Archive for July, 2007
Event & Local Action - the next Sustainable Cities Round Table, 1 August
Posted in Events by Ferne Edwards on July 15th, 2007
The next Sustainable Cities Round Table sponsored by VicUrban will be held on Wednesday 1 August at the University of Melbourne.
The goals of the Sustainable Cities Round Table are to enhance collaboration between key stakeholders in urban sustainability while brainstorming new ideas and connections to further sustainability within Melbourne. Come along and find out what’s happening to create a sustainable Melbourne!
The evening will showcase key local and international environmental initiatives from the government, industry, academic and community sector.
Key speakers include:
Alan Pears, Adjunct Professor RMIT University, Director, Sustainable Solutions Pty Ltd
David Teller, UNGC-Cities Programme Director & Committee for Melbourne Acting CEO (more…)
Event - Globalising Urban Histories Conference
Posted in Events, Research, Visions by Ferne Edwards on July 14th, 2007
The aim of this conference is to look at the city as a site through which global networks of exchange and cultural transmission can be explored. Though the city has become a popular focus for research across academic disciplines and chronological periods, these studies often see urban space as an iteration of a larger system (be it nation, empire, or cosmopolitan network). Looking to develop new approaches and analytical tools for the study of world history, this conference seeks to situate the city within wider frameworks of material and cultural dissemination. In so doing we are interested in interrogating conventional views of ‘modern globalisation’ and in developing our understanding of longer-term processes of global transmission. The conference will explore the ways in which ideology and material culture intersect and interact to shape urban spaces and urban lives.
Call for papers: Applicants should submit a 500 word paper proposal and c.v. (in Word, RTF or PDF format) by Tuesday 10 July 2007.
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Visions - The future of Melbourne’s transport systems
Posted in Research, Visions by Ferne Edwards on July 13th, 2007
The article below, MAKING OUR CITIES WORK; Melbourne – ‘still the place to be’, published in The University of Melbourne Voice Vol. 1, No. 9 9 - 23 July 2007, discusses how urban growth is challenging Melbourne’s transport infrastructure. DAVID SCOTT and NERISSA HANNINK talk to experts whose contributions to research, debate and policy will help reshape our city to meet these challenges.
July, 2007. Melbourne. The public transport system is overcrowded. Freeways are clogged. Level crossing safety is a public issue. The price of petrol continues to rise. Somewhere to live costs more than ever. And the State is suffering one of the worst droughts on record.
At the same time, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Victoria’s population growth is outstripping that of the entire country. In 2006 Victoria recorded its biggest growth on record: 77 000 people – up 1.5 per cent.
Can the city cope? Is Melbourne still ‘The Place To Be’?
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Provocation - The Great Global Warming Swindle
Posted in Events, Research by Ferne Edwards on July 11th, 2007
This Thursday, 12 July, ABC television will present the controversial documentary, “The Great Global Warming Swindle“. This screening contests the fact that thousands of scientists in the IPCC agreeing that global warming is a human-caused reality is wrong. Dr Peter Christoff from the University of Melbourne has written more about the controversial showing of this program. Click here to read his comments published in the Age. Feel free to add your say in the comment section below.
Event - Rebuilding the Sustainable City with Elizabeth Shove, Thursday July 26, 2007
Posted in Research by Ferne Edwards on July 11th, 2007
Climate change is upon us. We have the technology to meet the challenge of making our homes and practices carbon neutral. We can also celebrate the steps we have already taken in Victoria to improve our housing energy performance. Victoria led the way in introducing the ‘5 star’ regulation for all new housing in 2004. We add approximately 1.5% to our housing stock each year. Governments are proposing targets to reduce carbon emissions arising from our existing housing. However, a range of barriers – some technical but most non-technical – need to be overcome for such targets to be achieved. The speakers will investigate these barriers, report on examples, and cast forwards on ways to meet the challenge.
This event tackles two pressing issues:
• The policy and regulatory challenges in re-fitting our existing housing to reduce the contributions to climate change from our housing stock; and
• The socio-technical challenges in the transition to low-carbon households.
