From the outset I found myself challenged through the ever-impending deadlines for all assignments. After an introduction to old and new media our group focused on a local and interesting group topic. In reflection I believe our topic choice (sustainability) was a good one as it left the door ajar for a large array of story ideas.

My first story proposal was focused on volunteer groups and new initiatives in the bayside area, however, with the story deadline approaching and no leads on an interesting story I was forced to change my thinking and actually visit some of these community groups. After visiting these community groups I found a story involving the death of many local volunteer’s and chose to run with that. In reflection I would have done more extensive research prior to my story proposal, however the final outcome was still pleasing.

Whilst writing my story I found a lack of people willing to contribute to my argument and comment on the death of elderly people, as they were all well-known community members. If I had my time over I would have taken a harder approach in my questioning towards the sources thus enabling me to write a more news worthy and interesting story.

I made an error in judgment by leaving the major assignment till the last few weeks, in hindsight I should’ve allowed my self time to change my story direction and interview more sources, however these are all mistakes I can learn from in the future.

I found the amount of different and varying assignments a challenge. There were continuous deadlines, which meant I was always under pressure to stay involved in the unit. This was a good think as I have found in other units that I loose concentration and sway from the unit objectives until a major assignment or exam is on the horizon.

The most challenging part of this unit for me was the introduction to word press and the evolution of blogging. I found the concept hard to get my head around at first, however after continuous tinkering in and out of class it proved a valuable learning curve and gave me skills to take forward in my academic studies and beyond.

In conclusion, I enjoyed the challenges of this unit; at times it was very difficult and hard to understand. The skills I have learned will prove valuable in the future. If I had my time over I would allow myself more time to complete my story and familiarize myself with the word press program prior to our story proposals.

Bennett Pascoe

When Conservation Volunteers Geelong first began sending teams of volunteers to the Barwon River a year ago to help this endangered species, they couldn’t hear the call of a single frog.

But last week, tells Alex Schipperen, Volunteer Engagement Officer at the Geelong branch, “a team leader was down there and he’s 95% sure he heard the southern bell frog. It’s the first time since…well, since we started there.”

Mr Schipperen added that the only way to be 100% sure of the frogs presence would be to catch and release one.

That particular team leader was Andrew Quick who appeared in the Geelong Star last friday. “And knowing him,” said Mr Shipperen, “hes quite sure about these things.”

The southern bell frog, or growling grass frog as it’s sometimes known due to it’s distinctive mating call, was once widespread across Victoria, but since 1988 it has been listed as Threatened by the government under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act.

For the past year Conservation Volunteers Geelong has been sending teams of volunteers out to the Barwon River to build “designer homes” for the frogs along the bank. I asked Mr Schipperen exactly what a constitutes a designer home for a frog and he laughed, saying “It’s not what you imagine; a nest box with a little chimney…it’s providing all the rights factors for the frog to survive and breed in.”

“What the frog needs is certain elements in its’ habitat…things like branches in the water that they can sit on and call on. Volunteers over the last year have removed all the debris and rubbish that was dumped there, removed the land weeds and aquatic weeds, removed trees to make sure the sunlight penetrated the water again, then brought in the appropriate plants and shelter, branches and logs, things like that,” he said.

The groups conservation efforts have also impacted positively in other ways. Since they’ve been working in the area “other amphibians are really thriving well. And bird life has also increased a lot,” said Mr. Schipperen.

Annette Aboltins, a zoological consultant who has worked closely with the species, said that the frog likes “a range of different native wetland plants” in it’s habitat, such as “floating vegetation, underwater vegetation, and emergent vegetation such as rushes sticking out of the water…as well as aquatic vegetation fringing the wetland. This all provides shelter for frogs and tadpoles, as well as places to forage for food and for males to call and attract females.”

Unfortunately for the southern bell frog the habitats it most prefers are those that are usually subject to development, such as the Geelong wetlands. According to Mr. Schipperen, their natural homes are under threat for agricultural reasons; clearing to make way for livestock and dams, as well the artificial straightening of rivers, which causes the river bank to become uninhabitable.

Human development “can lead to the further reduction and degradation of their remaining habitat, and also cut off populations of frogs so that they are not able to disperse across the landscape,”Ms Aboltins said.

Other factors threatening the species include being preyed on by introduced animals (such as foxes, dogs, cats and non-native fish), a type of fungus that affects their fertility, as well as a loss of water quality and plant life.

However, Ms Aboltins is optimistic, and believes there may be more southern bell frogs in and around Geelong than we’re currently aware of. “The lack of official records of the species may just be a reflection of a lack of survey work rather than an absence of the species,” she said.

Anybody can sign up with Conservation Volunteers Australia and get to work on a conservation project of their choice. “Our volunteers come from all walks of life,” Mr Shipperen said. “The dominant groups we see are retirees or people close to retirement, and international students. Local students as well, but mostly international. They make up the bulk of our volunteers, along with a dedicated group of local volunteers.”

