Update to Rally at MONA on 21 September

Our earlier post about this important climate change rally has been updated.
The important changes are:
- Meet at 1pm on the tennis court (near the museum entrance)
- If you want food, please buy at one of MONA's eateries.

Here are the revised details, hope you can come along!

An invitation from Goulburn St Primary School

The Goulburn St Primary School Association has extended an invitation to WHEN gardeners to join them at a gardening workshop on 21st Sept.  

They would also love to have community members help the children with the school vegie patch occasionally during the school week - so if you might be interested let the school know (or just make that known on Sunday 21st).

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT GARDENING BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK …

Wish you could grow more in your garden, but not sure how to start? Ready to reclaim your garden for spring and beyond?

The Goulburn St Primary School Association is delighted to have Christina Giuduci from FIMBY (Food in My Backyard, http://www.fimby.com.au) visiting the school to enthuse about growing food in the suburbs and give us parents lots of useful tips. Be at the vegie beds at the edge of the oval  1pm - 3pm on Sunday 21 Sept. to be inspired and skilled-up.

We'll move inside if the weather is challenging. Bring your friends (and surplus seeds, seedlings, cuttings etc). It's a great chance to meet other parents and community members, spend some time in the sun and (re)discover your inner Costa amongst friends. Kids welcome!

Come and picnic at MONA on 21 September to support action on climate change

Come along to picnic on the lawns of MONA on Sunday 21 September

 to support the New York People’s Climate Rally.

Join the millions of people world-wide

 demanding real action on climate change.

In September, world leaders are heading to New York City for a UN summit on the climate crisis. UN Secretary­ General Ban Ki-­moon is urging governments to support an ambitious global agreement to dramatically reduce global warming pollution. 

The biggest climate rally ever will happen in New York, on Sunday 21 September, to demand: a world with an economy that works for people and the planet; a world safe from the ravages of climate change; a world with good jobs, clean air and water, and healthy communities.

• Bring your family and friends to MONA - 1pm, Sunday 21 September
• Meet at the tennis court at 1pm
• Wear yellow (for renewable energy) or black (for climate grief) – or just come!
• Bring your placards to support NY and the Australian Renewable Energy Target. 
• Buy your picnic food and drinks at MONA.
• Picnic on the lawns, visit the galleries, talk to people about climate change. 

Want to help? 

Email climateactionhobart@gmail.com or phone Heidi on 0401 295 970.

Send the flyer to your networks.

Sign up for the event here.

Sustainable House Day, Sunday 14 September 2014

Great news!  There are seven houses around Hobart demonstrating aspects of living sustainably open to the public on Sunday 14 September.  Here's a list of them. Check out the houses available to look at, and use the map provided to locate them.

Here's one example:

This house is supported by the Tasmanian Chapter of the Australian Solar Council. It will be open on the 14th of September from 10am-4pm.

An example of an energy-efficient home design which can be achieved for any new house build on a modest budget.

This three-bedroom, single level home uses solar passive design – delivering a comfortable year-round ambient temperature that requires only occasional heating, even during the cold winter months. Features include:

- North-facing glass “wall” in the living area with polished concrete slab for thermal mass

- Dark tiles along north-facing bedroom windows

-Fully insulated slab, thermally-separated from footings

- Extensive insulation (under slab R2.4; slab edge R2.5; walls R4; ceiling R6/R7)

- Argon-filled, low-e double glazing with composite window frames

- Full-length opening windows and ceiling fans for ventilation

Energy Star rating 8.5

A happy gardeners' group for West Hobart?

Resident Wendy has this great idea:  

For some time I have been interested in the idea of something that happens in New Zealand.
The idea that is a group of people get together and garden at someone's place once a month. A set monthly time is chosen for 2 hours. It is a roster system.
The person's place that the gardening is being done at only has to give tea/coffee.
The idea helps people like me who have a garden but know very little and also makes me go out at least once a month gardening with others and who in turn gets help from people who have a little more knowledge but would like help with their garden once in a while.
Happy to be part of a group to discuss this more.

What a good way to meet neighbours, learn more about plants and growing techniques, and have fun!  Anyone else interested in getting together with Wendy to talk about this idea and perhaps get it going in West Hobart?  

Respond to: whenvnet@gmail.com.

Pruning skills shared, what's next?

Thanks so much to Greg for sharing his pruning expertise and tips at the recent WHEN pruning workshop.  After watching and listening to Greg,  the participants will never look at a fruit tree the same way again!  We pruned a cherry tree and a peach / nectarine tree that were both in dire need of attention.  We also took a look at a grapevine and some other trees in the garden including a lemon and an apple tree.

Those of us at the workshop who haven't previously seen Greg's productive garden are interested to see it!  Greg has kindly agreed to have an open garden on a date to be negotiated for anyone interested in coming along.

