Archive for the ‘Models’ Category
Models refer to existing sustainable models or frameworks of action that are occurring in Melbourne. A model could possibly be applied elsewhere in a different context. For example, “permablitz” is a model of urban agriculture installation that many people are applying in different parts of Victoria. Sustainable Melbourne strongly encourages environmental organisations and institutions to post their own environmental initiatives (ie. “models”) on the site to share with others. To do so visit the “How to use this site” page and follow the prompts.
Pixel Building
Posted in Models by Kate Archdeacon on August 24th, 2010
Source: Green Building Council Australia (GBCA)
Grocon’s new Pixel building, the first carbon neutral office building in Australia, has achieved the highest Green Star score ever awarded by the Green Building Council of Australia. Pixel has achieved a perfect score of 100 points under the Green Star rating system for building design, with 75 points the benchmark for 6 Star Green Star. It gained an extra five points for innovation, equating to world leadership. Included in Pixel’s five innovation points were points for carbon neutrality, a vacuum toilet system, the anaerobic digestion system and reduced car parking. The water initiatives in the project mean the building could be self sufficient for water – in this context, the project is water balanced as well as carbon neutral. The designers of Pixel are all Victorian firms – architects studio505, sustainability and services engineers Umow Lai and the structure engineer, VDM Consulting.
The building features Pixelcrete – a type of concrete which halves the embodied carbon in the mix – as well as wind turbines invented in Bendigo, the Melbourne University designed ‘living roof’ which re-introduces Victorian grassland species to the Melbourne area, and tracking photovoltaic roof panels. The sun shade system on the exterior of the building will provide the maximum amount of daylight into the office space, protecting it from glare and heat in the summer, while smart window technology ensures windows will open automatically on cool nights to enable air flow into the building.
Read the full article from GBCA.
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“Australian Sustainable Energy – by the numbers” by Peter Seligman – free PDF book
Posted in Models, Research by Rob Eales on August 20th, 2010
“Australian Sustainable Energy – by the numbers” by Peter Seligman is published by the Melbourne Energy Institute at the The University of Melbourne.
Based on English Physicist David MacKay’s Sustainable Energy – without the hot air, Peter Seligman has undertaken to provide a clear account of Australia’s renewable energy potential. Peter has analysed a raft of available technologies, and offers a blueprint of a nation-wide renewable energy system based on the most efficient mix of technology, societal, and habitual changes.
Peter’s approach is characterised by simple and unyielding emphasis on what the numbers dictate here and now. He is critical of ‘futile greeness’, namely, actions based around appearance rather than substance. In this respect he offers us, both at a personal and organisation level, a range of responses that he really believes live up to the adage ‘bang for buck’.
It is a fantastic resource for designers and the public.
A PDF version is available free: http://energy.unimelb.edu.au/ozsebtn/
Stormwater Harvesting & Reuse: Kalkallo, Vic
Posted in Models by Kate Archdeacon on August 18th, 2010
Source: Smart Water Fund
Yarra Valley Water has won the ‘Master-planning and design’ category of the 2009 Stormwater Excellence Awards for its proposed Kalkallo Stormwater Harvesting and Reuse Project, at the new Merrifield development in Melbourne’s north. The project will involve capturing and treating stormwater from a 160 hectare catchment area within commercial land at Merrifield. In the future, it is hoped that the treated water may supplement the drinking water supply across the development and Melbourne’s growing northern corridor. In 2009 the project received more than $9.6 million funding under the first round of the Federal Government’s ‘Water for the Future – National Urban Water and Desalination Fund’.
The stormwater will be collected via traditional stormwater drains. It will then be treated in a series of architecturally-designed wetlands along the Hume Highway frontage of Merrifield, including settling ponds and wetlands and then stored in a large dam. The wetlands will incorporate best-practice sustainability design principles, which will manage the quality and quantity of stormwater collected from the area. From there the water will pass through a state-of-the-art treatment plant, which will produce a drinking-water-quality end product, used to supplement the development’s recycled water supply. Eventually, it is hoped it can supplement the potable water supply when rigorous monitoring and data collection demonstrates that it is safe to do so.
