Permaculture Out West

Archive for February, 2010

Dear Permaculture Melbourne member,

We don’t write to you very often (outside PIE mailings) but we thought this was special…

We want to make sure you know about the Sustainable Living Festival at Federation Square and the river promenade, next weekend from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 February.

In case you haven’t seen the programme, there’s an extraordinary array of events, workshops, discussions and sessions. It seems so much more diverse than last year (and last year’s was good too). I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything as comprehensive in Melbourne presenting on community and sustainability. Take a look at the programme http://festival.slf.org.au and you’re likely to want to attend 80% of what’s on. And it’s all free! (though you may well want to make a donation).

Tell your friends about it! This is really a wonderful thing that Melbourne has, and all built from the commitment of the SLF organisation and Stephen Ingrouille who started the Going Solar shop 30 years ago.

What Permaculture Melbourne is doing at the SLF

Permaculture Melbourne will have a stall again this year, and will present a number of activities & workshops. Our stall will have a seed and seed-saving theme and the workshops will cover a variety of topics.

FRIDAY 19th (schools day)

We’re doing a workshop with two school groups on “Permaculture Design for Schools – an exercise in Participatory Design for Sustainable Schools”

SATURDAY 20th

10.00-11.00   A discussion forum on “Food Security & Urban Agriculture for Melbourne” at the Leisure Dome tent

11.30-12.30   David Holmgren signing copies of his latest book “Future Scenarios” at the Permaculture Melbourne stall

2.00-2.45      A Design Studio workshop “Drafting Permaculture Ideas for Your Block” at the Green Roof Space

PLUS a scarecrow-making activity for families

Would you like to help us?

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* Assist at the stall. Stall activities include answering public enquiries and assisting with the seed saving and scarecrow making. There are still a few gaps in the roster so if you’re interested contact John McKenzie jlmckenzie@optusnet.com.au or 0421 699 306

. . . . . . . . . . .

* Provide display materials. We could use some more display materials on permaculture designs or pictures or promotional material on seed saving, permaculture events and local groups etc. Contact John (as above) or you can bring it in on Thursday or Friday.

. . . . . . . . . . .

*Attend and contribute to the Urban Agriculture forum

(Sat 10.00-11.00 at the Leisure Dome tent)

Tell others what you and your local group are doing and help consider the next steps for urban agriculture in Melbourne.

For those interested and active in Food Security and Urban Agriculture. This session will try to identify the gaps in what currently exists and consider possible links and collaborations to fill them. Permaculture Melbourne member Geri Overberg will facilitate the session and we’ll hear from Pablo Ermini who works on a national program seeking to improve food security through Urban Agriculture in Argentina, and from Pam Morgan who for many years has been a champion for food security with community development in Melbourne and in Latin America. This session is scheduled early in the day before the crowds arrive to attract those specifically interested and to allow stall holders to participate.

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* Assist with the Design Studio workshop

(Saturday 2.00-2.45 at the Green Roof Space)

Do you like the ‘designing’ part of permaculture? Then be a support and ideas person at the “Drafting Permaculture Ideas for Your Block” studio, helping people as they play with design ideas for their homes.

What might your residence look like if it had a permaculture design? This will be workshop with a number of permaculture designers present. Opening presentation gives a rundown on some simple design concepts and permaculture ideas: Make use of your opportunities with soil, water, sun to be environmentally productive. Grow food. Grow nearest the house what you need most of. Then each person is challenged to consider their own place and what could be done there. Paper will be available to sketch sites and members of Permaculture Melbourne will be available to discuss options and workshop in small groups. This will be a quick moving workshop-studio event. The session will bounce back and forth from group presentation to small group and individual work.

This year the Sustainable Living Festival runs from 6th to the 21st February, with its main event at Fed square from the 19th to the 21st.

Local events and workshops will run at various places around Melbourne leading up to this main event. For details, visit the SLF website. There are many talks and workshops on urban food production and much much more.  See you there!!

Council has deferred its decision on our proposal to save the old Maidstone Community Hall site from private sale until its general meeting on Tuesday March 16th.

The general public is allowed to attend these meetings and to ask questions in a 15 minute period at the beginning of the meeting. Generally a maxiumum of 3 questions is allowed per person per topic. If time permits, they’ll return back to a person after all have had their 3 questions.

