Beechworth Urban Landcare and Sustainability

The Beechworth Sustainability planning meeting for 2011 was held on December 9th at the Beechworth Neighbourhood Centre. In spite of the small attendance (8 people, plus 3 apologies received) we had some good conversations and ideas about how to move the group forward,  and the events we might have in 2011.

During the meeting:

• Charlie R talked about the evolution of the Sustainability Group, and the formation of the Shire’s Environmental Advisory Group, which is now covering many of the areas that our original 4 groups were looking at
• Gabrielle gave a run down of the 2010 events, plus a short presentation on the key themes of the survey results
• Joy spoke about the relationship between Beechworth Landcare and Beechworth Sustainability (they are our auspicing body and therefore provide important insurance cover for our events), and about the new funding arrangements for Landcare (less money) and the implications for the future
• We had a general brainstorming session about the kinds of events that we might have in 2011

There was also a discussion about how to provide more structure to the group in 2011. Our original idea was to form an informal “events” committee to help spread the workload of organising and publicising events. Unfortunately given the small turn out this wasn’t feasible. However, Joy indicated there were 2 spare committee places on the Landcare committee, and that perhaps one or 2 people would like to serve on the Landcare committee as “Sustainability Representatives” – Charlie S and Gabrielle volunteered, and this will be taken to the next Landcare meeting for approval. Charlie R is already on the Landcare committee so will be an additional  “Sustainability Representative”

Here’s Allan’s method for perfect sun dried tomatoes

• Use small to medium size tomatoes. Roma are ideal.
• Wash and dry tomatoes.
• Slice tomatoes in half but do not cut right through. This makes it easier t o place tomatoes on tray.
• Place tomatoes cut side up in a wooden tray -3 ply is ok- 1 metre X 500mm. Sprinkle cooking salt on tomatoes.
• To prevent ants from spoiling fruit use 3 or 4 flattish tins filled with water. Stand a brick in each tin ( brick on its end). Place tray on top of bricks.
• Dry in hot sun-3-4 days. Do not leave trays outside at night. Tomatoes are dry when pinched between fingers and they feel dry.
• Dried tomatoes can then be packed in a sterilised jar with olive oil, basil and garlic.
• Store in a cool, dark place.

Following the successful compost workshop on Sat May 9th, our resident Compostwoman, Donna, has provided these hints and tips for the perfect compost .

What ingredients go into a good compost?

A good compost, like a good cake, is a balance of different ingredients. All compost bins, or heaps, should lie on a soil base and need a balance of materials that:

• are high in nitrogen, such as blood & bone, Dynamic Lifter or chook manure
• contain carbon, such as dried leaves or shredded newspapers, and
• contain both carbon & nitrogen, such as kitchen scraps, pea straw and green garden prunings.

In addition, the compost heap/bin needs:

• water, but only enough so that the contents are moist but not wet
• oxygen, from air, added by regularly turning over the contents of the heap
• warmth, by putting it in a sunny place.

In the next section you will find further composting hints, tips, and solutions for common problems:

Contents:

Can I add……to my compost? Solving common compost problems The Lasagne method of composting

Can I add…..?

• meat scraps – yes, but best to avoid.
• fish bones – yes, but mix them through the heap, rather than leaving them on top.
• old jeans (cotton-based) or old cloth nappies – yes, though cut them up first.
• office paper – not if it has been bleached or is glossy.
• old tyres – not a good idea.
• weeds – yes, if they are without seed heads. No, if they are bulbous, such as oxalis, or spread by runners, such as couch grass.
• dog & cat faecal matter – a health risk, best avoided if you use your compost for veggie plots.
• wood ashes from open fires – yes, in small amounts, but be careful if you add your compost to heavy clay soils as the ash may compound the problem.
• tree branches – shredded before adding.
• eucalyptus leaves – may take a while to decompose so run them over with a lawn mower first.
• lawn clippings – yes, but not in large quantities unless some dry matter is added at the same time, such as dried leaves or shredded newspaper. This helps prevent the clippings becoming a putrid, slimy mess.
• oranges & lemons – these are highly acidic and may take a while to break down, unless they are chopped up before adding.
• kitchen sponges – yes if they are made from cellulosic fibres and will decompose. Check the wrapper for details.
• coffee grounds and tea bags – yes, and yes – and the tiny staple on the tea-bag will eventually add a bit of iron to your soil.
• take-away pizza round cardboard containers – tear them up first and they act as carbon matter for the heap.

Solving common compost problems Why is my compost:

• left with half decomposed big lumps? Adding smaller pieces to the bin should ensure that it all decomposes evenly. Avoid avocado seeds, pineapple tops, twigs and other woody items unless they can be crushed or chopped before adding. Always crush eggshells.