“This water sensitive approach at Merrifield will be a leading example for future cities. It shows how the water industry is proactively creating solutions for the community to maximise use of alternative water sources, and reduce the excess stormwater degrading our streams and waterways,” says Mr Tony Kelly, Yarra Valley Water Managing Director. “The Kalkallo Stormwater Harvesting and Reuse Project is set to be a project of international significance, showcasing how urban water infrastructure can be designed differently to deliver a more resilient water solution.”
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Melbourne Farmers Markets: August
Posted in Models, Movements by Kate Archdeacon on August 13th, 2010
Source: Melbourne Community Farmers’ Markets
From the August 2010 Newsletter:
There’s no keeping a lid on it – we’re delighted and proud that Collingwood Children’s Farm Farmers’ Market has been awarded Australia’s Most Outstanding Farmers’ Market in delicious magazine’s 2010 Produce Awards. Seven stallholders were also celebrated; Garlic and More, Warialda Belted Galloway Beef, Angelica Farm, Daylesford Organics, Moondara Blueberries, Mt Alexander Fruit Gardens and (…drumroll) Holy Goat La Luna Cheese, national winner in the “from the dairy” category. We accept the award on behalf of the many 1000’s of people who have endlessly supported us over almost eight years since the inaugural Melbourne Community Farmers’ Market. Seems like a lifetime and boy, what a trip! Thank you all.
Back on earth and winter rolls on. What a great season it’s been for produce; who could complain there’s not enough variety? Citrus has been amazing all season, the humble spud has stepped up in increasing variety and recognition of quality, kiwis have stocked us up on Vitamin C and got us through the winter lurgies, brussel sprouts would get my vote for the underrated veg of the year and, how about this year’s fennel? Fabulous!
So what’s going on with Victoria’s absent produce over winter?
Here’s a snapshot…asparagus beds will have been mown and furious weeding will be taking place on the Westernport flats, garlic shoots will be up and the bulbs will be forming underground in the heavy sodden soils of Central Victoria, broad beans are looking just like seedlings waiting for some warmth to grow and flower in time for harvest in November, orchardists will have just finished the enormous job of pruning every tree before the bud, flower, pollination and fruit setting stages of Spring. It’s way too early for veg growers to be planting tomatoes and Summer stocks so they’ll be weeding and preparing the beds for November. Chooks are back ‘on the lay’ but production is still well down on Spring and Summer. Last, and by no means least, spare a thought for dairy cows calving in paddocks around Victoria.
The reality is, for those of us not directly involved in food production, that whilst many stallholders are not at the markets much hard work still goes on in what seems to be the ‘off season.’
Visit the website for more…
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Edible Street Gardens: The Need for Design Guidelines
Posted in Models, Movements by Kate Archdeacon on August 12th, 2010
Source: Australian City Farms & Community Gardens Network
From “Farmers of the urban footpath & the need for design guidelines for street verge gardens“ by Russ Grayson:
Edible Street Verge Gardening is something that has been going on for the past 20 years or so in our cities but is now capturing the public imagination such that the number of plantings is rapidly increasing. For advocates of edible landscaping in our cities, this is good news but for local government the practice can be confusing. What has become apparent during the recent upsurge in the popularity of edible footpath planting is that a set of design and planting guidelines are desperately needed. Most verge plantings to date have been created by gardeners who know what they are doing. The possibility emerging from the current boost in popularity is that those less knowledgeable will create gardens with inappropriate plants and without considering other footpath users.
An established practice
Street verge gardening is the practice of growing ornamental, native or edible plants on the footpath. The rise in popularity of edible gardens has brought the planting of fruits, herbs and vegetables, sometimes mixed with flowers and native plants, to our footpaths. The practice has caught the popular imagination and is another means of returning food production to our cities.
That edible verge gardening is an established practice in Australian cities is revealed by a walk around those suburbs where the immigrants of the 1950s and 1960s made their homes, particularly those suburbs favoured by immigrants from the Mediterranean region. What do you find on the footpaths here? Olive trees, now mature and productive.
