 3 Aug 2010 EVENTS NT Cycling 8 August The Darwin Cycling club is proud to announce the second annual: AROUND THE BAY - DARWIN TO MANDORAH IN A DAY 1 day - 146km – You and Friends Pedal Away Sunday 8 August 2010 For further information visit www.darwin.cycling.org.au/AroundtheBay Contact Steven Klose 8948 1346 or 0437 808 995 steven.klose@bigpond.com www.bicyclent.org.au Lakeside Drive Community Garden Meeting Lakeside Drive Community Garden Working Bees
Saturday from 9am: 14th and 28th August, 11th and 25th September, 9th and 23rd October Bring your gardening gloves, closed shoes, water bottle, sun protection and smiling face along for some fun in the garden. Darwin Rammed Earth Building Project - 2 Weeks
August 2010 for 2 Weeks Valuable and rare opportunity to learn a bit about rammed earth building from a professional. Permaculture Design Course 6th-18th September 2010 Go to our workshops page to find out more and to download a registration form. http://www.cdu.edu.au/communityandaccess/communityengagement/talloires/LDCGCalendarofEvents.html
Walk Against Warming Sunday 15th August
Starting at Jingili Water Gardens 11am and walking accross the bridge then along the Nightcliff Foreshore to the end of Aralia Street near Nightcliff Middle School, where there will be speakers food and music. http://www.ecnt.org/html/whats.html http://www.walkagainstwarming.org/ This is a national day of action organised by the Australian conservation Foundation and supported by the Northern Territory Environment Centre. The objective of the walk is to:
-Make the polluters pay by putting a price on carbon
-Replace our most polluting power stations with clean energy -Create new clean jobs and industries -Guarantee to cut pollution over the next term of government -Support poor and vulnerable countries to tackle the impacts of climate change and invest in sustainable development. Clean Up Australia 2010
Great Northern Cleanup – Mitchell Creek -intertidal zone; 11 September 2010. Contact Sue McKinnon | Alderman | City of Palmerston PO Box 1, Palmerston NT 0831 Australia | www.palmerston.nt.gov.au M 0434348950 | F 08 8935 9908 | sue.mckinnon@palmerston.nt.gov.au http://friendsofmitchellcreek.org.au/
Towards 2030: Conference and Design Forum Darwin Convention Centre 27 September – 1 October 2010 Share your vision for the Territory’s newest city and you could have the chance to win cash prizes and attend the Weddell: Tropical, Sustainable, Liveable - Territory 2030: Conference and Design Forum. Register your interest here http://www.nt.gov.au/weddell
National Resource Management Board (NT)
Environmental Protection Authority (EPA)
Northern Territory Cattlemen's Association 29 May 2010 EVENTS GROW YOUR OWN 2010 Workshop Series Top End Sustainable Living Festival Change Agents: An emerging vision for a sustainable future Ideas Exchange - Creating the Future Together Calling all artists! LD Community Garden Art exhibition and Silent Auction Permaculture Desgin Course - 2 week intensive Darwin Rammed Earth Building Project - 2 Weeks Coordination Group Meeting See below for more details on all of these events GROW YOUR OWN 2010 Workshop Series Top End Sustainable Living Festival Come along and chat at the Top End Transtion table. Please call Karen 0417 803 257 if you are up for attending the stall for an hour or so during the weekend. Thanks!! Change Agents: An emerging vision for a sustainable future This interactive and engaging series of stunning short films reflects on where we're at as a people and planet, how we got here, and most importantly, where we can go from here. Experience how people everywhere are stepping up to create a more sustainable, just and fulfilling future. Presented by Top End Transition and Climate Action Darwin. Ideas Exchange - Creating the Future Together Calling all artists! LD Community Garden Art exhibition and Silent Auction Permaculture Desgin Course - 2 week intensive Darwin Rammed Earth Building Project - 2 Weeks “I am doing a 5m x 4m room, rammed earth building project on August 23rd for two weeks. I have a professional coming up from Alice Springs to lead the work. It is very difficult to access this type of building knowledge here in Darwin so I am offering people the chance to come and join in, lend us a hand or just have a look . Hopefully there will be plenty to look at, help with, and hopefully eat at the end of the day. If