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Fawns

fawns

Early this morning I was watering my flowers when I saw two fawns resting under the azaleas in the front yard. When they walked they were still wobbly, so they were probably born today. It was a wonderful reminder of the softer side of life. There is something magical about…
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Take Time to Appreciate Nature

What an interesting world we live in. On the bus today the man across the aisle from me spent the one hour ride to the Australia Zoo looking down at this phone texting. Granted there isn’t a lot to see on a motorway, but you can still look out and…
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Distracted Walking

I can’t tell you how many times I have been walking on a sidewalk and had to move over so someone wouldn’t walk into me.  I find myself wondering what are they doing that is so important and interesting on that phone.  A sidewalk crash usually results in minimal injuries; however,…
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Spend Time Enjoying Nature

squirrel

I recently returned from visiting Glacier National Park. It was beautiful, despite the smoke from the wildfires in the air.  Even though I grew up in Montana, this was only my third visit to the park.  What can I say, Montana is a big state and I live in Georgia…
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Every Day is Earth Day

Garden Landscape

Spring is a great time to celebrate the earth in all its splendor.  There is truly #NoPlaceLikeHome.  Celebrate today and every day.  I have a hard time picking my one favorite place, so I am sharing a collection of some of my favorite places. More info on the NASA Earth…
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It’s Spring!

flowers in springtime

Everywhere I look it is says Spring!  The trees are blooming, there are daffodils everywhere and almost everyone is sneezing.  This time of year always reminds me how important it is to treat nature well.  Earth Day is almost here. Over the next several weeks we will be posting reminders…
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How a Community Garden Preserves Local History

St Johns community garden sign

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…
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Chicken Barons

cohousing chicken barons

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…
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Co-Housing and Community Gardens

Map of Australia

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…
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Tasmanian Honey Farm

Tasmanian honey farm

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…
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University of Melbourne

University of Melbourne: Pet watering

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 –…
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World’s Smallest Trashcan

Holding smallest trash

What happens when you produce such little waste that the majority of what you no longer need is recyclable or compostable? This trashcan: This is the trash can employees at the University of Melbourne have for all things that are not recyclable or compostable. Now that’s something to be proud of!
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Biophilic Design

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…
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Bicycles in Brisbane

“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…
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St. Kilda’s Community Garden

Melbourne St Kilda garden

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…
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Northey Street Permaculture Garden

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…
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The Confused Curlew

bird: curlew

Pamela shares a story with us today from a young woman she met in Port Douglas, Queensland: [She] “shared tales about the Curlew, a bird with a call that sound like a woman screaming. In the [country’s] early years…explorers thought someone was in danger. [She] relayed a story about a…
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Ecovillage at Currumbin – Part 2

ecovillage toy storage

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…
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A Letter to Tomorrow’s Child

Dear Child, Today, I make a promise to you. I do not want to leave a world without summer – a world without fall – a world without winter – or spring. I want you to remember playing under the camellias and eating spring onions and summer tomatoes from your…
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