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Welcome to Sustainable Wollongong Issue 79 March
This month's newsletter includes the following articles:
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Grow Local: Garden Escapees
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Earth Hour
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Sustainable Homes
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Tiny Forests, Big Impact!
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Summer Cleansing Looks Good
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Let's Talk Rubbish!
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3 Things You Should Do Every Week to Improve Your Life
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Did You Know? Food Waste
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Threatened Species Profile: Squirrel Glider
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
Garden Escapees
Did you know that there are several popular garden plants that can escape your garden and cause degradation and loss of native plant and animal habitat? Garden escapees are considered as a key threatening process for biodiversity in NSW. Read how to Stop the Spread on the Department of Primary Industries website.
There are some food plants that have the potential to become established in local bushland – such as blackberries and grafted passionfruit. You can be a sustainable and responsible gardener by:
- Harvesting all fruit to prevent spreading by animals
- Choose garden plant species wisely
- Dispose of your garden waste the right way – do not dump it.
Plants with an asterisk in our Grow Local Edible Garden guide have the potential to become garden escapees.
Harvest Now:
FRUIT: Apple, Banana, Carambola, Cherry of Rio Grande, Chestnut, Feijoa, Fig, Lemon, Lime, Longan, Macadamia, Mango, Olive, Panama Berry, Paw Paw, Pear, Pecan, Persimmon, Pomegranate, Sapodilla, Wampee, White Sapote, Acerola Cherry, Brazilian Cherry, Finger Lime, Guava, Jaboticaba, Raspberry, Strawberry, Watermelon, Dragon Fruit, Kiwifruit, Passionfruit, Grape.
VEGETABLES: Shallots, Carrot, Radish, Rocket, Cucumber, Pumpkin, Squash, Zucchini, Green Bean, Capsicum, Chilli, Eggplant, Tomato, Asparagus, Corn, Lettuce, Sweet Potato, Warrigal Greens.
HERBS: Basil, Coriander, Chives, Ginger, Mint, Lemongrass, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme.
Plant Now:
VEGETABLES: Garlic, Leek, Onion, Shallots, Beetroot, Silverbeet, Spinach, Carrot, Celery, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chinese Greens, Kale, Kohlrabi, Radish, Rocket, Broad Bean, Potato, Tomato, Lettuce.
HERBS: Basil, Coriander, Dill, Parsley, Chives, Mint, Lemongrass.
Fertilise Now:
FRUIT: Avocado, Babaco, Banana, Carambola, Cherimoya, Cherry of Rio Grande, Custard Apple, Longan, Macadamia, Mango, Small-leaf Tamarind, White Sapote, Blueberry, Jaboticaba, Raspberry, Dragon Fruit.
Prune Now:
FRUIT: Pear.
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Earth Hour
Are you ready to switch off?
Earth Hour is on this Saturday 26th March at 8.30pm. This year’s theme is ‘Shape Our Future’. Every year hundreds of millions of people across the globe in more than 7000 cities in over 190 countries take part by switching off for 60 minutes to show their support for the future of the planet.
By signing up to shape our future this Earth Hour, you’ll be joining millions of Australians taking part in one of the largest global environmental movements. Join a worldwide community of millions supporting stronger action on climate change.
Here are 10 easy switches you can make to shape our future:
- Switch to an ethical superannuation
- Swap to a planet friendly mobile plan
- Switch to solar power
- Plant for pollinators in your garden
- Choose carbon offsetting wherever you can and understand why it works
- Give your old wardrobe new life
- Reduce your food waste
- Switch to different forms of planet friendly transportation
- Switch to a carbon neutral or green energy provider
- Switch to a reusable coffee cup
Visit the Earth Hour website for more information and to find out how you, your school, your business or your community can get involved https://www.earthhour.org.au/
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Sustainable Homes
Can you spot the features in this model home which make it better suited to a changing climate? Some of these are obvious from the illustration, others are much less so, but equally as important.
