The Big Fix in Blackheath, New South Wales | Community organisation

The Big Fix

Locality: Blackheath, New South Wales

Phone: +61 407 437 553

Address: 101 Wentworth St 2785 Blackheath, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.thebigfix.org

Likes: 6200

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• Non-profit organisation
• Community organisation

25.01.2022 "A new agave-based agroforesty and holistic livestock management system in the semi-arid drylands of Guanajuato, Mexico, is changing the image of agave and their companion trees, demonstrating that native plants, long overlooked, have the potential to regenerate the drylands, provide large amounts of inexpensive but essential forage for grazing animals, and alleviate rural poverty."

25.01.2022 Brilliant poem: Because we need groceries, people die. I write we need knowing we dilutes... .... we have lost whatever we had to lose. See more

25.01.2022 "This pandemic-produced marriage of the global and the hyperlocal is inspiring to Graziella Michel. We’ve always done skills exchanges, she says. Hundreds of years ago, maybe, it was just with our neighbors and family, But now we have the possibility to take it anywhere in the world, and that’s a great opportunity. "

24.01.2022 "Scotland will become the world's first country to make period products free for anyone who needs them, if new legislation is voted through on Tuesday. The Scottish Parliament approved the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill - which is designed to create a legal obligation for the government to ensure menstrual products are free for those who need them, including tampons and pads in public facilities nationwide."

24.01.2022 "Wingspan creator Elizabeth Hargrave was inspired by her bird-watching hobby to design a game that would allow people to appreciate the diversity and the remarkable abilities of birds. She’s done sobeautifullyby creating a game whose ultimate goal is for players to establish their own bird habitats, by gathering and then deploying the right combinations of food tokens, eggs, and bird cards."

24.01.2022 "Over the past 30 years, Finland, Hungary, Malta, Tunisia, Sweden, Wales, and the United Arab Emirates have all created positions, committees, councils, or commissions that advocate for future generations’ interests."

23.01.2022 California prisoners raised $30,000 for a high school student in need after a reading program called Exercises in Empathy that brings together inmates and school students to support one another by learning from literature. You can read about Exercises in Empathy here: https://palmaschool.com/exercises-in-empathy/ "I'm never far from the reality that I committed a crime in 1999 that devastated a family -- several families -- and irreparably harmed my community," Bryant said. "I keep that close to my heart, and I would hope that people can identify the power of forgiveness and the probability of restoration when people put belief in each other."

23.01.2022 "Norway has become the first country in the world where electric cars account for more than half of new registrations, according to figures published Tuesday by an industry group."

23.01.2022 "Environmental charity Hubbub surveyed 3,000 adults and found that 1 in 6 people have this year vowed to live more sustainably. The green resolutions ranked even higher than the usual contenders such as romantic relationships and new hobbies. Breaking down the answers given in the survey, recycling topped the list with over half of the group claiming they wanted to get better at it. Then came plans to eat less meat (49 per cent), cycling/walking more (38 per cent) and wasting less food (36 per cent)."

23.01.2022 De-extinction and the ethics of bringing back extinct species; 'church forests' in Ethiopia; and transforming archaeological histories with Aboriginal perspectives. These stories and more in today's Solutions Digest: https://bit.ly/3bcQCoQ

23.01.2022 "Walk down a block in any neighbourhood of Rotterdam and chances are it will look greener than just a few months ago. Tiles that once lined the front gardens of many apartment buildings, homes and offices have been ripped out and replaced with plants, bushes and trees."

22.01.2022 "NSW will triple the size of its feral-free sanctuaries as it steps up efforts to bring back marsupials previously wiped out by threats such as cats and preserve other endangered creatures."

22.01.2022 New Zealand is aiming to get rid of non native pests that have decimated much of its unique fauna. "Few nations have ever waged a battle like this on such a major scale, and the Predator Free 2050 plan could offer global lessons in how to utilize scientific advances as well as how to win hearts and minds for the cause." COAL ISLAND, New Zealand If you wanted to design the perfect predator, the stoat would be hard to beat. Ali King calls it the shark of the New Zealand bus...Continue reading

22.01.2022 "One hundred years ago, bison had almost entirely disappeared. Their habitat was lost to logging, wildfires and agriculture with hunting further reducing their numbers. By the early 20th century, only 50 individuals remained and could only be found in sanctuaries or zoos. However, long term conservation has helped the wild bison to recover. After being re-released into the wild in the 1950s, the population grew to around 1,800 in 2003. As of last year, 6,200 European bison co...uld be found roaming in areas including Poland, Belarus and Russia. A small number are now set to be released into woodland in the southeast of the UK by 2022 after being absent from the island for thousands of years."