Do you have skills in an area such as food growing, worm farming,  seed saving, tool sharpening, home repairs, building things, sewing, knitting, clothing repairs, food preservation, green cleaning or any other skills that help make our community more self-reliant that you would be willing to share with WHEN members?  Is there a particular skill that you would like to learn? 

We'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback for planning future WHEN events.  Please drop us a line any time at whenvnet@gmail.com.

Pruning workshop 26 July

Hi all!

The WHEN Gardening and Food group has organised a fruit tree pruning workshop for Saturday 26th July at 1pm.  If you are not confident with the pruning shears, why not come along and pick up a few tips?
Contact Trine on trinehooper@live.com to RSVP and get the address of the garden.

And here's a great idea from a recent ABCTV Gardening Australia show which solved a couple of problems in another West Hobart garden:

Di was sick of the blackbirds digging into the mulch on her sloping block and continually flicking the mulch onto her pretty gravel paths.  And it is time to prune the hazelnuts.  How's that for a bit of basket weaving?  She was careful to plant the sticks "upside down" to avoid growing a forest of hazelnuts!

Wanted: coloured tiles, mirrors and glass beads

Goulburn St Primary School are developing their outdoor classroom (a new and exciting addition), and want to add Mosaics to one of the outside concrete walls. To do this they need a variety of coloured tiles, thin mirrors and glass beads. If you have any of these hiding away in your garage and are willing to donate please contact Krista on ph. 6234 5972. It would be hugely appreciated. 

All community members welcome to the opening of this new space on November 1st at 10 am.
 

A change of name!? - Let's hear from our creative friends

At the recent solstice afternoon tea we took the opportunity to indulge in a bit of navel gazing.

Over our history (i.e. since 2008), WHEN has run a number of important and valued projects in the community. We are very proud of what we have achieved (just check out the history in this blog to see what we've been up to).  We've been active around Gardens & Food, Sustainable Homes, Sustainable Transport,  etc, and the ideas keep coming...   Of course there is much to be done if we want to succeed in building and maintaining a liveable, vibrant and optimistic community in West Hobart in the face of the environmental, energy, societal and financial challenges that are coming our way.

We agreed that we have a problem with our current name. (Indeed, some people have been saying this for a long time).  Our current name came out of an early workshop and was adopted largely because of its catchy acronym.  But as George Monbiot said recently, " “environment” is a cold and distancing word, which creates no pictures".    

We want to reflect through our name the positive vision that our supporters have at heart when they think about the future community they want their children to live in.   We want our name to contain the seeds to inspire our neighbours to bring their enthusiasm to the group and to take it forward with new ideas and projects.   So - we started brainstorming some key words and  ideas, such as :

Community,   Future,   Liveable Community,  Resilience...

Living West Hobart

Living Well in West Hobart

Growing West Hobart

Transition West Hobart (implies a commitment to joining the international Transition Towns movement)

Sustainable Living in West Hobart

Building a resilient West Hobart

Westies for the Future

West Hobart in Transition

in fact any of these could be followed by a tagline 

(such as ...a new leaf / local solutions to global problems / building a strongly connected community / growing the things we love / building a resilient community / .....)

Another idea being discussed is joining together with likeminded groups in the foothills of Mt Wellington to create a stronger group.  So the name may move beyond the confines of West Hobart... 

There are lots of creative people out there, can you take a few minutes to think about a better name for our group?  Or let us know if you like one of the ideas suggested above.   We're looking forward to hearing from you!!!  Leave a comment below, or drop a line to whenvnet@gmail.com.  Thanks!!!!

What's coming up in West Hobart

Sunday's winter solstice meeting over yummy spiced tea and (too many) muffins confirmed a number of community activities in West Hobart in the coming year.  Take a look to see if there is something that takes your fancy.

1. Draught Busters in West Hobart - Take 2

Our highly successful Draught Busters project from last winter had some funds left over, so Margaret will be coordinating another (free) skills development workshop and arranging the purchase of the recommended high quality draught proofing materials (which will be available at half price) for project participants.    Contact Margaret via steadmanma@gmail.com.

2. Mary Meets Muhammed

WHEN and Sustainable Living Tasmania are hosting a free screening of this wonderful, inspiring and thought-provoking film - about the Pontville detention centre.  It will be screened on Sunday 29 June at 2.30 pm, at Sustainable Living Tasmania:  Level 1, 71 Murray St, Hobart. 
Give SLT a ring on 6234 5566 if you are planning to go - friends and family welcome.

3.  Bushfire Preparedness - revisited

WHEN coordinated several  Bushfire Preparedness tours in February this year, and residents learned important tips about preparing their homes and gardens to minimise the risk of bushfire spotting onto their own properties.  This year we will once again invite residents at the fringes of Knocklofty Reserve to discuss the risks and proven strategies.  Watch out for further information in this blog about this opportunity.

