Download - Flying the flag for sustainability

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Flyingtheflagforsustainability

To find out more about this project contact:

Mount Alexander Sustainability GroupPh: +613 5470 6978E: [email protected]: www.masg.org.au

Deanna Neville (Focus on Community)Ph: +614 28 751 090E: [email protected]: www.focusoncommunity.org

Flying the flag for sustainability

Flying the flag for sustainability is a project developed by the Mount Alexander Sustainability Group (MASG) based in Castlemaine, Central Victoria. Our aim was to acknowledge and celebrate local community groups, businesses and organisations who were addressing issues around climate change and sustainability and to tell their stories to inspire others. A growing body of research points to the arts as a great tool in raising awareness around sustainability themes and be-havioural change. With this in mind, MASG began to build community awareness through arts workshops and discus-sions with members of the 12 participating organisations. Their ideas and themes were designed into colourful flags by local graphic artist, Alice Steel, and the concepts around climate change and sustainability modelled in an attractive and cohesive representation.The numerous inspiring actions by the participating groups represented in the flag designs include using less energy, purchasing 100% Greenpower, growing food, sustainable renovations, land restoration, reducing, reusing and recy-cling and promoting sustainability. And that’s just a few.Flying the flag for sustainability was launched at the Phee Broadway Gallery in Castlemaine in December 2010 and the flags are available to participating groups and other organisations for display at events and venues. Please contact MASG for inquiries.Thanks are extended to the participating groups:Harcourt Valley Primary School . Theatre Royal . Ron D Swan . Castlemaine Cub Scouts . The Hub Plot . Trust for Nature . Castlemaine Independent . Castlemaine Community House . Windarring . Mount Alexander Shire Council . Bendigo TAFE . St Mary’s Youth GroupFlying the flag for sustainability was supported by Helen McPherson Trust and Greensprings, community development worker Deanna Neville (Focus on Community), flag design by Alice Steel and graphic design by Smith and Brown. Thanks also extended to MASG for its continued foresight to be innovative, creative and community focussed.

The relationships we forge through becoming involved with others in our community are an important part of our lives.

When we participate and share our time and skills with others we are enriched by that experience.At Castlemaine Community House we meet with each other to share delicious meals at our community lunch, to sing with one of our five community choirs, to join in with the craft group or one of the many other activities we present, and through providing young families with a place to bring their children. And of course, there is much more on offer in our diverse program which engages both young and old and every age in between.If you are interested in finding out more, why not come to our community lunch on Tuesdays at 27 Lytttleton Street or have a look at what else is on offer by checking out our website, www.cch.org.au, or give us a call on 5472 4842. You will be most welcome!

Local people taking local action on climate change

Castlemaine Community House

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Bendigo TAFE is committed to becoming a leader in the field of Education for Sustainability. This is one of the biggest

steps in the process of achieving the cultural change needed to make sustainable practices an everyday part of mainstream society. Our goal is to embed sustainable practices into all the training programs that we delivery across the whole institute, this is from Nursing to Construction, Education to Hospitality and everything that we do. We hope that graduates leave Bendigo TAFE with the skills and knowledge to make the informed decisions today that will benefit the planet in the future. These students will be the agents of change in the workplace, marketplace and all other areas of our society, whose actions will influence others to review their everyday practices to become a more sustainable society.


Bendigo TAFE

There’s a backyard garden growing food to eatBehind The Hub, in Barker Street,

Showing how to grow organic vegetables and fruit,Run by volunteers from Mount Alexander Sustainability Group.Holy water from the roof of the church next doorWith utterly edible compost means the plants are never poor.Food scraps from The Good Table plus happy well-fed wormsHelp the seedlings grow strong enough to fight off pests and germs.When you see the vibrant vegetables you’ll certainly be inspired,Take time to sit beneath the shady tree if feeling flat or tired.Come and learn about making compost or how to prune your fruit trees,You can share gardening tips with others, it’s a place to learn with ease.From wicking beds to gathering seeds -- tranquility surrounds here,Come learn or try or teach or dig – mellow fruitfulness abounds here.

