[Pil-pc-oceania] Scribblings... all the news that's fit to email

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Scribblings... an occasional newsletter from PacificEdge... June 2007, issue
2

NEWS

Participants wanted for horticulture course at city farm
Brisbane: Northey Street City Farm is searching for Horticulture Course
students to participate in horticultural training at the city farm, located
in the inner city suburb of Windsor.

The TAFE level 1 Horticulture Certificate course is for people who have an
interest in organic gardening, want to develop this interest, and want to
see organic gardening more broadly supported, according to a City farm
spokesperson. The training introduces participants to the fundamental theory
and hands on skills required to successfully grow a range of flowers,
vegetables and fruit using organic methods, and it seeks to promote skills
in developing this interest, and to develop broader social support for this
activity.

The good news iis that the course fee is only about half the usual cost to
support volunteer work at the farm - either $120, or $60 for people with a
health care card. It will run over ten weeks, in 3 modules of 3 and 4 weeks.
Attendance is one day a week of course work (Tuesdays) and one day a week of
hands-on practical work. Prior learning and prior practical work is
recognised and credited. Classes are held 9.00 am to 3.00 pm with supervised
practical work on Wednesday or at other negotiated times. Classes will be
conducted at Northey St City Farm, and at off-site locations.

If enrolments are sufficient the course will continually roll over and
people are able to complete modules at intervals to suit their own
availability.    

To register, contact Richard Nielsen 07 3857 8775/07 3252 2884 or
rnbnielsen at optusnet.com.au.

Evaluation report now online
If you were at March¹s fourth national conference of ACFCGN, which was
entitled Cities Feeding People-Grow it where you Live, the buzz on the
conference floor was probably due to the approximately 690 delegates that
attended over the four days. Now, those busy people at Cultivating Community
in Melbourne ­ contact organisation for ACFCGN, catalyst for community
gardening in the state and incubator of an affordable garden-to-kitchen
program for schools ­ have found time to evaluate our national conference.

The conference was clearly a success, the evaluation reports, and the
collective experience was one of inspiration and enjoyment.  To carry out
the evaluation of the conference, a total of 91 formal questionnaires were
returned by delegates. These were supplemented by the face-to-face
debriefing of organisers and by workshop presenters completing a qualitative
evaluation by e-mail. The three-fold evaluation methodology captured the
conference experience from all angles, adding credence to the evaluation
process.

Those four convivial days were the creation of a voluntary organising
committee and part-time convenor, with support from Cultivating Community,
Australian City Farms & Community Gardens Network, CERES - Centre for
Education and Research into Environmental Strategies, Garden of Eden,
Collingwood Childrens¹ Farm and the Seed Savers Network. Financial support
was provided through a grant from Vic Health.

The conference encompassed four key themes: school gardens; seed saving;
food security and community gardens and city farms. Each day featured a
selection of local, national and international speakers, workshop sessions
and, in some cases, panel discussions.

Indicator of direction?
The numbers attending the food security day indicates that this is a theme
who¹s time has come and that community-based sustainability and Permaculture
organisations, and local government sustainability educators, might do well
to follow-up by developing educational and community-based activity that
address this theme. More than any other, food appears to be on its way to
becoming the main cutting edge theme for sustainability advocates and
educators.

With Sainsbury¹s, Marks & Spencer and other UK retailers now talking about
disclosing food miles (an estimate of fossil fuel use and greenhouse
emissions of food transported long distances) and sourcing greater
quantities of locally/regionally produced foods, the food industry¹s
contribution to global warming and its fate if the worse predictions of peak
oil advocates comes true makes food security and the food system itself a
suitable topic for education.

Online is successful - so is face-to-face
Cultivating Community¹s evaluation disclosed the fact that delegates learned
about the conference predominantly through e-mail lists and networks.
Organisations with which they affiliate such as schools, seed-saving groups
and community gardens were a further source of news about the conference.

This demonstrates the efficacy of online media ­ email newsletter,
listservers, websites, weblogs and so on ­ in networkiing information. It
also suggests the effectiveness of networks - nodes consisting of
individuals and organisations linked by channels of online and sometime
face-to-face communication - as perhaps the prime form of organisational
structure for the civil society sector. In the states, ACFCGN has found that
online communciations distributes information and news rapidly and that
information leaks from one network into others, where networks intersect,
through individuals who are communicators.
 
