Archive for the ‘Visions’ Category
Visions refer to ideas on how to create a sustainable future for cities around the world. Visions links in strongly with the overall Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (VEIL) project, which designs visions to change our current direction towards a more sustainable future. If you are involved with an environmental visioning project you are welcome to post information about your work on SustainableCitiesNet.com. To do so visit the “How to use this site” page and follow the prompts.
The Sustainable Cities Network and VEIL wish you a Happy Christmas and a fantastic New Year!
Posted in Visions by fedwards on December 24th, 2008
The Sustainable Cities Network and the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab would like to wish you a Happy Christmas and a fantastic New Year! The Sustainable Cities Network will be on hold from 25 December to 12 January. We look forward to working with you all to achieve significant sustainable change in 2009!
Best,
Ferne Edwards
Sustainable Cities Network moderator
Tags: Christmas greetings
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Bioneering ahead!
Posted in Visions by fedwards on October 28th, 2008
Posted recently on the excellent blog, Worldchanging.com, is a review of the Bioneers conference. Bioneers are “social and scientific innovators from all walks of life and disciplines who have peered deep into the heart of living systems to understand how nature operates, and to mimic “nature’s operating instructions” to serve human ends without harming the web of life“. Now in its 19th year the Bioneers conference had some fantastic speakers, including Janine Benyus, Ray Anderson, Bill McKibben, David Orr, Naomi Klein, and others. To view the review by author Jeremy Faludi and get inspired by some innovative environmentally-engaged thought, click here.
Tags: bioneer conference, bioneers, environmental innovation, review
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Designing human-powered flight
Posted in Visions by fedwards on October 26th, 2008
Recently published on TED.com is the story of Paul MacCready, an aircraft designer who talks about what we all can do to preserve nature’s balance. His contribution: solar planes, superefficient gliders and the electric car. To view the footage click here.
Tags: airplanes, climate change, Transport
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Research - “Attitudes to conservation and water consumption” report
Posted in Movements, Research, Visions by fedwards on August 8th, 2008
Please find below some information about the report, “Attitudes to conservation and water consumption” which was recently posted on Australian Policy Online . There is also a link to the full article below.
Attitudes to conservation and water consumption
Bill Randolph and Patrick Troy / City Futures Research Centre
Posted: 18-07-2008
Link: http://www.apo.org.au/linkboard/results.chtml?filename_num=221820
Sydney’s water supply is under great pressure as the demand continues to rise. Demand mitigation strategies have had some success, but domestic consumption remains high. This paper discusses the attitudes of households to their water consumption in a search for ways in which domestic demand for water may be reduced. Evidence on attitudes of households in different kinds of housing was obtained using a telephone interview survey supplemented by information derived from focus groups drawn from households in the same areas. The information was collected in a period when strong water use restrictions were in place and major arguments were being mounted in favour of water pricing as a way of moderating demand. The paper argues that the complexity of the forces shaping demand needs to be understood in the context of the socio-demographic composition of households in different kinds of dwellings, as well as the cultural, behavioural and institutional aspects of consumption, if public policy is to be successful in reducing consumption and/or providing alternative domestic supplies of potable water.
Tags: Urban Design and Built Form, waste, Water
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Resource - “Farming Futures” fact sheets
Posted in Models, Research, Visions by fedwards on August 7th, 2008
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
Farming Futures – new fact sheets
The Farming Futures programme, managed by Forum for the Future, has produced new fact sheets on: anaerobic digestion, biomass, water management and soil management. You can download them here: http://www.farmingfutures.co.uk/x360.xml . In the pipeline are fact sheets on nutrient management, smart technology, how to measure your carbon footprint and energy efficiency.
To remind you, Farming Futures is a collaborative communications project jointly run by the the National Farmers’ Union, Country Land and Business Association and the Agricultural and Horticultural Research Forum (representing the agricultural and horticultural levy boards), the Agricultural Industries Confederation, Forum for the Future and Defra. It aims to provide provide inspiration and information to the farming sector on how to prepare for the impacts, opportunities, risks and responsibilities that climate change brings. For more information see www.farmingfutures.co.uk
Tags: climate change, Food, Resource
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Invitation to the Sustainable Cities Round Table on Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 12 August
Posted in Events, Models, Research, Visions by fedwards on July 24th, 2008
SustainableMelbourne.com and the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab in association with the University of Melbourne’s Entrepreneurs Week would like to invite you to:
The Sustainable Cities Round Table on Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Tuesday 12 August night, 6 – 8pm
Copeland Theatre, Economics & Commerce Building
University of Melbourne
RSVP now to save your seat at rsvp @sustainablemelbourne.com
The challenge of climate change presents many opportunities for new sustainable ventures. Entrepreneurs working in this space are able to creatively develop innovative solutions that have environmental, social and economic benefits, yet like all entrepreneurial ventures it is not without risks. At this Sustainable Cities Round Table we will showcase examples of proactive entrepreneurs who have taken this step and bravely gone where no mainstream business has gone before!