anyone is interested give me a ring so I can book in the dead keens, the sticky beaks and the happy helpers. Cost is free but would like a commitment if you say you are going to come.” Please call Thisbe 0428 585 661. Rammed earth building is a building process whereby form work is erected, filled with earth and compacted down by hand or with pneumatic tamper (I will use one of these) to make walls. It creates strong walls, extremely low carbon emissions and has a very high thermal rating and looks great. For more info google rammed earth. FOR RENT - Alternative one person hand made happy hippy humpy house. Is 20 mins from town and near Palmerston but on the other side of the highway. Convenient to library, shops and bike paths $120 wk includes power and water. Is on a 10 acre block with other people but still very private. Basic philosophy of the place is to live clean and green, don’t harm anything, respect everything. No smokers, drugs, big parties, loud music or dogs. Person must be responsible, tidy, into healthy mind and body stuff and have a reference of some sort. Preferences will be given to builders, gardeners, meditators or very humorous beings ! Please call Thisbe 0428585661 Coordination Group Meeting There are fortnightly Coordination Gatherings that are open for anyone to attend. The idea is that people can come every meeting, once or once-in-a-while. The venue changes a bit, so check the Calendar or call 0417 803 257.
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30 April 2010 EVENTS
See below for more details on all of these events Sea Breeze Festival, Nightcliff Foreshore, 3pm We look forward to seeing you on Saturday. The 'Community Village' is a new space at the festival, and its shaping up to be full of great community groups and activities. The following is a list of the confirmed stall holders:
And the following activities are planned:
The official website for the festival http://nightcliffseabreeze.com/, and contains program information for the 'Community Village' and the rest of the festival.
National 100% Renewable Energy campaign photo shoot, Sea Breeze Festival 5.30-6.00pm Come and join us at the Sea Breeze Festival on Saturday 1st May to help launch a new national 100% Renewable Energy campaign. Come and participate in a photo petition at 5.30pm at the 'Community Village' - bring your green power costume! Proudly organised by Climate Action Darwin and others. The Chai Tent , Charles Darwin University, The Mall, Tuesday 4 May 10am -3pm Darwin University Environment Collective would like to invite you to our first ever chai tent. Where the chai is FREE!! A Chai Tent is a place where people of all cultures come together to sit, meet and talk over a cup of chai. Music, singing, drumming and dancing are all part of the culture of the chai tent. Everyone is welcome to contribute or participate at and time and its FREE! Find the tent in the shady grassed area in 'The Mall' adjacent to Red 6 and Blue 1. Lakeside Drive Communtiy Garden next meeting - Monday 10th May at the Alawa Hall, 5:30 for a 5:45pm start Lakeside Drive Community Garden (LDCG) is a new community garden at a two acre site on Lakeside Drive in Alawa. We are currently in the planning stages and we hold meetings fortnightly on a Monday. We are hoping to have water connected to the site and be planting raised vegetable gardens and fruit trees over the next six months. We have recently held two tree-planting days onsite to plant a native tree buffer to the mangrove system by Rapid Creek. Calling all Artists!! - Register by 14 May Lakeside Drive Community Garden is having an art exhibition and silent auction to raise funds and awareness about the community garden and environmental sustainability. Art work (images and sculptures) will be exhibited and auctioned at the Sustainable Living Festival, 5-6 June 2010. To register your interest in submitting a work contact the LDCG events team ldcg.events@yahoo.com by the 14th May 2010. Please see the attached flyer for more information and pass it on to all your creative friends and family! Grow Your Own Workshop Series 2010 - Register Now! Top End Sustainable Living Festival - 5 and 6 June Information, Inspiration and Innovation. The Tropical Garden Spectacular has long been a highlight of the Top End gardening calendar. But this year the Nursery and Garden Industry NT (NGINT) has teamed up with the