Seeds and Soil vs. the Tyranny of Corporate Power: A 2015 Message of Hope
By John Queally Global Research, January 04, 2015 Common Dreams 1 January 2015 It has been declared ‘the International Year of the Soil,’ but the year ahead, according to Dr. Vandana Shiva, will also see key developments in the global fight to overthrow corporate power with true democracy. Last year, the United Nation’s Food and…
Limpinwood revisited: History repeats
———————————————————————————————— LIMPINWOOD REVISITED: ———————————————————————————————- Tweed planners back off prosecuting over illegal works Tweed Shire Council Chief Planner Vince Connell has recommended that council not proceed with the prosecution of the developer whose unauthorised land clearing caused a major pollution event at Hopping Dick Creek, Limpinwood. The pollution event destroyed a well-known and loved platypus habitat. It also deposited tons of sediment and construction debris into Hopping Dick Creek. This…
10/50 Vegetation Clearing Code of Practice – Submissions by November 14
(From Nature Conservation Council) The pressure is mounting on the Baird Government over the 10/50 Vegetation Clearing Code of Practice (the Code) which is seeing thousands of trees cut down across Sydney and the state. Due to the public outcry the government has announced a review of the Code. Please see our submission guide to…
Updated Chlamydia Vaccine
DEAR KOALA SUPPORTERS, We have great news : the launch of a “Pozible” crowd funding campaign for a vaccine to protect koalas from the deadly Chlamydia virus Research scientists at Sunshine Coast University have developed this vaccine and now need to test it on koalas in the wild Team Koala believe this to be the…
Toxic Outer Environment = Toxic Inner Environment
Toxic Outer Environment = Toxic Inner Environment by Dr Jimi Wollumbin – Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine. (facebook-drjimi wollumbin) You don’t eat too much junk food, you drink moderately and have cut down on your Cuban cigars – so you probably don’t need to detox right? Wrong! The latest studies show that even the…
Worm Farm Fix-it Guide
CEC – NSW Biodiversity Review submission
Boorman’s Rd Limpinwood Development Application Knocked Back by TSC
[AKA Boorman’s Road Unauthorised Development] Tweed Shire Council Planning Committee Meeting 4th September RECOMMENDED that Development Application DA14/0013 for a boundary adjustment at Lot 2 DP 1130911 No. 707 Limpinwood Road, Limpinwood; Lot 136 DP 755724; Tyalgum Road, Tyalgum – BE REFUSED FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS: 1. The development is not considered to be consistent…
When Profit Trumps Democracy – by Aidan Ricketts
How dare Metgasco seek taxpayers money from the government to ‘compensate’ them for their own poor business judgment? What an outrageous sense of entitlement it reveals. Whatever happened to the old idea that businesses made profits partly because they took risks. This insidious idea that speculative companies have some right to be compensated for democracy…
Gold Coast Airport Concerns
[From Lindy Smith] Above Referral was listed on the EPBC site 10/7/14. It includes the proposed clearing of extremely significant vegetation of the entire southern development area in NSW (GCA site S/E) of 31.7ha, realignment of Coolangatta Creek (GCA now reference as airport drainage reserve) and earthworks. The Referral falsely states,“Coolangatta Creek commences at Betty Diamond…
Tweed developer to face NSW Land and Environment Court
ORIGINAL LINK: http://calderaenvironmentcentre.org/?p=1998 ***Update: Unauthorised works Boorman’s Rd, Limpinwood *** DEVELOPER TO FACE NSW LAND AND ENVIRONMENT COURT At the last Tweed Shire Council Planning Committee meeting, it was recommended that: 1. Issues a Notice of Direction to take clean-up action under Section 91 of the Environment Operations Act 1997, to the owner of the…
Limpinwood Pollution Event Linked to Earthworks, Land Clearing
On the 18th of April 2014, members of the Caldera Environment Centre attended a location at Boormans Rd Limpinwood, identified as Lot 127, DP 755724, to investigate allegations of unauthorised earthworks and land clearing. The impetus for this investigation was a significant flood event that resulted in a massive industrial debris and sediment load entering…