22.01.2022 "All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis is a collection of essays from "women at the forefront of the climate movement", and it's a very diverse set of contributors. There are activists and campaigners, lawyers, journalists and politicians, entrepreneurs, artists, scientists, farmers. Lots of them are women of colour, and there are indigenous writers too." Book Review at EarthBound Report here: https://earthbound.report//01/04/book-review-all-we-can-s/

22.01.2022 I'm looking forward to leading an Introduction to Permaculture from 10-4pm this Saturday 14 November for the Lithgow Area Women's Shed. If you'd like to join us contact Susan on 0439 089 035 or Leanne on 0438 766 891.

21.01.2022 The number of European dark sky parks and reserves is growing, with Naturpark Attersee-Traunsee in Austria the latest addition to around 140 places certified by the International Dark Sky Association. Of the 18 Dark Sky Reserves worldwide, 13 are in Europe - in the UK, France, Germany and Ireland. It all adds up to more people rediscovering a love of night skies and stargazing.

21.01.2022 "At least 11 U.S. cities are piloting UBI programs to give some of their residents direct cash payments, no strings attached."

21.01.2022 Hi all, unfortunately, due to unexpected COVID restrictions, we've had to postpone the Introduction to Permaculture planned for Monday and Tuesday this week at Headspace Katoomba. Please contact Headspace on 1800 478 626 to make sure they have all your contact details so that we can let you know when we can reschedule. We'll also be running a free full Permaculture & Social Enterprise Design Course in the new year, so if you're interested in being on the course let Headspace know asap. Please share to let everyone know.

21.01.2022 The movement to let everyone fix the things they own made some big gains in 2020: https://www.ifixit.com//47829/top-5-right-to-repair-wins-o

20.01.2022 The Mental Health Foundation has teamed up with WWF to launch a mental health guidebook. The guide, titled ‘Thriving With Nature’, explores this relationship between the natural world and our mental wellbeing. The guide looks at how nature can support positive mental-wellbeing, but also considers how we can help nature in return. We need to get serious about cherishing the natural world and acknowledge that human thriving depends on it.

19.01.2022 The Andrews government will provide 20,000 subsidies of up to $3,000 for new electric vehicle purchases under $69,000, as part of a $100-million plan to encourage electric vehicle use. The first 4,000 subsidies will be available from Sunday.

19.01.2022 "The closure and rehabilitation of Australia's most famous diamond mine is being seen as an opportunity for traditional owners to reconnect with country and grow an exciting new business venture in the remote East Kimberley."

19.01.2022 "A system using satellite data to send free alerts when trees are destroyed has been linked to a significant drop in forest losses in Africa, researchers said this week. Deforestation dropped by an average of 18% across nine central African countries after the alerts were introduced, found a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change."

18.01.2022 Coalmine development at Bylong Valley quashed; Northern Aral Sea restored; Tasmanian Devil facial cancer slowing; Denmark ends oil and gas exploration. These stories and more in today's Solutions Digest here: https://bit.ly/3b5L0N4

18.01.2022 When you fence out cattle and allow nature to regenerate ....

18.01.2022 The Aral Sea was the world’s fourth largest lake, and used to lie across the border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. It doesn’t any more. It’s gone, reduced to a tenth of its size. In its place is a wasteland of toxic sand, and one of the most spectacular examples of humankind’s destruction of nature. In the early years of this century, Kazakhstan made a bold decision. They decided to split the Aral Sea and save the bit of it they could control. They built an 8 mile long da...m to separate the northern pocket of the sea into an independent lake, with extensive improvements along the Syr Darya river to improve its flow. The works were completed in 2005, and water levels in the Northern Aral Sea began to recover. The delta and its wetlands began to revive, and as salinity levels fell, a broader diversity of fish began to return. With the return of the fish came the return of people and communities. People who had left the region came back, and the fishing industry has been restored to the Northern areas of the sea. Yields have risen ten-fold, benefitting a region with widespread poverty. The northern sea has been brought back to life. It’s a success story, and an example of ecological restoration on a large scale. It’s a unique place, a revived sea says Masood Ahmad of the World Bank. It’s the Eighth Wonder of the World and should be recognized as such.

