Posts Tagged ‘education’
Sustainable Homes Expo
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on July 28th, 2011
| 6 August , 2011 | ||
| 10:00 am | to | 4:00 pm |
Come along to the Sustainable homes Expo 2011! The Sustainable Homes Expo is held every second year, and is a major local environmental event.
Residents can learn about the many ways to make their home more sustainable at our family-friendly Sustainable Homes Expo. Come along to the expo and hop on your bike to try to generate enough energy to run the Expo at the Future Spark Power Trailer.
This major local environmental event is free to attend and can help you learn how to:
- make smarter decisions by better understanding the range of home sustainability products and services available in this ever-growing market
- more effectively reduce your energy and water use at home, saving you money
- create a chemical-free home
- make the most efficient use of your property
- know what features and orientation to look for in an older home to make future sustainable renovations more effective
- build using eco-friendly materials
The event will feature:
- live music by The Right Brothers
- a range of sustainable food options for purchase, as well as fresh coffee from the Friends of Baucau
- the Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies (CERES) energy trailer with fun, interactive displays about how energy is created and used by household appliances
- sustainability presentations from Water Watch, about the good, the bad and the ugly water bugs that affect the health of our waterways
Children’s entertainment will include:
- face painting
- craft making
- environmental performers, The Connies
The expo will feature a range of exhibitors showcasing everyday sustainable alternatives from eco-friendly cleaning products to reusable nappies.
Saturday August 6, 10 – 4
Plenty Ranges Arts and ConventionCentre
35 Ferres Boulevard
South Morang (Mel 183 A10)
Visit the website for more information.
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Footprint Flicks: Sustainable Gardening Films
Posted in Movements, Research by Kate Archdeacon on July 19th, 2011
Last week, Sustainable Gardening Australia (SGA) launched their series of Sustainable Gardening short films, Footprint Flicks. Jane Edmanson of ABC’s Gardening Australia launched the films, drawing the connections between gardening for health as well as gardening for local action in response to climate change, and the role of technology in supporting people who want to get involved in gardening.
Helen Tuton from the SGA co-wrote the films with Suzi Taylor from Fingerprint Productions. Helen says that the films are designed to inspire younger people to garden in a way that benefits the planet, while being fun, informative and appealing. We were lucky enough to watch some of the films during the launch, and it’s fair to say that they have achieved what they set out to do – the audience roared with laughter, while taking notes on topics such as “DIY Compost: Lord of the Bins”, “Renters’ Guide to Sustainable Gardens”, and “How to be a Good Parent to Your Worms”.
The films will be available to buy on DVD very soon, but in the meantime visit the SGA site for a sneak preview of three of the films; Renter’s Guide to Sustainable Gardening, How to be a Good Parent to Your Worms and OMG I’m Going Grey.
www.sgaonline.org.au
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Water Sensitive Cities Study Tour: Applications Open
Posted in Research, Seeking by Kate Archdeacon on July 15th, 2011
The Study Tour is an excellent opportunity to develop your leadership skills, learn about water sensitive cities, see what change looks like on the ground, and develop networks within Australia and overseas.
This is the third time such a tour has been run. The first tour travelled to North America in 2005, the second tour travelled to Europe in 2009. Participants came from water authorities, local governments, environmental NGOs, consultants and academia and represented Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and New Zealand. The tour group will be made up of young professionals from across Australia who will:
- Travel to another Australian city to review innovative approaches to water
- Report to the WSUD12 conference in February 2012 on ideas and successes within Australia
- Travel overseas to further seek examples of cutting edge of sustainable cities.
- Report back and engage with decision makers to progress your ideas
Who should apply
Although it is an industry based study tour, it is open to young leaders who are passionate about water, cities, and making a difference. This means anyone from engineers, scientists, landscape architects, social scientists to policy advisors, urban planners, designers, ecologists, and chemists.
