This report listed below was found on the Australian Policy Online newsletter and thought it might interest the Sustainable Melbourne audience. Retrofitting rather than simply building new environmentally-friendly buildings is a key concern regarding climate change.

The greening of existing buildings
Your Building
Posted: 27-04-2008
Current research has identified that most of Australia’s CBD stock, constructed in the 1970’s, is entering a phase of retrofitting. Most of this existing stock performs poorly against sustainability benchmarks and there is huge scope for improving the sustainability of the existing commercial building stock in Australia. This link is a collection of recent articles addressing the topic of greening of the existing building stock, found in EcoLibrium, the official journal of the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH).

Read full text: http://www.yourbuilding.org/display/yb/The+Greening+of+Existing+Buildings.

A one day workshop that will teach you how to plan effective communication campaigns for social causes.

The workshop will cover key aspects of campaign planning including:
- setting campaign goals
- designing a communication strategy
- choosing and working with your audience
- using effective communication models and frameworks
- pre-testing your communication concepts
- using a social change strategy checklist

Presented by Gerald Frape, a communications consultant and RMIT / UNSW lecturer with 30 years experience in designing and directing social cause communication campaigns for the World Health Organisation, the Dalai Lama Australian Tour, Oxfam Australia, the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Greenpeace Australia and others.

Pre-registration is essential. Closing date: Monday May 12.
Info: advocacy @rmit.edu.au, http://www.rmit.edu.au/advocacy, ph: 03 9925 2910
Hosted by RMIT Community Advocacy Unit.

Merri Creek Management Committee invites you to:

ENABLING CHANGE WORKSHOP- A 2 full-day challenging and inspiring, expert workshop on engaging your community in grassland conservation.
Tuesday 13th and Wednesday May 14: 8.00am for 8.30am start; finishes 3.30pm each day.
Craigieburn Tennis Club, Selwyn Ave, Craigieburn, Melways Map 387 A9
Presented by: Les Robinson - author of Enabling EcoAction and the Seven Doors Program Design model

Les was Social Marketing Director at social Change Media for 10 years. Les is one of Australia’s most experienced communication trainers and facilitators. Les’s approach distills a wealth of practical campaign experience together with in depth research into social psychology and social marketing, combined with global research into good practice in the
design and evaluation of social change programs. The workshops have been refined through testing with over 1000 project staff in fields as diverse as health promotion, crime prevention, sustainability, natural resource management, and emergency services.

This enjoyable workshop will provide you with proven strategies and tools to design programs that really motivate people – all richly illustrated with numerous cases from Australia and overseas.

You will:
• have powerful insights into behaviour change
• make your programs more persuasive
• know how to set achievable objectives
• understand how to work with values, norms and comfy zones
• learn to avoid common pitfalls
• simplify the process of evaluation.

DAY 1: Understanding behaviour change - Explore what makes voluntary change happen, and examine key concepts and models of social change – illustrated with numerous examples from social marketing programs in Australia and overseas. The outcome from Day 1 is a rounded insight into the processes of social change.

DAY 2: The program design template - This is a system of program logic designed to deal with social change projects. Participants work in teams to develop a program framework to tackle their own ‘change challenges’. The Day 2 outcome will be a customized program design and evaluation strategy, targeting communities living near Native Grasslands, including tactics, messages and evaluation methods.

Registration form: www.mcmc.org.au and send to Ray Radford ray @mcmc.org.au, ph 9380 8199
Cost: $330 Per person / $110 Concession - Includes lunch and morning tea

As part of our research at the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab, VEIL , we are currently designing an online, urban food production map of Melbourne. We are asking people involved in the local food / sustainabilty sector to contribute feedback to the design of this project.

We hope that the VEIL food map will:
• Record the quantity & variety of urban food production present within Melbourne;
• Allow Melbournians to contribute data to this site;
• Form a database for people to use to design new products & services towards greater sustainability within Melbourne;
• Provide evidence that urban food production currently exists within Melbourne in order to foster greater policy support of this industry.

The type of produce to be recorded on this website is food that is primary produce, ie. fresh & not value-added/ processed . These food examples must be larger than household production. Examples of urban food production models include: community gardens, commercial production and market gardens, shared private gardens (such as extended family/ group of households), & food produced on public space (such as street edge gardening, nature strips & street trees).

