Please find a snapshot below of one of the more recent posts from the Mount Alexander Sustainability Group in Australia, part of the Sustainable Cities Network. To view the original post visit http://masg.org.au/.
Please find a snapshot below of one of the more recent posts from the Mount Alexander Sustainability Group in Australia, part of the Sustainable Cities Network. To view the original post visit http://masg.org.au/.
Please find a snapshot below of one of the more recent posts from SustainableSiliconValley.org, part of the Sustainable Cities Network. To view the original post visit www.SustainableSiliconValley.org.
Cities for Mobility is a worldwide network of local actors engaged in promoting sustainable urban mobility: It comprises almost 500 local autorities, public transport companies and partners from private business, science, education and civil society from over 60 countries from all world regions. The network has been created by the German Municipality of Stuttgart (Mayor Dr. Wolfgang Schuster) in 1999.
If you are interested in joining the network free of charge, please visit the “Documents” section of www.cities-for-mobility.net (”membership forms”) or write to cfm@stuttgart.de.
You are kindly invited to join existing project initiatives and to bring in new ones.
Currently the network members put special emphasis on the crucial issue of rising energy prices in the ending oil age. How will local authorities be able/enabled to guarantee in the future sufficient mobility services to their citizens at affordable prices? The rational use of energy, energy-efficient vehicles as e.g. bicycles or electric mobility (above all Light Electric Vehicles - LEV; http://www.pedelec.com/main.php?language=en) and the use of renewable energy sources in transport are among the most urgently needed and most promising solutions that are already available at present.
C4M members are invited to gather in Stuttgart at the yearly World Congress at the beginning of June (next event: 15-16 June 2009) or at Regional Congresses in other parts of the world.
Please find below a report about the ‘Edible Cities’ movement which was based on some urban agriculture projects a delegation from London, UK, visited in the US, supported by the US Embassy, as part of an exchange trip with Growing Power, Milwaukee.
The ‘Edible Cities’ report can be found here: http://www.sustainweb.org/page.php?id=432, and is available for free download.
A reminder of Growing Communities’ Australian School Gardens Network Gathering and the Learning in the Garden Seminar, happening in Brisbane on 13th, 14th & 15 July 2008. With less than 4 weeks to go, make sure your registration is in by the 6th July to secure a place both at the gathering and at the seminar. To download full program and registration form go to http://www.growingcommunities.org.au/litg2008.htm
Since we started promoting the idea of gathering the school gardens community together, we found that there are many people and organisations around Australia working in some capacity in or with school gardens. Many of these people don’t know of or have not heard of one another’s work. We have also found that there is a growing interest in school gardens by NGOs, government and private bodies manifested with, in some cases, increasing support for school gardens initiatives at local, state and federal levels.
As a result Growing Communities see it as crucial that those working in this field should come together to look at these issues. It is of great value to explore ways of working cooperatively and examine the important role that school gardens will have in addressing pressing environmental, health and food security issues affecting Australia today.
We hope to see as many of you coming to Brisbane in July.
Happy gardening.
Growing Communities
192 Boundary Street, West End, Qld 4101
i: www.growingcommunities.org.au
Growing Communities is a community based cooperative enterprise working to promote the establishment, development and on-going support of school gardens, community gardens and city farms in South East Queensland and beyond.
Please find some information and a link about the new website, WorldChanging Seattle below. This fantastic site which originated from the very popular WorldChanging site, is based in place at Seattle which reminds me of many other sustainable-city related sites, namely SustainableMelbourne.com and SustainableRotterdam.com. Read on to learn more!
http://www.worldchanging.com/seattle/
Who is Worldchanging?
Worldchanging is a solutions-based online magazine that works from a simple premise: that the tools, models and ideas for building a better future lie all around us. That plenty of people are working on tools for change, but the fields in which they work remain unconnected. That the motive, means and opportunity for profound positive change are already present. That another world is not just possible, it’s here. We only need to put the pieces together. Informed by that premise, we do our best to bring you the most important and innovative new tools, models and ideas for building a bright green future.
Why Seattle?
