Michael Green

Writer and producer

Primate fear

In Environment, Social justice on

 

The orangutan population may be dangerously low, but conservationist Dr Willie Smits has made a place for hope.

What should you do if an army colonel comes home while you’re confiscating his orangutan? For Dr Willie Smits, the Dutch-born founder of Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS), the unexpected clash became a near-death experience.

“He pulled his gun, chk chk, on my chest…‘I’m going to kill you here and now’.” Smits recalls as he jabs at the spot the weapon hit him. “But you still have to be able to remain quiet, look him in the eyes and say ‘Colonel, you know the punishment for having an orangutan and…for shooting a man. You take your pick’.”

This frightening encounter is just a glimpse of the 52-year-old’s intense commitment to the survival of the orangutans, our closest and most intelligent primate relatives.

Smits visited Australia in 2008 to promote his co-authored book, Thinkers of the Jungle. His dedication to the red apes vibrates through every sentence he utters. “I want to show what marvellous beings orangutans are,” he says. “They are so altruistic and really, they are the better humans. So it’s a genocide that is taking place.”

With over 200 staff across four different sites in Borneo, BOS is the world’s largest primate protection organisation. Smits, who holds a doctorate in forestry, works “20 hours a day, seven days a week,” nurturing those in his rescue centres and campaigning against the illegal logging and animal traders that threaten them.

There are only about 57,000 wild orangutans left in Indonesia and Malaysia. At the current rate of decline, BOS believes that the primates could be wiped out by 2015. “If we cannot even save orangutans, then what hope is there left for the rest of the world?” Smits asks.

Smits is tall and broad. His brown eyes flare and his voice simmers with rage as he speaks about the clearing of forests to satisfy overseas demand for timber and palm oil – now an ingredient in everything from ice cream and chocolate, to toothpaste and pet food. He’s outraged and bewildered by consumer apathy in western countries. “I don’t think anyone who understands the injustice that is happening to the orangutans and the local people could sit still and do nothing. I cannot imagine that.”

His own path to action came by chance. One evening in 1989, while working as an advisor to the Indonesian forestry minister, he saw a sick orangutan baby thrown on a rubbish heap in Balikpapan, a coastal town on Borneo. He decided to look after it and from that moment on, more and more red apes were delivered into his care. Two years later, running out of room at his home, he established BOS.

Despite the passing years, the first orangutan remains the most special to him. He called the baby Uce, after the sound of her heavy, strained breathing. When it came time for her release in 1992, she refused to go. Smits consoled the ape and offered her a leaf as a parting gift.

In 1998, he saw Uce again. “I really thought I’d lost her in the forest fires, but then we found her and she had a baby,” he says, his anger vanishing as he recalls their reunion. “She took me to a Licuala palm and she bit off a leaf and gave that to me. That was the same leaf, the same species I gave to her. She knew I would understand that she was saying thank you after all these years,” he says.

That’s just one example of the intelligence and culture that Smits says he sees everyday, from fishing and tool use, to self-absorbed preening before a mirror. As he flicks through the photos in his book, he points with pride at his primate friends, his voice now brimming with care and admiration. “Orangutans put flowers in the edges of their nest. They have aesthetic feelings. And how they love to look at themselves in pictures,” he says, laughing. “They start posing.

Despite the dire outlook for the species’ survival, Smits still has room for optimism. He is inspired by the early success of BOS’s nature park, Samboja Lestari. There, the organisation is re-vegetating cleared land to provide a habitat for 2000 orangutans.

Local families farm sugar palms in the land surrounding the reserve. They earn a sustainable income and protect the inner ring from fire and illegal forestry. “You can actually do something that creates jobs and still creates safe havens for nature. So it doesn’t need to be all gloom and doom,” he says.

Besides, Smits says, what makes it all worthwhile is that his favourite ape, Uce, is now pregnant for the third time and her first baby is “a truly wild-born, independent orangutan”. He only sees her every few years. “I’m waiting for the next chance to go see her, but the love will still be there.”

Balcony gardens

In Greener Homes on

Plants can flourish where once there was no soil.

Nicholas Faiz’s high-rise garden is about to shoot. Last year, he moved into a city apartment with a large, hot, north-facing balcony. “I’m on the top story of a building and there’s bare concrete and glass towers all around me,” he says.

But now he’s got greenery for company too, including jacaranda, lemon, mulberry, avocado and feijoa trees, as well as herbs, strawberries, roses, geraniums and a passionfruit vine.

“I’m really looking forward to spring and summer because they’ll get lots of growth,” Mr Faiz says. “The garden really makes a big difference. I’ve installed four seats out there and it’s quite pleasant now.”

Balcony garden designer Cecilia Macaulay says that small spaces and lack of existing soil shouldn’t deter apartment or terrace-house green thumbs. “I think balcony gardens are more desirable than normal gardens because everything is a metre away from your gaze,” she says. “You see changes everyday.”

