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FOR EVERY SHADE OF GREEN - September, October, November 2024
Summer fun
It’s a terrific time to unleash your creativity with some spectacular gift giving these holidays! Please see our thoughtful gifting and gathering guide for inspo, but in the meantime think about the wrapping. Will you choose a tea towel, pillowcase or tablecloth? Some cheeky paperbark bark tied with garden twine? Or get exotic with the Japanese art of furoshiki to really impress your loved ones.
If you’ve been gifted a wrapped present, when it comes to recycling please remember that not all wrapping papers are created equal! Check to see what can and can’t go into your recycling bin here.
Read on to learn how to keep you, your home, your pets and wildlife cool this summer without breaking the bank.
Follow up with some bonus boredom busters to keep you entertained. See you next year!
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2025 YOUTH CLIMATE ACTION COMMITTEE
Do you know a young person aged 15 to 25 who loves the environment? The City of Casey's Youth Climate Action Committee is seeking applications for the 2025 committee. Join other likeminded youths working on projects that reduce emissions and raises awareness on climate change. 2025 Youth Climate Action Committee Application Form
2024 Textile and e-waste dropoff This year's textile and e-waste Green Living event was another great success! The team braved the 37 degree plus heat on Saturday November 23 to collect and sort material from 264 carloads. This included ♻️ 2,317 kilograms of television and computer waste ♻️ 1,518 kilos of other e-waste ♻️ Two truckloads and 2,276 kilograms of textiles for recycling ♻️ And two and a half van loads worth of textiles for local op shops and animal shelters. |
Amping up battery recycling Congratulations to our Battery Blitz champions for keeping nearly 400kgs of batteries out of kerbside bins and landfill – also reducing the risk of fire. The winner of this battery roundup is Clyde Grammar’s Year 4 class, who collected 87kg of dead batteries! St Peters College, Clyde North – Year 9B came in 2nd with a total of 75kg, and Hillsmeade Primary School, Narre Warren South – Hillsmeade Habitat Heroes came a close 3rd with a total of 54kg. The winning team earned a pizza party! |
EV Expo On Saturday 9 November, Bunjil Place shone with over thirty electric vehicles on display for the City of Casey’s first ever EV expo. The event provided over 700 residents with a rare opportunity to compare different brands of electric cars, talk to the dealers, and learn from industry experts. Five cars were available to test drive to help residents decide if an EV will be part of their electrification journey. |
Discounted desexing The City of Casey is excited to announce the launch of its Discounted Cat Desexing Program, offering residents a 50% discount on desexing services for their cats. This initiative, run through the National Desexing Network, aims to promote responsible pet ownership and improve the health and well-being of cats in the community. |
Plant and produce swap Come along and swap your excess homegrown produce, plants, seeds and more, while also meeting like-minded growers and garden enthusiasts. |
Jaws, claws, scales and tails Encounter unique animals from around Australia. Mammals, Birds, Marsupials, Amphibians and Reptiles. Interact with native creatures and come face to face with apex predators. Be exposed to Australia’s magnificent biodiversity! |
A planted present See how plants have grown from seed to seedlings to pot up into a container. Give a gift that you have created to someone special. Choose from a selection of herbs or flowers to plant in a container. |
Plant a Mixed Herb Planter for a Gift 10:00 am Friday 6 December 2024, Endeavour Hills Neighbourhood Centre
Wildlife Xposure Native Animals 10:00 am Monday 13 January 2024, Doveton Library
Aussie Animals Eye Spy Room 10:00 am Tuesday 14 January 2025, Doveton Library
Plant and Produce Swap 10:00 am Saturday 15 February 2025, Endeavour Hills Library
See the latest version of our Green Living Event flyer here
Join the Green Living in Casey Facebook group for even more tips, activities and ideas.
Turn your cans into cash this festive season Alternatively, gather your uncrushed cans and bottles and leave them beside your bin for others to collect. This thoughtful gesture not only helps keep containers out of landfill but also prevents bins from being searched while giving someone an opportunity to earn some extra cash. A win-win for everyone! |
Great business sense Congratulations Outlook Australia on winning Casey Business of the Year, Employment Diversity 2024! Outlook Australia deliver on their guiding mission — to ensure that people with disabilities and those facing disadvantage have the same rights and opportunities as other community members, every day. They're also some of our recycling heroes. Check out the Outlook Recycled Goods Shop at Hampton Park for gifts, gadgets and one-of-a-kind finds. |
Dumping alert The City of Casey and Melbourne Water are working together to educate landowners in rural and farmland areas about the disposal of fill material onto local properties. |
Is it really 'clean fill'? Taking soil, clay, and rocks from construction sites may seem harmless, but can be full of petrochemicals, asbestos, and other contaminants you can’t see with the naked eye. |
You might even be eligible for a Melbourne Water or Landcare grant to help with your site management.