To test the site and contribute feedback visit http://www.veilmap.sustainablemelbourne.com/.

To move around the map:
• Either double-click the cursor to zoom in or use the scale on the top left-hand corner to zoom in or out;
• Hold the cursor down to drag the image from side-to-side;
• Swap from ‘map’ to ‘satellite’ to ‘both’ views by clicking on the boxes on the top right-hand side.

To submit or edit data:
• First, check if the site has already been added. If it hasn’t, submit data on http://www.veilmap.sustainablemelbourne.com/record_entry.php
• If you would like to edit data on the site please email the details to me at fedwards @unimelb.edu.au.

Please email all feedback to Ferne Edwards at fedwards @unimelb.edu.au.

Sustainability is not just about the environment - its about people who live in the environment and what great to way to express your opinions and form communities then through street press?!

An opportunity for all of those interested in any aspect of Melbourne’s buzzing Street Press from zines to comics, from magazines to blogs, any genre and any level, all are welcome.

Whether you’re a budding writer, designer, editor, artist, programmer or photographer, there will be a space for you to meet the like- minded, exchange ideas and learn new skills. Come and talk to us and find out more about the project at the Emerging Writer’s Festival Zine Fair at Fed Square on May 11.

The series of eight workshops will commence on May 14: 6pm until 7.45pm
City Library, 253 Flinders Lane in Melbourne’s CBD
They will be FREE.
Visit www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/libraries or call (03)96589500 for more details and to confirm a space.

Join the Facebook group! www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12655958956

The City of Stonnington presents its inaugural Sustainable Living Expo hich continues Council’s commitment to reducing our impact on the environment. The Expo will feature presentations and a range of exhibitors showcasing their products and services for homes and small business - visit the Exhibitors page for further information.

Free event
Friday May 9 to Sunday May 11: 10:00am - 5:00pm
Malvern Town Hall, Corner of Glenferrie Road and High Street, Malvern

Exhibitor expression of interest: complete the Expression of Interest form.
Info: Emma Bentley at Arts Events on 9663 7044, emma @artsevents.com.au or visit http://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/
Hosted by: Arts Events

Village Well in collaboration with the Ethos Foundation, Donkey Wheel Trust, Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies (CERES), Victorian Eco Innovation Lab (VEIL) and RMIT invite you to….

Going Local and Making Great Places: A Free Public Lecture with Judy Wicks
Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab. Wednesday 21 May 2008
7.00pm - 9.00pm Storey Hall, RMIT, 342 Swanston Street Melbourne (MEL 579 K7)
RSVP: info @villagewell.org or 03 9650 0080 by Friday 2 May 2008

And

Workshop with Judy Wicks - Going Local: Creating Sustainable & Resilient Business Networks and Communities
8.30am-4.00pm, Thursday 22 May 2008
100 Mile Cafe, Level 3, Melbourne Central 211 La Trobe Street MELBOURNE

Judy Wicks
Inspiring founder and CEO of the White Dog Café in Philadelphia, cofounder and a director of the US-wide Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) and of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, Judy is the recipient of more than 40 local, national and international awards. In 2004, Inc. magazine named her one of America’s 25 most fascinating entrepreneurs, “because she’s put in place more progressive business practices per square foot than any other entrepreneur.” Find out how local businesses are meeting the challenge of globalisation, Climate Change and Peak Oil to create sustainable communities that sustain life, economic viability and the natural environment, and are deeply rooted in their natural and cultural place. Business people, entrepreneurs & everyone involved in the design, creation & management of our cities needs to come to this.

‘Business is about relationships. Money is simply a tool. Business is about relationships with everyone we buy from & sell to, and work with, and about our relationship with Earth itself.’ Judy Wicks

For more information about these events and to book for the workshop print out the pdf below.
going-local-lecture-workshop-1.pdf

Whether building, buying or renovating a sustainably designed home that is sensitive to your surrounds will always be more economical to run and healthier to live in. The “Renovate Sustainably” seminar will outline simple ideas and design principles that will help you create a healthy home lifestyle.

Presenters:
Bill Pemberton from SCARAB Solutions will speak on saving energy in the home when building covering: orientation, insulation, glazing, appliances, touching on embodied energy of building materials.
Jo Biddwell building biologist will speak about healthy building products, and finishes to reduce the toxicity of your home.

