Australian Association for Environmental Education Conference 9 - 12 July 2008

The 15th Biennial National Australian Association for Environmental Education (AAEE) Conference "Environmental Education up the Track: Hot Topics for our Community" is on in Darwin at Charles Darwin University from 9 - 12 July 2008. There are discount rates for delegates who decide to register early with an early bird special for AAEE members, non-members and students.

The AAEE Conference is the premier professional association for those who work in the fields of environmental or sustainability education. AAEE serves to represent the environmental education fraternity: it advocates for the interests of environmental educators through representative roles on state and national government and Industry committees and its state-based chapters. AAEE provides an important network that supports members with up-to-date research and policy information, access to resources, and regular workshops and conferences.

Further information about the conference can be found here.

Victorian Sustainable Development Conference, 22 - 23 April 2008, Melbourne

The Victorian Sustainable Development Conference 2008 will bring together key public sector decision-makers, industry leaders, local government, scientists, conservationists and others to discuss the current and future directions and frameworks for sustainability in Victoria, and will review how it will affect Victorian local government, business and the community.

It will provide an opportunity to examine progress towards sustainable objectives in a range of key areas such as: Victorian policy and progress, water, waste and resource recovery, energy efficiency, climate change response, planning and urban design, including a review of the Melbourne 2030 strategy.

Further information can be found here.

Clean Up Australia Day - 2 March 2008

Registrations are now open to participate in Clean Up Australia Day 2008. The day provides a focus for community action to address not just the growing problem of plastic bottle rubbish but greenhouse gas pollution as well. Registrations are now open. Anyone can register a Clean Up site and community organisations are also encouraged to get involved by visiting Clean Up Australia or calling 1800 CUA DAY (1800 282 329).

Roberto Perez speaking tour, How Cuba Survived Peak Oil, 28 March 2008 Sydney

Alignment of Local NRM Data Project – Sydney Metro CMA

In September last year the Sydney Metropolitan CMA (SMCMA) initiated a NHT-funded project to identify the range, quality and value of the local natural resource data being collected within the catchment area. The project aim is to identify opportunities to establish more cooperative arrangements with respect to monitoring, evaluation and reporting (MER) on natural resource issues. This will ultimately generate more meaningful information to inform natural resource policy, investment and decision-making by councils, the SMCMA and other natural resource managers.

To date nearly all of the 39 councils in the SMCMA area have been contacted to participate in the survey. In recognising the timing and resourcing issues facing councils, the response has generally been positive and data is starting to come in.

As part of the project a workshop was also held in mid December with almost 20 representatives from Local Government, CMAs and State government agencies involved in the state-wide NRM Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Strategy. The workshop provided an opportunity to share information on current MER activities, and to identify the roles and responsibilities and challenges facing the various stakeholders.

Some of the key issues raised in the workshop included the need for:

• greater consistency in relation to: the selection of indicators, the range of parameters being monitored, and the protocols and standards for monitoring (e.g. design, sample analysis, evaluation); and
• management commitment to on-going monitoring programs.

Workshop notes and presentations can be found here.

The next stage of the project (which is set to finish in June) will be to assess the value and quality of the available NRM data from a catchment perspective. This will be conducted in conjunction with the Theme Teams involved in the State-wide MER Strategy.

If you are interested in finding out more about the project contact Denise Day.