For every shade of green
No images? Click here
FOR EVERY SHADE OF GREEN
Happy International Compost Awareness Week
There is so much going on as we head into the cooler weather!
📚 Read on to catch up what to do this autumn
🍂 Get a free book and learn about composting this month
🐝 Enjoy World Bee Day
👟 Get plogging
💰 Win one of 5 x $100 plant nursery vouchers.
🔅 Create comfort at home
🍃 Appreciate our local biodiversity
🦋 Download a garden guide
🐟 And, really - how good are Galaxias?
ALSO - do you know where in Casey our Green Living picture (top) was taken? Share your thoughts at the Green Living in Casey Facebook group with the tag #GreenLivingCasey.
Last month's image (right) was an example of the endangered Swamp Everlasting (Xerochrysum palustre).
Did you know that a number of local students are working with conservationists to bring these back from the brink? Learn more about Raising Rarity and the rest of our Climate Action Living Lab projects.
Join the Green Living in Casey Facebook group for even more tips, activities and ideas. Also check out the latest version of our Green Living Events flyer here.
Do you have a community event coming up? Email eduwaste@casey.vic.gov.au at least a month in advance and we'll be happy to help spread the word.
Or if you know someone who'd be interested in this newsletter, please pass on this email. If they enjoy our content they can sign up here.
Floribunda - now until Sunday 20 July
International Compost Awareness Week - Monday 4 - 10 May
Composting 101 Workshop - Saturday 17 May 9am - 11am
World Bee Day - Tuesday 20 May
United Nations International Day for Biological Diversity - Thursday 22 May
Berwick Farmers Market at The Old Cheese Factory - Every second Saturday 8.00am – 12.30pm and every fourth Sunday 8.30am – 12.30pm
National Reconciliation Week gathering Thursday 29 May, 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Bunjil Place Plaza
World Environment Day - Wednesday 5 June
World Oceans Day - Saturday 8 June
Innovate Casey - Thursday 12 June, 5.00 pm - 8.30 pm
Innovate Casey - Thursday 12 June, 5.00 pm - 8.30 pm
Interested in innovation, sustainability, and the future of our city?
‘Innovate Casey’ will feature a variety of presentations, panels, and networking opportunities for anyone interested in innovation, sustainability, and the future of the city.
Schools Tree Day - Friday 25 July
National Tree Day - Sunday 27 July
Our neighbours at Dandenong also have a Community Clothes Swap the second Saturday of every month
|
Follow your Waste tours If you want to see exactly what happens to your household waste, join us! These bus tours will visit Valoriza (where the food and garden waste bin contents go), Stevenson's Road Closed Landfill (to learn about landfill aftercare management), VEOLIA (to see where your rubbish bin contents go), and (if the site is completed in time), will visit the Recycling Education Centre in Hallam. |
This tour is fully catered and always popular, so book in now to avoid missing out! NOTE Attendees must be 16 or over. Bookings essential. |
|
Tuesday 27 May, 9.00 am – 4.30 pm Leaving from and returning to Timbarra Community Hall, Timbarra Way, |
|
Thursday 21 August, 9.00 am – 4.30 pm Leaving from and returning to Bunjil Place, Patrick Northeast Drive, Narre |
|
Thursday 16 October, 9.00 am – 4.30 pm Leaving from and returning to Bunjil Place, Patrick Northeast Drive, Narre |
Have you ever thought about environmental volunteering?
Casey Friends groups are a great way to get involved in the community. Most of our Friends groups meet monthly for activities like planting, weeding, litter collection and environmental monitoring. For more information on the different groups please click on the links below or email enviroeducation@casey.vic.gov.au for further information.
Friends of River Gum Reserve - Friends of River Gum Creek | Facebook
Friends of Cardinia Creek Sanctuary - Friends of Cardinia Creek Sanctuary | Facebook
Friends of Eumemmerring Creek - Friends of Eumemmerring Creek | Facebook
Cannons Creek Foreshore Committee enviroeducation@casey.vic.gov.au
Friends of Warneet Bushland Reserve enviroeducation@casey.vic.gov.au
Friends of Frog Hollow enviroeducation@casey.vic.gov.au
Parkruns Did you know that you can explore Casey's green belts and waterways with a bunch of mates every Saturday morning? Bonus if you turn it into plogging! Learn more about Parkrun below. |
Feel-good sewing Learn the basics of sewing and make bags and simple garments for charity. Every Thursday during school term come along to Merinda Park Learning and Community Centre 9:30-11:30am All materials provided for just $5 per session. |
Recycle Right speed runs Confused about what goes into which bin? |
Show our trees some love
Do you have a favourite local tree? Casey is looking for our most loved, significant and valuable trees. If you want to share the story of a special sapling or a giant River Red gum, head to Casey Conversations to have your say. You can nominate any tree or group of trees in Casey, singling them out for their remarkable size, age, rarity, ecological importance, or cultural and historical value.
