Archive for the ‘Research’ Category
Research refers to reports by organisations or research by academic institutions relating to urban sustainability issues within Melbourne. If you have research that relates to urban sustainability issues and could benefit people and organisations in Melbourne, please post this information on Sustainable Melbourne. To do so visit the “How to use this site” page and follow the prompts.
Social Exclusion Monitor: Community resilience
Posted in Research by Kate Archdeacon on November 9th, 2011
Source: Brotherhood of St Laurence
Image credit ‘The Brotherhood of St Laurence and the Melbourne Institute 2011′
More than one million Australians experience deep social exclusion.
Social exclusion occurs when someone experiences multiple, overlapping problems, such as unemployment, poor health and inadequate education, which stop them fully participating in society. Tackling social exclusion helps make Australia a better place to live for everyone.
The social exclusion monitor is a new approach to measuring social exclusion in Australia. Developed by the Brotherhood of St Laurence and the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research (MIAESR), it uses the annual Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey of 13,000 people. The monitor finds that more than one million Australians deal with deep social exclusion. This means that they experience at least four different sorts of disadvantage in their lives, such as being on a low income, having little work experience, not being involved in community clubs or associations and not being socially active. You can use the monitor to better understand who is missing out in Australia and to gauge the effectiveness of government social policy.
Read more about the Social Exclusion Monitor; the eight key groups who experience social exclusion; and the project’s background research: www.bsl.org.au/Social-exclusion-monitor
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The Tankulator: Rain Harvesting Calculator
Posted in Models, Research by Kate Archdeacon on October 28th, 2011
The Tankulator is a free online rain harvesting calculator that can help you plan for a new rainwater tank or improve the performance of an existing tank.
The Tankulator has been developed by the Alternative Technology Association, Australia’s leading not-for-profit organisation promoting sustainable solutions for the home. Click on the Get Started button, fill out the online questionnaire then click on the Get Tankulating button. An interactive graph will appear that will display your calculations.
Once the calculation is complete, you can compare different scenarios to find the best match for your circumstances. Will you run out of rainwater in a dry year if you live in Canberra and plumb a 10,000 litre tank to your toilet and laundry?
Buying a rainwater tank?
- Tank Materials: Compare the cost, environmental impact, life span and other specs of different types of tank materials. Hear what ATA members say about the tanks they have chosen.
- Tank Siting and Installation: What will fit on your property and where to put it? Pros and cons of different approaches to placement and installation of your tanks.
- Tank Filtration: What kind of filtration do you need on your system? What degree of maintenance are you willing to undertake?
- Pumps: Most rainwater systems will need a pump; what do you need to know? Also, pumps can use a lot of energy but there are ways to design your pumping system to reduce energy use.
Visit the Tankulator website to find out more.
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A free online seminar on rainwater harvesting and greywater will be held by the ATA on Tuesday, November 8 at 11am. Visit http://www.ata.org.au/news/rainwater-and-greywater-webinar/ for more details.
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Social Isolation and Older People: National Roundtable Forum
Posted in Events, Policies, Research by Kate Archdeacon on October 19th, 2011
| 14 November , 2011 | ||
| 9:00 am | to | 5:00 pm |
This National Roundtable Forum will seek to develop a common understanding of the problem and identify key areas for action. Social isolation amongst older people is known to lead to poor health outcomes and to increased demand for services ranging from home help to residential care. We are seeking to identify strategies to reduce or prevent social isolation. The forum will facilitate dialogue between decision makers and service providers while engaging older people in the policy development process. Successful approaches should be identified, supported and replicated. The forum will have a focus on evidence based best practice and developing ongoing collaborations between participants. Topics to be covered that impact on social isolation of older people will include:
- Mental Health
- Housing and Urban Development
- Technology
- Age-Friendly Cities
- Late life learning
- Social Participation, Intergenerational Opportunities and Community Services
- CALD community issues
Monday 14 Nov 2011 from 9:00am to 5:00pm
ZINC at Federation Square, Melbourne
Conference fee: $190 Concession: $140
To register, visit www.4clivingwell.com
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Community Power Conference: Australian communities taking charge of their energy use
Posted in Events, Research by Kate Archdeacon on October 12th, 2011
| 14 October , 2011 | ||
| 15 October , 2011 |
Are you looking for practical, achievable ways to reduce the impact of electricity price rises in your community? The Community Power Conference: Australian Communities Taking Charge, aims to showcase how regional Australian communities: are developing innovative energy projects, helping to reduce local economic shocks can take practical action to hedge against rising energy prices.
