To Celebrate National Tree Day

Earthcare is having a Planting Day at

Elwood Foreshore

Sunday 30^th July 10am – 2pm

Originally listed as July 29^th

Meeting at Point Ormond

Please bring your own hat, gloves and sunscreen.

Lunch, tea and coffee and some tools provided.

Contact Jo-Anne for more details 9533 8707

To all the people involved in planting for Earthcare and associated Friends groups this season. So far approximately 3000 plants have been put in on four different sites: The Breakwater, Balaclava Station, Sandridge Beach and West Beach. If you include friends of Sandy Rail Reserve group’s plantings in Elsternwick the total skyrockets to 5000. All days have seen much laughter and good spirit, with plenty of sunshine. And we still have Elwood foreshore and Canterbury Road to plant!

Those who have missed the fun should get in early because at West Beach we finished early due to its popularity. So keep up the good work.

Ecohouse Project

Due to ill health, over work and bad luck the Ecohouse project presentation will not be going ahead as reported in the previous issue, nor will the open day that some may have heard of. Please watch out for the new presentation date, which I’m sure will be worth waiting for.

WHATS ON

20^TH July Friends of Sandy Rail reserve meeting, 7.30pm The Ecocentre

22^nd July, Greening Australia Community Forum- Remnant Vegetation in the Port Phillip Region: A Precious Asset. Contact Kate Stothers 9457 3024 ASAP to register

27^th July, Earthcare meeting, 7.30pm The Ecocentre

30thJuly, Planting at the Elwood Foreshore, 10am – 2pm contact Jo-Anne 9533 8707

5^th August, Greening Aust. Id of Native Plants – Eucalypts and Acacias, see below

6^th August, Water Quality Testing, 1.30pm Cowderoy Creek, West Beach Corner of Pier and Beaconsfield Roads West St kilda

6th August, Penguin Research, 6.30pm St Kilda Pier. Contact Angela 95278334 for confirmation

10^th August, Greening Aust. Training - Small but not forgotten – Mosses and Liverworts. See Below

12 &13 August, Basaltica waterwise garden open day, CRT Resource Centre, Gate 3 21 –43 Barnes Road, Altona North 12noon – 5pm

17^th August, Greening Aust.Training days- Identifying Characteristics of the Environment. See Below.

19^th August, Planting Canterbury Rd St Kilda, 10am- 2pm contact Jo-Anne for details 95338707

24^th August, Friends of Sandy Rail Reserve meeting, 7.30pm The Ecocentre

31^st August, Earthcare meeting, 7.30pm The Ecocentre

Greening Australia, Victoria

Greening Australia is having some fascinating forums and community days in the next few weeks at a very reasonable price. Just $15 per training session or $30 per forum for Earthcare members:

22^nd July, Community Forum- Remnant Vegetation in the Port Phillip Region: A Precious Asset

Speakers include Jeff Durham, Friends of Wandeslaw, Launching place, Dr. Colin Hocking, Victoria University, Richard O’Byrne, Parks Vic, Anne Dennis, Bushcare Facilitator, Port Phillip region, Rod Waterman, Environment Victoria, Andrew Straker, Roadside Conservation Advisory Committee, Shelagh Curmi, Trust for Nature, and Bessie Hussey, Land for Wildlife 9.00am- 4.30pm Cost $30. GAV, Buckingham Drive, Heidelberg. Contact Kate Stothers 9457 3024 ASAP to register

5^th August, Id of Native Plants – Eucalypts and Acacias, A day with Leon Costermans. If possible bring a copy of his books Native Trees and Shrubs of SE Aust. And Trees of Vic and Adjoining Areas. 10am-4pm Byo. Lunch Education Resource Centre, Dandenong Ranges National Park, Ferntree Gully Cost $15 Contact Kate Stothers 9457 3024

