Posts Tagged ‘community’
2010 Great Northern Clean Up
Posted in Movements by Kate Archdeacon on August 23rd, 2010
Source: EcoVoice
Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, Clean Up Australia has announced the 2010 Great Northern Clean Up will be held on the weekend of 11 and 12 September. Created after feedback that March weather made it difficult for North Australian communities to participate in Clean Up Australia Day, the 2010 Great Northern Clean Up is a great opportunity to get things ship-shape at the end of the tourist season and before the big wet kicks in.
Ian Kiernan AO, founder and Chairman of Clean Up Australia said, “Last year’s community spirit, passion and support was fantastic, with over 90 tons of rubbish removed by nearly 1800 volunteers across Northern Australia.
“We know as the tourist season draws to an end we’re likely to find new pockets of rubbish around, with bottles, cans, plastic bags and cigarette butts the main offenders. Once the wind picks up and the rain comes in, much of that rubbish will make its way into our waterways where it can harm or kill local wildlife.
“I urge people to think about areas in their community that need cleaning up, then register your site before the cut off date – August 29″ Mr Kiernan concluded.
Anyone can register a Clean Up site or volunteer for the 2010 Great Northern Clean Up on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th September just by visiting www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au or by calling 1800 CUA DAY (1800 282 329).
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Advanced Permaculture Principles and Planning Tools
Posted in Events, Movements by Holmgren Design Services on August 19th, 2010
This four-day residential course is designed to deepen understanding of permaculture principles, and improve conceptual skills and planning tools for permaculture practitioners, designers, activists and teachers. A Permaculture Design Certificate and prior reading of Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability are highly desirable for participants to successfully gain from the course, and contribute to it. The core of these courses is the presentation and workshopping in groups of the format of design principles from Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability. Additional presentations and group work focus on Reading Landscape, Landscape Mapping, Energy Descent Scenarios and Community Mapping. David Holmgren presents permaculture ideas through practical projects and personal example, providing a refreshing and unorthodox approach to the environmental issues of our time.
Saturday 18th to Tuesday 21st September 2010
Hepburn Primary School, Main Road, HEPBURN VIC 3461
Cost $530, includes meals and camping on-site.
For more info email info@holmgren.com.au or phone 03 5348 3636. www.holmgren.com.au
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Walk Against Warming Sunday August 15
Posted in Movements by Kate Archdeacon on August 10th, 2010
Walk Against Warming 2010: The Great Suburban Walk
There’s a federal election on its way, yet our political leaders continue to backflip, delay and deny on climate change. With so much at stake, it’s time for the community to put climate action back on the election agenda.
On Sunday 15 August Environment Victoria, our national partners and the Victorian climate movement is holding the 2010 Walk Against Warming to demand that our political leaders face up to their responsibility on climate change. We’ll remind them that to secure our votes, they must ‘Walk with the People, Not the Big Polluters’.
This election be part of the call for climate action. Please register for The Walk Against Warming at www.walkagainstwarming.org.au
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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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Hoddle Street Planning: Have Your Say
Posted in Policies, Seeking by Kate Archdeacon on July 14th, 2010
Source: Victoria Walks
Hoddle Street is often choked with traffic and is an unpleasant environment for walking. What ideas do you have about making this street more vibrant and people friendly?
VicRoads is currently undertaking a planning study to investigate options to improve the efficiency and reliability of all modes of transport along Hoddle Street, from the Eastern Freeway to just north of the M1 Freeway (Citylink). As with any transport planning investigation, it is important that we understand the interests, issues and concerns of all users – so we want to know what you think.
Project description
Hoddle Street is critical to north-south and east-west transport movements in inner Melbourne and to the flow of Eastern Freeway traffic to and from the CBD. As conditions change and demand continues to increase, the challenge will be to find ways to reduce congestion and improve transport flow whilst considering the needs and safety of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users. The study will examine key issues and investigate potential solutions, including grade separations and opportunities to enhance the efficiency of public transport.
Have your say
Your input is important in helping us better understand key issues relating to congestion, public transport, pedestrian and bicycle use, land use planning and urban design. Join in the discussion by clicking through on the questions on the website. You will be asked to register to participate, your privacy is protected and your name and email will never be disclosed.
Here’s your chance to join the discussion and help promote a more walking friendly environment!
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Creating Sustainable Neighbourhoods: State of Design Forum
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on July 14th, 2010
© Jacqui Monie, University of Melbourne
Creating Sustainable Neighbourhoods will explore how behavioural change and precinct development interrelate. Together, these forces can create sustainable neighbourhoods. This forum demonstrates how design plays a critical role in creating vibrant, sustainable development. We will also explore the role of design in creating sustainable outcomes through innovative building projects, urban and infrastructure design and by creating strategic frameworks.
A sustainable precinct is more than just sustainable built forms. It also requires the support of a sustainable community; new practices and patterns of living. Yet how do we sell the benefits of sustainable futures? Individuals respond to visionary ideas, especially if they can see them translated into real actions. For example, five or six star green star buildings have set new benchmarks that others have been inspired to follow. In light of this, what might a 10 star green star precinct and community look like? The forum presents a number of iconic projects that are currently inspiring change and encouraging innovative design practice.
The forum is aimed at those in design and non-design fields with an interest in the contribution of designers and the design process in creating sustainable neighbourhoods. It demonstrates how designers collaborate with diverse stakeholder groups and the key role designer’s play in activities such as master planning and community interaction. The forum includes the presentation of case studies from guest speakers, a Q&A panel discussion and a chance for audience members to envision elements of a sustainable precinct in a collaborative workshop exercise.