Download the evaluation: www.communitygarden.org.au

Going black to save energy
An odd twist in the move to save energy has come from a group of web
developers who are distributing a 'black' Google search page and encouraging
users to load it as the default setting for their search engine.

"Image displayed is primarily a function of the user's color settings and
desktop graphics, as well as the color and size of open application windows;
a given monitor requires more power to display a white (or light) screen
than a black (or dark) screen," (Roberson et al, 2002) says the blurb
promoting the black browser.

The developers cite the 2007 blog post 'Black Google Would Save 750
Megawatt-hours a Year', claiming that it was the dominance of Google's
search engine that would account for the estimated energy savings.

The Blackle search engine is a simple page containing the Google search bar
and is offered free.

People with their own websites should think first before adapting the
Blackle idea to their own website by rendering their web pages with a black
background, however. Dark backgrounds necessitate a contrasting white or
bright colour be used for text. Useability studies show that reading light
type against a dark background is more tiring and therefore more likely to
discourage website visitors staying long on a site. Potential eneergy
savings, if any, would have to be balanced with the value of website
cointent.

It is probably reasonable that setting the screen's default background
colour to black rather than the Mac's default blue swirls or Window's
manicured and mown grassy hill might also lead to reduced energy
consumption, however expert opinion should be sought on the efficiency of
doing this. People who process photographs on their computer sometimes
switch their screens to a neutral grey, white or black colour so that
brightly coloured screen backgrounds do not compete with colour in photos.

Find the black search engine: http://blackle.com

Award For Council Recycling Centre
Randwick City Council has been declared Winner of the IPWEA NSW Engineering
Excellence 'The three R's - Recovering, Recycling and Reusing' Award for its
state-of-the-art reprocessing of organic garden waste, road construction
material and wastewater reuse.

"Our new Recycling Centre on Bumborah Point Road is designed to recover and
recycle green waste and construction materials from Randwick City itself,
and also from some adjoining local government areas, and reuse the end
product,² Ray Brownlee, Randwick Council General Manager, said.

Up to 60,000 tonnes of building rubble, concrete and organic waste material
is converted into 16 different high quality construction and garden
improvement products, which are all quality assured and tested to Australian
Standards. These are then on-sold to other councils, landscaping suppliers
and wholesale nurseries.

The facility retains storm water and uses it to assist in the decomposition
of the green waste and suppress dust around the crushing site. Collected
water is used to flush toilets on the site. The site is 90 per cent self
sufficient in its water needs and saved more than four million litres of
potable water in its first year of operation.

Council staff have successfully eliminated odours from the site using a
microbiological control agent. A strong waste education program, which
includes training, presentations and tours for groups such as schools and
community organisations, has also been developed at the centre. The public
can visit the centre on Council¹s ŒSticky Beak¹ open day in Spring.

Eastern suburbs councils receive urban sustainability grant
A regional alliance between Woollahra, Waverley and Randwick councils has
been granted $1.88 million to conduct a series of projects over the next
three years that will see council cooperating on different issues to reduce
the ecological footprint of the region, including cooperation to reduce the
consumption of our natural resources such as energy and water.

Projects will aim to educate and influence the behaviour of the local
community, school children, businesses and visitors to the Eastern Suburbs.


EVENTS

NSW
Sydney region...
Ecoliving Fair
Date/time: Saturday 15 June.
Venue: Randwick community Centre, Munda Road off Bundock Street. See
www.randwick.nsw.gov.au for details.
Cost: Free
Details: Organised by Randwick City Council¹s sustaining Our City team. Hear
Helena Norberg-Hodge with Permaforest¹s Tim Winton; information, workshops,
presentations on sustainable living; Permaculture home and garden;
sustainable building materials and home energy systems and more including
kid¹s activities...Permaculture in the Eastern Suburbs. Help make a seed
mandala with Randwick Organic Community Garden¹s Emma Daniell.

Free shuttle bus around randwick for car-free travel.

Information: Full program -
http://www.randwick.nsw.gov.au/default.php?id=595

Albury-Wodonga...
Permaculture - a delightfully different way of seeing the world
Permaculture on the Border
Get inspired: Learn about a down-to-earth and practical approach for working
towards a positive and sustainable future.

