Reclaim the curb

Another sprout of hope and action – a group calling itself “Reclaim the curb” is promoting road gardens. Reclaim the Curb say their goal is to empower people to turn forgotten public spaces around them into productive, edible, enjoyable areas. The collective behind the blog launched a competition last year to create Australia’s most edible curb. Although modest in size, the response to the competition was really overwhelming – so this year they... Read More

Bronte sunrise today, Chippendale pollution yesterday

Bronte sunrise, Friday 14 June 2013 Last Friday morning I swam in Bronte pool.  At 19 degrees the pool was clear amidst a clear sky, the light and the moment exactly like the moment Leonard Cohen sings of  . . . ” There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in . . . ” (Anthem). Diving in, there was just silence in my monkey brain and pure sensual pleasure at being alive.   But after the gifted moments I got out of the pool and considered... Read More

Citizens may self-approve their road gardens

Sydney City Council has recognised that its citizens don’t need nannying if they wish to garden. Citizens may give themselves  approval to garden in public in the road verge. A new policy adopted by Council on Monday 25 February 2013 makes clear that Sydney citizens may self-approve their own road gardens. “The Footpath Gardening Policy (the Policy) allows residents and businesses to put planter boxes on the footpath and/or carry out gardening on footpath verges... Read More

How to dig a drain under a path or road

Here’s how to put a drain to your garden and to get the drain below an existing path or other paved area.   This is a simple, easy-to-do way of getting water to your garden when a masonry or other hard surface is between your garden and your source of water. We might sum up this method as, “digging with water”. What’s not discussed here are safety issues which you’ll need to also resolve such as:  are there any electrical, gas or other services where you wish to... Read More

Free mulch service, Australia-wide

Thais has posted this offer in the Sustainable Chippendale Facebook page. “Gardeners – free truckload of mulch for you to take away in open yard, Chippendale Yesterday we received a massive truckload of mulch to protect our gardens from the heat that is about to come; and it was free!! MulchNet has kindly donated the mix of beautiful mulch this afternoon, the lovely Wally dropped it off to us, and it is all now at the Pine St Creative Arts Centre, who also... Read More

When the streets seem strange

More often now  as I walk the streets the words come to my lips or mind, “These things seem strange to me now.” Funny.  Why’s that? The streets are the same.  The people, cars and other walkers – the same. How can the familiar become strange? James Joyce, self-exhiled to Paris, could describe the streets and names of most of his home town Dublin.  They were in his blood and inhabited his every fibre – his books say so loudly, and fondly, with... Read More

New York Times – record droughts now ‘normal’

New York Times – record breaking droughts ‘normal’ from now on; will seem ‘wet’ compared to droughts  that lie ahead in the next decades. www.nytimes.com… ‘It is increasingly clear that we already live in the era of human-induced climate change, with unprecedented weather and climate extremes . . .  Read More

Launch today of national Cool Streets Campaign

Blast off. The Total Environment Centre and Jeff Angel today launch their national Cool Streets Campaign, or as their news release puts it:                           MEDIA ALERT                                2 August 2012           AUSTRALIA NEEDS COOL STREETS TEC’s new campaign to reclaim the streets will launch tomorrow, with the construction of NSW’s first ecoPOP.   “A properly functioning... Read More

Luminous Chippendale

Luminous Chippendale   Here’s a note to me by a designer and gardener, Chantelle Matthews, about the road art and gardening she’s doing in Chippendale. ‘Strengthening the identity and liveability of Chippendale using a lucent groundcover Luminous Chippendale is a street garden project which aims to develop latent luminosity into a recognizable characteristic of this often shaded inner city neighbourhood of Sydney. The impact of both light level and sense... Read More

Free in Freo

Flew with the dawning sun as it raced the plane from Sydney to Perth yesterday.  A beautiful, thing, flying across high up like that; first flight I’ve just completely enjoyed – ever.  Don’t know why.  But has to be mixed up with the way I’m travelling lighter and lighter these days n nights.   Anyway, to Fremantle where the rest of the day was a succession of delights. Studio room at The Painted Fish   I reckoned I’d died and gone to... Read More