Costs
Approximately $10,000 (excl GST) is required. This is expected to cover the initial trip within Australian, and overseas trip, and the evaluation and reporting costs and conference registration fees for WSUD 2012.
The benefits
The benefits are huge: personal development, exposure to some of the best thinking in urban water management, ability to manage teams, engagement with key influencers within Australia, and the opportunity to go through an experiential learning approach.
Key Dates
- 15 August, 2011 – Applications close
- 6 September, 2011 – Successful applicants attend a group briefing and planning session in Melbourne
Visit the website or download the flyer for more information.
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Where Are They Now? Ben Nicholson, Groof
Posted in Models, Research by Kate Archdeacon on June 30th, 2011
Here at Sustainable Melbourne we’ve been contacting Sustainable Cities Round Tables (SCRT) presenters, to find out how their projects and ideas have grown and changed since Ferne Edwards first launched the Round Tables in May 2007.
Ben Nicholson gave a presentation at the SCRT in November 2008, after spending two months studying green roofs in cities around the world as a Churchill Fellow. During this time, Ben met green roofs advocates; planners, environmentalists and designers, and he visited research sites and commercial sites, some of which have been in existence since the early 1990s. In his presentation, “Vital Signs for a Healthy City”, he described Melbourne as an adolescent city at risk of on-going health problems due to its large energy requirements, poor water management lack of biodiversity. Green roofs would change this prognosis by cooling the city, increasing urban food-growing space and wildlife habitat, and conserving storm water and energy.
In 2007, Ben established his own green roof consultancy, Groof, providing designs and advice to green roof developments in Victoria and overseas.
We caught up with Ben to ask about the changes in green roof implementation and acceptance in Australia since his presentation in 2008. There have been some notable green roof and wall projects developed in that time, including the vertical garden we sat next to in the foyer of the Gauge building in Docklands. During our conversation, Ben reiterated the importance of solid research and demonstration projects for industry players to assist in the development and maintenance of a successful Green Roof program in Australia’s cities.
Below are some extracts from Ben’s Churchill Trust Report:
Just as the ant spends a lifetime crawling up and down a tree without ever comprehending the tree’s full scale or its place in the wider world, so we spend our lives in cities without ever comprehending their true size or the impacts they are having on the planet… imagine for a moment you are sitting on a hill, watching a tree grow that, one day, will be crawled upon by an the ant mentioned above. And from this hill, imagine that you can fast-forward time as quickly as you like, so you sit and watch this tree grow from a tiny seed to a sapling to a huge, spreading lemon-scented gum in only a few short minutes. Now imagine that from the same hill you are watching your own city grow up from its earliest days of a few tents and dusty tracks into the sprawling suburbs, skyscrapers, freeways, factories and warehouses that it has become today. From this perspective, it is suddenly much easier to comprehend the amount of disruption that has occurred to all the other living things and natural systems forced to make way for the people and non-living things that make up your city today. We may never be able to bring everything back, but from the vantage of this hill we can at least start to imagine what our cities would look like when transformed into thriving eco-systems.
In many cities around the world, harm is being reducing by people as they build each new piece of eco-infrastructure into the city fabric. To do this properly, people first ask:
- what does harm look like?
- where is it most concentrated?
- where is the worst of it coming from?
[…]
During the fellowship I learnt that the green roof and wall industry in each city has developed in the presence of local champions, detailed science, government support and an enlightened citizenry. The people in the cities I visited have developed policy responses and designed ‘eco-infrastructure’ that is unique to their local topography, climate and system of governance. In the more advanced cities, I observed some or all of the following activities taking place:
- Environmental indicators such as topography, temperature, rainfall and biodiversity are examined to understand the ways in which a city impacts upon its host environment. Using data sourced from early settlement to the current day, time-lapse analysis reveals the extent to which the city has affected its surrounds. Forecasting models are then used to predict future impacts with the key variable being extent of vegetation cover.
