Chippendale’s road garden plan

Chippo road gardeners Bianca, Serena and Eammon after transplanting the Tahitian Lime on Saturday 8 May 15 In Chippendale, Sydney, NSW, we residents and businesses garden in the streets.   We’ve just made a road garden plan to satisfy the local council’s desire for paperwork.   It’s written in plain English and we’ll change it as we go.   It’s here if you wish to read it.  Read More

Microbat nests come to Chippendale

Microbat nest boxes Steve Fadel and his artisans from Paramount Properties – www.paramountpropertygroup.net….au – have built and given three microbat houses to me and our Chippendale environment.   Microbats can be as small as a knuckle on a human finger.  They eat mozzies – over a thousand a day!  They have been dying out as we cut down trees in our cities.  These new houses will provide a home and refuge for them in Chippendale.  This is what... Read More

I love birdsong in the morn n eve

Birds, birds, birds A friend has a couple of trees with flowers that attract parrots.  They feed there day and night, gossiping, laughing, chortling, scurrying, eating upside-down (my favourite), coming and going.  How I love Aussie parrots for their song and colour, their beauty.  And there are both honey and native bees there, too, feeding on the tree’s feast. This year I’ll plant a tree or two like this. M    Read More

Project takes carbon pollution out of Earth’s air, puts hope in my heart

  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... Read More

We’re taking carbon pollution out of Earth’s air this year

  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... Read More

Honey harvest at my place coming up

  Anticipation builds here and among those who have bee hives made from the hive that came here four years ago.   In a few weeks we’ll harvest the honey from my hive.  Tim Heard, the designer of the hive, is coming from Brisbane to show me and some other hive owners how to harvest the honey.   I’ll have photos, a video and a ‘how to do it’ of the honey harvest on this blog soon after the honey harvest.   Am planning a little dish to... Read More

Too many people, too little oil, too little soil . . .

Does this story sound like us: ” . . . Iran’s population in 1979 when the Islamic Revolution occurred was 37 million; today it’s 75 million. Egypt’s was 40 million; today it’s 85 million. The stresses from more people, climate change and decades of environmental abuse in both countries can no longer be ignored or bought off. On July 9, Iran’s former agriculture minister, Issa Kalantari, an adviser to Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, spoke to this reality... Read More

Real food pop up cooking school

Kate Walsh, a Sydney real food seller and promoter, has pop up cooking classes this July. Learn how to make real butter, sausages, tortillas, pickles, ricotta and other foods from the farmers and producers who make them for a living; from Feathers and Bone to Pepe of Pepe’s butter. Information is here.    Read More

Narara ecovillage raises funds without banks

Yesterday I had a coffee with Lyndall Parris, one of the Directors involved with the new Narara Ecovillage. Lyndall would be pleased to hear from anyone interested in finding out more about this residential development near Gosford, just north of Sydney.Her contact details are: lyndall@nararaecovillage.com and 0419 279 711. nararaecovillage.com…Here are some points I made from our conversation:- The Narara Ecovillage Co-op is set up to build a world class ecovillage... 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 that the world is running out of food.  He says, “Every day, 25,000 people die from starvation,... Read More