18.01.2022 "On Election Day 2020, the people of Oregon voted overwhelmingly to decriminalize all drugs, including Schedule IV drugs like cocaine and heroin. 58 percent of voters said yes to Measure 110, which reclassifies possession of controlled substances from a misdemeanor to a violation with a $100 fine. The law will also shift over $100 million a year of marijuana tax revenue to support addiction recovery."

17.01.2022 A new book, 'The Case for a Four-Day Week' sets out the practical arguments for a reduction in the hours spent at work with no loss of pay.

17.01.2022 "Cambridge, Massachusetts, has become the first U.S. city to mandate the placing of stickers on fuel pumps to warn drivers of the resulting dangers posed by the climate crisis. The final design of the bright yellow stickers ... includes text that warns drivers the burning of gasoline, diesel, and ethanol has major consequences on human health and the environment including contributing to climate change. "

17.01.2022 Any book that starts with this Wendell Berry quote has got me! WENDELL BERRY: We don't have a right to ask whether we're going to succeed or not. The only question we have a right to ask is what's the right thing to do? What does this earth require of us if we want to continue to live on it? "This is an elegant evolution of degrowth ideas, expanding what the term can mean. Degrowth begins as a process of taking less. But in the end it opens up whole vistas of possibility. It moves us from scarcity to abundance, from extraction to regeneration, from dominion to reciprocity, and from loneliness and separation to connection with a world that’s fizzing with life. "

17.01.2022 "Now, around the world, there are about 60 research organizations working on the development of not only perennial grains but of perennial legumes and oilseeds. Perennial plants last more than one season. Also, they put roots deep into the ground, come up earlier, and keep the weeds away. So, where are we now? Well, there is a perennial wheatgrass called Kernza that is now being commercialized by lots of folks. It was developed at the Land Institute, but others now are develo...ping varieties. Chinese scientists have created a perennial patty rice, which is in production. So, it has started. It takes a long time to ramp these up and to commercialize them, but I would say that the proof of concept has been established. Now, it’s a matter of developing varieties, encouraging farmers to use them, and creating an infrastructure that would allow this to happen." See more

17.01.2022 With support from Blue Mountains City Council, we're thrilled to be working with Headspace Katoomba to deliver a FREE Introduction to Permaculture next week (21-22 December)! It's for young people aged 12-25 and we'll be looking at designing and building an inspiring outdoor space for young people at Headspace. If you've always wondered what Permaculture's about and would like to meet other young people who are also interested in learning how to create better natural and social systems give Headspace a ring and book in ... there are a few spaces left. Ph. 1800 478 626 or email [email protected]

17.01.2022 "Stretching almost 6,000km and crossing 12 states, the Great American Rail-Trail will enable cyclists, hikers and riders to traverse the entire US. The multi-use trail will run from Washington DC in the east to Washington state on the Pacific coast. Launched in May 2019, the route will eventually connect over 145 existing paths. So far more than 3,200km of it has been completed."

17.01.2022 The Solitary Gardens project "invites those in solitary confinement (known as solitary gardeners) nationwide to design flower beds or vegetable patches that volunteers on the outside plant and tend. Each precisely matches the dimensions of the cell where Wallace and Palmer spent 23 hours each day. Since launching the project with a few plots in the Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood of New Orleans in 2015, Sumell has seen it take root in New York, Philadelphia, and Houston."

16.01.2022 "For the first time in our nation's local government history, Blue Mountains City Council has become the first in Australia to adopt 'Rights of Nature' as a foundational principle." "It's a paradigm shift, where nature is recognised as having its own legal right to exist, regenerate and evolve." Cr Brent Hoare

16.01.2022 As we head into a heatwave with fire warnings returning, Lis Bastian from The Big Fix will be part of a Courtyard Picnic and Talk Panel at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre this Saturday 28 November. At 11am she'll be talking about Re-Designing the Future and the work being done by local residents who have been severely impacted by the fires over the last year - most importantly to rehydrate our landscapes. She'll talk about how one property survived the fires for a second ...time on the Darling Causeway and the exciting proposal for a Rainforest Conservancy at the Mounts ... as well as ways everyone can become involved in other World Heritage Regeneration programs. She'll be followed at 11.30am by Leanne Thompson speaking about the inspiring Capertee Hydrology Project. Lunch hampers will be available for a courtyard picnic and there will be live music and kids activities as well as planting sessions to help launch the Cultural Centre’s own rooftop bushtucker and veggie garden! You can also buy veges to take home from the Blue Mountains Food Coop tent or bring produce from your own backyard to swap with others at the Crop Swap tent. The event is free but bookings for all of the above are essential due to COVID and you can read more and book here: https://bit.ly/39kb4TO

