How we save 4 million litres of rain each year for less than $300

Cutting leaky drain to size Each year in Chippendale we save over 4 million litres of water to irrigate our road gardens.  We built the drains for this ourselves at a once-off cost of $300.  The story is here.  Read More

Special international tour and dinner at Sydney’s Sustainable House

The specialist touring company, AFAR, is offering US and other overseas folk a special tour of Sydney in the week commencing Sunday 6 May 2013. The itinerary includes special tours and experiences of buildings, architecture, restaurants, streets, museums and some of Sydney’s special spaces.  Travellers will roam from Wendy Whiteley’s garden, to the Mint at night, Janet Laurence’s studio in Chippendale to some hidden-away places in Sydney. There’ll be a... Read More

Be curious; see how I link Paul Keating, Roger Scruton, Rob Stokes MP and Gary Sturgess

In my Bathurst Burr column today I discuss curiousity and how it affects our culture and lives . . . and the lives of some folks we may know . . . former PM Paul Keating, Roger Scruton the UK philosopher, NSW MP Rob STokes and former Greiner Government brains trust Gary Sturgess . . . enjoy it here.     M  Read More

Citizens may self-approve their road gardens

Sydney City Council has recognised that its citizens don’t need nannying if they wish to garden. Citizens may give themselves  approval to garden in public in the road verge. A new policy adopted by Council on Monday 25 February 2013 makes clear that Sydney citizens may self-approve their own road gardens. “The Footpath Gardening Policy (the Policy) allows residents and businesses to put planter boxes on the footpath and/or carry out gardening on footpath verges... 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 and directs rain water to either side and also to drain at the T-section We also pruned a Tahitian Lime... 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, a new gardener who’s just moved into Myrtle Street, Michael, worked with me to strap... Read More

Kids garden in the roads

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... Read More

Public meets to discuss plan to sustain a suburb

The Sustainable Communities Team have arranged a public meeting on Tuesday 16 October at 545 pm to discuss the plan to sustain a suburb, The Sustainable Communities Plan.   They’ve put the event onto Facebook where any person, even if they don’t use Facebook, may visit to see what’s planned.  Here’s an extract from the site:   The Sustainable Communities Panel is a completely free event brought to you by The Sustainable Communities Plan... Read More

Free mulch service, Australia-wide

Thais has posted this offer in the Sustainable Chippendale Facebook page. “Gardeners – free truckload of mulch for you to take away in open yard, Chippendale Yesterday we received a massive truckload of mulch to protect our gardens from the heat that is about to come; and it was free!! MulchNet has kindly donated the mix of beautiful mulch this afternoon, the lovely Wally dropped it off to us, and it is all now at the Pine St Creative Arts Centre, who also... Read More

Of the Wallace Line, the company of friends

Lombok island sits on the Wallace Line; a ‘black and white’ boundary where there is an abrupt and complete change from one type of animal and fauna type to another type. It was discovered by Darwin’s contemporary, Alfred Wallace who drew it in 1859 and I quote: ‘[to show] the ecozonesof Asia and Wallacea, a transitional zone between Asia and Australia. West of the line are found organisms related to Asiatic species; to the east, a mixture of species... Read More