Welcome to EnviroNews winter editionHello everyone, Welcome to our new readers and to the over 4,000 faithful subscribers we have gathered over the years. It's been a busy couple of months since the last edition, with lots of enjoyable Greening Our Future events keeping us busy across a range of topics. Aiming to inspire residents to 'think global and act local' through smart everyday choices and actions, these sessions can empower you to make a positive impact on our environment (and usually save money at the same time). The next series is being planned right now. Watch for details on Frankston City Council's website and your local customer service centre. In this edition you will find a recap of our popular World Environment Day event, information on National Tree Day, Gardens for Wildlife, a new Repair Café, Grants and much more... Food For ThoughtCooking demo and Mini FairMatthew Evans, the Gourmet Farmer of SBS fame and Fat Pig Farm in Tasmania, came to Frankston for the Food For Thought Mini Fair in early June and entertained the sold out crowd. He shared personal stories and tips on using up all the food you spend your hard earned cash to buy, and also how this helps our environment. Each year Victorians throw out over 250,000 tonnes of unused food. When food is thrown in the rubbish bin and sent to landfill, it creates methane as it decomposes. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Matthew suggests we can cut down on food waste by using more of the everyday fresh produce we often use only parts of, for instance the leafy ends of carrots, radish, beetroots, and the stalks of leafy greens such as silverbeet and parsley. Catch up on his cooking demo recipes on the link below. We can vouch for the fact they were delicious! National Tree Day - Sunday 28 JulyWittenberg Reserve in Frankston When: Sunday 28 July, 10am – 12pm Where: Wittenberg Reserve, Wittenberg Avenue, Frankston Register to attend: see link below Wittenberg Reserve is connected to Robinsons Park, an important conservation area that supports a diverse range of our rare local flora and fauna species. The area is a stepping stone for wildlife moving between larger bushland areas such as the Frankston Nature Conservation Reserve and the Langwarrin Flora and Fauna Reserve. Patches of habitat like these are vital in helping reduce the negative effects of fragmentation in our natural landscapes. And if you needed proof that planting days make a difference, check out the photos above and below of Overport Park, last year's Tree Day planting site. Twelve months on, the outstanding success of the day's work is there to see. The plants have had many challenges from harsh winds, low rainfall and summer heat, but the success rate of plant survival is significant. The many benefits this new area provides for wildlife and our enjoyment will continue to expand over the years as the plants mature. What to wear: Warm clothing, sturdy shoes, waterproof jacket and a hat What to bring: Just yourself, gardening gloves optional. No tools necessary Green Wedge Management PlanHave your say by Friday 5 July Council is seeking your feedback on the proposed outcomes detailed in the draft Frankston Green Wedge Management Plan. Maintaining our Green Wedge is critical to sustainable land management, biodiversity protection, extractive industries and landscape amenity. The draft plan includes short, medium and long-term strategies to help protect these critical assets. Gardens for WildlifeMore guide volunteers needed!Council's recently launched Gardens for Wildlife Pilot Program is proving to be extremely popular. This free program is open to local residents to help them to create a wildlife-friendly habitat in their garden. We have a dedicated team of volunteer Gardens for Wildlife guides but due to the popularity of the program we need to expand and are seeking more interested volunteers to join the program as Garden Guides. If you have a passion for gardening, the environment and working with the community, this could be the perfect volunteer job for you! The role of the Garden Guide is to undertake the garden visits and provide simple and practical advice to the home owner on ways to entice more wildlife to their garden. You don't have to be a gardening expert, just have a passion for creating wildlife habitat and the willingness to share knowledge and enthusiasm with others. Training and peer support is provided by the Gardens for Wildlife team. If you are interested in finding more about this role please email Nathalie on PandE.Events@frankston.vic.gov.au Living Melbourne: our metro urban forestNew partnership forged on World Environment Day, 5 June 2019Council has recently partnered with Resilient Melbourne, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and state and other local governments to launch a new metropolitan wide urban forest strategy for Melbourne called Living Melbourne: Our Metropolitan Urban Forest. The strategy is a first for Australia, and one of the first in the world. It will connect, extend and improve existing greening efforts across the metropolitan area. Changes in urban form, a growing population and climate change – including increasing urban heat – leave Melbourne’s greenery vulnerable and could severely compromise the benefits of urban nature like cleaner air and water, reduced heat and habitat for wildlife. Melbourne needs a plan to reverse this current and future decline and sustain 'liveability' for