14 -15 November, The Capital – Bendigo Performing Arts Centre, View Street, Bendigo
The Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities, in its third biennial conference on renewable energy, is partnering with the Central Victoria Solar City project, part of the Australian Government’s Solar Cities program, and the City of Greater Bendigo, to deliver an exciting exploration of current energy efficiency and renewable energy strategies and actions being taken by Australian communities. This conference will show your community what it can do with regard to:
- more efficient use of energy in homes and businesses
- more effective demand management to smooth peak energy loads, and
- developing local, renewable energy generators embedded within the national distribution network.
The conference will bring together leaders in the renewable energy industry including government, industry associations and communities which have adopted sustainable strategies built on innovative, renewable energy business models. Speakers will engage with community and municipality leaders:
- Outlining and developing comprehensive strategies for local and regional energy sustainability (identifying appropriate business models, overcoming policy barriers, engaging your community, knowing your technology options);
- Showcasing examples of regional communities that have already, or are in the process of putting such strategies in place; and,
- Reviewing and developing communities’ local and regional energy sustainability policy and programs.
If your community is facing increased energy costs and you would like to learn how to address this issue at the local level then this conference can help you. Follow the link below for more information.
www.centralvictoriasolarcity.com.au/special-projects/communitypower
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Seven Billion: It’s Getting Crowded in Here!
Posted in Events, Opinion, Research by Kate Archdeacon on October 7th, 2011
| 12 October , 2011 | ||
| 6:15 pm | to | 7:30 pm |
Photo by bricoleurbanism via flickr CC
High density living is great for the environment, right? But what does it do to our heads and hearts? The Australian psyche was moulded by the myth of the ‘wide brown land’, so what might life packed like sardines look and feel like? With the world’s seven billionth person is about to be born, can we learn from the Asian megacity experience? And will we still be sharing a cup of sugar with our neighbours? As the population debate gets mental, we’re going in search of the soul in urban sprawl.
Hosted by Natasha Mitchell and featuring Kim Dovey, Helen Killmier, Bernard Salt and Sein-Way Tan.
Presented in partnership with ABC Radio National. Free event, bookings highly recommended.
The Wheeler Centre, 6:15PM – 7:30PM, Wednesday 12 October 2011
http://wheelercentre.com/calendar/event/seven-billion-it-s-getting-crowded-in-here/
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Inclusive Cities: transforming the lives of Delhi’s urban poor
Posted in Events, Research by Kate Archdeacon on September 30th, 2011
| 11 October , 2011 | ||
| 12:00 pm | to | 1:00 pm |
Source: Brotherhood of St Laurence
Photo: Asha
Over 23 years of working with the urban poor in India, the non-government organisation Asha has developed a community development model that emphasises pro-poor growth and the inclusion of slum dwellers in the rest of society. Join Dr Kiran Martin, Director of Asha, and Visiting Fellow at the Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne, at this special lunchtime seminar.
Around one third of inhabitants of the world’s cities – nearly one billion people – live in urban slums. Over 3 million people in India’s capital New Delhi, stay in slum areas. India’s slum populations are growing at much higher rates than urban populations overall, a trend mirrored across the developing world. This state of affairs is unsustainable for India and the world. People in slums display poor developmental indicators across the board, from poor health to low literacy rates to lack of access to financial services. Over 23 years of working with the urban poor, the NGO Asha has developed an urban community development model that emphasises pro-poor growth and the inclusion of slum dwellers in the rest of society. Having seen success in poverty alleviation through programmes in health, education, empowerment, financial inclusion and environmental improvement, this seminar focuses on how Asha has achieved results in heterogeneous slum communities through the practical application of such universal values as equality, individual dignity and social justice.
12.00 pm – 1.00 pm, Tuesday 11 October 2011
Fr Tucker’s room, Brotherhood of St Laurence, 67 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Click through to register your attendance or to read more about Dr Martin.
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Footprint Flicks now available on DVD
Posted in Research by Kate Archdeacon on September 27th, 2011
Source: Sustainable Gardening Australia(SGA)
Whether you’re a first time gardener or a seasoned green thumb, these bite-sized, fast-paced, funny little flicks will get you growing in no time. For the low-down on everything from worm farming and composting to saving water, reducing your food miles and growing incredible edibles, you’ll find it all in these compact episodes of gardening wisdom. Gardening videos like you’ve never seen before. The Footprint Flicks 2 DVD set is available now in our webshop now. 17 short films for just $24.95. Click here to find out more or grab yourself a copy!
