Sustainable Living Magazine

MAGAZINE Issue 1 - August 2016 Sustainable School Gardens Attracting Native Bees One Woman's Backyard Journey Fungi - The Road Less Traveled How To Green Your Life - One Step At A Time Come Inside sustainable living Editors note A backyard journey Welcome to the first edition of Sustainable Living Magazine. The aim of this magazine is to help you grow your backyard so it flourishes and thrives in an abundance of food, and all the good things that can bring to your life. Creating a sustainable backyard is one of the most rewarding adventures you can embark upon. With our help and the expertise of our contributors we will assist you in fulfilling this dream and creating a garden that keeps giving back. WRITTEN BY: Mel Cooper sustainable education "As I sit here and reflect over the last 9 years of my backyard journey, I remember being overwhelmed, because I believed creating a sustainable future for myself and my family was a bigger task that I could bare myself." The reality is, I simply needed a starting point, but true to my form, I decided that I was a super hero disguised in mum's clothing, who could conquer anything and create it all at once. No wonder that thought of a sustainable backyard caused me more stress that the inner wellspring of peace I was looking for. The thought of starting a Veggie Garden, Worm Farm, compost and a Chicken Run stopped any progress from happening at all. So I decided the best form of progress was not to think I was some kind of sustainability super hero and begin at one point, so I began my journey with the humble chook. What was my reasoning behind that decision you ask? "Here is my ever so reasonable answer": Chicken's are now recognised as a multi functional micro livestock pet, and are now accepted as a backyard pet and the only sustainable pet, which makes them perfect for any backyard, and a great place to start. Whilst I was getting used to keeping chickens and discovering that everyone of my girls had their own personality, I learnt in great details their habits and behaviours, discovered their likes and dislikes and enjoyed their bountiful supply of fresh free ranging eggs. I was content and on my way to realizing my dream for my backyard. Oh how my journey had just begun. I soon discovered the meaning of chickens being the only sustainable pet. Mel is the founder of Sustainable Education and the creator of The Sustainable Living Certificate Course. Affectionately know as the "Chicken Whisperer" with wide spread sales of her well loved book - " Keeping Chickens A Backyard Journey." Mel, loves to teach and is passionate about sharing her wealth of knowledge with every aspect of sustainability. Growing for the future of communities throughout Australia and worldwide, her earthy, real life approach to backyard sustainability is winning hearts and changing lives. www.sustainableeducation.com.au info@sustainableeducation.com.au If you would like to learn more about keeping chickens then Mel's book is a must have guide. Purchase your copy through the website.... Yes you get a little bit hot, (but who wouldn't want to be a little hotter), you work up a sweat and it is all worth it in the end. I am not a new age hippie or a sustainability guru and I didn't go to Uni to learn about our environment and sustainability. I gained my knowledge and experience directly from the source and now my passion has turned into helping others create their own sustainable backyard. "Find your starting point and begin." Watch the magic of your garden unfold and you will have created smiles that will last through generations giving you and your family a lifetime of joy. Understanding the importance of reducing household waste was an eye opener to say the least, but realising how much food I actually wasted was life changing....Not to mention how many other people I could have fed with the amount of food I did waste. So I began to share every bit of my food scraps with my girls and researched what foods yielded the best eggs. Golden yolks - like bright orange yolks and healthy hens, win win I say. What happened next was a natural progression in my journey and the compost and worm farm were born. I had plenty of leftovers to share, flooring from the chicken coop was added along with the other necessary ingredients, dry leaves, paper and green, a little bit of water and sunshine, letting the chickens turn the compost and within a few months I had fabulous compost for my veggie garden. I know I make it sound a little easy, and believe me, it's not that it wasn't easy, I had to be committed to the process, in order to be successful. Then it was time to recycle where I could to create the base of my veggie garden. With a little bit of hard work and due diligence I began to see the fruits of my labour and the yield was bountiful. My journey also became my therapy and it is where I yearned to go for solitude. It also became a cycle of learning and respecting nature, how to plant for the seasons and the importance of backyard sustainability. I have reduced my grocery bill each week, I shop more sustainably, eat more sustainably, I get to share the bounty of fresh eggs with neighbours and friends naturally creating a sense of community and the health benefits outweigh it all. Even though my kids are older now, they enjoyed the journey just as much and got to learn some vital life skills. I will often sit in the quiet solitude of my