World Soil Day – Dialing Down Urban Heat Using Healthy Soils
Friday 5th of December 2025 2:00 pm
Does it seem that Perth is getting hotter, drier and less liveable? This has a fair bit to do with the fact that we are clearing trees and other vegetation, turning healthy soil into sand by removing carbon and covering it with heat absorbing bitumen and concrete. We could keep dialing up the air conditioner or we could dial down urban heat using a circular, regenerative approach which also creates a healthier, more liveable and sustainable urban environment. To find out more come along to Transition Town Vincent’s World Soils Day event on 5th December in Leederville as we explore the theme ‘Healthy Soils for Healthy Cities: Dialing Down Urban Heat using Healthy Soils’.
Guest speakers will explore the health and liveability impacts of urban heat and provide insights into what can and is being done to reduce urban heat by doing things such as restoring healthy soils and biodiversity, de-paving and creating cooler living spaces. We will then go a on a short walking tour of our Nature Precinct where you will see our soil hub, community food forest and Black Cockatoo pocket forest (stage 1) and proposed stage 2 Black Cockatoo pocket forest which is also a de-paving demonstration. A panel discussion will follow where panelists imagine a future where we are making our yards and courtyards cooler and what we can do to make this happen.
Guest speakers and panelists include Dr George Crisp (Doctors for the Environment), Professor Lyn Abbott (UWA), Dr Grey Coupland (Murdoch University/Pockets Forests WA), Steve Meerwald (FASERA Biochar) and Ian Kininmonth (Transition Town Vincent) and others TBC.
Program:
2-3pm Presentations by:
- Mayor Alison Xamon, City of Vincent – Mitigating Urban Heat through the Enhanced Environment Strategy
- Dr George Crisp – Health Impacts of Urban Heat
- Professor Lyn Abbott – Restoring Sand to Healthy Soils to Mitigate Urban Heat
- Dr Grey Coupland – Miyawaki Pocket Forests: A Community Approach to Dialing Down Urban Heat
- Ian Kininmonth, Transition Town Vincent – My Healthy Soil Project Case Studies
3-4pm Walking tour
The walking tour will cover around 500 metres and will include short talks by a number of speakers. We will look at:
- low carbon sand and high carbon soil and discuss the differences
- a visit to our soil hub where we make soil components for use in our various projects
- a visit to our various projects including our community food forest and Black Cockatoo pocket forest and proposed de-paving project which we will be revegetating
with another Black Cockatoo pocket forest.
Please bring a hat, suitable walking attire and a drink bottle.
4-5pm
An interactive workshop where participants consider a From What Is to What If question and envision a new urban future where carbon depleted sand is transformed into carbon rich soil creating a cooler, more water efficient and liveable environment.
5-6pm Drinks* and networking
*Bar will be open and nibblies provided. 🍷 🧀
Everyone is welcome.
When
Friday 5th of December 2025
2:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Where
Floreat Athena Clubrooms, 41 Britannia Road, Mount Hawthorn (entrance opposite Egina Street)
Leederville,
WA 6007
Contact
Ian Kininmonth
ian.kininmonth@ttv.org.au
0401521895
Event/Ticketing Links
https://events.humanitix.com/world-soils-day-healthy-soils-healthy-cities-dialing-down-urban-heat-with-healthy-soils
Affiliated Groups
Transition Town Vincent
Areas of Interest
