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Welcome to Sustainable Wollongong Issue 34
We have been experiencing some wild and woolly weather lately, but we hope that you have still managed to get out in the garden and are starting to enjoy a bountiful harvest.We have a jam packed issue for you with loads of upcoming activities for you to participate in.
This issue is packed with exciting things to read including our regular "Grow Local" and "Did You Know" features, as well as information on:
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Saving Species at the Botanic Garden;
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Costa's Compost Academy Awards;
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National Pollinator Count;
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Preparing your home for Bushfire;
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Locally grown, locally thrown bus tour;
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Compost and worm farm giveaway;
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National Asbestos Month;
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Household chemical cleanout;
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Sunset Cinema;
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Education at the Botanic Garden;
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Compost weapons of mass reduction;
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SBRC Open Day;
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Fair Food Week wrap up; and
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McCauley's Beach clean up
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
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Grow Local .....
Life can be hectic, and for many of us it’s a real challenge to bring healthy food to the table each day. Thank goodness for the inspiring local growers and businesses working hard to make it easier for us all to source real food produced close to home. Not everyone’s a natural greenthumb, or backyard farmer.
But there’s a strong case to be made for growing some of your own food as an antidote to the stresses of modern life. Even in a small container, all you need is some good soil, sunshine and water to yield fresh greens. The act of pausing to snip a few chives, pluck a few parsley leaves from a pot, may just be the tonic we all need.
Plant Now:
leeks, shallots, beetroot, silverbeet and chard, carrots, celery, radish, rocket, cucumber, pumpkin, squash, zucchini, green beans, capsicum, chilli, eggplant, tomatoes, corn, lettuce, sweet potato, basil, chives, mint…
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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 are removed 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 your 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 https://www.sydneywatertalk.com.au/wet-wipes
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Partnership Project to Save a Species
Wollongong Botanic Garden has recently commenced a three year project to protect and conserve a selection of threatened Pomaderris species as part of the ‘Saving our Species’ project funded by the NSW Environment Trust.
This project sees the South-East Bioregion Working Group, a collaborative partnership consisting of the Australian National Botanic Garden Canberra, the Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Garden, the Booderee National Park Botanic Garden Jervis Bay, the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage and our own Botanic Garden working together to collect and conserve a number of threatened species within the genus Pomaderris.
There are more than 60 Pomaderris species in Australia consisting mainly of shrubs to small trees and can easily be identified by their profuse cream to yellow (depending on the species) flowers that bloom in spring each year.
Wollongong Botanic Garden's role in this project will mainly involve the collection of material in the wild for propagation and storage in our nursery where we will aim to boost stocks of these plants for future translocations back into the wild. Seed will also be stored in the NSW PlantBank at the Australian Botanic Garden Mt Annan. This long term seed storage facility is working towards the collection of seed from every plant species native to NSW.
The project also involves researching the species germination and environmental factors currently affecting its chance of long term survival in natural habitat, and testing to ensure our collection methods represent the species full genetic diversity.
As part of this important project we are conducting work to conserve the Pomaderris walshii, a species found only near Robertson. This shrub growing up to three metres in height is currently known at only two locations and is restricted to around 40 plants in total left in the wild.
Wollongong Botanic Garden has been working on a propagation program within our nursery to boost plant stock with approximately 100 specimens now growing under the watchful eyes of our horticulturists with the aim of boosting stocks for reintroduction into the wild at a later date. Each of the botanic garden partners will also plant a number of these specimens into their living collections as further ‘insurance’ in preventing this species extinction.
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Costa's Compost Academy Awards
We want to share Costa's Compost Awards with your local council area! Whether you are a FOGO, GO or don't have a green bin in your local area - there is a category for everyone!
The Grand Prize winner will receive a visit from dirtgirl, scrapboy and Costa the garden gnome to their home, school or community garden -to see how they are rocking their organics! There are also prizes for people who are "rocking their green bins”. A big green thumbs up to people who believe #mycompostrocks.
Head to the website to find out about the categories and share this with your local community!
Competition ends Midnight AEST 12th November, 2016.
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National Wild Pollinator Count - 13th-20th November
The Wild Pollinator Count is a national event, run twice a year, that aims to raise awareness about pollinator insects and collect information about them. We bet you know what a honey bee looks like, but have you noticed other bees, butterflies, moths, beetles and even flies on the flowers near you?
We invite you to count wild pollinator insects in your local environment to help build a database on wild pollinator activity.
You can join in by watching any flowering plant for just ten minutes sometime in our count week.
