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There is much we can learning from Indigenous perspectives on sustainability. Australia’s indigenous people have cared for Mother Earth for over fifty thousand years. They come from country, care for country, celebrate country, feel sorry for country, and have a deep emotional connection and concern for the place they are born. This concept of Country fully embraces sustainability.
“The land is my mother. Like a human mother, the land gives us protection, enjoyment, and provides our needs – economic, social, and religious. We have a human relationship with the land: Mother, daughter, son. When the land is taken from us or destroyed, we feel hurt because we belong to the land, and we are part of it.” Djinyini Gondarra
The way we view the world is the way we treat it. Loving earth and having a world view that we are off this earth and need to maintain it in order to live; that if destroy our country we destroy ourselves is at the heart of many indigenous cultures but far removed from the modern western world view.
As David Suzuki said:
“The way we see the world shapes the way we treat it. If a mountain is a deity, not a pile of ore; if a river is one of the veins of the land, not potential irrigation water; if a forest is a sacred grove, not timber; if other species are biological kin, not resources; or if the planet is our mother, not an opportunity––then we will treat each other with greater respect. Thus, is the challenge, to look at the world from a different perspective.”
Indigenous Australians fully understand the interconnectedness of all life and the fragility of our ecosystems.

If we can learn to treat Earth and nature with true respect, we will be begin the long journey of being good custodians of our earth.

The resources and links to resources that follow provide some information and ideas to support your teaching and learning and development programs. There are resources for educators, as we can only teach what we know, and we all have much to learn about Indigenous perspectives and sustainability.
 

There are many simple things you can do each day to support children to understand about energy and the need for energy reduction. This can begin at a very young age through modelling and example. When children, even our babies hear us say its sunny we don’t need the lights on, or lets open the windows to feel the breeze we are showing them how to be energy efficient.

Conduct an energy audit to learn how much energy is used by the electrical appliances at your service. You can borrow an energy audit tool kit from your local library in South Australia or contract a local provider who can conduct the energy audit for you.

The audit will identify appliances that may need replacing or repair (such as the seal on a fridge) and will help you eliminate unnecessary power use, and compare energy bills when available. You can then demonstrate the impact of the changes you make and provide motivation for further improvement.

When purchasing new or replacement electric appliances, consider the need before purchasing, then look for ones with high energy star ratings. Energy efficient washing machine and dryers can greatly reduce your energy usage. Remember the more stars the more savings!

Print our simple guide to energy saving

Frustrated with trying to grow good vegies so that you are ready to give up or are have already given up?
Have you been trying a kitchen garden at your service and having trouble growing and harvesting?
Many people think that by putting in a garden bed, using some potting soil and then plantings some seedlings and watering they will grow and harvest!
As our garden gurus will tell us there is much more to good soil than just buying what is recommended from your local landscape service. There is much more to a plant than the major hardware chains can tell you and much more to watering than just using a hose or irrigation system for ½ an hour every day.

Soil, Seed, Water:

The soil is the key. A good quality growing soil that is friable and provides the correct nutrients for the plant is essential. Soils can become water resistant and loose nutrient value especially if exposed to the harsh SA summer. Always put a blanket of mulch on your garden if you leave it unplanted. This will keep the soil active.  Soils need to be refreshed with quality compost each planting season or you can try growing a green crop and digging into the soil to regenerate. It may also be worth doing a soil test to check the nutrient levels.

Then you need good quality seed.   Whenever possible purchase locally produced seed or collect your own. When purchasing seeds from a commercial supplier research their sustainability credentials.

If you purchase seedlings, they must be quality plants that are produced ethically using quality growing soils. The life of the seedling before you plant it will determine its productivity. Plants that have been stressed when they are young will not be as productive as those that are nurtured and well cared for.  Seedlings must be grown in good quality soil, watered regularly and then planted when they are ready. Inconsistent watering and being left too long in small pots will lead to problems as they grow and issues with fruiting.

Water is essential. To get a good harvest will mean shading during summer and regular, water especially in the hot dry SA summers.

Many people give up when gardens fail to thrive because they haven’t taken care of the basic needs of the plants. Different types of gardens also have different requirements. Plants grown in raised metal garden beds, wooden ones, pots or garden patches all have different needs.

Kitchen gardens that work require time and research. In SA we have lots of great garden gurus to help us.

To procure means to acquire something in a careful manner. Sustainable procurement essentially involves thoughtful consideration of environmental and social as well as financial aspects when purchasing goods and services. It is about purchasing that goes beyond the up-front costs of making the purchase to determine the whole of life environmental and social costs, or total life cost (TLC). There are many variations associated with different commodities and services.  For example, buying local is always best but not always available. An organization with a focus on sustainable procurement aims to: reduce consumption of resources, minimise the environmental impact of the resources it does require, and support and promote environmentally healthy goods.

Some of the issues with sustainable procurement?

Sustainable procurement takes time. The process of sustainable procurement is a complex and time consuming process when done appropriately and can be difficult for small business operators to achieve. Researching information on products or services to determine their environmental and social impacts can be quit onerous.

However options to achieve greater influence for small businesses can be created through partnering with other organizations to increase the purchasing power eg a cooperative of similar services.

Small businesses are also helped by external certifications. This is where an external body or agency certifies the sustainability of a product. Knowing if the products has trusted certification (eg. FSC, Fair Trade, Australian Energy Standards) will save you time and energy as the key questions about the environmental and social costs have been researched by an external body in order for the product to receive the certification. Sustainable procurement can at least be used when purchasing major items like computer, printers and white goods. Suppliers of these products should have environment policies and even carbon reduction reports available for customers.

What you can do?

• Despite the difficulties you can still have sustainable procurement as a goal.
• All individuals and businesses can use start with the following key points.
• The first step in sustainable procurement is always to avoid or reduce consumption.
• Remember ‘the lowest cost option up-front may not be the cheapest over the life of the asset’.
• Have conversations with suppliers to promote sustainable practices.
• Develop a procurement checklist that is used before any new item or services are purchased.