10^th August, Small but not forgotten – Mosses and Liverworts. This session will look at the diversity of non-vascular plants and the role they play in the environment.10am- 4pm BYO Lunch. Currawong Bush Park, Reynolds Road, Doncaster East. Cost $15. Contact KateStothers 9457 3024

17^th August, - Identifying Characteristics of the Environment. Featuring a walk through the bush with Darcy Duggan in order to achieve a greater understanding of the ecological processes of the surrounding environment. BYO Lunch 10am-4pm Belgrave South Community House, Gilmore Court, Belgrave South. Cost $15 Contact Kate Stothers 9457 3024

26^th August, – Our Ancient Soils – the Determining Factor. Presented by Neville Rosengren, a well-known soil enthusiast and educator, this session will include site visits to look at soil profiles. 9.30am –4pm, Lake Reserve, Lake Grove (off Murray Road), Coburg. Cost $15. Contact Kate Stothers 9457 3024

(2) Assigned tasks for the construction of the water wheel

(3) Membership payment

Sat. 3^rd: Bamboo charcoal making

Meeting from 7.30

Mon. 5^th: Environmental lecture "Who owns nature? Environmental study in the 21^st

Century"

Sat. 10^th and Sun. 11^th: Obu Community Centre’s Festival - selling of bamboo charcoal

Fri. 16^th: Meeting and Forum

An environmental program is broadcast every Sunday. Mr. Ogawa and Mr. Kojima of Seirei no Kai appeared on the program on May 14^th and 21^st. On the 21^st they discussed the relationship that they have with Earthcare.

In Kagawa Prefecture, which is famous for its many reservoirs, Kagawa Prefectural Government, Nagao Town and Kawazaki Steel Manufacturer have collaborated on a solar electricity experiment using one of the reservoirs.

According to Kagawa Prefecture, this is the first time that such an experiment has been performed in Japan. The people involved in this project have high expectations of the potential of the free resource, the water surface, which until now has not been utilised. In the past, the installation of solar panels has been restricted to roofs, however as an experiment a 25m² floating solar panel (maximum output of 2.6kilowatts) has been placed in a reservoir in Nagao Town.

The fountain, which is connected to the solar panel, operates when the output exceeds 0.4kw, with the excess energy being sold to Shikoku Electric. The experiment started at the end of March, and during the last month the solar panels have produced sufficient energy to power a normal household for half a month.

Investigations on the effects of the solar panel on the reservoir’s waves, the fountain’s spray and other effects will commence at the end of March next year, after the panels have been in place for a year. If this device proves to be a feasible option, then it may be used in devices used to purify lakes, and other devices that require energy sources. Kagawa Prefecture is keen to use such energy sources in their facilities, if the data shows the use of the device to be feasible.

By Mr. Nagai

The deterioration of the natural environment, natural resources and social environment has stolen the glow from the hearts of Japanese. The decline in people’s health can be attributed to the deterioration of the environment and blessed with a convenient society we have forgotten the importance of hard work.

Developed countries are destroying the natural environment, with pollution being created by large cities, global warming increasing, and scientific and economic developments occurring at a fast rate. The present society does not realise the scale of global warming that they are causing, nor that their actions are influencing the spread of deserts in far away countries such as Peru. At a pace of 100plus metres per year, fields are enveloped by desert in Peru. How the farmers can provide sufficient amounts of water to these areas and how they can prevent the spread of the desert and regain a harmonious balance with nature are issues that we presently lack solutions to.

We must confront these issues. The earth and human beings should be proceeding in unison at a slow pace, because if we proceed at speed the planet’s resources will be exhausted. We need to proceed one step at a time. Why the need to hurry? If we rush, we are sure to do great damage to the planet. There is a famous saying that I think we should all remember "Slow and steady wins the race".

Sun. 14^th: Repairs to the firefly reserve frame and planting of water hyacinth.

Sun. 20^th: Collecting of bamboo

Sun. 27^th: Bamboo charcoal making