Environment Centre NT (ECNT) to present the 2010 Tropical Garden Spectacular and the inaugural Top End Sustainable Living Festival. Its time to get involved! If you have ideas or would like to volunteer we'd love to hear from you! ______________________________________________________________________________ 10 February 2010 Come and Catch Up this Sunday ArvoHello Hello Happy New Year! Welcome back from the monsoon hibernation! I haven't quite got my head back into computers yet this year, so instead of a newsletter this month, here's an invitation to a party!! We would really like to start the year off in a positive way - in the company of others who want to see the Earth and our communities restored. Love the Earth - Afternoon Tea Saint Valentines Day - Sunday 14th Feb 2pm - Bring a small plate to share The Mulch Pit - Nightcliff Uniting Church, Cummins St, Rapid Creek (Where there is an Op. Shop and Fair Trade coffee shop on Saturday mornings.) We've picked a day and location that brings together a couple of threads.... Its Saint Valentines Day, so its a good day for celebrating loving the Earth - and frankly, all the people around here that give us hope. The inspired people at the Uniting Church in Rapid Creek have turned their carpark into a food garden, affectionately known as The Mulch Pit. Come and check out the gleeful transformation! Its also the same day that friends in Melbourne will be celebrating their love for the Earth with the launch of the Transition Decade campaign. An idea that in 2010 we can usher in a decade of change to restore a safe climate and along the way improve other symptoms of our imbalanced system. Check out the story here: http://www.t10.net.au Look forward to seeing you there and looking forward to a really great year! Ciao Karen November 2009 Transition News - Copenhagen Special Edition! You could get square eyes in Darwin this fortnight with so many films on offer, still it is a good option for this weather! It's a really important few weeks ahead and I'm really encouraged by all the connections we have been making with new groups and people lately. 2010 is going to be an incredible year. The news edition next month will point to a few things to look forward to next year. In the mean time, there's plenty on! EVENTS Film - 'Ethno-eco-dialogue: Filmmaking for Sustainability' - 25th November at 6pm NEWS Vote Down The CPRS Australia's Copenhagen Progress Report cards Restoration Plans Instead!! World has only ten years to control global warming, warns Met Office Local Resiliency - We don't need to wait for Government Soil Not Oil - We don't need to wait for Copenhagen In The Meantime..... Greenpower
'Ethno-eco-dialogue: Filmmaking for Sustainability' - 25th November at 6pm Film 1- Tur Mēs Bijam, Te Mēs Esam (There we Were, Here we Are) 25 mins Film 2 - Sharing Vision 25 minutes Drinks and nibbles at 6pm. Film Launch at 6.30pm by Dr Carole Wilson.
The End of the Line is the first major feature documentary film revealing the impact of overfishing on our oceans. In the film we see firsthand the effects of our global love affair with fish as food. It examines the imminent extinction of bluefin tuna, brought on by increasing western demand for sushi; the impact on marine life resulting in huge overpopulation of jellyfish; and the profound implications of a future world with no fish that would bring certain mass starvation. Tickets are $10. If you would like to reserve tickets please call 8941 7461 or email pruebarnard@amcs.org.au. No Impact Man - Monday 7th December 2009 at 6pm The film is hosted by Climate Action Darwin and Nightcliff Uniting Church and will screen at Nightcliff Uniting Church 33 Cummins St, Nightcliff. For further information contact Climate Action Darwin at climate@climateactiondarwin.org No Impact Man blog has heaps for information on how we can all reduce our waste. You can even try the 1 Week Carbon Cleanse Experiment and step by step learn how you can reduce your impact too. http://noimpactman.typepad.com/ Vigil for Copenhagen - weekdays 5.30pm December 7th to 11th & 14th to 18th What to expect: contact: 043 950 5448 Walk Against Warming - Saturday 12th December We are encouraging everyone to wear or decorate in sky blue for the walk- either clothes, hats, shoes/thongs, decorated bikes, prams, wheelchairs. The annual event is Australia's biggest community day of action on climate change.
