Changing the world’s fate takes all of us

From the new community garden opening this month, a result of some passionate Southbankers’ determination, to our individual daily choices, it takes all of us to bring about positive change. With summer coming to an end, a season where we witnessed the detrimental effects of climate change around the country, the conversation around this issue and what we do about it is becoming more important than ever. It’s important that we all take responsibility and act – individually, as a community, and as a nation – if we are to reduce the demise of the only home we’ve got. Scientists are now using dire and definitive language, never used before by the scientific community, on the criticality of our species’ survival in the next 11 years. The global scientific authority in climate change stated that holding global warming to a critical limit will require “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society”. This highlights the importance of changing our ways, down to our daily habits. It might feel scary or too big to tackle, but through every single choice we make, every single day, we contribute to either the solution or the problem. What’s keeping us from making an effort is letting fear paralyse us into denial and convince us that it’s someone else’s problem to solve, that others are causing far more damage than us, that we have no power to affect this or that our voice doesn’t matter. And all it takes is a bit of conscious effort and stepping away from prioritising our immediate comfort and convenience. From standing up and protecting our gorgeous old growth forests we are so lucky to enjoy in Australia – forests that absorb and hold off so much CO2 from the atmosphere, and for which there are currently no federal environmental laws protecting them, cutting them down to turn into A4 printing paper – to choosing not use a plastic produce bag at the supermarket, we are all doing our part, one way or another. Back in Southbank, it’s encouraging to see this realisation in action by community members passionately working to bring about change in ways big, small, and creative. As a group we try to do our part and help Southbank residents that perhaps don’t even know where to start, get involved in solution-focused activities, making March a busy month filled with such activities. March kicked off with a visit to the Docklands Community Garden, connecting with this vibrant community and learning how similar community groups work to establish a healthy, growing garden. With the new, permanent community garden site opening in late March, we will all be working together in planting the new garden, kicking it off with a planting workshop. A recycling info session is also coming up, along with more neighboring garden visits and planting opportunities. Boyd Park latest update In some more good green news this month, the council will at end of March or early April open up to the public in two parts the long-awaited Boyd Park. These two parts are the new basketball court and the community garden. This is especially exciting, since getting a community garden as part of this park started off as a lost cause. This goes to show what small actions, passion and not giving up at the sight of obstacles can do. The overall completion of the park is planned for mid-2019. If you’re itching to get your hands dirty or want to learn more about gardening, come join our activities. For details go to facebook.com/SouthbankSustainabilityGroup, or email us. About the group A solutions-focused community group of Southbank residents working to bring positive change in sustainability practices and education to our neighborhood. We meet every fortnight on Saturdays at Boyd, where we talk sustainability solutions, and tend to the community garden.   Artemis Pattichi Southbank Sustainability Group