Unknowingly, some councils have made their own contribution to edible streetscapes. Take a walk along a certain street in Stanmore, in Sydney’s Inner West, and you encounter the Australian bush food tree, the Illawarra Plum (Podocarpus elatus). This strange, plum red fruit with its seed on the outside can be picked and eaten raw or made into a sauce by those with a little culinary savvy. Walk down a particular street in Windsor, Brisbane, and you encounter another Australian bushfood serving as a verge planting, the macadamia nut. Then there are numerous species of lillypilly, the Syzygiums, that have been established as street trees and that yield edible fruit.
These examples may not be in large number, however they have been noted by urban gleaners.
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The rest of this comprehensive article covers Understanding council concerns, The realities of verge gardens, Design considerations for verge gardens, Functions, and Yields.
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Life Pscycle-ology: The Secret Life of Things
Posted in Models by Kate Archdeacon on July 29th, 2010
“Life Pscycle-ology” is a humorous look at the life story of an unhappy mobile phone, who seeks therapy after his owner dumps him in favour of a new model. This animation is the first in a series called The Secret Life of Things (SLOT), which explores the hidden environmental impacts of everyday things and includes free learning resources for educators.
“It’s about taking a fun approach to a serious subject. I want to inspire people to become part of the solution, rather than the problem,” says project developer Leyla Acaroglu. “Every day, thousands of products roll off the production line, and very few have been designed with sustainability in mind. We forget about what happens behind the scenes – and I hope SLOT will help to change that.” Telling a funny story is a great way to engage the general public, says Acaroglu, but she also wants to take things a step further by empowering designers – the people who create the “stuff” we buy every day.
Each video in the SLOT series comes with a free pack of educational resources aimed at young designers. “Ecodesign is often wrongly seen as complex and costly, but in fact it’s simply good design that offers financial, social and environmental benefits,” says Acaroglu, who runs Melbourne-based eco design consultancy Eco Innovators. “If designers embrace sustainability, we can create consumer goods with the smallest possible ecological footprint.” The film and learning resources, set to be tested by six Australian universities, can be accessed free from the project website from 22 July. International research shows that by using a life cycle approach, exploring the impacts of each stage a product goes through, designers can make informed decisions that lead to more socially and environmentally responsible products with lower carbon impacts.
“Life Pscycle-ology” was launched as part of the State of Design Festival in Melbourne, Australia.
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Dialysis Project Saves Lives and Water
Posted in Models, Research by Kate Archdeacon on July 19th, 2010
Source: Smart Water Fund
Image: Bill Peckham CC 3.0
One of Australia’s largest providers of dialysis, North West Dialysis Service (NWDS) is set to save up to 1.68 megalitres of water a year per site through an innovative water recycling system. A Smart Water Fund grant enabled NWDS to investigate a system that captures clean reject water generated during the dialysis procedure for reuse in a number of its facilities. This water would otherwise go directly to sewer.
“We’ve worked with 23 of our sites to find beneficial uses for waste water that also have an acceptable project payback timeframe,” said James Gerrish, NWDS Business Activity Coordinator and Project Manager. “Instead of going straight to sewer, it’s possible to use the water for toilet flushing in health care facilities, as wash down water, in air- conditioning cooling towers and to water gardens in regional facilities. For example our Wodonga site could rescue six litres of water per minute during dialysis and use it for toilet flusher tanks or cooling towers,” Mr Gerrish said. “This equates to 1.68 megalitres of water a year – that’s enough to half-fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool.”
A key aspect of the project’s success has been to determine the quality of the reject water and ensure water use demand matches the consistent quantities of water produced during dialysis. “Many regional dialysis centres are co-located with aged care facilities in regions with tough water restrictions,” Mr Gerrish said. “While demand for irrigation water fluctuates throughout the year, these sites place a high value on this water use as they see the therapeutic and aesthetic value of maintaining their gardens.”
In addition to saving millions of litres of clean water a year, a key project outcome will be the development of a dialysis water reuse handbook for dialysis providers across Australia. NWDS project sites will also receive a detailed individual site report and an overall project report enabling benchmarking with similar facilities.
