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- Stephen Garnett on the Knowledge Economy
- Paddock to Plate Going for Green
- Parting Shots Green Light for New Territory Mines in 2007
- Next Q… June 07 Aboriginal Art
The Waste Oil WarriorGeoff Goodrich has a self-confessed passion for the Territory. But his passion goes beyond the usual love of fishing or an adherence to our laidback lifestyle. Mr Goodrich’s passion has led him to create and market products that help keep the Territory environment free from the kind of damaging, long term contamination that’s bedevilled other places. Working independently, Mr Goodrich invented a process by which he could recycle waste engine oil from remote area cattle stations, Aboriginal communities, local councils and townships. He could recycle that oil as diesel extender or use it for heating buildings or water. His first invention is called the Waste Oil Disposal Unit or the WODU, which is used to collect waste oil from drums and equipment servicing. Without spilling a drop, he sends it to larger storage tanks. The job is finished when Mr Goodrich’s team visits the site with his mobile Waste Oil Cleaning Unit or WOCU that filters the waste oil, turning it into reusable fuel. The WODU unit costs $1800 and Mr Goodrich has also developed a lower cost unit with a hand pump for smaller workshops. In order to prove up his inventions, Mr Goodrich’s Waste Oil Solutions, and his project partners the NT Cattlemen’s Association and the Local Government Association of the NT, have been awarded a $20 000 Territory Government Research and Innovation Grant in 2006. Mr Goodrich believes he’ll never run out of work because there is an estimated 1.8 million litres of waste oil stored across the remote Northern Territory. It all began while working in Queensland in 2004, when he did a survey of 50 cattle stations. He found that they hadn’t changed their fuel and oil handling practices in 50 years but there was a strong desire to improve. “The cattle station owners knew that storage of waste oil in drums or using it to kill weeds or use it as a dust suppressant wasn’t the best option,” recalls Mr Goodrich, “so they were ripe for someone saying, ‘there’s a better way of doing it’.” The ‘Waste Oil Warrior’ also operates Drums NT, the Territory’s only drum recycler. They collect drums free of charge before putting them through a seven stage recycling process, ensuring they are drained, cleaned, blown and sucked dry, labels removed, and painted. The first grade drums are sold to be refilled with fuel for use in the remote areas across northern Australia. New drums cost $75 and Drums NT sells the recycled variety for from $5 to $42 each. Second and third grade drums are cleaned and used by a wide range of other industries including mining, pearling, and hospitality. Drums NT also turn old drums into shining new barbeque units and outdoor furniture. They now clean and recycle 10 000 drums a year. If all of those exercises didn’t keep Mr Goodrich and wife Merry busy enough, they are also the principals behind the ‘Territory Proud’ campaign. Originally an initiative of the NT Business Council, supported by the Territory Government, Territory Proud aims to promote Territory business and encourage all buyers to buy NT products first. “It’s designed to make consumers think about buying local,” says Mr Goodrich. “And the other side is to help Territory businesses earn that right. As part of that we’ll launch the Territory Proud Service Excellence Awards this year.” Stephen Garnett on the Knowledge EconomyBringing Power to the PeopleAboriginal people living on their remote traditional lands may enjoy the peace and quiet of the bush but they are no less keen than anyone else on the services all Australians take for granted – like electricity. But diesel generators are fuel guzzlers and need constant maintenance. Even the most skilled bush mechanic flounders when the head cracks. Some communities have had no power for years for want of spare parts. But what better use for solar power? Constant, quiet and, if done well, almost entirely self-sufficient. Which is exactly the idea behind Bushlight. Nearly five years ago Bruce Walker of the Centre for Appropriate Technology in Alice Springs and the Perth-based Cooperative Research Centre for Renewable Energy had the idea that self-contained solar power units would be ideal for small outstations. With help from the Australian Government, they set up Bushlight to provide them. The result has been a stunning success. By the end of this year more than 120 small settlements will have a Bushlight system providing electricity. At the community level, the systems have proven to be exceptionally reliable, with the availability factor across all Bushlight systems over the last 12 months being 99.97%. Every one installed so far is still operational. Even at a household power supply level the availability factor is 99.87%. Not many mainstream utilities have a record to match it. But the result has been no accident. The success builds on years of experience with bush society and a flexibility that has allowed the venture to adapt to change and make improvements as they have progressed. Among Bushlight’s first employees was Group Manager Grant Behrendorff. Mr Behrendorff started life as an electrician in Queensland, graduating from maintenance of community power stations to managing Ergon Energy’s remote power station department, a role that included provision of alternative energy sources for rainforest dwellers in the Daintree. But he is no dewy-eyed solar idealist. “I see solar energy as a great solution to a tricky problem,” he says. “The technical issues are just the start. We put just as much effort into building the social and human capital – in many ways that’s the real innovation.” The first step towards getting a Bushlight system is selection. Only small communities, usually fewer than 100 people, which have shown a capacity to persist over a number of years are considered. They must also have the basic necessities of living, including potable water, and at least some substantial housing infrastructure. “We have