Inspired by Norwegian sod roofs, Blackheath engineer Mark Liebman built a green roof on his shed. This innovative design significantly reduced stormwater runoff during 2024's heavy rains, potentially by 65 per cent, while also providing excellent insulation and attracting wildlife. The family now fondly refers to their shed as their mini Viking Long House!
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Amidst dramatic global turmoil the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre is creating a peaceful place for contemplation and connection as we collaborate with the Blue Mountains Interfaith Group to host an Interfaith Gathering at 1.45pm on Sunday 30 March. It’s an opportunity to gather in these challenging times to share spirituality and care for the environment with music, ideas and ceremony, starting with a smoking ceremony by Dharug man Chris Tobin at 1.45pm. The event is free but please book in here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/3Fw8RqB
#interfaith #interfaithgathering #bluemountains #katoomba #spirituality #peace #contemplation #connection #smokingceremony #planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthcentre
Our Newsletter is now out! Read about our recent Planetary Health Day and our upcoming Interfaith Gathering; our Bushfire Sprinkler Research; our upcoming workshops on Frogs of the Blue Mountains, Upcycling and How to Build a Survival Garden in the Blue Mountains; and a new position at the Planetary Health Centre for an experienced Conference and Events Organiser. We`ve also written two new stories: one on a Zero Waste Hero and one on a rare native bee that`s been re-discovered on Faulconbridge Ridge.
You can read all of the above here (link in profile) :https://bit.ly/3FsyzfI
#planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthcareers #skillshare #planetaryhealthday #upcycling #frogsofthebluemountains #interfaith #interfaithgathering #survivalgardens #conferenceorganiser #eventsorganiser
Our Frogs of the Blue Mountains exhibition is on in the Planetary Health Centre Studio and our frog ponds are teeming with tadpoles and almost frogs! Come and check them out! We`ll be having a Frogs of the Blue Mountains workshop on Saturday 5 April (link in profile) #frogs #tadpoles #planetaryhealth #katoomba #bluemountains @frogidaus
Thank you to everyone who participated in our second Planetary Health Day last Saturday at the Planetary Health Centre in Katoomba. It was an inspiring and very enjoyable community event and you can see some of the highlights in this short video. A lot of our research and previous presentations can be found in the videos on our YouTube channel (link in profile). Please subscribe and share! Our next Community Day will be the Interfaith Gathering at 2pm on Sunday 30 March. #planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthday #planetaryhealthparkland #communityday #katoomba #bluemountains
Thank you to all the participants at Planetary Health Day on Saturday and to everyone who tied a ribbon around the Peace Pole and struck the gong for Peace. And particularly to @tinamariepizel for creating the space for this to happen! #peace #peacepole #peacegong #planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthday #notowar #community #love
Feeling the heat? Planetary Health Day will be cool!!!! As well as a program of inspiring speakers, an exhibition of the Frogs of the Blue Mountains and workshops (all in air conditioned comfort!), there will be live music and Plant Based Food stalls on Saturday 1 March. We’ll also have a wide variety of stallholders in our beautiful parkland: Earthrising Mushroom Farm with mushroom grow kits; Michael Trickett with his mobile saw mill; Clifftop Harvest with fresh local produce; Permaculture Matters with info about permaculture, upcoming courses and a chance to win Rowe Morrow’s book: Earth Restorers Guide to Permaculture; Blackheath Community Farm with garlic and seeds; Fire Halo with their bushfire prevention invention that featured on Shark Tank; Katoomba RFS with their fire truck; Vegan NSW with cookbooks; WIRES with information on how to care for our wildlife; Bushcare with how to regenerate our bushland to increase habitat; Blue Mountains Conservation Society and Wildplant Rescue with plants and info; The Repair Network; Boomerang Bags and Lacebrook Stitchery. We’ll also have a Bushcare session on site at 1.30pm and outdoor chess, games and activities for children courtesy of Sarah from Kindlehill School. View the full program and register here (link in profile): bit.ly/42HZ623
#planetaryhealth #katoomba #bluemountains #familyday #planetaryhealthday @clifftopharvest @permaculturematters @kindlehill_school @Lacebrookstitchery
@blue_mts_conservation_society @wildplant.community.nursery @bbagsbluemtns @wireswildliferescue @vegannsw @firehalo.au @earthrisingau
Physicist Hans Coster will be giving a presentation at our Planetary Health Day event this Saturday on Life, Energy and the Biosphere, including what he`s chosen to do at his property Middle Earth with nickel iron batteries. Reserve your place via the link in our profile. #nickelironbatteries #energy #life #biosphere #planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthday #community
So much to see and do on Planetary Health Day this Saturday! The Planetary Health Precinct & Parkland is looking stunning with the first hint of Autumn. Here`s the Speaker Program and Music Schedule to help you plan your visit. There are also workshops, demos, games, stalls, coffee and plant based foods, and a Peace Pole and Peace Gong to remind us that we are all connected and Peace is essential for a healthy planet. You can register for the day here (link in profile): bit.ly/42HZ623
#planetaryhealth #peace #program #katoomba #speakers #bluemountains #community #familyday
Fill this Saturday 1 March (Planetary Health Day) with art, music, food, fun, community and getting lots of boxes ticked: native plants, fresh produce, garlic for planting, and mushroom grow kits purchased; plant based cheese tasted and tips for making it picked up; clothes upcycled and repaired and Repair Network joined; Boomerang Bag made; mobile saw mill, fire halo to reduce ember attack, nickel iron batteries, passive house and natural building, and the best bushfire sprinklers investigated; FrogID app tried and frog calls of the Blue Mountains matched to photos; Bushcare experienced; the knowledge of a leading physicist addressing the question ‘where to from here’ in relation to our biosphere absorbed; and information gathered on how to do a Permaculture Course, how to help our wildlife (WIRES), and how to protect our vulnerable World Heritage area (RFS, Blue Mountains Conservation Society and Blue Mountains Wildplant Rescue Service & Nursery). Thank you to Blue Mountains Folk for this great musical line-up. View our full program and register here (link in profile): bit.ly/42HZ623
