Posts Tagged ‘knowledge’
Speed Date a Sustainable Designer
Posted in Events by sashashtargot on January 30th, 2012
| 19 February , 2012 | ||
| 1:00 pm | to | 3:00 pm |
Are you renovating or building? Do you have plans and ideas you’d like to discuss with green architects or building designers? The Alternative Technology Association (ATA) would like to invite you to Speed Date a Sustainable Designer.
When: Sunday 19th February
Time: 1-3pm
Where: The Atrium, Federation Square, Melbourne
Speed Date a Sustainable Designer brings together Australia’s leading sustainable architects and building designers so that you can discuss your plans in a relaxed ‘no obligations’ environment.
What to Bring
Bring your sketches, plans and photographs on your tablet, laptop or good old hard copies! The designers will offer solutions, ideas and alternative viewpoints.
You can watch the short YouTube video from the last event here: http://bit.ly/gi1vnt
Supported by bankmecu
A free event. Limited spots available! Bookings are essential. Go to sdsd.ata.org.au
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Green Energy Future Day 2011
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on November 24th, 2011
| 3 December , 2011 | ||
| 10:30 am | to | 3:30 pm |
http://www.ceres.org.au/gefd
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Growing Food in Pots: SGA article
Posted in Models, Research by Kate Archdeacon on November 11th, 2011
Source: cuttings, the Sustainable Gardening Australia(SGA) newsletter
Photo by David_Turner via flickr CC
From “Produce in Pots” by Helen Tuton:
Plants in pots… it’s hardly a new or revolutionary concept… I mean, we are all well acquainted with the potted Maidenhair fern in the bathroom, a dusty ‘Parlour Palm’ struggling for life in the corner of the office, or the ubiquitous ‘Peace Lily’ given as a gift when we can’t think of anything better. But what about productive plants in pots? Imagine a ‘movable feast’ in your inner city courtyard, providing a fair whack of the food you love to eat? A bounty of beautiful herbs out by the BBQ, or tonnes of tumbling tomatoes at your townhouse? Just about anyone has room for a few pots at their place, and we reckon you will be amazed by just how much produce you can grow in just about any space!
Gone to Pot – Getting Started
Planting a productive potted plot is no different to getting going in a garden – it’s all about planning, position, potting mix, patience and productivity. [...]
Read the full article by Helen Tuton for the SGA.
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Sustainable House Day 2011
Posted in Events, Uncategorized by Kate Archdeacon on August 30th, 2011
| 11 September , 2011 | ||
| 10:00 am | to | 4:00 pm |
Sustainable House Day, Sunday 11th September, will be celebrating its 10th year, the event will continue to showcase some of Australia’s most sustainable homes to the public as millions of Australians continue to embrace renewable energy, recycling, and other practices suitable to their lifestyles.
Houses are open for FREE between 10am and 4pm.
This year over 300 homes will open their doors for tours and give visitors opportunities to see firsthand the benefits and practicality of solar, ventilation, water harvesting, recycling, shading, thermal mass (materials that absorb and release heat), glazing and window treatments, gardens, and lifestyle products. Architects, builders and specialist service providers will also be on hand at many of the homes to provide expert tips.
Check out the house locations pages to see if there is house open near you, this list will keep getting updated until the event, so be sure to check back in.
Sunday 11th Sept 10am – 4pm
http://www.sustainablehouseday.com/
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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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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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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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Composter’s Composium with Costa
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on April 29th, 2011
| 7 May , 2011 | ||
| 11:00 am | to | 1:00 pm |
Smith Reserve, corner of Alexander Parade and George St, Fitzroy, next to the Fitzroy public swimming pool.
Yarra City Council
Cultivating Community
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Cultivating Sustainability: Workshop
Posted in Events by timc on April 19th, 2011
| 3 May , 2011 | ||
| 9:30 am | to | 4:30 pm |
Cultivating Sustainability is a 1-day workshop which provides sustainability advocates with insights, models and tools to trigger the psychological drivers of sustainable behaviour.
This workshop will assist you to…
- Identify what people need in order to embrace sustainability
- Target your efforts and resources to the points of most leverage
- Incorporate psychological principles to your sustainability programs
- Communicate about sustainability more effectively
- Meet others who are dealing with similar challenges and share ideas and success stories
Presented by Tim Cotter, a psychologist specialising in the psychology of sustainability.
Melbourne, May 3rd, 9.30am – 4.30pm
$140pp Individuals/Community Groups – $225pp Not for profits/Govt – $275pp Corporates/For profit
Further details at www.awake.com.au
“The workshop provides you with simple practical tools to engage around sustainability and behaviour change”. (Cathy Crawley Leader, Arup Sustainability, Brisbane”
“I found the experience valuable in reigniting my passion and belief that I can effect change by taking responsibility myself. Also gathered valuable tools and concepts which resonate with me a lot more from this experiential format than text and seminar”. (Briony Pomplun, Environment Manager, Operations, SunWater)
“A useful, challenging and worthwhile workshop. It will give me lots of new techniques and ideas to follow up”. (Tracy Fulton, Project Officer, Sustainability, City of Okaparinga)
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Suburban Water: Water Capture & Storage Trial in Kingston
Posted in Models, Research by Kate Archdeacon on April 13th, 2011
A Sustainable Melbourne report from the 2011 Water Innovation Day, co-hosted by the Smart Water Fund and Siemens:
© Suburban Water
From a presentation by Jim Townsend, CEO Suburban Water, “Remote Storm Water Management”
Introduction:
Suburban Water was established to actively test and develop storm water harvesting technology in Australian suburbs. The premise of the project is that captured storm water doesn’t need to be treated to potable levels – between 30 -35% of current urban water use could be directly replaced with storm water.
As the recipient of a Round 3 grant from the Smart Water Fund, the company was able to install a pilot harvesting system in the city of Kingston, Victoria. Using the local aquifer, telemetry and a combination of existing and new infrastructure, the system allows water to be captured and shared between two separate sites, and increases each site’s ability to prepare for and capture heavy rain.
The System:
Storm water captured at Southern Road Reserve is fed into concrete tanks, where it is treated and returned to the aquifer as part of a managed aquifer recharge system. It is held there until needed either at Southern Road Reserve or at Parkdale Secondary College, just over a kilometre away. Parkdale Secondary College captures its own storm water and stores it in rainwater tanks, which provide toilet flush water and irrigation for the grounds. When these tanks are nearly half-empty, a monitor alerts the remote control at Suburban Water in Adelaide. The subterranean tanks at Southern Road Reserve pump water up into the existing Melbourne Water drain, and the water arrives to be treated and pumped into the school’s tanks 90 minutes later.
When significant rainfall is expected, the tanks at Southern Road Reserve empty into the aquifer in order to capture as much new rainfall as possible.
Key Outcomes:
The project is well into its prototype and testing stage, and while there have been significant challenges, CEO Jim Townsend emphasised the importance of being able to put a price on storm water capture and reuse – excluding the cost of installation but including regular running costs such as pumping and monitoring, the price is approximately $0.4/kL.
Further information available through the Smart Water Fund
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