the first of a series of community meetings to be sure that everyone is behind the decision and know what it entails,” says Mr Behrendorff, “One of the critical factors is that people must be prepared to pay for provision of the service. Though subsidised, it does not come for free.” The community then goes through a phase of planning their future. Trained facilitators work with different sections of the community on what they think the place will look like in five or 10 years time. This is essential to predict how much power it will use. “Sometimes men and women hold separate meetings,” says Mr Behrendorff, “Children are also actively involved. They have a better idea than their parents on the number of playstations likely to be used.” This leads into workshops at which people decide how energy will be generated and used within the community, including which appliances are considered essential and which appliances may be switched off automatically if the renewable energy system is used beyond its capacity. One service solar energy doesn’t normally provide is air-conditioning. “Yes, air-conditioning will actually run off solar systems,” says Mr Behrendorff, “but running an air-conditioner off a small solar system can overload it and often leads to premature battery failure – sometimes in as little as a few years. Bushlight solar systems are designed to operate reliably for decades and have a guaranteed battery life of at least eight years.” A critical component of all Bushlight systems is the $15 000 central control unit, which featured in Bushlight’s win at the Engineers Australia’s 2006 National Engineering Excellence Awards. This simple metal cupboard hides its technical wizardry in three sections. Heat-generating equipment is on one side, kept within an acceptable working temperature range by fans. Sealed in the other side are gauges and other dust sensitive instruments. Underneath is a row of batteries. Data logging equipment constantly monitors the operation of the system and records critical data for future analysis by Bushlight engineers. The solar cells themselves may be some distance away or on the roof. One of the big issues for communities has been to ensure the distribution of power is fair and equitable. For that reason each house has its own meter. That way, if one household uses all its daily allocation by breakfast, the neighbours can still watch the evening news. The systems have also changed life at outstations, often in unexpected ways. “At some outstations people travel less because food keeps fresh longer and there is no need to regularly run into town to buy fuel,” says Mr Behrendorff, “In other communities people have been found to travel more often to visit relatives because they did not have to manually start and stop diesel generators on a daily basis. The most important outcome is that people have more choice about how they live.” While continuing to expand the existing Bushlight energy services network, Centre for Appropriate Technology has recently received a grant to work with communities more holistically. “Building on Bushlight’s approach to energy, we will be working with communities to trial a more effective delivery of water, waste disposal and a range of other services,” says Mr Behrendorff. “Community members have learnt to trust our systems because they control them. We are hopeful that we can collaborate to provide other services that are part of everyday life in the towns.” By the end of this year more than 120 small settlements will have a Bushlight system providing electricity. Paddock to PlateGoing for GreenLettuce may have a reputation for being bland, even boring, but consider its dark side. Once upon a time, the wild ancestors of today’s lettuce were known to have a narcotic effect – and the early Romans put that quality to good use by serving lettuce at the end of a meal to induce sleep. Those characteristics were bred out of lettuce by about 1600, but today’s lettuce still packs a punch. At around 90% water, and full of fibre, it’s always going to be a good choice – but the darker leaves are more nutritious, with higher levels of folate, beta-carotene, vitamin C and potassium. Lettuce stars in cuisines around the globe: as a refreshingly edible container for spiced meat in China’s san choy bau; a wrapper for herbs, noodles and more in Vietnam; braised with peas in the French style; in salads as a contrast to rich Mediterranean meat and cheeses dishes. Then there’s Caesar salad, the concoction of cos lettuce with croutons, parmesan cheese and creamy dressing, favoured by the Northern Territory’s own Mr Lettuce, Moe McCosker. In the red heart of Australia, about 10 km south-west of Alice Springs, Mr McCosker has created his own fields of green: up to 90 000 lettuces and other edible plants that end up in shopping trolleys, via Coles and Foodland supermarkets, and on restaurant plates. Mr McCosker grows just about every kind of lettuce bar iceberg, the pale crunchy one. Iceberg’s more interesting relatives include buttercrunch, red and green oakleaf, red and green coral, cos and baby cos, as well as mignonette. There’s rocket and baby spinach; and herbs like coriander, basil, dill, continental and curly parsley, mint, chives, rosemary and thyme. All expect the rosemary and thyme are grown in holes in 200 hydroponics benches, nourished by around 60 000 litres of recirculating nutrient-laced water. A former plumber, Moe has seen the demand for healthy greens grow dramatically since he “did a bit of reading about the options and had a bit of a play”, some 15 years ago. “In the last couple of years, we’ve doubled the operation,” he says. “That’s because of market demand. The restaurant industry has just exploded. They’re using more garnishes and there’s more of a focus on healthy eating.” One of the restaurants that makes good use of the lettuces and other greens grown by Mr McCosker and his six staff is Lasseters Hotel Casino’s Samphire Restaurant. The Native Tasting Plate (see recipe) highlights the versatility of lettuce and herbs as flavourings and garnishes as well as a backdrop for other ingredients. Boring? No way.
