Past Programs
Environment - 2005
Asbestos Removal
15/10/2005
Last month a man dying of the asbestos-related disease mesothelioma was awarded a major compensation payout against CSR. This is the sort of story we've become used to. After all, Australia has the highest per capita incidence of mesothelioma in the world.
But this man was exposed to asbestos for only a few hours in 1961, while he was helping his sister renovate her house. So it seems that even once-off users of asbestos, home handymen, are vulnerable to these terrible asbestos-related diseases.
But a third of all houses built between 1940 and the early 1980s contain asbestos in some form. Anyone thinking of renovating needs to find out if they have any asbestos products in their house.
Cooperative Housing
01/10/2005
Some people may associate cooperative housing with the hippies of the 1960s and 70s, but it's gaining support today and may be an important way of ensuring we can own homes in the future.
These days it is very difficult for young people to afford their own homes, particularly in the cities, so the only option for many of them is to rent. This eats into their income every week and over time will make it very hard to save a deposit or, even if they could, to keep up repayments. Some people will move to the country or outer suburbs, hoping for cheaper house prices, but over the last decade anywhere within commuting distance of a major city or along the coastline has seen house prices escalate. So what are the options left for people who want their own home? Mark Snell, from Equilibrium Community Ecology Incorporated, has researched many aspects of affordable housing.
The Old Country
01/10/2005
What should we be planting in our gardens? Is it utterly wrong to plant exotics - roses, daffodils, whatever - and what about going the Mediterranean way and trying to recreate Provence or Italy in the Adelaide Hills? These are some of the questions asked in The Old Country, a typically rich and complex new book by George Seddon.
Tigris & Euphrates Rivers
24/09/2005
Mesopotamia is said to be where civilisation was born and the waters that nurtured its existence in ancient times were the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. We add them to our ongoing series on rivers and find out how they are faring today. Both rivers spring from the highlands of eastern Turkey, and run through Syria, Iran and Iraq before joining together to form the Shat-Al-Arab River, which eventually empties into the Persian Gulf. Along the course of all three rivers there was once a huge marshland which supported the Ma'dan people, who lived entirely off this rich environment largely as their ancestors had done over 5,000 years ago. Over the last few decades, and particularly during Saddam Hussein's regime, the area has been dramatically shrinking. Hossein Ghadiri who has been working on the restoration of the marshlands talks to Geraldine Doogue.
New Orleans Disaster
03/09/2005
The effects of hurricane Katrina will be felt for years to come - some people are wondering if New Orleans will ever return to normal, in spite of President Bush's rousing words.
Some people even disagree that this is a natural disaster - New Orleans was a disaster waiting to happen, they say, because of where the city was established – in a swamp, and the way it was developed.
Home Affair: Lawns into Lunch
14/05/2005
Home Affair is the part of the program where we have a look at trends in our domestic environment. Today we rip up our lawns, concrete and pavers to grow vegies and fruit. Jill Finnane is a permaculturalist and author of "Lawns into Lunch" which tells the stories of 22 people who decided to grow food in every available patch of soil in their city gardens.
Xstrata Takeover bid
12/02/2005
The Treasurer, Peter Costello, has approved Xstrata's takeover bid for the uranium mining company, WMC resources. He has dismissed concerns about the dangers of Australia losing control of its uranium resources - this mine holds about one third of the world's uranium. Some claim that this could mean that our uranium could end up in nuclear weapons produced by countries such as China or Pakistan. Others say that there are substantial safeguards built into the mining of uranium in this country and also into the transport and sale. The company has also given extra undertakings to the government.
