COMPOSTING TRIAL IN DB
Discovery Bay is soon to start Food Waste trials
120 households will have the opportunity to join the scheme. If you are interested don’t miss out by contacting Emily Chiu at the management office on: 2987 0461 or emily.chiu@dbsml.com.
They have not allowed us to put the flyer on the website so bear with me for the details below:
This is how it will work
- households will separate food waste into small containers provided by management, and shall be collected at each village / block’s refuse room. You will be provided a replacement container in return
- the waste will be composted on-site in DB – I’ve seen it – thereby reducing the carbon footprint of transporting out of DB
- the resulting compost will be used throughout the DB gardens and parks thereby reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and reducing landscaping costs
- you will also be able to collect compost for your own use!
Its your chance to do something for the environment and get some good soil for growing life enriching and healing plants in your home! Don’t miss out.
Contact Emily today!!
Bycatch- the tuna industry’s dirty little secret- Green peace article..
Hi there DB Green,
Here’s an article passed onto me from Angie. I noted the other day when buying some tuna that I could only find one brand of tuna at Welcome that I felt I could buy- it was B&F and it says the tuna is skipjack tuna which is currently acceptable. Other brands were too vague or actually admitted using yellowfin tuna which is decreasing in numbers and is considered a type to avoid by Greenpeace. Some said they used good fishing methods but didn’t say what that was or who it was good for. Have a look at the writing on the sides of your cans next time- it’s not always about price- sometimes you need to vote with your purse. In the case of B&F it was pretty much the same price as the others though I don’t know what their fishing methods are.
Cheers, Kate
Aussies love canned tuna, but our appetite for it is having a devastating impact.
Most if not all of the commercial tuna species are now exploited at unsustainable long-term levels after only a few decades of industrial fishing.
Less well-known is the effect tuna fishing is having on other species. As a result of wasteful fishing methods, our tuna catch is causing the widespread death of endangered and threatened marine animals – including sharks, rays, dolphins and turtlas – known collectively as ‘bycatch.’
In tuna purse seine fisheries using Fish Aggregation Devices, or FADs (floating objects, often equipped with satellite tracking, used to attract tuna) for every 10kg catch, up to 1 kg is bycatch and a further 2kg is juvenile tuna – meaning that it is too young to reproduce.
This bycatch is the tuna industry’s dirty little secret.
Greenpeace’s 2011 canned tuna ranking revealed that 8 out of 10 Australian brands continue to source tuna using purse seine nets with FADs resulting in high levels of bycatch. Only one major brand – Safcol – has dropped this practice fully by switching to 100 per cent pole and line caught tuna.
On October 13 2011 we launched our latest oceans report – What a waste: the hidden cost of canned tuna – on Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach with a little help from our friends at Bondi Rescue. At the launch, one of Australia’s largest canned tuna brands – Greenseas – announced it will commit to going FAD free by 2015.
What a waste: the hidden cost of canned tuna
In the UK all supermarkets and all major tuna brands have announced they will no longer source tuna caught with purse seines and FADs, making the UK the world’s most sustainable tuna market.
The solution to reducing canned tuna’s bycatch is simple. The first and most urgent step is to ban the use of FADs in purse seine fisheries. Doing so would, at a stroke, reduce this bycatch by up to 90%.
We have a choice. Either we force our favourite brands to change the way they source their fish, or we face the real possibility that our children will be the last generation to have tuna in their sandwiches.
Take action
Tell Australian tuna brands and supermarkets to change their tuna
Gratitude
Kate
Beach Cleanup Today Sunday
Hi all,
Yes- the beach cleanup is still on today in case you are wondering about the weather. We will persist on rain or shine and hopefully this cloud cover will mean it isn’t sooooo hot!
Great prizes today if you can make it down and a t-shirt for the enthusiastic kids. Also a big sausage sizzle with drinks and beers.
Hope to see you there!
Kate
Annual Post Lantern Festival Beach Cleanup Sept 13
Hey there DB Greener’s, Monday night will host the wonderful tradition of Mid Autumn or Lantern festival. It is celebrated in DB on the main beach (Tai Pak) with hundreds of local families and friends enjoying the spectacle of the moon. Unfortunately, after a wonderful night of celebration, beaches in Hong Kong are covered with litter. Large numbers of lanterns, candles and wax globs, glow-sticks, lighters, beverage bottles and food wrappers are left half buried in the sand. Not only is this rubbish ugly, but as the tide rises, a lot of it ends up in the ocean, polluting our environment and creates a great risk to marine life.
For the past 4 years dedicated volunteers from DB have come to make a difference at our own Tai Pak Beach which is always covered with litter after this festival. So come and join us and see for yourself – pitch in and help us solve the problem of ocean trash.
Let’s keep our beach clean, prevent marine pollution and protect the ocean. Rubbish in the ocean is one of the most widespread pollution problems we face, affecting all living creatures. Countless birds, dolphins, turtles, seals, and fish eat things they shouldn’t and many of them die. It can make the ocean more vulnerable to impacts from climate change, coastal development, and overfishing. It impacts local economies, seafood industries, and recreation, and reduces our access to beaches.