Land Clearing Information from Local Land Services
Clearing that requires approval Native Vegetation Act 2003 Native Vegetation Regulation 2013 NCLLS NVA General information – North Coast Local Land Services – Information about administering the Native Vegetation Act 2003 OEH – List of current RAMAs – Office of Environment and Heritage – Routine Agricultural Management Activities OEH – Rural Infrastructure RAMAs buffer distances – Office of…
Clearing the laws on vegetation clearing – By Nina Lucas
Originally published by EchoNet Daily 19/06/2014 – http://www.echo.net.au/2014/06/clearing-laws-vegetation-clearing/ Nina Lucas Proposed NSW government changes to the rules governing the clearing of native vegetation on private land could undermine the current ban on broadscale clearing. Native vegetation plays a vital role in supporting biodiversity and ecosystems which is particularly important in the northern rivers as one…
Successful Activism – Powerpoint Presentation
Submission to TSC re: Integrated Water Cycle Management Strategy 2014
Find out more about Environmental Offsets
Save Ballina’s Koalas Campaign – Friends of the Koala
Media commenced yesterday on the Save Ballina’s Koalas Campaign. With the release in November of the Koala Habitat & Population Assessment for the Ballina LGA, the declaration of the entire Woolgoolga-Ballina upgrade as a “controlled action” under the EPBC Act and funding cutbacks there may be a long shot possibility of changing the [RMS] preferred…
Sustainable Energy Solutions
Sustainable Energy Solutions for Climate Change Stephen Bygrave reviews this new bookMark Diesendorf, Associate Professor and Deputy Director at the Institute for Environmental Studies, University of New South Wales, has a new book, Sustainable Energy Solutions for Climate Change. I’ve had the opportunity to have a quick read and it is a nice complement and…
Letter to TSC re Reclassification of Mt Nullum- 04-Feb-2014
Submission to TSC re Knox Park Redevelopment- 20-Jan-2014
Kings Forest Letters of Objections to EPBS Referral
Message from Caldera Environment Centre and Team Koala Thank you to everyone who filled in a letter of objection or submitted their own objection. The following Letters of Objection were today delivered to James Warren and Associates In Ballina. • 2,142 letters as per attached (this includes 123 with detailed additional comments and 82 with…
Climate Change in the Tweed- Greg Reid
Message From Yasser at: TweedCAN <info@tweedcan.org.au> Date: Wed, Oct 30, 2013 at 12:31 PM Tweed Climate Action Now member Greg Reid sent us a report he compiled on the impact climate change has had on the Tweed Shire in the last 5 decades. I’ve included it below, and as an attachment. It’s well worth reading.…
Lock the Gate- “Fractured Country” Video November 2013
Lock the Tweed invites you to: – See the latest 30 min video from Lock the Gate “Fractured Country” – Hear about the latest developments in the Northern Rivers and beyond. – Defend your community and the Tweed Valley! – Discuss: Where to now? $10 entry (includes meal) FUNDRAISER FOR LOCK THE GATE AND THE ANTI-CSG CAMPAIGN Starting at Tyalgum: Community Hall Sat…
TSC launches Tweed Platypus Project
Message From: Matthew Bloor [mailto:MBloor@tweed.nsw.gov.au] Sent: Wednesday, 23 October 2013 4:38 PM Dear Caldera Environment Centre, Tweed Shire Council is undertaking a brand new Platypus Project with the aim of protecting platypus habitat and reducing threats to Tweed platypus populations. The project aims to use community education to harness community support and involvement. The project will…
Planning Bill introduced- Your Rights bulldozed
Message from Kate Smolski- Nature Conservation Council of NSW [mailto:ncc@nccnsw.org.au] This week, after two years of preparation, Planning Minister Brad Hazzard introduced the Planning Bill 2013 to the NSW Parliament. Government has made a number of concessions in response to widespread community concern about the draft planning laws. But the revised legislation still falls…
Red Alert for Pilliga forests [NCEC]
