Posts Tagged ‘water’
Kinglake Ranges Water Expo: Understanding the Water Cycle
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on March 1st, 2010
Source: Climate Action Calendar
Image: Parks Victoria
Understanding the Water Cycle & Our Impact On The Environment
Saturday March 13: “Close to Home”
Presentations and exhibitors on domestic waste water treatment, maintenance and water harvesting, storage and recycling.
Sunday March 14: “The Big Picture”
Presentations and exhibitors on Water catchments, groundwater, groundwater-surfacewater interaction, Victoria’s water resources and the Kinglake Ranges.
Please RSVP your interest in attending by 12 March to info@murrindindiclimatenetwork.org.au or phone Mary on 0402181513
The Community Hall, Kinglake Temporary Village
Sat 13 Mar 10am- 4pm & Sun 14 Mar 9.30-4pm
Free Entry
Tags: environment, kinglake, water
No Comments » |
Email This Post
Sustainable Living Space Users’ Guides: March
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on February 25th, 2010
Source: Sustainable Living Space
Users Guide to Solar Hot Water
Presenter : Kevin Fregon
Heating Water for domestic use represents a large part of our home energy use. By installing a solar hot water system, we can make substantial savings to our energy bills as well as making a difference to our ecological footprint. This session will explore a range of issues concerning installing solar hot water systems on your home or apartment.
Wednesday March 3, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Users Guide to Water Tanks
Presenter: Jenny Francis
Are you considering harvesting rain water by installing a water tank? This is the workshop for you. In this session we will explore the reasons for catching rain water, how to choose the right tank for you, where to locate your tank, as well as installation and flow maintenance issues.
Wednesday March 10, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Users Guide to Grey Water
Presenter: Jenny Francis
We can reduce our water consumption by reusing our grey water in our garden. There are some limitations to the use of grey water. In this workshop, we will explore the reasons for reusing grey water, the composition of Greywater, Garden friendly grey water, distribution techniques, as well as your plants and grey water.
Wednesday March 17, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Tags: community, consumption, education, Ringwood, water
No Comments » |
Email This Post
Out of the Scientist’s Garden: Australian Urban Agriculture
Posted in Research by Kate Archdeacon on February 22nd, 2010
Source: Cleanfood, the Future Climate newsletter
Out of the Scientist’s Garden — a story of water and food by Richard Stirzaker
From the Book Review by Andrew Campbell
There are few more fundamental issues facing humanity than how best to feed ourselves in an increasingly crowded world, and — in Australia especially — what that means for scarce water resources. Richard Stirzaker has written a fascinating exploration of the realities of turning water, sunlight and nutrients into food. Out of the Scientist’s Garden — a story of water and food is published by CSIRO Publishing.
This elegant, lucid book starts in the Stirzaker family garden on a 877m2 block in suburban O’Connor, ACT. It works from that very local scale through large-scale industrial agriculture to national and global food security issues and back again, always grounded in a profound understanding of the challenges facing food producers at all levels. In our quest for more sustainable options, the Stirzaker garden should stimulate the Australian consciousness as Walden Pond did for Americans — an evocative lens through which to examine and better understand big issues of our time.
In his day job, Dr Richard Stirzaker is a Principal Research Scientist with the CSIRO. He has an outstanding track record in science and innovation as the inventor of a uniquely simple irrigation wetting front detector and CSIRO’s ‘Clever Clover’ kit for vegetable gardens. First and foremost, Richard Stirzaker is a gardener with a lifelong passion for growing food. This book unites the scientist and the gardener beautifully, blending the rigour of the scientific method with the sensuality of planting in rich soil and tasting perfectly ripe fruit and fresh vegetables. When Stirzaker suggests that the best way to experience an apricot at its most perfect is to lie under the tree with your mouth open, it is easy to imagine him doing just that.
Tags: consumption, soil, urban agriculture, water
No Comments » |
Email This Post
Tarka: Precious Music, Precious Water
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on February 8th, 2010
Precious Music, Precious Water promises to be a unique community music and water event. It is a call to action – we are at a crisis point and it won’t be Governments that initiate change, it will be driven by people. In two parts, it is designed to inspire and galvanise the audience (and through accompanying media coverage, parts of the wider community) to take a more concerted action regarding a sustainable water future.
The first part consists of The World Premiere live performance of “Tarka,” an original score composed by Harry Williamson and Anthony Phillips, performed by the Whitehorse Orchestra, conducted by Gerald Keuneman with solo guitarists Harry Williamson and Doug de Vries. The second part is a special community focus on water, Our Common Good featuring a public narrative and solo performances from well known Melbourne based artists; Ruby Hunter, Doug de Vries, Michael Johnson, Frank Jones & the Northern Voice Choir and Kavisha Mazzella.
“Tarka,” meaning ‘wandering as water’ is a delightful modern orchestral piece inspired by the natural beauty of waterways teeming with life as depicted in the classic novel ‘Tarka the Otter’ written by Henry Williamson.
Date: Saturday, February 27, 2pm & 7pm
Tickets: Green-Tix
Precious Music, Precious Water is brought to you by The Boite and Spring Studio and is supported by The City of Melbourne, MECU, Emma Whiting Travel and The Victorian Women’s Benevolent Trust.