DATE: 16 June 2007 

VENUE:Farmer¹s Market on Lincoln Causeway, Albury-Wodonga

DETAILS: 2 sessions.

Session 1: 10am 
- hear Permaculture designer, author and educator, Ian Lillington, discuss
his new book, The Holistic Life: Sustainabilty Through Permaculture; we'll
have some for purchase too
- propagation workshop: take home a FREE plant
- launch of the IMBY (In My Back Yard) community garden.


Session 2: 5pm, Robert brown Room, Albury City Council chambers (gold coin
donation)
- Ian Lillington will talk with us about the latest innovations in local and
global Permaculture.

Find out about new Certificate 2 in Permaculture course offered through TAFE
Riverina Institute, National Environment Centre, Thurgoona.

Enjoy FREE tastings of locally produced food and wine - Boondaroo Farms,
Formichi's Smallgoods, Milawa Cheese Factory, Blue Ox Farm, Snowline Fruits,
Osborne Olives, KNM Berries, Wilksh Estate Winery, Walla Wines & Yerong
Creeek Estate.

RSVP is required for the evening session by 14 June to National Centre - 02
6043 6700 or call rebecca 0410 594 282.

~ Hume Murray Food Bowl


Sydney region...
Alternative Technology Association ­ Sydney City branch meeting
Date/time: Tuesday 3 July-6-8pm. Meets every second Tuesday of the month.
Venue: Sydney Mechanics School of Arts, Level 3, 280 Pitt treet, Sydney.
Cost: Free
Details: Book at kimbriki at kimbriki.com  02 9486 3512. wwww.kimbriki.com
Information:  Michael Richards 0411 357 894 michael at kitesite.com.au

Sydney region...
EcoGarden workshops
Date/time: July 12, 14, 26. Garden tours ­ July 5 (10.30 & 1.30) and July 25
(10.30 & 1.30).
Venue: Kimbriki Eco Garden, Kimbriki Road off Mona Vale Road, Terrey Hills,
Sydney ­ northern beaches.
Cost: Free
Details: Bookings-02 9486 3512 kimbriki at kimbriki.com
Information:  www.kimbriki.com

Sydney region...
Community Climate Action Workshop
Date/time: 20 June
Venue: Charles Byrnes Room, Parramatta Town Hall, 128 Church Street,
Parramatta ­ Western Sydney.
Cost: Free
Details: Book at 1800 223 669.
Information:  Australian Conservation Foundation initiative.

Sydney region...
Illabunda ecovillage open day
Date/time: 24 June @ 22 July
Venue: Illabunda ecovillage site, Winston Hills, Western Sydney.
Cost: Free
Details: Site tour, information, free BBQ lunch, refreshments. A chance to
visit the site of Sydey¹s first urban ecovillage.
Information: www.illabundavillage.com.au

NSW - Illawarra region...
Video ­ The Furture of Food
Date/time: Wednesday 27th June, 6.30 for 7pm screening
Venue: Thirroul Neighbourhood Centre, 256 Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Thirroul
Cost: Gold Coin donation and tin of food - donated to local food
organisations
Bookings: RSVP Essential by 20th June to Caitlin Marshall, 4226 5000 or
programs at healthycitiesill.org.au
Details: A must-see documentary that examines the complex web of market and
political forces that are changing what we eat.
Delicious organic food and hot drinks available.
Information:  Caitlin Marshall, Community Programs Coordinator, Healthy
Cities Illawarra - 02 4226 5000 programs at healthycitiesill.org.au



BRISBANE

Winter solstice festival
Date/time: Saturday 23rd June, 3:00pm - 10:00pm.
Venue: Northey Street City Farm, corner Northey and Victoria streets,
Windsor
Cost: Free
Details: BIG fire, music, performance, Aerial Circus, hula hoop workshop,
organic food, home brewed ginger beer and lemonade, organic Chai Café open,
assorted yummies and a good time
Information: http://www.northeystreetcityfarm.org.au

Courses and workshops at Northey Street City Farm
Those wily wombats at City Farm are forever digging away to uncover new and
useful workshops and courses for us. This year they¹ve excavated a wonderful
horde that includes Permaculture design and approved, certified Permaculture
courses. To list them all here would turn this newsletter into something the
length of War and Peace. So take a look at City Farm¹s offereing at:
http://www.northeystreetcityfarm.org.au/education.htm