Part of Melbourne Health, NWDS, provides haemodialysis (blood filtration) for approximately 580 Victorians with kidney failure at 30 centres and 150 homes. NWDS dialysis units range from regional and rural healthcare centres to metropolitan dialysis services, including the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
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The Big Bucket: a DIY Greywater Project
Posted in Models by Kate Archdeacon on July 8th, 2010
Visit the DIY Greywater Blog
Just imagine, every time you take a shower, all the used shower water disappears, but instead of going down the drain, it is watering one section of your garden for you, automatically. All you need do, at some point during the day, is go outside and switch over the taps or hose (or whatever you use to direct the water to different sections of the garden each day) in readiness for the next day’s supply of freely reusable water. Depending on the number of people in your household and the size and type of garden you have, you might never need to “do the watering” again!
Some figures…
* One 3-minute shower using a water-saving showerhead uses about 30L of water.
* For a family of 4, that’s at least 840L of water per week
* One square meter of vegetable garden needs 28L per week (in hot dry weather) – 30 square meters needs 840L.
How is it done?
Street Directories designed for Public Transport Users
Posted in Models by Kate Archdeacon on June 24th, 2010
Public Transport Guides was started by two unemployed people in the town of Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia:
“While living in Perth, Western Australia, we did not know the local public transport network. After visiting the public transport information centre in the CBD, we were handed 500 A4 paper timetables and were told to buy a street directory, or alternatively, to get on to the government authority’s website. Both of these methods are unsuitable for tourists, people who rely totally on public transport, and those with no internet access. There had to be another way, so Public Transport Guides was born!”
The directory is designed just like a regular street directory, with detailed maps, a street and Facilites index , and all current timetables for each area are in this directory. The directory is designed with both the regular commuter and occasional user in mind. Inside you will find all the urban and country bus and connecting train services throughout, Victoria, Australia. The book is in A5 format for ease of carrying in backpacks, briefcases etc.
Visit the website for more information.
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Orange Drive: Connecting Farming with the Wider Community
Posted in Models by Kate Archdeacon on June 9th, 2010
Source: Melbourne Community Farmers’ Markets
Nangiloc/Colignan Primary School would like to provide you the opportunity to be involved in the first ever Orange Drive. The school has developed strong links with the Murray Valley Citrus Board and understands the need to promote Australian Citrus, helping to ensure local families remain viable and employed. We will use local fruit, packed at a local packing house and all orders will be processed by the children as part of their enterprise learning program.
Couple this with the promotion of Healthy Eating in Schools Program and the ‘Orange Drive’ is the Healthy Alternative …
What we offer
* Provide 100% Australian Navel Oranges
* 3kg bags @ $5/bag ($1 is your school’s profit)
* Bags are clearly labeled with purchasers name (ease of distribution)
* Advertising material (poster and order forms)
* Offer only available during Australian Navel Season (July – Oct) ensuring only fresh oranges are used.
* Orders must be placed before the 15th day of each month and deliveries will be made by the 30th.
* Order forms posters etc will be posted out, Order them via ph fax or email.
What you need to do
* Decide on which month you wish to conduct your ‘Orange Drive.’ (July, Aug, Sept, Oct).
* Send out order forms (see contact details)
* Collect order forms and payments.
* Collate information (sheet provided)
* Calculate your funds – $1/bag.
* Send cheque to Nangiloc/Colignan P.S. ($4/bag). (Grower receives $2, Packer receives $0.50, Bags/advertising/admin/transport costs $1, Nangiloc/Colignan P.S. receives $0.50
* Once we receive your payment we will process your order and deliver your oranges.
* You will be promoting healthy eating, supporting the Australian Citrus Industry and helping the students at Nangiloc/Colignan P.S. develop their Enterprise Learning Program.
Nangiloc is a small rural community near Mildura and the main industry is Citrus. Many of the 70 pupils have family and friends who live and work on a citrus “block”. Supporting the Orange Drive will not only provide your family with the tastiest oranges, but will also support your local school and have a direct impact on the education / economy of Nangiloc.
Project Partners: Murray Valley Citrus Board, Melbourne Citrus Committee
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