Welcome to the summer edition of EnviroNewsSummer in Frankston City certainly makes you feel happy to be alive! We hope you are able to get out there to enjoy the natural reserves, sparkling beaches, boardwalks, bushwalking tracks and shaded parks and gardens. In this edition find out how to detox your home this February, see what inspiring, free events are on offer e.g. independent information on home solar and batteries, ways to attract and help wildlife in your garden, as well as how to provide feedback on the proposed Safe Boat Refuge and Coast Guard facility, plus lots more. Greening Our Future eventsThe next 6 months - sortedThe next half yearly calendar of FREE educational events is now finalised, aimed at helping our community live an environmentally sustainable lifestyle. These enjoyable events include stargazing and wildlife spotting during Earth Hour, learning how to create a raingarden and discovering your local Indigenous Nursery at a special Open Day. Keep an eye on Frankston City Council’s Environmental Events page for more information as bookings open. Brochures will be available in all Council outlets by the end of January. Detox your Home - clean out the shed!Saturday 2 FebruaryFrankston City’s free annual household chemical collection day is just around the corner. Date: Saturday 2 February, 9am - 3pm (annual event) This free service helps you dispose of common household chemicals safely. Just register a time you can drop them in at Skye - it's that easy. The Detox your Home event is a great chance to get rid of unwanted or out-of-date toxic chemicals like solvents, poisons and cleaning products. If left lying around they can harm your family and pets, add fuel to house fires, release toxic fumes and pollute the environment. The items you drop off are recycled for recovery and diverted from landfill. Registration is required to manage the traffic flow and avoid queues on the day, which means you can get in and out quickly. For a list of what items can be accepted and to register, click on the registration link below or call 1300 363 744. This Detox your Home event is made possible through Frankston City Council and the Victorian Government. Safe Boat Refuge and Coast Guard facilityHave your say - until Tuesday 5 February.Council is seeking to develop a safe boat refuge and new Coast Guard facility at the base of Oliver's Hill, adjacent to the existing boat ramp. Come along to a community information and feedback session to learn more about the proposal.
Where: Functions by the Bay (Frankston Park Football Club), corner Plowman Place and Young Street, Frankston Clean Up Australia DaySunday 3 MarchVolunteering at a local Clean Up Australia Day event is a great way to get to know your community, while enjoying your favourite park, beach or reserve. Register a site or join an existing one by calling 1800 CUA DAY (282 329) or click on the link below. Council can help with the promotion of your local community Clean Up event if you register your site by Thursday 31 January. We can also arrange a free collection of your litter bags after the event (selected sites only) if you register early. Solar and batteries - is now the time?Thursday 21 March, 7 - 9pmWhere: Frankston Football Club, Graham Room, corner of Plowman Place and Young Street, Frankston Get the facts and independent advice to help you decide if and when to ‘go solar’, with or without batteries. The session will be presented by experienced energy expert Kieran Price from not-for-profit organisation Renew (previously known as Alternative Technology Association). Come along for honest and easy to understand information on all things solar and have your questions answered by someone who is not trying to sell you a product. The session is free, but bookings are essential. Margot's story - making the most of solarLocal resident Margot attended one of Council’s Solar and Batteries information sessions last year. While she had already decided to go ahead with getting solar panels on her roof, and had done her own research, Margot learned some key things that night that have helped her make the most of her system installed last May - and she is reaping the rewards. Margot tells us that she realised that one of the most important things to do once you have installed solar panels is to "consciously shift peak loads (iron, dishwasher, washing machine, vacuum cleaner) to times when there’s sufficient generation to ensure this usage is 100% covered by solar production." On a cloudless day, even in winter, her 5.75 kilowatt system amply covers her household power needs during daylight hours, and in summer, in Margot’s words, it "blitzes it" even when running the air conditioner. In addition, Margot says her system exports lots of excess power to the grid, helping take stress off the grid for others, and stress off her power bills through the credits for this extra power. Thanks Margot for sharing your story. If you are considering going solar, you may be interested in coming along to the free information session on 21 March. Gardens for wildlifeSaturday 23 March, 10am - 12pmWhere: Karingal PLACE Neighbourhood Centre, 103 Ashleigh Avenue, Frankston Gardening is a favourite pastime for many. While gardening is an enjoyable way to stay active and healthy, your garden can also create crucial habitat for our local wildlife. If you would you like to learn how to make your garden more attractive and safe for native wildlife, local wildlife carers Janet and Paula can show you how to design and maintain your garden to encourage these visitors and help them thrive. By providing a few simple elements such as water, food resources and shelter you can create a safe haven that encourages birds, bats, lizards, frogs, possums, butterflies and other insects to your garden. The session is free, but bookings are essential. Earth Hour: Nature after darkSaturday 30 March, 7.30 - 9.30pmWhere: Paratea Flora and Fauna Reserve, Paratea Avenue, Frankston South Every year hundreds of millions of people around the world take part in Earth Hour in various ways, to show they care about the future of the planet. Usually they choose to mark Earth Hour by turning off the lights for an hour at 8.30pm local time as a symbolic show of solidarity. In Frankston City, why not join us to celebrate Earth Hour in a unique way and discover what comes out after dark in beautiful Paratea Reserve? With the help of a local Ranger - and a small torch - you can do some