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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Vol 35 no. 8. 27 April 1972

Do it now

page 8

Do it now

Do it now banner

Every person has a role in the ecology movement to save the earth. The first is as an advocate of change in industry, society and all things affecting the planet Earth. The second is the following of minor duties to stopping pollution and over-production. Here are some guidelines:

Buy unwrapped produce — natural foods of course, not processed — and refuse to accept products' unnecessarily overwrapped.

Use and re-use wax paper in preference to aluminium foil and cellophane, both of which do not break down naturally. Paper bags can be used a number of times.

Avoid paper plates, cups, paper towels, serviettes, etc. Use crockery and washable linen napkins.

Stopping bulldozer cartoon

Cancel subscriptions to newspapers which waste paper advertising un-necessary produce. Pressure publishers to de-ink and recycle newsprint.

Always buy uncoloured toilet paper and tissues. The dye used to colour these products is not biodegradable and pollutes water courses.

Buying a milk shake or similar — always drink it from a metal container in the shop — refuse one time cardboard cups.

Cartoon chomping the world

Example of paper wastage: In Melbourne, one million phone books are printed, each with four pounds of paper per book. Because there are two phone books per subscriber (pink and white pages), this means usage of 4,000' tons of paper. Each ton of paper means destruction of 17 trees, therefore 68,000 trees are destroyed to supply phone books in Melbourne, a grand total of 250,000 trees are destroyed in Australia to supply subscribers with their phone books. Agitate for a limited number of books and an efficient inquiry service.

"The world simply does not have the resources to support the existing total world population in the custom to which the first class passengers — Americans, Europeans and Australian/New Zealanders — have become accustomed." — The Review.

Eating the world cartoon

In the United States, 100,000 people have pledged they will not buy a new car until the car city of the world, Detroit, destroys the petrol engine. One of them, Frank Herbert, the author of 'Dune,' is convinced that the steam engine is the perfect replacement. One steam engine in Santa Rosa, California has 500,000 miles on one engine. Buying a used engine also slows down Detroit.

Small cars consume less fuel and oil. Make sure your car is always tuned as perfectly as possible.

Drive smoothly — fast acceleration and deceloration causes heavy exhaust

Use a hand lawn-mower for lawns.

Demand strong air pollution laws and agitate for air pollution monitoring in your city.

Judge cartoon

Demand local civic policy to recycle and reconstitute all waste, including sewerage. For instance, the city of New York demands that all stationery has a percentage of recycled paper in it.

'People in Koblenz, West Germany stand in line waiting to catch quiet battery operated buses which carry 100 passengers for five to six hours without recharging. A lesson for cities planning to change trolley buses to deisels. Bus services will improve if more people start using them. Hitch-hike or bike to your destination on dry days - if you're driving, pick up hitch-hikers.

Cartoon of the world

Finite world cartoon

Cut down on electrical appliances: no carving knives, shoe polishers, electric toothbrushes, griddles — treat yourself to some peace from radios, record players, and television. Turn off electrical appliances when not in use.

Tapes are better than records.

Urge businesses to turn off lights and neon signs at night.

Never litter — it doesn't make much difference ecologically, but it helps psychologically (if we're surrounded by ugliness and neglect, chances are we'll reflect it to some degree.

Garbage image

Compost

Any city yard can support a garden, so if you plan to have one you should start on Your compost pile now. Better late than never. Approximately 1/3 to ½ or the garbage from homes are things — that Can be put into compost. Organic things or basically things that have been alive, such as egg shells, tea leaves, coffee grounds, table scraps, anything edible except for plastic foods can be used.

Dig a shallow pit in your yard to dump these wastes in. Keep a compost pail in your kitchen (under the kitchen sink is a handy place) then empty the full pail into the pit every couple of days. Turn the compost once in a while and add some lime occasionally to help break it down. Some claim that a lot of citrus fruit peels make the compost acidic but the lime should balance it.

Turn your garbage into delicious organically grown vegetables.

Ban harmful pesticides, fertilisers and insecticides from, your home — use natural controls — see notes below. There chemicals are dangerous. 2,4-D; DDT; 2,5-T; Dielarin; Aldrin, Endrin, Heptachlor; Toxaphere; Chlordane; Lindane.

Drawing of Billy Beercan

Tin Cans, Bottle Tops, Aluminium Foil, Scrap Metal, Glass, Paper, Paper, Paper......

Plastic is the only rubbish that can't be recycled.

Plastic is convenient but is an ecological abomination; try to use products in recyclable containers or glass bottles.

We must persuade manufacturers to re-use all of the waste they make, and we must set up recycling depots. These are working in the greatest garbage dump in the world, North America. In NZ the scrap metal business has been doing well for a long time. With a little ecological awareness it will flourish, and more importantly it will diversify to include all inorganic waste.

Ecology Action is looking into the matter. They have arranged one paper collection centre downtown, but they can't get fully into action until somebody volunteers collection vehicles, especially a truck. Any offers gratefully received, see us at the Salient office or see the Ecology Action people. Also, a garage or similar, space for collection, near the university would be ultra handy. Mean while, stop burning, dumping, wasting, and start storing!

End of world cartoons