backyard and be humbled with gratitude for my garden that just keeps giving. Once I got over myself and committed to change, the effort for me to sustain this backyard adventure, was much easier than I first believed. sustainable School Gardens Save Time And Space - Says Marc Noyce from Biofilta and we are proud to have designed and delivered the advanced vertical and horizontal wicking garden systems for the Casey Grammar School garden in Cranbourne, Victoria. The system is now going great and the kids are starting to learn about the cycle of food that they have previously taken for granted. The vertical FOODWALL system stores water, allows the plants to access water day and night. Having the water available around the clock, means the plants don't get stressed in the heat and the teachers and staff at Casey Grammar never have to worry about over or under watering the vegetables. The modular growing system designed by Australian stormwater treatment and urban food specialists, Biofilta, also incorporates an innovative air loop in every tub to enable the soil and roots to breathe., exchange oxygen, vent heat and keep stored water healthy for long periods. The result is healthy and organic plants and produce all year round, and very fast growth. Biofilta CE Marc Noyce said today "We are very excited in having Casey Grammar as the first School in Australia to install the FOODWALL, which not only helps produce healthy organic vegetables, but also teaches students where food comes from and how to live more sustainably." "Early high school years are critical in changing future attitudes towards the environment and life choices. The robust Biofila vertical and horizontal wicking garden products are a perfect match for schools who are time poor but want to reap the rewards of fresh produce." "The technology behind the Biodilta FOODWALL means that plants flourish with little input from the teacher, and now it is a sea of produce, including beetroot, peas, onions and even corn. According to Mal Dunkley, Primary Gardening Teacher, Casey Grammar, the all new school food garden has been welcomed by the students, teachers and parents. "Our older style garden took a lot of effort to weed for smaller yield. The new gardens are virtually weed free, so students become "smart gardeners" who grow the maximum produce for minimum water, space and effort. At this stage, much of the learning is aimed at getting the students familiar with the garden - collecting school food and green waste, composting, worm farms, growing seedlings in the hothouse, the watering system as well as getting to know the diverse range of plants that we are able to grow in our temperate climate. Added to this how to control pests organically, enrich the soil, when and how to harvest and some basic ideas how you can use the foods from the garden in the kitchen," he said. The staff at Casey have undertaken specialist up-skill training through the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program to make the most of the innovative garden system. Biofilta also undertook the concept layout for the garden and is now working with other schools to plan their future food learning facility and included work shed, worm farms, compost bays and potting sheds. For some, the learning of how worms turn food into nutrient rich soil is an eye opening experience they will never forget. The FOODWALL system saves space through its vertically stacked arrangement. Hence, small spaces can effectively be doubled or tripled in their growing capacity using our systems. Biofilta's mission is to help turn out cities into catchments and food bowls. We understand small and large scale storm water harvesting and water sensitive urban design projects and recognise that urban food is also a linked issue relating to how we best manage water resources. The recognition of the need to be more self reliant in small spaces has provided the impetus for developing a range of innovative urban food growing systems. Happy gardening from the team at Biofilta. http://www.biofilta.com.au Spring is just around the corner and you're thinking of getting stuck into your veggie garden, so you'll have some fresh, organic salads to show off for the festive season. "Apart from heaping loads of home brewed compost onto your garden, what else can you do to get the best crop possible?" Attracting the army of wonderful, hard working native bees to your garden so you get all your veggies pollinated. Pollinated veggies have been proven to produce many more fruit on the bush and each one is plumper and bigger. The best way to get native bees into your garden is to provide food for them. They eat pollen and nectar that is found in flowers. The flowers that grow on the veggies are a great start. Planting extra herbs and natives for the bees will attract many beneficial insects as well. Scatter a couple of quick flowering annuals around the whole garden to get the bees interested early. Sweet Alice, Poppy's, Primula, Viola, Pansy's Wattle and Grevillea are perfect now. Strawberries, Lavender and Salvia's will be flowering soon and are great to put in a spare spot anywhere in your garden. Don't forget to choose a variety that you don't already have as a wide variety of flowering plants will give the bees the best chance of collecting pollen on any day. If you allow one or two lettuce or rocket go to flower you'll be amazed at how attractive they are to bees. When the