Click the link to view the dates and topics which will be covered in these FREE workshops. _____ Australia's Copenhagen Progress Report cards Climate Action Tracker - Country by Country Report Card
Get UP - Cutting Emissions Creates Jobs! - Full Page ad in the Australian
They will train you to lobby a politician this week!
This puts paid to the flimsy argument that we should pass this bill now and improve it down the track..
World has only ten years to control global warming, warns Met Office Safe Climate Australia - Framework of the Plan available for Comment Safe Climate Transition Plan will encompass an all-sector approach including stationary energy, energy efficiency, housing and commercial buildings, transport, industrial and extraction processes, land use and agriculture. The plan will be developed with the intention of protecting and enhancing the key economic, social and environmental parameters of Australian society, including the maintenance of a high standard of living, security of energy and food supply, access to mobility and comfort and well-being for all. Safe Climate Australia aims to be a replicable exemplar project, inspiring similar initiatives around the world, and to contribute to a growing global consensus about the scale and speed of actions needed to restore a safe climate. The Framework document is available for comment.
If you would like to submit an abstract on the Healthy Cities website, follow this link If your organisation would like a display at the Conference you will find details on the Healthy Cities website or you can download the prospectus here.
LOCAL RESILIENCY - WE DON'T NEED TO WAIT FOR GOVERNMENT Soil Not Oil - We don't need to wait for Copenhagen - Something that is really taking off in Darwin with the sprouting of a resurgence of interest in growing your own food!
IN THE MEANTIME..... Greenpower - Environment Centre NT is committed to helping reduce the Territory's greenhouse gas emissions by purchasing 100% green power. We encourage all businesses and households to do the same as this will send a strong message to the NT Government that we need greener options for electricity suppliers and we need to reduce our emissions. Check out the website: http://www.powerwater.com.au/environment/renewable_energy_products/green_power
___________________________________________________ November 2009 The theme of this month is "The Good Life". It seems that people are finding some enthusiasm for this climate change challenge and they're finding that there's a bunch of benefits along the way for our health and happiness! A phrase that our special guest in Darwin this week, Giselle Wilkinson from the Sustainable Living Foundation uses often is that we need to create a "sustainability renaissance"! We're all for that! Coming Events Slow Food Promotes Sustainable Food - Sun 8th November 6pm
Enthusiasm is building for change - and maybe we'll be happier?! Remember that freak out story in the last update about the British Bureau of Meteorology agreeing with new IPCC predictions of hellish 4 degrees in our lifetimes? But what does 4 degrees mean. It means that by 2060 there'll be no Amazon rainforest, no Great Barrier Reef and no Asian monsoon, and 50% of the world's species will be extinct. Here's a tidy rundown of what different temperature rises might do to the planet and all of us. Perhaps all of this terror just might be making people all over the world, including leaders decide that they really must knuckle down and face this problem squarely? Now for the good news... Under 350 or Under Water - Saturday 24th October 2009 The event was one of over 5 200 happening in 181 countries around the world, uniting in the call for governments to make strong science-based policy agreements in Copenhagen in December in order to reduce carbon dioxide below 350 parts per million. Photos from events around the world will be projected on big screens in Times Square and at the UN headquarters and handed to national delegates and heads of state. Darwin was also all over the ABC news. The day in the Water Gardens was about creativity and education - did you see the 2 page spread the NT News that week on 350? There were short speeches from Andrew Tupper from the Bureau of Meteorology and Professor Eric Valentine of Charles Darwin University on sea level rise in the Top End. Watch a video of the day by Birut Zemits. We Need an Apollo Mission Attitude! Positive Copehagen Story Too good to be true? Keep reading! 10:10 CAMPAIGN - The UK is signed up! http://solveclimate.com/blog/20091022/little-climate-campaign-could-10-10-sparks-debate-parliament
Slow Down Cross the Line to a Better Life? Grow your Own Workshop Series update Community sows seeds of open gardens Lakeside drive - designs Cattlemen Futures Project. The Cattlemen have worked with Charles Darwin University to develop scenarios for the Industry, and of course our home, 30 years down the track. These visions of the future will help the Cattlemen (and all of us) work out what we need to do now to mitigate the risks and make the most of the opportunities. The Cattlemen are seeking your input will help shape policy and determine a strategic direction for the NTCA. Have a look at some of these scenarios! Some manage to face the challenges of peak oil and climate change squarely and find a positive outcome - but what is clear, is that changes in our focus and approach must be made.
