, to fund the Gary Johnston Chair inWater Management, the post held by ProfessorAcworth.

The initiative has the dual aim of improvingthe scientific and public understanding andmanagement of the interplay betweenAustralia’s groundwater and surface waterresources. The term “connected water” hasbeen coined to denote these interactions.

The initiative is jointly supported by theFaculty of Science and the Faculty of

Engineering, a status that attests to the needfor more research and better management ofconnected waters.

“Few Australians realise that they have vastunderground water reserves, even though theywill become increasingly important to thenation’s resource security and economicprospects,” Professor Acworth says.

“Surface water and groundwater havetraditionally been treated as separate resources,not least because understanding the linkagesbetween the two was difficult. So long as bothsurface and groundwater resources were easilydeveloped, little incentive existed to overcomethese difficulties.”

Change began in the 1990s, when it becameapparent that the world was moving into a newclimatic regime, with Australian conditionsflagged to become warmer and drier. Thisdrying trend, when combined with increasingwater demands to serve industrial andpopulation growth, have made it imperative thatconnected waters are properly understood.

Surface-ground interactions can havesignificant implications for both water quantityand quality. Seepage of fresh groundwater intoa river, for example, can be important inmaintaining flows during extended dry periods.

However, if the groundwater is salty, increasedgroundwater discharge can have a negativeimpact on river water quality.

Water flow regimes, water security, aquaticecology, salinity and nutrient loading can all beaffected by the flow of water between surfacewater features and underlying aquifers.

This new research hub will become one of theUniversity’s flagship research units, with fundingof some $8 million committed over seven years.UNSW aims to be a national leader in this field.UNSW is already committed strategically tobuilding significant capacity in climate changeas well, and obvious opportunities exist to linkthese two research foci.

Together, they will further enhance UNSW’sgrowing professional and public profile inenvironmental sustainability. n

All at sea: The team at the Water ResearchLaboratory (WRL) are working to protect our marineenvironment by creating models for coastalstructures that use fewer materials and protect theocean from disastrous spills during storms andcyclones. The models, created by senior engineerJames Carley (pictured) and his team, are sitespecific and thoroughly tested using a wave machine.For the past year the team has been working onstructures associated with liquid natural gasinfrastructure in north-west Western Australia.

Where waters meetMillions of dollars are being invested in research that seeksto protect a vast and valuable resource. By Bob Beale

Eddi

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afar

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U N I K E N 15

Recycled water: why we need it, why we’re nervous and what happens next …By Victoria Collins

The right to water “I was really shocked by the number of people in the worldwho are deprived of access to water,” says Cristy Clark ofher PhD research, which looks at whether thecommodification of water is at odds with the idea of wateras a human right.

Cristy’s research focuses on Manila and Johannesburg,and the effect that the privatisation of water has had inthose two areas.

“The privatisation of water delivery in Manila was initiallyseen as a model that would protect everyone’s right towater. However, the Asian economic crisis has turned thesituation into a nightmare where the water tariffs have goneup by 500 percent,” says Cristy, from the Faculty of Law.

South Africa has gone further than any other country toguarantee access to water, including enshrining the right towater in their constitution. However, in Johannesburg thecommercialisation of water has led to the introduction ofpre-paid water meters that cut off access when the moneyruns out, denying low-income households access to water.

“The contradictions of these two case studies provideimportant lessons for Australia,” Cristy says. “We have agovernment that is announcing a $10 billion water policybut we haven’t had any community debate on how wewant to value our water — do we see it as an economiccommodity or do we want to prioritise individual’s rights.”

— Victoria Collins

Greg Leslie believes the biggest differencebetween water that comes fromdesalination or recycling is the amount of

energy that was used to create it, not the tasteor the quality.

“We’ve moved from an age where we usedwater to generate electricity, to an age wherewe need to use electricity to make water,” saysthe Associate Professor from the UNESCOCentre for Membrane Science and Technology inthe School of Chemical Sciences andEngineering.

“We need to recognise that, however wepurify our water, the important difference is theamount of energy we use. The quality of ourwater will be the same either way,” he says.

Greg believes that this important difference is being superseded by the “yuck” factorassociated with recycled water, which heattributes to the language that is being used todescribe the process.

