What’ New
Date Claimer – Landcare Week, 5-11 Aug 2024
Open Letter
Monday, 20 May 2024
Dear members and supporters,
Re: We’re at the crossroads! And, what direction should we take?
Introduction:
Due to ongoing health concerns, and the increased workload of President and Office Manager roles, I have decided that after 17 years as President I will step down from that role at the completion of this current term.
I ask that you read this letter in its entirety, to gain a full understanding of the situation that HOPE is in.
Background:
From Householders’ Options to Protect the Environment’s beginning in Victoria in 1988, as a “branch based’ organisation, HOPE was established as a national community-based, non- for-profit environment group. In 2007.
HOPE is largely unfunded – except for the occasional grants for projects and/or to purchase equipment; and has always been managed entirely by volunteers!
Mutual Support Program (https://www.hopeaustralia.org.au/home/partnershipsalliances- ngos/) was introduced in an effort to bolster our abilities to act on the ‘national stage’, and we sought “complimentary access to the expertise and resources of envNGOs.” And, for those envNGOs who said yes, HOPE would support and promote their respective campaigns, projects and events.
Recent times (and events of national significance) have impacted on HOPE and its capacity to effectively carry out the group’s objectives.
Prior to COVID, throughout COVID and post COVID, HOPE members have regularly asked “are we on the right trajectory, doing the things we do?”
Pre-COVID:
- A dop off in physical attendance at HOPE meetings and events
- Limited feedback from members
COVID:
- Unable to hold physical meetings; and all public events cancelled
- 30% loss of membership; and 50% loss of volunteers
Post-COVID:
- Embark on a rebuilding phase
- Encourage our ‘passive’ members to be more pro-active in promoting HOPE and itsactivities in their communities
Obviously, as both the President and Office Manager of HOPE, I believe we have been doing activities that abide by the HOPE Charter (see attachment); plus supporting our alliance/partner members and their respective objectives.
Here is a brief list of our major activities over the past 2 years:
- March 2023 – Publication of our “Minimise Waste and Conserve Resources” brochure
- 19 April 2023 – Staging of an afternoon Weeds Forum at the University of SouthernQueensland (UniSQ), Toowoomba campus
- June 2023 – Completion of Qld Women’s Week project – “Queensland Women –Inspiring stories from Environmental Champions” booklet and podcast series (10 monthsduration)
- November 2023 – Completion of our commission by Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Ltdto produce “Stories from Australian Biodynamic Farmers and Gardeners” booklet andpodcast series (6 months duration)
- November 2023 – Upgrade of our website – https://www.hopeaustralia.org.au/
- February 2024 – Completion of Nesting Boxes Project – Construction of 150 nestingboxes for birdlife and other tree-dwelling animals which were then distributed free-of- charge to landcare, Land for Wildlife and animal welfare groups in the Darling Downs region (11 months duration)
- 1 May 2024 – Screening of “Climate Changers” documentary at UniSQ, Toowoomba
Closing remarks:
In coming days, I will be issuing the agenda for our next quarterly Ordinary Meeting being held on Saturday 8 June 2024. I invite you to carefully read the agenda and consider how you may be able to contribute to the Management Committee and/or Admin Support Team to ensure that, come our Annual General Meeting (AGM) in November, we will have a strong team to take us into 2024-2025 and beyond.
Remember, without feedback from YOU – the members and supporters of HOPE, the management team is ‘driving blind” in respect to activities being undertaken.
We implore you to respond / provide feedback on issues/events or HOPE’s activities in general.
Yours faithfully,
Frank Ondrus, President – HOPE Inc., ph. 07 4639 2135
Open Letter 1e to HOPE Members and Supporters, 20 May 2024.pdf
Be energy wise!
Switch off lights
At the end of the day and when not needed
Switch off computers, monitors and non-essential equipment
Why waste energy when it’s not being used?
Use air conditioning wisely
Keep doors closed
Use only during working hours
Environmental Events Calendar of information gleaned from United Nations Observances
The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. The United Nations observes designated days, weeks, years, and decades, each with a theme, or topic. By creating special observances, the United Nations promotes international awareness and action on these issues. Each international day offers many actors the opportunity to organize activities related to the theme of the day. Organizations and offices of the United Nations system, and most importantly, governments, civil society, the public and private sectors, schools, universities and, more generally, citizens, make an international day a springboard for awareness-raising actions. The majority of observances have been established by resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly, although some have been designated by UN specialized agencies. The United Nations also observes anniversaries of key events in its history.
Links:
- International Days and Weeks | United Nations
- International Years | United Nations
- International Decades | United Nations
Commissioned project
THE BIODYNAMIC FARMERS AND GARDENERS IN AUSTRALIA PODCAST SERIES
Householders’ Options to Protect the Environment (HOPE) Inc. (Australia) takes great pleasure in announcing the launch of this new series commissioned by Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Ltd., a not-for-profit company located in Bellingen NSW.
