|
|
|
|
|
Rise and Shine - It's Spring!!! - Issue 41
Spring is finally here and as we welcome the warmer weather, sunshine and longer days, it is a great opportunity to get out and about in our wonderful city. In this Spring edition you will find:
- Grow local - spring plantings
- Wildflower walks;
- Threatened species day;
- Compost and Worm farm giveaway;
- Rise and Shine 2017;
- Enviro 17 schools day;
- Spring tours at the Botanic Garden
- Draft Urban Greening Strategy;
- Garage Sale Trail;
- Sustainable Homes;
- Keeping wipes out of the pipes;
- Giant Car Boot Sale;
- Solutions to marine pollution.
Feel free to forward this newsletter on to interested friends and family.
If you would like to make any comments or suggestions please contact us at sustainability@wollongong.nsw.gov.au
|
|
|
Grow Local .....
It’s Spring and the weather is great, time to really get out there, get amongst it and enjoy nature. We have just had some pretty mighty rain storms for August and now you need to be spreading about chicken and cow manure and then mulching heavily over the top to keep that moisture in the soil. Most of our fruit trees will love a bit of fertiliser right now, or even some compost spread about, but put it away from the trunk and then cover it with mulch.
Planting time, this is it!
You have had all winter to be building up those no dig gardens and now it is time to start getting the veggies in the ground. But try to stagger it a bit, there is no point planting 50 Zucchini plants all at once. Pop in one or two now and then one or two in a couple of months. You can be planting your cucurbits now such as your pumpkins and cucumbers. These guys are susceptible to sooty mildew on the leaves later on, so plant them on a mound now so they get good aeration when we got those hot steamy days.
Now is a good time to be popping in your herbs, getting ready for those lovely fresh salads, and top it off with some beetroot and carrots. It is really important that before you plant, think about what you eat and what you would like to try. If you plant out millions of beetroot now, in 55 days, you are going to need to have some pretty good ideas on how to eat millions of beetroot!
Otherwise, take note of different community gardens in your area, and when they have their veggie swap days. You might be able to swap some of your beautiful produce for some preserves.
Wait till October to put in your capsicums, chilli and egg plants. They like it that bit warmer. I was once told that if you were comfortable to sit your bare bottom on the dirt and you weren’t too cold, then it would be a good time to plant tomatoes! Ok, you could try with your hand! Plants in the Solanaceae family do prefer it just that much warmer, so find a nice warm spot. Most of these fruit ripen from the warmth of the day, not from the direct sunlight and they can sunburn from the sun, so be careful of over exposed spots.
If you’re still feeling a little worried, why not just stick in some lettuce seeds and watch them go. Nature is amazing and you can learn so much just observing your garden (or your neighbours)! So put on your hat and some sturdy shoes and wander outside! Enjoy
|
|
|
Wildflower Walks
The wattle is out, and spring is on its way. It’s bushwalking weather - now is the perfect time to get out into our amazing natural spaces to enjoy the sunshine, and take in the spectacular wildflowers.
For more information on upcoming wildflower walks, check out this article.
|
|
|
|
Threatened Species Day - 7 September
National Threatened Species Day is commemorated across the country on 7 September to raise awareness of plants and animals at risk of extinction. There are over 1000 plants, animals and birds in at risk of extinction in NSW and community involvement is critical to their survival.
Australia is home to more than 500,000 animal and plant species, many of which are found nowhere else in the world. Over the last 200 years, more than 100 animal and plant species have become extinct.
Threatened Species Day was declared in 1996 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the death of the last remaining Tasmanian tiger (also known as the thylacine) at Hobart Zoo in 1936.
Threatened Species Day is a time to reflect on what happened in the past and how similar fates to the thylacine could await other native plants and animals unless appropriate action is taken.
Threatened Species Day is when we turn the spotlight on native plants, animals, and ecosystems that are under threat and reflect on how we can protect them into the future.
The day also celebrates the amazing work that is being done to save them by passionate conservationists, researchers, volunteers, and community experts.
To find an event near you or to host an event of your own, check out the Threatened Species website.
* Photo Spotted-tail Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) / John Turbill/OEH
|
|
|
|
Compost and Worm Farm giveaway bonanza!*
With Spring just around the corner, we are holding FREE Composting and Worm Farm workshops for residents. An opportunity to learn how to make ‘A Grade dirt’ for your garden.
As a bonus, each registered workshop participant will be able to receive a FREE compost bin or working worm farm to take home.
Improve the health of your garden and deter nasty garden pests. Instead of wasting valuable garden and food scraps by throwing into the bin, reuse this resource and turn it into your own 100% locally grown dirt which will make your garden, vegetables and flowers thrive.
Sunday 17 September
Where: Discovery Centre, Madeline St, Wollongong Botanic Gardens
Worm farming workshop 10am – 12noon
Composting workshop 1pm – 3.30pm
Bookings are essential for these workshops and spaces are limited. Email GT@wollongong.nsw.gov.au or phone 4227 7111 to make a booking.
