The Gobbler crew outside Sydney’s Sustainable House

Having trialled the Bondi Gobbler at Bondi Pavilion with the cafes there and Waverley Council, and turning food waste into compost in 24 hours to be taken to John Fairley’s Country Valley Dairy farm at Picton for six months I’m convinced this is the way to end food waste, cut on farm and cafe costs and cut air pollution.

So I’m working to sell four year leases of the Gobblers to cafes, food courts and anyone who wishes to cut their cafe and farm costs.

I’m working with the importer of Gobbler machines, Closed Loop, and together we’re going to do our best to sell and lease thousands of Gobblers.

So last Friday I gave a tour of my sustainable house to some folks from the office where I’m working in Surry Hills, at Closed Loop.

They’re terrific and it was great to ‘fire up’ with them.

We love what we do.

Please call or email me if you’ld like to inspect the Gobbler or discuss a lease and the costs and savings of having your food waste gobbled:  0424 460 525.

M

Dairy calves on Country Valley Dairy farm

There’s a new wave carrying hope with it at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

Mayor Sally Betts of Waverley Council has initiated a project to turn food waste into compost in 24 hours and take it to a farm to grow soil.  As the soil grows it takes carbon pollution out of Earth’s air.

The project cuts cafe and council waste costs.

Using the compost cuts the farmer’s fertilizing costs and produces healthier cows and dairy products.

The story is  in this three minutes how-it’s-done video, The Bondi Gobbler.

Enjoy,

M

The drone being used to film installation of the composter

Today was a good day.

Waverley Council, wecompost and farmer John Fairley of Country Valley Dairy, along with Bondi businesses are working together to cut food waste, cut business costs and to grow soil on a farm.  wecompost is a joint project involving myself, Jess Miller and Closed Loop.

Our project to take carbon pollution out of Earth’s atmosphere started when we installed the big composter at Bondi Pavilion.

Food waste will be composted and taken to grow soil on a farm at Picton.

We stop new pollution by stopping the food waste going to landfill.

We take out existing pollution by growing soil with the compost.  When soil grows it takes carbon out of the air.

The new plants will also cool the dairy cows and make them more comfortable, and will reduce the farmer’s use of oil and gas based fertilizers and other costs.

We’ll also reduce costs for the cafes using the system.

Some days feel good deep inside and this is one of them.

More details soon.

May joy be with you,

Michael

PS – for the radio interview with Mayor Sally Betts and ABC Radio’s Linda Mottram please see the previous blog.

The 17 minute interview and background is  here:

May the food waste, the soil and the hope this project offers bring a smile to your face,

M

An inspiring project at Bondi Beach will take existing poluting carbon out of Earth’s atmosphere.

Food waste will be turned into compost to grow soil on a farm.

The why, the hope and the trust that the project embodies is in this article I’ve written, Hope comes to Bondi Beach.

Enjoy,

Michael

New 200 litre compost bin – a bit (~ 100mm) wider than a milk crate

Today we began trialling a new 200 litre compost bin made by Aerobin.  It’s half the size of their 400 litre bin.  It’s footprint is half the size, too:  it’s 510mm x 510mm x 1175mm high.  To my eyes it’s more elegant.  It’s smaller size increases the range of locations it may go into.

It looks as though it will aerate the compost more effectively than the 400 litre bin and prove more effective at keeping cockroaches out.

The bin was kindly donated to Sustainable Chippendale by Aerobin so we may test it – we’re grateful for this opportunity; more info here:  www.aerobin400.com…

Watch this space.

M

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, a new gardener who’s just moved into Myrtle Street, Michael, worked with me to strap up the bins by screwing heavy duty tape with self-tapping screws into the bins.

Our newly-straightlaced bins have been set to work again this evening, ready for more food waste to go into them.

Great to see a new gardening face on our streets – thank you, Michael

M

Kids harvesting tucker from road gardens

Last week some 5 and 6 year old kids from a local child care centre came a-gardening with me and their parents and carers in Chippendale’s streets. They harvested lemon grass, nasturtium flowers and leaves, lemon tea tree, bay leaves, caffre lime leaves and, more than that, some ancient connections with food.

Marie, child care cook, using public compost bins

The cook at the child care centre walks with the kids from the centre to public compost bins.  The kids carry vegie scraps from the child care kitchen and together they put the scraps into our compost bins in the Pine Street Creative Arts Centre grounds.

Great initiative Pine street child care – beaut to share our road gardens with you and thanks for all you’re doing, Go the kids, M

The designer of the program, Alison Winn, says:

“I originally designed the ‘Halve Garbage Waste’ program and secured a $100 000 grant to roll out a smaller garbage bin service to residents.  Residents who signed up received either a compost bin or a worm farm and a $20 rate reduction.  I think the smaller bin was a 60L bin.  The program incorporated a large education program teaching children about worm farming, waste reduction and composting in partnership with I think 3 schools.  Composting and worm farming workshops were also offered to residents on the program.  I think we might have weighed the bin waste too to gather data on how successful it was.  Now I originally designed the pilot study for 100 residents but really hoped to engage 1000 residents on it and I think they have now offered it to 1000 residents.   More residents want to participate now.  The last I heard of it was that they have received another grant to expand the service. “

The Council says this on its website:

“Funded through Sustainability Victoria, the Half Garbage Waste project involved 1000 households from across Frankston City. These households were given a free compost bin or subsidised worm farm and received a $20 rebate on their Annual Rates, and, in return, changed from weekly to fortnightly household garbage collection, with their garbage bin identified by a red lid.

So far the project has been a great success! By February 2007 99% of participating households were composting or worm farming their kitchen scraps and 60% composting their garden waste! Most participants reported that the compost bin or worm farm was easy to set up and use every day. Many participants also reduced their household waste by other means, such as buying products with less packaging or with packaging that could be recycled and using reusable bags when shopping. “

There are fact sheets, application forms and other useful document on the website.

I particularly like halving the number of garbage collections from the participants.

The Sustainable Communities Plan proposes a rate rebate for composting and other acts by ratepayers – both residents and businesses – which cut council costs and deliver public benefits – such as, for example, road gardening.

Go the citizens,

M

While in Fremantle recently –  a very beautiful place to walk around – I met Tim Lawrence, whose business, MulchNet, provides free mulch across Australia.

No catch here, just someone using imagination and wit.

It works like this:  most landscaping and other mulch-making businesses have to pay to take the mulch to the tip if they can’t find a way to make it useful.  MulchNet allows anyone in any Australian state to register to get that mulch delivered free to where they want it.  This works as a business for Tim because it’s cheaper for the truck driver to drop the mulch at someone’s place nearby where the mulch has been made than it is to take it to the tip.  Tim’s income is a small fee the truck driver pays for each tipping fee saved by giving away the mulch.

You have to take the whole truckload and be clear about the type of mulch you do and do not want.

Such a simple idea.

Free spring

Ahhh, my chookies are laying again; lovely tasty fresh eggs – and happy chookies to not be so cold anymore.

And there are green shoots on my fig tree, and deep green shoots on the fruit trees in our road gardens, all pruned and ready to go as Spring embraces us across this part of our lovely Earth.

Spring is free – imagine that.

Free positives

And to end on another positive, and free note – enjoy this:

“Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.”
? Mahatma Gandhi