Swap Stall and Sunday Stroll

Swap Stall and Sunday Stroll

The Eco Active organising collective have already held two successful events in one week.
Eco Active is back into the university session to with force.

Here's some pictures of these events. Enjoy!
And if you think it looks like your kind of thing.... do jump on facebook group page Eco Active.

Eco Active Crew

Swap Stall – Wednesday 24 July
Big thanks to both the set up crew and to staff who donated items.
It was great to see so many students take the stationery home!
(also thanks to Ecoversity for the swap stall idea - this event was modelled on ReUSEathon)

Livingstone National Park – Sunday 28 July
Simple Sunday walk at the nearby Livingstone National Park (30km south of Wagga)...

Email: ecoactivecsu@gmail.com
Facebook group: Eco Active
http://ecoactivecsu.blogspot.com.au/

Veggie Gardens United!

Jack and I in front of the new wind turbine installed
at the Eco Garden (New Res, CSU Wagga campus)

The little blue hatchback growled as I changed gears and bumbled past the uni post office and up to New Residences. It was the last Sunday of the break and I was keen to get to the gardens. So much to do, so much to do – a new veggie bed to complete, watering newly propagated plants and then there was the compost to turn.
I pulled up at the Eco Garden behind New Res - there was a stranger in the garden!?!?
Last Sunday, I had the great fortune of coincidently crossing paths with Jack (see pic). I’d rocked up to the Eco Garden behind New Res with a list of jobs to blaze through. Needless to say none of these were completed. Instead I had the pleasure of exchanging 'garden talk' with Jack.

Jack is from the CSU campus at Albury. He’s studying the Park Ranger course but is also helping out with the student gardens and a community garden in Albury organised through CSU students and staff.  So we had are great discussion about student garden ideas and we hope to unite our campuses through a conference meeting sometime in the near future.

From what Jack said, it seems like there is a lot of development in the community gardens on campus and within the Albury suburbs.
Wagga is starting to catch on with the idea of community gardens – including the demonstration gardens in Central Wagga (Shaw St), Erin Earth (Kildare St) and the new Tolland community garden (Raye St).

So it shouldn’t be surprising to hear that CSU Wagga has a community garden, run by students for the benefit of students, staff and the wider community.
I am one of the organisers leading this project. Over the break a large wind turbine and some solar panels were installed next to the garden. It looks fantastic!
We are really working on building up our vegetable beds over the next few weeks. Our main aims for this half-semester is to run a movie night in the gardens with free food and drinks. At the moment our major deficit is people power! We want volunteers... That's YOU!
You don’t have to know anything about gardening or even be interested in gardening. We have garden work days every Tuesday 4.30pm-5.30pm. We do basic garden maintenance, propagating, building and art projects. So just rock up! If you want more info about how to be involved in please feel free to contact me.

We hope to see you over the next few weeks as we will be holding “(Real) Free Trade Markets” giving away garden produce and selling cakes to raise funds for the garden.

Hope you are rockin’ the perfect autumn weather!

Gemma Hawkins
Eco Active Club
ecoactivecsu@gmail.com

The Eco Garden is located behind New Res – now uber obvious with a massive white wind turbine. Feel free to have a look around anytime or drop in for a Gardening workshops every Tuesday 4.30-5.30pm. 

Eco Action Packed Summer!

Keep your eyes open for Eco Active this Summer!
'Cos we're everywhere:

O-Week: come say 'Hi' at the CSU Green stall.
Clubs Day: great events coming up on top of improving the Eco Garden.

Here's some of the new additions to the garden:

A 'vertical garden' demonstration.

This mural board is about 6 meters long!

We will also use this as a projection screen
for the outdoor movies we'll be showing this year.

Events, workshops and planting days will be announced shortly.

Come and see us at CLUBS DAY.

Welcome back!

Eco Garden Update

Gardening Days
Thursdays 3-6pm
Sundays 3-6pm
Behind New Res
Come and help plant out,
learn about gardening
or just to have a look
and get some fresh herbs.

Greetings Gardeners and Intrigue Individuals,

The Eco Garden Project at Wagga campus is cracking along. We’ve had our major planting last Saturday and it was swell.

