Director’s Note: October
Wild swimming in September - last week, on my trip to the NT!
Dear CEC Community,
Whether it’s dropping into one of our new Bike Kitchen sessions, heading to one of our hands-on workshops or tours, or reconnecting with nature and community, we’re all about moving with purpose this month. Starting… tomorrow.
On Sat 4 October, the Recylery’s first Bike Kitchen session kick offs from 12-3pm at Gungaderra Homestead, straight after our morning bike sale. Pop in with any bike niggles and learn to fix these with guidance from our two newest team members, talented mechanics Varvara and Cohen.
Following this, we have great lineup for CEC events for October and November - from Home Soil tours around a ‘beyond organic’ farm on the outskirts of Canberra, to making your own herbal teas, learning to ferment foods, and crafting wicking beds for your garden. Explore what’s coming up at canberraenvironment.org/events.
There’s so much do around Canberra over October, as we collectively wake up from a (very cold!) winter, that we’ve compiled a round-up of this month’s ‘nature, sustainability and circular economy events’ here. Join cyclists across the city for National Ride2Work Day on 15 October, the largest celebration of commuter cycling in Australia, supported by our good friends at Pedal Power ACT. Later in the month, don’t miss environment-themed sessions at the Canberra Writers’ Festival (22-26 October), as well Clothing the Loop, a creative festival blending fashion, art and activism (October 22) and Canberra City Farm’s Open Day (26 October).
Closer to home, in CEC Committee news, we’ve recently welcomed Julie Boulton to the role of Acting President and Tara Nicholl as Acting Vice-President - with many thanks owed to the wonderful Mia Swainson for serving over five years as our President. If you’re interested in joining our Committee, or just being involved in CEC more closely, look out for news of our upcoming Annual General Meeting, community BBQ, and Community Garden Open Day in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
I share with you here a slice of paradise from my life last week! I ventured to Darwin for Australia’s Great North Conference, run by four Environment Centres from Northern and Central Australia (from the Kimberley to Cairns). It was so heartening to see these centres working together, alongside traditional owners, to protect and preserve the landscapes of regional Australia. Similar lines of connection exist here in the ACT, and it would be wonderful to grow these into NSW in the months and years ahead.
I took two days’ time out for some wild swimming in Litchfield National Park after the conference. Learning: just a short (wi-fi disconnected) immersion in nature can have the most profound effect on our wellbeing. I hope you can manage your own version of this during Spring, too.
So — whether you're pedalling to work, swimming in our Murrumbidgee River, planting a veggie garden, or picking up a new skill at one of our workshops, let this be the month to take a breather, connect, move, and make a positive impact.
See you out there,
Jennifer
Director, Canberra Environment Centre