North Coast Environment Council Email From: Susie Russell Sent: Sunday, 20 October 2013 11:27 AM Message from Naomi (Wilderness Society Newcastle) LATEST MESSAGE FROM NAOMI – re the Pilliga Red Alert: “Hi everyone, Thank you so much for the amazing level of support that has been shared today from far and wide. It is very heartening…
Funding Opportunity for improving Fish Habitat in the Tweed River
CEC Message: Local Bush Regenerator Ian Walker (whose latest book ‘Bringing Back the Big Scrub’ is for sale at the CEC shop) is asking local landholders, residents and businesses in Murwillumbah and surrounding regions to participate in a funding opportunity aimed at improving fish habitat in the Tweed River system. The Caldera Environment Centre supports…
Sustainable Commercial Farming Specialist Talk and Organic Farm Visit in Tyalgum
Bob Shaffer is broadly experienced in development and management of cover crop systems for farms, orchards and vineyards. Bob looks at cover crops from a whole-farm perspective including soil biology, soil physics and how the cover crop interrelates with food production and quality. See Bob Shaffer Event PDF = = = = =…
Tweed Shire- unbottled water best
Echonetdaily reports on Tweed Shire initiative to discourage consumption of bottled water Council water-unit officer Elizabeth Seidl said in the article that ‘Australia’s annual consumption of bottled water exceeds 600 million litres, even though Australians are able to drink some of the best tap water in the world. Ms Seidl said the safety of the…
CEC Submission to TSC Economic Development Strategy- 05 July 2013
The Tweed Shire Council is developing an Economic Strategy document that is designed to help guide the future economic development of the Tweed Shire. The Caldera Environment Centre has been involved in planning sessions hosted by the council and has responded to the draft strategy (a copy of the draft discussion paper is available…
World Environment Day Festival 2013- EchoNetDaily Video Report
Rural Land Strategy- CEC Submission to Tweed Shire Council 31-May-2013
Submitted 31 May 2013 The Caldera Environment Centre (CEC) would like to make the following submission to the Tweed Shire Council Rural Land Strategy. Introduction As discussed below, The CEC promotes a sustainable ecological ethic of housing development. We disagree with the concept of small rural subdivisions, and would promote an alternative paradigm…
NCEC- Draft Bill a Blueprint for Planning Dictatorship 19-April-2013
From Ian Smith 19 April 2013 I’ve skimmed the whole ‘draft exposure’ bill, and read a lot of it in some detail, just once so far. Forget White-Paper-full-document.pdf on the gub website, it’s a puff piece. Read the whole bill. Even without considering what it doesn’t as yet ‘expose’, it’s not hard not to see…
SUBMISSION TO THE SENATE INQUIRY INTO EPBC AMENDMENT BILL 2013
Committee Secretary Senate Standing Committees on Environment and Communications (Submitted online) 4 April 2013 Dear madam or sir SUBMISSION TO THE SENATE INQUIRY INTO THE ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AMENDMENT BILL 2013 Thank you for the opportunity to submit the views of the Caldera Environment Centre (CEC) in relation to the Environment Protection and…
NCEC- Glenugie CSG Retrospective 01 April 2013
TREE Magazine Vol.11 Issue-1 Autumn 2013
EDITORIAL Our organisation suffered a huge loss last September when our founder and beloved leader, Hop.e Hopkins, left this mortal coil. We would not exist without him, and his ethical, calm, determined commitment to our cause ensured we stayed largely free from sabotage and foolishness. As a kind of gift to us as he left,…
Caldera joins Better Planning Network
Caldera Environment Centre During last year CEC became an affiliate of the Better Planning Network (BPN) (flyer attached), as part of a widespread community response to the Review. BPN is circulating a petition (attached) which requests the NSW Parliament to: establish a multi-party Committee to fairly assess the proposals to amend the planning system and to ensure…
CEC Submission to TSC- Planning Reforms – Draft LEP 2012
The General Manager Tweed Shire Council PO Box 816 Murwillumbah NSW 2482 18 January 2013 Planning Reforms – Draft LEP 2012 Caldera Environment Centre (CEC) is extremely disappointed that Tweed Shire Council has rushed the draft LEP to exhibition due to pressure from the Minister for Planning. The Minister’s media release appears to be the…
