Young WA farming family grows eco-house out of cereal crop

Ella Maesepp and David Potter are traditional sheep and grain farmers in regional Western Australia, but their home is not a typical farmhouse.

David Potter, Ella Maesepp and
 Quade in front of their eco-house
 in Katanning, WA.

They have taken sustainable living to the extremes on their 2,000-hectare property in Katanning, about 300 kilometres southeast of Perth.

In 2010, the newlyweds combined Ms Maesepp's passion for environmental conservation and Mr Potter's practical farming approach to 'grow' their own home from a cereal crop.

Read ABC story - “Young WA farming family grows eco-house out of cereal crop.”

Entering a new era of climate activism

Environment Victoria and the Sustainable Living Foundation are eager to have people consider a new era a climate activism.

Subsequently, they have organized an event for later this month that will confront the myths and realities of dangerous climate change and then consider a new era of climate activism.

The event, ”Breakthrough: The new era of climate activism” is planned for Monday, October 20, at the RMIT University in Swanston St, starting at 6:30pm. Bookings for the free event can be made here.

Framing helps make scientific fact a social reality

How do we make a scientific fact a social reality?

It’s a question we urgently need to answer for to scientifically understand something and yet not be able to embed in the social fabric means the evolving reality is pretty much ignored.

The complexities of the conversation are explored in a story on the Guardian’s “Sustainable Living Hub” page headed: “How framing can move climate change from scientific to social fact”.

Schedule in a visit to the Sustainable Living Festival

Should a visit to Melbourne be among those things you have to do in the next few days then allow some time to visit the Sustainable Living Festival that continues until Sunday, February 26.

Melbourne's Sustainable Living Festival.

According to its website, “The Sustainable Living Festival raises awareness and provides tools for change by showcasing leading solutions to the ecological and social challenges we face. The Sustainable Living Festival aims to inspire and empower everyday Australians to accelerate the uptake of sustainable living.”

The festival began in 1999 the event was staged at Hanging Rock and featured exhibitors from Austria, New Zealand and the United States.
However, due to increased audience and volunteer numbers, the event relocated in 2001 to Melbourne’s Alexandra Gardens and so with a new audience and an urban flavour, the event showcased more than two hundred exhibitors and presented over one hundred seminars.

The Festival was on the move once more in 2003  and turned to Melbourne’s newest landmark, Federation Square.

It had a new emphasis on developing a cultural, creative festival, the event reached out to an awakening mainstream audience. It is here that the Festival has settled for the past seven years, experiencing rapid audience growth with crowds of over 100,000 people.

Not surprisingly, the Festival has evolved much since its inception. As it approaches its eleventh year, the Festival continues to reflect the growing momentum and cultural dynamics within the community.

“If there is one thing we can say for sure about the future of the Sustainable Living Festival, it is that it will continue to change shape as we continue to learn about more sustainable ways to live on the planet,” the organizers said.