From ‘Your Home’
Department of Industry Science Energy and Resources Australian Federal Government Canberra (www.yourhome.gov.au)
Answers below:
The House is orientated to the north to make best use of sunlight and winds (1). North-facing rooms receive sun for the longest period of the day in winter and are easily shaded by the eaves of the roof in summer. The house is open to cross ventilation and breezes making good use of passive energy (2). The living Spaces are zoned so that energy for heating and cooling the whole home is not wasted on infrequently used areas like the garage. All gaps in walls and roof are sealed to avoid wasting energy on heating or cooling (3). While windows are glazed, especially large ones facing north and west, to avoid extremes of temperature (4). Natural and adjustable shading options such as trees and awnings are used to cool the home (5).
Led lighting and appliances with High Energy star ratings are used in this home to save energy (6,7). The walls and floor are made from materials to assist cooling in summer and heating in winter, including thermal mass walls in the living spaces facing north (8). All the plumbing fixtures are high star water rating to avoid leaks and so conserve this valuable resource (9). A generous capacity water rainwater tank and grey water system are in use to save water (10). Roof top solar is in use with battery storage to generate solar energy (11). Walls and roof are insulated to prevent extreme temperatures (12). In the Garden drought tolerant plants, wicking beds and verge gardens are all used to cope with extreme weather conditions and the scarcity of water. The roof and driveway are light in colour to avoid solar heat absorption (13).
In addition to these passive design features the following elements can be included to address extreme weather conditions caused by the Climate Changing. Shutters, sprinklers, and fire-resistant materials can be used to cope with the risk of bush fires. Gutters and Down Pipes should be wide enough to cope with large down pours. Raised and water-resistant floors can be used to cope with floods and sea level rise. Finally; Cyclone proof building materials can used to cope with extreme weather situations.
How does your home compare? Remember this an ideal model sustainable residence, an architype of a climate friendly home, but even little improvements to your home, like planting shade trees, filling in gaps in walls and roof, and installing rainwater tanks and solar panels will all help us cope with the effects of Climate Change.
If you want to learn more head to the following link www.yourhome.gov.au from the Department of Industry Australian Federal Government Canberra
Your Home can also be purchase as a soft back copy from The Federal Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources for $44 includes GST.
To order go to (www.yourhome.gov.au)
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Tiny Forests, Big Impact!
Bringing the benefits of the forests to the suburbs.
As part of the Urban Greening Program, Council’s Parks and Open Space staff have teamed up with Wollongong Botanic Garden to create new Tiny Forests in Dapto, Tarrawanna, and Wollongong Botanic Garden.
What is a Tiny Forest?
- A small area (roughly the size of half a tennis court)
- Very densely planted with a variety of plants growing to create a multi-layered forest
- Contains native plants found in the area, suited to local growing conditions
These fast-growing forests will be maintained in the early years to help them mature in record time, eventually becoming self-sustaining with less maintenance.
They will make better use of some of our underutilised grassed spaces to provide more shade, help cool the air, create homes and food for wildlife, restore local biodiversity and absorb harmful emissions to create a more liveable future.
Learn more
wollongong.nsw.gov.au/tiny-forests
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Summer Cleansing Looks Good
Summer sunshine, picnics, and good times. It’s a favourite pastime for most people to getaway from the hustle and bustle of weekday life and to enjoy a well-deserved break over the weekend. For many people this includes a visit to one of our local parks, reserves or beaches.
Every weekend the population swells with the influx of visitors to our local area over the summer months. This increase in usage results in demand for the basic services that are provided to patrons.
This Summer Council took an up-front approach to tackle the issue of litter and aim to recover more recyclables at our tourist hotspot sites from Bald Hill to Windang.
Council staff with the support of Green Connect staff have worked tirelessly Monday to Sunday to ensure full bins are replaced with empty bins regularly. These same staff roam around the parks and beach foreshore picking up litter so the parks remain looking pristine and ensuring litter doesn’t end up in our waterways and ocean.
In addition to the trial of recycling bins, we have installed some new hot coal bins at Stanwell Park reserve and Stuart Park, Wollongong. If you are using hot coals, please place them in the hot coal bin when leaving. If no bin is available, please take them with you as dumping hot coals near vegetation can pose a fire risk, and they can be a danger to other park visitors.
For large groups gathering to have picnics, feel free to approach one of our Council staff (wearing bright yellow vests) and ask them for a free collection bag to assist you with separating recycling from general waste on the day.
