I somehow missed this announcement when it came out a couple of weeks ago, but Sydney Water are happier with dam levels and have eased their water restrictions.

They’re calling the new rules the “Water Wise Rules” – because we’ve all learned from the drought and heavy restrictions, and are now much more water wise.

The new [...]

We had another meeting of the Kiama Council Sustainability Advisory Committee tonight, and as always it was a fascinating and stimulating discussion.

One of the topics that came up was the question of whether Kiama could ditch plastic bags. There was a newspaper article in October last year where the Council announced its intention to do [...]

[ August 2, 2009; 11:30 am; ] Slow Food Saddleback invites you to a Pasta Workshop at the **Gerringong Town Hall** on Sunday 2 August at 11.30am. Fiorella Di Piramo was born and spent her infant years in Genoa, in the province of Liguria in Northern Italy. She came to Australia in 1973 with her husband, Renzo, and their four daughters. She cooks [...]

[ July 27, 2009; 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. ] The Garden to Kitchen Network is an exciting new network operating out of the North Kiama Neighbourhood Centre aimed at providing interested community members with an information forum on sustainable food and related topics. The network meets on the fourth Monday of every month at the North Kiama Neighbourhood Centre between 10am and 12 Noon. This month’s [...]

[ July 31, 2009; 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. ] **Venue:** North Kiama Neighbourhood Centre Come along to learn how to create your own ‘no dig garden’. Participants will be taught how to prepare a no dig garden bed, the basics of what to grow and when to grow it. As well as the theoretical side of things, the workshop will give participants the chance to have [...]

[ July 31, 2009; 12:00 am; ] Come and participate in creating a permaculture garden in this hands-on workshops series. Learn about designing your garden at home, and how to create a healthy environment for your plants and your family. This course will reduce your waste and increase your resources. Running over 5 weeks, and we will meet every second week on [...]

[ July 25, 2009; 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. ] **Venue:** Blackbutt Reserve, Shellharbour (confirm meeting place upon booking) Blackbutt Reserve is home to an incredible diversity of plants and animals. It remains as a living reminder of the extensive forest that originally covered the Shellharbour district. Come and explore this precious remnant of towering Eucalyptus pilularis forest. Learn about the Dry Subtropical Rainforest and the [...]

[ July 25, 2009; 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. ] Come along to this informative workshop, and learn the basics of installing and maintaining a frog pond in your backyard. Facilitated by local wildlife guru Peter Nolan from Habitat Ponds, you will also learn about the importance of creating habitat to attract frogs, and how you can ensure they have a safe and healthy environment [...]

[ July 17, 2009; 7:30 am to 2:30 pm. ] **Venue:** Wollongong Botanic Gardens Nursery, Northfields Avenue, Keiraville Plants are available to Wollongong City Council residents only at a minimum cost. This activity is run by Wollongong Council and is available to Wollongong residents only.

[ July 12, 2009; 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. ] **Venue:** Oak Flats Neighbourhood Centre, Fisher Street, Oak Flats Learn how to set up a compost bin or worm farm to manage your kitchen waste, produce valuable fertilisers and soil conditioners for your garden and minimise odour from your garbage bins. Participants will receive a free compost bin on completion of the course! This activity is [...]