Start your new garden by deciding where to put seating. “I think a table and chairs are essential, so you spend time there. It’s an ecosystem and humans are vital,” Ms Macaulay says.

Next, choose the largest pots you can – they’ll better store moisture and nutrients. Plan for a constant supply of water, such as a small pond or a bucket you always refill. “If there’s no ready-to-go water on the balcony, the plants are doomed,” she says. “It’s just a matter of time.”

Sunnier north- and west-facing balconies will produce more food, but the plants will be thirstier. To check whether they need a drink, use wooden chopsticks. “Keep a stash on hand,” Ms Macaulay says. “Stick them in and see if the soil is crumbling off, or it’s moist and clingy. It should be nice and moist like a cake.”

She also recommends Wetpots, a super-efficient watering system in which porous pots are buried in the soil and gravity fed from a small water tank.

Container gardening can be tricky. “Strong plants can fight off many pests, but they need the right nutrients and enough water to do so. In nature, they can put down deeper roots, but on a balcony, they depend on what you supply them,” Ms Macaulay says.

“My favourite for balconies are fig trees, because they’re beautiful and pests aren’t interested in their tough leaves. Persimmon trees are really good too.”

She warns that tomatoes can take some trial and error, especially if it’s windy. It’s easiest to begin your plot with herbs and leafy greens. “Rocket is irrepressible. Plant seeds every few weeks so you’ve always got a new batch coming up.”

Don’t forget to put a worm farm in a shady corner. The worms will recycle your food scraps into fertiliser. They’ll help to make your garden more self-sufficient and boost your harvest. And all that equals happiness: a thriving balcony garden is guaranteed to bring you joy.

“The excitement that you feel when your pot plant gives you a bean – it’s beautiful,” Ms Macaulay says.

The biggest catch

In Culture, Environment, The Big Issue on

Every year, fishermen and worshippers flood a faraway island in Bangladesh. Photographer Rodney Dekker went there to record traditions that may soon go under.

Most of the year, Dublar Char is nearly uninhabited. The remote island lies at the southern end of the Sundarbans, a vast tidal mangrove forest on the Bay of Bengal. Then, from mid-October to mid-February, thousands of fishermen sweep in from around Bangladesh. Hindu pilgrims come in their thousands too, for Rash Mela, an annual three-day festival with a 200-year history.

Last year, photographer Rodney Dekker joined the influx. “There were fishing boats everywhere. They are all connected and people walk over each boat to get to the land,” he says. The fishermen dry their catch on the broad beach, then bag and ship the fish to markets in the capital, Dhaka.

With the festival on, the island was vibrant. “There was dancing and singing, and people were worshipping clustered around a little temple,” Dekker says. “There was lots of energy and atmosphere.”

Situated in the fertile Ganges Delta, Bangladesh is one of the poorest, most densely populated and lowest-lying countries on earth. Exposed to rising sea levels, melting Himalayan glaciers and increased cyclone frequency, the country’s people are critically vulnerable to the effects of climate change. A Bangladeshi rights organisation, Equity and Justice Rights Group, estimates that 30 million people on the southern coastline are already facing its consequences.

That’s the reason for Dekker’s journey. “Dublar Island will be one of the first places in Bangladesh to be affected by sea level rise and this culture will be lost as a result,” he says.

The 34-year-old photographer is a former environmental scientist. In Australia, he has shot series on droughts, floods and bushfires. “My photographic interests come from my interest in environmental problems,” he says. “Part of what I’m trying to do is to show people what is happening in the world as a result of climate change.”

In November 2007, Dublar Island was lashed by Cyclone Sidr. Development organisation Save the Children estimated that between 5,000 and 10,000 people died in the storm. “It was the most severe cyclone on record in the Bay of Bengal,” Dekker says. “Cyclones are becoming more intense and frequent and the timing is different now. One of the fishermen I interviewed and photographed on Dublar Island was wondering why cyclones are coming in winter. He doesn’t know.”

The fisherman’s prospects aren’t good. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has predicted that 22 million people in Bangladesh will become climate refugees by 2050.

But it’s industrialised countries, including Australia, who are responsible for the bulk of historical greenhouse gas emissions. “The poorer countries are the ones who will feel the effects [of climate change] the most, and we’re the cause of it,” Dekker says.

Rodney Dekker travelled to Bangladesh with the help of a grant from the SEARCH Foundation. You can view an eyewitness account of his journey on the Oxfam website.

Solar hot water

In Greener Homes on

With generous rebates available, it’s time to tap into efficient hot water.

“To save money on your bills, solar hot water is the best investment you can make – after you’ve done simple things like changing light bulbs,” says Nick Brass from renewable energy supplier Energy Matters. “You can save 75 per cent of the energy you need to heat your water.”