nocturnal wildlife spotting and perhaps also some stargazing (if it’s not too cloudy). If you would rather mark Earth Hour in the traditional way by turning off your lights at home, or in your own different way, register your involvement and be counted globally at earthhour.org.au/register Earth Hour: Nature after dark is a free event, but bookings are essential as numbers are limited. Not just any deckingFrankston City Council recently replaced 600 metres of old timber decking along the Frankston Foreshore boardwalk. The new decking is made from a mixture of recycled and reclaimed materials including plastic (typically plastic milk bottles) and ground wood waste. By using recycled materials, Council is helping to reduce the amount of waste that could potentially end up in landfill. Feedback from regular walkers and joggers during and after installation of the new decking has been really positive. Many people love the grey ‘brushed’ finished surface which resembles weathered timber. The new decking was chosen over conventional timber due to its high durability in the harsh coastal environment, which means it is expected to last longer and be low maintenance. For those of us who like to go barefoot, it’s also splinter free! (Photo above: New ModWood decking along the Frankston Foreshore boardwalk, 2019) Sandra's story - worming her way to successAfter coming along to a Council Composting and Worm farming session last year, Sandra from Langwarrin became inspired to be more proactive in making it work. She had tried composting unsuccessfully in the past, but after learning a few key bits of information Sandra now has three compost bins on the go, plus a successful worm farm. With no food scraps going into the rubbish bin, Sandra now brings home food scraps from work to feed her worms. While she says the worms in the worm farm do require a bit of care, she adds “I enjoy seeing them get stuck into the food I give them and getting the worm juice”. Some of the things Sandra found helpful for her compost bin:
Well done Sandra and thanks for sharing your story with us. Council will provide more composting and worm farming sessions later in 2019. In the meantime, for trouble shooting your compost or worm farm issues see the helpful fact sheets on Council's website at the link below. Where art meets recyclingHatter's Tea Party in the Glass CubeThe Mad Hatter’s Tea Party is currently on display in the Glass Cube at Cube 37 (next door to the Frankston Arts Centre main theatre) until 10 February. This art exhibition wonderland is made entirely from recycled and repurposed materials. Take a wander through 'Hatter’s Hattery' during Cube’s opening hours or take a look from the street anytime day or night. To add to the fun, the Hot Arts for Cool Kids holiday program in the Frankston Arts Centre includes making mad hats from recycled materials, to add to the Hatter's Tea Party. Coastcare Victoria Community GrantsApplications close 20 February 2019Grants of up to $10,000 for one-year projects and $15,000 for two-year projects are available to support community organisations to protect and enhance the coastal and near-shore marine environment. There are two key focus areas: • conservation, rehabilitation, restoration and preventative actions for Victoria’s coastal and marine ecosystems • support community participation and engagement to enhance community knowledge and understanding of coastal and marine management. In the heat of the momentThis summer is already shaping up to be very hot. And while we keep our cool at the beach or in the shade, spare a thought for the wildlife in your local patch. They don’t have the luxury of taking a dip in the bay. Most animals have trouble regulating body temperature when temperatures reach 35 degrees or more, and during prolonged hot spells, many animals perish through dehydration unless they have access to clean drinking water. During the summer period, consider putting out dishes of drinking water for them and keep bird baths topped up. Water dishes must be shallow to prevent the risk of drowning and ideally place a rock or stick to enable animals to crawl out. Locate dishes in quiet, shady places and avoid metal containers that will get hot in the sun. It’s a good idea to set these up prior to hot weather so that animals get used to finding them and so you get into the habit of regularly refilling them, which will also help prevent mosquitoes breeding. Containers can be hung in trees or nailed to fences where tree dwelling species can access water safely without having to come to ground. If you see animals obviously suffering from heat stress call a local wildlife rescue service at the link below. Koalas on the moveNot everyone is aware that our treed areas within Frankston South and Langwarrin South are home to the iconic koala. Recently there has been an increase in the number of koala sightings in these areas with frequent reports being made to social media (particularly near the Frankston Nature Conservation Reserve). Sightings are more common during the koala breeding season, August to February, when the young from the previous year leave their mothers and disperse and during heatwaves, when koalas come down from trees to cool off or relocate. When on the ground, koalas are at greater risk of dog attack or vehicle collision, particularly in urban environments. Loss of habitat also means that koalas need to move across a very fragmented landscape to access food, water and shelter. This is a timely reminder to keep your dog on leads or under effective control at all times. If you see a koala on the ground within a public area please contact Council’s natural reserve ranger on 1300 322 322 so we can ensure that it is kept safe. Any sightings of injured koalas should be reported to a local wildlife rescue service and sightings can also be noted on the Frankston Wildlife Map. Thank you to those who recently provided feedback and ideas on Council's draft Towards Zero Emissions Plan. Your feedback will be considered by Council in the adoption of this important new plan. For further information contact Council's Resource Efficiency team. Wherever you are, we hope you are able to enjoy the warm weather, stay safe and spend time relaxing in the natural beauty around us in Frankston City. Seaford » Frankston » Langwarrin » Karingal » Skye » Frankston South » Frankston North » Carrum Downs » Langwarrin South » Sandhurst
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