Professor Tony Fane, also from the UNESCO

Centre for Membrane Science and Technology,has completed extensive membranedevelopment research in Singapore whererecycled water is already in use. He agrees thatterminology plays a major role in the publicperception of recycled water.

“In Singapore they do not refer to recycledsewage but to NeWater, meaning re-purifiedused water. Used water there refers to treatedsewage,” he says.

Dr Stuart Khan, from the Centre for Waterand Waste Technology, recently completed areport for the Local Government Association ofQueensland which looked at recycled water inthe US and Singapore. The report found nonegative health effects associated with drinkingrecycled water.

“In a real sense, all water molecules have beenrecycled at one time or the other and the issue isreally length of the recovery cycle,” he says. For‘fresh’ water, the recovery cycle may have beenthousands of years through slow natural

processes while ‘recycled’ water is recovered in amatter of days (or hours). New technologies onlyaccelerate the recovery process.”

Professor Adesoji Adesina from the ReactorEngineering and Technology Group, says thatapart from public perception, recycled waterdoes face a technological challenge.

“While there is a decent suite of newtechnologies for tertiary wastewaterreclamation, operational flexibility in meeting arange of user-end demands has been asignificant drawback in the adoption of thesetechnologies,” he says.

However, according to Greg Leslie, finding the fastest and most effective ways to producedrinking-quality water while using the minimumamount of power is not the biggest challenge.

“We still have work to do but the problemnow is not a technical issue and it’s not a publiceducation issue. The biggest challenge facingrecycled water today is a lack of politicalleadership,” he says. n

S P E C I A L G R E E N I S S U E

16 U N I K E N

Fifty years from now, climate change will mean that the world is a differentplace: imagine if you could travel

forward in a time machine and witnessexactly how global warming was affectingAustralia’s eucalypt forests and other native plants.

In effect, that’s just what Professor RossMcMurtrie and colleagues are doing in anintriguing and unique experiment in westernSydney.

Professor McMurtrie, of the School ofBiological Earth and Environmental Sciences,is part of an international research team thathas planted gum trees inside large enclosedtent-like chambers that simulate what theworld’s atmosphere will be like in 2050.

These time machines should yield vitalclues about how Australia’s flora will respond

to higher levels of carbon dioxide, which willbe circulated within the chambers.

Gum trees and many other plants areexpected to grow bigger and faster, becausemore carbon will be available to them fromthe atmosphere to fuel their growth.

Because they may also need more water to grow faster, predicting their response isdifficult because rainfall patterns andevaporation rates are also likely to change.

The study is backed by a $1.2 million grantover three years from the AustralianGreenhouse Office and uses chambers lentfree of charge by Sweden University ofAgricultural Sciences (SLU). The researchteam also involves scientists from theUniversity of Western Sydney, University ofTechnology, Sydney, and NSW Department of Primary Industries. n

Sydneysiders support the need to reduceenergy at home but a new report revealsthat few are doing anything about it.

Published by the UNSW’s City Futures Research Centre, the report is the first of its kind to reveal the knowledge, attitudes,beliefs and intentions of Sydneysiders’ use of gas and electricity.

In the 12 months prior to the survey nearlythree out of five householders said that they’dturned off lights in unoccupied rooms to saveenergy. Surprisingly, this was the mostprevalent energy-saving behaviour identified by the survey. Other energy-saving actionswere less common: no more than one in fivepeople reported reducing heating or cooling in unused rooms, turning off standby buttonsor buying energy-efficient light bulbs andenergy-efficient devices.

“The survey results suggest that there is along way to go before Sydney householders arefully behind the need to reduce energyconsumption in the home in order to assist inthe reduction of greenhouse emissions,” saysthe report’s co-author, UNSW Professor BillRandolph. “With the exception of turning offunused lights, there is little evidence thatenergy-reduction practices are widespread.”

While energy-saving behaviours wererelatively uncommon, 82 percent of peopleagreed that energy conservation was “veryimportant” and a further 14 percent rated it as “somewhat important”.

Asked about their intentions to reduceenergy consumption in the next 12 months,three-quarters of those surveyed said theywould take some form of action. Over 70percent said they would reduce room heatingand purchase energy efficient appliances.Reducing room cooling in hot weather was theleast favoured action, although a clear majority(60 percent) said they would consider this.

