Changing Times

As you may have heard there have been some changes in the Education Department that will affect the way that Learning for Sustainability will take place in the NT. The new structure of the department means that there will not be a designated officer in this position. Learning for Sustainability is however still high on the agenda and support for schools and external agencies will continue to be provided through a broad range of strategies

The main contact with regard to all Learning for Sustainability initiatives in Central Australia will be Karen Loto
e-mail:- karen.loto@nt.gov.au
phone:- (08) 8951 7017

Teachers wanting support with curriculum planning, writing and implementing their Sustainability Education Management Plan (SEMP) or planning for learning at the Alice Springs Desert Park can contact Karen.

There will also still be support for schools involved in all aspects of the Sustainable Schools Initiative, including the Energy Smart Schools, Water Wise Schools, Alice Solar Schools, Re-thinking Waste in Schools, Schools Environmental Tracking System (SETS) and Creating Arid Zone Gardens. Karen will be able to tell you who to contact for each of these.

The Alice Springs Desert Park will remain free to all NT schools and the staff there will be happy to support you with logistical planning for your visit.

For professionals outside of education developing resources for schools there is now a Materials Development team in place. The Education Department will also continue to provide Professional Learning opportunities for non teachers that find themselves running activities and learning experiences for kids. Again contact Karen Loto for more information.

As for me, I am heading overseas for a while to study Strategies for Creative Social Change at Schumacher College and also to learn more about Transition Towns and the Transition Culture.

As I have become accustomed to using this blog as archive of inspiring resources and ideas I have set up my own Learning for Sustainability blog. This has really been set up for my own use, a place to keep all the interesting things I find and experience, but you may find some of it interesting too. There is a permanent link to Emma's New Blog in the "Blogs You Might Like" section.

And finally...

Thanks

Thanks to everyone that I have had the pleasure to work with over the last four and a half years. It really has been an amazing experience, I have thoroughly loved my work in this position.

Emma Bliss

Contact Emma

Alice Solar City commercial program launched

The Alice Solar City Commercial Services Program was officially launched (link to this media release on website) on 30 May, and over 25 businesses have expressed their interest in getting involved. Did you know that the non-domestic sector consumes over 50% of Alice Springs’ power? The call for applications for large businesses to access Alice Solar City incentives was announced on 10 July (link to this media release on website). Large businesses are those that use over 160 megawatt hours (MWh) per year. Businesses who are interested can check their powerbill to see if they qualify to apply for subsidies of up to $25,000, or for more innovative projects consideration will be given to provide up to $50,000. Applications close August 22nd, however there will be a second round offered early in 2009 if businesses are not ready.

Alice Solar City will also support Schools that are applying for the Federal Government Grant of up to $50,000 per school in the National Solar Schools Program. More information about this coming soon.

The residential program is proving to be extremely popular with over 300 residents already signed up to receive a variety of services and financial incentives. A substantial number of residents have also expressed interest to install a rooftop solar PV system, however there are still a significant number of the 225 PV systems available. If you would like to find out more about Solar PV, other incentives or to sign up to Alice Solar City just drop into the Smart Living Centre at 82 Todd Street (next to Bojangles) or call 8950 4350.