Incidentally, if you want to know anything about community gardens and city
farms in Queensland. Northey Street City Farm is the local contact for the
national Australian City Farms & Community Gardens Network. If they don¹t
know aboutwhat you ask, it doesn¹t exist. They also provide garden education
services for schools through Growing Community:
http://www.northeystreetcityfarm.org.au/schools.htm

Peak oil and the opportunities it offers for Australia
Date/time: Saturday 23rd June, 3:00pm - 10:00pm.
Venue: Northey Street City Farm, corner Northey and Victoria streets,
Windsor
Cost:  $22 general admission; $11 concession. Free for BI Members & Sponsors
Bookings: RSVP 26th June ph: 3220 2198 or rsvp at brisinst.org.au
Details: The peaking of world oil production presents the U.S. and the world
with an unprecedented risk management problem. As peaking is approached,
liquid fuel prices and price volatility will increase dramatically, and,
without timely mitigation, the economic, social, and political costs will be
unprecedented. Viable mitigation options exist on both the supply and demand
sides, but to have substantial impact, they must be initiated more than a
decade in advance of peaking.

The world has never faced a problem like this. Without massive mitigation
more than a decade before the fact, the problem will be pervasive and will
not be temporary.  Previous energy transitions (wood to coal and coal to
oil) were gradual and evolutionary; oil peaking will be abrupt and
revolutionary.
Informati0n: www.brisinst.org.au


ALICE SPRINGS

Is solar our only nuclear option?
Date/time: 3-6 October
Venue: Alice Springs Convention Centre
Cost: 
Details: 
Information: Prem Panickar 08 8999 7348 prem.panickar at nt.gov.au


VICTORIA

Otways and coast bioregion...
Permie Slow fest
The Sustainable Culture Network of the Otways & Coast Bioregion is planning
a series of events over the year...
"SUS" 2007 - The Permaculture Festival - a progressive permie slow fest in
the Otways & Coast Bioregion
Date/time: Throughout 2007
Events: 
- Local produce market (every Saturday)
- JAM nights
- Sustainable Culture Artist displays
- Field trips & Farm tours
- Bushfoods & Fungi
- Green Medicine: Shiatsu & Oriental remedial therapies
- Heritage Fruit tree Grafting Day [August 4th]
- Introduction to Permaculture course [August 12th & 13th]
- Permaculture Design Certificate Course [August 12th to 24th]
- Water & Aquaculture workshop [August 14th]
- Soils & compost workshop [August 15th]
- Trees & Agroforestry workshop [August 15th]
- Whole Farm Planning workshop [August 16th]
- ESD Building & the home economy [August 17th]
- Sustainable Communities Conference [August 20th & 21st]
- School Gardens Day [August 22nd]
- Rare & Exotic Fruits Workshop [September 22nd]
- Advanced Permaculture Design [October 26th to 28th]
- Aquaculture workshop & field trip to Dragonfly Aquatics [November 22nd]

For more information (or if you'd like to get involved) contact: Fern
Rainbow, Sustainable Culture Network permaculture at apollobay.org.au T: 0425
710 380

Permaculture course for Otways
Otways Permaculture Design Certificate Course (PDC)
August 12th to 24th 2007
With John Champagne and Guests
Venue: Various locations throughout the Otways

John Champagne, permaculture teacher, activist, ABC local radio presenter,
established Brogo Permaculture Gardens over 12 years. It now serves as one
of permaculture¹s best examples of cool temperate design. John is founding
member of BEND [www.bend.org.au] and facilitated the design process of the
eco-neighbourhood in Bega.
Cost for course: $750. Pay before June 30th and receive Early Bird price of
$675.
Price also includes specialist permaculture professional development
workshops:
- Aquaculture with Nick Romanowski (Aug 14th)
- Sustainable Communities workshop (Aug 20th & 21st)
- Agro forestry workshop & field trip
- Bush foods workshop
- Rare & exotic fruits workshop & grafting (avocado, sapote) with Harry
Harrison (Rare Fruits Society of SA) (Sept 22nd)
- Soil microbiology and composting workshop
- School garden workshop
- Presenting permaculture on radio (evening session on August 14th)
- Seed saving and food diversity workshop
And also 20% discount off David Holmgren¹s Advanced Permaculture Design
Principles course (October 26th to 28th)
Bookings and information: Fern Rainbow (03) 5237 6131 Mob: 0425 710 380
permaculture at apollobay.org.au