Always wanted a fruit tree but didn’t have the space for a full sized tree? Well, this workshop shows you how to graft or bud a peach tree onto dwarf root stock. This means that you get a fruit tree that is suitable for small spaces. It can be espaliered or grown in a pot. You get to keep the tree!

Fill in the form below to enrol. Cost is free to POW members, and $15 per tree for non-members.

Location: Maidstone Community garden, 21 Yardley St, Maidstone.

Date: Sunday 21/02/10. Starts at 10am.

ABC TV providing help for sustainable living projects

Dear ATA Members,

ABC TV program Can We Help? is searching for people and stories where we might be able to help fulfil a wish!

For four years the program has reunited families and friends, made people’s dreams come true and provided expert advice to the curious minded. Whoever the person, whatever the age be it 4 or 84, whatever the dream we’d love to hear about it. Are there sustainability experts you have always wanted to meet? A community project you need help with? Is there anyone you want to surprise? The program does not have a huge budget, but please let us know and maybe we can help.

Here are some examples from Series 4:

Michael, ill with cancer, wrote to us telling us about his wife Dympna – his full time carer, financial support and best friend. Dympna is a keen gardener and Michael asked if we could arrange for his wife to meet Peter Cundall in their home vege patch. Michael has since passed on, but Peter Cundall now mentors Dympna, providing garden tips. (Episode 31)
A mum accidently washed her sons Geelong footy jumper which had all the players signatures on it. She wrote to us to see if we could ask the players to re-sign the jumper. (Episode 12)
A man wrote in on behalf of his wife who always wanted to drive the Council Bus. We surprise his wife with lessons on how to drive the bus and she is now off and away helping the community! (Episode 37)
If you would like to watch these stories to get a feel for the “Help Wanted segment” you can head to

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/canwehelp/video/

We would love to hear from you.

Please write to canwehelp@your.abc.net.au (you must mention that you are an ATA member)

or address your letters to:

Can We Help?
“Help Wanted segment”
GPO Box 9994 Perth WA 6848
Thank you. The CWH Team
www.abc.net.au/canwehelp

You have received this email because you are an ATA member or subscriber to ReNew magazine or Sanctuary magazine.
ATA advocates on behalf of its members who are making sustainable choices in their own homes and who benefit from the experience of others in the ATA network. ATA publishes ReNew: technology for a sustainable future, and Sanctuary: sustainable living with style magazines which are read by over 100,000 people across Australia.

If you don’t want to receive bulletins like this from time to time, please let us know. Ph (03) 9639 1500 or email maddie@ata.org.au
ATA – Alternative Technology Association
A not-for-profit organisation promoting renewable energy, sustainable building and water conservation since 1980.
ABN: 57 533 056 318

Level 1, 39 Little Collins St, Melbourne, 3000
Reception: 03 9639 1500
Fax: 03 9639 5814
ata@ata.org.au
www.ata.org.au

Dear Councillors

Request

I am writing to you to seek your support to decide to retain Maidstone Hall as Community Use at Maribyrnong City Council Meeting of Council in March 2010.

Personal Background

I write to you as a person who was born in Summerhill Road West Footscray in 1950, lived in Hex Street Tottenham from 1954 to 1969, returned to West Footscray 1978 to 1981, returned to Yarraville in 2004 and returned again to Footscray in 2009. I was a member of West Footscray YMCA from 1962 to 1969. I established Lonesome Road Folk Club in Ballarat Road Maidstone with teenage friends in 1967 ~ the sign still remains today.

My father’s family were very involved with community from the time they arrived in 1882, to take up quarry men positions in Summerhill Road, where they later established a poultry farm and engineering fabrication workshop. Our family worked along side many others in the West Footscray and Maidstone neighbourhoods to raise funds and to contribute labour & materials to establish community facilities and services. My Great Uncle Earnie is named on one of the Commemorative Light poles at the entrance to the “Footscray Town Hall” ~ where you are meeting tonight once again!

I am imbued with a family tradition of “neighbours that play together, enjoy life and get through the hard times together!”

The street that I was born in, Summerhill Road West Footscray, was in 1950 to 1970, a neighbourhood of proud generational Australians, mostly from the British Isles, but our own family included Uncle Jacky Poppy, of French descent. The street I moved to once my father & mother built our house, Hex Street Tottenham, has 58 houses, which in 1954 had people from 32 language groups, and English was the minority. Dad, at first called most of them wogs, but soon they were our family friends and neighbours.