The survey found little support for increasingenergy prices as a means of encouragingenergy conservation. Of those who supportsuch a policy, roughly four in five thought anincrease of between one and ten percent wouldbe sufficient. Energy companies’ current pricingpolicies were adjudged fair by twothirds ofelectricity users and 73 percent of gas users,and there were few complaints about the levelof current energy prices.

Increasing the price of energy isacknowledged as one means of encouragingmore careful use of energy,” says ProfessorRandolph. “However, the desire for comfort and

convenience tends to over-ride any motivationto be careful with energy consumption even ifthe price was increased. For most of us, the linkbetween using an electricity-powered applianceand paying for it is often too tenuous to makeconscious informed decisions.” n

Good intentions but little actionBy Dan Gaffney

The tree chambers at Sydney’s Windsor.

The survey found that most common forms of heatingand cooling are electric fans (56 percent).

Gum tree in a time machineBy Bob Beale

S P E C I A L G R E E N I S S U E

U N I K E N 17

Whether it’s trying to work out theenvironmental effects of climatechange, how to manage a conservation

area or which species are most vulnerable toextinction, there’s a valuable lesson to belearned from the past.

UNSW researchers of all kinds are involved inpiecing together Australia’s environmental history,not just out of academic interest but because ofits power to predict what’s coming next.

Take, for example, the ongoing controversyover how to manage fire and still maintain theimmense variety of plants and animals innational parks and bushland remnants.

Dr Scott Mooney, a senior lecturer in theSchool of Biological, Earth and EnvironmentalSciences, has been trying to shed light on thatdebate by delving into the fire history of thegreater Sydney region.

In field studies at Thirlmere Lakes, the RoyalNational Park, the Blue Mountains, and MyallLakes National Park, Dr Mooney has beenstudying ancient pollen and charcoal sedimentsin old lake systems and swamps for clues.

The story they tell can then be cross-referenced against the region’s geological,archaeological and climate history.

The sediments reveal a long history spanningboth Aboriginal and European occupation.

One component of the change from Aboriginalto European-domination is the unresolvedquestion of how fire activity, particularlyfrequency, has changed. It is commonly thoughtthat fire was regularly employed by Aboriginalpopulations for a variety of reasons and that firehas since become less frequent and more intense.

Dr Mooney’s research suggests thatAboriginal people strongly influenced fireactivity in some areas of the Sydney Basin,perhaps in response to an increased risk oflarge intense fires as a result of climate change.

Yet fire history within the basin varies in timeand place. Large intense fires, for example, havebeen occurring in the Blue Mountains area for atleast 5000 years. He concludes that it is thereforeinappropriate to apply a single fire regime to theentire region for landscape management.

Palaeontologists in the School have a much deeper time story to tell from theirexcavations of the famous Riversleigh World

Heritage fossil site in Queensland.Its superbly preserved fossils provide a

continuous record of animals and plants thatlived in northern Australia going back 25 millionyears. They record four global “greenhouse”cycles of warming and cooling.

“They show that some species becameextinct, some retreated to the coast and highcountry with the rainforests, and some adaptedto the drier conditions,” says Dr Sue Hand, a member of the team.

Giving wildlife room to move and corridors to move along, would therefore seem vital in the years ahead. n

Landscape’s history lessonArmed with knowledge of how the environment has beenaltered by climate change and human activity, UNSWresearchers hope to predict the future under globalwarming. By Bob Beale

Climate change could have radical effects onAustralia’s alpine regions. New predictions arethat by 2050 virtually no snow will fall on theSnowy Mountains. Bushfires will become morefrequent and severe.

Aside from major ecological changes, UNSWresearchers say an equally great worry is thatwater yields are likely to plummet, with seriousconsequences much farther afield, particularlyfor the Murray—Darling river system.

Not only will much less snow fall, butresearch shows that massive regrowth of gumtrees after bushfires can sharply reducesurface run-off to rivers and dams for up to30 years. A landmark study is now under wayto monitor the complex interplay betweenwater, soil, trees and fire in the high country.