Speaking of needing a change in focus and approach...... The CPRS will worse than hinder our progress Illusions on the edge of a precipice Major parties are polluting the climate change message Now is the Time for Massive Investment in Renewable Energy Climate Action Darwin
___________________________________________________ October Update Events Coming Up in October * Grow Your Own Workshops Series - Sat 10th October to Sat 5 December. So How's the Warming Going? * 4 degrees warming 'likely' without carbon cuts Time to Think About our Own Footprints? Need some tools? * Zero emissions homes within reach ______________________________ Events Coming Up in October Grow Your Own Workshops Series - Sat 10th October to Sat 5 December. Under 350 or Under Water - Saturday 24th October 2009 at 10am to 12pm Estimating Sea Level rise Seminar - 7 October 2009 Novotel 100 The Esplanade, Darwin. At 16:00 - 18:30 with light refreshments. Register on (08) 8941 0755 Age of Stupid - The Groove, dates to be announced Run for a Safe Climate
4 degrees warming 'likely' without carbon cuts "Global temperatures may be 4 degrees Celsius hotter by the mid-2050s if current greenhouse gas emissions trends continue, a new study says. The study, by Britain's Met Office Hadley Centre, echoed a United Nations report last week which found climate changes were outpacing worst-case scenarios forecast in 2007 by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)." "Globally, a 4C temperature rise would have a catastrophic impact...." Cripes. [Carbonequity] Climate change media For me two recent highlights from the Carbonequity summary of recent weeks have been the following two articles: Stumbling to Copenhagen "Amid all the criticism, the scale of what is being attempted shouldn't be understated. Erwin Jackson, policy and research director at the not-for-profit Climate Institute says the negotiations are far more complex than attempted in securing the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, under which rich nations agreed to cut emissions by about 5 per cent by 2012. ''With Kyoto we were negotiating an environment treaty,'' he says. ''Now, we're negotiating a deal about the economic structure of the planet.'' http://www.theage.com.au/environment/stumbling-to-copenhagen-20090904-fbe7.html Forget about 2050, we're blowing the carbon budget right now This article has inspired a few people to think about their own carbon budget based on 85 tonnes to 2050.
Zero emissions homes within reach
I've noticed lately that there have been a few more people interested in measuring their own emissions. I gave it a try a few weeks ago. Although I emit less than average I still use up 2.2 planets or 10.14 tonnes of CO2. I learnt that just less than a third of that is food, around another third was electricity and just under another third was transport, then a small segment of junk like clothes and other consumer goods. Now I have some clues for where I can make the biggest savings. So the two tools I used were the One Million Women site. ..and the animated calculator from the Environmental Protection Authority Victoria. http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/ecologicalfootprint/default.asp Both calculators give handy hints for reducing emissions, such as to cut out 1 red meat meal a week for at least a month will save 195kg of Co2 in a year. Carbon Rationing Action Groups Some Tips for Reductions CSIRO Home Energy Saving Handbook - How to save energy, save money and reduce your carbon footprint Top End household tips to save energy and money from the NTG Sustainability Unit Coolmob The Ethical Consumer Guide August 2009 Its already been a fantatic month and the next few months are shaping up to be very full! Check out the groupsite as we've posted some new videos. So without further ado....here's the news!