16.01.2022 In Ethiopia they have 'church forests' : "It is here that biodiversity is being preserved, and from here that the forest can potentially be extended and the landscape restored. It’s an extraordinary place for a community to find itself, both hopeful and precarious. And I’m struck by the contrasting spiritualities of these communities and traditional British churches. Our ancient churches are surrounded by graveyards a place for the dead, for the past. The Ethiopian churches are very much for the living, a church that is itself alive. It’s a church not just for human beings, but for the wildlife and the plants, and that recognises the relationships between them all."

16.01.2022 The spread of a facial cancer that ravaged the Tasmanian devil population has slowed due to the animal’s amazing evolutionary response, increasing its chance of survival, new research suggests. It is now thought unlikely to wipe out the endangered species.

15.01.2022 If you have three hours to spare today, treat yourself to The Universe in Verse - a celebration of science and nature through poetry ... it's the last day you can access it and it provides the perfect antidote to all the news coming out of the U.S. .... this is America at it's very creative best! https://www.brainpickings.org/the-universe-in-verse/

15.01.2022 "SCOTCH whisky maker Johnnie Walker has announced its vision to plant one million trees across the four corners of Scotland before 2025. The announcement comes as part of an ongoing commitment from Johnnie Walker to reduce its carbon footprint and restore the natural resources it uses when creating its range of Scotch whiskies. To date, 389,000 of the one million trees have been planted near two of Johnnie Walker’s distilleries in the Scottish Highlands."

15.01.2022 "The world may be barreling towards climate disaster but rapidly eliminating planet-heating emissions means global temperatures could stabilize within just a couple of decades, scientists say. For many years it was assumed that further global heating would be locked in for generations even if emissions were rapidly cut. Climate models run by scientists on future temperatures were based on a certain carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere. If this remained at the current high level there would be runaway climate disaster, with temperatures continuing to rise even if emissions were reduced because of a lag time before greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere. But more recent understanding of the implications of getting to net zero emissions is giving hope that the warming could be more swiftly curtailed."

15.01.2022 Interviewed by Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood on BBC radio, Prince Charles urged society to draw on how indigenous communities, such as Canada's First Nations people, treat the natural world with respect and seek to preserve it for future generations. "It is high time we paid more attention to ... the wisdom of indigenous communities and First Nations people all around the world," Charles said. "We can learn so much from them as to how we can re-right the balance, and star...t to rediscover a sense of the sacred, because ... Mother Nature is our sustainer." Human-beings are "a microcosm of the macrocosm" when it comes to nature, he added. "But we have forgotten that, or somehow been brainwashed into thinking that we have nothing to do with nature and nature can just be exploited but if we go on exploiting the way we are, whatever we do to nature - however much we pollute her - we do to ourselves. It is insanity," Charles said. During the interview broadcast on BBC Radio Four's Today programme, the royal - a long-time environmentalist - highlighted problems caused by the over-use of chemicals in farming and contamination of the oceans with micro-plastics. Charles, 72, who launched an initiative to make markets more sustainable this year, said there had been a transformation recently as business started to understand the climate crisis.

15.01.2022 "A US oncologist has wiped out nearly $650,000 worth of debts for 200 cancer patients after realising that many of them were struggling to pay. Dr Omar Atiq closed his cancer treatment centre in Arkansas last year after nearly 30 years in business. He worked with a debt collection firm to gather outstanding payments, but then realised many families had been hit hard financially by the pandemic.... Over Christmas, he wrote to patients telling them any debts would be erased."

15.01.2022 "Founded in 2016, Playground Coffee Shop in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, is much more than a coffee shop. It supports artists from marginalized communities through a radio network and a bookshop selling books and art. A nonprofit, Playground Youth, runs free or donation-based classes on a variety of topics including poetry, sewing, health care access and voter registration. Pre-pandemic, the shop hosted lots of these classes and other community events, like art fairs, open mic nights and film screenings."

15.01.2022 "Covid-19 has trapped British national Peter Lowe in Taiwan for months. So, with time on his hands, he decided to get a boat. But what was meant to be a fun way to get to see the region's nature and wildlife up close has turned into a quest to clear the water, river banks and mangrove forests of plastic. His efforts have now inspired local volunteers to join and even the authorities have taken notice and are helping with the clean-up campaign."

