Rooftop "farm" feeds residents
This week at CentralMag, a very inspiring story, and it is happening right here, in Redfern!
For online version go here.
Broadway Link streetscape updated proposal
The City of Sydney has plans to build a pedestrian and cycle way green corridor linking Darlington to Ultimo via Chippendale.
The idea is that pedestrians and bike riders will be able to this link to bypass main roads for a safer and faster ride.
Some of the key elements of the proposal are:
-More street lighting;
-Kerb extentions;
-Planting of more plants and trees;
-More and clearer signage to increase bike rider safety;
-In some parts separate bike lanes in others shared pedestrian and bike paths;
-a 40km/h speed limit;
-more pedestrian crossings;
-13 parking spots will be removed, but 10 will be added, so only 3 car spaces will be lost.
The city projects & property department is seeking feedback on the plans before it goes to Council for consideration.
To learn more about Sydney Cycleways click here.
To dowload the plans click here.
For more on the plan click here.
City staff will be at the Pine Street Creative Arts Centre, 64 Pine Street Chippendale, on Tuesday 30/April from 9am-10am and from 4pm-5pm if you have any questions otherwise submit your comments til the 5/may to Adam Lender at alander@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au or via post to:
Attn: Adam Lander
City of Sydney GPO Box 1591
Sydney NSW 2001
Costa Georgiadis and Michael Mobbs discuss sustainability
Article from The Sydney Standard on 28/03/13:
"Surrounded by books with the faint sounds of jazz in the background, Costa Georgiadis and Michael Mobbs discussed sustainability at Berkelouw books in Paddington.
The interview was a fascinating look into the area of house and food sustainably and how people can do it themselves.
‘I just want to make it clear that I can hardly drive in a nail; my form of sustainably requires no experience, just the heart. All I’ve done is do in the city what farmers do every day in the country. You can walk out of this room and have this in your office or home tomorrow’ Michael Mobbs pronounced..."
Read the full article here.
Composting bins gone....
We are very sad to anounce that all bins at the Pine St Creative arts centre are now gone. The Aerobins were a huge success when it came to people using it, people come from everywhere to use them and they were all well and truly overused; but they were also a huge failure because not many of us were taking care of it, so they became infested with cockroaches...
We are looking into a diffent bin, that will hopefully work better, but this time around we will need everyone's help, if you want to use it you must also take ownership of it. So to get an ideia of how many and how big bins we should be getting we are asking you all to email us onsustainablechip@gmail.com and let us know of your interest in keeping composting your waste. we are also looking into getting composting workshops for our community, so we understand what really happens inside the bins and how to help take care of them!
Happy Composting!
Video - Paul Gilding: The Earth is full
Have we used up all our resources? Have we filled up all the livable space on Earth? Paul Gilding suggests we have, and the possibility of devastating consequences, in a talk that's equal parts terrifying and, oddly, hopeful.
Paul Gilding is an independent writer, activist and adviser on a sustainable economy. Click through to watch the onstage debate that followed this talk.
Recipes For Change Talk - Punk Economics with DMW
David McWillams gave a great talk tonight at #sydcitytalk run by the 'City Of Sydney'. The presentation covered topic of 'food security' this is a sort clip from his presentation, it's well worth 11 minutes of your day. Here a just a few take-outs to wet your appetite, so to speak...
- It would take 5 planet earths to support a world if we all consumed resources @ current USA standard of living levels.
- At UK standard of living consumption levels we can only support 2 billion people on the planet
- We are heading towards a global population of 10 Billion in the coming years.
Candidates for the Sydney by-election show their support for The Plan!
Sydney is having a by-election on the 27/October/2012 for the Sydney sit at the NSW Parliament and all 3 candidates have expressed their support to the Sustainable Communities Plan, Chris Harris from the Greens, Shayne Mallard the Liberal candidate and Alex Greenwich the independent candidate.
Special thanks to Chris Harris and to Alex Greenwich for making it down to Chippendale to be a part of our community discussion Panel at the Pine St Creative arts centre on Tuesday 16/October. Shayne Mallard sent his appologies for not being able to come, but we got his statement anyways!
Here are the stataments made:
Shayne Mallard
Liberal Candidate for Sydney, 2012 State By-Election
“ I want to convey my strong support of all participants, especially local residents, who are developing the Sustainable Communities Plan for Chippendale. I am strongly aware of the Sustainable Communities Plan and was very pleased to support the engagement of Michael Mobbs, a local resident and leading authority, in its development, while I was a City of Sydney Councillor.
As a long-term inner city resident and with a background in urban horticulture and now the food industry, I am a strong advocate of urban sustainability – or striking the best possible balance in our communities of environmental, social and economic outcomes.
A critical component of striking this balance – and particularly ensuring we are building cohesive communities and sustainable environments – is the involvement of the community at the planning stages. Communities have amazing knowledge and resources that governments need to do a better job of acknowledging and with working with. That’s why I am particularly excited about the Sustainable Communities Plan for Chippendale’s inclusive, community-based process. It can only lead to better results as Chippendale goes forward, especially as it’s population now rapidly grows.
