Edition 63 | July 2021
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All your monthly sustainability news & updates
Upcoming events
Tree Day @ Marion 2021
City of Marion and the Friends of Sturt River Landcare Group invite you to register to join us for a community planting day to mark National Tree Day at Oaklands Reserve.

Bring along the whole family and get your hands dirty doing something good for our environment.

Sunday 1 August, 10am - 2pm @ Oaklands Wetland
(Bookings essential)
Seed saving and propagation workshop
Saving your own seeds and propagating your own plants are important techniques for growing a bountiful and diverse garden.

Join presenters John Butler and Lachlan McKenzie who have a wealth of experience to share. Between them they have over 33 years of hands-on experience including commercial seed growing.

This comprehensive full-day workshop will include presentations, discussions and practicals on:
- Plant reproduction
- Successful seed saving, including plant selection, picking, drying, storing and planting your seeds
- Propagation techniques including from root division, stem cutting, node rooting and more
- Different potting mixes for different plants and techniques

Sunday 18 July 10am - 4:30pm @ Trott Park Neighbourhood Centre
Re-greening your house and neighbourhood workshop
Trees and perennial plants play many important roles in human, community and planetary health, which are especially important in our current climate emergency.

Join presenters Steven Hoepfner and Lachlan McKenzie who have a wealth of experience to share:.

This workshop includes:
- Perennials for climate-smart gardening and food production
- Design techniques for natural house cooling, creating micro-climates and combining beauty with environmental benefits
- Successfully integrating vegies, fruit trees and other perennial plants
- Creating wildlife and beneficial insect habitats

Saturday 31 July 10am - 4:30pm @ Glandore Neighbourhood Centre
Plastic Free July - FREE online workshops
Join Folk of All Trades for the following free ONLINE workshops:

DIY cutlery set
Friday 9 July @ 1pm

Green cleaning
Friday 16 July @1pm

Natural cosmetics
Friday 23 July @1pm

Eco periods and tea blends
Friday 30 July @1pm

To watch the video, visit the Folk of All Trades Facebook page at the time of the event, or any time in the following 2 weeks.
Summer veggies, it's not too early
Getting your garden ready (it’s not to early) for summer veggies. 
Mary covers topics such as:

  • Preparing the soil
  • Which veg to grow
  • Recognising plant groups
  • Nutrition needs
  • How to fertilise and mulch

There is free time at the completion of this talk to ask questions and wander through the community garden.

9:30am - 11am Saturday 10 July @ Glandore Community Centre
Save money and fight climate change - understand your utility bills and tariffs
Learn to read and understand your energy bills and the new time-of-use tariffs. Find out about payment options and concessions. With Stephen Graham from the ConnectEd Program.

This Green Living event is brought to you by the City of Mitcham Library Service. They are supported by Resilient South (Cities of Mitcham, Onkaparinga, Holdfast Bay and Marion) and Green Adelaide.

Bookings are essential.

Thursday 12 August 2pm - 4pm @ Mitcham Memorial Library
Did you know....
Plastic Free July is here! Are you up for the challenge?
We are challenging you to choose and change one of your single-use plastic behaviours for the month of July.

Eliminating all single use plastics from your life this July could be a little overwhelming, try focusing on one behaviour instead.
 
In Australia 6 types of plastics account for 70% of our single use plastic consumption.
- Plastic bottles and lids
- Plastic bags
- Food/item wrappers/film
- Disposable packaging containers
- Takeaway cups and lids
- Cigarettes
Balloons, coffee pods, polystyrene foam and cotton buds are also troublesome single use
plastics.
 
Top tip: You can eliminate a large amount of single use plastics from your lifestyle by not using store provided produce bags. Instead, take a set of enviro-friendly produce bags with you!
These bags are designed to last, provide air to your fruit and veg, keeping them fresh, and are washing machine friendly!

You can sign up for a Plastic Free July challenge, get ideas and tips on the Plastic Free July website
Are you getting the best deal on your electricity?
Check out - ConnectEd and get the information to get a better deal.

It aims to increase knowledge, skills and resources for community members to manage their essential household utilities, including electricity, gas, water and communications.