•You don’t need to be an insect expert.
•You don’t need fancy gear.
•You may be surprised by what you see!
The spring 2016 count will run from the 13th to the 20th of November.
Find out how to count pollinators, identify the insects you see and submit your observations and more by visiting www.wildpollinatorcount.com.
Australia has lots of wild insect pollinators that are often overlooked. European honey bees get much of the attention, however, many native insects also contribute to pollination in crops and gardens all around the country.
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Preparing your family and home for Bushfire Season
The bushfire season in the Illawarra is from October to March.
If you live in a bushfire prone area, now is the time to plan and prepare for a bushfire event.
Plan…
- Download the MyFirePlan app or a copy of the bushfire survival plan from the Rural Fire Service website and have a discussion with your family about what you will do in the event of a bushfire.
- If you have already completed a bushfire survival plan make sure it is kept up to date.
- If you are planning to stay in the event of a bushfire you need to be well prepared and have an Action Checklist as well as all required equipment identified in your Bushfire Survival Plan. Be aware that if you decide to stay this can be both physically and mentally demanding.
- Communicate your plan with family, friends and neighbours.
Prepare …
Ember attack is responsible for up to 80% house loss in the event of a bushfire
- Keep grass well maintained (under 100mm) around your home throughout the bushfire season.
- Remove flammable materials from around your home (eg wood piles, door mats, mulch, leaves, petrol etc.).
- Position gas cylinders on one side of house away from trees and gardens.
- Remove leaves and debris from gutters around your home and consider installing gutter guards.
- Prepare sturdy hoses that will reach around your home and make sure you have a reliable water source.
- Move garden beds away from the house.
- Block up areas where embers can enter the house, such as windows and vents, with non-combustible material (eg aluminium flyscreen).
- Consider installing metal fences instead of wood fences.
Stay informed …
- Download the NSW RFS ‘Fires Near Me’ app
- Check out the Rural Fire Service website for more information about preparing for bushfires www.rfs.nsw.gov.au
- NSW RFS Facebook page
- NSW RFS Twitter page
- NSW RFS Twitter Alerts service
- NSW RFS Instagram
- Listen to local radio (such as ABC Illawarra 97.3)
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National Recycling Week - Locally grown, locally thrown bus tour
Bring along your tastebuds and your walking shoes as we visit a local berry farm for some sampling of local fruit produce, learn about having chickens in your yard and gain an insight into owning a bee hive. Over the course of the day you will hear from a local CWA expert on how to make your own jams, pickles and preserves.
We will visit a community garden; understand how they work the garden and make rich compost to grow vegies for all to share before doing a tour of our local landfill.
Don’t miss out, book your spot today.
When: Wednesday 9th November
Time: 9am – 4pm (meet 8.45am outside Wollongong Council).
Cost: Free
To make a booking: Email gt@wollongong.nsw.gov.au or phone 4227 7111.
Important: Bring a packed lunch, water bottle, hat and enclosed shoes plus a reusable bag for any purchases on the day. Please let us know when booking if you are gluten free or need wheelchair access.
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Composting and Worm Farm giveaway bonanza!*
To support National Recycling Week (7-13 November) Wollongong City Council is running a number of FREE workshops to assist residents in making their own ‘A Grade dirt’ for their gardens.
As a bonus, each registered workshop participant will be able to receive a compost bin or working worm farm to take home.
Don’t waste valuable garden and food scraps that could be turned into your own 100% locally grown dirt which will make your garden, vegetables and flowers thrive.
Wednesday 16th November
Where: Discovery Centre, Madeline St, Wollongong Botanic Garden
Composting workshop 1pm – 3.30pm
Sunday 27th November
Where: Discovery Centre, Madeline St, Wollongong Botanic Garden
Worm farming workshop 10am – 11.30am
Composting workshop 12.30pm – 3pm
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.
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Thinking about renovations? Think about asbestos
If you are thinking about renovating, you must think about asbestos. It is important for home owners and renovators to be aware of how to safely manage asbestos in and around the home.
As part of the Asbestos Awareness month, Wollongong City Council will provide blue lamingtons to raise awareness on:
• 2nd November at Council’s Administration Centre at 41 Burelli Street, from 10am – 12noon, or till lamingtons run out.
• 3rd November at Bunnings Warehouse, Warrawong, from 9.30am – 12noon, or till lamingtons run out.
Asbestos was used in building materials before the mid-1980s. If your house was built or renovated before the mid-1980s, it is likely to contain asbestos cement building materials.