people and nature, across the entire city and its suburbs. Living Melbourne builds on the work of Council by identifying opportunities to connect, extend and enhance urban greening efforts to support a growing population. The strategy draws on local partner initiatives with a view to improving community health and wellbeing while reducing exposure to hazards such as heatwaves and flooding. Mornington Repair CafeA great way to give broken items a second lifeWhen: The third Sunday of each month, 1 - 4pm Where: 91 Wilson Road, Mornington, next to the Community Theatre A Repair Cafe is a 'pop-up, pop-in' meeting place where 'handy' people who enjoy repairing things meet and offer their skills to repair broken items for free. It keeps pre-loved items that are fixable (with a little skill and effort) out of landfill and just may save you buying a new one. What a great idea! What do they repair? That depends on the skills of the volunteers there on the day... clothes, shoes, toys, battery electrical goods, bicycles, small furniture items etc. Drop in with your broken item and see if they can fix it! The repair work is not charged for, however visitors can donate a gold coin if they wish. See more information about the Mornington Repair Café on their Facebook page. Council advocates for Container Deposit SchemeStriving for action on Victoria's litter problem Council is committed to continuing to push for a Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) in Victoria to help tackle the state-wide litter problem. A CDS enables beverage containers to be returned at approved collection points after which they are reused, recycled or disposed of appropriately. A CDS would not only reduce drink container litter, but also ensure that the beverage industry takes greater responsibility for its packaging. Individuals, community groups, sporting clubs and charities can earn cash by picking up and collecting littered drink containers. There is now a CDS in operation or planned in every state and territory of Australia except Victoria. Council first established its support for a CDS in September 2017 and wrote to the Victorian Government to advocate for the scheme. At the 23 April 2019 Council meeting it was resolved to continue advocating for a CDS and write to the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, the Hon. Lily D’Ambrosio MP, seeking an urgent update on the Victorian Government’s efforts to introduce CDS legislation in Victoria. Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants 2019Apply by 28 June — up to $5,000 available The Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) in partnership with Landcare Australia is giving schools, kindergartens, childcare centres, Scouts, Girl Guides and youth groups the chance to apply for a grant of up to $5,000, as part of the 2019 Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants. The grants provide opportunities for young people to engage in outdoor, hands-on projects and learning activities that provide environmental and educational outcomes as well as health and social benefits. Types of activities include:
Bread Tags For WheelchairsRecycling plastic to fund wheelchairs for people in needPlastic bread tags are recyclable, but in reality they are difficult to process in the usual facilities due to their small size. However, there is now a great way to recycle them which keeps them out of landfill while raising funds for a very worthy cause. Bread Tags for Wheelchairs is a community program collecting bread tags to be sold to recycling companies, where they are repurposed into a range of products including coat hangers, photo frames etc. But the best part is that the money earned from selling the tags is used to buy wheelchairs for people in need in Africa. It takes 200 kilograms of tags to bring in enough money to buy one wheelchair. Save your bread tags and ask your families and friends to do so too. You can set up a collection point in your office, school, sports club or church, or find one you can donate to. For more information and to find a local collection point in Frankston City email aussiebreadtags@gmail.com or visit the link below. Climate change targets for VictoriaHave your say until 22 July 2019You’re invited to have your say on greenhouse gas emission targets and on priority actions to reduce Victoria's emissions, as part of a public consultation launched recently by the Victorian Government. An Independent Expert Panel to the Victorian Government has recommended economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions targets that are:
Your participation in the public consultation will help the Victorian Government make a decision on Victoria’s 2025 and 2030 targets and identify priority policies and actions to reduce Victoria’s emissions. We strongly encourage you to have your say and contribute to this important consultation. That's all for now. Remember to keep an eye out for the next series of Greening Our Future events coming soon. In the meantime, if you want to keep up with all the other things happening in Frankston City this winter, make sure you sign up for Council's general fortnightly eNewsletter - see below. We hope you can stay warm and dry while you enjoy the rain and our amazing sunsets. Happy winter! Seaford » Frankston » Langwarrin » Karingal » Skye » Frankston South » Frankston North » Carrum Downs » Langwarrin South » Sandhurst
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