Judy Tregear

The Hub Plot


Castlemaine Independent was founded in early 2010, and we are making journalism indispensable – indispensable to our

community and our world. We are doing it without paper, on green power and without fossil fuels. But our biggest transformation is in our news. News organisations could contribute to human consciousness, but there’s nothing about transformation in papers, very little about community development or individual responsibility. Traditional journalism does conflict but not consensus. It reports on extreme points of view to sell papers, but life has more of the nuances you see in a novel than in a news story. The traditional media encourage us to consume more. This all helps shape our world. Many of our stories are about community building. In a world where journalism and media thrive on conflict and consumption, Castlemaine Independent is dedicated to developing, building and transforming community. CI is part of the phenomenon known as the new news, which is about empowering citizens to be citizens. CI is engaged in this change – investigating and experimenting with news and its place in the world.

Castlemaine Independent


Ron D Swan makes products that he hopes will help inspire people to ride bicycles everyday. Being a tyre swan, he

does alot of thinking about being environmentally friendly and sustainably eco and green. In business and at home, Ron has covered the easy stuff like using GreenPower, 100% post consumer waste office paper and compact fluoros. Now he wants to make his Grandma really proud. So he designs and tests and researches and tests and researches and designs. He looks proudly at his recycling roots and looks forward to his “cradle to cradle” future. Meanwhile, he sews your high quality panniers, bags and reflective gear after riding to work, enjoying the creeks, waving at passers-by and experiencing life more fully. All this to help you look very, very stylish whilst riding your bicycle.

Ron D Swan


An adult disability services and support organisation, Windarring has a strong ethic for social sustainability which

centres around community inclusiveness and choice. Participants access a broad range of local community activities, such as the community choir at the Castlemaine Community House and being involved in this project. For their Flying the flag for sustainability design, several participants, workers and friends collated a visual interpretation of some of their sustainable prac-tices. Recycling paper is a major component, as it is shredded then processed into colourful hand-made paper and transformed into beautiful cards or writing paper. The collecting and crushing of aluminium cans also forms a major part of recycling as well as fundraising. Seedlings are raised and a garden growing, the cooking program taking great advantage of that. A triple bottom line for Windarring (social, enconomic and sus-tainable) is a strong focus and we have a lot of fun doing it.

Windarring


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Trust for Nature


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the primary objective of all actions that promote ecological sustainability. The ecosystems in urgent need of conservation in Victoria are grasslands, grassy woodlands and wetlands. These areas are now predominantly restricted to private land and con-tinue to come under pressure from competing land uses. The work of Trust for Nature is therefore important if these threatened ecosystems are to survive. The Trust can help landholders put covenants on the title of their land that protect the natural values forever. Land can also be purchased through the revolving fund. The Trust also advances private nature conservation through its capacity to receive gifts or bequests, and through fundraising activities. Trust for Nature plans to increase private land conservation through participating in community and government actions that have a conservation impact at a landscape scale.

Scout Law No 8 states, “A Scout takes care of Natural Resources”.Ever since Scouting began, the environment has always played a

big part. Today is no exception. Scouts have a World Scout Environment Program (WSEP) which is a collection of tools, resources and initiatives to support the development of environmental education in Scouting around the world. One of the principles of this is that the environment is central to the Scout program and a key element to developing good citizens of the world. Scouting provides opportunities for young people to experience and connect with the natural world.The World Scout Environment badge is being phased into Scouting to replace the World Conservation badge. The new badge is carried out in two sections - Explore and Reflect and Take Action.Scouts have been involved in the Murray Darling Rescue and Scout Environment Weeks. Members are encouraged to participate in an official Landcare project for at least six months through which they can obtain their Landcare badge.Most Scout halls are self sufficient with rainwater due to a successful Federal Government scheme. Scouts are now in the phase of trying to initiate a similar scheme to install solar power. It is part of the ongoing work toward a sustainable environment.