Native Tasting PlateServes Four 200 g kangaroo fillet 200 g buffalo fillet 200 g camel sirloin 200 g crocodile tail meat 2 egg whites whisked Cornflour infused with ground cumin and coriander to taste Divide the kangaroo, buffalo and camel into 50 g portions. Sear and cook until medium rare. Cut the crocodile into pieces about 2 cm square and coat with egg whites, roll through flour and deep fry till crispy and cooked. Crocodile salad50 g bean sprouts 1 lemon, 1 lime, 1 orange segmented and mixed Leaves from 3 sprigs Vietnamese mint, stripped from stems 20 cos lettuce heart leaves Toss all ingredients in a bowl. Salad dressing50 g roasted peanuts 2 sprigs mint ¼ bunch coriander 50 ml fish sauce 50 ml peanut oil juice of ½ lime Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Sweet potato crush300 g sweet potato 30 g butter Peel a roughly dice sweet potato. Roast with butter until soft. Crush roughly with back of a spoon. Kutajera relish1 large onion sliced finely 1 clove garlic crushed 50 g brown sugar 50 ml champagne vinegar 4 ripe roma tomatoes diced 1 small zucchini diced 20 g kutajera powder Sauté onion and garlic till soft. Add sugar and vinegar, reduce till just starting to thicken. Add kutajera powder, cook for one minute, add tomatoes and reduce. Add zucchini and cook for about two minutes. Potato roesti1 large potato 50 g goats cheese 30 g rocket to garnish Par-boil potato. When cooled grate, mix in roughly crumbled goats cheese. Shape with mould, bake in moderate oven for 15 minutes. Smoked tomato relish1 large onion sliced finely 1 clove garlic crushed 50 ml red wine vinegar 50 g brown sugar 5 very ripe tomatoes (smoked and diced) Sauté onion and garlic until soft. Add sugar and vinegar; reduce till just starting to thicken. Add tomatoes, reduce on very low heat. Wattleseed pumpkin200 g pumpkin 5 g wattleseed 4 sprigs of rosemary Dice pumpkin into 12 even pieces and roast. When cooked sprinkle with wattleseed. PresentationEach item is given one-quarter of the plate, making sure there is space between each item. Kangaroo – Place a dessertspoon of sweet potato crush onto plate, place cooked kangaroo on top of crush. Spoon over kutajera relish. Buffalo – Place rocket on plate as a base for the roesti, spoon a small amount of smoked relish on top of roesti. Place buffalo onto the roesti. Spoon smoked tomato relish over top so it flows onto the plate. Camel – Place three pieces of pumpkin on the plate so they form a peace symbol. Cut each rosemary sprig into three pieces. Lay the pieces between the pumpkin, ensuring that the rosemary is visible when the camel is placed on top. Place cooked camel on top of pumpkin and rosemary. Crocodile – Place cos leaves in a fl oral pattern on the plate. Place salad mixture on top of leaves. Spoon ¾ of a dessertspoon of dressing over. Place the cooked crocodile in a peak on top of salad.
Compass Resources’ Browns Oxide Project. The $70 million new project near Batchelor will be an open cut mining copper, cobalt and nickel. Production is set to begin in the last quarter of 2007, with plant construction currently under way. The project is expected to generate over 70 jobs. GBS Gold International. The Northpoint and Princess Louise projects will both be open cut gold operations. Both are expected to begin producing in late 2007 following environmental approvals. The ore will be transported to GBS Gold’s Union Reef plant for processing. Olympia Resources. The $10 million Harts Range garnet project, 170 km north-east of Alice Springs, is scheduled to begin production in late 2007. The open pit mine will target alluvial garnets which will extracted by a dry magnetic separation plant, with the resulting concentrate trucked to Alice Springs and railed to Darwin for export. Thor Mining PC. The $20 million Molyhil Tungsten-Molybdenum Project also near Harts Range, 220 km east of Alice Springs, will begin production in late 2007. It will be an open cut and underground operation with processing taking place on site Territory Iron. The $10 million Frances Creek iron ore is 180 km south-east of Darwin, and will see the reopening of an old mine. The project will create over 70 jobs and last at least three years. The ore will be crushed on site and hauled to the railway where it will be shipped to Darwin for bulk export. Next Q… June 07Aboriginal ArtMarketing our Indigenous creations internationally delivers valuable income for bush artists. Exporting the TerritoryTrade Support Schemewww.nt.gov.au/tradesupport Encouraging new and existing NT businesses to export goods and services.
Northern Territory Government contact:
Major Projects, Asian Relations and Trade Division Department of the Chief Minister Telephone: (08) 8946 9550 Facsimile: (08) 8946 9556 Email: trade.support@nt.gov.au Directory: layouts -> download.aspx?SourceUrl= -> publications -> Documents Documents -> Cover story Documents -> Inside this issue Documents -> Cover story layouts -> Factors on the basis of which import or export duty and other measures in respect of trade in goods are applied layouts -> Curriculum vitae (updated April 2016 ) layouts -> Periodic Vehicle Inspection for Emissions and Roadworthiness layouts -> Namas Proposal – nama seeking Support for Preparation Title of Mitigation Action Download 166.66 Kb. Share with your friends:
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