Recent Additions:With the help of volunteers we have managed to put up an arbour at the front gate which will make a grand entrance, especially once our creeper is growing over. The fruit trees have been settle in nicely and over the next few years will grow to feed future students. Trees include a quince, double apple, fig and a lemonade species (cross between lemon and mandarin).
We are currently making a shade shelter for people as well as growing plants. So if you want somewhere else to study this is a great hide away.

What plants can I use? Parsley and few broccoli heads, lovely lavender (smells nice and looks good), and rosemary (great with roast veggies).
Available soon: Italian parsely, rocket, mints, and lemon grass.

You have no idea how to identify these? Then pop along on our Gardening Days and check out what’s growing.
Soil Savvy Story
As novice garden coordinator I was mortified to find that the soil I was hoping to plant into had been tested and come back as too acidic to use... “Battery Acid” I was told! Eek! So in my wisdom I bought some sulphur to increase the pH. Turns out sulphur does the opposite. You think 2 years of science and a head on my shoulders would have prevented me from putting it on the garden. Well... no. Opps! So now I’m sourcing some lime and I’m going to get myself a soil testing kit to make sure I get it right. Quality compost will be the best thing soil additive, but that’s still brewing.

Lesson = Everyone can have a crack at gardening. Even if you are learning as you go.
Happy Spring Days to you!
Gem & The Garden Crew
more info: ecoactivecsu AT gmail DOT com

The Garden Party

Well, we have been hard at work in Wagga Wagga since recieving a $7000 Sustainability grant from CSU Green.

 

We have collected:

•  seeds
• seedlings
• fruit and nut trees
• gardening tools
• second hand outdoor furniture
• and lots of art materials.

The garden shed will  be going in next week and then....

On Saturday the 17th September, 2011 we are going to officially open the Eco Garden. Behind New Res there will be a buzz of activity as we whip the garden into shape, tidy up some outdoor furniture and dig in some exciting new plants.

Some of the local Landcare crew will be joining us and maybe even some Green Adventure People from the CSU Albury Enviro Club.

A free BBQ of fresh garden greens, veggie burgers, fruit and homemade lemon cordial will top off a top day!

If you want to RSVP for the bbq please join the Facebook event
or email: eco active csu AT gmail DOT com.

Gloves and tools will be provided. We look forward to a fun day of digging and dancing.
See you there!

PS After this date you can look forward to a weekly gardening afternoons and also workshops in cooking, craft, gardening, etc. Please email if interested in holding or participating in specific workshops.

Eco Active Plans - Semester 2, 2011

Gumboots or Polo Boots?
The ultimate club for outdoorsy people is BACK!

What’s up this semester?

Gardening – we’re creating an on-campus permaculture garden. It will include vegetables, quiet spaces, fragrant flowers and artwork.
Your ideas are welcome!
Bike polo – this radical new urban sport will be coming to Wagga Wagga! Don’t worry, you don’t need any skill and we provide bikes.
Pure chaos and fun!


Want more info? Check out:Facebook “Eco Active” CSU Wagga Wagga
Email  ecoactivecsu@gmail.com
Blog  http://ecoactivecsu.blogspot.com/

ECO Active Rebooted!

ECO Active is back!

ECO Active is a club for students, staff and community members who are interested in the Environment, Outdoors and Community. This year we are focusing on sustainability working on our main project. And letting off steam playing bike polo.

This year we are getting down and dirty!
That's right we are digging into the Student Garden's project.
Where: Up on the hill, behind LegoLand (new res)
 - it's a magical place just for students.
When: All this semester
Keep your ear to the ground for the following events...

What!?! ... Awesome!

• ECO Active's "Open Season" Meet Up - Social Event
                     When: 5.30pm 29th July, Friday Unwind, Crow Bar Wagga
• Bike Polo days    - have a crack at this crazy new sport
                                                            (more info here)
• The Garden Party - Planting/tidying earlier in the day
                           - Official Garden Opening
                              visitors welcome (afternoon tea provided)
• Garden Movie      - outdoor movie projected onto shed wall
• Garden Gig         - jam session, theatre and student ideas
  Everyone is welcome, we are not ageist or degreeist.  

Next Meet Up at 5.30pm Friday, 29th July @ the Crow Bar.

We look forward to meeting you.

Green Thumbs Up!

For more info email ecoactivecsu AT gmail DOT com