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Issue 48,
February 2020
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Green Thymes
Read about local events, projects, workshops, grants and articles that have a sustainability or environmental flavour. We hope you enjoy it!

If you have events, articles, projects that you would like to share with the local community, contact environment@marion.sa.gov.au
 
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Food Matters: a taster session



How sustainable is your diet?

Join Linda from the Food Embassy for this Common Thread session as we talk about our current food system from an economic, environmental and health perspective.

Sharing table - seed sharing, produce sharing.

A light supper of sustainable food will be provided
 
When: Monday 2 March, 7pm - 8:30pm
Where: Cooinda Neighbourhood Centre
Cost: FREE

Food Matters: 4 week course
     

Want to explore the impacts of our food choices?

What can you do to support sustainable, fair and healthy food for all?

Join Food Matters to:

* Identify the simple things we can do as consumers and food citizens

* Hear from others who are creating a new, local food system

* Discuss ways to work towards food that is affordable, delicious and sustaining for both our families and our planet.

Food Matters is a 4 week course.

We are passionate about making sure we can all afford and enjoy delicious quality food. With populations growing and the cost of food rising, access to food - particularly for disadvantaged sections of the community - is becoming increasingly important. Sustainable eating will make a real difference to food security, local economies and our own health: as well as the health of the planet.

The food system is changing to meet the challenges of the future. The topics covered will include, what are the challenges impacting our food supply. An overview of the dominant industrial food system and the emerging regenerative and local options. We will look at the economic and social impacts and consider both environmental and health impacts of food choices. We will be hearing from a local producer and retailer, Small World Bakery and the practical food choices we can make, actions within our communities to help create the food systems we would like for the future.

GLANDORE COURSE
When: Wednesday 12 February - Wednesday 26 February
Time: 6:30pm -9pm
Cost: $20
Where: Glandore Community Centre, 25 Naldera St, Glandore.

TROTT PARK COURSE

Time:  9:30am - 12noon
Cost: 
$20
Where:
Trott Park Neighbourhood Centre, 34 Hessing Crescent, Trott Park
Booking essential at: 

2020 Youth Environment Council
   

South Australian students in Years 7 to 10 who are passionate about sustainability are invited to apply to be in the Youth Environment Council. If you know any students that are interested in environmental issues, sustainability or youth voice, please pass on this information and, in particular, direct them to the application form linked below.
Eligible students in both regional and metropolitan South Australia are invited to apply.

Why join the Youth Environment Council (YEC)?
  • To share your passion for the environment and sustainability with other like-minded students across the state.
  • To develop leadership, team building and public speaking skills at camps, workshops and forums.
  • To take action for the environment and make a difference.
  • To share your views and actions with government.
Applications are now open . Places strictly limited.  Applications close at 9am Thursday 12th March.

Please promote this to your students and networks.

For more information, visit the YEC website or contact info@yecsa.net.au.


 

Leaf painting: a traditional dot painting workshop
 
  
Join Daphne Rickett, Kaurna, Ngarrindjeri and Latji Latji Elder at this workshop that provides a fun and interactive introduction to local Indigenous art techniques. Paint gum leaves using Aboriginal symbols and dot painting and learn the stories these symbols depict.

When: Friday 28th February, 10:30am - 11:30am

Where: Marion Cultural Centre Library

Cost: $5




Waterwise gardening @ Parkholme Library
 
  
When living in the driest state on the driest continent on the planet it pays to be wise about water in the garden. This workshop will give you some handy tips on many aspects of gardening where you can be smart about your water usage. Learn about suitable plant selection, creating zones, drip irrigation, rainwater and greywater use, mulching, wicking beds, adding organic matter to the soil, plants in pots and shading.
Presented by KESAB.

When: Tuesday 3 March 10:30am - 11:30am

Where: Parkholme Library, 1 Duncan Ave, Parkholme

Cost: FREE

 

     
Waste less pantry
 
  
From produce to cereal, drinks to snacks, the shelves of grocery stores can be filled to the brim with plastic packaging. Here are 10 ideas to get you going towards a waste-free pantry at home.
 