15.01.2022 "Against the decay and order, against life and against death, against accident, constant threats from the radio, the newspaper headlines all spreading the plague, against perfidy seeping down from upstairs or up from downstairs, against a slow devouring inside and being swallowed up by the outside I hold my position, keep my early evening watch and wait and smoke." Ingeborg Bachmann’s novel Malina (1971) "The lesson of the past few months is that individual moral responsibility is needed more than ever, but also that it isn’t nearly enough not least because a place from which to be quietly decent is a privilege that so few have. Others, meanwhile, are being devoured."

14.01.2022 Just before Christmas we stocked up on delicious peaches, nectarines and white cherries at a nearby orchard. They've now introduced a vending machine to make accessing locally-grown fruit even easier. Now that's fast food at its best!

14.01.2022 "The prison’s gardens have a history of turning non-gardeners into green thumbs. Since the terraced gardens were established in 1910 by reformist superintendent Hugh Hahn, prisoners have found purpose in digging in the dirt. Killer grows prize blooms, an article printed in The Mirror in 1955, tells the story of a convicted murderer who grows prize-winning carnations as an act of atonement. In addition to lifting inmates’ spirits, the gardens also served a practical purpose:... at their peak, they supplied the prison kitchen with more than 10,000 kilograms of fruit and vegetables annually. With no prisoners to feed the Fremantle Prison was decommissioned in 1991 before reopening the following year as a tourist attraction the produce being grown is being donated fortnightly to St Patrick’s, a longstanding Fremantle community group that houses and feeds the homeless and rough sleepers." See more

14.01.2022 "The Whitsundays are the first islands in the world to be a part of a scaled-up "coral IVF" program, where tourism operators work alongside scientists to increase the chances for propagation."

13.01.2022 It’s social ownership, the goal of which is a sustainable, democratic economy with a market instead of a market economy. Our mission is building a broader vision of what the economy actually is. Cooperative or non-profit organizations make up 8-10 percent of the province’s GDP. More than 7,000 of these social economy enterprises ring up $17 billion in annual sales and hold $40 billion in assets (Canadian dollars). They account for about 215,000 jobs across Quebec.

13.01.2022 President Biden sacks union busters, is first president to openly call for abolition of death penalty, announces he'll pay farmers, ranchers and forest owners for climate-friendly practices and suspends oil and gas permitting. These stories and more in today's Solutions Digest: https://bit.ly/3of0i5p Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

13.01.2022 "Australia is set to embark on a mass audit of the country’s koala population, using drones and detection dogs to count the species amid fears it is sliding towards extinction. Acoustic surveillance and citizen surveys will also be used to locate and count the animals, and annual reporting of koala populations will become part of ministerial meetings."

13.01.2022 We're excited to have a new Dessert Bar, a new Climbing Equipment Store and an inaugural Blackheath Chamber Music Festival in the Upper Mountains. You can find out about these and other events in the January edition of Blackheath Local News. Download a pdf here: http://thebigfixblackheath.org/january-local-news-2/

12.01.2022 Nasdaq clean energy index rises to 191% (compared to broader market's 15%) as investors pour money into renewables; more than half of new registrations are now electric cars in Norway; and Mexico has officially ditched single-use plastics. These stories and more in today's Solutions Digest: https://bit.ly/3hQKc07

12.01.2022 "More than 200 employees and contractors at Google parent Alphabet Inc in the United States and Canada have formed a labor union to promote workplace equity and ethical business practices, the group’s elected leaders said on Monday. Our union will work to ensure that workers know what they’re working on, and can do their work at a fair wage, without fear of abuse, retaliation or discrimination, Google engineers Parul Koul and Chewy Shaw wrote in a New York Times opinion piece on Monday announcing the union."

12.01.2022 "The second largest city on New Zealand’s South Island has closed a popular road for an entire month in order for a sea lion to nest safely with its pup. The harbour city, home to 120,000 people, regularly shuts roads during the summer months to allow wildlife to cross safely, but typically only for a day or two at most. The month-long closure has been applauded by locals, many of whom urged the council the make it permanent to protect vulnerable wildlife."

12.01.2022 The great white egret a dazzling type of heron has become increasingly common across the UK, and from 2021 will no longer be classed as a rare bird. The increase is thought to be down to a combination of a warming climate and habitat restoration and creation. In recent years, we have seen an increase in other wetland birds such as spoonbills and cattle egrets for similar reasons.

