Bond Villains, Broke Parents and Asbestos in Soils Assessments: A Wild Ride with Pierina OtnessGunnar and James are back with another high-flying guest on their podcast! Somehow this episode feels very James Bond-ish.Scene 1: The Asbestos Assessment AuthorityGunnar and James, sit down with none other than Pierina Otness - the undisputed authority on asbestos in soils (ASBINS) assessments. Scene 2: James vs. James BondGunnar feels that James needs an introduction worthy of 007. Scene...

The changed PoEO Act - way more than just increased penalties.Gunnar and James found themselves in the company of not one, but two lawyers. While that usually is not a good thing no matter how you look at it, this time it’s not about courtrooms and objections, but it’s about environmental law. Darren Bick and Daniel Webster, Environmental and Planning Lawyers extraordinaire, joined the two for a chat about recent changes to the Protection of the Environment Operations Act.Now, chatting about ...

Part II of the interview with Canadian Chemical Processes Expert Paul Martin. In case you have missed it, in Part I Paul talked us through the, rather inconvenient facts about hydrogen as a means to export energy for Australia and why that is a rather far fetched idea. Here is a link to Part 1 of the interview. In this episode Gunnar and James talk about:The best uses for hydrogenHow we will best decarbonise our livesWe learn about carbon taxes and how Canada has implemented them quite s...

Gunnar and James are talking to Paul Martin, a Canadian Chemical Process Development Expert and tireless advocate for a fossil free future. This first part of a two-part episode looks into whether the claims that Australia has a future as a new energy provider to the world via Hydrogen exports are based on reality or wishful thinking. Paul Martin calls a lot of it #hopium - that should give you an indication of what Paul will be presenting.Link to Part 2 of this chat.Reach Paul at https:...

Our guest on this episode is Adrian Heggie. Over the past decade Adrian has developed an amazingly simple method for the delineation of sub-surface hydrocarbon plumes (chlorinated or not) by measuring the aboveground concentration these plumes cause. His method is fast, accurate, inexpensive and most of all, does not require any invasive ground work. If you think this sounds too good to be true, this chat will convince you otherwise. Adrian showcased his research at the recent Chlorinated...

In this episode, we delve into the question of dangers lurking in unsuspecting areas like our backyards and public parks. Join Gunnar and James as they discuss with researcher Ana Serra the findings of her study into asbestos exposure from seemingly mundane activities like lawn mowing or soil disturbance during landscaping or Council maintenance work.   How many respirable fibres get released  when a lawn mower drives over bonded asbestos fragments on the surface of a site? What happens when...

James twisted Gunnar's arm and convinced him to record a podcast about issues around policies in the environmental industry. Why does the EPA quietly make updates to definitions but does not tell anyone about it? Why are there 'internal policies' that are not written down that the EPA and some local governments enforce willy nilly. Why is there no central spot for policy updates in our industry? They also talk about proposed changes to the POEO Act (and before you get all excited, it is not...

Sydney is still in the grip of an asbestos panic. In this episode we sit down with Philip Hibbs, one of the ultimate OH/S and asbestos experts in Australia. We chat about what he calls "Mulchgate", the actual risk to humans posed as a result, other risks humans are exposed to, we bag all sorts of regulators and organisations for their lack of leadership and we are having a fair bit of fun doing so.  Find out lore about Phil Hibbs at https://hibbs.com.au/ and...

Bonded asbestos fragments have been found in mulch in a brand-new park in Sydney's suburb Rozelle. The ensuing panic in the public, associated finger pointing and running for cover by contractors, suppliers, regulators and of course politicians was as expected as it was to a degree amusing.   Gunnar and James simply had to talk about this.  The episode was recorded on Thursday 8 February 2024. The Guardian Article we mention:...