The delight of the “op shop find” feeds the hunter gatherer instinct. Devoting some hours to browsing Banyule’s op shops to renew your wardrobe, find your child’s next Book Week costume, and fill gaps in your kitchen cupboards and book shelves, pays back with a tenth of the footprint of buying anything new. Most of our suburbs have at least … Read More

Plastic Free July Plastic Free July is a grassroots initiative that started in 2011. Deciding to go plastic free for one moth is a wonderful way to experiment with different alternatives to plastic. If you choose to do this during the month of July then you will be joined by thousands of people all over Australia (and millions across the … Read More

    Do you know that Quolls used to live in Banyule? We often think about the animals who we are living alongside. But what about those whom we have already displaced? What is our responsibility to them? The good news is that we can make a difference to the habitat of the animals who are still living here and … Read More

Repair Repair is about more than repairing something that’s broken. It’s about repairing ourselves and the world around us. A couple of years ago I attended a repair café run by Sustainable Watsonia. I went along with some broken earrings and was able to have them glued back together. Rubbish was being rescued from landfill all around me. It was … Read More

Schools When local resident Asha started at a new primary school she noticed that there were some simple changes that could take place to decrease the amount of waste that the school was producing. By engaging in a positive dialogue with the principal, teachers, students and school community, she was able to contribute towards the following: “Here are the changes … Read More

Transport Walking For many years I worked at Austin Health and lived in Watsonia. Some days I would catch the train to work then after work I’d walk home to get my daily exercise. It took over an hour but I was happy because I didn’t need to pay for gym fees. I really enjoyed watching the gardens as the … Read More

Upcycling is about seeing value in something that would usually be destined for composting, recycling, downcycling or landfill. It can be as simple as cutting up a old holey shirt to use as dishwashing/cleaning cloths OR can be as complex as getting out the sewing machine for a home DIY upcycling project. If you don’t personally have the time for … Read More

Volunteering From Latin voluntarius “of one’s free will”. Volunteering is a wonderful way to learn new skills, meet friends and to contribute back to the community. We have enjoyed volunteering in the local community gardens, for various Boomerang bag making groups, joining the local ‘friends of’ groups, picking up rubbish at festivals (usually scores you a free ticket!) and at … Read More

Water I grew up in a rural area along a creek. As a child I remember playing in the crystal clear water, I would go down to the waterhole and drink the most delicious water that I’d ever drunk in my life (just like a kangaroo). It was a dangerous creek, deep and always flowing, ‘permanent water for sure’ they … Read More

X is for sex At the heart of treading lightly is the ability to control our population. Indigenous Australians developed complex and sophisticated ways of managing reproduction so that even in times of scarcity there is still enough food for everyone, including local animals. To add to this, in order to ensure that babies being born are healthy and genetically … Read More