11.01.2022 Countries advocating for future generations; New Zealand's goal to be Predator Free by 2050; and 'Less is More' - on Degrowth as the way forward. These stories and more in today's Solutions Digest: https://bit.ly/2MvlXJi Photo: Naomi Arnold

11.01.2022 Farms that grow metal-rich plants are cropping up around the world and promise a greener, less destructive alternative to mining for rare minerals. The first metal farms are now springing up in China, Europe and Malaysia. On the face of it, these farms are all-round winners: the profits are tidy, the environmental credentials excellent. So steel yourself for the latest disruptive mining technology: the plant.

11.01.2022 "The UK has abolished the 5% rate of value-added-tax (VAT) on menstrual products, known as the tampon tax. It means that from January 1, period products will no longer be subject to VAT."

10.01.2022 Sweet Justice is a new program hoping to aid the rehabilitation of disadvantaged youth. It's teaching up to a Certificate III in beekeeping within the justice system so young people can come out ready to start working in the beekeeping industry.

10.01.2022 "In a recent trial, hundreds of students at three Tasmanian schools were invited to a hot sit-down meal every day for four weeks. Warrane Primary School acting principal Sarah Hoban said attendance was the first notable improvement."

10.01.2022 "Changing the national anthem is real reconciliation." Changing "We are young and free" to "We are one and free" "removes a notion that has presented a challenge for many uniting behind our national song. It is an acknowledgment that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures date back 65,000 years. It is an acknowledgement that people who have come across the seas, be it 250 years ago or families that have joined us over the years, are as much of this nation and our stor...y as any other Australian. And it is an acknowledgment that our future lies in us being one: one with ourselves and one with our history - the good and the bad."

10.01.2022 "Shares of firearms sellers tumbled on Monday as promising data from a COVID-19 vaccine trial knocked stay-at-home stocks, and as civil unrest failed to materialize after Democrat Joe Biden emerged as the winner of last week’s presidential election."

09.01.2022 Here at The Big Fix we're doing a trial this year to see if it's possible to survive on just home and Blackheath Community Farm-grown fruit and veg all year in such a cold climate. Day 1 was a huge success ... bring on 2021's eating and food-growing adventures!

09.01.2022 Mexico has officially ditched single-use plastics.

09.01.2022 Our dedicated team of Blackheath Community Farmers turned up last Sunday, despite the rain, and were rewarded with a massive harvest: beetroots, snow peas, broad beans, silverbeet and ruby chard, garlic scapes, broccoli, garlic chives, chive flowers, radish pods, kale and stinging nettle plants to share with friends. Our nigella (love-in-the-mist) and evening primrose have begun to flower and it all just gets more and more beautiful by the day. We're also excited that our co...mmitment to regenerating the bushland around the Farm has resulted in Blue Mountains City Council supporting us to create a Landcare group with a Bushcare officer from Council training us in best practice bush regeneration skills. If you've always wanted to learn more about how to protect biodiversity and get involved in a holistic plan to do that in West Blackheath, join us at 1.30 today at the Farm. The new Landcare group will be meeting on the first Saturday of every month at the Farm. Ring Lis on 0407 437 553 to find out more (or if you can't find us when you arrive!) Tomorrow (Sunday) a new Bonsai group will also be starting at the Farm and will meet on the second Sunday of the month.

08.01.2022 "Of all the ways the pandemic reshaped New York City’s streetscape, the most profound example might have been found on Vanderbilt Avenue as it cut through brownstone Brooklyn. On weekends jazz bands played on the corners. Friends reunited on the median. Children zigged and zagged on their bikes as diners sat at bistro tables atop asphalt. The faint sound of cars could be heard in the distance. Just as the early days of the coronavirus forced New Yorkers inside, it eventually ...pushed them outdoors for fresh air, for exercise, for eating, for relief in what became an organic takeover and reimagining of the city’s streets across its five boroughs. City officials handed over 83 miles of roadway to cyclists, runners and walkers, allowed nearly 11,000 restaurants to stretch onto sidewalks and streets and let retailers expand their storefronts beyond their front doors. People reclaimed the pavement and are, by and large, unwilling to give it back. Mayor Bill de Blasio has heralded the programs known separately as Open Streets, Open Restaurants and Open Storefronts as a bright spot in an otherwise dark moment for the city. Once a skeptic, Mr. de Blasio now believes that some of these pandemic-era experiments will be woven permanently into the fabric of New York."