The evening will feature a series of short presentations, musical interludes, networking opportunities and more!
Speakers include:
Nick Savaidis, Etiko Fair Trade;
Mitch O’Sullivan, Waterwall Solutions;
Samantha Parsons, Family of Sam design;
Alexi Lynch, Australia Manager, Cities for Climate Protection, ICLEI & Co-founder, the Environmental Jobs Network;
Cathy Parry, Owner of Ron D Swan: Bags and Cycling Accessories;
Bruce Rowse, Director, CarbonetiX;
Cam Hines, Co-founder & owner, Mountain Goat Brewery;
Elizabeth Boulton, Founder, Logistick – Sustainable Supply Chain Solutns;
Aldo Penbrook, Central Victorian Carbon Auditing Service.
The Sustainable Cities Round Tables are a regular series of events that showcase local environmental initiatives and encourage networking for people working in urban sustainability issues across the government, academic, industry and community sectors. To view footage of previous events visit www.sustainablemelbourne.com/category/sustainable-cities-round-table/.
Please forward this invitation to others who may be interested in attending.
Best,
Ferne
Ferne Edwards
Sustainable Cities Research Officer
Victorian Eco-Innovation Laboratory (VEIL)
Australian Centre for Science, Innovation and Society (ACSIS)
Tags: energy, networks, Resource, Urban Design and Built Form, waste, Water
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Model - Milk from your own cow!
Posted in Models, Visions by fedwards on July 16th, 2008
Please see some information below about a novel idea from Herdshare, http://herdshare.com/. I, for one, would love to learn more about it. Do you know of any other similar examples? Comments are welcome!
Milk from your own cow!
As the ‘locavore’ movement gains momentum, we’re realising the benefit of sourcing our food locally more and more. Here’s a new initiative to help us source raw milk locally too. It’s called ‘Herdshare‘. How it works is you pay a farmer a fee for boarding your cow, (or share of a cow), caring for and milking the cow. You then obtain (but don’t purchase) the milk from your own cow… It’s kinda like owning a share in a crop, racehorse or a bull, but better. It’s still in the development stages, but if enough of us express our interest it really could happen.
If you are interested please pass it on or register here http://herdshare.com/
Tags: Food
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Resource - Feel like some inspiration?! Check out TED! Ideas worth spreading!
Posted in Models, Research, Visions by fedwards on July 10th, 2008
As reads from their website, “TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader. The annual conference now brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes). This site makes the best talks and performances from TED available to the public, for free. More than 200 talks from our archive are now available, with more added each week.”
TED is a fantastic, inspirational resource which offers a range of talks that would engage the Sustainable Cities Net audience. For example, related themes include A Greener Future?, Design Like You Give a Damn, Inspired by Nature, Technology, History and Destiny, The Power of Cities, The Rise of Collaboration, and more…. Check it out and enjoy!
Tags: climate change, energy, Food, Provocations, Resource, Transport, Urban Design and Built Form
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Event - Peak Oil, Climate Change and the Sydney Transition: Permaculture’s Latest or Greatest Challenge? - 21 July
Posted in Events, Models, Movements, Visions by fedwards on July 4th, 2008
Please find message below from Permaculture North, Sydney, Australia of the forthcoming lecture regarding transition towns and relocalisation of community to address peak oil and climate change.
Monday, 21st July 7pm for 7.30pm sharp start
Ku-ring-gai Centre for Seniors, 259 Pacific Highway Lindfield
Peak Oil, Climate Change and the Sydney Transition: Permaculture’s Latest or Greatest Challenge?