The new $1.7 million High Country Fuels and

Ecosystem Functions (HCFEF) research projectinvolves scientists from three Australianuniversities, the Bushfire Co-operative ResearchCentre, CSIRO and international institutions.

A large network of instruments has beenset in place to monitor temperature, air,rainfall, soil moisture, carbon levels and evensap-flows in trees to directly measure theeffects of seasonal and climate change.

“Australia’s high country is crucial to waterflows in the Murray—Darling Basin,” saysProfessor Mark Adams, of the UNSW Laboratoryfor Ecosystem Science and Sustainability.“Water and hydro-electricity generated in thehigh country feed cities, agriculture and muchof Australia’s economy. Fire poses a majorthreat to alpine water security.” n

— Bob Beale

Fire in the snow

18 U N I K E N

West, beyond the deep valleys, cooltemperatures and quaint towns of the BlueMountains, lies a patch of farmland strugglingwith degradation and viability.

An area from Lithgow to Mudgee on thewestern edge of the Blue Mountains WorldHeritage Area is the target of a unique pilotproject involving the reafforestation ofdegraded farm land. A range of native treesand shrubs will be used that are adapted to the

low rainfall and high temperatures anticipatedunder climate change conditions.

“What we would like to see is a combinationof native trees, such as Mallee and nativehardwoods, planted on degraded areas whichare in some cases, simply unusable,” says Dr John Merson, from the Graduate ResearchProgram in Environmental Policy andManagement, in the Faculty of Arts and SocialSciences, who is overseeing the project.

The trees would be lopped regularly,mimicking what would happen in a bushfire.The offcuts could be used for timber, biofuelsand possibly localised electrical generation,creating new products and mixed sources ofincome while attracting new industries to the region.

“Another value of reafforestation is that itenhances biodiversity, reduces salinity andabsorbs carbon dioxide,” says Peter Ampt, whois the manager of the FATE program (Future ofAustralia’s Threatened Ecosystems) at UNSW.“If the sequestered carbon is traded, this wouldbe more valuable income for farmers.” n

A multidisciplinary team of UNSW academics isworking on creative ways to tackle the carbondioxide emissions emanating from Australia’sheavy reliance on coal-fired power stations.

As part of the Cooperative Research Centrefor Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC), theSchools of Petroleum Engineering and ChemicalEngineering have for several years beenstudying the costs of carbon capture andgeological storage (CSS) for major emissionsites across Australia.

CCS involves capturing (separating) CO2 frompower station flue gases and other industrialsources, compressing it to high pressure, andtransporting it to sites where it can be injectedinto subsurface reservoirs and stored inperpetuity.

The team has established the costs of CCS for arange of possible projects and have made detailedanalyses of future cost trends if predictedadvances in capture technology come to fruition.

Meanwhile, UNSW researchers involved in theCRC for Coal in Sustainable Development areresearching so-called “clean coal” technologies.Dr Emil Ikeda, Dr Lila Gurba and Professor Colin

Ward (School of Biological, Earth andEnvironmental Sciences) are working withProfessor John Stubington (ChemicalEngineering) on power system evaluation. Coal quality has a large impact on the thermal efficiency of the power plant and theCO2 emissions. This project investigates theplant performance that might result from theuse of different Australian coals in advancedpower generation technologies.

Other research involves reducing the impactof coal-based power generation through betterash disposal and the effectiveness of unminedcoal seams for underground CO2 storage. n

Active sculpture

Back from the brinkBy Susi Hamilton

Greening coal

What role can art play in communicating environmental issues? At the Environmental Research Institute in Art (ERIA), COFAresearchers have been developing projects that focus on thesustainability of electronic public art from fabrication toinstallation.

Based at the Sydney Olympic Park Armory in Homebush, ERIAwas established in 2005 by COFA’s Dean, Professor Ian Howard,and School of Art lecturer Allan Giddy. Using the expertise ofUNSW colleagues, particularly in the Photovoltaic Special ResearchCentre, Giddy and his team have produced several environmentallythemed exhibitions utilising UNSW innovations in solar-cellproduction and other “green” technologies.