Worldchanging is part of a global conversation, but we’re also based in a place. Our headquarters are in Seattle, Washington, and we decided that our hometown was the best possible starting point for trying to bridge the global and local conversations. For many reasons, Seattle is an ideal basecamp for our conversation about how to create a sustainable city. We believe that its wealth of natural resources give Seattle policymakers a unique challenge when it comes to smart management. Seattle’s exploding population (if current rates continue, Washington state may double its population in less than 50 years) presents new challenges: Can we engineer a compact, efficient, appealing urban environment that will attract people into the city and help curb destructive sprawl? Can we create an infrastructure for moving people and goods that puts the needs of pedestrians and public transportation above those of personal vehicles? Can we take Seattle into the future?
Please see a message below from Ami at Idealist.org.
“My name is Ami, and I am the director of Idealist.org. I am writing to ask you a favor. This month we are doing something special at Idealist, and we need your help to spread the word.
Here is the story. Posting a job on Idealist usually costs $60 (we are a nonprofit ourselves, and this small fee keeps us afloat) but starting today, and through the end of June, all job postings on Idealist are free for any nonprofit organization.
We are doing this so that any organization can try us at no cost, and our ultimate goal is to bring you every nonprofit job
that’s open around the country (as well as internships and volunteer opportunities, which are always free).
Lastly, here is a video we produced for this month, that describes why Idealist is the best place to post a nonprofit job: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-BQYIPILUU”
Ami Dhar
Executive Director
http://www.idealist.org
Please find information about the network, The European Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign. This campaign has information on local sustainable development and the implementation of the Aalborg Commitments. Check out their website to learn more about how to achieve your local sustainability targets. Read the news, follow the debate and check the events. The partners of the ESCTC provide you with practical guidance, project ideas and tools, showcased in the Sustainability Kit and in the linked partners’ websites. To mainstream local sustainability throughout Europe, the Campaign fosters the implementation of the ‘Aalborg Commitments’. You can follow their structure throughout many of the items on this site. Enjoy browsing at and become part of the biggest movement for local sustainability across Europe!
The information below was sourced from Tara Garnett at the Food Climate Research Network, Centre for Environmental Strategy University of Surrey, www.fcrn.org.uk. This is an excellent resource to receive updates on research and events on an international basis pertaining to sustainable food systems. To join the FCRN mailing list please email Tara at taragarnett @blueyonder.co.uk
Green supply chain conference - Presentations available
The Food and Drink Federation and the London Technology Network recently held an event entitled: Developing a Greener Supply Chain. There are presentations from Tate & Lyle, Cadbury, United Biscuits, University College London, WRAP and others, all of which can be downloaded here: https://www.fdf.org.uk/speeches_greener_supply_chain.aspx
RELU report - Land to mouth: Exploring the links between sustainable land use and the food we eat’
RELU is a £24 million interdisciplinary research programme into the challenges facing rural areas today, funded by the UK research councils, the Scottish Government and Defra. This report draws on the findings of seven food-chain related RELU projects to examine how a fresh look at land-use could facilitate the production of healthier and safer food. Four key questions are addressed; first, can the way we use land make our food healthier and safer? Secondly, can consumers help the environment? Thirdly, is a healthy and environmentally friendly diet compatible with innovation and sustainable business? Finally, how can policy-makers best respond to these links between sustainable land-use and food quality to deliver effective sustainable farming and food goals? You can download the report here (it’s briefing paper 8): http://www.relu.ac.uk/
Food Ethics Council newsletter
The May issue of the FEC’s newsletter is now available. This one looks at the air freighting of food; at food pricing; and also highlights a new ethics ‘toolkit’ that the FEC have produced. See here: http://www.foodethicscouncil.org/news/newsletter
We welcome proposals for presentations, posters and roundtables and encourage you and your associates to submit abstracts on-line. The deadline is May 27, 2008. See website for details.
Following the extraordinary, sell-out success of the first BECC Conference in 2007, the second annual BECC Conference will be held November 16 – 19, 2008. The conference is focused on understanding the behavior and decision-making of individuals and organizations and using that knowledge to help accelerate our transition to an energy-efficient and low-carbon economy. On-line registration starts June 1.
This year, because of the high level of interest and breadth of topics, the conference is expanding to 2 1/2 days of sessions, plus a not-to-be-missed
conference kick-off program and reception. There will be a rich mix of invited speakers, panels and networking opportunities PLUS presentations, posters and roundtable topics selected from submitted abstracts.
Information: www.BECCconference.org