Have your say!
Are you as cranky about dumped rubbish as we are? Have your say in developing local laws that support the health, safety and wellbeing of our community. It covers a wide range of local issues including unsightly properties, dumped rubbish, and neighbourhood concerns such as hoarding and disruptive noise. Complete our online survey and go into the draw to win 1 of 5 $200 vouchers.
Koala Corridor Project - Western Port Biosphere
If you'd like to become a volunteer for either planting koala habitat or scat surveying events, please get in touch here.
They're also on the lookout for property owners keen to have the land revegetated with koala habitat trees, shrubs and grasses
Southern Brown Bandicoot
If bandicoots are more your bag, learn more about the Western Port Catchment Landcare Network's project to create a community of bandicoot buddies. To be specific, the threatened Southern Brown Bandicoot.
A number of trail cameras are being set up to monitor the peri-urban fringe these sweet little critters call home.
If you'd like to know more or be a part of this program, please contact facilitator@wpcln.org.au and have a chat with Sue.
📸: Ricardo Simao
Lobby for our locals
This science week (August 9 to 17) the ABC is looking for Australia's most underrated native animals.
🐟 We'd like to put in a pitch for the endangered Dwarf Galaxia 🐟
These tiny fish, Galaxiella pusilla, have been recorded in Casey in Cardinia Creek and the Hallam Main Drain.
Their distribution is relatively small, between the Mitchell River Basin near Bairnsdale and Dandenong Creek. There are other populations on Flinders Island and north-eastern and north-western Tasmania.
If you'd like to boost their profile, please email the ABC's Underrated Animals to tell them why this little fishy is underrated - and why.
Sustainable House Day 2025 If you couldn't get to Sustainable House Day, read all about it here. This article showcases a selection of homes that exemplify cutting-edge sustainable design, providing insights into the innovative features and eco-friendly solutions homeowners have implemented. 📷Alanna McTiernan |
Free energy advice Want to draught-proof your home before winter but don't know where to concentrate your efforts? The Australian Energy Assessments offer FREE scorecard assessments. Then follow up with easy-to-implement DIY recommendations to make your home more comfortable.
|
Composting 101 Workshop - Saturday 17 May 9am - 11am, Myuna Farm
Compost is not only THE magical ingredient in gardening, it can save you money! Once you have the method down pat, you can compost almost anywhere - even on bare concrete.
This session will give you the basics on composting to get you started and ensure you’re doing it right. One lucky attendee will win a compost unit to take home!!!
I📷 S. Charles ⬆️
Casey flora and fauna spotlight – Common Heath (Epacris impressa)
This pretty bell-shaped pink flower was chosen as Victoria's floral emblem back in 1958 and is featured on the state coat of arms. It also comes in a cream- flowered form and there are a number of white, red and pink cultivars as well.
Check out the Stringybark Garden at the Cranbourne Botanical Gardens to see some of the best examples.
They also provide a winter food source for nectar eating birds such as the Spinebill (Acanthorhynchus_tenuirostris) who can access the tops of the tubular flowers with their long, curved beaks.
📷 JJ Harrison ⬅️
Habitat Poster – Create a Pollinator/insect friendly garden
This quarter we would like to share with you our Create a Pollinator/insect friendly garden resource poster. With so many native insect pollinators looking for food and host plants why not plant some in your garden today!
📷 R. Elliot Dainty Swallowtail caterpillar.
What to plant Planting proteins brings all the honeybees to the yard! In addition to providing tasty crops, bees love legume flowers. Some are, of course, prettier than others. These sugar snap pea flowers (above) are gorgeous in the garden, as are snowpea blooms and Crimson Flowered broad beans. 📷 Canberra Organic Growers Society |
Use it up recipe - Tuscan tomato bread soup Bread and cheese are two of the top five most-wasted foods. So here's a recipe that can help use up both! Quick, filling, warming and rich, it's just the thing for a chilly autumn evening. 📷 Wesley Mitton |
Garden giveaways
If you've ever done a My Smart Garden workshop, you're eligible to win one of 5 x $100 plant nursery vouchers. This not-for-profit organisation gives design advice to make the most of your gardening space and resources.
Grant Writing – Recorded Session Available
Want to improve your grant writing skills and secure funding for your community group?
This session covers where to find grants, how to navigate complex jargon, and what makes a successful application. Presented by Casey’s experienced Grants Officers, the session is packed with practical insights and expert advice. If you would like to access the recorded session, please email volunteermatcher@casey.vic.gov.au
What are your tips, hacks or even questions for using, reusing, upcycling and recycling? Please share them with us via email or through the Green Living in Casey Facebook group.
Finally, if you're not sure what to do with your waste, check out our searchable directory or our updated Recycling and Waste Guide.
