Archive for the ‘Sustainability’ Category

You are invited to be involved in determining the future strategic direction of Sustainability Victoria. The Minister for Environment and Climate Change, the Hon Ryan Smith has announced a Strategic Review of the focus and future direction of Sustainability Victoria.

The purpose of the review is to ensure that the organisation has a clear vision and strategy to best deliver the most effective, practical outcomes and value for money for Victorians.

There will be a range of opportunities to enable you to have your say about these matters in the way that suits you best.

Three ways of engaging are:

• participating in a public forum
• writing a submission
• completing an online survey.
  

You can participate in any or all of these opportunities.

Public forums
Eleven public forums will be held across Victoria, starting from 14 June 2011. Find out more and register for a forum <http://edm2.taguchimail.com/link/4135561/86494a8d/c/2759/> .

Submissions
A discussion paper and submission form are available on the Sustainability Victoria website to assist you to respond to the Call for Submissions <http://edm2.taguchimail.com/link/4135561/86494a8d/c/2694/> .

Online survey
An email inviting you to complete an online survey will be sent to you in the near future.

Enquiries
Jan Bayley
Email: svreviewforums@sustainability.vic.gov.au <http://edm2.taguchimail.com/link/4135561/86494a8d/c/2749/>
Phone: 0402 111 607

Through the 3 Pillars Network a National Sustainable Food Summit was held in Melbourne on 5th and 6th of April 2011.

Speakers included:

Talks can be viewed through Vimeo link http://vimeo.com/23244839

A conference Report is also available through the 3 Pillars Network Website: http://www.3pillarsnetwork.com.au/p8_Knowledge-Base.html?&entry=444

Sustainable House Day is coming up in September, they are looking for suitable houses.

Find out more here http://www.sustainablehouseday.com/

Saturday June 11 9am – 12
Cost :$25 or $20 for Permaculture Melbourne members or concession card holders. BYO lunch.
Venue: Ballarat East (to be advised after registration)
Ian and Pat have built a simple aquaponics system using mostly salvaged and recycled materials. Rainbow trout live in a sunken 1000 litre tank; water from the tank is cycled up to four bathtubs full of ‘B’ grade blue metal into which vegetables are planted. After 15 minutes pumping up, the pump goes off and the water trickles back into the tank, aerating the water and keeping the fish happy. The system was built from scratch by Ian so this workshop will include his design tips as well as practical observations of how the system is working. We’ll discuss the general principles of setting up aquaponics systems, then
build a simple system on the day!
One of our members who wants a system will buy the pump and other articles, so we all get to actually put a system together. If you like learning by doing – this workshop is for you!

Everyone attending the workshop will be in the running for a door prize “Easy Aquaponics – Back Yard Fish and Food” donated by the Good Earth Book Club (the folks who bring you Earth Garden magazine) We will also have copies of the book for sale on the day for $20. The workshop will include print-outs of some useful articles. For address and any questions, please call Ian or Pat on 5333 2073. For bookings, email bpgworkshops@gmail.com to obtain a registration form

Sustainability Expo

Sustainably renovate your home with tips, tricks and tools that won’t cost the earth

Date: Sunday 1 May, 10am to 2pm

Location Footscray Community Arts Centre
45 Moreland Street, Footscray

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1539

We’ve all seen the TV shows where some glamorous couple wearing designer eyewear and hand knitted organic jumpers, gives us a tour of their fabulous eco-mansion with reclaimed marble kitchen, 300 year old timbers and passive solar floor tiles imported from a small village in Northern Mongolia.

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1526

But what about the rest of us? Most of us are hoping to make our existing homes as sustainable as possible without doing a complete demolition or ending up with a renovation that looks like a single fronted Edwardian weatherboard has collided with a Federation starship.

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=659

If you are thinking about renovating or rejuvenating your home, then come to this free expo to save money and minimise toxins, carbon creation and household energy use. We will cover accreditation schemes, sustainable material choices and eco friendly design for extensions, kitchens and bathrooms, as well as passive heating and cooling of your home.

Our Sustainability Expo experts and their topics are:

Keith Loveridge, Maribyrnong City Council: Avoiding toxins both when partially-demolishing and when rebuilding: Parts of your home may contain asbestos, lead-based paints and mould spores. New materials may contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s), toxic wood preservatives and formaldehyde. Solve these problems in an informed manner.

Moreland Energy Foundation This not-for-profit advisory group will provide clear, unbiased advice on efficient building orientation & design.

Dan Palmer of VEG (Very Edible Gardens) will present on using Permaculture techniques to make the most of pergolas, windows, shading and microclimates to make your home and garden more liveable, sustainable and requiring lower energy inputs.

Archicentre: As of May 1, 2011, Most home renovations will have to comply to a Six Star Energy Rating Standard. What does this mean to and your renovation plans? Expert advice on the regulations and traps to avoid.

This will be a carbon neutral event.

For more information contact: Maribyrnong City Council on 9688 0357 or visit www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/greening

Beyond Zero Emissions will be presenting their award winning Zero Carbon Stationary Energy Plan detailing how Australia can have 100% renewable energy in 10 years for only $8 per household per week.

Developed in partnership with University of Melbourne, the Plan is fully costed, provides baseload power and uses technologies commercially available NOW.

The Plan will be presented in a way that is accessible and interesting to a lay audience.

Come, be inspired by the possibilities and have your questions on alternative energies answered.

When: Sunday 1st May, 10am-11am

Where: Williamstown Literary Festival, Williamstown Town Hall upstairs – 104 Ferguson St, Williamstown.