Various products that were made from bonded asbestos cement include fibro sheeting (flat and corrugated), water drainage and flue pipes, roofing shingles and guttering – even the backing of vinyl sheet floor coverings could contain asbestos.
Asbestos Awareness month aims to stop people from placing their health and the health of families at risk, with a Get to kNOw Asbestos this November campaign.
Visit asbestosawareness.com.au to search for and identify the sorts of products to look for, the locations of where they might be found and learn how to manage and dispose of asbestos safely.
For more information you can call our Customer Service Team on (02) 4227 7111. Fact sheets about asbestos and health risks can be found at www.asbestosawareness.com.au
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Household Chemical CleanOut
Waste matters – CleanOut your household chemicals the right way
Well mark this date in your calendar and start to clean Out your household chemical clutter ….and best of all it’s FREE!
When: Sunday 6th November, 2016
Where: At Fred Finch Sporting Complex car park, off Bedford St, Berkeley
Between 9am – 3.30pm (no queuing before 8.30am)
You can drop off these materials
From your home
• Solvents and household cleaners
• Floor care products
• Ammonia based cleaners
• Fluorescent globes and tubes
From your car
• Car batteries
• Motor oils, fuels and fluids
From your garage
• Paint and paint related products (thinners, strippers, varnish etc.)
• Pesticides and herbicides (fungicides, baits/poisons, wood preservatives)
• Poisons
• Gas bottles
• Fire extinguishers
• Pool chemicals
• Acids and alkalis
• Hobby chemicals (photography chemicals etc.)
Only household quantities are accepted (20 kg or 20 litres max). Make your home a safer place for you and your family and dispose of unwanted chemicals.
Remember to transport your chemicals carefully so they don’t leak or break. For more information call the Environment Line on 131 555.
This is a NSW EPA Waste Less, Recycle More initiative funded from the Waste Levy
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Sunset Cinema returns for another summer
Cinema-goers can once again bask in the glow of the silver screen as we welcome back the IMB Sunset Cinema for its sixth outdoor cinema season at the Garden.
The IMB Sunset Cinema returns for a 10-week summer season commencing on Saturday 16th December. Expect screenings of the latest blockbusters, a selection of family favourite plus some classics that guarantee a great night out with family and friends.
Screenings are scheduled on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings during this period and to celebrate Valentine’s Day, there will be a special screening on Tuesday 14th February. The film program will announced at a later date on the Sunset Cinema website.
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Compost, Weapon of Mass Reduction
This year we held a composting competition for all local Primary Schools titled “Compost, Weapon of Mass Reduction”. The objective was that schools would send in two six inch pots of their compost and a breakdown of what was in it. We then planted snow pea seeds in them and monitored their progress at the Botanic Garden. It sounds like an easy enough competition, but we learned a great deal about compost and really “scienced” the life out of it!
Three schools entered the competition, Helensburgh Public, Bulli Public and St John’s Catholic Schools. A number of other schools would have liked to enter but their compost just wasn’t ready before the competition closed.
Each of the compost samples were analysed for the following:
• Living creature numbers – including worm eggs, worms and bugs with the winning compost having lots and lots of worm eggs and worms
• Water drainage tests – how quickly 1 litre of water drained through, the dryer soil seemed to hang on to water more than others
• Seed germination – 2 snow pea seeds were planted in each pot and germination rates, seedling quality, acidity, particle size etc were assessed. The compost that was most neutral with a medium particle size lead to the germination of seedlings that were straighter and of higher quality.
An interesting fact that we discovered after all of the compost testing is........That just before compost is ready to harvest, the pH rises, the reason being that the microbes are releasing ammonia. It’s like a final hoorah before the compost is finished.
So which school was able to produce the highest quality compost? St John’s Catholic Primary School did and won the trophy for 2016. Well done St John’s.
This competition will run each year and we’ll get a bit more sciency next year, so get your school compost pumping!
If you would like to know more please call the Green Team, Penny Hoswell on 42277511.
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SBRC Open Day - 19th November 2016
Come join us for a fun-filled day of sustainable building inspiration. Tour the award winning Illawarra Flame House and SBRC Building and be inspired by our speakers, projects and products showcase. The open day will be held from 10am-1pm.
This year is going to be bigger and better again as we are partnering with the University of Wollongong's Innovation Campus 10 Year Anniversary Celebrations.
For more information go to http://sbrc.uow.edu.au/open-day/index.html
Background
The Sustainable Buildings Research Centre is a 6 Star Green Star- Education Design v1 accredited, multi-disciplinary facility that hosts a wide range of research and industry collaborations to address the challenges of making buildings sustainable.