Councils own Green Team have been hitting the summer cleansing trail to talk to residents and visitors about how they can help keep our parks clean for all to enjoy.
The Green Teams top recycling tip for ‘Coffee cups’ - Did you know that takeaway coffee cups cannot be recycled? The cup will need to go into the red lidded Waste to Landfill bin due to the fact it has a thin plastic film on the inside. The lid however, if it has a recycling symbol on it, can be placed in the yellow lid recycling bin. If you notice your takeaway coffee cup states it is a Biocup, then this cup can be composted. So, if you’re one of the lucky residents who has a FOGO bin, please take it home and place the cup and lid into your FOGO bin.
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Let's Talk Rubbish!
As you would be aware, our household rubbish has greatly increased over the last few decades. To manage this increase in waste, Wollongong City Council have implemented different measures aimed at reducing the amount of waste going to landfill such as household recycling bins and green waste bin which has recently changed to our FOGO service which enables residents to add their food scraps as well as garden waste which will be composted.
Council has a wide range of services offered to residents including but not limited to two Annual Household Cleanup services each year, a Community Recycling Centre at Whytes Gully for household problem waste and the Resource Recovery Area where you can drop off extra recyclables for FREE.
What you may not be aware of are the ways in which people limited their waste throughout the 20th century. Not only is it interesting to hear about the way things were from our older community members, but we can also learn a lot from these practices which can greatly help to reduce our own waste. Today we’re more likely to throw away items that are broken, outdated or no longer useful to us, but back in the day people were much more likely to reuse or repair these items. Early last century food was much more likely to have been grown locally. Packaging was minimal, and certainly wasn’t plastic.
As part of the celebrations and activities for Seniors Week this year, Wollongong City Council is pleased to offer the following workshop:
“A Walk Down Memory Lane to Talk Rubbish!” - A talk by Wollongong City Council’s Green Team
When: Friday 1st April 2022 from 10am to 11.30am.
Where: Market Square Rotunda, 15 Harbour St, Wollongong
Flash back to the early 20th century Australia and learn where our household waste ended up. We will look at the different items that were popular in their day, how we shopped for groceries and revisit the packaging of that time. Fast forward to ‘the Plastics’ such as polystyrene and cellophane followed by the plastic bag menace. We will visit the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90’s to remember and reimagine everyday life and the waste that was produced in those times.
We want to hear your stories of growing up and what your family did to manage their waste then and now.
Today, Australia is a world leader in waste management practices and continues to strive to recover as much as possible to recycle, reprocess and reuse. It only becomes waste once it ends up in landfill!
Bookings are essential. For more information or to reserve your spot head to Eventbrite, or follow this link: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/seniors-week-a-walk-down-memory-lane-to-talk-rubbish-registration-268634451877
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3 Things You Should Do Every Week to Improve Your Life
There are several things research says we can do to make life better, but we don’t need to do them every day.
Here is a list of our top 3 -
3. Being social and networking. Reconnect with old friends.
2. Review your goals in life – setting goals can improve your life. Remember to aim high but make them achievable.
1. Create good new habits, kill bad habits – an easy new habit if you’re not doing it already is to place your FOGO bin out weekly!
With Australia’s eastern seaboard in the grip of a La Nina event still, we are experiencing increased rainfall practically daily. When the rain settles and sun decides to shine the grass is a metre long, needs mowing and results in our green lidded FOGO bin filling up quickly.
Take advantage of the fact our FOGO bin can be placed out weekly. Remember it is for all your food waste as well garden organic waste.
Don’t be afraid to put in even the smelliest food waste as it’s all nutrients for the soil once composted. Roast chicken carcasses, prawn shells, large lamb shank bones as well as any bread that may have gone mouldy or rank cheese!
Tip for super smelly food – place food waste in your FOGO liner bag and place in the freezer until bin day. This will keep your FOGO bin fresher. Another idea if you have grass already in the FOGO bin is to move the grass aside and place the FOGO bag within the grass. This prevents any odour from escaping and discourages flies.
