December 2016

Welcome After a coolish Spring, Summer is finally here. Long hot days, holidays with plenty of time spent outside and walking and riding to destinations as much as possible are all on the agenda. There is heaps happening in Sustainability news along the way…

Sustainable Living Festival 2017 The Sustainable Living Festival is going to be back in 2017. Next years festival will be held over two days on the 24th and 25th February 2017 and will see a couple of new events take place. On the Friday there will be a school day held in which leaders from the local primary schools will have a full day planning, learning, creating and being inspired about a number of Sustainability issues. Then from 4.30pm families, groups of friends, anyone with two wheels will be invited to participate in a Roobaix. This fun cycling event will begin at the Civic Green and entrants will be given a list of fun tasks to do whilst cycling Warrnambool. Entrants can register and leave any time between 4.30pm and 5.30pm and on their return to the Civic Green will be welcomed to stay for a picnic whilst enjoying live music and spot prizes. On the Saturday the Festival event will be held on the Civic Green with a format similar to that of the event in the past.

Once again we will be calling for Expressions of Interest in the following areas: • Stall Holders • Community Groups • Food Vendors – (Possibly) Friday night and

Saturday Wannon Water have once again come on as our major sponsor which is fantastic news. If anyone has any enquiries or would like to participate in the Sustainable Living Festival they are welcome to contact Helen Sheedy on 03 5559 4439 or at hsheedy@warrnambool.vic.gov.au

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What’s happening at City Sustainability? There’s always a lot going on in the Sustainability department so we thought we would share with you some of our highlights!

New Landcare Facilitator Last month City Sustainability welcomed Jileena Cole to the team. Jileena will be taking on the role of Landcare facilitator and will be working with the MAD for the Merri and Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare groups. If you would like to contact Jileena you can by either emailing jcole@warrnambool.com.au or by calling her on 03 5559 4435. Jileena will be in the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Community Development Fund Congratulations to the successful applicants of Warrnambool City Council’s Community Development Fund received a number of app in the sustainability section; • Tozer Rd Reserve • Warrnambool Community Garden • Warrnambool • Friends of Platypus Park All these groups put forward great submissions for projects that will help protect and enhance our environment. We look forward to seeing the results.

Ride to Work Day The annual Ride to work day was held 12th October and although the weather was not kind there were some brave souls who braved the elements and made it to the Civic Green where they enjoyed a hearty breakfast along with door prizes and short films on walking to school and electric bikes.

Warrnambool Walks Launch event The Warrnambool Walks program was launched Encouraging school kids to commit to walking to or from school at least three times a week.

The launch was held near St Josephs Primary school and children and their parents enjoyed a range of activities and information aimed at getting higher participation levels for walking. The Warrnambool Walks Facebook page has also been developed to encourage people who like to walk to share their hints and tips.

New Electric Bike Sustainable transport is important to us at City Sustainability and in a bid to cut down our fleet emissions we have just purchased our second ebike to get Council Officers around town. This bike is available to all workers as an alternative to booking a vehicle when travelling to work related appointments. The bike gets us outside and fitter while having a lesser impact on the environment. Win-Win!!

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Christmas Tree Recycling Once again you can dispose of your Christmas Tree in a Sustainable way, thanks to the good folk at the Community Gardens. All trees will be mulched and reused at the Garden Where: Warrnambool Community Garden corner of Grieve St and Grafton Rd Cost: Free When: Tuesday 3rd – Fri 6th January, 8.30am to 4.30pm Sat 7th January, 10am to 12 noon Tuesday 10th – Fri 13th January, 8.30am – 4.30pm

Resource Smart Schools Sustainability Victoria's ResourceSmart Schools programme in the Barwon South West has recently been taken on by The Farmers Place (http://www.thefarmersplace.com.au/) with Andrew Francis of The Wallaby's Rock Garden (http://www.wallabygarden.com.au/) as the facilitator for Warrnambool and the surrounding region. ResourceSmart Schools is a free Victorian Government initiative tailored to embed sustainability practices into schools, from minimising waste and saving energy to biodiversity and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For more information, email andrew@thefarmersplace.com.au or visit resourcesmartschools.vic.gov.au

Avoid Better Choice Best Choice

Plastic plates Paper plates (compostable if your are

composting) “Real” or reusable plates

Bottled water, Styrofoam cups,

Plastic cups

Paper cups (compostable if your are

composting) “Real” or reusable cups

Single serving condiments (mustard,

ketchup, mayo, sugar, etc.)

Bulk use condiment containers (such

as a bottle of ketchup or jar of mayo) Refillable condiment containers

Plastic silverware Silverware made from a compostable

material “Real” silverware

Plastic tablecloths Paper tablecloths Washable tablecloths

Pre-packaged sandwiches or meals Finger foods

Single use decorations such as

balloons and streamers

Live or edible decorations such as

food or plants Reusable decorations such as art

Summer Entertaining It’s easy and helps reduce waste sent to landfills. Check out this handy chart for picking the perfect sustainable supplies:

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Great Opportunity to come and try fishing! Fishing! It’s a great way to enjoy the outdoors, spend time with family and even catch a feed. It’s even better when done in a sustainable and humane manner. This summer Fishcare South West will be holding ‘Come and Try Fishing’ sessions as part of a state wide ‘Summer Series’. So bring along the family and learn how to fish right. Bring your own gear or borrow a rod and reel, learn the basic skills of fishing, handling fish and fishing regulations. Each session is to be held on a Friday evening between 5:00pm and 7:00pm. Sessions are free, no bookings needed, bait is supplied and children must be supervised at all times. Sessions are dependent on weather conditions. For more information contact Justin on 0437 004 375, check out www.fishcare.org.au or look up ‘Come and Try Fishing Family Days’ on Facebook. So come along to one or all of the following sessions. 30th December – Jubilee Park, Allansford 6th January – The Breakwater, Warrnambool 13th January – Charles Kane Reserve (Merri River), Warrnambool 20th January – The Breakwater, Warrnambool If you are heading away from Warrnambool for the summer, check out the Fishcare website www.fishcare.org.au as there will be sessions held all across the state from the 30th December to the 4th February.

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Contact us If you would like more information on

any of the items in the newsletter or if you wish to be removed from the mailing list please contact Helen

Sheedy (Sustainability Officer) on hsheedy@warrnambool.vic.gov.au or

(03) 5559 4439

Upcoming Sustainability Events:

Produce Exchange: A produce exchange is held on the first Saturday of the month. This is open to everyone who has produce to share. Simply come along and place your excess food on the communal tables and choose something you would like to exchange. No money changes hands! CWA Hall, 30 Kepler St, Warrnambool Spring dates are: 3rd September, 1st October and 5th November. More info: sonatural2@gmail.com

Fresh Local Markets Market featuring local produce, products and plants. When: 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month. Where: Lake Pertobe – Summer carnival site. Time: 9am – 1pm

Coastcare Summer by the Sea Summer by the Sea is DELWP and Parks Victoria's annual celebration of the Victorian coast. A range of activities are on offer throughout January including a rock pool ramble, bird walk and presentations. The Full program will be available at www.summerbythesea.vic.gov.au. Dates: Jan. 2 until Jan. 26 Cost: All activities are FREE.

Green Drinks has a new look! Green Drinks for December will be held in conjunction with Warrnambool Makers Club, at the Cally Hotel, Thursday 8th December, from 6pm. Come along for a drink and/or dinner with like-minded people who are interested in sustainability, DIY and making things happen in a green way in the Warrnambool community and surrounds. Gold coin donation optional. Contact Murray Dancey, on 0418 725 912 with any questions, or visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/324661777613034/"