The Josh’s House team are excited to announce another great research project initiated by Curtin University, and funded by the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Low Carbon Living (a national consortium of universities, businesses and government bodies).
Supported by the City of Yarra and Yarra Energy Foundation, Livewell Clusters has been created to help you reduce your carbon footprint while maintaining or enhancing your wellbeing. And through Livewell you can help others do this too, and help build a self-sustaining movement.
There are many ways to build low carbon wellbeing, and you can choose what suits you. You can draft-proof your house, change your lights or start a food garden. You can change you mode of transport, put solar panels on your roof, switch to green power or share tools with your neighbours. These are but a few examples of the very many options you have.
These kinds of measures can save you money, make your home more comfortable, give you exercise, connect you with people in your community, provide an absorbing activity – in other words, enhance your health and happiness while reducing your carbon footprint.
Livewell Yarra is the first Livewell Cluster, and it’s being launched at Fitzroy Town Hall on 5 March 2015, and you are invited!
It’s called ‘Livewell’ because maintaining and enhancing our wellbeing is important, and the evidence is clear that we can reduce carbon without sacrificing it. ‘Clusters’ refers to the cluster of small groups and activities that will operate in each locality. Some examples of these are:
- Decarb Groups: Six to twelve people come together to help each other reduce their carbon footprints. They work out what this footprint is, get information about how to reduce it, set targets and then help and support each other to reach these targets.
- Project Groups: Reduce carbon isn’t always easy, but Project Groups should make it easier. Each one will take on a specific project, such as arranging working bees to do simple retrofitting jobs, or organising bulk buying of low carbon products, or encouraging food gardening.
- Learning Activities: There will be an Orientation session and a range of workshops, speakers’ panels, forums and short courses and other event covering specific subjects.
As part of the CRC for Low Carbon Living project two further clusters are planned – in the City of Maribyrnong, and a joint cluster in three eastern Sydney municipalities. Beyond that clusters will be set up in any locality where there is a demand for them, in communities across Australia.
Right from the start participants will help to make the clusters happen – making decisions, doing necessary jobs and raising funds. When the CRC research phase is over Livewell Clusters will become a fully autonomous movement run by participants – independent, but well connected with like-minded organisations and sources of expertise and embedded in local communities.
So get involved and be part of this movement to build a low-carbon, high-wellbeing Australia and make sure you check out the Livewell Clusters Website at www.livewell.net.au