My wife, Dr Srebrenka Kunek, and I returned to Footscray in April 2009, to provide services as Creative Director to the Living Museum of the West. We are passionate about community and its capacity for social enterprise and support during times of radical change, hardship and opportunity.

Argument for retaining Maidstone Hall as Community Use

1. Community facilities such as Maidstone Hall & Tennis Courts are more than Municipal Assets for Use or Sale. The very existence of them is testament to community efforts to nurture and sustain a better life for all, regardless of wealth and education.

2. Maidstone Hall & Tennis Courts dilapidated state reflect an absence of community custodians, due in part to an ageing neighbourhood and poor stewardship by Council. These transitional failures are no reason to forsake community at a time when gentrification is producing new energies that can be leveraged by community and Council together in a partnership for sustainability.

3. The environmental imperative for innovation to nurture sustainable neighbourhoods ~ food, gardens & lifestyle, is supported by the availability of Maidstone Hall & Tennis Courts.

4. The Permaculture Out West submission to project manage the site for five years provides a robust community organisation to replace the lost community auspice, and to enable Council to manage community engagement seamlessly.

5. The business model presented by POW is one which enables community to leverage resident, recreation & sporting, corporate and government resources to sustain the project and the community asset.

My question

With the above argument in mind, why would Council decide to sell the Maidstone Hall & Tennis Court site for an MCC Officer forecast sum of $2,000,000?

Final assertion

Councillors have an opportunity to provide the citizens of Maribyrnong, particularly Maidstone, with the leadership to meet the challenges of sustainable healthy living by demonstrating the opportunities for food security, bio-diversity and healthy living at the neighbourhood level.

I urge Councillors to vote unanimously to support the POW application for custodianship & social enterprise of Maidstone Hall & Tennis Courts site.

Yours sincerely

John Shone

Footscray Victoria 3011.

Help the ATA install a wind monitoring system in Sunshine

In 10 days the ATA will start work installing a 34m meter high wind monitoring system at the Sunshine Energy Park in Melbourne’s west. The system will be used to record wind data for 12 months as part of a site assessment of a potential wind energy development at the site.

We need four or five volunteers to help with a variety of tasks over two days. No experience is required, and it is a great opportunity to learn about wind monitoring, wind energy and wind turbines from a couple of experts, Craig Memery (ATA’s wind energy specialist) and Trevor Robotham (Sun Wind and Power, wind and solar energy installer).

Schedule
The installation will take place Tuesday 16th and Wednesday 17th of Feb, from about 9:30am until 5:30pm (subject to weather conditions and site access).

To minimise management and site access issues, volunteers will be required for a minimum of 4 hours at a time. Lunch and a transport allowance will be given to those who are available for a full day (6-8 hours).

There may also be the opportunity to help with preparations on Monday the 15th, and additional site visits to test the system later in the week or on the weekend.

Tuesday 16th tasks include:
loading (offsite) and unloading (on site) of equipment
preparing ground anchors and tower base
preparing and assembling the tower and gin pole
fitting and aligning sensor mounts
raising, levelling and lowering the tower
Wednesday 17th tasks include:
fitting the sensors and signal cables (3 anemometers and 1 wind vane)
wiring up and programming the data logger
raising and levelling the tower
connecting and configuring the wireless communications
testing and commissioning the entire system
Additional tasks over both days include:
documenting of system configuration and site data
head scratching, problem solving and troubleshooting
ideally we will have someone to take photos and/or video at all times so we can document the whole adventure in ReNew and on our website
we need a designated safety officer, at all times on both days (one volunteer could perform both of these roles)
What to bring
enclosed footwear
long sleeve shirt
sun, rain and wind protection
hot and cold weather gear
bring snacks to eat during the day as food cannot be purchased on or near the site. Lunch will be provided for full-day volunteers
drinking water will be provided on both days.
Personal Protective Equipment (hard hats, high vis vests and gloves) will be provided, please advise if you can bring your own
camera or digicam
Interested?
To volunteer, or for more information, contact Craig Memery on craig@ata.org.au or 9631 5418 before 12:00PM, Wednesday 10th Feruary..