“We’re definitely looking for younger volunteers. We’ve had a few young people join us over the last couple of months. We have some uni students who choose to volunteer on a Saturday, either for work experience or personal interest,” said Mr Shipperen.

Southern Bell Frog Habitats – Geelong

Liang Ding, owner of Carlisle Newsagency in Balaclava, says that banning plastic bags is not a likely option for the business and that there is no intention of eliminating them in the future. “Plastic bags are still convenient for items that are large or when people have their hands full and when it’s raining outside,” he says.

Stores such as Bunnings, Aldi and BP have banned plastic bags completely and the South Australian Government has taken the lead by banning the use of light weight shopping bags in South Australia which has been in place from the 4th May 2009. Mr Ding believes that “the younger generation wouldn’t care as much” if bags were completely banned in his store, however “older people would disapprove, as it is not a part of traditional shopping they are used to.” “Older customers definitely ask for plastic bags more than the younger customers,” he said.The business also offer paper bag alternatives and cardboard sleeves for large paper purchases, which are not as popular with customers or as convenient, Mr Ding said.

Rob Principe who works for a large liquor chain says they also offer paper bag alternatives and that on average “every second customer asks for a plastic bag.” “Bags are even requested for items such as casks of wine which have handles,” he said. The alternate environmentally friendly green bags are also sold at his store, however “no one really buys them,” he said. Mr Principe says he thinks that charging customers at least ten cents per plastic bag would deter them from wanting to take them and encourage people to actually purchase and reuse green bags or simply carry the items they have bought.

Before Bunnings totally banned plastic bags in April 2008 they charged customers 10cents per bag and donated all the money to the Keep Australia Beautiful council. During the 3 years of doing this prior to April 2008 they raised over $180 000, potentially saving 200million bags from the waste and litter streams. Mr Ding said that his newsagency would rather “absorb the costs” than pass the charges on to customers which cost the business on average two cents per plastic bag.  “This is primarily until alternatives to the plastic bag are economical for us to use as a business,” he said.

20 million Australians currently use 4 billion plastic bags annually, which means over 10 million new bags are used every day. It is also estimated that plastic bag pollution kills 100 000 marine wildlife each year. Planet Ark urges people to work towards a sustainable future that is plastic bag free. Plastic bags can be recycled at most large supermarket chains and are not to go in the rubbish or recycling bin. For information on your closest plastic bag recycling point head to: http://recyclingnearyou.com.au/

green bag alternative to plastic bags

customer with plastic bag and one newspaper

green bags

Research into the level of volunteers in Bayside community groups shows that most community groups have less than 5 members during any given working bee. In a study of five main community groups in Bayside none of them had volunteers under the age of 40. These groups are almost entirely made up of people over the age of 65.

The Bayside area consists of many natural landforms such as sand dunes, beaches and cliffs. All of which take considerable work to look after. A decline in regular volunteer numbers is not only devastating to local wildlife but also allows for the gradual erosion of these landmarks.

Bayside City Council contractor and head of the Bayside Community Nursery, Erika Anderson, said she has seen a gradual decline in volunteer numbers in recent years. “The number of volunteers we have has declined significantly.” She said.

“We have seen older generations die out, and no one there to fill the void.”

Barbara Jakob, co-coordinator of the Bayside Environment Friends Network says that while her organisation looks to raise awareness and introduce younger people into these groups, there is a lack of enthusiasm by younger generations.

“I think young people are interested in short and effective impacts on the environment. If the subject in itself is interesting enough they might stay on a bit longer.”

Short term involvement helps, however Barbara is looking for more people to get involved over an extended period. ”We have not yet seen the change. Something the Network is currently working on.”

A point which Sue Raverty, head of the Friends of Rickett’s Point Landslide group agrees with, saying she has been to many forums and seminars but still doesn’t know the answer to youth involvement “We have to relate to them on their level,” she said.

Small community groups in Bayside are currently struggling for numbers however in the city it is a different story with people such as 23 year old Alex Stott filling the void through her work with Oxfam and Y-Gap. She is involved with major volunteer groups for one and a half days per week and loves it.

“I joined Oxfam and Y-Gap for the young vibes of the organisations, fun, lots of people my age, good opportunities for experience and I believe strongly in their causes.”

She points out that younger generations are not put off by smaller volunteer groups however, “Because people in Bayside are generally an older population. The kinds of people with a lot of spare time are older people, whose children have left home…I guess. Maybe the volunteer positions are aimed more towards older people, the kinds of things that they are more interested in…”

The Bayside Community Nursery is open to volunteers on Thursday and Saturday from 10am till noon.

