Confirmation from the World Health Organisation (WHO) that diesel emissions are carcinogenic came as no surprise to the leaders in the development of emissions monitoring and reduction technology at Peak3.

Peak 3 CEO Col Chandler said the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), declaration that classified diesel engine exhaust as carcinogenic to humans (group 1) was announced last week (12 June).

“Many people associate diesel exhaust “smoke” with emissions danger but it’s not the smoke that is the problem, it is the nano particles that are created by diesel engines,” Mr Chandler said.

Mr Chandler said these particles were invisible to the naked eye and could be as small as 5 nano metres.

“Ironically the big black particles that can be seen in sooty smoke are generally sneezed or coughed out but it is the nano particles which are often coated in harmful organic compounds from the fuel and lubricants and were able to penetrate more deeply into the lungs,” he said.

“As the WHO has confirmed, this dramatically increases the risks of cancer and unfortunately newer engines are not a protection from this because in many cases they simply reduced the smoke or mass but could in some cases actually increase the number of diesel particulates – which are much smaller and could not be seen.  It also raises the legal and governance risks for mining company boards.”

Mr Chandler said the WHO finding was the strongest confirmation yet of the importance of the research and development Peak3 had undertaken to develop their revolutionary diesel engine particulate emissions management, treatment and monitoring solutions was of considerable benefit to any industry using large diesel fleets.

“Our technology has applications for all diesel engines but is particularly important for the underground mining industry because of the enclosed environment. It is also vital for these companies to know they are effectively keeping the emissions as low as reasonably possible, and the traditional methodologies simply don’t do that, ” Mr Chandler said.

According to the Chairman of the WHO’s IARC working group, Dr Christopher Portier, the scientific evidence was compelling and the working group’s conclusion was unanimous: diesel engine exhaust cases lung cancer in humans.  In the IARC’s release, Dr Portier said given the additional health impacts from diesel particulates, exposure to this mixture of chemicals should be reduced worldwide.

Peak3 have developed a number of world-leading emissions treatment and monitoring technologies including the Particulate Management Platform that treats nano and ultrafine particulates using ultrasonic agglomeration, a process that was developed with collaborative research assistance from the Australian Coal Association Research Program and CSIRO.

Diesel emissions include up to 41 toxic compounds – which pose health risks to underground miners. Peak3’s focus is on helping mining companies reduce costs and reduce emissions through better use of new planning, monitoring and treatment technologies and services and ensure they can adhere to the strict emissions regulations being implemented globally.  At the heart of that approach is Evidence Based Emissions Management.

Peak 3, a Queensland Science and Engineering company, also provides a range of monitoring and emission planning services to the mining market that enable mine operators to more efficiently measure the emissions and aims to become the ‘standard’ for end-to-end emissions management in the mining industry.

“The first step to managing the problem of diesel emissions is to effectively measure it, given traditional treatment technologies don’t work well for the treatment of the harmful smaller particles,” Mr Chandler said.

“As a result we were asked by the mining community to develop a system that did treat them, and other systems that enabled measurement.

“The mining industry has driven this innovation but it will be of benefit worldwide.

“Diesel is a great technology and powers much of the world’s industry. It’s simply not practical to shift everything to gas or electric, we just have to make sure it is as safe as possible which is what we have done,” Mr Chandler said.

For more information visit the Peak3 website – www.peak3.com.au – or phone 07 3801 4897.

One of the major suppliers of the new Bloomhill Centre extension has furthered their contribution, donating $5,000 to the Buderim-based charity.

Sunshine Coast Mitre 10 was responsible for the supply of timber, fixings, cladding and doors for the new extension and was eager to show its ongoing support for the worthwhile charity organisation.

Mitre 10 Group Trade Manager, Adrian McCormick said Mitre 10 Sunshine Coast were large supporters of new constructions and had a strong community orientation and commitment.

Bloomhill’s new General Manager, Mervat Thompson accepted the donation on behalf of Bloomhill and said the charity was really appreciative of the support.

“Bloomhill relies on the support we receive from local businesses and the community and we hope to continue our relationship with Mitre 10 and Accord Homes,” Mervat said.

“In fact, we have plans to work together again to renovate the older section of the Centre in the near future,” Mervat said.

Bloomhill Cancer Help is a local charity that provides support and assistance to those affected by cancer. Operated by a team of dedicated professional staff and hundreds of volunteers, Bloomhill offers counselling, transport to appointments, respite care and a range of complementary therapies and other practical help.

