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Green Fair 2019 in Sunny Albany

by | Nov 21, 2019 | Green Skills Inc. - Sustainability Non-Profit

Green Skills was pleased to support the City of Albany to run another successful Green Fair in November 2019. With a jam-packed schedule of demonstrations, speakers, workshops, displays, music and market stalls, there were plenty of sustainable skills to look at. The weather was looking stormy in the week prior but Saturday brought welcome sunshine. This year the event was spread over both sides of the library (and upstairs in the meeting rooms) due to the construction site next to the Albany Town Hall.

Adrian Price travelled from Boyup Brook to talk about upcycling ewaste, how to safely dismantle items for parts and the potential for selling components.

Sustainable Schools had several displays inside the library area. Several local schools also had their own stalls outside, and it was great to see the recycling and sustainability initiatives that are popping up.

Green Skills held a stall and answered questions about our Terracycle programs, bushland regeneration and other projects.

There were lots of volunteers and community groups on the day sharing their skills and knowledge. What did you learn?

Balijup Sanctuary Citizen Science Event Focusses on Elusive Native Fauna

by | Oct 17, 2019 | Green Skills Inc. - Sustainability Non-Profit

For two days in mid-October, Green Skills held a Citizen Science  environmental monitoring event at the Balijup Sanctuary near Tenterden. 19 people participated in the activities, including  Conservation lecturer from TAFE South, Sylvia Leighton and 10 of her Cert III students.  Projects completed including monitoring of 24 Phascogale nesting boxes (some showing use), Wildlife camera monitoring,  a tree hollow survey of the wandoo/Jarrah woodland, Sanctuary fence maintenance, weedy wattle road verge removal, night spotlighting, and a survey of rabbit warrens. Balijup co-owners Anne Vanderbyl and Alan Hordacre were on hand  and provided valuable assistance to the activities.

Despite lots of indirect evidence of our elusive native marsupials, none were directly spotted during the two days.

The event was supported by the WA State Government’s State NRM program, the Koorabup Trust, Gillamii Centre,  Janicke Environmental Consultants,  enthusiastic volunteers  and the owners of Balijup Farm.

A four day Bandicoot and fauna survey project is planned  from Thursday  15th January 2020 to Monday 20 January 2020. Volunteer participants welcome to join in that event.

For further info on the Balijup Fauna project, contact Basil Schur, Green Skills  Project Manager on 0429481019 or [email protected].,au

 

Volunteer team checking Phascogale nesting boxes at Balijup Fauna Sanctuary, October 2019

 

Inside a Phascogale nesting box with scats visible. Balijup October 2019

 

Wandoo and Jarrah woodland tree hollow survey at Balijup

Fence check and upkeep at Balijup Fauns Sanctuary by Conservation TAFE students

Annie Vanderbyl, one of the co owners of Balijup farm,  with a photo acknowledging her parents, near entrance of the Balijup Sanctuary.

 

The Citizen Science Group on the edge of one of the 13 lakes and wetlands on Balijup Farm. October 2019

Food is Free Project

by | Oct 10, 2019 | Green Skills Inc. - Sustainability Non-Profit

The Albany office has been running a ‘Food is Free’ cart since 2017 at 38 Graham Street, inspired by the Food is Free laneway in Ballarat, VIC. Over the last two years, hundreds of kilograms of fruit and vegetables have been given away from this humble little upcycled cart. The Food is Free concept started in Austin, Texas and has now spread around the world with over 350 cities participating. It’s a great way to build community and connect excess food to people who can use it.

The Green Skills Albany office has several raised garden beds and grows seasonal vegetables when volunteer labour & staff energy allows. We currently have one volunteer working in our garden and have planted summer seedlings such as zucchini and tomatoes. Upcycled wicking beds in the front yard are a great way of keeping the vegies going through summer holidays with gaps in garden watering. The garden produce on the Food is Free cart mostly comes from the office gardens and staff home vegetable gardens.

You can participate by dropping off your own homegrown produce or taking whatever you find on the cart. Please don’t leave items that can blow away, such as egg cartons, as this location is windy. The cart has been on the verge in the past but it now lives under the veranda where it is shadier.

The Green Skills Food is Free cart is available to the community whenever the gates are open, which is roughly 9-3pm weekdays (may be earlier or later depending on staffing). Keep an eye out on our Facebook page for current offerings. While you’re there, you may want to bring your coffee pods, toothbrushes or old pens for recycling in the TerraCycle program.

You might even like to set up a Food is Free space or edible verge garden at your place. Find out how here.

Bushland Survey on Currawong farm- Draft Report Available for feedback

by | Oct 8, 2019 | Green Skills Inc. - Sustainability Non-Profit

Bushland Survey on Currawong farm- Draft Report Available for feedback

On Monday 9th September 2019  Green Skills conducted its fourth  ‘ Rapid Snapshot Bushland Assessment and Eco Planning’  survey on Currawong farm, near Boxwood HIll.
Done in conjunction with the Stefani family, the aim was to  do a snap shot biodiversity assessment to assist with planning for bushland conservation and revegetation planning for this 990 hectare farm that is strategically located next to Bush Heritage’s North Monjebup reserve as well as the Corackerup Nature Reserve. This farm, which has about 269 ha of remnant bushland  27 %)  is thus situated in the heart of the FItzgerald to Stirling section of Gondwana LInk ( http://www.gondwanalink.org/)

The survey team comprised Melissa Howe ( Ecologist), Basil Schur ( Green Skills) , Angela Sanders ( Bush Heritage), and Jane THompson ( co owner of Yarraweyah Farm). Also in attendance was Freya Spencer ( Gillamii and North Sirling Pallingup NRM officer), Leoni McMahon ( FGB Executive Officer and Reaghan Shalders ( FGB NRM Officer)

Green Skills has now collated the  results of the day’s survey and prepare a draft a report for feedback from the landholding family and other stakeholdersThis document will prove valuable in accessing further bushland fencing and revegetation assistance for priority sites.

For further info contact Basil Schur, Green Skills Denmark office  08 98483310

Draft Survey report c

The Denmark Community Garden – growing and engaging South Coast community gardeners

by | Oct 2, 2019 | Green Skills Inc. - Sustainability Non-Profit

The Denmark Community Garden is operated by Green Skills in collaboration with the Denmark CRC and was opened in March 2019. The Garden is conveniently and prominently located in the heart of Denmark behind the Morgan Richardson Centre (old Denmark hospital site) which is now the Denmark Community Resource Centre. It is in easy walking distance of many residents in social housing and retirement villages and designed to be wheelchair accessible and family-friendly.

The garden is a sustainable, organic, community-based food garden which encourages its members and local South Coast residents to participate more actively in community life, connect with the earth, grow fresh garden produce, and enjoy doing all this in company with others in the community.  Here community gardeners can develop and try out new horticulture and food gardening skills and help give back to Denmark by contributing to this Community Garden.

The Denmark Community Garden is inclusive and accessible, holding regular free workshops and events for learning new gardening skills. Over 80 south coast residents have actively joined in workshops and events since this community garden was launched in March 2019.  Go check on the Green Denmark Community Garden’s activities and upcoming workshops at: https://greenskills.org.au/denmark-community-garden/

Greg nurturing the broad beans

Preparing a range of herbs & veggies for planting at the Denmark Community Garden