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Darebin residents taking action on the Climate Emergency
As readers of Sustainability News will know, Darebin City Council declared a climate emergency on 5 December 2016. This emergency was declared in response to research by scientists which tells us that climate change is a dangerous threat to all life on the planet and that the earth is already too hot. We know in Darebin that we now experience more droughts, more localised flooding and increased heatwaves. You may have noticed these changes: maybe your garden blooms at different times, or your veggie patch is suffering from lack of rain, or maybe it is too hot for your kids to play outside in the summer. Around Australia, more intense and frequent extreme weather is hurting both urban and regional communities and costing vast sums of insurance money. The natural world is also seriously impacted - extinction rates are increasing here and around the world.
Incremental change and business as usual are not sufficient to face up to these climate challenges or to avoid catastrophic climate change in the future. We need to take action fast and we need to do it together.
Darebin council believes that we can restore a safe climate, allowing current and future generations and ecosystems to survive and thrive. Our Climate Emergency Plan has, at its heart, the understanding that we can find solutions locally, nationally and globally by working together. At the Climate Emergency Community Dinner, held at the Reservoir Learning Centre in May, nearly 80 community leaders from across Darebin came together to learn about the climate emergency and to discuss strategies for advocacy and creating change.
The community leaders represented sporting and service clubs, environment groups, ethnic, faith and indigenous communities, neighbourhood houses, the arts and business, plus Council’s advisory groups. Talks about the climate emergency and what it means for our future provided background information and inspiration for some interactive, focused thinking and discussion about what we could do as individuals and as organisations. We explored which decision makers we might approach and ask to take action. And we discovered that there are huge range of actions we can all take to achieve an effective and meaningful response to the climate emergency.
For inspiration, here’s a few examples of actions identified by community leaders at the dinner:
* Start 'Hairdressers for Climate Change Action'
* Get my apartment block to install solar
* Start a dialogue about climate emergency at work
* Declare a climate emergency at my business and call on staff to act on the climate emergency
* Dinner and climate conversations with my two pilates groups
* Join climate action groups
* Visit local MPs with others to discuss the climate emergency
We invite you to be part of a growing global movement which is demanding action and change in the face of the climate emergency. More information about the climate emergency and how you can become involved is available from Council’s website.
Council wants to continue to support community climate action. In particular we hope to reach 1000 people with the climate emergency message by 5 December this year, the third anniversary of the declaration. To sign up to learn more, to become involved, to let us know what action you are already taking, or that you intend to take, please email us at environment@darebin.vic.gov.au.
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Winter hard waste and recycling collections are happening throughout June
Darebin’s Winter Hard Waste and Recycling collections are happening now! Collections go until 28th June, with different areas collected in different weeks. Look out for an 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’re collected and can be recycled, where possible.
Different types of items will be collected on different days during your collection week, so it’s important to remember:
* Place your items out no earlier than 6am on the Saturday before your collection starts - and no later than 6am on the Monday of your collection week.
* Please do not add any items after 6am on the Monday of your collection week.
* Items placed out late will not be collected.
For more information visit www.darebin.vic.gov.au/hardwaste or call 8470 8888.
Please try to give items in good condition a second life by repairing, reusing or passing them on to others. You could also try selling or swapping online, or taking items to the Darebin Resource Recovery Centre second-hand shop.
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Darebin Homemade Food and Wine Festival
Celebrate the art of homemade culinary creations at the Darebin Homemade Food and Wine Festival! Featuring tours, workshops, bake-offs and curated markets, this annual event taps into the traditions of sustainable food practices amongst the culturally rich residents of Melbourne’s inner north.
Whether you want to sample local creations, expand your cooking repertoire, make your own wine or take a tour, you will find something delicious to suit your culinary needs.
Visit darebinarts.com.au for more information.
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Don’t waste your e-waste, Darebin!
To protect our environment and recover precious resources, the Victorian Government is banning all e-waste from landfill from 1 July 2019. Read more on the ban here.
E-waste (electronic waste) refers to any item with a plug, battery or power cord that is no longer wanted. This includes TVs, computers, mobile phones, household appliances and power tools, to name a few. E-waste contains valuable, yet hazardous materials, so recycling it both protects our environment and helps recover resources for use in new products.
There are lots of ways you can safely recycle e-waste in Darebin:
TVs, computers and peripherals can be taken to the Darebin Resource Recovery Centre for FREE. They are recycled as part of the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme.
Mobile phones, cameras and their accessories (eg. chargers) can be dropped off at community recycling stations located across Darebin. Click here for locations and other mobile phone recycling options.
Whitegoods can be collected for free by Kids off the Kerb. Alternatively, you can take them to the Kids off the Kerb Thomastown headquarters. Call (03) 9982 5600 or email info@kidsoffthekerb.org for more information.
Have other household e-waste items to recycle? The Darebin Resource Recovery Centre accepts most other e-waste. There may be a charge for some items. More information on e-waste and the ban can be found at ewaste.vic.gov.au.
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Terra Madre’s sustainability story
If you missed Darebin's sustainable business event Sustainability Matters in April, watch this video to find out what Terra Madre is doing to reduce waste, energy and greenhouse gas emissions. You will also discover their lovely industrial ecology partnership involving chickens and food scraps, and how customer, staff and supplier relationships can be the impetus and enabler for change.
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Prima Materia
Saturday 11th May - Sunday 7th July 2019
Bundoora Homestead
Enquiries: www.bundoorahomstead.com/exhibition/prima-materia-2/ or email www.bundoorahomestead@darebin.vic.gov.au
Prima Materia is a new exhibition exploring alchemy and geology, positing the experience of contemporary art making as similar to that of an early medieval alchemist.
The artists in this exhibition consider the way we use our natural resources - the realities of mining, and extraction of materials - and challenge the notion that endless production is necessarily beneficial.
The featured artists are: Julie Gough, Alicia King, Linda Persson (SWE), Andre Piguet, Michael GF Prior, Yhonnie Scarce, Vittoria Di Stefano and Zilverster (Goodwin and Hanenbergh). The exhibition is curated by Emily Jones.
Image Credit: Zilverster (Goodwin & Hanenbergh)
Dada-Roman-Alchemia 2015
Courtesy of the artists and Sarah Scout Presents
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