Earthcare News
June 2001
I do what I can, where I am
Saturday 23rd
June 10am- 3pm
Meeting at Harold Street
A vigorous work out for those who wish, or
a sedate re-acquaintance with nature if thats your want, you choose. Come
along and join the fun.
Delicious lunch and
refreshments provided
Please bring gloves and
favourite tools (some tools provided)
Details ph: Alison 9532
4138
Sustainable Living At Home
Earthcare meeting
730pm Thursday 28th
June, Ecocentre
Steve Cavachiollo
The
City of Port Phillip proposes a pilot program to engage the community in a
process of long term behavioural change.
This will encourage individuals and households, to move consciously in
the direction of sustainable development. The purpose of the program is to
empower individuals to live increasingly sustainable lifestyles.
In
this program, households in a neighbourhood work together over a given period
and examine and modify their own consumption patterns, whilst focussing on the
following aspects at a local level:
· Household energy;
· Water conservation and reuse;
· Waste & Litter;
· Personal transport; and
· Purchasing habits
To find out more come and hear Steve speak
at this months Earthcare meeting.
Planting on the
Breakwater!
Sunday July 8th,
Meeting at Breakwater
gates 10am - 12noon
This
is your one chance to plant/weed on the St Kilda breakwater this year. Last
year was the most beautiful day, clear, calm and sunny. One penguin was
discovered sitting on eggs (very much out of season) near our lunch site. A
most enjoyable day. Be early, bring your friends and make this day just as
special!
Please bring your own gloves and favourite
tools. Lunch & refreshments provided!
Queries phone Alison 9532 4138
Port
Phillip EcoCentre is applying to be listed on Environment Australias register of Green Groups. The
benefits of registration include Gift Deductibility status, and eligibility for
Environment Australia funding programs.
As the Environment Australia program which
funds administrative costs of regional umbrella environment groups will be
advertised around the end of this month it is vital that the EcoCentre achieves
the eligibility criteria ASAP.
To
be eligible for Green Group registration the EcoCentre is required to make
the following amendments to our constitution.
1.
Establish a public
fund.
2.
Insert the rules of the
public fund in the EcoCentre constitution.
3.
Declare that we accept
any rule that the Ministers may make to ensure gifts made to public funds will
only be used for environmental purposes.
4.
Declare that we will
not pay any of our profits or surplus to our members, executive, or trustees
etc.
Provide
that if the public fund is wound up, any surplus assets of the fund are to be
transferred to another fund that is on the register of environmental
organisations.
A Special General
Meeting is to be held on Monday, 2ND July at 6.30 pm at The
EcoCentre cnr Blessington and Herbert Sts, St Kilda Ph 9209 6491
The
time has come, enough is enough, if your newsletter has 00 at the base of the
address, this will be the last newsletter you receive, unless you pay your
membership.
We
also, say goodbye to Eh (Ecohouse) members, although we hope they will join
Earthcare.
Membership
form on back of newsletter, cost $20singles/$30.families
23rd June, Planting
Canterbury Rd.
Meeting at Harold St.10am-3pm Alison 9532
4138
28th June, Earthcare meeting Featuring Steve
Cavicchiolo -Sustainable living. 7.30pm at The Ecocentre
30th June, Alma
Rail Planting/weeding, Alma Park East 10am-12noon Jo-Anne 9533 8707
1st July,
Water Quality Testing,
Cowderoy Creek, West Beach 2pm
1st July, Penguin Research, Meet at Start of St Kilda Pier. 7.00pm
Details Angela 9527 8334
3rd July, Rakali Watch & catch 6.30pm the St Kilda Pier Boardwalk
Zoe 0402 164 482
8th July, Breakwater planting, 10am -12noonish Meet at Breakwater gates
St
Kilda Pier
14th July, Friends Port Melb foreshore
(melways 56 F3) 9.30am-12noon Details call Janet 9645 2269
15th July, Friends of Sandy Rail, Riddell Pde
Elsternwick (melways 67 G5.)10am-12noon
15th July, Friends of Westgate Park, 11am
check noticeboard Todd Rd carpark for location
22nd July, Federation Walk- Coastal waterways
meet Cnr Marine Pde and Elwood Canal 10am Bookings 9690 9584
26th
July, Earthcare Meeting,
7.30pm at the Ecocentre
28th July, National Tree Day at Alma Rail,
Dandenong Rd End 10am - 12noon
Green Palm success!