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Don’t know what the Footprint Flicks are? There are a couple up on the SGA website for you to preview – Lord of the Bins, DIY Compost, Part 1 & 2. Or read about their launch earlier this year.
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On The Edge: A forum on food and sustainability around Australian cities
Posted in Events, Movements, Research by Kate Archdeacon on September 22nd, 2011
| 25 October , 2011 | ||
| 8:30 am | to | 5:30 pm |
Whichever way you look at it, food production forms the basis for physical, environmental, economic, social and cultural health. How we preserve, manage and develop our agricultural resources close to where a majority of people now live worldwide- in cities- will determine the future health, sustainability and conviviality of our communities. Our peri-urban agriculture is a key component of what makes Melbourne the most liveable city in the world, and it’s worth protecting, now.
Key discussions on the day:
- Setting the scene for peri-urban agriculture in Australia- where are we at? What are the key challenges and opportunities? – Trevor Budge & Michael Buxton
- British Columbia Agricultural Land Reserve and Strengthening Farming Program (Vancouver, Canada) – Dave Sands
- Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat, an instrument for preserving, developing and managing a peri-urban agricultural area (Barcelona, Spain) – Sonia Callau-Berenguer
- Feeding Milano; energy for change (Milan, Italy) – Anna Meroni
- The expansion of the Urban Growth Boundary in Melbourne’s outer South East and its impact on jobs, food security and the Bunyip Foodbelt – David Wilkinson
- Promotion, protection and enhancement of food production on the Mornington Peninsula – Kevin Wyatt and Gillian Stewart
- CERES Fair Food- connecting local producers and local eaters – Chris Ennis
- Peri-urban areas and zoning options – Michael Tudball
- Keeping commercial farming viable in peri-urban areas – Susan Finger
- Farmlands trusts; an innovative vehicle for securing land for sustainable agricultural use on the urban fringe – Robert Pekin
8:30 – 5:30pm, Tuesday 25 October, 2011
Hume Global Learning Centre 1093 Pascoe Vale Road Broadmeadows (Melways 6, 8H)
Early Bird until 25 September $495 Full Fee $660
Click here for the full program and registration.
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Food-sensitive Planning and Urban Design: Forum
Posted in Events, Research by Kate Archdeacon on September 22nd, 2011
| 5 October , 2011 | ||
| 1:45 pm | to | 5:00 pm |
The Heart Foundation invites you to a forum to learn more about the resource: Food-sensitive planning and urban design: A conceptual framework for achieving a sustainable and healthy food system.
Guest speakers:
- Associate Professor Trevor Budge (AM), La Trobe University
- Jenny Donovan, Inclusive Design
- Dr. Lukar Thornton, Deakin University
- Kirsten Larsen, Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (VEIL), Melbourne University
‘Food-sensitive planning and urban design (FSPUD) does not simply assert that we have a problem in our cities, but sets out to identify new ways of tackling issues, providing a suite of ideas and innovations that cities should now embrace.’ (Trevor Budge, foreword to FSPUD).
This forum will be of interest to planners, architects, urban designers, engineers, public health professionals, policy makers, community members and elected representatives. It will explore the critical need to consider food in urban land use and development, and how that might be achieved.
1:45 – 5:00pm, Thursday 6 October 2011
Darebin Arts and Entertainment Centre, Cnr Bell Street and St. Georges Road, Preston
Admission: free
RSVP: acceptances only by 5pm Friday 30 September 2011 to cvhvic@heartfoundation.org.au
Places are limited – booking essential
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10,000 Raingardens Program: Add yours to the list
Posted in Movements, Research by Kate Archdeacon on September 20th, 2011
Melbourne Water’s 10,000 Raingardens Program promotes a new, responsible way of gardening so everybody can create their own water sensitive garden and do their bit to help the environment and protect our rivers and creeks.
The aim of the program is to show you how easy it is to create a water efficient garden in your own backyard. By building a raingarden you will enjoy the benefits of a self watering, low maintenance garden while also contributing to healthier waterways by reducing the amount of pollutants that would otherwise wash into our rivers and creeks. Until now we have been working with local councils and the community to create raingardens in public spaces such as streets, parks and schools. The program has recently expanded and we are now providing easy, step by step instructions so people can design, build and maintain raingardens in their own homes. Our target is to see 10,000 raingardens built across Melbourne by 2013. To achieve this we need your help.
>>Find out what a raingarden is, why you should build a raingarden and how to build one. (And then add yours to the Map!)
http://raingardens.melbournewater.com.au/
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