* Age of Stupid Film Premiere - 6pm on Wednesday 19th August Coolmob and the Environment Centre NT invite you to join film-goers around Australia and NZ for the International premiere of The Age of Stupid at 6pm on Wednesday 19th August at CMAX Cinema, Palmerston. The film will also screen in Katherine on the same night. This may be the only night to see the film in Top End Cinemas! There will be a Top End Transition table in the foyer, along with a few other community groups. Our job is to supply a good dose of hope. Please come along and lend your support with a bit of chat. See the groupsite for more info. Learning • The first ever Top End Transition Training finished last Saturday. About 20 of us spent two full days sharing our insights, experiences and ideas about how to move towards living sustainably in the Top End. Participants have given some amazing feedback about what the course meant for them, letting us know how its helped them find hope and to actually start to make the changes in the lives. We've had heaps of interest so we've decided to offer the course again in November. Please email topendtransition@gmail.com or call 0417 803 257 to register your interest. If you would like to help out with the next course please say so! • Psychology of Change Tutorials will also be offered between now and November. If you would like to understand how to more easily implement changes in your lifestyle and how to support others to do the same, please also email topendtransition@gmail.com or call 0417 803 257 to register your interest.
• Monday Activity Meetings will resume weekly at 6pm from 17 August. At these meetings we get together to organise this Transition effort. Its also a great catch up with people facing this climate challenge positively. Email topendtransition@gmail.com or call 0417 803 257 for the address. • The Lakeside Drive Community Garden is off to a fantastic start. With a shared vision and some principles agreed on, its time to get some action started! Everyone is invited to bring along to the next meeting, their suggestions for the work that needs to be done next. All proposals will be discussed and volunteers will be called for to create groups to get the proposed jobs done. The next meeting is Monday 24th August, at the Alawa Hall on Lakeside Drive, 5:30pm - 7:30pm • ReEnergise Australia - creating a renewable energy economy with people power! Now that the Government's Emissions Trading Scheme and its Renewable Energy Target have failed in the Senate, Get Up is seeking community support for a massive new grassroots campaign. Check out the web to help launch the massive grassroots program - ReEnergise Australia. https://www.getup.org.au/campaign/ReEnergise&id=705 • International Climate Action - 24 October. On the International Day of the United Nations and a month before the Copenhagen Climate Treaty negotiations, communities all over the world will call for our leaders to sign up to making deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. The 350 campaign is making the point that the Earth is already too hot and targets of aiming for 2 degrees warming are disasterous and unacceptable. If you would like to help host a day of creative, postive family fun in Darwin email Michael at climate@climateactiondarwin.org Did you know that 350ppm is the new target being proposed by the UN? Its already in the latest draft of the treaty! Its an amazing hopeful step but it is only a draft - perhaps a bit of public pressure might help keep it there! http://www.350.org/treaty-tracker
• For latest updates on solar power, solar hot water and insulation rebates check out the Coolmob site http://www.coolmob.org/ There's various rebates avaiable from the NT and Australian Governments for both home owners and renters. • Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Review - Public Information Sessions will be held in Darwin on Thursday 20 August in the morning and evening. The EIA is an essential tool for achieving the sustainable development of the Northern Territory, and it's important that we get it right. The Environment Protection Authority hopes that there will be rigorous, constructive public debate about the reforms required to create a more robust system for the Northern Territory. http://www.epa.nt.gov.au/current/eia.html