Accord Homes, builders of the extension and long-time supporters of Bloomhill, coordinated the donation with Mitre 10, having worked with the company for many years, including on other charity projects.

For the fifth consecutive year, the Buderim Foundation is searching for worthwhile projects that benefit Buderim to support through its 2012 Community Grant Program.

Applications are now open and close on 13 July. Any local non-profit organisation able to provide services to the Buderim community is eligible to apply.

The Chair of the Buderim Foundation, Professor Paul Clark said the Foundation was anticipating a record number of entries in this year’s grant program.

“Every year our grant total amount reaches a new high, as more people become aware of the Foundation and our role within the community,” Prof. Clark said.

Since launching its Community Grants Program in 2008, twenty local organisations have received grants totalling close to $67,000. Grants have been awarded to all manner of projects and initiatives ranging from equipment for Buderim Scouts, a drinking fountain at Foote Sanctuary and a music master class for the Buderim Concert Band.

“The application process is relatively straight forward and we are more than happy to offer support to anyone experiencing difficulties with the submission process,” Prof. Clark said.

The help applicants, the Buderim Foundation Grants team will be available at the Old Post Office every Thursday between 10am to 12noon. For advice or to make an appointment, please contact John Kleinschmidt on 0407 417 083 or Margaret Welshe on 07 5445 2722.

Application forms and grant guidelines can be downloaded from the Buderim Foundation website. Successful applicants will be announced at the annual 2012 Good News Night on 7 September, with more details available closer to the date.

For more information on The Buderim Foundation or the 2012 Grants Program, please visit, www.buderimfoundation.org.au.

Tickets to the Sunshine Coast Literary Association’s annual Awards Presentation Night are selling fast, with writers’ eager to know the names of the lucky winners of the 2012 SCLA Writers’ Competition.

The dinner will be held at the 4th Floor Restaurant on the Mooloolaba Esplanade on Thursday, 21 June at 6pm for a 6.30pm start.

President of the SCLA, Bryan Ward said the competition had received more than 140 submissions this year, a great response to the competition being open for the first time to writers from the Moreton Bay and South Burnett Council areas as well as the Sunshine Coast and Gympie.

“If last year’s entries are anything to go by, our panel of judges is certainly going to have a tough time deciding the winners,” Bryan said.

The Sunshine Coast Literary Association is a not-for-profit association dedicated to nurturing, showcasing and celebrating the literary talent throughout the Sunshine Coast region.

This year, Dr Venero (Veny) Armanno, a senior lecturer in writing at UQ, author and scriptwriter will present as guest speaker. Dr Armanno has published a collection of short stories and nine novels, three of which have been published internationally and in 2002, his novel The Volcano won Best Australian Fiction Book in the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards.

“We are lucky to have such an accomplished writer join us for the Awards Night,” Bryan said.

“We have returned the Awards Dinner to the 4th Floor again for 2012. Last year’s event was a fantastic night and a great opportunity to celebrate the literary talents of writers in the region,” Bryan said.

There are some great prizes up for grabs with each category having a $200 first prize, $50 second prize, as well as certificates for all winners including Highly Commended entries.

Tickets to the event are $50 per person and include a decadent three-course meal. Children under the age of 12 are $20.

Numbers are limited and the event sold out for the past two years running, so don’t waste another minute to secure your place. For more information or to make a booking, please visit www.scliterary.org or call 07 5450 2690.

The Sunshine Coast Literary Association will host its annual Awards Presentation Night on Thursday, 21 June, to announce the lucky winners of the 2012 SCLA Writers’ Competition.

The dinner will be held at the 4th Floor Restaurant on the Mooloolaba Esplanade at 6pm for a 6.30pm start.

President of the SCLA, Bryan Ward said we have had an incredible response to the competition this year, after opening up the competition to writers from the Moreton Bay and South Burnett Council areas as well as the Sunshine Coast and Gympie.

“We have received more than 140 submissions across the six categories,” Bryan said.

“If last year’s entries are anything to go by, our panel of judges is certainly going to have a tough time deciding the winners,” Bryan said.

The Sunshine Coast Literary Association is a not-for-profit association dedicated to nurturing, showcasing and celebrating literary talent throughout the Sunshine Coast region.

“The Writers’ Competition was first held in 2007 and has been run every year since 2009 so it is a key part of the Association’s calendar,” Bryan said.