- Economic costs for the design, construction and maintenance of air conditioning/cleaning systems, water supply/removal systems and agricultural production/distribution systems are compared with the costs of using green roofs and walls to identify areas of city management that can be carried out more efficiently using green roof and wall technology.
- The benefits of green roofs and walls are tailored to address environmental and economic ‘trigger points’ specific to each city. These trigger points inform local green roof and wall design and assist in targeting the most effective locations for the placement of green roof and wall infrastructure.
- Demonstration and research projects raise awareness and provide information for public, private and government sectors.
- Political support for green roofs and walls leads to subsidies for the eco-infrastructure industry and the incorporation of built form standards and incentives.
- Environmental and economic indicators are regularly monitored to refine eco-infrastructure design and placement.
- Over time, the economic and environmental costs associated with the negative impacts of urbanisation are reduced and the benefits associated with an increase in vegetation cover are multiplied.
[…]
As eco-infrastructure projects begin to reduce harm, there will be an increase in the demand for high quality products and services. It is therefore up to the people and companies who stand to benefit the most from this demand to provide funding for eco-infrastructure research and demonstration projects in the early phase of the industry’s development. We can learn a lot from the failures and triumphs of other cities. Now is the time to transform our negative impacts into positive ones. And in doing so, we will transform ourselves from being harmful pests to welcome guests.
Download Ben’s report to read more about his research, including case studies from his tour and further reading and recommendations.
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Does your organisation have a culture of sustainability?
Posted in Models, Research by timc on June 28th, 2011
Awake has recently developed the Sustainability Culture Indicator (SCI), an online survey tool designed to help organisations and groups evaluate the extent to which critical enablers of sustainability exist in their culture.
The information provided by the SCI allows the organisation to
- Identify the features of the organisation which are supporting, and hindering, the development of sustainability as a core aspect of the culture
- Ensure the design of activities and actions to promote sustainability are targeted to the areas of greatest need
- Set a baseline against which to track the impact of future efforts to embed sustainability
The factors measured in the SCI are derived from academic and organisational research, as well as being developed and refined through surveys conducted by Awake in several organisations and communities throughout Australia and New Zealand.
More information, including a sample report and brochure are available at the SCI webpage
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Improving Urban Streams Through a Stormwater Retrofit Approach: Forum
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on June 23rd, 2011
| 29 June , 2011 | ||
| 9:30 am | to | 1:00 pm |
Image: eXtension.org: Gardens, Lawns, and Landscapes via flickr CC
Clearwater in partnership with the University of Melbourne, Monash University and Melbourne Water invite you to a unique event where you will hear insights into the contrasting approaches of two innovative catchment-scale stormwater retrofit programs:
- Shepherds Creek project – Cincinnati, Ohio
- Little Stringybark Creek project – Melbourne, Australia
Both projects aim to improve the condition of receiving waters using novel incentives to engage the community. These incentives encourage the uptake of allotment and streetscape scale stormwater retention and treatment systems.
Key speakers include:
- Chris Walsh – Principle Research Fellow, University of Melbourne
- Tim Fletcher – Associate Professor Water Engineering, Monash University
- Bill Shuster – Research Hydrologist, US Environmental Protection Authority
- Darren Bos – Project Coordinator, Little Stringybark Creek project
- Helen Brown – UK Endeavour Award Fellow, University of Melbourne
Presentations throughout the day will be supported with facilitated discussion and the opportunity to meet and chat with three stormwater experts from the US EPA, over an informal lunch setting. The forum is ideal for water industry practitioners, environment staff, urban designers, town planners, engineers and contract staff. This forum will provide practical insights on: effective engagement of the community in stormwater management economic incentives for encouraging stormwater management at allotment scale design, construction and performance of streetscape and allotment-scale stormwater retention, harvesting and treatment systems the future of stormwater management objectives in Australia.
Price: $60 – includes arrival tea & coffee, morning tea and lunch
9:30 – 13:00, Wednesday 29th June
Visit the Clearwater website for more information and to register.