Castlemaine Cub Scouts


Mount Alexander Shire Council is involved in many regional and lo-cal partnership initiatives around sustainability issues, including the

Home Safety and Sustainable Living program, which was developed to deliver greater comfort and security to Home and Community Care (HACC) clients. In June 2009, 12 staff underwent training and delivered 50 home energy and water assessments that led to Property Mainte-nance installing door seals, tap turners and low flow showerheads in the homes of HACC clients. Other actions resulting from the assess-ments included changing light bulbs to more efficient models, repairing a leaking toilet, unplugging an unused freezer, heating/cooling appliances having their filters cleaned, the coils on the back of refrigerators being cleaned, hot water pipes lagged and washers replaced. The estimated environmental outcomes were a saving of some 1.36 million black balloons (of carbon dioxide) per year and annual water savings of 1,150 kilolitres (kL)of water. Similarly, with the assistance of Coliban Water, over 70 high efficiency showerheads have been installed at many sport-ing clubrooms, recreational facilities and swimming pools across the Shire as part of Council’s water efficiency improvements undertaken in its own facilities. Other initiatives were the installation of automatic stop hand wash taps, low volume dual flush cisterns and a waterless urinal.

Mount Alexander Shire Council


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St Mary’s Youth


What we do as individuals can either strengthen or destroy our community. When one part of our body hurts, it can

affect the whole body. Just think of a splinter or even a paper cut ... it affects our whole body, even if it is sore on just one finger! Our group chose this idea as our theme. We feel that it is often how we act: we being a small group of young adults, which can have an impact on others. We were taught at St. Mary’s Primary School and the high schools we now attend, the importance of stewardship and the need to look after what we have been given. We hope, by acting in environmentally friendly ways, as a small group or as individuals, we are strengthening the wider community, which in turn, strengthens our national community, and hence the global community! We are one of the small parts which make up a Body. As a Youth Group ...We don’t use heating ... because we don’t have any. We reduce our lighting ... and often play games in the dark. We take public transport or car pool ... ’cause how else can we all travel to-gether? We learn to cook meals so as we don’t need to resort to take-aways ... because it is great to prepare it together and then share it.

Our school provides a comprehensive and interactive learn-ing curriculum, including environmental studies and the arts.

Combining these themes has been a great learning process.The children are involved in extensive tree planting programs through Junior Landcare. They have developed a greater knowledge of indigenous species, bio-diversity and their place within the landscape. The tools and equipment have been provid-ed for the children’s gardening activities and we have a garden-ing group that initiate many of their own activities.Research suggests that being immersed as a child in the joys of the outdoors and exposure to the environmental assets we have, can create a lifelong commitment andpassion for the wellbeing of our landscape. Our children are the safekeepers of a landscape they are already creating.

Harcourt Valley Primary School


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Reducing the carbon emissions of a 150 year-old building of this size and construction remains a constant challenge. We

have applied the basic principles of sustainable living and some more unorthodox ideas to reduce our emissions. We have installed compact fluoros throughout the building and in the garden and we have disconnected banks of halogen lighting. Our ice cream freezers are now bigger and more energy efficient than ever and our kitchen uses an increasing number of fresh goods sourced locally. Patrons don’t seem to notice that nearly every door and window gap at the front of the building is taped up through winter and one of our two massive gas heating systems has been permanently disconnected - the auditorium still heats up nicely but we use half the amount of gas overall. We have purchased LED concert lighting which use far less power and actually provide us with a much more dynamic light show (at a fraction of the running cost!) On a personal level, I have started riding a scooter around town. I look a bit silly riding this little bike but I’m spending about $2.20 a week on petrol which is great for my budget and a better result for the planet!

Castlemaine Theatre Royal


The end

Clockwise from top: Launch of Flying the flag for

sustainability; artist Alice Steel with community development

worker (project facilitator) Deanna Neville; some of the

flags on display in the Phee Broadway Gallery,

Castlemaine.

Download - Flying the flag for sustainability

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