Earthcare
St Kilda had great success at the City of Port Phillip's Inaugural Green Palm
awards, with the top two awards going our way. Firstly Neil Blake, nominated by
Earthcares' Dynamic Duo, won the gold palm for an individual for his
outstanding contribution to the environment, and Earthcare won the top group
prize. Zoe Hogg also was awarded for
her contributions to the Coast.
Here
is are excepts of these nominations:
Neil Blake
Neil
Blake is practically an environmental institution. He has been working to protect and enhance the environment of the
City of Port Phillip for at least the past 17 years. Although he has been an
employee of the City, much of his work for the environment has been after hours
as a volunteer.
While
St Kilda ranger he initiated the penguin study in 1986, and persuaded the late
Emeritus Professor Mike Cullen (Monash Zoology) to head up the penguin
research. Once a fortnight for 15 years, rain hail or shine, a dedicated band
of volunteers has gone out to the breakwater with Neil to study the penguins in
their habitat. This information has created a valuable database about this
unique penguin colony, which lead to the establishment of the breakwater as a
wildlife reserve in 1992. The information gathered by the study permitted the
safe reconstruction of the breakwater. During the reconstruction (1995-1998)
Neil would be there at dawn every day to put the penguins in the water before
works could begin. Neil put together both the visitor and management strategies
for the breakwater, and was and is a key component of the multi-disciplinary
joint committee comprising representatives of State and Local government, yacht
club and community established by the Victorian Government to oversee the
management of the reserve.
In
1989 he Co-founded Earthcare as a practical local volunteer group initially to
support the penguin study group. Rapidly Earthcare became a group with a
broader focus to protect, research and enhance the indigenous flora and fauna
of St. Kilda (later the City of Port Phillip) www.vicnet.net.au/~earthcare
Zoe Hogg
Zoe
Hogg has made enormous contributions to the local community in the fields of
education, environment and the arts. She is a person of diverse talents, with a
rare ability to combine creativity with organisation and seemingly boundless
energy
.. In spite of being sixty-something
Zoe frequently has followed up musical performances with a stint of
climbing around the rocks of St Kilda Breakwater to beyond midnight with the St
Kilda Penguin Study. She has been involved in the study for the past 12 years
and been a major force behind many the excellent community environment
projects of Earthcare St Kilda. She has brought her artistic skills to
numerous environmental education publications
The Ecohouse Project update. Jo Samuel-King
Perhaps
due to my silence you may have thought that the Ecohouse project had
died. This is not so!! For those who don't know the project involves
retrofitting the EcoCentre into a model sustainable site that will act as an
inspiration to the wider community and a seed for further change.
There
is now a new coordinator-Peter Barker-if you are interested in helping out
please contact him on 9209 6811. He works Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The
working group has held together and done fantastic work. We have
obtained over $100,000 towards the project (only another $150,000 odd to find)
and we have just put the planning application for the retrofit of the
building into council. Our main focus for the next month or so will be
russling up the remaining money.
All
going to the time line we will commence the retrofit towards the end of this
year with a view to the completion of the project by February 2002.
Check
the website (designed by Alison Strachan) for details
http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/ecocentre/ecohouse/homehouse.htm
Earthcare
Earthcare is a practical, local environment group.
We work closely with specialists and the Council to improve the environment in
the City of Port Phillip.
Our main projects are to increase the diversity and extent of native vegetation, the fortnightly penguin and rakali study groups, litter and water quality monitoring, underwater studies of the St Kilda Harbour, the nest box project and sustainable housing.
Membership includes the monthly newsletter,
admission to talks by guest speakers, access to specialist project groups, and
participation in local plantings.
Its a great way to study local ecologies, with or
without formal qualifications while giving something to our community.
Tel. 05 008 32784 http://www.vicnet.net.au/~earthcare
Membership or Renewal Form
Membership of Earthcare St. Kilda
Inc. is per calendar year, February to January.
Membership includes a monthly
newsletter and information about coming events.
I wish to join Earthcare St. Kilda
Inc.
$20 individual $30 family I wish to make a donation $
Please return completed form to PO
Box 287 Elwood 3184
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