Canyousave
theworld
witha pint?
Probablyworth
a try.THE BUSHFIRES which have affected
large parts of the eastern coast this spring
and summer hold the potential to pose an
existential threat to tourism operators
within these regions.
A lot depends on how we, as travellers,
interact with these areas in the wake of
the catastrophe. But as Adventure Aid in
the Blue Mountains has shown, savvy
tourism operators can also make a huge
difference to help their region.
The Blue Mountains community of
adventure tourism operators have united
to create Adventure Aid, a weekend of
adventures that was held in late February
Blue Mountains
operators aid
bushfire recovery
to raise funds and spread awareness for
the recovery effort.
This ran from Feb 29 to March 1. It
involved various operators holding various
tours, including the Blue Mountains
Adventure Company who held a glow
worm tour by night, the Australian
School of Mountaineering and High 'N'
Wild who offered abseiling, and the Blue
Mountains Climbing School who ran a
two-day trip.
All funds raised via these activities
(canyoning, climbing, abseiling and
MTB) will go towards the restoration of
burned areas.Dan Lewis told the Blue Mountains
Gazette, "We want people to come
adventuring with us so we can help
organisations that can work with National
Parks and Blue Mountains Council on
whatever must be done to make it safe
and environmentally responsible to once
again enjoy all the canyons, cliffs,
campsites and tracks we treasure.”
“We are talking here about groups like
the NSW Canyoning Association, which
already helps National Parks care for the
canyons that the Blue Mountains are
world-famous for with its Canyon Care
program." — SRA NEWtechnologyis ableto pullcarbon
dioxideoutof theatmosphereandputit
intobeerandotherbeverages,the
CSIROsays.
Thistechcanreduceatmospheric
carbondioxide,whichis responsiblefor
globalwarming,buttheCSIROstateit
canalsohelpremedythelimitedsupply
of gasexperiencedoverthelastdecade,
whichhasimpactedfizzydrinkandfood
packagingindustries(thefullshelvesof
7-UPinmylocalsupermarketwould
suggestotherwise,butthen,I’mnota
scientist!).
Otherusesof thetechinclude
controllingpHinswimmingpoolsand
industrialcleaning.It’stitledAirthena
andwasdevelopedbytheCSIRO
alongsideMonashUniversity,Energy
Infrastructure,andResourcesandH2H
Energy.
It worksbycapturingairborneCO2in
Bottoms up
tiny sponges called metal-organic
frameworks, and is scalable to a
commercial level. However, it’s actual
impact will be diminutive unless
drastically scaled; at present, it’ll be
more helpful for businesses to reduce
their environmental footprint.
Project leader Aaron Thornton had
this to say: “As it requires just air and
electricity to work, Airthena offers acost-effective, efficient, and
environmentally-friendly option to
recycle CO2 for use on-site, on-demand.”
The real lesson here is to stockpile
beer, now. I personally don’t want to
drink the sins of the industrialists but
then, something needs to be done and
scientific research into solutions — in a
world where industrial change is slow
going — is most welcome. — SROutdoor \ 27