Posts Tagged ‘consumption’
Veggie Growers Competition
Posted in Events by EcoCentre on January 25th, 2012
| 11 February , 2012 | ||
| 11:00 am | to | 2:00 pm |
Port Phillip Urban Food Network – PPUFFN – is hosting its first ever veggie growers competition
We’re searching for the best offerings from edible gardens right across Port Phillip. As well be as well as local food growing entrants, we need spectators to help us decide the winners! There are 5 entry categories, including best-tasting tomato variety, monster veg & most unusual edible plant. Plus an honorary award for the most weird and wonderful looking contribution!
$450 prize pool / winners by popular choice / swap tips with other food gardeners.
So, get ready for some horticultural muscle flexing and join us on the day!
Full competition entry details
Saturday 11 February, 11am
St Kilda Youth Service Training Site, Cnr Pickles & Richardson St, Port Melbourne
(only 5 mins from Bay St shopping st)
Enquiries: paula – 0417 501 383 / gardeners@ecocentre.com
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Environment Victoria’s Flemington Green: Project Update
Posted in Movements, Seeking by Kate Archdeacon on January 19th, 2012
Photos from Flemington Green
From “Flemington women showing the way” from Environment Victoria:
Recruited by our Community Consultant, Iman Barabiaa, another group of Flemington residents have just completed their Flemington Green sustainable living training. The 16 women are from East African countries (Eritrea, Ethiopia and South Sudan), Turkey and Yemen and all reside on the Flemington public housing estate. The women have attended workshops on saving energy and saving water (with a guest presentation from City West Water), held by Environment Victoria at the Flemington Community Centre in November 2011. The group also visited SKM Recycling in Coolaroo to learn about waste and recycling – and we enjoyed a lunch of Turkish kebabs together in Broadmeadows.
They’ve told us they’ve learn a lot. Many participants, being new to Australia and having lived in countries where water and sanitation conditions are quite different, were very impressed to learn that Melbourne’s tap water does not have to be boiled before drinking, and said they’d keep that energy saving tip in mind. The visit to SKM showed the sheer scale of recycling that happens every day in Melbourne and the vast amounts of energy these processes require. Many participants said they’ll be talking to their friends about the need to recycle carefully and to reduce the amount of rubbish we throw away. Not all Flemington residents have the luxury of being able to recycle at home, but with the new recycling pilot program on the estate continuing to progress well, more and more will gain the opportunity.
After the energy saving workshop, each participant told us she went home and started taking action, such as switching off appliances at the wall; unplugging the mobile phone charger when it’s not being used (it still draws power even when it’s not charging); talking to her sister in her home about energy-guzzling down-lights and giving a presentation about ways to save energy in her English class.
New knowledge and motivation, and new environmental action – these Flemington women are showing the way for their community to take green action.
>> Find out more about Environment Victoria’s Flemington Green project.
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If it’s broke – Fix it!
Posted in Events, Movements, Seeking by ecoApril on January 17th, 2012
| 19 February , 2012 | ||
| 11:00 am | to | 3:00 pm |
Photo from the 2011 Repair Workshop by Fernando De Sousa
A free, friendly workshop to repair (or reimagine) broken household items will be staged for this year’s Sustainable Living Festival at Melbourne’s Federation Square.
Collaborative Fix it! repair sessions are hosted by community members who believe there are better options than sending broken objects on a one-way ticket to landfill. Fix it! was founded by locals April Seymore, Renae Crosthwaite and Chandra Sundareswaran with the support of Sustainability Victoria and Metropolitan Waste Management Group. The friends want to share skills and build public confidence for repairing items that otherwise literally go to waste.
“We hear so much about our current ‘throw away society’ and we want to change that thought process,” said April. “Part of the Fix it! philosophy is to inspire participants to host fixing get-togethers in future. So while we will repair items at the Festival at no charge, we will also demonstrate how repair is achievable, affordable and help everyone feel capable. Helping people hem their garment or gain the self-assurance to repair a basic electrical item could make a huge difference to the amount and types of things that are clogging up landfill, dumped on nature strips, or donated broken to Op Shops who don’t have repair capacity.”
Recent repair, creating and upcycling events in Melbourne have met with enormous success. Artists and technicians at the July 2011 Repair Workshops rescued 3 tonnes from landfill, and this year’s Mini Maker Faire® sold out tickets almost immediately. Repair novices and gurus alike are welcome to drop into the festival workshop to sample repair projects. To BYO project, register your lamp, clothing, or woodworking repair request via email. Or simply share your fixing photos or questions with the Fix it! team via Facebook (Fix It Community) or Twitter (@FixItMelbourne).