08.01.2022 "The Victorian Government is consulting gay conversion 'therapy' survivors as it prepares legislation to outlaw the practice."

08.01.2022 "Australia Post says it will support the optional use of Aboriginal place names on mail addresses, following a large grassroots campaign. The national mail service changed its guidelines this week to include advice on how to include traditional names. While some areas are known by their original names, many Australians often have little knowledge of place names that pre-date European settlement.... Activists welcomed the endorsement of their push for greater awareness."

07.01.2022 Instead of pining for sun-ripened tomatoes I've been cooking with what grows really well in this relentlessly cold, wet weather: saffron milk cap mushrooms. We've been foraging three times already under the pine trees down the end of our street. Tonight I made mushroom, thyme, nutmeg and ricotta ravioli with walnut and gorgonzola cream sauce. I've also dragged out the food dryer and have been drying mushrooms so that they can be added into soups, stocks and sauces later this year. Earlier this week we also had fried mushrooms on toast, mushroom and kale soup, and I pickled some of the smaller mushrooms to enjoy when mushroom season is over.

07.01.2022 "With seven of London’s largest property developers on board, progress has been swift today, more than 2,500 square meters of green space stretch across the cityscape, encompassing dozens of green roofs, flower walls, foliage patches, planters, beehives and boxes inhabited by bats, birds and butterflies."

06.01.2022 We had a spectacular day at Blackheath Community Farm yesterday ... the mist, the spider webs, the droplets of rain, the lush beauty of this living, breathing, artwork we've been fortunate to be part of, made it all feel quite magical. The great company added to the joy of the day and we wish you all a very happy Christmas ... with a reminder of how inspiring it is to get outside, regardless of the weather. Our scarlet runners have begun setting beans, our first tomatoes are ...forming, the sunflower seeds we planted last week are already poking out and there are hundreds of self-seeded red elk mustard and calendula, AND we planted out lots more tomatoes, carrots, a pumpkin, marigolds and celery. All the newly planted seedlings were then given a dose of 'worm wee'. We also discovered a magnificent dogs vomit slime mould and lots of tiny funghi which are just loving this rain. We harvested all the black kale, some beetroots and some scallions, and we were delighted to find a beautiful pink tea tree flowering amongst all the other white ones. ... and next Sunday at 10am we'll be back for more!

06.01.2022 Australia embarks on mass audit of koala population; the great white egret in the UK no longer classed as rare; and the rise of Universal Basic Income programs. These stories and more in today's Solutions Digest below: https://bit.ly/2X6UyPQ Drawing: Lis Bastian

06.01.2022 New research: Global Heating may not be locked in for decades!; Ranger uranium mine in Kakadu National Park finally stops processing nuclear fuel; and farming metal-rich plants providing possible alternative to mining rare metals. These stories and more in today's Solutions Digest: https://bit.ly/3nwJgPv Image: Antony van der Ent via NY Times

06.01.2022 "While the 15-minute city model promotes neighborhood-level urban planning, Sweden is pursuing a hyper-local twist: a scheme to redesign every street in the nation."

06.01.2022 "After two decades of trial and error, a team of scientists has finally bred the Kroombit tinker frog in captivity in the hopes of preventing its extinction."

06.01.2022 Last year Blackheath Community Farm struggled in extreme drought and then we farmers struggled to keep it going as we inhaled heavy smoke through our catastrophic bushfire season. This summer we've had bumper crops but are now experiencing the opposite ... what feels like interminable wet winter conditions. Last Sunday, however, was gloriously sunny and we made the most of it. Our Farm Sundays relentlessly bring us cheer and are a reminder of Camus' quote: "In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer."

05.01.2022 The Global Alliance for Organic Districts is scaling up regenerative organic agriculture to tackle climate change and social justice. Check out the agave and mesquite reforestation project in a semi-desert area!

05.01.2022 "Trains on the Moscow's famous Metro subway system will now be driven by women, after a decades-long ban on female drivers was overturned."

05.01.2022 A design firm in Canada has created a barn with translucent walls that provides both cows and humans with lots of natural light "The use of translucent materials for the barn was based around the idea that natural light enhances well-being and productivity for both the humans and cows. Laporte pointed out that, "For the cows, this new barn meant the end of tie-stall housing, where cows are confined in stalls; they would henceforth operate in free stalls, allowing them greater freedom of movement. For the employees, this new barn should allow them to work in a more spacious, bright and pleasant environment. The barn also demonstrates how good design can play a major role in improving both animal and human welfare."

