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World Environment Day
Thursday, 7 June 2018, 6.15pm-8.45pm
Preston Town Hall, 284 Gower Street, Preston
Join Darebin Mayor Kim Le Cerf and a panel of experts in celebrating World Environment Day 2018, with a double-screening of The Smog of the Sea and Baykeepers on Thursday 7 June.
The Smog of the Sea and Baykeepers tell similar stories from very different perspective – one from the remote Sargasso Sea and the other from right here in Melbourne’s creeks, rivers and bay. Both serve as a perfect example of World Environment Day’s theme in 2018: Beat Plastic Pollution.
Darebin City Council is embracing this message and has recently introduced its own Single-use Plastic Free Events Policy, aiming to prevent plastic pollution by ensuring that all Council events eliminate single-use plastic waste and promote reusable alternatives.
Our panel of experts will present their thoughts on this topic, and offer attendees the chance to pose questions about our community’s journey to reduce waste and eliminate single-use plastic.
Free event, bookings essential.
Further Information:
Email: environment@darebin.vic.gov.au
Book Online >
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Hard Waste and Recycling Collections This June
Free Hard Waste collections in June - don't miss out!
Collections will take place through until 29 June, with different areas collected in different weeks. Look out for your information brochure in your letterbox. Your brochure will arrive two weeks before your collection, with loads of important information on when and how to place your items out to ensure that they are collected.
Different types of items will be collected on different days during your collection week, so it's important to remember:
- Only place your items out between the time and dates shown on your brochure
- Don't add to your items after 6.00am on the Monday of your collection week
- Items placed out late will not be collected
Further Information:
Phone: 8470 8888
Website: www.darebin.vic.gov.au/hardwaste
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Plastic Free July is only one month away!
Choose to refuse single-use plastic!
Now is a great time to register yourself for the challenge of going plastic free for the month of July! If you feel a bit overwhelmed by the 'no plastic' thing - start preparing now by visiting the handy Living Plastic Free page. You can also help by spreading the word to family, friends and colleagues - encouraging others to take part.
Every bit of plastic that has ever been made still exists somewhere in the world. Plastic is designed to last forever, yet every day we use many plastic products that are thrown away after a few minutes use. Much of this plastic ends up in landfill or as litter in our environment. It is estimated that eight million tonnes of plastic enters the ocean every year, polluting water and harming wildlife. Plastic Free July aims to raise awareness of our growing plastic waste problem, and challenges people to do something about it.
Stay tuned during July - we'll be posting useful tips and fun facts on social media, and you'll be hearing from us again in the next Sustainability News.
Council is commited to reducing single-use plastic. Visit www.darebin.vic.gov.au/plasticfree to read Council's resolution to reduce single-use plastic in Darebin and our 'Single-Use Plastic Free Events' policy.
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Solar Saver Program Update
Another 480 Darebin households to join the program!
Open to all Darebin residents
Council has announced its intention to declare a new Special Charge Scheme, enabling another 480 Darebin households to install solar through the Solar Saver Program. Under this program households are able to install solar through a Council-appointed provider, at no up-front cost. Households pay Council back for their systems over 10 years out of the savings they are making on their electricity bills.
Nearly 500 households have participated in previous rounds of the program. By the end of this year that number will be approaching 1,000 and Council hopes to reach another 1,500 by the end of next year.
While the program has in the past been open to only pensioners and low income households, it is now open to all Darebin residents - while continuing to prioritise those households who face the most barriers to accessing the benefits of solar. We are hoping to be able to include businesses and organisations in future rounds. We are collecting expressions of interest now so if you think you workplace would benefit, then get them signed up!
This program is part of Council's commitment to double solar in Darebin by 2022 under the Darebin Climate Emergency Plan. The next round of the Solar Saver program will get underway in July-August so now is the perfect time to get onto our waiting list if you aren't already - it's not too late!
Register Your Interest >
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Fairfield Physiotherapy is going green!
Green Businesses in Darebin
Christine Flanagan from Fairfield Physiotherapy was one of the first businesses to install LED lights through Darebin Council's LightSmart program and solar through our Darebin Business BulkBuy program. Christine has also found other ways to reduce energy and waste in her business and was featured at our April 2018 Sustainability Matters event.
Watch this short video to see what they have been up to.
Fairfield Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Centre is listed as one of Darebin's 174 green businesses. To find more green businesses visit the Green Business Directory.
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Boomerang Bags come to Darebin
Preston/Thornbury group members wanted
“Simplicity, universality, generosity and community”; that’s how Leonie Purcival describes Boomerang Bags. Leonie is part of a burgeoning community movement working to reduce the use of plastic bags. From humble beginnings in Burleigh Heads in 2013 there are now over 700 Boomerang Bag communities around the world.
The idea is simple. Get together with some friends, neighbours, or a community group, make a bunch of bags out of unused fabric and then make them available for others to use and return. Local supermarkets can support Boomerang Bags by providing places for the bags to be stored whilst waiting to be used.
About 3.5 million tonnes of plastic bags are produced each year around the world. Many end up in land fill. Many also end up in oceans and waterways doing considerable harm to fish and their habitats. Boomerang Bags communities want to turn this story around. Using handmade bags to get our shopping home can have a significant impact. Leonie reckons that by using Boomerang Bags her family alone prevent more than 1,000 plastic bags from entering the waste stream each year.
Boomerang Bags is also a warm hearted way to share resources, skills, knowledge and to build community connections. To make the bags people come together. People donate fabric from their home stashes, cotton and sewing machines. Others share their skills by teaching others to sew. Everyone is welcome to participate, all skill levels will find a task – cutting out patterns and fabric, sewing, preparing bags for distribution.
Boomerang Bags groups are popping up in and around Darebin. You can find links and information on the Boomerang Bag website.
Leonie is supporting a group to get up and running in the Preston/Thornbury area. Everyone is welcome to join the group:
Thursdays, 10am-11am (and some Saturdays)
Darebin North West Uniting Church, 399a Murray Road, Preston
Phone: 9471 3265
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