Biodynamic Agriculture Australia has been making and supplying biodynamic preparations as well as supporting biodynamic growing in Australia for over 30 years. The organisation views biodynamics as a practical and holistic technique that is able to regenerate soil, supercharge organic growing, restore biodiversity and work with mother nature.Given such environmentally protective values within biodynamic methods, HOPE Inc. (Australia) is delighted to have worked with Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Ltd.to produce this series.
The six present episodes of this series contain interviews with a wide range of Australian biodynamic growers working in various forms of agriculture and horticulture and at various scales. From a one acre organic property producing herbs, vegetables, and pasture-raised chicken in New South Wales, to a horticultural operation of over 100 acres, suppling botanicals and healing herbs to a natural skin care company with international reach. From biodynamic cherry and fruit tree growing in South Australia to mixed biodynamic farming in Far North Queensland.
Though the locations and types of growing undertaken by our podcast guests differ, it has been fascinating to hear of the similarities of methods and approaches to their growing work which have developed through their adoption of biodynamic practice principles and wider philosophy.
THE PODCAST INTERVIEWS:
Each guest podcast interview is structured around variants of the questions used to structure an associated text profile booklet of the same biodynamic practitioners entitled Stories from Australian Biodynamic Farmers and Gardeners’ – available from Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Ltd.
In the podcast series these questions are posed in such a way as to allow guests to expand upon the responses they gave for the booklet project. Some of these questions include:
- What is your work role on the biodynamic property you own/manage? Can you describe a brief profile of its location and main characteristics?
- How would you describe biodynamic methods and techniques– what are some of its basic principles and benefits? How do these outcomes contrast with more traditional forms of growing?
- How did you come to be involved with biodynamic horticulture/agriculture/growing? Were there any challenges to overcome along the way?
- What beneficial effects have biodynamics methods had on your landscape – and what effects on you?
- What does the future hold for you and your property – and what take home message or advice do you have for podcast listeners?
DISTRIBUTION: All podcast episodes are now available on the following podcast platforms including: PODBEAN, SPOTIFY, PODCHASER, AMAZON MUSIC, PLAYER FM and YOU TUBE with Apple Podcasts soon to be added.
We and Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Ltd. look forward to receiving your feedback on this new project.
Click below to download the file.
Stories from Australian Biodynamic Farmers and Gardeners (20 November 2023)
Our first major podcast series
Householders’ Options to Protect the Environment (HOPE) Inc. (Australia) is proud to announce the launch of a new podcast series: Queensland Women: Inspiring stories from Environmental Champions. The series showcases the vital environmental support and protection work provided by a group of Queensland women who have made important contributions to this vital work across the Darling Downs region of S.E. Queensland.
Produced in conjunction with the Queensland Women’s Week (2023) event, the podcast series supports the goals of the Investing in Queensland Women and Queensland Women’s Strategy 2022-27 initiatives. Particularly as those initiatives aim to increase the empowerment and recognition of the achievements of women and girls in Queensland. HOPE Inc. (Australia) thanks the Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney-General’s Office for Women and Violence Prevention for the generous funding support which made this podcast project possible.
Queensland Women: Inspiring stories from Environmental Champions (QWEC)
helps bring wider recognition to the work and stories of our women guests and the beneficial impacts their environmental advocacy, championing and leadership work have made. You will hear that they are working tenaciously to help develop and promote innovative environment support practices, and to influence others across our communities to do the same.
Our guests describe leading by example, of being compassionate and collaborative in their approaches, and their dedication to helping achieve the vision that we can and must become much better environmental stewards of our natural and urban landscapes and waterways, our mountains and forests, coasts, and oceans – and the precious wildlife that reside within those places. It is inspiring to know that women are undertaking such work in the holistic and practical recognition that our human and community health, wellbeing and prosperity depend, ultimately, on the good health of the natural world and physical environment around us.
Our podcast guests share some of their successes and achievements and describe the struggles, and hurdles they overcame in their individual missions to protect and enhance our environment. Our initial guests talk about their experiences in holistic management, regenerative agriculture, rural entrepreneurship, community capacity building, community resourced Landcare and Catchment care projects, and wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and education.
It is anticipated that a group of eight interviews with our women guests will be online by the end of June and initial episodes are available for listening now on the Podbean, Spotify Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PlayerFM podcast platforms. In the near future, we anticipate episodes will be available on Apple podcasts and YouTube and there are plans to interview more women guests later in the year.
We hope that you enjoy the series. Yours faithfully,
Frank Ondrus, President – HOPE Inc., ph. 07 4639 2135
20230615 – MR – HOPE QWEC podcast launch.pdf
2023 Qld Women’s Week – Queensland Women — Inspiring stories from Environmental Champions.pdf
Microplastics releases from Recycling Facilities