Located at the University of Wollongong's Innovation Campus, this beautiful new centre is alive with student research as a Living Laboratory and thrives on collaboration with industry.
The building was designed and constructed based on the principles of the Living Building Challenge, pushing the boundaries of sustainable design and construction with hopes to inspire communities throughout Australia to take action on sustainability.
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Fair Food Week: Connecting over Fair Food Tuesday 18 October 2016
Locally made gelato from The Pines micro dairy capped off a wonderful night, where over 130 people gathered as part of National Fair Food Week at the Wollongong Town Hall. Special guest Costa Georgiadis confirmed that we really do have something special going on right here in our backyard – the Illawarra region is home to an inspiring and diverse local food movement.
Twelve local food champions shared their stories about growing food, feeding people, diverting food waste from landfill, creating employment, undertaking research and education, growing a business and creating retail opportunities to connect our communities to real food.
The event was organised by Food Fairness Illawarra and Shellharbour, Wollongong and Kiama Councils and supported by a wonderful team of committed volunteers. A big shout out to our speakers: Food Fairness Illawarra, Popes Produce; Cook, Chill Chat; Kiama Farmers Market; Green Connect; Illawarra Food HUB; Fair Food Forager; Sandygoodwich; the UOW School of Environmental Geography; Flame Tree Community Food Co-op; Kiama Community Gardens and The Pines Dairy; exhibitors and caterers Mahbrook Organics, Hidden Harvest, The Red Kitchen, Darkes Cider and Crooked River.
Get out there and support your local growers, retailers, farmers markets, cafes, and agencies helping to feed those in need. A vibrant, fair and sustainable regional food system will deliver a healthy and prosperous future for us all. And it’s going to be delicious.
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McCauley’s Beach Community Planting Day
On Sunday the 11th of September a community planting day was held at McCauley’s Beach in Bulli by the Illawarra Local Aboriginal Land Council.
The day was a great success with 30 volunteers attending and planting over 450 grasses and sedges in a swampy area north of the Sandon Point Aboriginal Tent Embassy.
The weather on the day was brilliant and following the planting the volunteers were treated to a gourmet bush tucker morning tea.
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Drama is a fertile field for learning and communicating in Botanic Gardens
At Wollongong Botanic Garden we use theatre as an exciting and innovative way of communicating with an audience to help establish connections with the plant collection and explore sustainability issues.
In productions such as Captain Compost and No More Dodos visitors learn as they are entertained. They are enticed into a story or a situation through colour, comedy and action; then asked to contribute through questions, audience participation activities and even through song and movement. The use of theatre as an educational and communication device works on an emotional level, because the audience is invited to become part of a story. As a result they are more likely to remember and to question. In The Tree Musketeers and the Jewels of the Rainforest the audience are asked to consider the situation of the declining rainforests. After they discover how these fragile ecosystems work they are encouraged to come up with strategies to save them.
Some of the themes covered in the plays have represented a big challenge, not least issue such as global warming and plant conservation in The Mad Hatter’s Green House Party. Sometimes the messages are straight forward, as in the Talking Tree, highlighting the importance of trees to humans by providing us with food, shade and oxygen; or learning how to grow strawberries in the Garden Beetles play Strawberry Fields for Ever.
The use of Historical characters has been a new development in the theatre program at the Botanic Garden in recent years. The Ghost of Courtney Puckey and Step Back in Time with Sid Hoskins and Paul Sorenson have both been well received by our visitors. During Science week in August 2016 the Ghost of Courtney Puckey tours were improved with the help of a partnership formed with the local science hub. More members of the community than ever before and larger groups of students were able to take part in these tours. Locals, who had connections with the real Courtney Puckey, came out of the woodwork, took part in the tours and offered insights into the life and times of this incredible character associated with this important coastal annex of the Botanic Garden.
Other more general historical characters such as William Shakespeare or literary characters such as the Jolly Swagman are also used at the Botanic Garden in Wollongong to entice visitors to engage with the native and exotic plant collections. The aim of this innovative approach to the use of drama in the Garden is to help visitors to establish a connection with both plants and the past. It is wonderful to hear from Shakespeare himself about the plants and animals that inspired his writings. Sir Joseph Banks is about to make his debut in our Garden in 2017. He will interpret the exotic plants on display in the plant house named after him, and explore the native plant collections that he encountered on his circumnavigation of the Globe more than two centuries ago.
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