The Watershed Community Education Program
What is the Watershed Community Education Program?
The Watershed Community Education Program aims to provide support for individuals and groups to take positive action for sustainability. Community education services and programs currently offered by The Watershed include the Watershed Shop Front Advisory Service, the Urban Sustainability Workshop Series, attendance at local festivals and special events and the Watershed Sustainability Info Sheet Series.
If you are interested in getting involved as a volunteer with the Watershed Community Education Program check out our Volunteer Program information.
Urban Sustainability Workshop Series
The Watershed’s FREE sustainability workshop series has expanded into new themes and venues. Join us for one of these great, hands-on seminars – learn practical tips for sustainable living, meet like-minded members of your community and share low-cost solutions and alternatives. You can download our current workshop timetables or contact The Watershed for more information by phone 02 9519 6366 or email watershedinfo@marrickville.nsw.gov.au . All workshops are FREE however, bookings are essential.
Would you like to hear what our recent workshop participants have to say? You can download feedback from recent workshop participants here as a PDF file.
Download
- Participant Feedback | PDF 46Kb
Outreach workshops can be tailored for group needs upon request, with the flexibility to work within time frames of 30 minutes (taster session) up to 2 hours (full workshop). Fees may apply. Please direct your enquiries to The Watershed Program Coordinator.
Workshop Topics Include:
Composting
Aim: To introduce the concept and benefits of composting and to explain and demonstrate practical skills and tools, providing participants with the confidence to set up and maintain their own compost system.
Worm Farming
Aim: To introduce the concept and benefits of and to explain and demonstrate the structure and components of a working worm farm, providing participants with the confidence to set up and maintain their own worm farm.
Waste
Aim: To explore the context of waste issues and introduce and demonstrate application of the waste hierarchy tool, providing participants with creative and useful ideas that can be applied everyday to reduce the impacts.
Energy
Aim: To introduce energy issues in a range of contexts including discussion of energy sources, their applications and impacts, and demonstration of ways to achieve energy savings both directly and indirectly through technical and behavioural means, providing participants with the confidence to make climate friendly choices.
Water
Aim: To introduce the context of water issues by exploring supply-side solutions, demonstrating practical tips to reduce potable and non-potable water demand and discussion of water collection, water reuse and water pollution within the context of 'fit for purpose' water resources, providing participants with the confidence to make water wise decisions.
Rainwater & Greywater
Aim: To explore the concepts and benefits of rainwater harvesting and gray water reuse and recycling and how these might meet wider community and individual household needs. Issues surrounding system components and regulatory guidelines are discussed using local case studies, providing participants with the resources required to confidently choose a system to best suit their site.
Low Cost Enviro Tips
Aim: To introduce the context of waste, energy and water issues globally and locally and demonstrate practical tips to minimize waste and conserve resources through low cost changes around the home. This workshop is very suitable for renters and also apartment dwellers.
Eco Choices for Sustainable Living
Aim: To demonstrate the abundance of eco choices available on a daily basis and to introduce concepts and tools such as ecological footprint and life cycle analysis, food is used as a case study to demonstrate the use of these tools and provide participants with the confidence to make environmentally responsible choices when shopping.
Eco Choices for Home Renovators
Aim: To introduce principles of passive design and explore how these can be applied to meet individual sites and to demonstrate creative and practical ideas for choosing products and materials such as insulation, flooring, windows and paints, providing participants with useful resources and knowledge to make decisions with greater potential for financial and environmental savings in the short and long term.
Growing Food Without Digging
Aim: To introduce the concept of global versus local food systems and explore the benefits of reconnecting with our local food systems. No Dig gardening methods are demonstrated, providing participants with basic skills, resources and confidence to grow, harvest, consume and regrow their own food at home.
Natural Cleaning
Aim: To identify a variety of cleaning products currently relied upon by the participants, their potential impacts and natural alternatives to these conventional cleaning products. Practical information and demonstration for purchasing and making natural cleaning products provides participants with the knowledge and skills to make informed cleaning choices.
Natural Personal Care
Aim: To identify a variety of personal care products currently relied upon by the participants, their potential ingredients and impacts and natural alternatives to these conventional care products. Practical information and demonstration for purchasing and making natural care products provides participants with the knowledge and skills to make informed care choices.
Natural Baby Care
Aim: To explore the decisions new parents must make which have potential impacts upon our natural environments, and discuss practical options for minimising these impacts. Participants are provided with information to assist them in exploring choices associated with nappies, care and hygiene, products and services and family planning.
Natural Pet Care
Aim: To explore the decisions pet owners face, providing information and ideas to maximise their pet's quality of life whilst minimising their impact on our natural environments. Participants will gain an understanding of the principles of pet nutrition and hygiene in the context of sustainability, enabling them to make practical, informed choices regarding their pet's wellbeing.
More Information
For more information on The Watershed and other environmental events visit Marrickville Council’s Events Calendar.
Last Updated: Friday 16 October, 2009