Tags: celebration, community, music, water
2 Comments » |
Email This Post
Diversifying our water supply system: meeting Melbourne’s needs locally
Posted in Opinion by Kate Archdeacon on November 20th, 2009
Source: Alternative Technology Association
From “A land of droughts and flooding rains: it is time we adapt to this reality” by Anjali Brown, Water Policy Manager ATA
The single most commonly used rationale for the Wonthaggi desalination plant has been the fact that we do not have enough rainfall. A lesser quoted fact is that even in years of drought, 400-500 Gigalitres of rain falls on Melbourne, only to be lost down stormwater drains and flushed out, via our waterways, into Port Philip Bay.
500 gigalitres is more than the city’s total water use and it is double the amount the desalination plant, at maximum capacity, can produce. We cannot and should not be misled by the low rainfall argument or that desalination is our only option. Desalination is a last resort in a long line of alternative technologies that, if implemented, would go much further to securing our water supply. Climate change has reminded us that we live in a country of droughts and flooding rains. In order to respond to these weather patterns, Victorians require a diversity of options. In an uncertain climate, having a range of options is a strength: if one fails there are multiple back-ups.
A crucial area to improve is what happens in the home. Householders with a variety of water supply sources are less vulnerable to the extremes of drought or flood than those who rely solely on the mains water network. This is not simply because they have multiple sources to fall back on in case one goes bad or becomes too expensive, it is also because the experience of using water wisely in the home increases the householder’s understanding of and control over their water supply. In a recent study completed by the Alternative Technology Association, householders who installed greywater systems found their wasteful water habits changed dramatically. They became more aware of what the weather was doing and used their water system accordingly. As their awareness increased, householders relied less and less on mains water. Diversity of household water supply options is key to our water security.
Tags: behaviour change, consumption, Melbourne, water
2 Comments » |
Email This Post
Smart Water Fund: Round 7 Closes November 20
Posted in Seeking by Kate Archdeacon on November 5th, 2009
Smart Water Fund’s Round 7 is still open for applications, with $2 million available for innovative water projects in metropolitan Melbourne and regional urban Victoria.
The Fund seeks project submissions for innovative sustainable water use projects that focus on the areas of water conservation, water recycling and / or biosolids management. The aim of the Fund is to provide support to organisations or individuals with innovative new ideas about water management that can act as demonstrations for others to follow and implement more broadly. For examples of previous funded projects visit the Project Knowledge Hub. Funding available under Round 7 is open to any individual, community group, commercial enterprise or professional research body that is equipped with the skills to implement the proposed project.
The funding application period is open from Tuesday 29 September 2009 until Friday 20 November 2009. Visit the website for further information.
Tags: consumption, innovation, local action, water
Comments Off |
Email This Post
National Water Week: October 18 -24
Posted in Movements by Kate Archdeacon on October 12th, 2009
National Water Week 2009 is hosted by the Australian Water Association, in partnership with the National Water Commission. First held in 1993, the event aims to increase community awareness of, and participation in the protection and conservation of water resources and habitats. National Water Week is the only event in Australia that provides a national focus for the achievement of improved water management, awareness and conservation. The program provides an opportunity for the water sector to engage with the community and promote water education and literacy. This year’s theme, ‘Securing Our Water Future’, provides an opportunity to engage with the complex issues surrounding long-term water security and diversified water supplies. Community events are scheduled all around Australia, and there’s still time to organise one. Also check out the education resource section, with songs like Nick Vall’s “Putrid and Pongy“!
Tags: business, community, education, networks, water
Comments Off |
Email This Post
Smart Water Conference
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on October 5th, 2009
The inaugural Smart Water Conference is a single day event to showcase the innovative water management projects supported by the Smart Water Fund.
The Smart Water Conference will provide a platform for knowledge sharing and give delegates the opportunity to meet some of the leading innovators in the water management and research fields.
The conference features 18 speakers across three different topic streams from a range of industries and sectors. Each project has received funding and support from the Smart Water Fund to implement an innovative project that provides new learnings into water conservation, water recycling and biosolids management.
The three topic streams are:
1. Science and technology
2. Industry and business
3. Community, education and social science
Registration closes October 14.
Tags: conference, education, water
Comments Off |
Email This Post
Stormwater = Drinking Water
Posted in Movements by Kate Archdeacon on October 1st, 2009
Source: SustainaBulletin
aka Kath via Flickr
CSIRO scientists have bottled ‘Recharge’, pure drinking water that was once stormwater.
“This is an exciting demonstration of the value of stormwater and the drinking water that can be produced from it by using a combination of natural treatment processes and engineered methods,” CSIRO’s Water for a Healthy Country Flagship Urban Water Stream Leader Dr Peter Dillon said. The water was captured in the City of Salisbury, on the Northern Adelaide Plains in South Australia. It was stored under Salisbury in a porous limestone aquifer 160m below ground. When recovered it was found to meet drinking water health standards.
Tags: consumption, innovation, water
Comments Off |
Email This Post
Kingston Raingarden Tour: design, construction & maintenance challenges
Posted in Models by Clearwater on September 21st, 2009
Image: Kingston City Council
Join Clearwater and the City of Kingston on a half day tour of raingardens and biofilters in Kingston. Raingardens play an important role in reducing stormwater flows and pollutant loads which drain into our creeks, rivers and bay.
The City of Kingston is recognised as an industry leader in retrofitting water sensitive urban design (WSUD) into council projects. This half day tour is lead by Alan West, Kingston Council’s Engineering Design Team Leader. You will be taken to WSUD sites developed over the past ten years to discuss successes and lessons learnt from each of the projects.
Thursday 22nd October 2009
Tags: education, urban design, water
Comments Off |
Email This Post