Price: $7.70 adults; $5.50 Concession

Bookings: http://www.willylitfest.org.au/program-and-events/the-program/full-program/details/113-repowering-australia

Sustainability Expo

Sustainably renovate your home with tips, tricks and tools that won’t cost the earth

Date: Sunday 1 May, 10am to 2pm

Location Footscray Community Arts Centre
45 Moreland Street, Footscray

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1539

We’ve all seen the TV shows where some glamorous couple wearing designer eyewear and hand knitted organic jumpers, gives us a tour of their fabulous eco-mansion with reclaimed marble kitchen, 300 year old timbers and passive solar floor tiles imported from a small village in Northern Mongolia.

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1526

But what about the rest of us? Most of us are hoping to make our existing homes as sustainable as possible without doing a complete demolition or ending up with a renovation that looks like a single fronted Edwardian weatherboard has collided with a Federation starship.

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=659

If you are thinking about renovating or rejuvenating your home, then come to this free expo to save money and minimise toxins, carbon creation and household energy use. We will cover accreditation schemes, sustainable material choices and eco friendly design for extensions, kitchens and bathrooms, as well as passive heating and cooling of your home.

Experts will give presentations throughout the expo about design tips, materials to use or to avoid and what government rebates are available. Stallholders from industry and sustainability groups will present the latest in ‘eco-renovation’ products, services and schools of thought.

This will be a carbon neutral event.

For more information contact: Maribyrnong City Council on 9688 0357 or visit www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/greening

Sustainability Expo

Sunday 27 February – 10am to 2pm

Maidstone Community Centre
21 Yardley Street, Maidstone

Have you ever watched a ‘foodie’ show where four or five generations of one family have come together to bottle a year’s worth of tomatoes? Have you wished you could be part of an event like that?

Here is your chance – join in the first Maribyrnong Community Tomato Bottling at the sustainability expo.

The event will include displays by local providers on sustainable lifestyle products and information.

Expert presenters will be on hand throughout the expo to inform you about:

• fruit preserving and home drying
• bee keeping
• budding and grafting fruit trees
• making ‘local lemonade’ and herbal teas
• Permaculture Playgroups

This will be a carbon neutral event

For more information contact:

Maribyrnong City Council on 9688 0200 or visit www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au

Maribyrnong City Council are running FREE Green Lunchbox Sessions:

Come along to our FREE green lunchbox sessions, and listen to our great line up of presenters.
BYO lunch – healthy snacks provided.

February
Topic: Avoiding toxins in your home environment.
What are some of the most common household toxins and what are the alternatives?
Presenter:  Keith Loveridge,  Maribyrnong city Council Sustainability Officer
Date: Wednesday 23 February 2011, 12.30-1.30pm   Location: Functions Room

March
Topic: Reading your energy bills
Are you being ripped off?  Are there savings to be made? How smart is your Smart Meter?
Presenter:  Moreland Energy Foundation Ltd
Date: Wednesday 23 March 2011, 12.30-1.30pm Location: Functions Room.

April
Topic: Sustainable Clothing
A stitch in time saves money and the environment!
Discover the secrets of ‘Up Fashioning’, ‘Garment Re-birthing’ and ‘Jean-etic Modification’.
Live a less material lifestyle that could save the very fabric of our planet!
Presenter:  Fiona Sicurella, Maribyrnong City Council Sustainability Officer and Fashionista
Date: Wednesday 20 April 2011, 12.30-1.30pm Location: Functions Room

May
Topic: Eco-friendly travel
How to make sure that the planet is still there when you get back.
Presenter:  To be advised
Date: Wednesday  25 May, 2011, 12.30-1.30pm Location: Functions Room.

June
Topic: Cookery for the Weekday Vegetarian
A hot trend overseas!
Lessen the impact of meat-eating on your health and the environment while still enjoying your favourites.
Great tips and recipes that will reduce your footprint and your thigh print!
Presenter:  To be advised.
Date: Wednesday 22 June, 2011, 12.30-1.30pm Location: Functions Room

All FREE green lunchbox sessions are at Maribyrnong City Council Offices, corner Hyde and Napier Sts Footscray unless otherwise specified.

Sustainable Gardening Australia, in partnership with the Werribee Zoo,
is proud to announce a series of four sustainable gardening workshops,
a feature event of the 2011 Sustainable Living Festival.

Starting on Sunday 6th February, and running each Sunday until the end of
the month, 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, including Creating Habitat
Gardens, Sustainable Garden Design, Locally Native Plants and Gardening in
Low Rainfall Areas.

Mary Trigger, CEO of SGA, explains “With sustainability and the importance
of looking after our environment becoming more widely understood and
accepted, celebrating sustainable gardening through a series of workshops
like this is a really wonderful way to show people what can be achieved in
their own backyards”.

“The four workshops we will be presenting for the series are all quite varied,
but they certainly showcase sustainability and will give both novice and
experienced gardeners some real information and inspiration” Ms. Trigger
said.

The SGA/Werribee Zoo workshop series is a partnership between
Sustainable Gardening Australia and the Werribee Zoo, and all monies raised
through ticket sales goes directly to the maintenance of the gardens,
enclosures and animals at the Werribee Zoo.

The 2010 sessions were incredibly popular and sold out early, so participants
are encouraged to purchase their tickets now to avoid disappointment. As a
feature event of the 2011 Sustainable Living Festival, this is a workshop
series not to be missed.

For further information on the workshops, or to purchase tickets, please
visit www.sgaonline.org.au and head to the secure online shop.