One person’s trash is another person’s treasure – if those parties are connected enough to benefit by swapping. After years of EcoCentre advocacy, Victoria is now setting policy for a circular economy, wherein nothing is wasted because the ‘leftovers’ from any process, job or product are repeatedly shared, repaired, or reshaped to produce something new.  (A handy 3 minute 'explainer' video.)

Nature follows circular patterns. Current human systems tend to disrupt it, e.g. putting green scraps into wheelie bins instead of composting them where they fall. Because we use SO MUCH SO QUICKLY, convenience eventually becomes inconvenience, like mountains of plastic catching fire while waiting to be recycled.

Simultaneous to adopting a circular economy, we all must dial down buying & chucking faster than earth can make new materials, and faster than industries can reuse our ‘waste’. We must avoid wastefulness, take joy in sharing and repairing, and enjoy a big life with a smaller footprint!  Recommended resources: interactive eco-footprint calculator, Aussie books Less Stuff and Waste Not, and Minimalism: A doco about the important things. And, of course .... see you at our monthly Repair Cafe!
 

Thanks, April         
Video: Over 1 BILLION microplastics in the Bay
Last week the EcoCentre released alarming new figures revealing that litter reaching Port Phillip Bay from the Yarra & Maribyrnong Rivers has increased to 1.4 BILLION items per year, with over 1 billion of those being microplastics. This litter is ours and ours alone. Read the report in The Age here, or watch our 90 second summary video.
Artwork created by students at Elwood College using cigarette butts collected during Clean Up Australia Day
The EcoCentre's Living Water Workbees program has installed enough watertanks and raingardens in the last year to divert or filter 1.3 million litres of stormwater before reaching waterways. Explore biodiversity in Elsternwick Park next Saturday 17 August - your participation raises funds for the instalation of more rainwater tanks in homes and schools.
 
Compost is closed
The EcoCentre community compost bays are currently full and closed. They will re-open on Monday 9th September. Until then: Bayside and Glen Eira councils now accept food scraps in green bins if you have friends living in those areas. Alternatively, explore programs like ShareWaste, freeze your food scraps until our compost re-opens, or receive up to 80% off your own compost bin.

 

Neil explaining litter trawling
Attention all educators and learners of all ages! Our friends at Streamline Media have released free lesson plans and videos on Port Phillip Bay, on topics including marine pests, litter, marine life, and seals. Your Port Phillip Baykeeper Neil Blake delivers part of the educational video on litter in the Bay discussing nurdles, how litter reaches the Bay, and litter trawls.

Cool & compelling


Mark your diary


• Sun 11 Aug 2-5pm - St Kilda Repair Cafe at the EcoCentre. FREE.
• Wed 14 Aug 6:30-7:30pm -  EcoCentre Volunteer Induction (Evening Session). Join us to get started volunteering with the EcoCentre! Registrations essential.
• Sat 17 Aug 10-11am - Pre-Spring Wetland Walk. Explore the biodiversity of Elsternwick Park North (formerly a golf course), and tackle plastic pollution. Attendance raises funds for the installation of rainwater tanks and raingardens through the EcoCentre's Living Water Workbees program. FREE: Registrations essential
• Sat 17 Aug 10-11am - Community Garden Working Bee, hosting by Simply Living Community Garden at Southport Uniting Church. Refreshments provided.
• Thurs 22 Aug 1-3pm - Gratitude Mandala Workshophosted by ecopsychologist Deb Punton and artist Karen Hopkins at Space2b Social Design, St Kilda. Deepen your relationship with nature and creative expression through meditation and mandala making. $25 - buy tickets here.
• Thurs 22 Aug 6:30-8:30pm -  TREATY: A Community Conversationhosted by Port Phillip Citizens for Reconciliation. Learn more about Victoria's historic Treaty process with guest speakers Richard Frankland and Diana David. FREE: Register here.
• Sat 24 Aug 9:30am - 1pm -  Free Pop-up Bike Repair at South Melbourne Market. Ride your bike to the market for a free bike tune-up from the team at Back2Bikes.
• Sun 25 Aug 10am - 1pm -  Yarra River Blitz, hosted by Yarra Riverkeeper Association and Cleanwater Group. Get ready to blitz-clean and love our waterways and parklands! All equipment including gloves provided. Find out more here.
• Thurs 29 Aug 4-5:30pm -  Free Teachers' Professional Development: Climate Change in the ClassroomGet equipped with the latest climate change data and the skills you need to introduce climate change in the classroom through facts and storytelling, and how to empower your students toward practical solutions. FREE: Registrations essential.
• Fri 13 Sep 10:30-11:30am -  EcoCentre Volunteer Induction. Join us to get started volunteering with the EcoCentre! Registrations essential.
• Fri 20 Sep 2-4pm -  Global Climate Strike, organised by School Strike 4 Climate. RSVP here.
Sat 21 Sep 9:30-11:30am -  Spring Clean The City, organised by Beach Patrol, Love Our Street, Clean Up Australia and the Boomerang Alliance. Join us for Melbourne's biggest street clean event, happening on World Clean-up Day. FREE: Register here.
Donate for a litter-free Bay

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