• Top End Transition - Morning Tea in the Park. Come along to the Rapid Creek Water Gardens and meet other people who want to live sustainably. Perhaps come via the markets, bring your family and friends. Let's meet under a tree near the smaller of the two play equipment. Sunday 23 August from 10.30am. • International Plastic Bag Free Day - September 12th. It does not matter how big or how small your campaign is, even if it's just you then that's ok. Taking part is what matters. Transition in Westcliff in the UK is inviting people all over the world to organise their own activities. Groups in the UK, US, AUS, N.Z and Canada are all participating Tony Langham 01722-328847 / 07910592828 / Skype-grandadtl Visit us at www.banplasticbags.org.uk and http://westclifftransition.wordpress.com/ • Ride to Work Day is on Wednesday 14 October 2009 - register now. There's three good reasons to bother. Its for your health, your pocket, the environment and to reduce traffic congestion. Use their calculators to work out how many kilojoules you'll burn, how much carbon you won't emit and how much money you will save. http://www.bv.com.au/ride-to-work/30228/ • Eco Warrior - Garbage Warrior will screen for the Environment Hub Fundraiser at the Deckchair outdoor cinema 24th October. Gates open and food served from 6:30pm. This is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. These houses are amazing, they're completely self-sustaining in all extreme weather - and their made out of the stuff we throw away! http://www.garbagewarrior.com/index.php
____________________________________________________________________________ July 2009 A few bits of news in the midst of all this dry season activites with interstate visitors, Show days and outdoor entertainment. Top End Transition Training starts this weekend. A team of us have put in heaps of enthusiasm and thought into fully revising the course program and materials to make the orignal Irish course as relevant as possible to the Top End in 2009. The purpose of the training is to help us imagine how transitioning to a positive post carbon future could unfold in the Top End. There's a lot of info on the pyschology of change and how permaculture principles can be used to design a new future. Day 1 Saturday 1st August 9.30am - 5.30pm Day 2 Saturday 8th August 9.30am - 5.30pm Cost $20 - $50 depending on what people think is reasonable. Please apply by Wednesday 29 July 2009. Some other things in the pipeline to look out for or get involved in: SkillShare Are there skills you would like to learn that would make it easier to live without fossil fuels? Maybe we can organise a program of lessons - Prac Days! We are starting to compile a list of skills people would like to learn and skills people would like to share. There's already been some good thought put into some useful skills around growing food. Some others of us have started thinking about how to make natural plant dyes, perfumes and cosmetics. I've found a buddy who knows how to farm fish for eating at home and I'd really like to learn how to make a small wind turnbine. If you would like to join this conversation please email topendtransition@gmail.com The Sharehood The is all about sharing resources within your neighbourhood. Things like sewing machines, cars, tools and books but also skills too! Gardening help, handiwork, bike fixing, accountancy and so on, are all both desired and available within your neighbourhood. Check out the website for how it works. http://www.thesharehood.org/ Lakeside Drive Community Garden The meetings are underway. The next meeting is tonight Monday 27th July 5:30 - 7:00pm, for those interested in drawing themes from the Visioning Day in preparation for the major meeting on Monday 10th August 5:30 - 7:30pm, for discussing the principles and ethics by which the garden operates. A really important time to be involved for more information email Anjea.Travers@cdu.edu.au Greening the Arts in Darwin The Darwin Festival has led by example this year with great efforts made to reduce the carbon footprint. See page 54 of their program for some of the things they've put in place. There's a stack of great opportunities to reduce greenhouse emmisions. Would you like to join a discussion about how arts and leisure can be made greener in this city? Models of Co-operative Housing Do you know something about or are interested in learning more about housing cooperatives? Would you like to have a picnic and share information and experiences? If so please say so! topendtransition@gmail.com One Million Women This is link was provided by one of you. It's a site that helps you personally reduce your greenhouse emissions. Every woman who joins has a personal goal to cut 1 tonne of CO2 from their daily lives within a year of joining the campaign. The website guides you through ways to cut your 1 tonne, and to track your progress as you go along. 1 Million Women - a million tonnes of CO2. http://www.1millionwomen.com.au/ Copenhagen - G8 Seek 2 Degree Target - Yet Community calls for Safe Climate Target Wong has welcomed a G8 leaders' agreement to tackle global warming, as a Government report shows the effect on Australia will be worse than first thought. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/07/09/2621128.htm That's a great step forward from where we were at a month ago but 2 degrees is still too much warming. 350 INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CLIMATE ACTION - 24 October 2009 There's a massive global day of action timed to maximise the influence on our pollies around the world as they prepare for the talks in Copenhagen. http://www.350.org/ Climate Action Darwin are organising an initial at the Envrionment Hub in Rapid Creek at 6pm this Wednesday 29th July.