4. Fruit tree pruning

Trine suggested a pruning workshop, and offered her fruit trees as demonstration subjects.   Is there a resident who would like to show others how to do it?  And who else would like to come along?  Drop a line to whenvnet@gmail.com and we will organise a date that suits.

5. Bikelanes and traffic issues in West Hobart

Di suggested that WHEN join forces with Bicycle Tasmania to press for recognition of bikes as a healthy transport option for West Hobart residents.  We agreed there is also a need to work with Hobart City Council to find solutions to the traffic rat run through the area and the consequent safety risks for both children walking to school and older pedestrians.  The Transport Working Group will meet at 67 Newdegate Street at 3pm on Sunday 6 July.  Residents concerned about these issues are invited to come along.  RSVP via whenvnet@gmail.com so that we can plan for numbers expected.

WHEN Solstice Afternoon Tea

WHEN's Solstice Afternoon Tea: 

Let's get together for a Solstice hot spiced apple juice or cup of tea. 

Tell us what you would like to see WHEN doing or just join us for a chat. 

Sunday 22 June, 3pm, Margaret's place, 190 Goulburn St.

Mary Meets Muhammad screening

If you haven't seen this wonderful, inspiring and thought-provoking film - about the Pontville detention centre - this is your chance.   

WHEN and Sustainable Living Tasmania are hosting a free screening:
on Sunday 29 June at 2.30 pm
at Sustainable Living Tasmania:  Level 1, 71 Murray St, Hobart. 

Give SLT a ring on 6234 5566 if you are going - bring your friends and family.

Gardening notes for June

JUNE	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
Broad Beans (2nd planting)				x
Sugar Snap peas (2nd planting) pregerminate then sow				x
Snowpea (2nd planting)				x
direct sow and protect from birds until 100mm high
Garlic bulbs (after shortest day)			x	x
English Spinach (no Punnets - direct seeding only)			x	x

Draughtbusters rises again!

Did you miss out last year on the assistance to draught proof your home (with half price quality materials and advice)?  Here's our last story from the Draught Busters project 2013.

WHEN has some funds left over from the Earn Your Stars grant so let us know if you would like to make your home warmer and save on your power bills. 

Call Margaret on 0427 355 951 or email whenvnet@gmail.com

Earth on Fire - TV special tomorrow night

A special documentary produced by Catalyst will be broadcast on ABC TV tomorrow night (Tuesday 3 June) at 8.30pm.

In this Catalyst special, Anja Taylor and Mark Horstman travel to opposite sides of the planet to investigate mega-fires, large uncontrollable fires that are on the rise globally. #EarthOnFire

West Hobart residents who attended one of WHEN's Bushfire Preparedness tours in February will be most interested to see the latest research being conducted into the risks of major bushfires on the edges of our suburb. Dr David Bowman of the University of Tasmania expresses his concern about the impacts of climate change on the Tasmanian bush vegetation.

A new Co-housing project in West Hobart

Hobart EcoVillage Inc (HEV) will be holding a meeting, next Saturday 7 June at 2pm, to explore the possibility of establishing a co-housing community at 168 Warwick St, West Hobart. The aim of the meeting is to explain the potential of the site and to gauge the level of interest in exploring a possible development.

HEV have been looking at a number of potential sites to establish an ecovillage in Hobart. You can read more about our group and our site requirements in the Info Pack available on our public Google Drive folder.

We are particularly excited by the potential for a high density co-housing community (at least 8 - 10 dwellings & a common house) in central Hobart, as is demonstrated by the Christie Walk development in Adelaide. 168 Warwick Street is within walking distance of the city and is close to public transport. It has a gently sloping northerly aspect with good sun access and views. It is an ideal site for an inspirational, state of the art, sustainable eco-village, and we would like to invite you to be a part of it!

The meeting next Saturday is the very beginning of this process. Anyone who might be interested in participating or finding out more about the project is extremely welcome.

Following the meeting there will be a potluck shared meal at 6pm. You are welcome to join us for that if you want to find out more about Hobart EcoVillage and co-housing in general.

If you are interested in either the Warwick St meeting or the potluck dinner please contact Sarah Boyle at sarahboyle111@gmail.com or phone 0427 680 746 to RSVP and get details of the meeting location. 

For other queries about the possible development contact Jack Gilding on   jack.gilding@gilding.com or 0407 486 651. 

And please pass this message onto others that you think may be interested.

The Clean Energy Tipping Point, Tuesday 27 May

In conversation with Giles Parkinson and Paul Gilding

Little noticed outside those in the game, a sense of panic has been creeping through the global utility industry. The driver? An extraordinary and continuing price drop in solar that is causing disruption in the electricity industry and huge losses in the market value of some of its key players.