Come learn, collaborate and innovate.
Friday 23 July, 2010, 10.00am – 12.30pm
Free, registration for forum essential: stateofdesignrsvp@sustainability.vic.gov.au
Village Roadshow Theatrette
State Library of Victoria
328 Swanston Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Presented by Sustainability Victoria, Sponsored by Victorian Eco Innovation Lab (VEIL)
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Climate Redesign: Collaborative Project
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on July 13th, 2010
Climate Redesign 2010: An experimental collaborative project involving climate communicators and creatives to generate ideas on how to increase measurable mainstream support for action on climate change. We will be brainstorming together, sketching, modelling, drawing, writing, building briefs and testing ideas. We will be inspiring each other, having fun, sharing skills and forming working relationships with the people who will energise our ideas and implement them in the real world.
Public momentum on climate change action is stagnating, Copenhagen flopped and Rudd back-flipped on legislating a strong ETS. Meanwhile the issue is not going away and scientists are getting more alarmed with the scientific evidence. Australian groups have created the technical and economic solutions and now we need big creative ideas to inspire the Australian community and our leaders to implement these solutions. We are calling for Australia’s creatives to step up to this challenge and provide the ideas, skills and leadership that will transform the movement and catalyse real change. We want to abandon the stereotypes of past communications and actions to embrace the new, the clever, the dynamic and agile, the unexpected.
We are not aiming to produce campaign materials. We aim to produce the ideas and concepts that will lead to better campaign planning or a better alternative to a campaign altogether. We want to design frameworks for the Climate Communicators to allocate resources and ideas within their own organisations and to seek funding and support for implementation. All ideas and concepts produced will be shared and not be owned by anyone person. We will encourage remixing and upcycling of ideas between participants.
rewards
Participants will gain the following:
1. Work creatively in a fun environment
2. Extend working networks
3. Learn new ways of collaborating together
4. Contribute actively to the climate change issue
Saturday July 17, with an evening introduction in the week of the 5th.
Visit the website for more details on how to get involved.
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Starting a Sharing Community in Your Neighbourhood
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on July 5th, 2010
The Sharehood is all about sharing resources within our neighbourhoods. Sewing machines, cars, tools, books and washing machines all have the capacity to be shared. Skills too can be shared, such as gardening, handiwork, bike fixing, accountancy and so on. Many skills and resources we need are already available within our own neighbourhoods. The Sharehood infrastructure provides a great way to get to know your neighbours and build a sense of community while saving money and the environment. So far around six hundred neighbours are interacting from Adelaide, Newcastle, South Hobart, the US and UK as well as across Melbourne.
This workshop will explain the process of starting a Sharehood community in your area: letterboxing, the first meeting, organising social events, as well as generally sharing the experience of building community. We will also cover privacy issues, the local currency, people without the internet, and will have plenty of time for questions and discussion.
You are also welcome to stick around for our Sharehood Collective meeting at 8pm if you think you might be interested in getting involved in making the Sharehood happen.
Monday the 19th of July, The Hive, 17 Kerr St, Fitzroy
Info Night – 7-8pm
The Sharehood Meeting – 8pm onwards
Tea/coffee and light refreshments provided
Please RSVP to contact@thesharehood.org or 0450720269 if you plan on coming.
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No Junk Mail Campaign: Waste Reduction & Fundraising
Posted in Movements by Kate Archdeacon on July 2nd, 2010
Source: EcoVoice
Keep Australia Beautiful has partnered with Eco Voice to encourage all Australians to read their catalogues online to reduce waste and litter. Figures on how catalogues impact on the environment are scary:
* There are around 8 billion catalogues delivered around Australia each year.
* Junk mail makes up 6% of all paper used in Australia, equating to 240,000 tonnes of paper per year.
* One tonne of catalogue pages uses 90,000 litres of water to produce.
* We could fill 8,640 Olympic swimming pools with the water used to produce a year’s worth of catalogues.
(Source: Robert Wong, CEO of Catalogue Central)
Seeking Help
Keep Australia Beautiful needs help to get “No Junk Mail – I read my Catalogues Online at Eco Voice” stickers on as many letterboxes across Australia as possible. Eco Voice will soon have bundles of stickers available for schools & community groups to use as fundraisers to spread the word and make revenue (perhaps) for their other sustainability programs. So get your school or community group involved today. By getting involved, you will be helping the environment by:
* Reducing the junk mail litter that ends up on our streets
* Saving water and paper used in printing the catalogues
* Raising funds for your school or group eco project and
* Raising funds for Keep Australia Beautiful
Keep Australia Beautiful Week kicks off on Monday 23 August.
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Burnley Gardens Open Day
Posted in Events, Research by land-environment on July 1st, 2010
Burnley students of the 1950s show off their pruning style.
Burnley Gardens Open Day offers a stellar program for the whole family in sustainable gardening and horticultural practice, at the heritage-listed Burnley Gardens.
Delivered in partnership by the University of Melbourne’s School of Land and Environment and Friends of Burnley Gardens, horticultural experts will present you with free lectures and paid workshops, kids’ activities, forums and seminars on leading sustainable gardening practice, including pruning, pest and disease control, watering and fertilisers, and setting up a veggie plot. There will be tours taking you back in time through the lush and historic gardens, and University course advice for budding horticulturists.
So come along with your gardening friends and family and winter woolies, and learn about gardening to your heart’s content!
For further information, visit www.land-environment.unimelb.edu.au.
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