The review of the Caring for our Country initiative has commenced. Submissions close 5pm AEST 20 May 2011. The review is looking at the effectiveness of the program, achievements to date and will explore options for natural resource management delivery in the future.
An important part of the review is consultation with Australia’s natural resource management stakeholders. The views and experiences of partners and stakeholders are an essential part of informing the review and will help identify program improvements that are practical and focused. In addition, specific feedback from the recipients and applicants of Caring for our Country funding about the outcomes of investments will help tell the Caring for our Country story and inform the review.
Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke has extended the due date for a decision on whether to add the koala to the list of nationally threatened species. Mr Burke said he had extended the decision until October to take into account any findings from a Senate inquiry into the status, health and sustainability of Australia’s koala population.
The 4th Making Cities Liveable Conference will be a platform for Government and Industry sector professionals to discuss causes, effects and solutions that relate to population health, sustainability, natural resource management, transport, climate change and urban design and more. Delegates will examine the impact of urban and transport planning on the health and well-being of the population and the planet.
The Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) has published the new report Environmental Sustainability: understanding the attitudes and behaviour of Australian households. This report describes research that aimed to understand the water and energy use and waste reduction attitudes and practices of Australian households and how these have changed over time. Although there is a growing body of research investigating the determinants of household sustainability practices and interventions that can positively impact on them, very little of this research has been conducted in the Australian context and there is no systematic examination of how the key socio-demographic variables of tenure, household composition and household income influence household sustainability practices.
Green Street is a social network helping people to become more sustainable in their homes or workplaces:
Want to be an energy and climate change leader in your community? Get involved in the CSIRO Energymark program and help create a sustainable future – reduce your carbon footprint, lower energy usage and save on power bills. The program brings people together in small groups to learn about energy and climate change issues, and discuss what they can do to make a difference. Energymark is currently running in NSW and in the Brisbane and Redlands City Council areas of Queensland.
The Australian Conservation Foundation’s GreenHome program is a pioneering environmental education program that works with communities to find individual and collective solutions to environmental issues.
After a highly successful inaugural 2010 Leadership Program, the Peter Cullen Water & Environment Trust is proud to announce that the 2011 Science to Policy Leadership Program is now open for applications. This Program focuses on building leadership and communication skills specifically geared to bringing about positive change in water management in Australia. The program selects attendees who are highly motivated, knowledgeable and skilled people who can continue the work of Peter Cullen. To find out more visit the Peter Cullen Trust.
FRESH the movie celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing the food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of American agriculture into an industrial model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources, and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.
Spreading urbanisation and population growth are putting pressure on agricultural lands on the fringes of Sydney. The NSW Parliamentary Library Research Service e-brief Agriculture in the Sydney Region: historical and current perspectives presents an overview of the history of policies relating to agriculture in the Sydney region, placing this in the context of the current policy debate. It starts with a commentary on the extent of Sydney’s agriculture.