“The competition is designed to provide an outlet for talented writers to showcase their work to their peers and receive valuable feedback from professional and accomplished writers,” he said.

“We have returned the Awards Dinner to the 4th Floor again for 2012. Last year’s event was a fantastic night and a great opportunity to celebrate the literary talents of writers in the region,” Bryan said.

There are some great prizes up for grabs with each category having a $200 first prize, $50 second prize, as well as certificates for all winners including Highly Commended entries.

Tickets to the event are $50 per person and include a decadent three-course meal.

Numbers are limited and the event sold out for the past two years running, so book early to secure your place. For more information or to make a booking, please visit www.scliterary.org or call 07 5450 2690.

A group of University of the Sunshine Coast students will join the Buderim Foundation in holding a Street by Street fundraising showcase to launch the new Street by Street Challenge and help raise money for the Foundation’s B150 Community Challenge.

Public Relations students, Oceana Kovacs, Stephanie Lauchlan, Mia Lundkvist, Christie O’Sullivan and Emma Street, mentored by Michelle Smytheman from Reflected Image PRoductions, are excited to be putting their PR skills into practice.

Emma Street said she was excited to be part of a worthwhile community project and the event was a great opportunity to apply her classroom learning and get some real-world experience.

“It is rewarding to be able to help and contribute to such a worthwhile organisation, and encourage others to do the same,” Miss Street said.

The students are organising a fundraising showcase that will provide Buderim street communities with fun and easy fundraising ideas that they can then use for their own efforts.

The Street by Street Challenge involves neighbours getting together, and possibly even challenging other streets, to reach fundraising targets while also increasing the awareness of the Buderim Foundation and what it does for the community.

Mia Lundkvist said that the students enjoyed brainstorming simple and effective fundraising ideas that could be showcased at the event and copied by Buderim residents.

“We are hopeful Buderim street communities will take up the fundraising challenge and most importantly have fun with their neighbours,” Miss Lundkvist said.

The Street by Street Challenge Fundraising Showcase will be held on Saturday, 19 May at the Buderim War Memorial Hall, from 10am – 1pm.

It will be a fun day for the whole family with live music, delicious baked goodies and homemade lemonade for sale, car wash, sausage sizzle, rummage sale, kids activities and more.

Miss Lundkvist said she hoped the event would attract over 100 people, and they could recruit a minimum of 150 street coordinators on the day.

The Buderim Foundation’s B150 Community Challenge, part of Buderim’s 150th birthday celebrations, aims to raise money to take their investment fund to $1million.

Australia’s Crochet Queen, Jenny King has been internationally recognised as one of the world’s most talented Crochet designers, featuring in a special Vogue Knitting Crochet issue.

Jenny, one of only two Australian designers to feature in the magazine, said having her design shown in Vogue was a dream come true.

“I have been wishing, hoping and planning to get my designs into Vogue for the past two decades,” Jenny said.

“When I found out that I was going to be featured in the magazine, I was so excited! I crocheted my fingers to the bone over the Christmas break, even at the beach with the family,” Jenny said.

“The design was inspired by an amazing crochet jacked with circles and stripes I saw at the Easton Pearson Exhibition in Brisbane,” Jenny said.

Jenny, who has been crocheting since being taught two simple stitches when she was just 8, has been passing on her love of crochet since the 1990s and is the author of 13 crochet books and countless patters that cover everything from intricate beaded bags and jewellery to swimwear.

Jenny’s love affair with Vogue began over 20 years ago, when Vogue Knitting magazine was reintroduced and became available in Australia.

“Even though I don’t knit, I would adapt patterns from the magazine and made dozens of crochet garments,” Jenny said.

“Then in 1994, Vogue knitting published their first and only issue of Vogue Crochet, a magazine that I have kept, with pride, to this day on my bookshelf,” Jenny said.

Jenny has taught crochet around Australia and internationally including the US and offers a range of classes from her Sunshine Coast shop, JK Designs.

“Crochet is a rapidly growing trend and continues to increase in popularity as more and more crochet fashions appear on cat walks around the world,” Jenny said.

“I believe, that this, in part, has revived the lost art of crochet and prompted people to want to learn the craft themselves,” Jenny said.

“Having my design featured in Vogue and also Interweave Crochet, another truly amazing crochet magazine, are two of the greatest achievements in my career so far,” Jenny said.

The Vogue Knitting Crochet issue is available from 8 May. For more information on JK Designs, go to www.jennykingdesigns.com.