Local councils such as the Melbourne City Council, the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance and the Shire of Yarra Ranges, water authorities such as City West Water, and even business such as MyRate.com.au are among the first in Australia to go carbon-neutral. Committing funds and planning, these organisations have accepted the urgent need to address climate change by taking action now rather than waiting for government regulations to be established to reduce carbon emissions.
Accelerating Now! is a Conference to be held by the ICLEI Oceania Secretariat in Melbourne, 2-5 May 2007. Leaders in local government, ICLEI Campaigns and sustainable development from the Oceania region will come together to discuss how local council’s can strengthen their capacity for effective sustainable action. The conference is booking fast, so please visit the ICLEI website for more information.
School kitchen gardens are an excellent example of how food, culture, health and a reconnection to nature can all be practically and tastefully taught to students. One prominent local project is the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden project, which was launched in May 2001 when Ms Alexander created a kitchen garden at Collingwood College for students in grades 3-6.
The Victorian Convergence on Global Sustainability Emergency was held on the 12 February 2007 by the Sustainable Living Foundation, Friends of the Earth Melbourne and the Australian Centre for Science, Innovation and Society. Close to 100 highly-committed people from environmental not-for-profit organizations, industry and government filled the hall to discuss brimming environmental concerns such as climate change, the water crisis, biodiversity, peak oil and poverty.
Www.SustainableMelbourne.com is a blogsite that promotes and advocates for urban sustainability in Melbourne. SustainableMelbourne.com joins a number of other ‘SustainableX.com’ city sites around the world. The blog is intended as a focus for existing activity and as a way of stimulating new networks, research, and action in Melbourne. SustainableMelbourne.com will showcase environmental initiatives and house debate to push ahead urban sustainability knowledge and practice.
The ecological footprint, as defined by Redefining Progress,”measures the amount of renewable and non-renewable ecologically productive land area required to support the resource demands and absorb the wastes of a given population or specific activities”.
Read the rest of this entry »
by Ferne Edwards, Sustainable Melbourne moderator
A draft of the not yet released International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report obtained by The Age suggests what Melbournians can expect for their children’s futures. Cited in The Age (Minchin, L. "The meek shall inherit the Earth", The Age, 31/3/2007, p.5), Mr Hennessy, acting head of the CSIRO’s climate impacts group, states that "The biggest issue across Australia is water…" estimating that in 23 years time "There will be a lot less water in the dams because of lower river flows". He continues, “Melbourne would still be affected indirectly from increasing frequency and severity of droughts, through things like rising food prices and water restrictions”.
Most people live in either houses or flats and although house size has recently shrunk (see Schneiders & Lucas, "Home builders plump for leaner McMansions", The Age, 31/3/2007, p.7), the size of the average detached home in Victoria increased by 50 per cent in the last two decades, while the average household size declined from 2.9 people in 2006 to 2.5 in 2004. The "bigger house/ less householders" equation incurs greater consumption of materials for less people, contributing to greater environmental costs - let alone the trend towards greater social isolation in our cities.
"ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability is an
international association of local governments and national and regional local government organizations that have made a commitment to sustainable development. More than 550 cities, towns, counties, and
their associations worldwide comprise ICLEI’s growing membership. ICLEI works with these and hundreds of other local governments through international performance-based, results-oriented campaigns and programs."
(ICLEI global website).
Fancy a snail for with your glass of wine? Featured recently on Landline, sustainable snail production microenterprises are a growing cottage industry in Australia. Easy to establish and maintain, snail production is suitable for both small or medium production - and can even be raised in urban backyards! Sonya Begg, a snail farmer in the industry for 20 years, has recognised this sustainable food niche and mass breeds the common garden snail, Helix Aspersa, to supply local restaurants. Numbers vary according to seasons and set-ups, yet snail production can reach as many as 1000 snails per week.