There will be three themed Fix it! areas: Stitches—focusing on textiles; Switches—examining electrical appliances; and Splinters—woodworking with hand tools.
Get Involved: Fix it! is looking for skilled volunteers (Fixers) to assist in each of the focus areas at the Sustainable Living Festival. If you can lend a hand in the stitches, switches or splinters areas contact the team at fixitmelbourne@gmail.com.
The Sustainable Living Festival runs from 11-26 February, with Fix it! held from 11.00 am – 3.00 pm on Sunday the 19th at Federation Square in the city.
For further information and photo opportunities email fixitmelbourne@gmail.com
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Maker Faire Melbourne: Inspire, inform, connect, entertain.
Posted in Movements by Kate Archdeacon on January 9th, 2012
A Maker Faire is about celebrating learning and doing – not the finished and perfect end product. It’s a place to share what we’re learning with others, and celebrate the fun and freedom of being an amateur. Featuring both established and emerging local “makers,” the Melbourne Mini Maker Faire is a family-friendly celebration coming to Australasia for the first time on Saturday, January 14th, 2012. It will feature rockets and robots, DIY science and technology, urban farming and sustainability, alternative energy, bicycles, unique hand-made crafts, and educational workshops and installations. Access to the Faire is limited so get in touch before you show up to make sure you can get in!
Want to get involved? Apply to be a Maker on Saturday through the website.
Mini Maker Faires such as this have started to sprout up around the United States, Canada, Europe and now Australia. Maker Faire started back in 2005 as a spin-off of Make Magazine. The Melbourne Mini Maker Faire will follow the big Maker Faire model of celebrating do-it-yourself creativity and tinkering, but will be smaller in scale and – although predominantly showcasing the wonders of the local Melbourne Maker community – will include exhibitors from around Australia and beyond.
Saturday, January 14th, 2012, 10 am to 4pm, Hawthorn
See the Maker Faire Melbourne website for additional information and to register your interest in attending.
Photo from Robots and Dinosaurs (Makers).
Ethical Consumer Guide to Christmas
Posted in Movements by Kate Archdeacon on December 20th, 2011
Recycled gift carton and photo by Urban Woodswalker via flickr CC
Don’t be naughty this Christmas, buy nice. Rather than doing your Christmas shopping at the local mega-mart, use gift giving and festive meals to exercise your commitment to ethical shopping. Our book makes a perfect Christmas gift, or there’s heaps of other ideas in the guide, at our online shop, and on our favourite gift ideas page. Christmas is an opportunity to shop ethically on a grand scale! This guide covers all the main things you might buy over Christmas, listed under the categories of food, gifts, and decorations.
http://www.ethical.org.au/christmas/
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Keep Cup Co-Creator: Melbourne Sustainability Drinks
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on December 6th, 2011
| 7 December , 2011 | ||
| 6:00 pm | to | 8:00 pm |
Sustainability Drinks Melbourne is pleased to have Abigail Forsyth as guest speaker for Sustainability Drinks on the 7th of December.
Entrepreneur and mother of two, co-creator and founder of KeepCup, Abigail Forsyth has always been a passionate problem solver. Abigail’s leadership and devotion to finding creative solutions to overcome our impact on the environment has changed the way even the most discerning coffee drinkers enjoy their daily dose and she has since been commended in several globally renowned awards. She was a finalist in the City of London’s Sustainable City Awards (2010), Premier’s Design Awards (2010) and Melbourne Day awards (2010), as well as being shortlisted for the Australian International Design Awards (2010) and the Red Dot Industrial Design Awards Hamburg (2010).
Please note that it is essential to RSVP every month. Due to the ever increasing popularity of the event, it may not be possible to accommodate people who do not RSVP. This is not-for-profit event; i.e. you buy your own drinks, as we choose to come together in the spirit of a shared interest.
6 – 8pm Wednesday 7th December 2011.
Location: Slate Bar & Restaurant Mezzanine, 9 Goldsbrough Lane Melbourne VIC 3000
http://www.melbournesustainabilitydrinks.com/rsvp
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Bag It: Appetite for Insight film screening
Posted in Events by TransitionTownPortPhillip on December 5th, 2011
| 12 December , 2011 | ||
| 8:00 pm | to | 9:30 pm |
The final Appetite for Insight screening for 2011 & a special event not to be missed!
