University and TAFE students and young professionals are invited to join the Green Building Council of Australia’s new initiative, Future Green Leaders of Australia.

This initiative is free to join and offers a range of benefits including:
• exclusive Green Star workshops for university and TAFE students;
• exclusive site tours and networking events for Future Green Leaders;
• time-to-time discounts on Green Building Council of Australia workshops and events (limited no. per event) for Future Green Leaders members;
• time-to-time discounts on GBCA technical manuals and other reference materials;
• exclusive access to locked “memberonly” section on GBCA website & e-newsletter;
• opportunity to submit articles to be included in e-newsletter/website/ yearbook;
• job/internship/CV posting list; and
• forum to ask questions to Green Building Council of Australia staff.

Visit www.futuregreenleaders.org.au to register and discover more about Future Green Leaders of Australia.

Future Green Leader flyer

The Sustainable Cities Round Table on mobility to be held on Monday 17 March is looking better and better…. RSVP at the latest by the 12 March to attend the free function. The Sustainable Cities Round Tables showcase local environmental initiatives and encourage networking for people working in urban sustainability issues across the government, academic, industry and community sectors. The theme for the next event is ‘mobility’ - which includes looking at innovative new ways of sustainable transport, travel, movement and connection.

Dynamic speakers on topic of mobility include:
Daniel Epstein, Conservo Biofuel service station
Dr John Grant, walkable cities expert
Bruce Herbes, 3D maps for pedestrians
David Fewchuk, Aurora solar cars
Bill Bretherton, Human Powered Cycles
Stephen Ingrouille, ultra light rail and hovercrafts
Dianne Moy and Kathleen Turner, VEIL, connecting quarter schools
Paul McKay from Cyclovia; and
Marie Watt, artist both exhibiting and presenting her artwork about traffic

Presented bySustainableMelbourne.com and the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab.

Sustainable Cities Round Table
Monday 17 March
6 - 8:30pm (including drinks)
Yasuko Hiroaka Room, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, the University of Melbourne
RSVP ESSENTIAL - email fedwards @unimelb.edu.au by 12 March
Attendees are also welcome to bring along promotional materials of their sustainability initiatives.

The Sidney Myer Asia Centre is located on Swanston Street at the University of Melbourne Parkville campus. For a map of the campus click here. Please forward this invitation to others who be interested in attending.

The Climate Action Calendar covers local events in the greater Northern and Eastern area of Melbourne, Melbourne City based events and major events elsewhere in Victoria. Regular updates will be sent out as information becomes available, (roughly every two weeks).

If you wish to add an event to the calendar please e-mail the details to decortis @bigpond.net.au
If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to the calendar please email decortis @bigpond.net.au with “subscribe CAC” or “unsubscribe CAC” in the subject bar.

Please find the latest Calendar for March and April attached below.
Climate Action Calendar for March and April



Come along for our first Yarra Urban Harvest Produce Swapmeet:

Calling all foodgardeners and keen-to-be foodgardeners in * Fitzroy * Collingwood * Clifton Hill * North Fitzroy
Yarra Urban Harvest Swapmeet this Saturday 8th March 10am - 12noon next to the playground at Smith’s Reserve Fitzroy (parkland next to Fitzroy Pool)

Meet nearby foodgardeners & bring along to swap:
*excess homegrown herbs, fruits, veggies
*fave garden produce recipes
* organic gardening tips
*seeds, cuttings, seedlings
*inspirations for edible neighbourhoods

Yarra Neighbourhood Orchard ….local foodgardening… healthy community
Further info: peta @cultivatingcommunity.org.au peta 0411 899 618
glenda 0419 375 161 facebook: ‘Yarra Urban Harvest

Please find below some information about the High Tide fundraiser at Ceres to raise money for a youth leadership forum in the Caterat Islands and Bougainville.

Acts include:
Lucinda
Duckdive
Kobya Panguana
Brolga Boys

Check them out online then come down to Ceres to hear them live, eat great food, drink, win a raffle, get your kid’s face painted, watch a doco screening of ‘An Evergreen Island’, and find out more about the project.

Date: Friday 14 March, 5.30pm start
Place: Ceres (Corner of Roberts and Stewart St. Brunswick)
Cost: $12/$15

What are we fundraising for?

We are fundraising to support a forum for youth in Bougainville (North Solomon Islands), to be held in April this year. The forum will focus on developing the skills and knowledge needed for the youth to advocate for their communities on
environmental issues such as climate change and relocation.

Communities from the Carteret Islands (Bougainville) are currently being forced to relocate their community due to rising sea levels ruining food crops. Young people from this community will be attending the forum, and the production of
short films made by the youth will enable them to tell their stories to an international audience.

United Nations Association of Australia - World Environment Day Awards 2008
A National Awards Program ‘Think Global, Act Local’

Nominations for the United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Awards 2008 are now open. The World Environment Day Awards is a national awards program which recognizes businesses, local governments, organisations, community groups, individuals, schools and the media whose work serves to protect, manage or restore the environment.

For complete guidelines, entry criteria and nomination forms please visit www.unaavictoria.org.au. Nominations Close Friday 2 May.
Read the rest of this entry »

Applications for the Sustainability Leadership course are open to young professionals and university students. This course is scholarship based and there is only a token cost to take part.

Training is held every Tuesday evening in the Melbourne CBD from May until November 2008. Applications close 30 March.

Apply at: www.csl.org.au.

There will be an Information Session on Wednesday 12 March at 6pm in the HWT Tower, 40 City Road, Southbank.

Melbourne’s Transport System: Freeways versus Public Transport
The Eddington inquiry into Melbourne’s east-west road tunnel will make major recommendations about Melbourne’s transport system later in March. The problems in the public transport system are well documented - in the last 8 years approx $5 billion has been spent on freeways in Melbourne, compared with expenditure of about $200 million on public transport. This forum will provide an opportunity to canvass the policy issues underpinning the transport debate with
Carlo Carli MP - Member for Brunswick, former Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure
Cr Janet Rice - Chairwoman, Metropolitan Transport Forum
Date & Time: Wednesday 5th March 2008, 6pm-7.30pm
Venue: Trades Hall
Cost: $6 (Concession $3)
More information:0438 213 532
RSVP: vicevents @fabian.org.au

2008 Community Grants Open for not-for-profit community groups in Darebin. Find information from the press release below.

Funding is available for activities and programs that focus on social justice, health, sport and recreation, environment, education and arts and culture. Groups can also apply for assistance with the costs of hiring Council venues.

Darebin Mayor, Councillor Peter Stephenson, said, “We value our community organisations and look forward to supporting groups in the coming year. The funds are used by community organisations to resource projects and programs that respond to the broad needs and interests of Darebin residents,” said Cr Stephenson. “This brings benefits to people in many ways across Darebin.”

Information sessions for applicants will be held on 6 and 20 March.

Application kits with general information, guidelines, selection criteria and application forms are available from the Community Grants webpage or from all Darebin Customer Service Centres and Libraries.

Individual assistance is available to applicants and groups from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and applications are accepted in any language.

Applications close at 4pm on Friday 11 April, 2008.

For more information about the Community Grants Scheme, call the Community Grants Officer on 8470 8504.

INFORMATION SESSIONS:
Thursday 6 March, 10.30am to noon
Council Chamber, Darebin Civic Centre, 350 High Street, Preston

Thursday 20 March, 7pm to 8.30pm
Preston Shire Hall, 286 Gower Street, Preston