* Limit of one compost bin or worm farm per household. The FREE compost or worm farm giveaway is only applicable to Wollongong City Council residents who have not received a free one already from prior workshops.
|
|
|
|
Rise and Shine 2017 Launch
Thursday 31 August 2017 marked the launch of the annual Rise and Shine Campaign, now in its 33rd year! The launch coincided with Schools Enviro Day.
Rise and Shine is a three month long campaign which encourages community participation in a range of activities to improve the environment; which in turn, benefit the quality of life enjoyed by local residents and visitors alike.
We encourage a sense of ownership by the community, many of the Campaign programs are organised around a general philosophy of the participant groups identifying the activity they wish to undertake. For example, a group may volunteer to clean up an area or section of a creek they have determined requires attention. The group will then determine the resources required to complete the task and when the work will be done. Council officers are available to offer advice or assistance when necessary. Bags for rubbish collection can be delivered to an address and removal of waste collected will be done by Council officers.
To find out more, head to the Rise and Shine pages on Council's Website.
|
|
|
Enviro 17 - Connecting People with Nature
As part of the launch of The Rise & Shine Campaign, Wollongong City Council in conjunction with other Government and private organisations hosted a series of Environmental workshops at the Wollongong Botanic Gardens on Thursday 31 August.
Over 800 year 3, 4, 5 and 6 students students, participated in 25 workshops on the day.
All workshops were aimed at providing a range of environmental experiences which can be linked to the current Environmental Education Curriculum for the K-6 syllabus.
At the completion of day, students had the opportunity to consider either bio-diversity, climate change, conservation, ecosystems, energy, heritage, interactions, pollution, recycling and both the advantages and disadvantages of possible solutions to environmental issues.
A great day was had by all.
|
|
|
|
Spring Heritage Tours at Wollongong Botanic Garden
Sir Joseph Banks Tour
Saturday 16 September, 10am to 12pm
Wollongong Botanic Garden’s Discovery Centre - Madoline Street, Keiraville .
Meet Sir Joseph Banks, the world famous 18th Century Botanist on a stroll through the Garden including the Glasshouse which is named in his honour. On this fascinating theatrical tour you’ll learn about why the exotic tropical plants in our Glasshouse impressed this English naturalist all those years ago. Sir Joseph will then lead you through our native garden collections to highlight some of his important native plant discoveries. This eminent Botanist will also share with you some of his experiences on Captain Cook's voyages of discovery to the Great Southern land nearly 250 years ago. Please wear a hat and closed shoes for walk in the garden.
Step Back in Time Tour
Saturday 21 October, 10am to 12pm
Wollongong Botanic Garden’s Gleniffer Brae, Murphy’s Avenue, Keiraville
You’re invited to be the guest of honour at the Manor on this exciting tour of Gleniffer Brae and its surrounding historical gardens with our theatrical characters, Mr Sydney Hoskins (a founding member of Port Kembla Steelworks), his wife Madge and his eccentric Scandinavian Garden Designer, Mr Paul Sorensen. Explore the home and discover this beautiful garden on this interactive trip down memory lane. Please wear a hat and closed shoes for walk in the garden.
Medieval Herbal Tour with Brother Brendan
Saturday 18 November, 10am to 12pm
Wollongong Botanic Garden’s Discovery Centre - Madoline Street, Keiraville
Join Brother Brendan as he steps out of his medieval monastic herb garden into the 21st Century at Wollongong Botanic Garden. This humorous Irish Christian Monk from yesteryear will share traditional herbal remedies that can treat the common cold or flu as well as techniques to heal a sore back or sprained ankle. Brother Brendan’s medicine chest is quite extensive so he’ll even show you how to treat mumps, measles and small pox from herbs from the garden. As the workshop concludes with a stroll to his favourite quiet places of contemplation and recovery in the Garden, all participants are encouraged to wear enclosed shoes and a hat.
William Shakespeare’s Plants Tour
Saturday 9 December, 10am to 12pm
Wollongong Botanic Garden’s Discovery Centre - Madoline Street, Keiraville
William Shakespeare, the famous 16th century poet and dramatist, was a keen gardener and plant lover and so flowers and trees feature prominently in his plays and poetry. You are invited to join Shakespeare in full costume on a theatrical garden tour which highlights some of his most admired plants. He’ll also introduce you to some of his most memorable characters and settings, and share some of his most beloved quotes. This is a must tour for garden and theatre lovers alike.
Please wear a hat and closed shoes for this engaging walk around the Garden.
General information on these tours
Cost $12.50 per person
To book: email botanicgarden@wollongong.nsw.gov.au
Enquiries: Telephone 4227 7667
|
|
|
|
Draft Urban Greening Strategy on exhibition
The draft Urban Greening Strategy analyses the current status of Wollongong’s ‘urban forest’. It presents a vision for a coordinated approach to managing urban vegetation and outlines the steps required to begin a program of planning and targeted investment in public urban greening.
Council invites all community members to have a say on a draft Urban Greening Strategy 2017-37.
Jason Brown, Council’s Manager Environmental Strategy and Planning (Acting), said urban greening will support many priorities of Council.
