ALEC Update May 21, 2009

=====================================================================
ALEC Update
Thursday May 21, 2009
=====================================================================
G’day all,
I hope this finds you fit and healthy and in the swing of it.
This update reflects the busyness of many people’s lives within the community who are organising events and community get-togethers.
Please take the time to find out what is going on around town and support community action by turning up.
----------------------------------------
Just to let you know, ALEC has lodged a Freedom of Information request to the Department of Mining and Energy in relation to the approval of the Mining Management Plan and the processes involved. Community monitoring is continuing, apparently a second drilling rig has been set up on site, which is located 14.6km from the start of the gravel on the old South rd. If you’re interested in keeping an eye on what’s going on down there, email me info@alec.org.au and I can put you in contact with the drivers of that.
-----------------------------------------
If you’re interested in collective food growing, we’re in the process of applying for a grant to organise a Gardens for Food program where networks of households share time, labour, skills and produce. It will feed into the momentum towards a community garden and our own community’s resilience.
If interested, stay tuned, or call me 8952 2497.
-------------------------------------------
Keep well
See you soon

Jimmy
--------------------------------------------------------------------

‘I have no doubt that we will be successful in harnessing the sun's energy.... If sunbeams were weapons of war, we would have had solar energy centuries ago. ~Sir George Porter, quoted in The Observer, 26 August 1973
-
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Key dates:
Grab your diaries:

Fri May 22 Closing date for U-Art our Voice exhibition – call Unanyntji (details below)

Sat May 23 Solar Open Day – Desert Knowledge Precinct 9-11am (Community Notices)

Sun May 24 Biodiesel-making workshop (details Community News)
Fri May 29 Ecology and conservation of the White Stork. CSIRO 3.30pm (details below)

Fri May 29 Critical MASSive – Council Lawns – 5.15pm – cycle
against uranium exploration (details below)

Fri May 29 More than my skin – opening Watch This Space 6pm (see WTS at the end of this email)


Sat May 30 Steiner Fair (details in Community News)

Tue Jun 2 Living Rivers Community Forum (more details next week)

Thu Jun 4 BHP-B Public Meeting RE: Roxby EIS (more details next week)

Fri June 5 U-Art our voice, exhibition opening, 6-8pm ASTC Library (details below)

Fri June 5 World Environment Night @ the Lane Upstairs 8pm-1am (details below)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
U-Art our Voice
Alice Springs Artists response to the uranium threat
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Calling all poets, song writers, artists etc to create works responding to the uranium mining-dumping threats to our town.
We are hoping to create an exhibition to be displayed in the ASTC Library June 5
Queries please call Unanyntji ;0488266478,unanyntji@hotmail.com Deadline May 22
---------------------------------------------------------------------
World Environment Day/Night
Friday June 5

The Lane Upstairs from 8pm
Come and join in the fun.
Films
Chris Aronston, Super Raelian brothers and friends
and a RAFFLE!

ALEC will be presenting Uranium: Is it a country?
An upbeat German documentary looking into the nuclear industry in both Europe and Australia. This film is on its world tour, with screenings in Berlin, Melbourne, Alice Springs and others.

A premiere for the Territory!

A fundraiser for ALEC’s anti-U mining campaigns
$10 concession
$15 full
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Room available
---------------------------------------------------------------------
We have a lovely self contained granny flat in Braitling becoming available on June 5th – its spacious and bright with a private outlook and its own outdoor entertaining area. Ideally we are looking for someone child friendly (we have 2 kids 10 months and 3 1/2) willing to possibly baby sit in exchange for part of the rent or a single parent looking to share the load around. Failing this – we would consider short term rentals whilst we find the right person. Call us Flis and Andy 8952 3572 for more details

ALEC Update Tuesday March 3, 2009

ALEC Update
Tuesday March 3, 2009
=====================================================================
G’day all,
The ALEC Update is early this week due to the Strategising for Change workshops on Wednesday and Thursday plus there are loads of things happening this weekend and further into March.

ALSO...

I’m interested in what you folks see as priority areas for me to work on this year.

Currently ALEC is involved in:

1, Community Garden – working with CG Steering Group and Town Council

2, Building Community Resilience and adaptation to climate change– organising workshops - tba

3, Recycling – lobbying for CDL but also interested in setting up a system for plastics

4, Uranium mining – Supporting Angela Pamela campaign but more broadly Central Australia

5, Rangeland Management – pastoral land management, reducing camel impacts on vegetation and involvement in Caring for Our Country

6, Water Efficiency Program (WEP) – lobbying for implementation of WEP

7, desertSMART - Built environment sustainable housing, energy, water and waste

or are there any I have missed or things you’d like to see ALEC do.

Please email me with your insights and interests. Some of these things, like recycling plastics just needs some serious time dedicated to it to set up a system of collection (drop off), baling and sending to Adelaide, others will be on-going.

Also, we need to raise funds. If anyone is interested in assisting in organising fundraisers or fundraising for ALEC please contact me.
info@alec.org.au
8952 2497



Grab your diaries:

Sat Mar 7 COOLmob Gardens Challenge and Workshop 8204 Ragonesi rd 9.30am-12.30pm (details below)

Sat Mar 7 Labyrinth Walk and Multifaith Prayer Circle 6.45pm- 9pm
8204 Ragonesi Rd (details below)

Sat Mar 7 Frog Watch Simpsons Gap BBQ Area Frogwatch 7-9pm

Sun Mar 8 International Women’s Day Celebration 10am-2pm
Council Lawns (details below)

Fri Mar 13 FFANFF Pram Jam Council Lawns 9am (details below)

Sun Mar 22 World Water Day – Todd Mall Markets- All day

Fri Mar 27 Public Meeting Kon Vatskalis re: Angela Pamela – Andy McNeill Room – 11.30am-12.30pm

Sun May 24 Biodiesel-making workshop (See Attachment) more details to come

Have a great week.

Kind regards

Jimmy

The ecological crisis is doing what no other crisis in history has ever done -- challenging us to a realization of a new humanity. - Jean Houston

More funding for ALEC from NTG

NT Government confirms election commitment increasing ALEC funding to $70,000 per year from 2009/10 as part of its recognition of the importance of engaging the community on climate change issues.

Re-Thinking Waste in Schools Workshop

Eight teachers from 5 Central Australian schools and 7 environmental experts from Alice Springs all met at the Desert Park today for the Re-Thinking Waste in Schools workshop.

The workshop was run through a wikispace which the teachers will continue to use to collaborate, share and plan both their units of work and the Big Waste Day Out celebration in August 2008. At the same time a group of Top End schools met in Darwin and were using the same wikispace to plan their own units of work and the Darwin Big Waste Day Out. To find out more and to see what the teachers are planning visit their re-thinking waste challenge wikispace


Teachers are planning all sorts of programs to create fun learning opportunities for their students that are purposeful and contextualised in the areas of reducing water, energy, litter and resource use, and increasing recycling and creative ways to deal with our waste.

If you want to join in with the Re-Thinking Waste Challenge, please contact emma.bliss@nt.gov.au (or louise.fogg@nt.gov.au if you are in the Top End)

The Re-Thinking Waste in Schools Central Australia Project is a collaborative initiative of Keep Australia Beautiful, DEET (Teaching Learning and Standard Division), NRETA (Waterwise and Alice Springs Desert Park) Gardens for Wildlife, DKA COOLmob, The Bowerbird Tip Shop and the Arid Lands Environment Centre.