bikefutures 2012 - time to pencil it in your diary

BikeFutures 2012

EtihadStadium, Melbourne: Thursday 18 – Friday 19 October 2012

Johan Diepens, CEO and founder of Mobycon, the leading edge Dutch transport and mobility consultancy will give his vision of what the future holds for bike riding at Bike Futures 2012 in October.

Mr Diepens, a trendwatcher and strategist, will discuss different smart mobility solutions that are being introduced around the world.

He is one of the keynote speakers at Australia’s leading bike conference fornational and local leaders, planners, architects, urban designers and builders who use bike transport and recreation to advance their communities.

Now in its fourth year Bike Futures will tackle the issue of ensuringthat the growth in bike riding around the country now requires its own transport and planning response.

Harry Barber, CEO of Bicycle Network, said: “What was once seen as asub-culture is now fashionable, healthy and part of the transport solution”.

“While bike riding is a key factor in reducing traffic and public transport congestion, it does need a new approach that many political and planning leaders are now grappling with.”

“A multi faceted approach is required to meet the mobility needs of society,” he added.

The conference will also hear from Professor Ross Garnaut, author of Australia’s Climate Change Review, who will share his view on the environmental role the bicycle can play.

Bike Futures 2012 will discuss how to best provide bike infrastructure,essential for mobility, to changing the ways cities work. World leading experts as well as some of Australia’s leading practitioners will explain how to best respond to the issues confronting communities as they embrace the bicycle revolution.

Workshop themes for the conference will include:new and innovative bicycle treatments, bicycles and public transport, motor vehicle speeds in neighbourhoods, cycling and liveability, bike planning, shared paths and shared spaces, cycle tourism and bike separation.

The two-day conference is presented by the Bicycle Network and hosted byBicycle Network Victoria.

Public inquiries Bike Futures 2012: www.bikefutures.com.au

or
Call Bicycle Network on: 1800 616 600

I very rarely promote conferences on my blog, but this one cuts the mustard so I'm happy to promote it to readers.

living more sustainably at home

Want to live more sustainably at home?

Then Yarra Ranges' new website might be your answer. The Sustainability at Home site gives practical advice in a range of ways.

You can find out about Living Greener, reducing your environmental impact and living more sustainably with information on current government programs and financial support.

There's a Renovator's Guide, which takes you through your home reno's step by step including the what to look out for.

The Home Buyer's Guide provides information on choosing your new home including the questions you should ask.

Global Warming Cool It is a practical guide to actions you can take to reduce energy, costs and greenhouse gas emissions in older established homes.

Whilst ResourceSmart is a website designed to provide solutions, ideas and advice on how and where to recycle things, information on rebates for energy and water saving devices as well as tools to help you reduce your greenhouse gas emissions.

There's a plethora of information to help you live more sustainably, it's well worth a surf.

switching on sustainable street lights

report from the roundtable – jun 22

Back in March 2009, Council adopted the Carbon Management Program to support the implementation of our Resource Management Strategy (2007). This program seeks to implement some 17 top priority retrofit actions to reduce council's greenhouse gas emissions.

One of the most significant actions in the program is the replacement of street lighting with more sustainable lights. It plans to replace approx 6,670 street lights in Yarra Ranges using Twin 14W T5 lamps, which use approximately 65% less energy than the existing 80W mercury vapour (80W MV) street lights.

The changeover of street lights will make a huge difference to our corporate greenhouse gas emissions. Not only that it is good for our bottom line with the change to the more energy efficient lighting becoming cash flow positive by 2019.

I was pleased to move the motion to see the changeover of street lighting in Yarra Ranges.

Whilst talking to the motion I reminded councillors of the advocacy campaign we joined in February this year, to pressure the state government to support local government to make the transition to energy efficient street lighting.

If all municipalities in Victoria had energy efficient lighting it would save 1.5million tonnes of Co2 emissions.

Part of the campaign includes an online petition, I encourage you to sign up, the more who sign the more the issue will resonate with government. If you want to know more visit greenlightourstreets.com.au.

doing agribusiness in the shire

On Tuesday I went out on tour across the Shire with MPs of the Parliamentary Committee Inquiry into Sustainable Agribusiness in Outer East Melbourne. We spoke to an orchardist and a flower grower and heard about some of the difficulties they and their colleagues face farming in the current climate.

Here I am pictured with Colleen Hartland MP, Upper House member for Western Metropolitan. Colleen was keen to learn about some of the key issues affecting our farmers.

Number one concern was water, farmers frustrated that work on treatment plants would not see recycled water flow their way. Another key issue raised was the interface between rural practices and residential areas. Our farmers have seen residential houses grow up around them and find that many of their normal farming practices have to be modified to take account of the residential amenity.

The Parliamentary Committee took great interest in the key issues in Yarra Ranges. Here we are at Proteaflora where passionate General Manager, David Matthews, talked about his business, his vision for the industry and the benefits of being located in a key floriculture production region.

We heard of a case of a berry grower who cannot start picking fruit until 7am because of residential amenity, however it is much more advantageous to pick fruits early before the heat of the day.

Farm structures were another issue talked about, often producers of food, flowers and plants will use all manner of structures to protect their crops whether that be hail netting, igloos or glasshouses. This can be a source of tension when farms are close to housing.

Other issues included access to labour in peak season and the leaner times. Yarra Ranges is well placed to supply Melbourne with high quality fresh produce. Being only 50 kms away from the city gives us a great advantage and will put us in good stead when costs for freight increase.

The value of agricultural and horticultural production is estimated to be over $650 million and growing in the Shire. The major industries are nursery plants, viticulture and winemaking, floriculture, poultry and pig production, berries, orchard fruit, vegetables and beef production.

gardens all go at birdsland

Birdsland Reserve in Belgrave South will soon be home to the Shire of Yarra Ranges first demonstration gardens featuring innovative sustainable design. The gardens will be based on the shire’s Sustainable Gardening booklet and will be used by the shire’s Environment team to demonstrate a wide range of sustainable gardening techniques to school groups and visitors alike.

Me and Garrique Pergl at the Southern Dandenongs Community Nursery located in Birdsland, a great place to purchase very reasonably priced indigenous plants for your garden.

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It's the first time the shire has created sustainable gardens to use as demonstration tools. The Birdsland Education Centre already plays an important role in educating people about sustainability and these gardens will assist them in understanding what sustainability means in a practical on the ground way.

The gardens will provide living, breathing examples of how native plants can be used to create sustainable gardens in urban settings, as well as sustainable ways to create a other gardens such as rockeries and vegetable gardens. A self-sufficient sustainable irrigation system will also be installed in the gardens. The system will have a solar powered pump and will catch and store its own water.

As part of the upgrade the Birdsland Reserve Education Centre will also receive a new amphitheatre and access ramp. A bush fire recently burnt through extensive areas of Birdsland, but I'm told the bush is regenerating well and there has even been some mass germination of 'opportunistic' plants, one, a pelargonium, which in all likelihood hasn't been seen since the last fires in the region.The Education Centre remained unscathed by the fire, which is great news as it plays an important part in the education of school children through the Shire's Learning for Sustainability program.

I can't wait to see the gardens to pick up a few handy hints and techniques myself.