Glenugie Update- Police move in on protesters
NEWS FLASH: Glenugie Update 7th January 2012 From: Chris Aitchison, Secretary Caldera Environment Centre For over 50 days, a contingent of brave, caring, and representative people from across the Northern Rivers region successfully hindered Metgasco’s attempts to access a Glenugie property, where it plans to undertake exploratory drilling for coal seam gas (CSG). The blockade…
Draft Tweed Shire LEP 2012- CEC Comment
Draft Tweed Shire LEP 2012 – Coastal Koala habitat loses over 1200ha of protection The Tweed Shire draft LEP 2012 is currently on exhibition for public comment. During the exhibition period there have been four public workshops to explain the draft LEP, with a fifth workshop to be held at Tweed Heads in early January.…
Kings Forest- Letter to LEDA 14-Dec-2012
Mr Reg van Rij Regional Manager – Residential LEDA Developments Pty Ltd PO Box 1914 Surfers Paradise QLD 4217 14 December 2012 Dear Mr van Rij Thank you for your letter of 6 November 2012, and for the invitation to engage with your company in relation to the Preferred Project Report (PPR) for the proposed…
Murwillumbah Community Gardens finally has land
News from: Steve James, MCGs Coordinator It has been a long time in the making, but Murwillumbah Community Gardens (MCGs) finally has land! MCGs committee members recently entered a lease for a parcel of land on West Street, Murwillumbah. The site has much potential, but does not yet have any amenities or infrastructure. The committee is…
IWCM Review- Byrrill Creek Landcare Group- Dec 2012
Robyn Campbell Hydrosphere Consulting robyn.campbell@hydrosphere.com.au SUBMISSION: Tweed Integrated Water Cycle Management Review (IWCM) Paper Byrrill Creek Landcare Group thanks you for the opportunity to be involved in the process of helping to formulate the future IWCM Strategy. As a landcare group, who have been revegetating riparian areas in the upper…
BIOREGIONALISM- State System under Question
[Reprinted from the CEC’s TREE Magazine August 1993. Some minor editing has been done to correct some typo’s after article was scanned. Ed.] “ If local government areas were amalgamated, we could have areas like Swiss Cantons, English Counties, or German Lands, and dispense with States, which are a colonial anachronism. Removing one level of government should…
Fracking America- Butler County, Pennsylvania
In case we missed it.. Residents in Butler County, Pennsylvania share their fracking experience. Film shared courtesy of Nature Abounds’ friend Rich Waters, a local photographer and videographer who is documenting how fracking is changing the lives of his neighbors in Southwest Pennsylvania. Link to Video: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article31880.htm Photo is from Tara gas…
Community Resistance to CSG in New York State
New York State communities use local zoning laws to fight against CSG Frack Fight. A Secret War of Activists. With the World in the Balance. By Ellen Cantarow (19 Nov. 2012 Information Clearing House) “There’s a war going on that you know nothing about between a coalition of great powers and a small insurgent movement. It’s…
SAVE NORTH COAST NATURE CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED
*MEDIA RELEASE* Sunday 4 November 2012 *SAVE NORTH COAST NATURE CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED* An alliance of environmental professionals and conservation groups are today (Monday) launching a campaign to prevent the NSW Government’s plans to remove essential environmental protection from nearly 60% of the Far North Coast’s forests, wetlands and wildlife habitats. Called Save North…
Conservation Ecologists request deferral of LEP’s
*CONSERVATION ECOLOGISTS ASSOCIATION** **Science — Conservation — Community** **MEDIA RELEASE 28 October 2012* The Conservation Ecologists Association (CEA) is requesting that finalisation of far north coast Local Environment Plans be deferred until the State Government completes its review of environmental zones. The request to the Mayors of Tweed, Byron, Ballina, Lismore, and Kyogle Councils is…