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.
Please find a snapshot below of one of the more recent posts from SustainableRotterdam.com. To view the original post visit http://www.sustainablerotterdam.com/.
Please find a snapshot below of one of the more recent posts from SustainableMelbourne.com. To view the original post visit http://www.sustainablemelbourne.com/urban-design-and-built-form/resource-introduction-to-the-sustainable-cities-round-table-on-sustainable-food-systems-28-may/
The abstract below was posted on http://www.urbanmamas.com/activistas/2008/05/the-portland-pl.html.
“Pushing the planning envelope and building its visionary urban design legacy, the City of Portland is taking the lead on sustainable, equitable and economically viable long-range planning. Over the next three years, the Bureau of Planning will be updating its 1980 Comprehensive Plan and the 1988 Central City Plan in an effort called the Portland Plan.
The Portland Plan is an inclusive, citywide effort to guide the physical, economic, social, cultural, and environmental development of Portland over the next 30 years. The plan will build on the work the community did through visionPDX, which captured and fleshed out our shared values of sustainability, equity and accessibility, and community connectedness and distinctiveness.”
To read the full article visit http://www.urbanmamas.com/activistas/2008/05/the-portland-pl.html.
The village of Martin, Hampshire, UK, is an excellent example of how a small town can reconnect and recontrol a large proportion of their food system. 101 of Martin’s 164 households have joined the Future Farms cooperative for an annual £2 fee. The “community allotment” on 8 acres of land raises 45 types of vegetable in addition to pigs and chickens. Produce is priced on a ‘production cost plus 20%’ basis, and is sold to all villagers, not just members, at a weekly market at the village hall. Future Farms is careful to avoid the use of the word ‘organic’, but says they “work the enterprise on an extensive system using the minimum of chemical inputs”.
For more information about Martin visit Change Alley and “The Real Good Life”.
For more information about the Future Farm cooperative model visit http://www.futurefarms.org.uk/index.html.
For more information see http://masg.org.au.
Friday 11th April 2008
Deadlines: more details in newsletter below
12 April - Carbon hero nominations
12 April - buy your raffle tickets
14 April - poetry competition entries close
MASG News and Events
Welcome back Carolyn, who re-starts work at MASG on Mondays, starting 14th April. Please come to the morning tea at 10.30am to welcome her back from maternity leave.
Community-Owned Wind Park Open Day: Saturday 19th April from 10.00am to 2.00pm. Phee Broadway Foyer, Mechanics Lane, Castlemaine, with light refreshments provided. MASG are investigating the potential for a community owned wind park in our shire. All members are invited to an open day to learn more about the project and how you can be involved. Written info available on the day. Wind park developer David Shapero and MASG representatives will be present to answer enquiries and discuss the project. More information and bookings: Jayson 5470 6978 and jayson@masg.org.au
Congratulations to MASG committee member Tony Smark who gave a very well- researched and well-reasoned presentation to the MA Council public meeting on the 08/09 budget. His major recommendations were around the Council’s use of GreenPower, how it offsets its vehicle fleet emissions, the opportunities in the retrofit of the School of Mines Building & the Council’s HACC Home Maintenance program working to increase the energy efficiency of our low income resident’s homes. Tony’s full presentation can be downloaded from the MASG website http://masg.org.au.
For more information see http://masg.org.au.
Our sister site, SustainableMelbourne.com, recently held a Sustainable Cities Round Table on the topic of Mobility. Check out the post below with film footage of one of the presenters.
Local Action & Network - Paul McKay talks about Cyclovia at the Sustainable Cities Round Table, 17 March
March 31st, 2008
by ferne edwards
Also speaking at the recent Sustainable Cities Round Table on Mobility, 17 March 2008, was Paul McKay, a Cyclovia Consultant, whose talk was titled “Cyclovia”. Cyclovia is described on http://www.cyclovia.org/ as Life to the street! The website reads: “Imagine roads with barely a car insight and people of all ages walking, cycling, rollerblading or pushing a pram. That is a Cyclovia. During a Cyclovia, cars are not allowed to drive along the selected road but are still able to cross at designated intersections. The first Cyclovia in Australia was held on 28 May 2006 in Moreland, Victoria. Over 5,000 participants attended this great day.”
Please find footage and the powerpoint slides from Paul McKay’s presentation below.
The Oxford Health Alliance, www.oxha.org, is about preventing and reducing the global impact of chronic disease. Part of the Alliance’s work involves the topic of “healthy sustainable cities” in their research area of Environmental Design for Prevention.
Within this theme, the Oxford Health Alliance with Mandag Morgen recently ran the Forum on Healthy and Sustainable Cities at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia, on Friday, 29 February 2008. Information about this one-day forum which focused on practical actions to progress the Copenhagen Agenda for Sustainable Cities can be found at http://www.oxha.org/initiatives/environmental-design/sydney-forum-2008/forum-on-healthy-and-sustainable-cities.
After a spurt of complex, unexpected and for us, unusual technical glitches, SustainableCitiesNet.com is now back up and running again! We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.
We now invite you to contribute posts and comments to this site - to do this please click on the “contribute” tag above and follow the prompts. Alternatively email Ferne Edwards at fedwards @unimelb.edu.au.
The next SustainableMelbourne newsletter (which includes material on Sustainable Cities) is also due for distribution at the end of this week, Friday 28 March. If you would like to include material in this newsletter which now reaches 1000 people (!!!!) please remember to post your news by 28 March.
