Waterways are the arteries of the Earth.
Plastic pollution is clogging waterways, endangering wildlife, the climate, and our way of life. Neil Blake OAM (Port Phillip Baykeeper) and Fam Charko (EcoCentre Marine Biologist) work tirelessly to understand the growing problem of plastic in the Port Phillip Bay, and how it impacts wildlife like St Kilda's population of little penguin.
As a Brighton Sea Scouts Venturer, Sam Perkins noticed an alarming amount of microplastic appearing at the Holloway Bend Beach in Brighton. Concerned with the impact these microplastics would have on the life in Port Phillip Bay, Sam was inspired to protect the bay as his project in pursuit of the Queen’s Scout Environment Award. The question was: where to start?
By Francisca Alliende
I moved to Australia in 2018 as an experienced landscape architect. I’ve always had a passion for plants and wanted to help people connect with the land, and also learn more about my local community and environment. A year later, I’ve found my home in Australia through the Port Phillip EcoCentre.
It’s been a difficult week of community conversations with everyone from retiree volunteers to schools, where we’ve even had 8-year-olds with tears in their eyes talk to our educators about their fears for the environment. Climate grief is not uncommon, but do you hear the sound of sleeves rolling up?
By Keith Badger
If you told me ten years ago that I’d be a climate activist, I would have laughed. At that point, I had spent the majority of my life working in the corporate sector, finding ways I can best provide for my family. It wasn’t until I had a climate epiphany that my life’s course completely shifted for the betterment of the world – and my family.
Isabel Robinson, as told to Josh Solomonsz
I first went to Papua New Guinea when I was 19. Before then, I had lived a somewhat sheltered life – I grew up in Middle Park, went to a private school in St Kilda, and my only overseas experience had been a school exchange to Tuscany in Year 10. I left school and started a Bachelor of Arts at Melbourne University, but after so many years of study, I think I was tired of the theoretical. I was reading all these articles about aid and development and environmental damage and globalisation, but had no practical experience of what this looked like. After a year and a half of Arts, I took a leave of absence and volunteered in PNG, where I was confronted with a reality very different from my own. Life in the villages was full of joy but also difficult, particularly for women. Women my age might already have several children and spend most of their time tending their gardens, cooking, cleaning and collecting water. I realised that travelling, going to university and pursuing a career was not, in fact, totally normal, but a privilege that I must use and use well.
St Joseph’s students joined hands-on catchment care to raise $20,000 through Living Water Workbees, allowing them to install rainwater tanks and a raingarden of indigenous plants, funded through the Victorian Government’s Port Phillip Bay Fund. 85% of the water used in St Joseph’s Primary School (Elsternwick) is now supplied from their tanks; and during heavy rain, stormwater is slowed and filtered by the gardens before flowing to our Bay.
As a Brighton Sea Scouts Venturer, Sam noticed an alarming amount of microplastic appearing at the Holloway Bend Beach in Brighton. Concerned with impact these microplastics would have on the life in Port Phillip Bay, Sam was inspired to protect the bay as his project in pursuit of the Queen’s Scout Environment Award. The question was: where to start?
Chenxin grew up in rural China, allowing her to develop a deep connection with nature. Moving to Australia, she felt isolated from the natural environment, and in particular noticed Chinese-Australians faced barriers to connecting with Australia’s environment. This dramatic shift stirred her to want to find ways in which all Australians can balance urban life with the natural environment.
At the EcoCentre, Chenxin developed skills she needed to turn her passion into a reality.
Youth are mobilising to advocate for the environment, as thousands of students protested for greater action towards climate change across Australia last month. Their message is being heard, but more in-depth sustainability knowledge and leadership experience, coupled with greater tailored support from school staff, will help these young leaders amplify their voices.
Young people across Melbourne like the Grade 3/4 Eco-Warriors from St Columba’s School in Elwood, participate in the EcoCentre’s leadership program for students and teachers.
The EcoCentre acknowledges the Kulin Nations, including the Yalukut Weelam clan of the Boon Wurrung language group, traditional owners of the land on which we are located. We pay respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to other Aboriginal and Elder members of our multicultural community.
