If we had the energy and commitment we could really do something in this valley. Click HERE and HERE to see information about the Green Precincts program.
The sort of plan that could be funded by this $500,000 program could entail complete solarisation of all the street households, a construction of a demonstration home / education centre for sustainable living and much more.
So… what do you think?
9 comments ↓
Chris,
It is a big step, but I think we should consider it and I am certianly prepared to devote some regular time per week to help resource it and bring my planning skills to bear as well as hone them in this experimental way.
I have been looking at it and thinking that we need to put in a fairly comprensive submission based on Neighbourhood and Water Catchment area planning. I have considered scoping it out and really need to meet as this would have a significant profile and spin off if it was successful. We would need to do it in conjunction with Sustainable Living Tasmania, the HCC and UTAS specialist support. I do think we have some unique skills to share and I would be excited to put in a submision.
Working up such a proposal is about the potential future direction and what we all really need to do in the way we live to be respectful to the planet and our environment.
The exercises would be a very positive in the ‘transition’ we all need to make. There is already a proposal to meet on the 7th June to ‘think and drink’ of a planning framework for greater Hobart over the next 20 years and I have specifically been talking to Stewart, Trish Philip and Helen about the potential of applying the Transitons Handbook framework at a precinct level or in my terms natural drainage catchment level like the Sandy Bay Rivulet Catchment.
Thanks for posting this as I was going to get in touch but I would also be interested in hearing what others might have to say.
I hope you are recovering from your bike accident because I am just recovering from mine. Gosh, they can be dangrous things in the wrong hands! Almost as bad as speed humps!
I think this is a wonderful opportunity for this community and well worth puting in some collective effort.
Hi
I looked at the submission. Sounds like a big project. But I would be willing to help putting in a submission.
Can’t see or envision yet how we could stand out from others trying to do the same and also I am not sure what kind of commitment would it ask from each individual. Would be interested to sit together and discuss and brainstorm as I find it inspiring to be part of a bigger picture and a bigger movement.
I like the idea of an educational centre, though I can’t see where we could place it. Would it need to be within Waterworks Community?
I am definitly interested and would commit time into reaching out to others and educating about what can be done – even if the submission doesn’t get through just working on it might create a new vision for our valley/community and therefore help us to move forward with new energy/ideas and a joined vision. Bob you mentioned in your comment something of “drink and think” in June. Who is organizing it.
Love the idea of thinking in bigger terms like Hobert area though I remember the Transition Handbook pointing out, how it is really important to work from a community level in order to get as many people envolved as possible and build on the skills, creativity and know-how of as many individuals as possible. Therefore I think it is really important to inspire as many people on a community level as possible. I am interested to raise awareness in our and neighbouring communities about climate change and peak oil (the Transition Handbook is really worth reading and gave me a whole new perspective on things).
I would be interested to work with a group of people to put on regular screening/talks about climate change/ peak oil…and try to reach as many people as possible. Any one else thinking along those lines??
Dorka, thanks for your thoughts. Would be good for community members to seriously think about this soon, because an expression-of-interest would require some preparation before deadline (mid November).
The obvious site for a project of this kind – to demonstrate renewable technologies etc – is the big quarry. Apart from that there is nothing within the community area.
That site would be close to perfect, but depends how committed people are to leaving the quarry site more or less as it is. If that is case, then most likely not feasible to develop a submission for this community, because a key feature of the Green Precincts program is to incorporate a broader public access and learning opportunity.
This looks like a great chance to take our sustainable community ideas further and put them into practice in a way we couldn’t hope to do alone. We’d have to do it in conjunction with an incorporated body according to the guidelines but that can be managed.
There would be a number of spinoffs for us in having the quarry as a site for an education centre – eg a good space for groups to meet, we could have bulk deliveries made there, the facilities would be ideal for talks by experts. It would also be a way of making a useful contribution to the wider community towards making sustainability more accessible and so dealing with climate change in a positive way.
I’d be happy to be involved in working up a submission.
Dorka, Chris,Trish & others who have expressed interest.
The think and drink seems to be a moving feast.
We need to sit down and work through some possibilities. I don’t see the need for an educational centre in Waterworks Valley as being the primary task. (Sustainable Living does that very well at the moment through its annual Exhibiton.)
There is a definite need for eduction and demonstration but I think we really need to come to terms with the problem of turning existing inefficient and deficient systems around. Then we can look at a range of potential implementation strategies and how they link up and connect. No-one is an Island.
I do think thereis a need for a public interation and interface like using existing facilities such as the Princes Street School. Or other meeting facilities, such as Town Hall Conference Room or whatever is appropriate to the particular issue or task.
I would be really happy to have people meet in by Studio at 56 Waterworks Rd any night except on a Tuesday night, or some other time that might suit, like Sunday afternoon between say 2-4.30pm.
There is a range of expertise we need to consider between ourselves and a number of existing organisations and alliances that we could usefully bring to bear on the question.
I agree we need to test a manageable project that actually demonstrates the order and magnitude of change that can be applied as ‘good sense’.
We also need to think carefully about the organisational implications, but I see our role as catalysing the situation to bring the necessay change about.
So let’s propose a date and get together to discuss the idea, pretty soon or it will not be worth pursing!
A suggestion for scoping the submission and the possible project:
There is a vast amount of public infrastructure that simply wastes water and energy and that there is no attempt at the moment to question how gravity based drainage systems in hilly parts of our cities like Waterworks Valley catchment could be utilised to generate power via mini-hydro schemes.
E.g. all the greywater from Tolmans Hill ends up coming down the Hill to the intersection of Romilly St before it is piped away in a sewer.
The potential head is significant and could feed useful power back into the grid. Then there is stormwater off the hard surface. We could use the potential energy for power generation and again put it back into the grid.
As Michael Mobbs has demonstrated with simple available technology you can use water about 3 times before you need to dispose of it.
The other potentially exciting innovation is to actually take grey water and clean it in reed beds and potentially then utilise it on a lower contour or dispose of it properly into the Sandy Bay Rivulet.
I would also like to get away from water born sewerage and be able to look at composting toilet systems that meet health and Council requirements – so that the phospahates are not wasted as they are now, because they go to New Town Bay and then they are processed before the outfall dumps the residue in the Derwent causing problems in the Estuary.
I had experience with this at the HCC 20 years ago when we installed composting toilet on the pinnacle.
All of this means getting the HCC Hydraulic Engineers and the Hydro Engineers to work together on the question of design viability and application. But there are a whole lot of baseline studies that need to be done to demonstrate the ecological and sustainable viability.
I have been working this up for a little while and in fact the Landcare group has some very signifcant resources background and experience that it has developed in the last 20 years.
Okay…. anybody interested in pursuing Green Precincts project in our valley is welcome to come to Bob Vincent’s this coming Monday (20th October).
It’s at 56 Waterworks Rd at 7.30pm.
Can mind some kids there, so let Bob know if you would like to bring kids.
will be coming on monday without children.
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