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Burnley Open Day: July 17
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on June 22nd, 2011
| 17 July , 2011 | ||
| 10:00 am | to | 3:00 pm |
Australia’s best horticulture and environmental management courses – at your fingertips. At this year’s Burnley Open Day you’ll learn all you need to know about sustainable gardening and horticultural practice at Melbourne’s famous heritage-listed Burnley Gardens. Delivered in partnership by the University of Melbourne’s School of Land and Environment and Friends of Burnley Gardens, you’ll learn about our courses in horticulture and environmental management, listen to free lectures by horticultural experts, and attend specialist workshops, forums and seminars on leading sustainable gardening practice, including pruning, watering and fertilizers, and setting up a veggie plot. There’s even a range of activities for the kids.
More than just an Open Day. An experience for the whole family.
Program available soon! Complete the enquiry form to register your interest.
Sunday 17 July 2011, 10am-3pm
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Victorian Oranges for Healthy Fundraisers
Posted in Movements, Seeking by Kate Archdeacon on June 21st, 2011
Source: Melbourne Community Farmers’ Markets
Want to raise funds for your community or school? Want to support the Australian Citrus Industry? Want to promote rural education? Move over crap chocolate, Nangiloc Primary School has a great idea! In a nutshell, during the Navel orange season (July – Oct) you place an order for 3kg bags of fresh oranges for $5. Local fruit, packed at a local packing house will be processed by the children from Nangiloc Primary School as part of an enterprise learning program. Then, for every bag your school or organisation sells, you will earn one dollar whilst supporting Victorian citrus growers, seasonal fruit and Nangiloc Primary School. Find out more by phoning (03) 5029 1483 or email Nangiloc Primary School
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Ego Lemos at The Boite: Saturday Night
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on June 3rd, 2011
| 4 June , 2011 | ||
| 8:00 pm | to | 10:30 pm |
Source: The Boîte
Image: Wendy Tanner via flickr CC
Ego Lemos is in Melbourne to receive his Master of Arts (Community Development) from Victoria University. He has just concluded the second PermaScout camp in history bringing young people from every corner of Timor Leste for a week of Permaculture workshops, networking and music making, a remarkable event which is attracting the attention of the President. Ego is an internationally recognised Permaculture practitioner and teacher. As Timor Leste’s most famous singer-songwriter he is about to perform at a festival in Germany organised by his recording company, Skinnyfish. Ego first came to Australia with his band Cinco do Oriente in 2001 at the invitation of the Boite and Australian Volunteers International to perform at a major concert at Hamer Hall. While he is here we will discuss a possible return visit by Cinco do Oriente! Do come and meet him at Mark Street on Saturday night at the Boîte.
8pm, Saturday, June 4th
1 Mark St, Nth Fitzroy
Ego Lemos is well known for his performing and songwriting, particularly for the title track for the movie Balibo. Special Guest, Quashani Bahd, reggae, and blues singer, with Gil Santos (Dili All Stars) This is a fundraiser.
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The Climate Project have published an interview with Ego Lemos which explains more about the Perma Scout project.
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Travelling Sustainability Project: Seeking Local Contacts
Posted in Models, Research by Kate Archdeacon on May 10th, 2011
It’s Not Easy Being Green is a project by two designers traveling around the world in 184 days. The project is initiated by Aart van Bezooyen and Paula Raché, a Dutch-German design couple living and working in Hamburg, Germany. During six months they are offering inspiring lectures and materials workshops to explore the practice of sustainability by meeting, discussing and working with local creatives.
Aart & Paula are coming to Melbourne this week, and are keen to meet up with people. Get in touch with them via their blog if your sustainability / community group would like to meet them and organise a lecture or a workshop.
http://www.itsnoteasybeinggreen.net/
Project Partners
Sponsors
PARK advanced design management
Bio-Perception Project, Delft University of Technology
Made Of Material Library, Delft University of Technology
MUTTER design agency
Media Partners
Core77 Design Network
Hamburg European Green Capital 2011
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