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Events - The Understandascope Series, Federation Square
Posted in Events, Research, Visions by Ferne Edwards on July 10th, 2007
Although we may have missed the first talk (”At last - the greening”), there’s many more worthwhile conversations over the next few months. The Understandascope Series is a collaboration between Swinburne University of Technology and Monash University, in partnership with Fed Square, who together will hold monthly public forums on the big topics of our day - Life, the Universe and Everything (LUE) in the BMW Edge Theatre where experts, advisors, leading citizens and the public will be able to ‘chew the fat’ on tough contemporary issues.
Monthly, 6-8pm in the BMW Edge Theatre, there is:
Wed 8 August - From roast to three veg to yak steak and beanshoots
Tues 18 Sep - The fabulous resource - reinvolvement of the “grey nomads”
Wed 3 Oct - Touched and sickened by grubby hands
Tues 6 Nov - Pretty heads no longer bother about it: The flight from technology and science
Mon 3 Dec - Beyond elections, participation in participatary democracy
For more information about the Understandascope Series, visit the Sustainable Living Calendar website.
Resource & Network - Freecycle
Posted in Models, Movements by Ferne Edwards on July 9th, 2007
Freecycle is a website for giving and getting. Objects for exchange include household items, books, clothes, plants, tools and other treasures. The Freecycle Network is made up of many individual groups across the globe. It’s a grassroots and entirely non-profit movement of people who swap stuff for free in their own towns. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer and there are well-developed guidelines to keep things safe and legal. Everything posted must be free, legal and appropriate for all ages! Membership is free.
There are over 4000 Freecycle groups worldwide - including many around Victoria based on local government areas. The Melbourne group has over 11,000 members.
For more information visit www.freecycle.org/
Research - Report on Climate Change Impacts on Victoria’s Infrastructure
Posted in Policies, Research by Ferne Edwards on July 9th, 2007
The report, Climate Change and Infrastructure - Planning Ahead, (CSIRO, Maunsell Australia Pty Ltd and Philips Fox, Department of Sustainability and Environment, The Victorian Government, Melbourne, 2007), examines the likely impacts of climate change on Victoria’s infrastructure such as; water, power, telecommunications, transport and buildings. It establishes the categories of infrastructure most at risk and outlines opportunities for adaptation responses. The report also details the current governance structures associated with each infrastructure type.
Check out the AdaptNet website for other related reports and research.
Resource & Local Action - Sustainability Fund Newsletter
Posted in Seeking by Ferne Edwards on July 6th, 2007
The first edition of Sustainability Fund News from Sustainability Victoria has just been released. The Sustainability Fund currently supports over 82 projects across Victoria. The newsletter provides information about updates and achievements from the Sustainability Fund and its related projects.
In the first edition there is information about:
- The Carbon Cops
- Round Three Update from the Sustainability Fund Secretariat
- News on current and future funding opportunities
- Updates from Sustainability Fund projects
- Focus on Education and Behaviour Change projects supported by the Fund
- Case study - Sustainaball
The next edition will be out in September 2007. For more information about the Sustainability Fund or to receive the email newsletter, visit the Sustainability Victoria website.
Event - ‘Design for Recycling’ Round Table
Posted in Events by Ferne Edwards on July 5th, 2007
RT 13: Design for Recycling
Friday, July 13th, 2007 (8.30am – 2.00pm)
Main Auditorium, Sir William Angliss Centre, Level 5, 555 Latrobe Street, Melbourne
The Sustainable Packaging Alliance’s 13th Round Table “Design for Recycling” will discuss processes to enhance packaging production in order to reduce waste, reclaim resources, protect the environment and benefit the public. Organised in association with the Australian Council of Recyclers (ACOR), this Round Table aims to promote dialogue between recyclers, brand owners and packaging manufacturers on waste reduction through improved packaging design.
Participants will gain a better understanding of:
Packaging recycling processes;
Critical issues for packaging design to maximise recyclability;
Contaminants in the recycling process and how these can be avoided;
The benefits of design for recycling;
Design for recycling case studies; and
Trends in waste management and recycling which will have implications for packaging design.
Who should attend? (more…)