ConnectEd staff work with community members to understand bills, identify opportunities to use less and save, look for better deals, and talk with utilities companies to get a better, fairer outcome.
Marino Community Garden - seeking new members!
Would you like to try your hand at community gardening?

It is a great way to connect with people in your local area, grow great produce and learn new gardening skills along the way. Marino Community Garden at Newlands Avenue Reserve has garden plots available and is seeking new members.
 
Marino Community Garden is a small organic permaculture inspired garden with approximately 30 individual plots, as well as communal gardening spaces and a community orchard including fig, lemon and apple trees. There is always something to pick and share amongst members. The group has a social morning with a produce swap and working bee on the third Sunday of each month.
 
To find out more, phone Marilyn on 0418 852 390 or email marinocommunitygarden@gmail.com.
Nature connection, art, science, inspiration - new book release
Where Birds Sing and Wildflowers Dance by Jason Tyndall of Nature Play SA, is a renewed narrative of connecting to nature and ourselves.

Drawing upon art and science, it crafts a beautiful and compelling story of South Australia’s wildlife, plants, and ecosystems. It explores notions of self – such as love, belief, doubt – while entwining ecological concepts of habitats, symbiotic relationships, fire, environmental clearance, species behaviour, extinction, and recovery.
New children's book - ocean adventures to save our planet
Plastic straws, bottles and cans…what to do with all this stuff from the land? So how do you tackle the problem of rubbish in the Ocean? You do it with your friends of course!

With the aid of her friend Aqua-Clare, local author Elizabeth Solich has found a way, by making connections with fun and interesting Ocean characters. All of which have their story to tell of the Oceans unwanted artefacts.
Elizabeth and Aqua-Clare bring a message that is simple, passionate and heart felt whilst introducing some of South Australia’s most iconic marine species, making powerful connections for the future advocates of our planet.

The book can be purchased from Gallery M or connect with Elizabeth on Aqua-Clare's Facebook page to find more purchasing options.
Taking action locally
Local project saving endangered orchids
The stunning Winter Spider Orchid (Caladenia brumalis) and Limestone Spider Orchid (Caladenia bicalliata), were recently rediscovered in the City of Marion. 

Neither species had been seen since the 1950’s and were thought to be extinct on the Adelaide plains.
 
Staff from The Adelaide Botanic Garden, Department for Environment and Water and the City of Marion are working in partnership to grow approximately 400 individual specimens.

These orchids will be planted back into the City of Marion landscape by year 2023, an important action identified in the City of Marion Remnant Vegetation Plan.  

Help track the water quality of our oceans
The Friends of Gulf St Vincent was formed in 2003 to create a more coordinated approach by the coastal community to the protection and conservation of the Gulf.  

The Gulf St Vincent's Secchi disk project is a community-based project aimed at monitoring water quality in the Gulf as clear water is a good indicator of general marine health. Secchi readings indicate how turbid or clear water is, which affects marine life as well as the safety of swimmers if the water is too turbid. When monitoring the location needs to be over relatively deep water, in a safe area (for example a Jetty), and always in the same spot.
 
Join our community or become a volunteer!

If you decide to join you will receive a Secchi Disk kit and full training on how to monitor water quality. For more information email: secchisa@gmail.com
Inspiration - nature and landscape art exhibition
The Chambers Gallery is the temporary new home for an exhibition by local young artist Nathan Smith, running 1-30 July.

This is his first public exhibition.

Works are for sale and commissions are welcome.  
 
A message from Nathan:
I am a mixed media artist, working predominantly with oil paints, acrylics and oil pencils. I began my painting career in 2010 having received professional tutoring and guidance. Drawing and painting has always been a passion of mine and a way to express myself. Immersing myself, I find sheer joy and satisfaction that comes with creating art, in particular creating scenes that depict nature, more specifically birdlife and landscapes. However, I am not one to shy away from producing the odd still life and challenge myself when it comes to creating an abstract. I specialise in bright, bold and colourful paintings. I hope you enjoy my exhibition which showcases a collection of my artwork from my earlier pieces to more recent works.

The Chambers Gallery @ 245 Sturt Rd, Sturt.
Viewing from 9am - 5pm on weekdays. Please call 8375 6600 to check availability for exhibition viewing.
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