Time & Date: 6.45—9.00pm, Thursday 8 May, 2008.
Bookings: 9840 9129 / eepadmin @manningham.vic.gov.au
Where: Manningham City Council Chambers, 699 Doncaster Road, Doncaster.

Home Harvest Food Exchange - Join our Sustainable Living Challenge Home Harvest Food Exchange! Bring along your extra home grown food and exchange it with someone else. The Home Harvest Exchange runs before each seminar (6.30—6.45pm).

Renovate sustainably pdf

Please find a list of the courses held at CERES Community Environment Park in the months of May and June below.

Introduction to Community Food Systems With Chris ennis
Sunday 4th May 2008 10am—4pm
$88/$77 CERES members /conc
What is a community food system? Explore the range of different localised food systems and the environmental, economic and social benefits. Gain a greater understanding of food security and its issues, particularly in an urban context.

Chook Care with Meredith Freeman
Sunday 4th May 2008 10am—3pm
$88/$77 CERES members /conc
Whether you already have chooks or are looking to start a new backyard flock, this course covers all your basic chook needs. Chooks are great for the garden; they deal with weeds, eat bugs, are great fertilizers and provide the best tasting eggs you’ll ever eat.

Grow your own School or community garden With Justin Calverley
Sunday 10th May 2008 10am—4pm
$88/$77 CERES members /conc
This workshop follows an Intro to Community Food Systems, and provides an insight into kitchen/community gardens; where to start, challenges, rewards, educational benefits and financial sustainability. This workshop would be of benefit to schools and other organisations looking to create edible kitchen gardens.

Food based Social enterprises With Marissa Wood & Peta Christensen
Sunday 11th May 2008 10am—4pm
$88/$77 CERES members /conc
This workshop follows an Intro to Community Food Systems, and provides an insight into food based enterprises; where to start, challenges, rewards and financial sustainability. This workshop would be of benefit to schools and other organisations looking to create sustainable food projects.

Intro to Ferro Cement
Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th May 2008, 10am—4pm
$180/$160 CERES members /conc
An introduction to the techniques and practices of sculpting in ferro-cement as utilised in the CERES Mosaic Gateway project. There will be a strong emphasis on the basic technical knowledge including the use of oxides in colouration of cement.

Preserves and jams With Seven Stars
Sunday 18th May 2008, 10am—4pm
$88/$77 CERES members /conc
This one day, hands-on class will concentrate on the principles of making jams and preserves. Experience the satisfaction of learning culinary skills that will assist you in becoming more self –sufficient and self reliant in relation in your kitchen.

Soil food Web systems With Chris Ennis
Sunday 25th May 2008 10am—4pm
$88/$77 CERES members /conc
Inspired by the work of Dr Elaine Ingham, learn about the soil food web and how to work with beneficial micro-organisms to create a healthy and productive farm or garden. This course uses the history of our local soils to help you understand the soil food web and demonstrates simple tools to create the right soil biology for the types of plants you want to grow.

Food for Families
Sunday 25th May 2008, 10am – 2pm
$88 or $77 conc/CERES Member
Having to prepare food constantly for our families, how do we stay inspired? In this hands on workshop we look at the endless possibilities of nurturing families with food, how to create food cultures and traditions in the home and how to connect with food as a way of building and inspiring families.

JUNE

Healthy Cooking with Seasonal Produce with Sandie Hernandez
Sunday 1st June 10-2pm
$88/$77 CERES members /conc
Learn how to prepare colourful, fragrant and nourishing dishes, delicious drinks and naturally sweetened treats using seasonal produce. Food for health and happiness that is bursting with goodness!

The art of mosaic With Gordan Mandich
Saturday 7th June and Sunday 8th June
10am—5pm
$180/$160 CERES members /conc
An intensive, hands-on introduction to the colourful world of mosaic. You will learn about a variety of techniques with a focus on the “indirect method” and create your own take home piece.

If you would like to make a booking please contact CERES reception on 9387 2609.
For more information about CERES Community Environment Park visit http://www.ceres.org.au/.
Cnr Robert and Stewart Streets, East Brunswick VIC 3057
Ph 9387 2609 Fax 9381 1844