“In recent months there has been a huge increase in interest,mostly from the public and business, in what we are doing,” saysGiddy. “Art can function both as a touchstone for communicationof zeitgeist, and as a set of practical templates for construction ofobjects and energy systems for use in the public arena.” n

— Erin Rutherford

Right: Ice Heart by Allan Giddy. A small glass chamber is cooled to freezing by asolar-powered refrigerator unit, containing a heart moulded from ice. Solar cellslying on beach towels around a tiled pyramid provide the energy with which the iceheart is maintained. During the day batteries are topped up to assist night cooling.

S P E C I A L G R E E N I S S U E

U N I K E N 19

Opponents of renewable energy aredisseminating the fallacy that renewableenergy cannot provide base-load power,

namely power that is available 24 hours a dayseven days a week. They claim that renewableenergy is intermittent, switching on and offfrequently.

Even base-load coal-fired power stations failunexpectedly and so require some back-up. Thefollowing renewable energy sources havesimilar variability to coal power and thereforecan substitute directly for it:

l Bioenergy, based on the combustion of crops and crop residues, or theirgasification followed by combustion of the gas.

l Hot rock geothermal power, which is being developed in South Australia and Queensland.

l Solar thermal electricity, with low-costovernight heat storage in water or rocksor a thermo-chemical store.

Other renewable electricity sources (such as

wind, solar without storage, and run-of-riverhydro) have different kinds of variabilities fromcoal power and so have to be consideredseparately.

Although a single wind turbine isintermittent, this is not generally true of asystem of several wind farms, separated byseveral hundred kilometres and experiencingdifferent wind regimes. The total output of sucha system generally varies smoothly and rarelyexperiences a situation where there is no windat any site. As a result, this system can bemade as reliable as a conventional base-loadpower station by adding some low-cost peak-load gas turbines that are only operatedoccasionally as required. Thus even large-scalewind power can replace base-load coal.

A more detailed non-technical discussion isgiven on the Energy Science websitewww.energyscience.org.au, Fact Sheet no. 16. n

* Dr Mark Diesendorf is a senior lecturer withthe Institute of Environmental Studies.

When he began conducting regularaerial surveys of inland Australia'swaterbird populations more than

25 years ago, Richard Kingsford could counton seeing massive flocks of them likesnowstorms below his aircraft.

Pelicans, ducks, swans, ibis, egrets andmany more gathered in huge numbers aftergood rains, feeding and breeding on morethan 2000 marshes, swamps, lakes,billabongs, estuaries and other wetlandsacross eastern Australia.

Now, sadly, many of those birds are gone.Professor Kingsford, of the School ofBiological, Earth and Environmental Sciences,has charted their decline. The birds have notgone elsewhere, they have gone.

The reasons for their disappearance arecomplex. A number of harsh droughts —perhaps related to climate change — haveplayed their part. But human interferencehas compounded the problem.

Regulation of river flows, dams, diversionsof water from wetlands and irrigationschemes have all effectively imposed anear-constant state of artificial drought.

Just as birds have suffered, so have manyother animals and plants that once relied on

periodic flooding to fuel their boom-and-bust lifestyles.

If climate change further reduces theoverall supply of water, we may be facingserious ecological trouble unless more wateris made available for environmental reasons,Professor Kingsford says.

He welcomes the Federal Government'srecent moves to put $10 billion towardsachieving a coordinated water plan for theMurray—Darling and Great Artesian basins,which includes buying back water rightsfrom irrigators to free up more water forenvironmental flows. His major concernremains with the amount of water to bereturned to the environment through watersavings. He argues that the predicted 50 percent of water saved throughefficiencies may not be enough.

He also warns against the recentproposal that "wasted" water from theBurdekin River in Queensland be divertedsouth to the Murray-Darling Basin. "Whatwe're understanding as ecologists is there isno wasted water, that water isfundamentally important for inland systemsand for marine systems where rivers emptyinto the sea," he says. n

Renewable energy as base-load By Dr Mark Diesendorf

Flight of the waterbirds Putting the business caseResearch on salinity being carried out at UNSWcould have a bearing on how the governmentinvests billions of dollars earmarked for waterquality and land management.

The project, which is supported by the Bureauof Rural Sciences and has Australian ResearchCouncil funding, looks at environmentalmanagement from an economic perspective.

