---

Sarhn McArthur: a greener me

Sarhn McArthur’s day job is a photographer, but in her spare time she’s a woman on a mission to find new ways to green her inner-city home and business. For four-and-a-half years, Sarhn has documented her eco-journey on her Greener Me blog. Sarhn was recently chosen to take part in our Green Square Green Champions program. Running over four months, the program was designed to empower and support locals to get their green ideas off the ground. From that, Green Square Growers was born. Sarhn tells us more.

So, what led you along life's green path?
As a teenager I was a wide-eyed, optimistic environmentalist, determined to make a difference. But over time, my green flame was buried under a mountain of study, career and family commitments. About six years ago, for my own happiness and balance, I knew that flame needed to be roused and I haven’t looked back since.  

How did you get involved in the Green Champions program?
It was on World Environment Day in June this year. I heard about the program at a sustainability event the City was running at the Green Square Library and Customer Service Centre @ the Tote and knew instantly that I had to be involved. 

What did you get out of it?
At first, I had no real expectations other than to meet some like-minded locals. But during the four months, we were inspired to dream up what we wanted for our Green Square community. We were then given the support to turn those dreams into sustainable community projects. It was incredibly rewarding.

Tell us about your project, Green Square Growers.
We’re basically a group of locals sharing what we know about growing plants, especially edible ones. It’s a lot of fun. We meet on the second Sunday of every month to learn what we can from each other and work out how we can share what we know with the greater Green Square community. But we’re not just brainstorming; there are seeds and tools to swap – and worm wee, as well. We’re also passionate about growing food in places that are underused, like local parks and nature strips.

Who can join?
You, me, anyone – from novice gardeners to green thumbs! Even if every plant you’ve ever tried to grow has died, please get in touch via our Facebook page.

---

Win a summer at the flicks

The Green Villages team loves a good story. We also love a giveaway, so here’s a great incentive to get you sharing your tales. Whether you’ve set up a tool library, have a standing arrangement with your mates to swap food or frocks, are dabbling in beekeeping or you’ve set up car share in your block, then we want to hear from you.

Simply tell us what you’re doing to green your village, home, school or place of work. Leave your name and phone number so we can get in touch and include a picture that shows off your noteworthy actions.

You could win one of three exclusive season passes to Moonlight Cinema*. That’s two tickets to each and every movie on the Moonlight Cinema program this summer! You only have until 9am Thursday 22nd December to get in touch because we want to give you as much time as possible to start enjoying flicks under the stars. The winner will be notified by 5pm that day.

The best yarns and pics will be shared in Green Village News (with your permission, of course) over the coming months to inspire our Green Villages community and show what’s possible with a little ingenuity and motivation.

*conditions apply, please read T&Cs for further information.

---

We fish you a Merry Christmas

For many of us, it wouldn’t be a true Sydney Christmas if we didn’t shun the turkey for a table full of seafood. Anyone who’s been caught in the Christmas Eve crush at the local fishmonger can attest to that.

But are we making informed choices about what goes on our plates? We used to think the world’s oceans were swimming with an endless supply of marine life. That’s no longer the case. Overfishing has pushed three-quarters of the world’s fish stocks to the point of collapse.

The easiest way to find out what’s good and what’s not is by getting your hands on the Australian Marine Conservation Society’s (AMCS) Sustainable Seafood Guide. The great news is it’s just been released as a free iPhone app. If you don't have an iPhone, never fear, the guide is also available for download or you can buy a hard copy via the AMCS website.

Thanks to the app, we now know to steer clear of Atlantic salmon and canned tuna, think twice about prawns and flathead and enjoy whiting, blue swimmer crabs and oysters without the guilt. To get the conversation happening about sustainable seafood, make sure you grill your fishmongers, supermarket assistants and waiters next time you’re buying seafood. Let them know you care about enjoying the right kind of seafood and if enough of us get on board, they’re likely to fill their shelves or menus accordingly.

---

Fake vs fresh. What’s best?

More and more households are going without a Christmas tree, but for some people it wouldn’t be the silly season without one. Which begs the question: fake or fresh?

OK, so it must be incredibly wasteful to chop down a tree for our festive pleasure for a mere few weeks a year, right? Turns out that, in most cases, fresh is actually greener. Although fake plastic trees tend to be re-used (research shows for about six to 10 years), they are eventually tossed. Once in landfill, the plastic doesn’t degrade – period. Then there’s the energy and resources used to produce the tree and transport it to our lounge rooms, typically from China.

Real trees also leave a footprint, but that’s relatively offset by the carbon soaked up by the trees during their time in the ground. If you want to go one further, then choose a potted Australian native pine like a Wollemi or Cypress and use it year after year. Decorate with homemade trinkets and recycled goodies or if you want to buy some, make sure they’re manufactured to last.

If you choose a fresh-cut pine this Christmas, recycling it will be simple if you’re a City of Sydney resident. We offer two free kerbside Christmas tree collections on Wednesday 4 and 11 January. Bookings are essential on 02 9265 9333 and will be taken up to 2pm the day before each collection. Trees create methane gas in landfill, but we’ll turn them into compost and mulch. No artificial trees or decorations, please.

---

Maximum bang, minimum impact

This year’s Sydney New Year’s Eve celebrations mark the fourth year the City has produced a clean, green event and comes after we became Australia’s first carbon-neutral council.

Over the past few years we’ve been able to prove that you can stage a world-class event (it attracts a massive 1.5 million people to the harbour!) and still be sustainable.

The fireworks used on the night are cased in biodegradable paper and contain compounds that dissolve after the effect. Recycled water from the City’s rainwater tanks is used to wash and clean the streets and around 80 per cent of the rubbish collected after the festivities is recycled. We also conduct a carbon audit to calculate and offset the greenhouse gas emissions.

If you’re heading out to watch the big bang, we encourage you to do your bit by walking or catching pubic transport, putting butts in the bin and bringing reusable containers on the night. Plan ahead at sydneynewyearseve.com or with the official 2011 Sydney New Year’s Eve iPhone app. 

---

Festive season gifts with a conscience

Q. What do piglets, wine and chickens have in common? A. They’re all gifts that give twice! At least, they are if you buy from one of the organisations listed in this story. Whether you care about the environment, disadvantaged children or poor communities in India, you can show people you care and make a positive difference.

To give a gift where it's really needed, try the City’s Sydney New Year’s Eve partner Care Australia where you can buy a piglet ($40) or clean water for a family ($60) in some of the poorest communities in the world. Give the gift of sight (from $25) through the Fred Hollows Foundation or literary classes in Papua New Guinea ($40) from Oxfam Unwrapped. There’s also Simply Giving which allows you to choose a gift for a less-fortunate Australian child through organisations like The Smith Family. For a green option, visit Climate Friendly where you can help to grow the renewable energy sector by offsetting the emissions of your family and friends.

If you’re having trouble choosing between all the incredibly worthy charities out there, visit Karma Currency which links you to almost every charity in existence. Buy a gift voucher and your loved one can pick the charity that will receive the money. Plus, as if this gift-giving thing wasn’t good enough, most charity donations over $2 are tax deductible.

If a charity gift doesn’t fit the bill then try to think about the environmental impact of what you’re buying from the shops. All the food, drink, clothing and gadgets you’ll ever need are out there in a planet-friendly form. Support local businesses or buy fair trade to ensure that the people who produced the gift you're buying received a fair price for their labour. Happy giving!