community
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Several cultures continue to build houses as they did in the past. These traditional building techniques take advantage of local materials and work with the wind and sun to create houses that to build workable houses. An exhibit in Weil Am Rhein, Germany, at the Vitra Design Museum shows traditional houses and new construction that was inspired…
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What moves you to take action? The Turkish Government’s plan to replace the last significant green space in central Istanbul with a shopping mall is what activated a group of young people in Istanbul. I do not advocate violence, but I do understand the frustration of young people who know their voices are not being…
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Building a tower of humans is an old Catalan tradition. The “castellers” form these human pyramids, which are called castells (Catalan word for castles). They can be up to 10 persons tall, which the lightest and youngest members of the team (colla) at the top. this is both a cultural and sporting event. it represents…
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Have you ever considered how resilient your house is to damage from natural disasters? I am talking about things like flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, hail, straight-line winds, and even droughts. I am attending a workshop put together by LSU Extension that focuses on how we can create homes that are more resilient to the disasters that…
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How many of you remember getting “BIG MONEY” during the holidays from a favorite aunt or uncle or maybe your Godparent. I remember one particular Christmas, I had been sick with a very sore throat. My uncle was visiting and the family was sitting in the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen all wrapped up…
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As we left Australia I found myself looking down on the Sydney harbor and recalling all of the interesting things we learned and the wonderful people we met. I learned that my image of the country did not match reality. Australia was more impressive than I imagined. I especially enjoyed the temperate climate that gave…
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Lenah Links brings together community members from Lenah Valley, New Town and the surrounding communities to share their ideas on sustainability, transportation, local food production, and community dialog. The community members say the most important part of Lenah Links is that people are getting to know their neighbors. Lenah Links is a subgroup of Lenah Valley Community Association. The community…
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At the Hobart cohousing development there were designated “chicken barons.” What this means is that a single family was in charge of taking care of the chickens – everything from feeding them to gathering the eggs. Residents are encouraged to bring vegetable matter to feed to the chickens, and the chicken barons then sell the…
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Cohousing and ecovillages are one of the ways Australia is addressing the housing crisis. Issues such as affordability, ecological impact of new (and existing) housing developments and creating communities that embrace the human need for connecting with whom we live with and nearby are important elements of sustainability. Cohousing and ecovillages embrace the small home movement, and encourage homes that…
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Lest we think Australia is free from trash and debris, take a look at this photo of a screen on the river in Melbourne which is designed to catch trash. Like many large cities, they have trash on the streets too, especially cigarette butts. I am not certain that smoking is higher in Australia than…
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We visited so many spectacular spaces throughout our trip, and this Community Garden in Hobart, Tasmania was certainly one of them.
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While in Tasmania, we visited a honey-making family from Huan Valley, outside of Hobart. Their farm is near Huonville and they have a little store called The Honey Pot. The Honey Pot is owned and run by local Huon Valley beekeepers and it has a wonderful range of delicious Tasmanian Honey. The proprietor is the…
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I just couldn’t resist sharing some of the simply beautiful photos we took while in Australia. Enjoy!
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While visiting with four colleagues (Kate Archdeacon, Che Biggs, Jessica Bird, and Kes McCormick) from the University of Melbourne we were able to learn about their efforts to achieve sustainability at the University. Their goal is to develop guiding principals, which will frame the Environmental Policy and outline environmental sustainability strategies for the University – students and faculty. For a…
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Silo by Joost , 123 Hardware Street, Melbourne 3000, is the permanent project of Joost Bakker, eco-entrepreneur, who is a champion for sustainable design and local sourcing of food and foraging movement. This restaurant does not just talk about “zero waste” they are ‘zero waste”. We were lead to Silo, by Kate Archdeacon project director for VEIL (Victorian Eco…
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Biophilic Design suggests that suggests that there is an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems. We heard much at the Healthy Building Conference about the need to rethink our living spaces – beyond community gardens, bike paths, and public transport – though each idea is important it is about an holistic approach…
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We had an amazing time at the Farmers Market in Brisbane last week and I just have to share a pic and some videos that I took while visiting. This friendly farmer took a moment out of the day to pose for a pic with his mum. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_yhsSW1OtI?rel=0] The Brisbane Farmers Market in all it’s…
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“CityCycle is an initiative of the Brisbane City Council to introduce a new form of environmentally friendly personal transport similar in style to European bike hire systems like Vélib’ in Paris and Sevici in Seville. Within 3 km of the city centre 2000 bicycles will be available to pick up and drop off at any of the…
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St. Kilda’s “Veg Out” Community Garden is built on the site of the old St. Kilda Bowling Club in the Port Phillip Council area. The facilities are also home to artist studios, rented on a month to month basis, with garden plots are rented for a $100 annually. The site is overseen by the Local…
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Northey Street City Farm is a non-profit community organisation situated on the banks of Brisbane’s Breakfast Creek in Windsor. More than 1500 exotic and native fruit trees, bushtucker plants, shrubs and ground covers have been planted on the four hectare farm site since its inception in April 1994. The farm has been developed for people…
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We were thrilled to present at Healthy Buildings 2012 in Brisbane! A big thanks to our fellow presenters- We hope to see you all again at next year’s conference!
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The community that resides in the Ecovillage at Currumbin has already developed some traditions of their own- One such tradition applies to new life in the community: When a baby is born the community pulls together in support and brings dinner for the new family every night. This beautiful practice exemplifies the support and connectivity that…
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Last Friday, we wandered around the Ecovillage at Currumbin, which is located in a rural area on the Gold Coast, Queensland, just south of Brisbane. This community is made up of around 150 homes on 110 hectares of reclaimed farmland, laid out around a village center that includes community facilities, home offices and retail space.…
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