Briefly, the video mentions the popularity of clay target shooting and it's "unfortunate by-product - the tonnes of lead shot left behind to leach into the ground and waterways causing untold environmental damage."

PCM Enviro's "Green Machine", extracts approximately 95 percent of lead shot from the ground. It is collected in 44 gallon drums weighing 1.25 tonnes each, and recycled "for such purposes as bullets, batteries, boat keels, ballast and even straight back to new shot gun cartridges."

We'll really be able to cheer when every one of the 500 clay target shooting clubs in Australia has a contract for annual clean-up of their lead shot and lead shot is no longer just shot into waterways or out to sea (as is the practice at some clubs).

When will state and federal governments step in to ensure this happens?

WA Lead Mine Tailings Poisoning Scare
Patricia Parkinson, The LEAD Group Inc

A lead contamination scare shook the town of Northampton (WA) in November 1999, after a dog died of lead poisoning. Blood lead testing of the family, including two children, revealed elevated blood lead levels. The family had to be evacuated from their house pending remediation. Eleven other properties are to be inspected by the WA Department of Environmental Protection following the incident.

Lead mine tailings, a legacy of the lead mining history of the town, incorporated in fill and used on the property is believed to be the source of the contamination. A public meeting will be held on 13^th December 1999. The Health Department is developing a fact sheet to be distributed to residents.

An environmental consultant, Mark Douglas, of Douglas Land and Water Conservation Services, has again called for contaminated sites legislation to be put in place in Western Australia and for an environmental levy to support it. He says the legislation has been put in the too hard basket by government and this one family probably represents the tip of the iceberg in terms of tailings dumping causing human exposure to lead.

Lead Aware Travel News - Western Bulldogs Go Green

In June 1999, for the first time, the Western Bulldogs asked their fans to catch the tram and train to the team's home match at Optus Oval against Fremantle on June 19, instead of driving cars.

The Bulldogs are one of the first companies in Australia recruited by the national Smogbusters program, to help reduce urban air pollution.

The alliance between a major AFL club and a national environment program has never been seen before in Melbourne.

Around 70% of Melbourne's air pollution comes from cars and trucks, making them the major cause of smog.

"Small changes in people's behaviour make a difference to our air quality. By catching public transport to the game, Bulldogs fans will do their bit to keep the air clean," said Bulldogs chairman, Mark Patterson.

Fans who went to the match on June 19 by tram and train received a gift pack and went in the draw for a major prize. Prizes included a training session with the Bulldogs, a new mountain bike, and Fila sports wear.

The promotion of the Smogbusters Way to the Game was carried out by displays on the big screen at Optus Oval and leaflet handouts prior to the game, and through announcements on trams.

For further information:

Karl Charikar, (Smogbusters, Melbourne) 03 9348 9044 or 015 833 985

SMOGBUSTER'S

Smogbusters is a joint program between the Conservation Councils in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, and the Federal Government through the Natural Heritage Trust.

Work Best from Home
by Dr David Watson MLA Leader of the Queensland Liberal Party
Source: Courier Mail, Date Issue: 22/04/99, Page 15

MANY people in Brisbane are working up to 10 hours longer each week and taking up to 90 minutes longer to get to work compared with just two years ago.

That means less time for themselves, their families and their communities. That is why I proposed at the Liberal Party forum last weekend that, where practicable, public servants and private sector employees be encouraged to telecommute (work from home) one day each week.

Labor has vowed to get people out of their cars but has not come up with any way of doing this. I believe getting people out of their offices, on a one-day-a-week rotational basis, is a practical way to ease the strains on our roads and the stresses on our families. It can also raise productivity and lower pollution.

All major Brisbane arteries are choking. Brisbane City Council figures show average speeds at 8am have plummeted since 1995: Oxley Road has slowed from 37.3km/h to 19.4km/h, Waterworks Road from 31.5 to 21.4 and Kingsford Smith Drive from 37.3 to 28.8.

If we could encourage one in five Brisbane CBD workers to telecommute each day of the week, traffic flow could be cut by 20 percent.

Payroll tax breaks are one way to encourage the private sector to embrace telecommuting. There is a proposal before the New Jersey state legislature, in the US, which grants a tax credit for employers who allow their employees to telecommute.

But telecommuting's benefits extend far beyond traffic matters. A worker who is trusted to do the job without the boss watching often rewards the employer with better performance.

In the US, where 11 million people are telecommuting at least one day a month, some studies put productivity increases as high as 40 percent.

Of course, not everyone and not every job is suited to telecommuting. Some people are not self-starters or they don't have the right home environment. Telecommuting is certainly not a substitute for child-care.

Because people still need the social interaction of a workplace and the opportunity to keep their face in front of the boss, I believe telecommuting for one or two days a week is the best option in city areas.

The extra time freed up by telecommuting is its greatest strength. A recent Morgan and Banks survey found that, compared with two years ago, 74 percent of Queenslanders are working an extra five to 10 hours a week. A Federal Government study found fathers work an average of 47 hours a week.

Any policy that can lower stress, raise productivity, lower pollution and leave people with more time for their families and their communities deserves bipartisan support.

The telecommuting technology is already available and there is ample worldwide experience and data for the Queensland Government to implement workable guidelines.

Suggestion from Dr Chloë Mason: check out the US EPA http://www.epa.gov/OMSWWW/stateresources/laws.htm on the web. It lists programs by targeted pollutants, for example lead, NOx.