#livemusic #planetaryhealth #community #art #freshproduce #permaculture #worldheritage #learn #beinspired #greatfood #nativeplants #nickelironbatteries #firehalo #plantbased #katoomba #bluemountains #planetaryhealthday
On Sunday the @rotary_club_lower_blue_mtns enjoyed a Family Day at the Planetary Health Centre. They had the first glimpse of the Frogs of the Blue Mountains exhibition opening this Saturday 1 March. They also toured the Centre`s Water Demonstration site and thoroughly enjoyed the plant based cheese making demo and tasting. Planetary Health Day will be another great Family Day. Check out the program and register to attend at the link in our profile. #familyday #planetaryhealth #katoomba #bluemountains
Check out this stunning photo by @cam__candy in our Frogs of the Blue Mountains exhibition, opening on Saturday 1 March at Planetary Health Day. Do you know what type of frog it is, or what the other 20 or so known frogs of the Blue Mountains are called? Did you know that the Blue Mountains is home to Whistling, Screaming and Laughing Tree frogs? We’re thrilled that Britt Mitchell from the @australianmuseum will officially launch our exhibition with her presentation on FrogID: People-powered Frog Conservation. She’ll explain how we can all become citizen scientists to help protect these extraordinary amphibians. Britt will also talk about her PhD on the impact of urbanisation and climate change on frogs and how FrogID helped with that research. Come and see what every frog in the Blue Mountains looks like, and listen to their calls.
You can read about our other Planetary Health Day events and reserve your spot for Britt’s presentation here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/4gQkju5
#planetaryhealth #frogs #bluemountainsfrogs #planetaryhealthday #citizenscience #frogID #biodiversity #frogcalls
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A Green Roof on a Mini Viking Long House in Blackheath
Inspired by Norwegian sod roofs, Blackheath engineer Mark Liebman built a green roof on his shed. This innovative design significantly reduced stormwater runoff during 2024's heavy rains, potentially by 65 per cent, while also providing excellent insulation and attracting wildlife. The family now fondly refers to their shed as their mini Viking Long House!
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Doctors for the Environment and Planetary Health
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The Walking Weeder: Marianne Bate and the Grose River Catchment
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How to Make Your Home More Fire Resilient
The villages of Bell, Clarence and Dargan found themselves in the path of two converging fires at the end of 2019. Afterwards, the communities engaged fire consultant Tony Hawkins and produced three videos on how to make your property more resilient in the face of fire.
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June Local News
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Inspirational, Intergenerational Play in Blackheath
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A Carnival of Camellias: Beauty and Biodiversity at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden
What do tea, samurai clans, William McArthur, Benjamin Franklin, Vietnam and the Botanic Gardens at Mount Tomah have in common? Read on to explore the way camellias and cultures are woven together and why it’s important we think about conserving biodiversity as a global project implemented at a local level.
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The Lyrebird Festival: The Music of Life in the Megalong
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Birds, Bees, Butterflies and Bats: Supporting Pollinators for Planetary Health
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Growing Community at the Blackheath Vegie Patch
Mel Michael is the newish owner of the Blackheath Vegie Patch. We talk about making lemonade from local lemons, a philosophy of abundance, and how businesses can make communities more resilient.
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Fire Resistant and Fabulous: An Off-Grid Home in the Megalong Valley
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Recreating the Social Benefits of a Corner Store in South Blackheath
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‘Come Friends, Listen’: A Raingarden for Community & Country
The National Parks and Wildlife Service in the Blue Mountains built a rain garden with the help of NPWS Bushcare volunteers. The garden filters water from the roof of the new shelter in Blackheath and slows runoff, limiting erosion. It reduces nutrient levels, disadvantaging introduced weeds.
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June Local News
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New Water Play Area and Rejuvenated Pond Opens at Blackheath Soldiers Memorial Park
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Drone-powered Conservation: The Search for Fletcher’s Drumsticks
Trent Forge from NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and drone pilot Richard Delaney search for the critically endangered 'Fletcher's Drumsticks'. Using drones, the cliffs and hanging swamps of Blue Mountains National Park can be surveyed in a way previously impossible.
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Sustainability at School: Lessons in The Cycles of Life
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Learning as Resilience: Chris Tobin on History, Country and the Power of Different Perspectives
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Charmaine Ledden-Lewis on Stories for a New World
Hamish Dunlop interviews prize-winning children’s book illustrator, mother, activist and proud Bundjalung woman, Charmaine Ledden-Lewis about the power of storytelling and how we can inspire our children to build a better world.
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Orchids in the Blue Mountains: An invitation Into Mystery
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‘Somewhere to Live’: Singing the Song of Homelessness
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Rooves, Tanks & Rain Gardens: Things We Can Do at Home to Save Water and Help the Environment
Planetary Health Initiative writer Hamish Dunlop talks to Amy St Lawrence from Blue Mountains City Council’s Healthy Waterways Team. Amy explains what she’s doing at her home to collect and use water. She also talks about how her rain garden reduces run-off during and after rainfall.
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Govetts Leap Catchment Group: Collaborating to Protect our Wilderness from Weeds
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Blue Mountains achieves global standard in Ecotourism