plants are finished flowering there will be an added bonus of seeds to collect and use for the next crop. Look at all the layers in your garden as bees will go up to 3 story's high. Larger flowering shrubs and small trees are just as attractive to native bees as ground covers. Pots on balconies are always beneficial to bees. If bees can see them in flower they will come visiting. The more you inter-plant herbs and flowers around the garden the less chance of needing to use sprays. Even no toxic sprays will upset a naturally balanced garden. As we go through spring it will be time to provide nesting sites for all the solitary bees. If you wrap 10 bamboo tubes about 200mm long tightly together and hang in a tree you will be providing a place for them to lay their eggs. so in here are the points to remember: The best way to get native bees into your garden is to provide food. Quick flowering annuals, such as Sweet Alice, Poppy's, Viola. Allow lettuce or rocket to flower this will attract bees. Inter-plant to avoid spraying Provide nesting sites, and where possible recycle. Steve and Sandra Wilson have a great love of the garden, with their depth of knowledge and Sandra's experience as a Horticulturist they have come together to bring their teachings of Australian native flora and fauna to inspire and educate us to create a more sustainable backyard. They run workshops throughout NSW and are available to contact via email: willywillybees@gmail.com ATTRACTING NATIVE BEES TO YOUR GARDEN Australian Native Blue Banded Bee fungi - The Road Less Travelled FUNGI - is more than a mere mushroom, and one that is attracting a lot of attention and an ever growing following of fungi lovers across Australia. I personally never knew how important the humble mushroom is to our environment and without Fungi the impact to our soil eco system is grossly affected. In fact the humble mushroom is up there with bees. We need fungi, our soil needs fungi and our environment needs fungi. Mushrooms are high in Vitamin D and have other essential vitamins and minerals that aid the body to fight disease and build the immune systems, plus they are a great substitute for meat. So why is Fungi so important for the environment? Fungi are one of the most important groups of organisms on the planet. This is easy to overlook, given their largely hidden, unseen actions and growth. Recycling Fungi, together with bacteria, are responsible for most of the recycling which returns dead material to the soil in a form in which it can be reused. Without fungi, these recycling activities would be seriously reduced. We would effectively be lost under piles many metres of thick, dead plant and animal remains. Mycorhizae and plant growth Fungi are vitally important for the good growth of most plants, including crops, through the development of mycorrihizal associations. As plants are at the base of most food chains, if their growth was limited, all animal life, including human life, would be seriously reduced through starvation. Food Fungi are also important directly as food for humans. Many mushrooms are edible and different species are cultivated for sale worldwide. While this is a very small proportion of actual food that we eat, fungi are also widely used in the production of many foods and drinks. These include cheeses, beer and wine, bread, some cakes and some soya bean products. While a great many wild fungi are edible, it can be difficult to correctly identify them. Some mushrooms are dealy if they are eaten. Fungi with names such as "Destroying Angel" and "Death Cap" give us some indication that it would not be terribly good idea to eat them! In some countries, collecting wild mushrooms to eat is a populare activity. It is always wise to be totally sure that wheat you ahve collected is edible and not a poisonous look-a-like. Medicines Penicillin, perhaps the most famous of all antibiotic drugs, is derived from a common fungus called Penicillium. Many other fungi also produce antibiotic substances, which are now widely used to control diseases in human and animal populations.. The Chinese have used a particular caterpillar fungus as a tonic for hundreds of years. Certain chemical compounds isolated from the fungus may proved to be useful treatments for certain types of cancer. Fungi play important roles in Biocontrol, Crop diseases, Animal Diseases, and Food Spoilage as they are fabulous at recycling organice materials. Looking at the humble fungi it is clear that it plays a major role in just about every part of our daily lives. Along with growing a large proportion of produce within our standard suburban block, Laurie Green runs a community group called Crop Swap Sydney. This is dedicated to facilitating the exchange of excess produce, seeds, gardening goods and edible plants between backyard Sydney growers. Laurie's background is in sustainable design, with experience in community gardening, film, marketing and advertising. Our home garden is entirely organic and includes a bee hotel, seed library, worm farm, compost and seed raiser, all of which are available for use by the Crop Swap community. Our house is also furnished primarily from upcycled goods, and we are regular Freecyclers. www.cropswap.sydney www.facebook.com/groups/cropswapsydney Email: hello@cropswap.sydney HOW TO GREEN YOUR LIFE - ONE STEP AT A TIME! There is so much truth to the old Chinese proverb "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now." The