Another important component is a holistic approach that looks at the totality of community life. Here again, I note the Sustainable Communities Plan’s scope is very comprehensive and highly integrated, covering how we live, work and play, and how to make those activities more sustainable and with a minimised footprint. It’s the best way to go when dealing with the complex issues – and opportunities – before our inner city communities.
…
I very much look forward to working with you in future, especially as the Sustainable Communities Plan goes to its next phase of development.”
Alex Greenwich
Independent Candidate for Sydney, 2012 State By-Election
“I strongly support initiatives that improve environment sustainability, and congratulate the team behind the Chippendale Sustainable Communities Plan for the energy and experience they have put into this plan.
It is great to see community proposing action for environmentally sustainable solutions.
This plan is a great example of the saying “it takes a village” and is full of excellent ideas.
The idea of linking the arts to environmental sustainability shows that the Chippendale community is willing to look beyond the obvious. But then, proposing a Sustainable Art project for Chippendale is something we should expect from a suburb that already has a thriving art scene with galleries, artists studios and the Pine Street Creative Arts Centre. If I am elected I am willing to work with the Chippendale community to make this project a reality.
I also support the general principle of planting native species where ever we can.
I am also excited by the proposals for stormwater harvesting, but they will need the involvement of Sydney Water to be implemented. If I am elected I commit to bringing together Sydney Water and the Chippendale community to pursue these proposals.
We must remember the plan is on public exhibition until Friday week – 28 October, and Council will be considering the comments that the community have made on the plan early in the new year.
The whole point of putting the plan on public exhibition was to get your feedback, and the feedback of everyone else in the community, so I don’t want to preempt that..
We also need to understand which actions in the plan are already being carried out by Council, which actions are the responsibility of Council and which ones are the State Government’s responsibility.
I make a commitment tonight that where the State Government has a responsibility, I will advocate for those actions that have community support”
10 tips for a green, clean home
10 very handy tips we found at the Green Villages Website!
There’s a treasure trove of natural cleaning gems as close as your pantry. Here’s our top tips for an au natural clean.
- Do it daily
If you’re as averse to cleaning as we are, do a little bit, often. By spending 15 minutes every morning or night, you’ll be less likely to resort to the chemical artillery when confronted by furry green shower tiles. - Go Microfibre
Get your hands on a good-quality microfibre cloth. They last forever and let you clean, dust and polish with nothing more than a splash of water. - Keep a kit
Grab staples like bicarb soda, white vinegar, pure soap or soap flakes, washing soda, borax, lemons and eucalyptus oil from your local supermarket. Keep jars with lids, spray bottles, rags and old toothbrushes to mix, store and clean. - A new loo
Make your toilet bowl sparkle: simply pour in a cup of white vinegar and leave overnight. Sprinkle with bicarb if really in need of some love. Scrub with a toilet brush in the morning and wipe over the rest with eucalyptus oil and a soft cloth. - Oven lovin’
If you’ve let your oven go to pot, mix bicarb soda into a paste with water, cover the inside and turn it on low for 10 minutes. The heat melts the grease and the bicarb absorbs it. When it dries, just scoop it out. Voila! - Window patrol
Add 50/50 white vinegar and water to a spray bottle. If the glass is really grotty, wipe with warm soapy water. Then spray with your vinegar mix and wipe with a microfibre cloth until crystal clear. - Hot pots
If your pots are holding burnt remnants of yesterday’s omelette, pour a thick layer of bicarb over the remains, sprinkle with water and leave to soak overnight. - All purpose
Mix 1 tsp lavender oil with a litre of water for an all-round surface cleaner. Lavender calms and smells celestial; it’s also a powerful natural antiseptic. - Lemon fresh
Lemons add zing to your meals, and they’re a sweet-smelling cleaner, too. Use the cut side of half a lemon to clean chopping boards or dip in salt and rub over your bath to shift stubborn stains. - Go easy
Don’t be brainwashed into thinking all germs are evil. The truth is, a little dust or spill is hardly worthy of reaching for the surface spray. A good wipe with a damp cloth often does the trick – leaving more time to do fun stuff!
The Good Hood
The City of Sydney came up with another pretty cool initiative, The Good Hood, it's map in which you can pin a photo of some good that you have been doing, and here in Chippendale we are doing lots and lots of good, so lets fill the map and show the whole of Sydney how it's done!
"The Good Hood is about celebrating all the Good things we're doing to make Sydney a better place. Simply snap a photo of your Good – think recycling, reusing, making, growing and living more sustainably – and upload it to our map of Sydney for your chance to win one of three super prizes (of course, the prizes are all pretty Good too!)
There are loads of Good things happening every day in Sydney, in our homes, schools, on the way to work, at mates' places and in our city villages. We want to hear about all the Good stuff you're doing so feel free to pin as many photos of as many Good things as you can."
Click here to go to the webpage and read more!
The Ride on Lunch by the Youth Food Movement
Exciting! join us at this very cool event created by the ever awesome Youth Food Movement!