Water and Forests

We all do our bit to save water. Shorter showers, half-flush toilets, using a bucket to wash the car. Yet logging wastes up to 1,000 litres every second, reduces water flow into our dams by 50 per cent and causes erosion and pollution that affects water quality. Many of our ancient forests in Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales are presently being logged — clearfelled, burnt, and turned into millions of tonnes of woodchips for paper and cardboard every year.

  • So say ‘no’ to Reflex and other Australian Paper products (including Post Office brand), which use Australian native forest fibre and are chlorine bleached. http://www.ethicalpaper.com.au/
  • Choose copy paper with recycled content.
  • See more about the Melbourne Water Catchments Network and their call for an end to logging in Melbourne’s catchment areas http://melbournecatchments.org/
  • Find out more about protecting our forests at the Wilderness Society.

More information on how you can take action on Forests

 

Water conservation

Water conservation is everyone’s job. The steps we take at home are important and can make a big difference. However, that is a drop in the bucket compared to the difference it would make if companies, schools, and other facilities all did their part. Encourage your employer, university, and the businesses in your community to consider alternative water technologies.

  • Greywater systems can be simple or quite complex, but they all involve reusing water that would otherwise be wasted.
  • Rainwater harvesting is a natural, free source of fresh water that is collected when it storms and stored for later use.
  • Retrofitting water treatment and recycling systems can substantially reduce a company’s impact on the earth. (Businesses such as Cleanawater help facilitate installation of such systems).

See more at Savewater.com.au