same goes for gardening in general. For me, there's something quite romantic about sowing a few seeds, watering them and then watching them sprout. But taking that initial step may seem daunting if you don't have much experience. Here is my most basic advice for those considering some greener adjustments: Start small, experiment and learn, because truth be told, a garden is never finished. so you may as well have a go, make mistakes and celebrate your victories. Plant what you can appreciate - whether it be for smell, fruit, foliage or shade; there's no point caring for something that you can't benefit from. These days, with space at a premium, the definition of a garden is a broad one. A pot on your desk may be as good a place to start as any. Plants are simple beings and only require varying degrees of three things - light, water and nutrients. Read the labels, do some research and get your fingers dirty. Think realistically about what you can achieve in your everyday, and make changes gradually. Why not grow a few herbs on your windowsill. You may even save some money and eat better as a result. No matter the season, where you live, or how much space you have to work with, there will always be something to grow - So there's really no excuse not to start. The health benefits of connecting with nature have been documented time and time again, so stop to smell the roses and you may find that you reap more rewards than you imagined. COMING SOON How would it feel to contribute in creating a more sustainable future? Would you like to see your community come together and grow together? Do you see yourself or others you know as positive change agents for the environment? Here at the HQ of Sustainable Education we are busy creating a digital platform called The Sustainable Living Certificate Course (SLCC) to share the knowledge and experience of our world class educators. We are highly experienced in training sustainable living practices which gives us a very unique insight into this industry. This translates into highly applicable and enjoyable training with a specialist team of educators. We endeavor to maintain the currency and relevance of our programs and how they are taught. A wonderful benefit of learning Sustainable Living Practices is an enjoyable journey of self-discovery while expanding your perspective of the world around you. This training may help you discover how you feel about issues you may not have considered before and you will be able to implement strategies for change in your own life and in the lives of others. What students will learn: Garden Design Small Space Gardening Permaculture with Design Components Composting Worm Farming Keeping Chickens No Dig Gardening Organic Gardening Natural Pest Control and Fertilizer Good Bugs Bad Bugs Recycled Vertical Garden Recycled Kitchen Garden Seed Saving Sustainable Eating Wicking Bed Water Wise Aquaponics Native Bee Keeping Honey Bee Keeping Gourmet Mushrooms Preserving, Pickling, Fermenting Healing Gardens Small Business Marketing Plus so much more. “It is real life, everyday people who can make a difference by implementing one simple change that creates an everlasting impact on the environment.” Whatever your background, our students all share a strong desire to assist others. Maybe you’re someone that displays a natural empathy to your surroundings and the way we live, maybe you’ve been through growth that has inspired others to change the way they live? Whatever your motivation, it’s your natural desire and ability to create positive change that we seek to evolve and formalize through our training. Our team of professional educators have over 30 years’ experience, and their sole purpose is to ensure the highest standard of educational value to you, and for this reason we have a strong focus on making the Sustainable Living Certificate Course accessible and flexible for your needs wherever possible. Take a quick look for yourself. You… Can get started with a small deposit and easy payment plan.  Will be supported by an incredible team of educators and staff.  Study with like-minded individuals and create a sense of community.  Webinars and tele-classes to develop your practical skills.  Save $$$$ thousands. If you would like to support our crowd funding you will become an integral part of our community your pledge will help bring this dream into reality sooner, and we will forever be grateful to you. Go to https://pozible.com/project/sustainable-living-certificate or to find out more about the Sustainable Living Certificate Course click on the link and you will go through to our website, register your interest and we will send you out an information pack. www.sustainableeducation.com.au Please support our Crowd Funding Campaign to bring sustainable living education to households globally. https://pozible.com/project/sustainable-living-certificate We love sharing at the Sustainable Living Magazine, so join our fun loving community and share your experiences, you may just help someone with their backyard journey www.sustainableeducation.com.au info@sustainableeduction.com.au I hope you have enjoyed reading the 1st edition of Sustainable Living Magazine? Next month we will be celebrating Spring, chatting with Costa Georgiadis about life and all things sustainable, having more informative articles to get you started, insights and tips, recipes and a fabulous read. www.sustainableeducation.com.au