“In our local government area our trees, plants and open space make a significant contribution to our city’s liveability and sustainability,’’ he said.
“Trees and vegetation are critical to our city’s amenity and the wellbeing of our community members. Our unique natural setting and liveability is a key factor driving business and investment. Council has a leadership role in delivering quality streetscapes and public amenity.
“It’s important to take a planned and coordinated approach to urban tree and vegetation management. Looking after our ‘urban forest’ is a strategic long term investment for the whole community”.
The Draft Urban Greening Strategy will be on public exhibition from 11 August until 22 September. Council encourages all community members to make comment via our Have Your Say website, or you can view the draft strategy at our libraries or at the Customer Service Centre in 41 Burelli Street, Wollongong.
|
|
|
|
Choose to reuse & register for Garage Sale Trail
Get to know your neighbours and be part of the nation’s biggest ever weekend of garage sales this October. Wollongong City Council is bringing Garage Sale Trail to the local area on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 October 2017. Join over 350,000 sellers and shoppers as over 2 million items are set free from cupboards, garages and sheds across the nation.
For sellers it’s a free, fun and social way to de-clutter, find a home for your pre-loved stuff, meet local people and make some pocket money. Sellers can sell on one or both days.
For shoppers, it’s a great way to grab a bargain, find something unique and shop sustainably. To see what’s nearby you head to www.garagesaletrail.com.au
There are free seller packs available for the first 1,250 sales registered nationally.
About Garage Sale Trail
Garage Sale Trail is an initiative run by Garage Sale Trail Foundation in partnership with over 150 local councils nationally. It’s the biggest reuse and community event in Australia involving over 15,000 garage sales and stalls nationally, 2 million items listed for sale and over 350,000 sellers and shoppers across the nation.
The Garage Sale Trail idea is simple. By organizing communities around Australia to hold garage sales on one big day, Garage Sale Trail aims to provide a platform for fundraising, promote reuse, enable local community connections and inspire fun in communities across the nation.
|
|
|
|
Sustainable Homes
Did you know that you didn’t need to build a brand new home to reduce your impact on the environment? There are many things that you can do to retrofit your existing home to be more sustainable and you will benefit from these changes for years to come.
Many of these things are both simple and cost effective; such as:
- Replacing light globes with LED globes or at a minimum compact fluorescent globes;
- Replacing halogen down lights with LED globes;
- Installing draft blockers along windows and doors;
- Installing water saving taps and shower heads;
- Installing water efficient dual flush toilets;
- Composting your food and garden waste;
- Creating an edible garden in your backyard or balcony;
- Planting water wise native plants in your garden;
- Create a frog pond in your backyard;
- Shading east and west facing windows and doors;
- Installing energy efficient ceiling fans;
- Installing insulation in your ceilings and walls if possible;
- Installing water tanks and get them plumbed to fill your washing machine and toilets;
- Installing solar PV panels; and
- Installing an energy efficient hot water system.
If you are interested in seeing some homes retrofitted with sustainability features you can visit one of the homes open in our LGA on Sustainable House Day (Illawarra Flame House (UOW Innovation Campus) and Brokers View (Tarrawanna). Sustainable House Day is Sunday 17 September.
For more information go to Sustainable House Day and search for the above properties.
|
|
|
Keep Wipes out of Our Pipes
Wet wipes of any sort cannot be flushed down your toilet! Each year 500 tonnes of wet wipe products from our sewers! In some cases the blockages must be manually removed before the blockages cause overflows in creeks and homes. Could you imagine removing that from the sewer?
Wipes can clear you toilet bowl but can combine with fats, oils and other things that shouldn't be flushed to form big congealed clumps or 'fatbergs' in the sewer. Up to 75% of all sewer blockages are cause by wipe blockages. Removing these blockages is costing more than $8 million per year!
So make sure that you place all disposable wipes (such as baby, disinfectant, cleaning etc) in your bin or better still use reusable wipes and cloths. Contact sustainability@wollongong.nsw.gov.au to find out more about green cleaning in your home.
To find out more about wipes in our sewers go to Sydney Water website.
|
|
|
|
“Sellers Wanted” - Giant Car Boot Sale
Come and participate in our community garage sale – be quick to register your interest with Council for a FREE spot at the Giant Car Boot sale. This is a great opportunity to sell or trade unwanted and pre-loved items from around the home. Have some fun and earn extra cash while you Reuse, Repair and Recycle.
When: 10 September, 2017 9am – 2pm
Where: Tarrawanna Rd car park, entry via Tarrawanna Rd, Corrimal.
The Giant Car Boot Sale event is part of Spring into Corrimal.
Book early as limited spaces available.
Registration – register your interest with Council by completing the registration slip in the Giant Car Boot sale brochure (available at your local library) or register on-line.
Registrations need to be submitted by close of business Monday 4 September, 2017. For more information or a copy of the brochure visit www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/carboot, email GT@wollongong.nsw.gov.au or phone Council’s Customer Service Centre on 4227 7111.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