On the night of the festival HAVE FUN and think about USING LESS of items that are only used once – like lanterns and glowsticks, and even plastic bottles – maybe even MAKE YOUR OWN LANTERNS from your recycling at home! And when you leave don’t forget to TAKE YOUR RUBBISH off the beach and place in the recycle and rubbish bins provided on the promenade. The next morning come and see for yourself what is left behind and do your part to help keep our beach clean, prevent marine pollution and protect the ocean.
So, grab your kids, partners and friends and come down for a morning on the beach for the annual ‘Post-Lantern Festival’ beach cleanup!
Date: Tuesday September 13
Time: 09:00 – 11:00
Meeting place: Tai Pak Beach (under the trees, on the Water Margin side)
What to bring*: sunblock, a hat, a water bottle, lots of energy and enthusiasm!
Water will be available for refills
See you there!
PS for those who can’t make it we will be holding another beach cleanup next Sunday September 18 at the beach near North Plaza in association with Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup. More on this during the week.
CHANGE YOUR TUNA
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Hi fellow DB greeners, Occasionally I get emails from green organisations that I want to pass on. This one is from GREENPEACE Australia Pacific in regards tuna. If you like to eat canned tuna make an informed decision- obviously avoid blue and yellowfin tuna but where possible find out what you can about the brands and their fishing methods. Some methods are quite destructive to all marine life. Find out more from this article below… Dear Kate Last Thursday we launched our latest Canned Tuna Ranking at the Sydney Aquarium – this new ranking has some exciting features, thanks to you. Because people like you took action after we released our previous ranking, the Australian tuna industry has made huge improvements towards tuna fishing and protecting our oceans. But unfortunately, it still has a long way to go. We’re still negotiating with all the brands and adding your voice again will impact their decisions. |
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| View Greenpeace’s 2011 Canned Tuna Ranking
• We’re delighted to announce, we now have the first Australian tuna brand that has ruled out destructive fishing methods! Safcol has committed to using 100% pole and line caught Skipjack tuna, the most sustainable tuna product. This is a remarkable achievement and is the result of consumers like you demanding positive change. • Nearly all brands have now ruled out using overfished Yellowfin tuna. This includes repeated offenders, Woolworths. • Many brands, like Coles, have now shown support for the creation of marine reserves, as well as improved how they label their cans so consumers can make an informed choice.
• Besides leaders Fish4Ever and Safcol, no other tuna brand has ruled out using destructive fishing methods. This is very distressing. We’re calling for an urgent ban on fish aggregation devices (FADs) used with purse seine fishing. This harmful fishing method is responsible for widespread killing of marine life, such as endangered sharks and turtles, and juvenile tuna. • Bottom of the table, Sirena, refuses to rule out using overfished Yellowfin tuna. • Too many brands continue to shirk responsibility for their role in the overfishing crisis. All brands must not only stop using destructive fishing methods and overfished species, but support marine reserves, improve the labelling of their product and introduce a sustainability policy. TAKE ACTION: Tell tuna brands to change their tuna |
| The entire UK tuna industry has switched to sustainable tuna fishing practices following widespread consumer action. It’s time the Australian industry also changes its tuna.
Thank you for defending our oceans. Nathaniel Pelle |
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Beach cleanup thanks!
A huge thank you to the 45+ people who helped out at the beach cleanup on Nim Shue Wan & Cheung Sha Lan beaches today. It certainly was another hot day without the promised showers to bring the temperature down!
A big thank you to the Novotel staff who came from Tung Chung to help out as well. It is great to have some corporate support as well as participation from all the hard working local residents to make a big difference. 
BEACH CLEANUP THIS SUNDAY 21ST AUGUST – PLS JOIN US
What beautiful weather we are having in DB, just perfect for getting out in the morning to help make your community a better place to be. If you’d like to join us DB Green will be holding a beach clean up at Nim Shue Wan / Cheung Sha Lan beaches this Sunday.
Time 9-1pm (even a short time joining us is appreciated)
What to bring – a water bottle, sturdy shoes, hat & sunscreen. We supply gloves & rubbish bags.
Bring all your friends and family down to beach and join in the fun! Every bit of rubbish we remove from the ocean ecosystems does make a difference. You, your family and your friends can make a difference to the lives of the magnificent marine creatures who deserve a clean place to live. Please watch this short news clip about some current research on the effects of rubbish on sea turtles http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2011/06/07/3237848.htm.
In June I was fortunate to be on a diving expedition in Queensland lead by the scientist in this clip, Dr Kathy Townsend who couldn’t emphasis enough how important volunteering activities such as community beach cleanup are to supporting the health of not only our coastlines, but the ocean ecosystems.
There will be an after cleanup sausage sizzle & cold drinks for all participants.
Thanks very much & hope to see you there.
beach clean up July 24 – Big thank you
What a wonderful effort from everyone who attended the beach cleanup this past Sunday. Well done and huge THANK YOU to all who participated both in the morning and afternoon, despite the searing heat and intense humidity. All up about 40 people came out with many new comers, which was great to see, and lots of kids, even better……..
Our marine ecosystems are better for our efforts, our beach is more beautiful and useable, and we all feel good about what we have done for our community.
I think the pictures will tell the story both before and after…..enjoy
Angie
