Earthcare News
February 2000
1 do what I can, where I am.
Recycle Paper
Earthcare has decided it is time to reduce the amount of paper consumed by us with the aim of reducing the clear felling of native forests to source woodchips for paper manifacture,( and thereby reducing the need of planting more trees!) We also hope that our endevours will inspire you to do the same were ever possible.
Our first step is to trial the Earthcare newsletter on recycled paper, if this is sucessful all brochures will also be done on recycled paper. Those people with email addresses may be interested in receiving their newsletter by email, removing the paper altogether.
The next step is to recycle what paper we already have used. Two boxes will be placed next to the photocopier for waste paper that has been used on one side only, and for paper to be recycled. This is a step that is easily undertaken at home if you aren’t already.
We intend to buy an over head projector for our meetings, approach local newsagents to sell recycled photcopy paper, and contact other groups that use the Eco centre to do the same.
Greening Australia is Running some training courses
Training sessions for Earthcare members are $15 each. Sessions are run by
Greening Australia. These are just the first two. There are many sessions
throughout the year on a variety of topics.Registration forms may be
obtained at the Earthcare meeting or from the website
Dive In
Help clean up Seagrass Beds and Surround of St Kilda Pier
Clean up Australia Day
Sunday 5th May 10am- 12noon Shore end of St Kilda Pier
Earthcare St Kilda will be clearing the plastic bags and bottles from the seagrass meadows and beach at the shore end of St Kilda pier.
Earthcare member will be snorkelling.
Footwear is recommended, gloves will be provided.
One of Earthcares’s major activities is studying the marine life of St Kilda harbour, as well as increasing the diversity and extent of native vegetation and monitoring the penguin and Rakali population on St Kilda Breakwater
Whats On
20th February, Westgate Park Community Day, 10 am Westgate Park
22nd February, Rakali Watch,8pm, boardwalk. Ph Zoe for Confirmation 0413 843594
24th February, Earthcare Annual General Meeting, The Eco Centre, 7.30pm
5th March, Clean Up Australia Day, Dive group cleans St Kilda Harbour
Friends of Sandringham Rail Reserve meets at The Nightingale St under passat 10.30am to remove litter from the Rail reserve.
7th March, Rakali Watch, 8pm start of Pier. Ph Zoe for confirmation 0413 843 594
9th March, Committee meeting, The Eco Centre, 7.30pm
The Plastic bag protest Advertised in the last newsletter will be postponed until later in the year to allow it to be organised sucessfully. It is one event that needs a large turnout and good organisation for results. It was felt that there just wasn’t time to this project justice. Any one interested in helping organise this worthwhile project please contact Josephine on
Rebecca Garcie Lucas has contributed this inspiring ecophilosopy booklist.
Ecophilosophy, deep ecology, ecopsychology... all these explore the
fundamental relationship of people with the earth. Below are a diverse
selection of books, some are enjoyable and easy to read, others are a bit
more demanding. All can be read partially - single essays or chapters.
The blurbs chosen from the covers or preface offer simple guidance.
Abram, David. The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in
a More-Than-Human World Vintage Books (New York; 1996) "One of the
hundred visionaries who are changing the world" "This book ponders the violent
disconnection of the body from the natural world and what this means about how we
live and die in it."
Drengson, Alan and Inoue, Yuichi. The Deep Ecology Movement: An
Introductory Anthology North Atlantic Books (California; 1995) "Deep
Ecology’s followers share a profound respect for the earth’s interrelated natural
systems and a sense of urgency about the need to make profound cultural and
social changes in order to restore and sustain the long-term health of the planet."
Merchant, Caroline. Radical Ecology: The Search For a Livable World
Routledge (New York; 1992) "Radical ecology emerges from a sense of crisis
in the industrialized world...It empowers people to make changes in the world
consistent with a new social vision and new ethic."
Naess, Arne. Ecology, Community and Lifestyle Cambridge University
Press (Great Britain; 1989)
"Naess offers in this book the basis of a new ontology which posits humanity as
inseparable from nature. If this ontology is fully understood, it will no longer be
possible for us to injure nature wantonly, as this would mean injuring an integral
part of ourselves."
Roszak, Theodore. The Voice of the Earth Simon and Schuster (New
York; 1992) "In our hearts we know there is something maniacal about the way
we are abusing the planetary environment. The extinction of species, the
depletion of ozone, the annihilation of rainforests...how often do we read reports
of devastation and say ‘That’s crazy!’"
Roszak, Gnomes and Kanner (Eds.) Ecopsychology: Restoring the Earth,
Healing the Mind Sierra Club Books (San Fransisco; 1995)
"Ecopsychology marks the coming together of leading-edge psychologists and
ecologists to redefine sanity on a personal and planetary scale...presenting
revolutionary concepts of mental health along with a vision of renewal for the
environmental movement."
Weston, Anthony(Ed) An Invitation to Environmental Philosophy
Oxford University Press (New York; 1999) I don’t have a blurb, but this is
an easy to read and inspiring collection of essays.
It is proposed that a hand-made water wheel, which will use a pump as a power source to transfer the water to the firefly pond, be installed to see whether it improves the water purification process. It is also hoped that the water wheel will become synonymous with Shinike (just as the windmill has with Momoyama).
The aim is to have the water wheel completed by June 2001, becoming a part of our 10Year Celebrations. June is also "Environmental Month". A schedule will be announced on Saturday 5th of February at the general meeting for the following stages: planning, cost estimates, funding, material supplies, construction, establishment and testing of the wheel
An opinion
Waste water created in everyday life: what can be considered as waste water is unclean water such as that from baths, washing dishes, and washing clothes. The effect on Shinike from such water is large, and we would like this to become an important issue. According to data from the Aichi Prefecture’s Environmental Division the source of the contamination can be attributed as follows: everyday waste water 57%, industrial waste water 31%, and others 12%.