By ANTHONY BUNNFeb. 21, 2014, midnight

SHEDS full of stuff sought for a pay television show Aussie Pickers.

SHEDS full of stuff collected over the years are being sought for a pay television show Aussie Pickers.

The shows hosts, Lucas Callaghan and Adam McDonald trawl through the stuff in search of hidden treasures in storerooms, garages and yards.

The precious items unearthed range from posters to toys to motorbikes.

The producers are seeking suitable candidates on the Border.

If enough people respond, they plan to film in the district next month or April.

In the previous series of Aussie Pickers, the treasures found have been valued without being auctioned.

This year, its planned that the hidden gems uncovered will be put up for sale.

Callaghan, who is a collector turned shop owner, operates a store in the Sydney suburb of Paddington.

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Aussie Pickers search for cool 'stuff' in Border sheds

Dairy farmers could save $42 million through electricity efficiency measures in the dairy shed, and now an online tool is available that gives individual farmers an idea of how well they are making use of the electricity they pay for.

EECA BUSINESS has launched the Dairy Farm Energy Efficiency tool, which compares a dairy farms electricity use to other dairy farms in New Zealand, and to best practice.

The average New Zealand dairy farm spends over $20,000 a year on electricity, but dairy sheds vary a lot in how efficiently they use their electricity, says Kirk Archibald, EECA projects and relationship manager.

"Some dairy farms are using three times as much electricity as others for the same milk-solids production."

Overall, dairy farmers could save $42 million a year through cost effective technologies and simple actions.

"The Dairy Farm Energy Efficiency tool is designed to help dairy farmers see if they are missing out on making significant savings.

"By answering a few simple questions, you can map your energy use against 150 dairy farms across New Zealand. You can find out how you compare against others, and the improvements that would make a difference in your milking shed," Kirk Archibald said.

Overall, New Zealands 12,000 dairy farms use $251 million worth of electricity, or 7% of New Zealands total electricity use. It is estimated that electricity contributes 15c to the cost of every kilogram of milk solids produced.

Interim results from a programme run by EECA show dairy sheds have reduced electricity use by around a fifth after installing heat recovery equipment.

Energy data collected from 15 farms shows that energy efficiency upgrades have reduced electricity use by 21% overall, meaning projects will have paid for themselves in under 3 years on average.

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Online tool compares energy efficiency of dairy sheds

Online tool compares energy efficiency of dairy sheds across NZ

Dairy farmers could save $42 million through electricity efficiency measures in the dairy shed, and now an online tool is available that gives individual farmers an idea of how well they are making use of the electricity they pay for.

EECA BUSINESS has launched the Dairy Farm Energy Efficiency tool, which compares a dairy farms electricity use to other dairy farms in New Zealand, and to best practice.

The average New Zealand dairy farm spends over $20,000 a year on electricity, but dairy sheds vary a lot in how efficiently they use their electricity, says Kirk Archibald, EECA projects and relationship manager.

Some dairy farms are using three times as much electricity as others for the same milk-solids production.

Overall, dairy farmers could save $42 million a year through cost effective technologies and simple actions.

The Dairy Farm Energy Efficiency tool is designed to help dairy farmers see if they are missing out on making significant savings.

By answering a few simple questions, you can map your energy use against 150 dairy farms across New Zealand. You can find out how you compare against others, and the improvements that would make a difference in your milking shed, Kirk Archibald said.

Overall, New Zealands 12,000 dairy farms use $251 million worth of electricity, or 7% of New Zealands total electricity use. It is estimated that electricity contributes 15c to the cost of every kilogram of milk solids produced.

Interim results from a programme run by EECA show dairy sheds have reduced electricity use by around a fifth after installing heat recovery equipment.

Read this article:
Online tool compares energy efficiency of dairy sheds in NZ

Published: Friday, February 21, 2014 at 6:30 a.m. Last Modified: Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 10:36 p.m.

It was encouraging to see that at least 200 water advocates from around the state, including Ocala/Marion County, rallied Tuesday in Tallahassee. They need to keep up the pressure to prevent a much smaller group from weakening or killing legislation to protect our imperiled springs.

The Senate Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee held a workshop Thursday on draft springs legislation. The measure would create protection areas around springs where homeowners would be required to upgrade septic tanks or hook up to sewer systems. The work would be funded with about $378 million per year from existing fees paid when real estate is sold.

A workshop last week on the legislation attracted about a dozen lobbyists, only one of them representing an environmental group. The group was dominated by representatives of utilities and business interests, some of who questioned the need for any springs legislation.

You don't have to reinvent this wheel, said Doug Mann, representing Associated Industries of Florida. The toolkit's out there. It's putting the money towards that toolkit and setting some parameters.

Rhetoric about the state already having enough regulatory tools to protect its water resources has become a popular excuse for inaction. It's disingenuous for groups seeking to weaken regulations to claim that the state has all the regulations it needs.

The Legislature passed minimum flows and levels for springs and rivers more than 30 years ago. Now that regulators are finally setting them, special interests are trying to chip away at those protections.

Mandates to develop basin management action plans to clean up polluted water bodies passed about 15 years ago. The first of those cleanup plans for springs was not established until 2012. Plans will be developed for another 140 or more springs this year, the DEP says.

This is dramatic, said Herschel Vinyard, secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. And we did it with the tools we have in our toolbox today.

Yet tools also have been taken out of that toolbox. Legislation passed in 2010 would have required Florida's 2.7 million septic tanks to undergo inspections to ensure they are properly working. Special interest and tea party pressure led to the bill's repeal just two years later.

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Editorial: Talk is cheap

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Contributed By:

Dave Blanchard

OPB | Feb. 20, 2014 12:45 p.m. | Updated: Feb. 20, 2014 3:12 p.m.

Austin Kirk /OPB

A report by the Oregon Center for Public Policy (OCPP) shows the issue of wage theft disproportionately affects workers in the restaurant and constructionindustries.

Wage theft includes an employer paying less than minimum wage, not paying overtime, not paying for certain hours worked, or simply not paying an employee at all. Food service and construction jobs account for eight and four percent of Oregon jobs, respectively, but they made up 30 and 16 percent of all wage theft claims filed with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries(BOLI).

In total, 871 wage theft claims were made with BOLI between July 2012 and June 2013, but theres evidence to suggest many more incidents gounreported.

Have you experienced wage theft? How did you address the problem, if atall?

GUESTS:

Rose E. Tucker Charitable Trust

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Wage Theft In Restaurant and Construction Industries

The National Green Building Standard for Remodeling
Homeowners want to make their homes more energy-efficient and remodelers need to deliver to be competitive. Learn why you should be remodeling homes to the N...

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The National Green Building Standard for Remodeling - Video