Special guest speakers:
Tim Silverwood, Co-founder of Take 3 will introduce the film and talk about his trip to the Great Pacific Rubbish Dump, the global perspective and his Clean Beach Initiative.
Neil Blake,“Baykeeper” & Port Phillip EcoCentre Director will share his knowledge on local impacts and how you can take action, such as joining a Coast Walk or Butt Safari.
http://www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingEventSummary.aspx?eid=16918
Join us for a nourishing evening out and share some festive cheer!
A Sustainable Christmas Lunch
Posted in Events by samgreen on November 30th, 2011
| 7 December , 2011 | ||
| 12:30 pm | to | 1:30 pm |
Photo by MinimalistPhotography101.com via flickr CC
‘Tis the season to be jolly wasteful, but how do we separate nativity from naivety when it comes to sustainability? Join us for a Christmas lunch of tasty treats that won’t leave the planet more stuffed than last year’s turkey!
Date: Wednesday 7 December 2011, 12.30-1.30pm
Location: Reception Room, Maribyrnong Council Offices, cnr Hyde & Napier Streets Footscray
Bookings essential – please book online at www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/lunchbox or contact Council’s Sustainability Officer on 03 9688 0357 for more information
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Port Phillip Local Artisan Tour
Posted in Events by TransitionTownPortPhillip on November 23rd, 2011
| 3 December , 2011 | ||
| 11:00 am | to | 4:00 pm |
“SECOND-HAND-MADE Port Phillip” Local Artisan Tour St Kilda – Middle Park – Albert Park – South Melbourne
Sat 3 Dec, 11am–4pm
Be inspired, support local artisans & enjoy ethical Christmas shopping whilst exploring the diverse handmade delights of bayside Melbourne handmade toys – crafts – curios – home-wares – vintage threads – reclaimed treasures
Starting from South Melbourne, join us for a leisurely tour on foot and public transport, stopping for tea & treats along the way!
$10 – BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL – transitiontownportphillip@gmail.com/ 0439 677 811
Hosted by Transition Port Phillip – inspiring connectedness, creativity & community resilience - & The Sharehood – meet your neighbours, share with them
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FORUM: Climate Change, Culture + Cuisine
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on November 21st, 2011
| 28 November , 2011 | ||
| 6:00 pm | to | 7:30 pm |
Can we eat our way to a biodiverse future? The future of sustainable food lies in a complete rethink of how humans relate to the natural environment through collective engagement.
Carbon Arts and Arena Project Space invite you to join the Cross(x)Species Adventure Club and engage with New York based artist / engineer /activist Prof Natalie Jeremijenko, chef Mihir Desai and guest speakers to explore how we can use the creative potential of science , modernist cuisine and the imagination to connect food production to healthy ecologies.
Monday 28 November 2011 6.00 – 7.30 PM
Arena Project Space I 2 Kerr St Fitzroy, VIC, 3065
$10 Pay at the door, Concession rate available
Drinks by donation www.arena.org.au/project-space
Cross(x)Species Adventure Club challenges us to expand the idea of the food web, in order to imagine edible interventions that go beyond sustainability to actually augment ecological health. Like the web 2.0 of the food systems, the Cross(x)Species Adventure Club guides us towards participatory, DIY and multi-platform foodsystems. Become an u-farmer, sample edible cocktails with other creatures at the Melbourne Museum, learn how to make buffalo ice-cream from nano-crystals. Come re-imagine, re-incorporate and re-contextualise our collective food future through the course of a tasty communal adventure. Join us and invest in a biodiverse future!
Natalie Jeremijenko (born 1966) is an artist and engineer whose background includes studies in biochemistry, physics, neuroscience and precision engineering. She is an active member of the net.art movement, and her work primarily explores the interface between society, the environment and technology. She is currently an Associate Professor at NYU in the Visual Art Department, and has affiliated faculty appointments in Computer Science and Environmental Studies.
Based in Melbourne, Carbon Arts is a new platform for projects and ideas experimentation in the arts and sustainability. We generate collaborative and creative solutions for a changing climate by working across the arts, science, technology and economics. At the heart of our practice is the belief that creativity is essential in making the transition to a sustainable future, and that the journey should be playful, fun and rewarding.
For more information on all events visit: www.carbonarts.org Or phone Arena: 416 0232
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