[Pil-pc-oceania] Just the news

[pacific-edge]

JUST THE NEWS

Food Alliance interviews ready to download
A series of seven radio interviews on urban agriculture and food security in
Sydeny are now available for download. The interviews would make useful
listening for sustainability and environmental educators, permaculture
educators and writers.

The series was broadcast on Sydney educational radio, 2SER FM¹s Wednesday
Daily program with Ange Owens, which looked at food issues in the city. Most
of the interviewees are members of the Sydney Food Fairness Alliance.

Topics include: who¹s living with hidden hunger; Urban agriculture - worth
retaining? with NSW Agriculture¹s urban agriculture specialist; The true
price of organics with Catronia McMillan from the Organic Consumers and
Traders Association; community gardens: growing food in the city; increasing
accessibility - the Food Distribution Network with Mark Ludbrooke; children
and young people ­ the Red Cross Good Start Breakfast Club with Shaun
Hazledean; and time for a Sydney food policy with health worker, Liz Millen.

The files are in MP3 format.

Download sound files at:
http://www.sydneyfoodfairness.org.au/interviews/audios.html

The Alliance¹s discussion sheets about food security and urban agriculture
can be downloaded, reproduced and distributed at courses, workshops ,
seminars and anywhere else under a Creative Commons licence.

Potential users of the discussion sheets: Sustainability and permaculture
educators, journalists, community food advocates, environmental campaigners.

Download discussion sheets at:
http://www.sydneyfoodfairness.org.au/discussions/discussions.html
......................

CERES releases food miles study
Seems like that container of Paris Creek yogurt I bought last week might not
have been such a good idea. The yogurt was ok, but the fuel consumed and the
greenhouse gases emitted on its journey from South Australia to Sydney will
have me looking for something produced a little closer to where I live. Then
there¹s the plastic in the container ­ how far has that travelled?

The issue of food miles is gaining prominence. It was only recently that UK
retail chains, Tesco and Marks & Spencer, announced their intention to apply
food miles labels to the products they stock so customers can include the
environmental impact of the production of their food in making a choice
between products. Understandably, food exporters in Africa are concerned
that their daily airlift of fresh fruit and vegetables to the UK might come
under scrutiny. New Zealand, which also exports apples and other food
products to the EU, is also somewhat alarmed at the increasing attention
food miles is generating.

There have been estimates for food miles in the USA and the UK for some
time, but it was only last week that an estimate for an Australian city
became available. Australia first study of the distance our food travels and
the resultant release of greenhouse gases has now been made public by CERES
Environmental Park in Melbourne.

The CERES research, based on the transportation of food to Melbourne,
discloses estimated distances traveled by the food and the volumes of
greenhouse gases its transportation emits.

The researchers say that food miles alone is an insufficient measure of the
embodied energy in our food and suggests that packaging should also be taken
into consideration in any analysis of embodied energy.

The report is of potential interest to urban food advocates, sustainability
and permaculture educators, environmental campaigners, peak oil mavens.

The report, ŒFood Miles in Australia ­ A Preliminary Study of Melbourne,
Victoria¹, can be downloaded as a pdf file from:
http://www.ceres.org.au/index1024x768.htm

......................

Employment opportunity at CERES
CERES Environmental Park in East Brunswick, Melbourne, are after a
fundraising and support coordinator.

The paid position involves building of the Park¹s membership base, the
development of membership support and the building of a positive
realtionship with the broader community.

The position is for a period of 12 months.

Download position information from:
http://www.ceres.org.au/index1024x768.htm

......................

Despite rumour, ReGenesis continues
Rumour of the closure of the Innovative ReGenesis organic farm on the NSW
North Coast, near Byron Bay, are a little premature, it turns out.

Curious as to the veracity of the rumour, I contacted the farm and received
the following reply...

Dear Russ,
     Thanks for checking in on the rumors re ReGenesis.  The truth is quite
different from what has been put out into the community.
     ReGenesis is not closed down; nor is it about to.
     We have merely re-organized and beautiful organic produce grown on the
Farm will be in the local shops and restaurants in the next few months.
     The Eco-Hamlet is proceeding.  We recently received the signature of
Minister Sartor so we are fully authorized to move forward. We will be
submitting our Development Application to Byron Council in the next few
months
     If there is anything else with which I can assist you,   please do not
hesitate to contact me.
               all the best, Elaine Seiler
Owner/Director
ReGenesis Enterprises, Ltd. Pty
P O Box 1268
Mullumbimby, NSW 2482
Australia.
612 66 844 068
www.regenesis.com.au

......................

David Holmgren on YouTube

>From Tim Winton, Permaforest trust:

Energy Bulletin, a leading energy and sustainability web site, has posted an
interview by the Ecological Options Network (EON) with David Holmgen. EON
put it up on YouTube as a video. See it here.
http://www.energybulletin.net/32892.html
<http://www.energybulletin.net/32892.html

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
RUSS GRAYSON
journalism, editing, online journalism & content, photojournalism,
instructional manuals/communication services for international development

PO Box 1045, Manly, NSW 1655 AUSTRALIA
info at pacific-edge.info
P: 0414 065 203
www.pacific-edge.info

TerraCircle international development team, Oceania
www.terracircle.org.au

Australian City Farms & Community Gardens Network
www.communitygarden.org.au

Sydney Food Fairness Alliance
www.sydneyfoodfairness.org.au

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^



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