According to Mr Brass, households that now have electric water heaters stand to gain the most. Replacing a system that runs on peak-rate electricity can mean savings of up to $1000 per year. “If you’ve got an electric hot water unit you should go solar right now, without even considering it for a second longer,” he says.

Efficient hot water units cost more up front, but will cut your carbon footprint and save you money in the long term. To encourage you to switch, there’s a generous (but highly complex) set of state and federal rebates on offer.

The Federal Government will stump up $1600 for householders who replace electric systems. If you’re not eligible for the national scheme, the Victorian Government will pay up to $1500 in metropolitan Melbourne and $2350 in the regions – the most efficient units attract the highest rebates. Including extra dollars for Renewable Energy Certificates and Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates, the total cash-back can be well over $3000. For more detailed guidelines, visit the Sustainability Victoria website.

Three kinds of hot water systems are eligible for the rebates. Flat-plate solar collectors have water pipes set inside a clear-fronted, airtight box, with a storage tank perched above. Evacuated tube systems use a row of glass tubes, each with a water pipe inside (in a vacuum), and no rooftop tank. Electric heat pumps work like a refrigerator in reverse, using warmth in the air to heat water. They’re not solar powered, but they’re highly efficient.

Which one is right for you?

Prices vary with rebates and installation costs, but Energy Matters estimates that the grand total will range from $2000 to $3500 installed, depending on the system. Heat pumps are cheapest upfront, followed by flat-plate, then evacuated tube. For ongoing costs, the systems rank in the reverse order.

“We recommend that if you’ve got a roof with solar access, you should use solar,” Mr Brass says. “If you don’t, then you should use a heat pump.”

Of the two solar systems, Mr Brass promotes evacuated tube. “The technology is very good. It’s easy to install, inherently frost-protected, and requires very little maintenance,” he says. “It’s more efficient. Because the tubes are curved, they passively track the sun all day. Flat-plate systems generate the greatest heat in the middle of the day.”

You’ll also need to back up your solar heaters for the times when sunlight isn’t enough. “Instantaneous gas is best,” Mr Brass says. “The only time the water gets boosted is when it passes into the home, so there’s no waste.”

Earth building

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With a low eco-footprint and high fire resistance, earth building is an old medium with modern appeal. 

Homes made from unfired earth – methods such as adobe, cob, pressed brick and rammed earth – now house up to half the world’s people, according to the Earth Building Association of Australia. And Victoria isn’t out in the cold: we have a long-standing tradition of earth building, especially in Melbourne’s north-eastern suburbs.

The association’s annual conference is being held in Eltham from Friday 14 to Sunday 16 August. It will focus on themes of sustainability, energy efficiency and bushfire resistance, and include tours of existing homes.

“Very few building techniques can match earth for low embodied energy,” says vice president Ray Trappel, an architect from NSW. It’s even possible for mudbrick walls to have negative embodied energy – to save energy overall – he says, if they’re made from intercepted excavation waste (which avoids trucking the material to landfill).

The potential for extra fire resistance is another benefit. A 250-millimetre thick mudbrick wall can achieve a high, four-hour fire rating. “A lot of people are considering using earth in their rebuilding (after the January bushfires),” Mr Trappel says.

If you build yourself, earth walls can also save you money. “It’s quite realistic to save up to $50,000 by not buying your bricks and not getting a bricklayer to lay them,” he says. He acknowledges that it will take hard work, but says there are many courses and resources available to guide your toil. “The association helps people share knowledge on all sorts of issues, like the most efficient ways to make bricks and the connecting and finishing details.”

But this kind of building is not just for the DIY set. There’s also an established professional industry. “A mudbrick house can be built cheaply using prefabricated technologies, or it can be a hand-crafted, top-end product,” says Greg Slingsby, a Melbourne builder and president of the Nillumbik Mudbrick Association. “Contemporary building styles have changed the image of mudbrick housing.

“We attract people who want to spend money on a craftsman-built, quality home. We’ve got a huge portfolio of modern houses that are architecturally exciting, with every state-of-the-art convenience,” Mr Slingsby says.

Earthen dwellings have a lot of thermal mass – the heavy walls absorb and store heat, which helps to curb the extremes of summer and winter – but they don’t record high insulation ratings. When the five-star regulations were introduced in Victoria, the earth building industry questioned the rules for failing to fully consider the benefits of thermal mass in external walls.

Mr Slingsby says that while the rating program has improved, it still doesn’t reflect the high comfort levels and low energy needs of residents living in mudbrick homes.

“Earth building, to my mind, is the most eco-friendly building medium there is,” he says. “The internal environment is healthy, low in humidity and comfortable all year round. These homes embody the very notion of green building.”