Melbourne...
World Sustainable Building Conference
Date/time: 21-25 September
Venue: Melbourne Convention Centre
Cost: 
Details: International green building conference.
Information:  www.sb08melbourne.com

ADELAIDE
Community Garden Gathering
Date: 17 June, 12.00 noon ­ 4.00pm
Venue: Kurruru Pingyarendi Community Garden, Gilles Plains Community Campus
489b North East Road, Hillcrest
Details: Kurruru Pingyarendi Community Garden invites you to a
community garden gathering.
Bring a plate to share for lunch. Tea & coffee provided. Children Welcome
Tour of garden, networking opportunity.
Bring seeds/seedlings/produce to sell or swap for trading table.
Information: Jo or Annegret on 8334 8400.
annegret.lackmann at health.sa.gov.au


EMPLOYMENT

Melbourne...
Position: Apprentice farmer
Employer: CERES environmental park, Brunswick East/CERES Harding Street
Market Garden
Applications close: Friday 6th July 2007
Send applications by email to chris at ceres.org.au or by mail to: Chris Ennis,
Manager Organic Farm and Training Programs, CERES Community Environment
Park. 8 Lee Street, Brunswick East 3057
Information: 03 9387 2609
Details: A very rare opportunity to work as an urban farmer - if you love
building the living soil, growing organic food for your local community and
being a part of Australia¹s leading community environment park - then this
is the job for you.  It doesn¹t pay the earth but as jobs go you¹ll work in
a unique location with an amazing team  and go home each day feeling like
you¹ve really done good.

Hours: 9.00am - 4.45 pm four days a week including one day per week in term
time at NMIT Fairfield Campus for training.

Qualifications, Skills, Experience and Personal Qualities:
The successful applicant will be able to demonstrate the following -
·       Passion for urban agriculture and organic farming
·       Love of outdoor physical work
·       Commitment to community based organisations
·       Good communication skills
·       Ability to work as part of a team
·       Ability to work to deadlines
·       Some gardening or farming experience
·       A current Victorian Drivers License

Responsibilities:
Working with the market garden co-ordinator and apprentice gardener to -
·                   carry out daily work schedules
·                   maintain and manage a healthy soil life
·                   prepare, plant, maintain and harvest garden beds.
·                   implement organic pest and disease control measures
·                   maintain garden infrastructure such as fencing,
irrigation and farm buildings.
·                   understand and observe Occupational Health and Safety
·                   attend staff meetings and other gatherings as required
·                   work within and promote the principles and aims of
CERES.
 
Training:
Training to Level III Certificate of Production Horticulture will be
provided at the rate of 1 day per week in term time with an option to train
up to Certificate IV.   A training plan, laying out exact units of learning
and timing of training, will be drawn up by both parties within 90 days of
the trainee/apprentice commencing work.   
 

About CERES and the Harding St Market Garden:
CERES is a community environment park, situated on 12 acres in inner city
Melbourne, its purpose is to ³initiate and support environmental
sustainability and social equity ­ with an emphasis on cultural richness and
community participation.  See website www.ceres.org.au
 
The two and half acre market garden located off Harding Street at the edge
of Merri-Creek in Coburg has been farmed for more than 150 years and was
recently entrusted to CERES Organic Farm.  The garden is an integral part of
CERES local food system that also includes mushroom cultivation,
propagation, food processing all suppling local community via the CERES
organic market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, the CERES Café, organic
retailers, community food co-ops and farmers markets. The garden is
currently certified ŒOrganic In-Conversion by NASAA.
 
This garden also delivers hands-on practical education in organic vegetable
production and food security. The market garden provides work experience to
local and international students and volunteers.  With current grants from
the Ian Potter Foundation and the Community Water Fund for building and
water infrastructure it is hoped the garden will become a working model for
organic urban agriculture and sustainable land management, delivering short
and long term courses. 

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