As the Economist headlined their analysis of the issue:

How to lose half a trillion Euros – Europe's electricity providers face an existential threat, it is hard to overstate the significance and interconnectedness of what is now underway – a shift from fossil fuels to renewables; a transition from centralised utilities to distributed house scale generation; a car industry that might hold the key to energy storage for renewable energy; and perhaps most startling of all the potential for global energy price deflation – a stark contrast to forecasts of peak oil and spiralling prices.

Giles Parkinson and Paul Gilding will present their report on these trends, which was produced for the Tasmanian Climate Action Council, and discuss the potential implications for Tasmania.

Date: Tuesday 27 May 2014

Time: 6.00 pm – 7.30 pm

Venue: Stanley Burbury Theatre, University of Tasmania Sandy Bay Campus

RSVP by: Friday 24 May 2014

RSVP to: Click here or call (03) 6232 7173

Cost: This is a free event but bookings are essential for seating purposes.

About the speakers

Giles Parkinson is the founder of the leading clean energy website RenewEconomy.com.au. He is a journalist of 30 years experience, a former Business Editor and Deputy Editor of the Australian Financial Review, a former columnist for The Bulletin magazine and The Australian, and the founder and former editor of Climate Spectator.

Paul Gilding is a writer, corporate advisor and advocate for a sustainable economy. He is widely recognised as a global authority on sustainability and business and is a Fellow at the University of
Cambridge (Institute for Sustainability Leadership). He authored the book The Great Disruption and is a member of the Tasmanian Climate Action Council.

This event is supported by the University of Tasmania

Launch of NEEN+

Margaret and Di attended the Tasmanian launch of a new group called NEEN+ this week.  NEEN stands for National Energy Efficiency Network, and is: "a national initiative to promote open learning and collaboration amongst faith-based and not-for-profit community organisations, with the aim of increasing energy efficiency and  establishing a positive energy future for the sector".

It is funded by the Commonwealth Government and sponsored by Catholic EarthCare Australia.  NEEN's goal is to create a learning network amongst small to medium-sized faith-based and NFP groups which are interested in reducing their energy consumption, and through the application of their learnings, achieve a reduction of 10 percent in their energy bills.

Organisations in scope for NEEN include childcare services, aged care, healthcare service providers, and more.  Organisations which join NEEN gain access to a range of information on good ways to improve the energy efficiency of their offices and buildings, and are able to share their challenges and their learnings with similar agencies.  NEEN has published some very good pamphlets, including "Energy Efficiency:  Top 10 Opportunities".  I was most interested in the excellent online "Opportunities Assessment" calculator developed for NEEN, which is based on typical energy usage across the targetted organisational sectors.  NEEN organisations can use the tool to identify areas where they could save energy, and based on a cost/benefit/payback period analysis, obtain a prioritised list of where to take action.

Faith-based and NFPs in West Hobart should take a good look at what NEEN can offer them.  NEEN has a Vic/Tas Coordinator, Michael Hwang (michael.hwang@neen.org.au) who is keen to hear from organisations.  Check out their website :  www.neen.org.au  to learn more.

The joy of working in someone else's garden

The working bee in Eve's Garden was good fun.  More than one of us commented that it is more fun working in someone else's garden than in your own!  Perhaps it is the lack of pressure - you are given one task to do, you can chat to nice people while weeding or digging, and then it is done.  No sense of the rest of the grand task and all the other jobs on the list!  A bit like looking after grandchildren perhaps.

Anyway, it was a lovely afternoon and very interesting to see how a back garden can be made into almost a market garden.  Liz has a number of long, slightly raised beds (the height of a railway sleeper), equipped with drip irrigation, and a family of chooks with personalities.  Her love of growing and her commitment to sustainable, organic gardening was a pleasure to witness.  The plants look really healthy and the soil she has built up over the seasons is gorgeous.

All too soon it was time to stop for tea and cake.

Gardening notes - early edition for May

Dear Gardening Friends Well, the broad beans are finally in - I hope not too late. The pruning has started - the easy bits, black and red currants and nectarine.  The green manure is spread on the resting beds. The tomato plants are pulled up and hanging in my sunspace to try to ripen the last fruit. Time to sit in my sunspace and have a cup of tea and watch the world go by! By the way, I've found a great source of cheap green manure seed - Roberts at the Brooker end of Collins St sell it by the kilo - $2.50 a kilo. May growers notes are below: MAY  Week 1 Week      2  Week 3  Week 4 Sugar Snap Peas  x x x (1st planting -pregerminate and then sow direct) Snowpea x x x (1st planting -pregerminate and then sow direct) Protect from birds until 100mm high. Punnets Lettuce (slow) Plant out in July x x Cabbages  (small species) Plant out in July x x x Cauliflower "Garant" - Plant out in July x x x Happy gardening. Margaret