If you are having difficulty reading this newsletter click here

Carbon Neutral e-news
February 2010

In this issue
>> Carbon Neutral 2009 Annual Report
>> Effectively managing your IT and carbon emissions willl save you more than just money
>> Carbon Neutral goes ‘carbon neutral’
>> What happened in Copenhagen?
>> Energising WA Conference
>> Sydney goes green with solar
>> UN International Year for Biodiversity
>> Accredited carbon offsets
>> Carbon Neutral gift certificates help to revegetate rural Australia
>> Green wash ALERT
>> Hottest decade on record
>> Global Footprint Network
>> Meat production and greenhouse gas emissions research
>> Understanding Carbon Seminar Melbourne 2010
>> Carbon Neutral helps leading media company go green
>> Business carbon news straight to your inbox
>> Buildings to get energy efficiency rating similar to appliances
>> Living Greener government website
>> Follow Carbon Neutral on Facebook
>> VIDEO: What’s Carbon Neutral really all about?
>> Things you can do at home to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Carbon Neutral 2009 Annual Report
To see our new 2009 Annual Report click here >
Effectively managing your IT and carbon emissions will save you more than just money

Carbon emissions management, is now firmly embedded in many organisations and has moved beyond a feel good activity to a due diligence matter. Soon, carbon will be budgeted and controlled in the same way as business finances, with the identification of initiatives to reduce emissions and, of course, costs. Benefits of managing carbon emissions include waste reduction and better control of resources, enhanced public relations as well as meeting future regulatory requirements. Many businesses however are focused primarily on the cost savings and other financial benefits carbon management can bring an organization. One clear focus area is information technology (IT).

Carbon Neutral can help your business take control of your energy costs with its Carbon Reduction Programmes. To find out more call: 1300 851 211

> Click here to find out more

Sustainable Gardening Australia Newsletter, Edition 82: February 2010

Get Festive with Great Green Gifts!

The United Nations (doers of good all over the world) have declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity, and we couldn’t be more excited! Biodiverdsity is essentially the variety of life on earth, and we humans have the ability to protect it or destroy it. Australia is a recognised global hotspot for biodiversity, with over 85 distinct bioregions that sustain 22,000 native plant species, 86,000 insect species, 800 bird species, 900 reptile species and much else besides. To celebrate the International Year of Biodiversity, and help you get pumping in your patch, SGA are kicking of the year with some biodiverse backyard bushfoods, allowing you to have your habitat and eat it too!

http://www.sgaonline.org.au/info_bushfood.html

Gardening in 2010 – New Yard Resolutions

We’ve all been there – 12.05am on the first day of the New Year always seems the perfect time to make bold announcements about what we are or are not going to do for the upcoming year. But, as the Dutch Courage wears off and January turns to February, New Years Resolutions seem to fade into the past like slurred verses of Auld Lang Syne. So, this year, instead of making a series of personal resolutions you won’t keep, why not turn your attentions to the garden? To give you a kickstart, we’ve whacked together a list of New Yards Resolutions – ten top tips for the patch and the planet in 2010. No bad singing, cheap champagne or party hats required!

http://www.sgaonline.org.au/newyards.html

Food Security – A Global Problem with Local Solutions

Food security is a term that, like global warming and climate change, we are going to hear a lot of in 2010, and with good reason. But, unlike a lot of earth threatening issues that seem just too big for an individual to make a real difference, there is so much each and every one of us can do to ensure food security for our families, our communities and the planet. Find out about food security, and how we can all make a difference here.

http://www.sgaonline.org.au/info_security.html

Parsley – Grow Your Own Garnish

As herbs go, parsley is generally not regarded as one of the more exciting plants in the patch, but the reality is far different. Like the author, parsley is versatile, good looking, hardy, easy to grow and doesn’t drink much (ok, that’s where the similarities ended). Have a go at growing your very own garnish this month. Parsley – you can’t go past it.

http://www.sgaonline.org.au/yy_parsley.html

Early Blight of Tomatoes

As our tomatoes begin to bear the fruits of their (and our) labours, unlucky gardeners may notice this little blighter about the place. As attractive fungi go, Early Blight of Tomatoes ain’t going to win any prizes, and can be downright disastrous to toms at this time of year. Get up close and personal with this freaky looking fungus here:

http://www.sgaonline.org.au/info_tomatoblight.html

Cool Tips for a Hot Month of gardening – February in your Patch

As we ease back into the new year after a lovely break, it’s time to hit the patch with a wee bit of planting and a whole lot of planning. Brave the heat and show your garden you care this month – hug a tree, whack a weed, maintain your mulch, watch your watering and fix up fallow beds. For all your fab Feb tips and tricks, check out this month’s February in your Patch, perfect for wherever you happen to be across Australia!

http://www.sgaonline.org.au/info_inyourpatch_february.html

Mary Trigger – SGA CEO is G Magazine Eco Hero!

