Food conversation, Lane Cove Tuesday 11 December

Food conversation, Lane Cove, Sydney 11 December In Lane Cove, Sydney, tomorrow night at 630 pm, we’ll be talking food, urban farming and how to sustain ourselves where we live.  There’ll be folks from the local markets, road and community gardeners and others with a spring in their heart and step. I’ll have some copies of Sustainable Food to sign and sell, too. Looking... Read More

Fly food to feed fish and sustain fish populations

Some friends have drawn my attention to Jason Drew, who has been in Australia recently. Jason is based in South Africa’s Cape Town.  He sets up ‘green businesses’ to sustain natural resources, such as fisheries. One of his new businesses is fly farming, turning waste into larvae, and a protein-rich, natural animal feed. To get his ideas Drew reads and travels.  He believes... Read More

Leaky drains, stink bugs and fun with dirt on our hands

Rosie and Nigel, who came on the first Urban Farm Working Tour at Sydney’s Sustainable House last Saturday, have kindly sent these photos and questions in. Firstly, the photos. Digging trench beside path for leaky drain   Cutting the agricultural pipe to fit the length of the trench; note the geofabric covering the pipe One length of leaky drain runs beside path edge... Read More

Another urban farm working tour at Sydney’s Sustainable House

On Friday  14  December  -  come to Sydney’s Sustainable House for an urban farm working tour. Start 1130, finish 100. In the garden I will work with you and together for an hour and a half we will: build a leaky drain – you’ll learn how to dig, install leaky drain learn how to prune a fruit tree – how to espalier to make it fit a smaller space learn how to manage... Read More

Urban farm working tour at Sydney’s Sustainable House

This Saturday 1 December  -  come to Sydney’s Sustainable House for an urban farm working tour. Start 1130, finish 1230. In the garden I will work with you and together we will build a leaky drain – you’ll learn how to dig, install leaky drain learn how to prune a fruit tree – how to espalier to make it fit a smaller space learn how to manage compost... Read More

Composting on the frontier

In Chippo we have public compost bins on our road gardens.   Friday and Saturday nights – pub nights – sometimes bring the urban galah, alcohol and our bins together.  About a month ago an urban galah or two tipped over two bins and damaged them. Michael with two heavy duty tapes screwed around the bins – sorry about the poor photo in the poor evening light Today,... Read More

App for recycling building ‘waste’

Builders, designers and others looking to use or to recycle building waste now can  use a phone app to do so. Called BuildBITS, once a user downloads it they may take a photo of the surplus products, enter a short description and price – and the product appears for sale in the BuildBITS online marketplace. There are no commissions or fees for sellers and buyers. It can be cheaper... Read More

Inspiring food growing trial

In South Australia’s desert, 100 metres from the sea, is an inspiring greenhouse growing food using the sun’s heat and the sea’s salty water. The desert farm uses the sun to desalinate seawater for irrigation and to heat and cool the greenhouse. It’s cheaply growing high-quality, pesticide-free vegetables year-round in commercial quantities. It’s the... Read More

When words fail

To prevent an increase in average Earthly temperatures of 2 degrees we need to cut the human-made carbon we put into the Earth’s atmosphere by 5.1 per cent each year for 39 consecutive years, according to PwC research group. In their report, “Too late for 2 degrees?“, PwC accounts for the carbon humans have put into the atmosphere each year for the last century. PwC... Read More

Bright idea and investor’s generosity sends books to 154 Councils

You know a good idea when you hear one – it just makes sense. When a friend and colleague (who does not wish to be named), suggested sending the new book, Sustainable Food, to Australian councils it was such a beaut idea I had no hesitation in asking a commercial property investor who has built a project which commands respect for the way it’s integrated sustainability... Read More