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Democratic imaginaries
Last weekend, I attended a community town hall meeting and panel organised by our local Federal Member of Parliament, Alison Byrne. The Albanese Government is considering the declaration of an Offshore Wind Zone in the Illawarra and the local member was seeking community views on the proposal. The declaration would pave the way for further… Read more
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Heart Country
The rituals of Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country practiced in Australia have a fascinating history, emerging from protocols practiced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities for thousands of years. When a visitor wanted to pass through the lands of another people, it was expected that they would seek permission and follow the… Read more
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An imagined Earth
Planet Earth is in trouble. Its living systems are crumbling, as forests disappear, species are lost, water is polluted, ecosystems are simplified and the climate changes. We rely on these living systems for our own survival, so these threats to the Earth are threats to our own existence. We have become the architects of a… Read more
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A vision of a living planet
Every two years, WWF releases the Living Planet Report. It reports on trends in global biodiversity and the health of the planet and – to be honest – it’s a pretty depressing read, because those trends are heading in the wrong direction. In 2020, WWF did something a bit different – and a lot more… Read more
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Our Entangled Future
Are you tired of doom and gloom stories about our collective future? With climate change affecting people all over the planet and protests over social injustice sweeping the globe, it seems like much of our news and popular culture is filled with dystopian images of the future. Sure, if you look at the trends in… Read more
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Narara Ecovillage: Pioneers of sustainable living
Imagine you had the opportunity to build a sustainable community from scratch. Where would you start? What would you build? Who would you involve? How would you make decisions? Graduate research students and supervisors from the Institute for Sustainable Futures recently had the change to explore these questions when we visited Narara Ecovillage for our… Read more
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The stew pot revolution
The sound is rhythmic, insistent – clang, clang, clang – seeming to come from every direction. Metallic and vibrant, it forces its way into our conference rooms. It is lively and infectious, although carrying a thrill of fear, of the unknown. I don’t know whether to dance or run. Later, I will learn it is… Read more