“We look at the relative strengths of price andquantity instruments as mechanisms forachieving improved environmentalmanagement,” says one of the project’s chiefinvestigators, Professor Kevin Fox from theSchool of Economics.

“That might mean charging irrigators morefor water, or it might mean using a tax or aregulation to stop pollutants at the point ofsource, or some combination of theseinstruments,” says Professor Fox.

Part of the project looks specifically at theeffect of salinity on farm production.

Results will initially be applied to salinitymanagement, but could be generalised to themanagement of other environmental problems,says Amy Cheung, a PhD candidate who isworking on the project. n

S P E C I A L G R E E N I S S U E

20 U N I K E N

It is beyond doubt that climate change isoccurring and that human-induced causesare contributing to this change. A large part

of the research community has been voicingthis for some years but now reports such asthe IPCC Stern Report, recent CSIRO reportsand the 24th Governing Council meeting of theUnited Nations Environment Program togetherwith active campaigners such as Al Gore havehelped bring prominence to these arguments todisbelieving politicians.

We have taken bold steps in securingourselves against terrorism in recent timeswhile a much larger threat to our fundamentalrights, safety and security looms large fromconsequences of climate change. Even thesame order of expenditure may be needed forresearch, innovation and implementation totackle this looming threat.

Built environments are the most visibleimpact of humans on the planet. In search forhigher levels of comfort and amenity ourlifestyles are now built on high levels ofconsumption and waste. Can we change thisaround without compromising our real needsfor health and wellbeing?

Can we develop cities where a good level ofharmony exists between the built and naturalenvironments. Is good land-use planningsufficient? I happen to be involved in threeUnited Nations Environment Program projectsexploring this in China (Wuxi and Angi Citiesand Chongming Island). Are there measures,indicators, tools (predicting, monitoring andaction-based) that can be deployed? How to(and who does) determine the balance betweensocio-cultural, economic and environmentaldevelopments. How can we trade-off thebenefits of tourism against the adverse impactsof transportation and other infrastructure andto what extent can ecological services becommoditised without sustainabilityconsiderations? In many cases human factorsare important but achieving behaviouralchange requires education. The UN Decade for Education for Sustainable Development (2005—14) seems to have started with fanfarebut is hitting obstacles.

In all this a striking factor is the complexityof the problems we are dealing which aremultidisciplinary in nature. In fact the

distinguishing factor about sustainability is theinterdependencies and interconnectedness ofthe issues. This calls for a strong focus onmulti-disciplinary research and education.

A group of senior researchers at UNSW havebeen collaborating through the KensingtonGroup — a leading think-tank on urban andregional sustainability. This group focuses onvalue-added multidisciplinary research (inaddition to what the individual centresconduct). Our individual discipline-basedcentres such as those in renewable energy,energy storage, energy policy, materialrecycling, climate change science; naturalecosystems are leaders in their area. There isno critical mass of research in the multi-disciplinary aspects of applied knowledge inthis field. The time is right to grow this groupinto an institute which can seek high levels ofindustry funding, attracting world-classresearchers to form a centre of excellence inresearch in this field with a key focus onmultidisciplinary and applied research.

In practical terms the built environment is atest bed for most of the technologies, tools,materials and systems being developed in theindividual centres. A proactive approach to

defining products, developments anddemonstrations will unravel majoropportunities for research. Application ofclimate-change knowledge into city/buildings of the future, application of sustainabletechnologies such as renewable energy andstorage and application of innovative newmaterials to actual projects including designerand end-user participation in conception anddesign of these technologies and materials are very important.

The whole area of urban/regional policy,buildings and infrastructure managementrequire innovative approaches which are goingto be driven by multidisciplinary teams in thefuture. Hence a leading institute in this areawill have immense opportunities forinternational leadership in this field. UNSW has collaborations with organisations such as the United Nations Environment Programwhereby our work can extend into Asia—Pacificcountries. Many of the top universities inAustralia and the region are developing acritical mass of researchers in the area ofsustainability and UNSW needs to build on its past successes and take leadership in this field or be left behind. n

By Professor Deo PrasadLAST WORD

Joining forces in the fight on climate changeSecuring ourselves against environmental disaster may require as much effort as the fight onterrorism. One approach to the problem lies within our own ranks.