Stories From: Permaculture

Rowe teaching in Kabul, Afghanistan After its development in Tasmania in 1978, Permaculture has become one of Australia’s most successful exports. Practitioners are now certified in more than 140 countries and Katoomba resident, Rosemary Morrow, co-founder of the Blue Mountains Permaculture Institute, has been one of the pioneers responsible for this global uptake.   This week young people (aged 16+) …

Tall, crowding stalks and sharp, protruding teeth. A flash of a sour green and then … snap! When thinking of carnivorous plants, fantasy-like images of large, sinister, Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne-esque plants spring to mind. However, in reality, they are no larger than 30cm. And now, over 10,000 of these plants can be seen …

My name is Tom Delaney and I am 14 years old. I love to play music and sport and am always on the lookout for new opportunities to enrich my future and life as a young person in the community. I have recently started the Duke of Edinburgh Award which has led me to take part in some excellent community …

To make a change in one’s life takes effort, but to make change in your community takes a certain kind of courage – the courage to stand for something, and to back up your stand with action. As viewers saw when War on Waste aired on the ABC, some actions are big, others not so much. The story of waste …

Once upon a time (or so the story goes …) Australians collected water in water tanks; grew their own food; sat on their front verandahs waving at passers-by; connected regularly in their neighbourhoods to share skills, resources and produce; got what they couldn’t grow at their corner store; and told themselves that they and their mates were strong and resilient. Then, …

After three decades pushing boundaries as a behavioural scientist, focused on what motivates people to change, Wentworth Falls resident Susanne Rix has now developed the first Blue Mountains Edible Garden Festival and Trail – from Little Hartley to Glenbrook. As one of the first in Australia to explore the positive impact of meditation in the workplace, she’s now focused on what it …

The most important thing that years of growing veggies in my backyard has taught me is that if I don’t feed the soil, the soil can’t feed me. Things finally came to a head last summer when everything I planted stopped growing at micro-veg stage. Suddenly I had a bonsai crop, not the abundant garden I’d been hoping for! Wanting to create the healthiest food …