Let’s not forget any out-of-date food in your pantry also. All food including out of date pasta, flour, rice, or any food can be placed into FOGO. Just empty the food into FOGO. Most packaging can be recycled, glass and plastic bottles in your yellow lidded recycling bin and soft plastics in the Redcycle bin at the front of your local grocery store. If the packaging can’t be recycled, place it into the red-lidded waste to landfill bin.
Kick start that new habit of putting all food waste into FOGO and for placing the FOGO bin out weekly.
Thanks for being a FOGO champion!
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Did You Know?
Did you know, the average NSW household throws out around $3800 worth of food every year?
Food waste is a massive contributor to landfill, with it making up more than a third of rubbish that ends up in landfill in NSW. It happens when we buy too much, cook too much, don’t store foods appropriately or forget about it in our fridge or pantry.
There is food waste that is unavoidable such as egg shells and veggie peels, but there are other times that food waste is avoidable. Food waste that is avoidable is bad for the environment, your wallet and the effort to grow, produce and distribute food. It wastes natural resources such as water and energy that have been used up during all parts of the production process. Food also produces methane, a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide, when it breaks down.
So, what can you do to reduce the food waste produced by your home? There are several easy tips and tricks you can follow to reduce your impact on the environment and save money:
- Meal plan and write a shopping list so you only buy what you need and can use up ingredients
- Select ingredients that can be used for more than one meal
- Freeze leftovers (make sure you date them!)
- Store food properly so it lasts longer
- Throw food waste into your compost, worm farm or FOGO bin, or feed your food scraps to your chickens
- Consider whether buying in bulk is saving you money or will it end up expiring before you use it all?
- Store in airtight containers
- Make sure you regularly check use-by and best-before dates on the products you buy.
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Threatened Species Profile
Common Name: Squirrel Glider
Scientific Name: Petaurus norfolcensis
The Squirrel Glider is listed as Vulnerable in NSW. Squirrel Gliders are blue/brown-grey in colour on their top and are a soft white-yellow on their underside, with a black-tipped tail and a dark stripe running from their eyes to the middle of their back.
They reach up to 20cm in length and their bushy tail is about 27cm in length; they are often confused with the similar-looking Sugar Glider, but the Squirrel Glider is around twice the size. They also have membranes of skin between their front and hind legs that allow them to glide through the air over long distances. Their large eyes allow for great night vision.
This species has a broad distribution across eastern Australia, from northern Queensland all the way down the coast through to south-east South Australia. Squirrel Gliders prefer vegetation communities that are characterised by wet and dry sclerophyll forests and woodlands with mixed stands of species and acacia making up a large portion of the mid-storey. This includes mature Box, Box-Ironbark woodlands and River Red Gum forest west of Great Dividing Range. In coastal regions, they also inhabit Blackbutt and Bloodwood forests that are characterised by heath understorey. They use hollows in old trees for nesting and shelter.
Squirrel gliders are an arboreal species which are extremely skilful climbers and can glide up to 100 metres downhill and up to 50 metres on flat ground. They are omnivores that feed according to the seasons and at night, with their diet mainly consisting of insects, eucalypt sap and nectar, honeydew and pollen from the flowers. They live in sizeable family groups, usually comprising of one male and several females and offspring, and they reside in nests made from leaves in tree hollows. They can also be distinguished from sugar gliders by their vocalisations, as they tend to be less vocal.
Squirrel Gliders face a number of threats, such as:
- The loss of their habitat due to clearing, fragmentation and degradation.
- Reduction in available food and water sources due to vegetation loss and drought
- Predation by exotic predators such as feral cats
- Entanglement in barbed wire
- Loss of hollow-bearing trees in which they shelter and nest in
- Competition with exotic species for food sources and nesting areas
- Collision with vehicles
- Impacts of climate change such as reduction in habitat, loss of food and water resources, increase in fire severity and frequency.
It is essential for this species survival that old hollow-bearing trees are retained for nesting, vegetation such as acacias are retained for food, and the top one or two strands of barbed wire fencing are replaced with regular wire nearby squirrel glider habitat to reduce the chance of entanglement.
For more information, visit the NSW Government's profile and the Australian Museum's profile. All information provided in this article was sourced from the above NSW Government and Australian Museum websites.
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