Kia ora koutou, Greetings everyone. Welcome to Sustainable Wellington Net's Newsletter #12. In this newsletter we have site news, Conservation Week events, Karori Sanctuary is populated with weka and kiwi, a new group is formed to oppose Transmission Gully, the Government gives more money to public transport, and a genetic engineering update. SITE NEWS Our latest editorial, The Biosolids File, raises questions about the allowable levels of contaminants such as mercury, cadmium, and dieldrin in the compost produced by the Living Earth Joint Venture sewage sludge composting plant in Wellington. It also looks at the wider issues of the production of compost from sewage sludge and the merits of dumping of sewage sludge on land. A Kids category has been added to the Network and Resources pages. We hope these will prove useful resources to our younger web surfers. An exciting project for kids is also underway and should be online in August. and Our Network page has been further enhanced with the various groups broken into the same categories as used on the other pages (Renewable Energy, Transport, etc). The governmental sites have been moved from the Links page into the new Governmental category. We've got an awesome new version of our Search page thanks to the generous folks at Atomz.com. It now indexes our PDF files, and displays results as if they were another page of the site. CONSERVATION WEEK, TE KOROWAI O TE TAIAO Conservation weeks runs from the 31st of July to the 6th of August and features tree plantings, guided walks, a display at St Paul's Cathedral (we'll be there), and other events. See our Calendar page for a complete listing. KARORI SANCTUARY Both weka and kiwi have now been released into Karori Sanctuary. General Manager, Stephen Fuller describes the Sanctuary as the most pest-free square mile of urban habitat in the world. Over the next few months the Sanctuary plans to release brown teal and robin - just the first wave of over 50 native species which will repopulate the sanctuary in the next 10 years. The Sanctuary will be open to the public at the end of the year. Regular member events and walks are held, so signup if you'd like to be part of this exciting project! TRANSMISSION GULLY The GAIN (Gully Alternatives and Information Network) website is now live. This group was formed in June 2000 to oppose the construction of Transmission Gully, to inform people of the less-published facts about the proposed motorway, and to suggest alternative solutions. [Members include Mike and Tom from Sustainable Wellington Net] PUBLIC TRANSPORT FUNDING INCREASE From the Sustainable Transport Network Newsletter #11. The Government announced a new public transport funding package on 12 June which looks at what can be done immediately to remove barriers to public transport investment under existing legislation. In the longer term, the Government plans to review the way public transport is funded and managed. The following information on the changes has been provided by the Ministry of Transport: * Value of public transport recognised in Transfund's performance agreement * Funding based on passenger kilometres travelled, removing funding cap * Additional funding for peak period congestion for regions to make full use of the new funding opportunities. * Significant capital investment in Auckland public transport infrastructure possible For more information contact: Greg Mossong, Ministry of Transport. Phone 09 379 0036 E-mail: g_mossong@transport.govt.nz GENETIC ENGINEERING Extracts from The Muller Report - May - June 2000 . The big news at the moment is the Australian NZ Food Standards Authority (ANSFSC) meeting in Wellington on July 28. At this meeting a final decision will be made about labelling. As you may recall, a new standard for GE food came into effect from 13 May 1999. At this stage foods that had not been tested for safety by Australian NZ Food Authority (ANSFA) and approved by ANFSC could not be legally sold. Well you are still eating this untested, illegal food! What is worse, Australian PM Howard has succumbed to pressure from US Biotech companies and is trying to dilute the legislation to the point where it is meaningless. This would mean that you would still be eating these unlabelled foods. This is after the majority of Health Ministers here and in Australia agreed to the labelling last May, and the majority of consumers have repeatedly said they want labelling. While we have been thinking that all is well with the Green Party in Parliament, the Royal Commission coming up in the near future, and the agreement to label, the Biotech companies have been working hard to ensure you donŐt know what you are eating. This means we can get all the GE food that Europe and the UK has rejected. This is the time for action. Write to Annette King, Minister of Health, and demand we do not give into pressure from Biotech companies. Consumer health, choice and safety should be the Governments first choice, not corporate profit. There will be a protest in Wellington on the 28 July - 12-2 pm at the Park Royal Hotel, where the Ministers will be meeting. [Notified on our Action Alerts. Also see our Calendar page.] We've received this request from GeneEthics: GeneEthics seeks examples of disinformation on genetic engineering by industry, industry organisations, government, science organisations, etc. Any communication of any kind is of interest. It doesn't matter how old it is. Remember, the tobacco industry was finally nailed by deceptive claims made in the 1950s! Please send everything, regardless of how innocuous or irrelevant it may seem. The disinformation time bomb may reside in different sources, brought together with your help. Let our researchers decide what's important. KEEP UP TO DATE - Check out the Recent Changes on our home page _ Hei kona mai, Goodbye for now.