Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Sustainable House Day, Saturday September 13th, 11am-4pm
Sustainable House Day shows the benefits of energy efficiency and sustainable living. A national event organised by the Australian and New Zealand Solar Energy Society. Houses: 3 Giles St, 12 Priest St. Cost $5, free for ANZSES members.
Dig out your pics for a backyard blitz
The local 783 ABC radio’s garden competition has joined forces with the DesertSMART challenge, giving us 4 categories. Garden for Wildlife has also offered lots of support for the Wildlife Garden category. The ABC category is “Alice’s most needy garden”.
By being part of the Gardens Challenge, you'll have the opportunity to access $1000 to make your garden an example of best practice, DesertSmart irrigation. We're looking for a variety of gardens and households passionate about water conservation. Want to find out more? Email Claire: gardens@dkacoolmob.org
Download the application form from the Desert Knowledge Australia COOLmob website. Application forms are due Friday, September 12th. Successful gardens will be announced at the Sustainability Fair on September 20th.
By being part of the Gardens Challenge, you'll have the opportunity to access $1000 to make your garden an example of best practice, DesertSmart irrigation. We're looking for a variety of gardens and households passionate about water conservation. Want to find out more? Email Claire: gardens@dkacoolmob.org
Download the application form from the Desert Knowledge Australia COOLmob website. Application forms are due Friday, September 12th. Successful gardens will be announced at the Sustainability Fair on September 20th.
Solar Oven Bakeoff
Get your ovens ready and start creating recipes for the second annual Bakeoff on September 20th at Olive Pink Botanic Gardens. All categories are for novices and expert alike. They include: Best homemade oven, Food (overall winner), Bush Foods, Savoury, and Sweet plus a Kid's prize. Culinary icon, restaurateur extraordinaire and food author Stephanie Alexander will be our special guest judge.
Click here to Download poster. or Download entry forms. Or just come along on the day for a look and maybe a taste! Cooking begins at 10am, judging at 3pm, and there’s heaps of other activities all day as part of the Sustainability and Desert Garden Fair.
The Solar Oven Bakeoff is organised by Desert Knowledge Australia COOLmob and is part of the Alice Desert Festival.
Click here to Download poster. or Download entry forms. Or just come along on the day for a look and maybe a taste! Cooking begins at 10am, judging at 3pm, and there’s heaps of other activities all day as part of the Sustainability and Desert Garden Fair.
The Solar Oven Bakeoff is organised by Desert Knowledge Australia COOLmob and is part of the Alice Desert Festival.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Project
The aim of the Kitchen Garden National Pilot Program is to pleasurably engage and encourage primary school students in Years 3-6 in growing, harvesting, preparing and sharing delicious and healthy food in the belief that such skills are essential to the development of life-long joyful and healthy eating habits. The program will see the Federal Government provide funding to up to 190 government schools with primary enrolments to create gardens and build home style kitchen classrooms.
As the first step, the Government is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from schools which would like to participate in the program. The information collected from these EOIs will be used to determine the timing and number of grants in each State and Territory. It is expected that these grants will open from 13 October 2008, and then again mid-year in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Schools who are interested in applying for a grant are strongly urged to submit an EOI so that an accurate idea of interest is gauged across the different states. (The EOI is a brief six question online form which needs to be submitted by the School Principal.)
Applications are also open for seven Demonstration Schools - one for each capital city in every State and Territory (except Victoria where many schools already act as successful models of the Program).
The Expressions of Interest online form and the Demonstration School application are both available now from the website:
http://www.kitchengardenfoundation.org.au
For more information, please contact the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation on 03 8415 1993.
As the first step, the Government is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from schools which would like to participate in the program. The information collected from these EOIs will be used to determine the timing and number of grants in each State and Territory. It is expected that these grants will open from 13 October 2008, and then again mid-year in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Schools who are interested in applying for a grant are strongly urged to submit an EOI so that an accurate idea of interest is gauged across the different states. (The EOI is a brief six question online form which needs to be submitted by the School Principal.)
Applications are also open for seven Demonstration Schools - one for each capital city in every State and Territory (except Victoria where many schools already act as successful models of the Program).
The Expressions of Interest online form and the Demonstration School application are both available now from the website:
http://www.kitchengardenfoundation.org.au
For more information, please contact the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation on 03 8415 1993.
5th World Environmental Education Congress
The 5th World Environmental Education Congress invites participants from all continents to attend and to share their views and experiences. The event will be held at the Palais des Congrès/Montreal Convention Center, Quebec, Canada from May 10 to 14, 2009.
Visit the congress website at http://www.5weec.uqam.ca
Visit the congress website at http://www.5weec.uqam.ca
Launch of ProSPER.Net
Promotion of Sustainability in Postgraduate Education and Research(ProSPER.Net)is a network of leading higher education institutions in Asia and the Pacific that have committed to work together to integrate Sustainable Development (SD)into postgraduate courses and curricula. Member institutions involved have strong education and research programmes in sustainable development and related fields.
The network was formally launched on 21 June 2008, in Sapporo, Japan, Currently, sixteen universities from Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea and Thailand are members of ProSPER.Net, in addition to two regional universities in Asia and the Pacific.
ProSPER.Net is an effort of UNU-IAS to bring about understanding and delivery of ESD and SD at the postgraduate level. The creation of the network and implementation of joint activities are currently supported by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment. The Australian Government Department of the Environment, Heritage, Water and the Arts (DEWHA), in conjunction with ARIES, has also been involved in supporting the development of the network.
Membership of ProSPER.Net is limited to higher education institutions located in the Asia-Pacific region that offer postgraduate education and research in sustainable development and in education for sustainable development related fields. Currently RMIT is the only Australian institution involved but there is interest in increasing Australian participation.
