Welcome to Sustainable Living Tasmania's

August 2023 Members' Newsletter

What a successful event the Gathering 2023 was!

So many passionate, hard-working people in one room, all sharing their ideas, frustrations, successes and desire to improve the lives of us all here in Tasmania.

Read about the outcomes of this event, and the role SLT will play to support these groups in the future in this issue.

Thank you to all who attended and assisted

A message from

SLT President

Margaret Steadman's

'desk'

This month, my desk is the living room table in my son’s house in Perth, WA. I’m using up my 'air love miles’ to see my WA family and walk in the Darling Range bush with the wild flowers coming out.

A few days ago I was part of the Sustainable Living Gathering that SLT convened, in Brighton Civic Centre, with support from Brighton Council - a wonderful bunch of 40 or so people from over 20 groups from all over the state, working on sustainable living in all sorts of ways.

After lunch we had Cameron McLennan from DPAC talking to us about contributing to the development of a Tasmanian sustainability strategy. You will be hearing more of this in the near future. He told me

‘I found the day very insightful and inspiring! It was really encouraging to see an overwhelming shared commitment to working together for the future, acknowledging that no single person or entity could possibly solve the sustainability challenges alone.’

We all talked a good deal about the need for communication and regular gatherings and began a conversation about how Sustainable Living Tasmania could help build a collaborative movement, so there will be much more of this work in the near future too. We will need your help and support.

Don’t forget to put the AGM in your diary – Wednesday 4 October, 6.30 pm – 8.00 pm in the Lord Mayor’s Court Room of the Hobart Town Hall (same elegant venue as last year, with thanks to the Lord Mayor). A formal notice with agenda and final details will be coming soon.

Thank you for your support.

Margaret

The Gathering 2023

Report by Helen Pryor

Forty committed, energetic, knowledgeable, inspiring people from 17 organisations across the state came together for a day of collaboration, conversation and problem-solving at Brighton Civic Centre on Sunday August 20. Phil Everist generously and ably facilitated the day with groups discussing and posting their vision, successes and challenges in the morning session.

The atmosphere was lively and sociable as we shared our stories highlighting the breadth and depth of commitment for sustainable living ideas and dreams in our communities.

After lunch we watched the short animated film by Australia reMade ‘The Stuff of Dreams’, which brought together a beautiful, aspirational collective vision for our state.

We then heard from Cameron McLennan (DPAC) about the direction the State Government is heading towards in developing its Sustainability Strategy.

Our afternoon session saw us break into six groups to flesh out some actions around the major identified issues :

Effective communication,
Sociocracy and how it can help with group success,
Group management,
Transport,
Pre-election lobbying, and
Alternative social and economic models.

Reports encapsulated priorities to best help us progress the sustainable living agenda within Tasmania. These will be collated by Sustainable Living Tasmania and shared to each of the groups for further discussion.

The Gathering was organised by SLT as part of its strategic planning refinement process to help decide what role it might play in helping to support sustainable living groups from across the state. There seemed to be consensus that SLT is the most appropriate organisation to take on a co-ordinating role, that it should apply for funding for this role (supported by the groups) and that similar networking events be held each year.

SLT would like to thank all the participants, who brought good will and positive energy to the day along with considerable wisdom, Phil Everist for his facilitation, Brighton Council for kindly donating the use of the Civic Centre and Shelle and Nina for so generously and capably volunteering for the day, ensuring that everything ran smoothly behind the scenes and that we were well-nourished.

Also thanks to SLT Board Member Oren for volunteering to oversee the lecture theatre technicalities and for Sandy our Community Engagement and Events Officer who tirelessly and efficiently managed the promotion and communication for the event.

I think it is safe to say we did not go hungry!

It wouldn't be right not to finish this segment without a special call out to the tireless hard work of Alison Johnson, Brighton Council's Climate Resilience Officer.

Alison was instrumental in organising the Brighton Civic Centre for us free of charge, for both The Gathering and The Big Weekend of Sustainable Living Ideas back in March this year.

Thank you Alison for your assistance. We are all in awe of the incredible work you are doing with your engaging hands-on activities that so brilliantly communicate the importance of living sustainable.

Youth Climate Leaders Update

The Tasmanian Youth Climate Leadership Program is a collaboration within the Education for Sustainability Tasmania network by the University of Tasmania and Sustainable Living Tasmania, and is supported by the Tasmanian Government through Renewables, Climate and Future Industries Tasmania.

Getting to know our Future Climate Leaders

Amelie Hudspeth

Amelie Hudspeth (Youth Program Facilitator) attended the first TYCLP conference as a high school student, sparking her passion for climate and environmental activism. She supported the beginning of the School Strike 4 Climate movement in nipaluna/Hobart, and was a keen member of Hobart College’s Student Environment Team for two years.

Amelie has been involved in running the TYCLP since first attending, passing on her passion to other young people. Currently working as an outdoor guide, Amelie is a keen environmentalist and is passionate about engaging schools and young people in climate positive initiatives. That is her under the red helmet in the image above - dangling precariously from a cliff over the ocean! I think you might agree, this young woman is fearless!

Tasmania's first Wellbeing Framework will help shape Tasmania's future - from health to education to housing and the environment, to state government services and beyond.

For more information and to take the survey visit: www.wellbeingframework.tas.gov.au

Have you checked out SLT's You Tube Channel?

Looking for past e-forum recordings? Or videos to help with navigating the every changing information about energy use and saving tips? What about an eco home guide, or information on reducing waste?

Click the button below and spend a bit of time watching SLT's extensive video library of information. We hope it helps you live more sustainably.

SLT's YouTube Channel

To make a tax deductible donation click here

Meet SLT Board Member ...

& Life Member

Margaret Steadman

Tell us a little about yourself.

My first 10 years of life were in a council estate in Lincoln, England, but my dad decided that Australia had more opportunities and possibilities (and sunshine) than England at the end of the war so in 1954 we sailed with hundreds of other ten pound Poms on the Himalaya, (a great adventure for a child) getting off at Fremantle. Perth was my home for the next 40 years. Having 2 children and reading some of the early environmental classics like Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’ and E.F. Schumacher’s ‘Small is Beautiful’ made an environmentalist of me.

Helen Pryor, SLT Board Member and Life Member

Why did you join SLT?

I trained as a high school teacher but worked mainly in adult education of one sort or another for my working life – tutoring in Australian history at UWA and Murdoch University, a nine year stint in prison education in WA and eventually when I moved to Tasmania in the mid 1990’s, I found my niche in the Tasmanian Environment Centre/Sustainable Living Tasmania.

I distinctly remember listening to David Suzuki on the car radio as I drove to Launceston for work in maybe 1996. He said that we must make our livelihoods serve the planet. I wrote my resignation as soon as I arrived home and looked for a new job which turned out to be at TEC where I was already volunteering a day a week. I was the Executive Officer for 13 years and a member of the board for the last however many years – can’t remember!

What are your sustainability hopes for Tasmania?

Tasmania is a treasure, on a planet of such beauty and abundance, that humans are almost destroying. I read so many accounts of scientists and sociologists that say we are close to a climate and ecological disaster but then I work in my garden which gives me such joy, ride my e-bike down the Goulburn St hill (makes me feel 12 years old again), walk on the foothills of kunanyi and work with people who have courage and vision. I believe that we can build a world that is driven by compassion and generosity, not by fear and greed. And my patch is where I start. With your help.