350.org: Because the World Needs to Know http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5kg1oOq9tY In Every Corner of the Globe Safe Climate Australia - Run for Police, Fire and Emergency Services workers In November 2009 35 runners from various emergency services will visit natural icons threatened by global warming and large scale renewable energy plants to call for greater efforts to reduce greenhouse emissions in Australia. Another fantastic video. http://www.safeclimateaustralia.org/run-for-a-safe-climate/ Keep sharing the ideas. All the best Karen Cieri _________________________________________________________________________ June 2009 Here's a bit of an update on activities towards sustainable living in the Top End. Its been great to meet so many people in the last few weeks and there are a whole bunch of things to look forward to. There's a whole lot of links to sources in this update, so look out for the underline to see where to click. Events Coming Soon - see the groupsite calandar for details Free Film Nights - TONIGHT come see Australia Pumping Empty and learn about Peak Oil in Australia. For inspiration come see How to Save the World on 24 June, 7pm at the Groove Speargrass Festival - Enjoy the winter solstice with organic food, fire and family. Camp overnight on 20 June at a homestead near Pine Creek about 2 hours from Darwin The inaugural Katherine produce markets begin at Ryan Park Saturday 20th June. Find the markets on the lawn on the left as you drive north over the bridge. Permaculture Bliz - Sunday 21 June 3 - 6pm. A fun, free way to learn about growing food in your own backyard. The Alawa Community Garden is going ahead! Come along, celebrate and contribute to the vision for the new garden on 28 June at the Alawa Community Hall 2 - 4 pm. Top End Transition Training - The first ever Transition course in Darwin will be held on the first and second weekend in August. Its intended to give us all a common language and understanding of a process to develop self-sufficiency in the Top End. Check out the course details and enrol now. Rage Against Racism - Dance at Brown's Mart Saturday 20 June to call for reinstatment of human rights, anti-discrimination and landrights to Indigenous people in the NT. Read about how Australian Nobel prize winner Dr Helen Caldicott claims that the Intervention makes it harder for Indigneous people to resist nuclear mining and storing waste on thier land. Isotopia Festival - Anti-nuclear music and arts festival with educational intent. Top End Transition will be proving an information session on addressing the challenges of peak oil and climate change. 3 - 5th July 2009 Woolaning Community, Litchfield Park. Meet people and share ideas about self-sufficiency in the Top End at Coordination Group meetings on Mondays at 6pm or come and say hi at the Roma Bar, every Thursday 12pm. If you know of a sustainability-related event, add it to the Calandar!
Katherine Transition Group are making great progress. They are currently negotiating to secure a piece of land for use as a community garden and as mentioned above, the first produce market will take place this month! Meanwhile the Charles Darwin University has set aside land for the establishment of a community garden on Lakeside Drive in Alawa. Its fantasically exciting because it could become a hub for self-sufficiency knowledge in Darwin. Food Care hosted a couple of free films earlier this month for inspriation - all are available to borrow from Greenies. Food Care invited Rosemary Morrow to run an acredited permaculture course in May. While she was here Rosemary gave a bunch of public talks and promoted the necessesity of powering down our lifestyles through a transition towns approach. Now we have 16 people skilled up and totally excited about the possibilities of the community garden on Lakeside Drive! Top End Transition's first stalls were held at the Healthy Living Expo and Environment Day this month. As this phase of the Transition process is all about getting the word out, it was great experience. We met so many great people those weekends that now we are keen for more opportunties to get out and about and chat to people! If you have any ideas let us know! 500 people turned up to Coolmob's solar panel info night. The subsidy scheme was scrapped by the Federal Government with no notice, 3 weeks earlier than expected. It seems that the popularity of the scheme blew the budget. We have to wait for the CPRS to be approved in Parliament - something that looks set to take ages, before a new, apparently less rewarding scheme replaces it. In the meantime you can still get a discount on solar panels through the bulk buy but its now $8 000 more expensive than it was. Is this the best the Government can do to support the rapid expansion of the renewables industry in Australia? International Uranium Industry Conference was held in Darwin last week. The Industry hosted a public information evening on Thursday. I learnt two surprising |