By Bennett Pascoe

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Bayside Community Nursery

By Lance Truong

The fight against climate change and other environmental issues can be seen at all levels in the community, from national and state governments down to local councils and citizen groups. But how are these local bodies working to tackle such global-scale problems? And are they effective in the long run?

The City of Bayside in Melbourne’s south-east is a shining example of a community working at various levels to improve the environment. The local council has implemented a raft of policies and initiatives to tackle various environmental issues, and in June became the first in the state in to incorporate stormwater management into the planning system . This has extended Bayside’s capacity to irrigate sportsgrounds and parks, without using any extra water from conventional sources, vital considering many are in poor condition due to drought.

Local residents are also playing their part – the Bayside Environmental Friends Network , a local volunteer group, won this year’s Keep Australia Beautiful (Victoria) – Sustainable Cities Community Government Partnership Award . This was for their work in planting Banksias, indigenous to the area, around traditional Aboriginal sites in the Half Moon Bay area. Bayside was also a finalist for this year’s Keep Australia Beautiful (Victoria) – Clean Beaches Friendliest Beach award for Ricketts Point.

The local council and community however are facing various challenges, which are hampering their otherwise valiant efforts. Most notably, Council’s aim in their 2004 Greenhouse Action Plan to see a 20% reduction in community greenhouse emissions by 2010 will not be met, with Bayside’s greenhouse footprint actually increasing in the years 2005-06 to 2007-08. Local residents continue to consume more energy than the state-wide average, with per capita usage rates rising.

A lack of resources is one of the biggest obstacles, a concern held by Bayside Councillor Michael Norris . He has served on the council since 2005, and is well known in the community for his passion towards Bayside’s natural heritage and concern for climate change.

“We’re a small player in this,” he says.

“In terms of the (wider) community, our resources are relatively small for the size of the task.”

Bayside City Councillor Michael Norris

Barbara Jakob, spokesperson for the Bayside Environmental Friends Network, holds similar views. “There are limits in resources, there are limits in time,” she says.

“Every council’s resources are limited.”

Spokesperson for the Bayside Environmental Friends Network Barbara Jakob

Community perceptions and attitudes towards environmental issues are also having negative effects. Both Cr Norris and Mrs Jakob cite in particular a lack of awareness and differing priorities amongst the community as factors impeding effective action.

“I think there are a range of attitudes.” says Cr Norris.

“Both people who are keen to see reductions (in emissions) and people who don’t see that as a high priority.”

“There are always people who are concerned about the environment and people who are concerned about something else,” Mrs Jakob echoes.

“There are a lot of people who complain about things, but there is no action following.”

The sheer scale of current environmental issues also influence community perceptions. “One of the problems,” says Cr Norris, “is the number of programs that are out there, the amount of information to absorb and respond to.

“There are so many sources of competing advice.”

Mrs Jakob also points to the media’s portrayal of such issues. “It (environmental issues) is always presented as a global problem… (the community) don’t see ways to solve the problem locally.

In terms of changing these attitudes, one of the main problems being faced by the Council is its effectiveness in communicating and engaging with the community. A Council study outlined in their Greenhouse Action Plan reveals a lack of knowledge and awareness amongst local residents towards environmental issues, particularly in terms of energy efficiency and climate change. Yet despite proposals and initiatives to improve this, there are still various shortfalls

“People are not interested,” Mrs Jakob says.

“Sometimes council’s are not the best place to organise it (community engagement).

“Councils are always having trouble communicating with their community because they are a neutral mass of people.

“The initial contact is great, but the follow-up is not happening… as a councillor you need to have the time to respond.”

Cr Norris again points to resource issues – “You get into the cost barrier which is a really problem about community engagement.”

So what then are the responsibilities of local councils and citizen groups towards such global issues? Firstly, says Mrs Jakob, young people must be engaged. “Getting them interested is not difficult because they are interested, but getting them to do something is very complicated.

“Modern technology needs to be used,” she says.

“Older people in positions of responsibility… have to really sit down and learn how this generation ticks.”

Cr Norris advocates similar actions. “Leadership by example is certainly one thing we aim for,” he says.

“We try and focus things in terms of advice… and raising a bit of awareness.

“Innovation is the big thing… doing things, starting things; carbon neutrality commitments haven’t come from state and federal governments, they’ve come from local governments.”

In the midst of such difficulties however, how does the future bode for Bayside in its fight against climate change and other environmental problems? Forecasts, while mixed, remain cautiously positive.

“I think we’re going to carry on being satisfactory.” says Cr Norris.

“Not doing as much as some people would like and doing more than some people appreciate.”

Mrs Jakob’s attitude is similarly ambivalent. “There are always different solutions to different problems,” she says.

“We will solve some problems in Bayside over the years, but not all will be solved.”

EXTRAS

Visual Map

Full interview with Barbara Jakob

Part 1

Part 2

(N.B – Cr Norris declined to allow the full audio of the interview with him to be posted)

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