After decades of debate, challenge scepticism and uncertainty there is now a growing global consensus on the reality of global warming, though still debate about solutions and weak commitment to action in many nations. Peak Oil – though first predicted in 1956 – is a newer debate and is going through a similar cycle. There are still nations and vested interests in denial and plenty of sceptics. There are plenty of others hoping for a ‘techno-fix’ to the Peak Oil issue. The impacts of Peak Oil, however, are starting to bite right now, much earlier than severe climate change effects. Rising fuel prices, rising food prices, airline cost-cutting and price increases, transport industry struggling and even food-riots are current daily news. We may have much less time to adjust to Peak Oil than to Global Warming. No one can know the exact impacts or timing, but the future scenarios all seem to involve both energy and climate volatility and uncertainty.
Transition Sydney has been formed to stimulate and support local action initiatives aimed at building community resilience and planned adjustment to a world where cheap energy is no longer available and our personal and collective carbon footprint must be reduced to save the planet’s climate and biosystems. Such community-driven ‘relocalisation’ initiatives are likely to prove the most important response to the future challenges, particularly if government responses prove ineffective or even dangerous.
In a multi-media and interactive presentation, Peter Driscoll and Andrew Harvey from Transition Sydney will provide key information on Peak Oil and Climate Change and how these two realities might interact. They will examine possible future scenarios and possible solutions. The vulnerability of the Sydney Region – a metropolitan conglomeration of over 4 million people, 40 local government areas and 8 large city hubs will be discussed. They will then focus on the areas of Sydney serviced by Permaculture North’s activities and activism, the actions that can be undertaken and the central role of Permaculture in building localised community resilience. Finally they will discuss the Transition Towns model of community engagement with local councils to develop local energy descent action pathways for their communities.
After the meeting we will have an open discussion and debate about permaculture strategies to transition. Be prepared for a thought provoking and stimulating meeting this Monday that will get you planning for action.
More information can be found at www.permaculturenorth.org.au Phone 1300 887 145, or email info @permaculturenorth.org.au.
Tags: climate change, energy, Health, Provocations, Transport, Urban Design and Built Form
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Model & Movement - Green skins on buildings
Posted in Models, Movements, Visions by fedwards on July 2nd, 2008
The abstract from the article below discusses the uptake of “green skins” on buildings - such as “garden rooftops, multi-levelled terraced gardens, lush foliage draping exterior walls and vast, internal, Babylonian hanging gardens”. What a sensible and beautiful idea! Why can’t cities but sites of production - ie. greenness producing clean air, possibly even food, rather than simply sinks of consumption?! Comments are welcome below. The full article can be accessed from http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23894388-5012694,00.html.
Abstract: “Green skins”, Greg Callaghan, The Australian, June 21, 2008
Garden roofs and leafy walls could be crucial steps in the fight against global warming, writes Greg Callaghan.
Take one glance at images of the eye-catching ACROS building in Fukuoka City, Japan, and you’ll have no trouble believing that a 21st-century office tower can be eco-friendly. Yes, it boasts a host of energy-saving features ranging from densely insulated walls to compact fluorescent globes, but this is a building that wears Mother Nature’s theme colour on its sleeve – or more specifically, on its back. On the street entrance side, it looks like an ordinary office building, all steel and shimmering glass; at its rear it’s a 15-storey cascade of lush garden terraces pouring down to a park: a green, living oasis in a sea of dead, grey concrete.
Green is the right word to describe the flora-embracing features now being incorporated into new and old buildings across the US, Europe and parts of Asia. We’re talking garden rooftops, multi-levelled terraced gardens, lush foliage draping exterior walls and vast, internal, Babylonian hanging gardens. “Living” buildings, some call them – and they’ve been credited with emitting far fewer greenhouse gases than their vegetation-free counterparts, even the most energy-efficient ones.
Not only do their green-clad exteriors freshen the surrounding air, insulate against heat and cold, and reduce flash flooding in the streets by soaking up rainfall, but they’ve also been found to better absorb street and plane noise, which magnifies as it bounces off hard metal roofs and concrete exteriors. Not to forget their warm and fuzzy aspect: built-in gardens create a soothing refuge for a building’s residents and workers, taking the pressure off public parks. All of which explains why some of the world’s leading architects are designing buildings that can only be described as nature-loving, with built-in structures to support living walls and rooftop habitats that can range from grasslands to birch forests, which in turn can support bird and insect life.
The full article can be accessed from http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23894388-5012694,00.html.
Tags: energy, Urban Design and Built Form
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