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We are pleased to announce the inaugural recipients of the Big Green Idea funding initiative. Selected from a total pool of 87 applicants from all around Australia, the winners took part in a rigorous selection process with the British Council. Each of the five recipients will now receive a $10,000 cash grant to kick-start an innovative sustainability project in their community.
| Amelia believes that cafés are an integral part of our everyday culture; they bring people together to talk and share ideas, while representing cultural tastes, trends and attitudes. Amelia will use her Big Green Idea funding to create Leave No Trace, a programme aimed at creating practical change in the catering industry by empowering cafes, restaurants and businesses to grow, buy and dispose of their food in a more sustainable manner. Leave No Trace will be delivered online and promoted as a resource for catering business operators throughout Australia. A recent gardener and creative environmentalist, Amelia has worked with sustainability coach Michael Mobbs on a series of workshops, films, blogs and gardens that converge at CarriageWorks and its cafe. Working with small budgets, accessible technology and live environments, her projects look towards the internet and the power of blogging and filmmaking to educate people on how they can integrate sustainable thinking into the fabric of their lifestyles. |
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| Jeannette Martin’s passion is creating opportunities that empower people to explore solutions to environmental and social issues. Since 1999, establishing community gardens has been her avenue for facilitating this process. Jeanette is coordinating the Mullumbimby Community Garden, which will engage with and educate a cross-section of the local community on the benefits of organic gardening and composting. Jeannette plans to create an on-site integrated green waste management facility utilising a bio-char kiln and organic compost, which she sees as a powerful tool for educating the community on the importance of soil management as part of the solution to climate change. Jeanette plans to engage a group of young people to build the bio-char kiln and manage a composting programme that utilises food waste from local restaurants and garden waste from local households and the community garden. An outreach programme of quarterly workshops will build knowledge and skills on the practical applications of bio-char and compost, and consolidate this with the environmental benefits of growing organic food. |
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| Leyla believes that smarter design can play a vital role in reducing the environmental impact of products. She plans to develop an educational resource pack and associated website for university and TAFE students that explores the life cycle aspects of products and materials, and shows how a large percentage of the environmental impact of a product is 'locked in' by decisions made at the design stage. The project will focus on building knowledge of environmental impact across a product’s life cycle, from raw material extraction through to disposal, so that future designers will be empowered to minimise the environmental impacts of their products over time. Leyla has several years experience in sustainable design, production and consumption, specifically eco-design methodology and application, and recently started her own business in the field, Eco Innovators. She has an Honours Degree in Social Science Environment from RMIT University and a Diploma of Product Design and Development from Enmore Design Centre, and has recently spent several months working within European eco-design organisations. Leyla has been the recipient of awards including the UNEP Pathfinder award for environmental leadership and the RMIT University Patricia Guthrie Memorial Award for academic excellence. |
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| Lish Fejer is a science and sustainability communicator, presenter, educator and energy efficiency expert. She was formerly a co-host of ABC TV’s eco-home-renovation show, Carbon Cops – a six-part series looking at building sustainability and energy efficiency. Using her Big Green Idea funding, Lish plans to launch Do it Together, a series of free videos that show viewers how to execute simple, inexpensive and effective energy efficiency improvements to their home, whether they own or rent. Delivered via e-mail with online links, it will offer subscribers a DIY demonstration, along with a fact sheet, shopping list, costing estimates and online support. Lish’s goal is for subscribers to commit to making a change with each episode, be this technical or behavioural. The intended outcome is that people living in poorly designed houses, ill-equipped to deal with cold winters and hot summers, will be able to understand and make the changes necessary to live comfortably without paying the price. |
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| Miyuki Jokiranta is a radio producer, linguist and cultural researcher whose work addresses critical issues through cultural contexts. She will use her Big Green Idea funding to develop a model for making Australian festivals greener. Through her not-for-profit organisation seven thousand oaks (7KO), Miyuki is organising the Festival of Sustainable Arts, which will be held at various venues across Melbourne in June-July 2010. During the festival, 7KO will trial a ‘best practice’ green events toolkit developed by Miyuki for producers. The toolkit aims to provide a holistic management tool for event organisers, enabling them to incorporate sustainable practices into all areas of program design including administration, education, energy, equipment, food, partnerships, ticketing, travel, waste and water. After completing her Bachelor of Journalism at New York University, Miyuki was a freelancer in the US for a range of National Public Radio programs, including their flagship environmental science program, Living on Earth. She went on to complete a Masters in International Affairs at the New School University, where she focused on the impact of cultural activity on quality of life, before returning to Australia and setting up seven thousand oaks. |
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