  1. Make or buy reusable produce bags instead of using disposable plastic bags.
  2. Replace tea bags with loose leaf tea.
  3. Switch a product with excess packaging so that it is reusable, recyclable or compostable.
  4. Refuse to buy bottled water.
  5. Replace disposable coffee pods with use loose coffee grounds in a plunger or espresso machine.
  6. Stock up on your reusable containers and use at the deli for meat and bulk foods.
  7. Reduce clutter so that you know what you need.
  8. Avoid food wrapped in plastic.
  9. Keep a shopping list and visit the bulk food store once a month, to stock up on items such as flour, nuts, dishwashing liquid and more.
  10. Focus on one thing at a time, rather than change everything at once.
 

     

  

Do you have a deep sense of community and would like to learn more about leadership? 

Then we are looking for you!

The Community Leadership Program aims to create community capacity building in the City of Marion.

The Community Leadership Program gives participants the skills and confidence to develop their own community project, motivate and encourage others to assume leadership roles in the community and develop as a leader. The program is a combination of interactive workshops and offsite project work, working with council staff and community mentors

Applications Close: Friday 14 February
Program Commences: Thursday 5 March

Cost: The program is funded by the City of Marion, so it is free to participate. All that we require is your commitment to complete the entire program, organise your own transport to and from venues and childcare, if applicable.

For more information visit the City of Marion website.
 

  

Have your say on the draft Planning and Design Code.

A reminder that the closing date for submission to the Planning Commission about the draft Code is Friday 28 February 2020.

You can submit your feedback online or by email, details are below:

- Online SA Planning Portal - Have your say (scroll down to "Submit your feedback")


Mulch ado about nothing

  
Caption: A Green and Gold Nomia Bee pollinating a Black-anther flax-lily (Photo: Jeremy Gramp)

During spring and summer many people scramble to mulch all bare soil in an attempt to reduce evaporation, but there are good reasons to leave some areas exposed. Australia hosts thousands of species of native bees, and it has been estimated that around 70% of these create burrows in the ground. Locally, the famous Blue-Banded Bees ( Amegilla murrayensis) rely on exposed clay soils to build nests, but will also use bee hotels made by packing clay into a container.

Another local species that utilises soil for nesting is the Green and Gold Nomia Bee ( Nomia australica), which can be easily mistaken for a European Honey Bee ( Apis mellifera). Nomia bees have a completely different lifestyle however, and instead of creating large colonies of thousands of individuals, between one and three females will share a single burrow entrance and lay their eggs in personal tunnels that branch off the main shaft. Unlike Blue-Banded Bees, their nests need to be much deeper, and so they are less likely to use artificial bee hotels.

Ground-dwelling native bees often prefer sloping or near vertical surfaces to dig their burrows, to avoid the nest being flooded by rain. Alternatively some species choose well-draining lighter soils, as can be seen in this video showing an Amegilla species of bee in Western Australia.

Bees are just one group of animals that rely on soil, with many types of ants also dependant on this habitat. Consider using World Soil Day on 5 December to explore some of the ways animals use soil, and remember to leave some patches exposed and undisturbed for our important native invertebrates.

Written by Sam Ryan

References:
 

     
Green Living: Indoor plants and natural homes
 

An hour-long workshop with  The Folk of all Trades to learn how to choose and care for indoor plants to ensure they thrive, why natural fibres are better for people and the planet, and how to connect to nature inside your home.

You'll receive workshop notes and an indoor plant to take home.

 
When: Wednesday 26th February, 6pm -7pm
Where: Mitcham Memorial Library, 154 Belair Road, Hawthorn
Cost: $5
 

 

We hope you found this information useful. We value your feedback and encourage you to get in contact with us.

Feel free to forward this on to your networks or others who might be interested.

See you next month!
  

More workshops, events and courses!
 
Visit The Joinery website for a host of other exciting sustainability events. Based in Adelaide, The Joinery, is a hive of inspiring community activity.