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Keep your home cool There are simple steps you can take to reduce heat gain through your windows. External shading - like outside blinds - is best as it stops the sunshine before it hits the window. However, even internal shading with curtains or blinds can reduce heat entry to some extent and improve comfort. If you're using an air conditioner or other cooler, remember to keep doors and windows closed to avoid wasting energy by letting cold air escape and warm air in.
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Festive decor What will you be using this party season? Did you know you can borrow or hire reusable party gear from a group like the party kit network or kitchen library? Or simply set up your own personalised picnic kit with plates, cups, cutlery, platters, decorations and more from one of our local op shops. Share it with your friends and family and celebrate seeing your treasures pop up in photos year after year. |
Single-use reminder Please remember that single-use plates and cutlery cannot go into your green food and garden waste bin. Even if they’re made from natural materials like sugarcane or bamboo, they can’t be processed into compost at our facility. Sadly, they have to go in the general waste bin. Another reason to put together a reusable party kit! |
Good gifting It’s a terrific time to unleash your creativity with some spectacular gift giving! See our guide for ideas, but in the meantime think about the wrapping. Will you choose a tea towel, pillowcase or tablecloth? Some cheeky paperbark bark tied with garden twine? Or get exotic with the Japanese art of furoshiki to really impress your loved ones.
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Reverse art truck
Places where rubbish becomes the spark for playful creativity are rare, but that’s exactly what Reverse Art Truck is about. Supported by the City of Casey and the City of Maroondah, the Reverse Art Truck is a supply store with a difference. With locations in Narre Warren and Ringwood, it collects offcuts and rejects from local businesses. It turns them into affordable, one-of-a-kind art materials for parents, teachers, and creatives.
Casey flora and fauna spotlight – Cicada superfamily With their deafening high-pitched call, nothing shouts an Australian summer louder than this world record holder. These insects can spend up to 6-7 years underground as nymphs before emerging and leaving their skin shells clinging to fence posts or trees. Photo credit - S Charles |
Keep wildlife comfy too! And cool, well-fed, happy and healthy all year 'round. WIRES have compiled this quick-start guide to creating a garden that will tick all the boxes. |
Gardens for Wildlife & Bandicoots
Enjoy a guided walk through the Australian Garden to learn about the southern brown bandicoots that call Cranbourne Gardens home, and how you can transform your own garden into an oasis for wildlife. Discover which plants and garden features will support your favourite critters, and what key actions will help to foster bandicoot-friendly suburbs. Participants will also receive a complimentary wildlife gardening booklet.
Bandicoot Adventures: Nature Play at Cranbourne Gardens
Get creative, get crafty, get messy and get immersed in a range of family friendly nature-based activities at Cranbourne Gardens these summer school holidays. Join experienced Learning Facilitators under the shade of the eucalypts in the Kids’ Backyard and learn about the endangered Southern Brown Bandicoots that call the Cranbourne Gardens home through a range of nature-inspired play activities.
Edible natives - Prickly currant bush (Coprosma quadrifida) This bush provides great habitat for small birds with its thorned branches and the small bright red berries provide a tasty food source. Try them fresh or in a pie. Why not swap out and use native prickly currants in this redcurrant crumb bar recipe? Yum! |
Show us your plants, win a prize? Please share your best gardening photos at our Facebook page. Tag #GreenLivingCasey for the chance to win this brand new book from local author The Fruit Nerd. If you have a New Year's resolution to grow your gardening friendships, join one of our fabulous groups. |
Beans and greens You can never have too many cut-and-come-again greens, but now’s a terrific time to pop in some beans for a long harvest. Choose something exotic like Yellow Cherokee, Painted Lady or even the African staple, Lablab (pictured) |
No-waste or glut recipe What to do when the zucchinis get away from you! You know the feeling – you missed checking the bush for a couple of days and now you have a huge marrow! Or there’s a glut at the food swap and you’re sick of zucchini bread. |
Go to seed Did you know Connected Libraries members have access to a free Seed Library? Simply join up and you can take home three different seed packets per season and get growing. Visit any Connected Libraries location and ask our staff about free seeds. 🌱 |
Schools Clean Up Day 2025 - Early Bird Competition Any school that registers a Schools Clean Up Day event before the end of this year automatically goes in the draw to win one of two $500 gift vouchers thanks to The Good Guys! |
Future drive Ready to design the car of the future? Like the end of the school year, the finish line for the 2024 Toyota Dream Car Art Contest is fast approaching. 🏎️ 🏁 Closes 20 December 2024. |
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.