• smelly? Either : Too much nitrogen containing matter and not enough carbon i.e. add more dry materials such as dried leaves and newspaper. Or: Make sure you aid decomposition by using a garden fork and turning over the heap occasionally (maybe once a week) to introduce more air. This prevents anaerobic bacteria from taking over and producing the smells.

• crawling with ants and slaters? The heap is too dry. Add a sprinkling of water or less dry matter. Ants and slaters are not harmful at all but they do indicate that your compost will not decompose rapidly enough.

• developing into biological warfare? If you get attacked by tiny flies (Drosophila) every time you open the lid, rest assured that they are there because they enjoy the contents of your bin, especially if you have been adding fruit peelings, such as apples or kiwi or pineapples. Add a blanket cover to the contents of your bin, such as hessian sacking, carpet felt underlay or the Saturday Age.

• plagued with rats/mice/blowflies or maggots? Meat scraps or fish bones can be added to the bin but only if it is working efficiently and quickly. They are best avoided since they do encourage vermin, especially over summer. Rats and mice enter the bin by digging underneath, so fasten a piece of chicken wire under the bin before commencing.

• taking so long to do anything?!!! The carbon/nitrogen ratio needs to be altered. Remember: too wet, add dry matter, such as newspaper. Too dry, add water along with some high in nitrogen compost activator, such as blood & bone or Dynamic Lifter pellets, or chook poo. And don’t forget to regularly turn the heap over!

The Lasagne method

Materials

• Green mulch- weeds, lawn clippings frit and veggie waste
• Dry materials- hay pea straw raked leaves woody weeds
• Manure – any herbivorous animal manure or plant material that is high in nitrogen eg comfrey or legumes)

Method

• Lay a base of dry material about 1-1.5 m across and 15 cms high.
• Cover it with a layer about 3 cm thick od manure and fluff this into the dry mulch.
• Wet the pile down until quite damp.
• Cover with about 10 cm of green mulch. You could pour over a bucket of seaweed brew or compost tea at this point.
• Repeat these steps finishing with a layer of dry material.

Turning the pile

• 1st turning: 5 to 7 days – white thread like fungus present – the compost starter
• 2nd turning:10- 12 days – humus brown colour fungus has been overtaken by bacteria
• 3rd turning: 15-17 days pile almost all brown and beginning to develop crumbly texture
• 21 days  earthworths and beetles present- nearly ready!

When turning break up any large clods, incorporate as much air as possible, sprinkle with water as necessary to keep it as wet as a sponge and move the outside to the inside as much as you can.

The Beechworth Sustainability Regulation Sub-group have identified that there are significant opportunities to reduce environmental impacts from the built environment within Beechworth.  As the built environment is responsible for about 40% of the worlds greenhouse emissions,  we have identified many cost friendly, simple initiatives that home owners, renovators, builders and those looking to buy in Beechworth can implement to save themselves money, make their home more comfortable, and reduce their environmental impact.

The Beechworth Sustainable Buildings Guide has been developed as a voluntary information guide for those interested in reducing the environmental impact of their home.  It contains information specific to Beechworth’s character and climate as well as links to a number of useful information sources that provide detailed information on making your home more sustainable.

SustainableBuildingsV1

Thank you everyone for your patience – the survey report is finally ready! Firstly a big thank you to everyone that took the time to complete the survey and provide useful feedback and some great ideas. Overall we had 30 completed surveys – as our mailing list is just over 100 and includes people from outside our region this is a very pleasing response.

Regarding the group, most people think that there is room to improve in the way that the group is running, and most (79%) think that Beechworth Sustainability should become a more formal group.

There is no consensus of opinion on merging the group with landcare, with 46% against and 54% in favour. There were some strong opinions expressed about this idea (see report). These results indicate that it is probaly time for a meeting to discuss our options more fully and see what kind of formal group structure will work best to increase participation and keep the group moving. There does not seem to be an appetite for another formal committee structure, although many respondents feel that some more structure in the group would alllow us to build a good events calendar and promote the group and events more effectively, rather than relying on the spare time of just a few volunteers to organise everything. There were several good suggestions from respondents including

• issue-based working groups for more specific time-limited projects
• a spokesperson and a more informal ‘steering group’
• more regular meetings to discuss ideas
• meeting to discuss the direction given the work of the Shire’s Environmental Advisory Committee and sub-groups

When it comes to topics we have a broad range of interests. It’s great to see so  many are interested in growing fruit and veg, and building sustainable communities!

People are most interested in “hands on” style events, house/garden tours and hearing from other locals that have made sustainability-related changes.

Thanks to those that provided some feedback on the website – I’m looking at incorporating as many of your suggestions as possible. I have already added a weather module to the site to provide weather information. A quarterly newsletter is a great idea, but we would need volunteers to provide content.

Download the pdf of the report for the full responses to the survey.

If you have any questions about the survey or the report please email us .

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