“Faster than a speeding snail!
More powerful than a home made chilli spray!
Able to leap tall poppies in a single bound!”
Our very own Mary Trigger is now officially a sustainability superhero!

The unsung guru of the gardening world, SGA CEO Mary Trigger has been named as one of G Magazine’s Top 20 Eco Heroes, an accolade that celebrates Australians paving green paths, inspiring others and achieving big things in sustainability. Mary has been recognised for her fantastic work at the helm of SGA, and the great work she, and the organisation, have done in bringing sustainability to gardeners across Australia.

On the award, Mary said “I am truly honoured by this accolade, and while SGA have achieved great things so far, there is a lot more to come from this organisation and my fantastic team. After all, we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children”. Good on you Mary, we always knew you were a legend!

The SGA Crew Head to the Zoo – Werribee Workshops Autumn 2010

Sustainable Gardening Australia is presenting a series of four workshops at Werribee Open Range Zoo (VIC) during Autumn 2010. These workshops have a Werribee Plains focus and are designed to encourage participants to become more sustainable within their own backyards and local community. Each workshop will focus on a different topic such as Sustainable Garden Design; Garden Plants for the Werribee Plains; Creating Habitat Gardens and Gardening in Low Rainfall Areas.

Workshops are $10 each, or $35 for all 4. Included in the workshop cost are zoo entry and walking tours that will be conducted in the Zoo’s sustainable gardens. Local friends groups will also be on hand to assist participants in learning about the uniqueness of the Werribee Plains area. Please refer to the flyer below for details of each workshop.

Click here to book a workshop.

Click here for more information, session times and dates etc.

Shop til you drop… in the comfort of your own home!

Sustainable Gardening Australia is proud to announce that we have boldly leapt into the 21st century with the launch of our very own ONLINE SHOP! There are a range of products available, including our enormously popular Yummy Yards book and our fantastic SGA Companion Planting Chart, with more SGA items being added weekly. Our secure online payment system (thanks NAB) and prompt shipping service (thanks Helen) mean that the SGA Online Shop is the place to be for all your sustainable gardening purchases. Check it out today… http://sgaonline.cart.net.au/

Become an SGA Champion of Change… make a difference today!

People are becoming increasingly concerned about climate change and the state of our planet. But what to do to make a difference? By gardening sustainably we can all make a positive contribution to the health of our planet. Signing up as an SGA Champion of Change can have an immediate and lasting impact on our environmental footprint. With your help we can influence government to adopt more sustainable practices in your community. Read all about it and register online at www.sgaonline.org.au/champions.html

Talk it up!

Got a gardening question you need answered? Want to connect with other gardeners in your neck of the woods? Want to have a yarn about the bigger issues, share some photos, and make some new friends? Well, SGA has just the thing! Check out our online discussion forum, with hundreds of members just itching to have a chat and discuss your (gardening) problems. So go on, what are you waiting for… get chatting at www.sgaonline.org.au/phpbb/

PLEASE – TELL YOUR FRIENDS!

We now have over 10,000 subscribers to Cuttings, but we’d like a lot more. So please spread the word – Cuttings is free and there are no strings attached! www.sgaonline.org.au/spreadtheword.html

DIARY DATES

For all event & workshop information go to http://www.sgaonline.org.au/phpbb/viewforum.php?f=18. To advertise a gardening event for free, contact helen@sgaonline.org.au

CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE GARDEN CENTRES

For a full list of SGA Certified Garden Centres visit www.sgaonline.org.au/certifiedgardencentres.html

SGA is a Carbon Neutral Organisation

Transport is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in Australia (Australian Greenhouse Office). Research has shown that trees, over time, absorb carbon dioxide emissions. SGA staff record their fuel consumption each year and plant the equivalent number of indigenous plants to offset those emissions. To find out how many trees you need to plant check out the Carbon Neutral Program Calculator at www.carbonneutral.com.au. More info at www.sgaonline.org.au/carbonneutral.html

Visit SGA on the web at www.sgaonline.org.au