Director’s Note - July
As the days reached their shortest length and winter fog began to occupy Canberra, June reminded me that action isn't something we wait for - it grows through learning, showing up, conversation, and community.
One of the highlights of the month was welcoming Professor Mark Howden to our Impact Hour talk series at Dissent Bar & Café, expertly hosted by our President, Julie Boulton (and run in collaboration with SEE Change & Conservation Council of the ACT Region). Mark shared insights from decades at the forefront of climate science, but one message particularly resonated: "One of the things we've learnt from psychology is that anxiety... can often be dealt with by people taking action." Even small actions can help us feel more empowered.
That idea sits at the heart of everything we do at Canberra Environment Centre.
Farewell, Cohen. Please don’t move to Melbourne.
This month, Bianca has been delivering children's workshops at Northside Community Service, helping young Canberrans discover the joy of growing plants and caring for nature. At the Recyclery, our Saturday bike sales have been some of the busiest we've ever seen, while our Bike Basics workshop at Diversity Hub ACT helped participants gain the confidence to maintain and repair their own bikes.
June also marked the end of an excellent era as we farewelled our much-loved community bike mechanic, Cohen. We're incredibly grateful for his enthusiasm, generosity, and the many people he’s helped and encouraged over his time with the Recyclery. We're sad to see him go, but we wish him every success in his next adventure (cue the song "Please don't move to Melbourne" by Ball Park Music to all of our remaining bike mechanics!).
Finally, late in the month, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Ray of Light Festival on the winter solstice, celebrating community, creativity, and our connection to the natural world. Last weekend we also hosted a wonderful Seed Savers workshop, where participants learned how to collect, store and share seed - yet another practical skill that helps build a more resilient community.
Looking back over this first month of winter: whether it's learning to grow food, repairing a bike, hearing from a climate scientist, sharing seeds or celebrating the winter solstice with our community, every event helps people build the knowledge, skills and connections to make a difference.
Speaking of action, don't miss Mark Howden's ‘One Action’ challenge inside this edition of the Scoop. Mark encourages us all to have a respectful conversation about climate change with six people over the coming month. It might sound simple, but conversations can change minds, build understanding, and inspire action. You know you wanna do it!
Finally, today is the last day of the financial year, and I'd like to ask for your support.
If you've attended one of our workshops, bought a refurbished bike, enjoyed one of our talks, or simply believe in the work we do, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. Every dollar helps us deliver more free workshops, educate more children, rescue more bikes from landfill, and create more opportunities for Canberrans to make meaningful changes - and in so doing, help us to build a better, fairer, greener city.
Warm regards,
Jennifer.
director@canberraenvironment.org
The CEC & Recylery Team this month
Jen and Julie interviewing Mark for an upcoming episode of our podcast, Local Environmental Heroes
Mark speaking at our third Impact Hour talk @ Dissent Cafe and Bar