05.01.2022 "The development of an underground and open-cut coalmine in the Bylong Valley will not be allowed to proceed after a ruling in the NSW land and environment court."

04.01.2022 Investors have been pouring more money than ever into renewable energies such as solar and wind. From the end of 2019 through Tuesday, a fund that tracks a Nasdaq clean energy index had risen 191% compared with the broad market’s 15%.

03.01.2022 It's hard to not feel inspired when you read about the ways people in every sector are putting 'their all' into making the world a better place. We've gathered stories of individuals, community groups, organisations, businesses, educators and researchers, government, collaborators and artists in this week's Solutions Digest. You can read it here: https://bit.ly/3ggNgk3 You can also subscribe to receive it via email each week here: www.thebigfix.org/media

03.01.2022 "When Britain announced its net zero carbon by 2050 target, it included everybody. The whole country would have to reach net zero, and that includes the National Health Service. But when the NHS went away and examined their own role, they decided to be more ambitious, and announced that they would aim to be carbon neutral by 2040."

02.01.2022 "Would de-extinction change the way we live? Is this really cloning? What are the costs and risks? And what is the ultimate goal? Using DNA collected from remains as a genetic blueprint, scientists aim to engineer extinct traitstraits that evolved by natural selection over thousands of yearsinto living organisms. But rather than viewing de-extinction as a way to restore one particular species, Shapiro argues that the overarching goal should be the revitalization and stabili...zation of contemporary ecosystems. For example, elephants with genes modified to express mammoth traits could expand into the Arctic, re-establishing lost productivity to the tundra ecosystem. Looking at the very real and compelling science behind an idea once seen as science fiction, How to Clone a Mammoth demonstrates how de-extinction will redefine conservation’s future." See more

02.01.2022 "Forty years after it began in a blaze of controversy, the uranium mine surrounded by Kakadu National Park will cease processing the nuclear fuel for the last time on Friday."

02.01.2022 "New collaborative work at an Aboriginal cave in eastern Victoria, shows the stark difference between contemporary archaeological research and that conducted in the 1970s. Since the 1970s, Australian society has changed with an increased recognition of Aboriginal cultures, knowledges, and land rights. It is now possible for the Traditional Owners to finally have a say in the story of Cloggs Cave, and in GunaiKurnai history. New techniques give us a better window into the past activities of Aboriginal people at the cave. These new ways of seeing are matched with new ways of listening and researching transforming how we tell archaeological histories."

02.01.2022 Happy 4th Birthday Blackheath Community Farm - what a wonderful four years it's been! We celebrated with a lemon balm and lemon thyme cake and a bean harvest that had us each take home what felt like a year's supply of beans ... as well as some basil, strawberries, figs, tomatoes, radishes, and wild sorrel. At this end of the season we're convinced that we could never have too many zucchinis ... we'll speak again soon! The sunflowers and corn are on their way and it even looks as though we've had a visit from Donald Trump!

02.01.2022 The well known American food website Epicurious has announced this week that they would no longer feature beef in recipes or features.

02.01.2022 The new Cultural Space Agency is a city-sponsored public development authority created to develop and steward permanently affordable space for arts and culture in and around Seattle. It’s the Seattle arts and culture community’s own real estate development firm, set up intentionally to put the power of real estate development and ownership into the hands of Black communities, indigenous communities and other communities of color. Its job will be to acquire city-owned and other properties, redevelop them, and gift or sell them at below-market prices to community arts organizations.

02.01.2022 "The European Union plans to use its diplomatic and economic muscle to accelerate global energy transition away from fossil fuels, as the bloc aligns its foreign and security policy with its ambitious climate objectives. EU energy diplomacy will discourage all further investments into fossil fuel-based energy infrastructure projects in third countries, unless they are fully consistent with an ambitious, clearly defined pathway towards climate neutrality, foreign ministers a...Continue reading

01.01.2022 "The UK will soon have a dedicated register of tradeswomen The database will ensure that vulnerable householders who feel safer with tradeswomen are able to find them."

01.01.2022 This is an important discussion about whether regenerative agriculture can reduce carbon emissions with some suggesting that expanding existing programs that pay farmers to grow native vegetation rather than crops could be a more cost-effective way to achieve climate benefits. Read excerpt here: "A recent global meta-analysis estimated that if cover crops were planted on 15 percent of the world’s cropland, soils could soak up between 1 and 2 percent of all fossil fuel emissio...Continue reading