Environment
AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY LORNE CONFERENCE ON PROTEIN STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION
In acknowledgement of the environmental impact we have each year, especially as we travel to meetings and visit fragile ecosystems, the Lorne Conference on Protein Structure and Function has taken action in an effort to make at least a small contribution to averting the looming problems. We seek to minimize waste with limited paper handouts and disposable items and we encourage all participants to consider the environment in their travel plans. We have also taken a step towards environmental friendliness in recognition of the beneficial role the township of Lorne has played in hosting our meeting since 1976. The organizing committee has made two financial contributions from interest on accumulated funds to the Great Ocean Road Coast Committee (http://gorcc.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/protein-science-conference-gets-behind-foreshore-rehabilitation/) which, among other activities, manages the Lorne foreshore. With our support, they have undertaken weed control and revegetation with native species indigenous to Lorne near the mouth of the Erskine River. The site extends over foreshore land (on the ocean side of the Great Ocean Road) for several hundred meters. In 2010 this site has been maintained and undergone further weeding and planting. It s a small step but one we felt was worth taking.
North Lorne rehabilitation site – Dec 2010: Dense thickets of environmental weeds have been cleared and approximately 1200 plants have been planted including:
•200 Allocasuarina verticillata (Drooping Sheoak)
•100 Stylidium armeria (Common Trigger-plant)
•100 Acaena nova-zelandii ( Bidgee-Widgee)
•200 Lomandra longifolia (Spiny-head Mat-rush)
•50 Dianella brevicaulis (Small flower Flax Lily)
•100 Leptospermum scoparium (Manuka)
•3 Correa alba (White Correa)
•19 Olearia ramulosa (Twiggy Daisy-bush)
•50 Leucopogon parviflorus (Coast Beard Heath)
Suggestions for further activities that could be supported are also very welcome (please email: jackie.wilce@monash.edu This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). We have also raised the issue of environmentally friendly management with the venue, Mantra Resort and our conference organizer, ASN, also shares our concern and is proactive in minimizing waste. Remember, when travelling and throughout the meeting - please spare a thought for the environment. If you are flying, please consider purchasing a carbon offset with your ticket, and if you are driving please share a ride with others. Also, please treat water as the scarce resource that it is in Victoria.
We hope that Lorne can be enjoyed for many years to come!
Jackie Wilce
Chair of Environmental Initiatives Committee
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