For more information on membership and activities see
http://www.ias.unu.edu/sub_page.aspx?catID=108&ddlID=697 or contact:
Mario Tabucannon
Visiting Professor, UNU-IAS; Professor, AIT Bangkok mttabucanon@ait.ac.th or
Nami Akimoto
Programme Assistant
EfSD Programme, UNU-IAS
akimoto@ias.unu.edu
The network was formally launched on 21 June 2008, in Sapporo, Japan, Currently, sixteen universities from Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea and Thailand are members of ProSPER.Net, in addition to two regional universities in Asia and the Pacific.
ProSPER.Net is an effort of UNU-IAS to bring about understanding and delivery of ESD and SD at the postgraduate level. The creation of the network and implementation of joint activities are currently supported by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment. The Australian Government Department of the Environment, Heritage, Water and the Arts (DEWHA), in conjunction with ARIES, has also been involved in supporting the development of the network.
Membership of ProSPER.Net is limited to higher education institutions located in the Asia-Pacific region that offer postgraduate education and research in sustainable development and in education for sustainable development related fields. Currently RMIT is the only Australian institution involved but there is interest in increasing Australian participation.
For more information on membership and activities see
http://www.ias.unu.edu/sub_page.aspx?catID=108&ddlID=697 or contact:
Mario Tabucannon
Visiting Professor, UNU-IAS; Professor, AIT Bangkok mttabucanon@ait.ac.th or
Nami Akimoto
Programme Assistant
EfSD Programme, UNU-IAS
akimoto@ias.unu.edu
Friday, July 18, 2008
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.
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.
Greywater bucketing is now OK in the NT!
Manual bucketing onto lawn and garden areas using water from the bathroom or laundry, or temporary use of a hose manually fitted to a washing machine outlet hose, is permitted subject to the advice found here. However, permanent greywater diversion systems still need NT Health Dept approval as explained here. The health department website has a page on onsite wastewater management, with lists of approved greywater diversion devises .
Do:
• Avoid contact with greywater before eating or drinking
• Prevent children from playing on greywater irrigated areas until dry
• Use washing products with low salt, phosphorus and boron
• Remember greywater is often alkaline and not good for acid loving plants
• Avoid using kitchen greywater
Don’t
• Store for more than 24 hours
• Allow it to pond
• Use if people in the family have diarrhea or are vomiting
• Use kitchen greywater
Do:
• Avoid contact with greywater before eating or drinking
• Prevent children from playing on greywater irrigated areas until dry
• Use washing products with low salt, phosphorus and boron
• Remember greywater is often alkaline and not good for acid loving plants
• Avoid using kitchen greywater
Don’t
• Store for more than 24 hours
• Allow it to pond
• Use if people in the family have diarrhea or are vomiting
• Use kitchen greywater
Home Water Audits
Want to save water and combat climate change? Book a home water audit from DKA COOLmob. Audits cost only $10 and take about an hour. Your auditor may even bring some free water saving items such as a shower timer. You can also find out about the NT government’s $500 plumbing rebate. To book. ring 8952 0299
Making Solar Ovens out of old hot water systems
Making Solar Ovens out of old hot water systems – Saturday August 23rd
Learn to make and cook in your own solar oven out of recycled and new materials, including bits from old solar hot water systems.
Steve Sawyer, winner of last year’s solar oven bakeoff, is conducting the workshop at Red Hot Arts on making a box cooker. Materials provided. Places are limited to a maximum of ten.
RSVP by August 19th to Kat, 8952 0299 or dka.coolmob@coolmob.org
Learn to make and cook in your own solar oven out of recycled and new materials, including bits from old solar hot water systems.
Steve Sawyer, winner of last year’s solar oven bakeoff, is conducting the workshop at Red Hot Arts on making a box cooker. Materials provided. Places are limited to a maximum of ten.
RSVP by August 19th to Kat, 8952 0299 or dka.coolmob@coolmob.org
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Social networking site for environmental professionals
Earth Newswire is a professional network and news website driven by people interested in environmental science, ecology and conservation. The site includes member-generated pages, event notices, discussion forums, and photos and videos.
New Education for Sustainability Online Journal
London South Bank University (UK) has launched Indicator, a new online journal focusing on education for sustainability. The journal is freely accessible, and downloadable content will be archived to build a valuable resource over time.
I have added a permanent link to Indicator from this blog in the links section so you can always find it by returning here.
I have added a permanent link to Indicator from this blog in the links section so you can always find it by returning here.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Keep Australia Beautiful Week 2008
Keep Australia Beautiful Week 2008 runs from Monday 25 – Sunday 31 August.
You can help tackle climate change and protect our natural resources by participating in the Score Points for the Environment Challenge during Keep Australia Beautiful Week 2008.
For more information see the flyer. Register on the KAB website.
You can help tackle climate change and protect our natural resources by participating in the Score Points for the Environment Challenge during Keep Australia Beautiful Week 2008.
For more information see the flyer. Register on the KAB website.
Solar Oven Bakeoff
Now is the time to start thinking about entering the Solar Oven Bakeoff
Steve Sawyer, winner of last year’s Solar Oven Bakeoff, is preparing to hand over the Green Spoon trophy to the next solar chef. This could be a great challenge for students, especially those in the middle years.
Get your ovens ready and start creating recipes for the 2008 Bakeoff on September 20th at Olive Pink Botanic Gardens. The judge is rumoured to be a very well known cookbook author.
Steve Sawyer, winner of last year’s Solar Oven Bakeoff, is preparing to hand over the Green Spoon trophy to the next solar chef. This could be a great challenge for students, especially those in the middle years.
Get your ovens ready and start creating recipes for the 2008 Bakeoff on September 20th at Olive Pink Botanic Gardens. The judge is rumoured to be a very well known cookbook author.
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