There's a lot in a word. As a place that was quarried, filled with rubbish, then covered with powerlines and invasive weeds for many years, in the early days CERES was most commonly referred to as a "site". "Site" implies a kind of dead-ness. It's a place to construct a building, a distant location [...]
"Passive hope is about waiting for external agencies to bring about what we desire. Active hope is about becoming active participants in bringing about what we hope for," says ecophilosopher Joanna Macy. When scrolling through our photo archive for this month's header, I was struck by this image of a chicken in flight. Wildly, inelegantly, [...]
By Shane French Education Manager, Excursions & Incursions Programmes So what is fire? According to the Oxford Dictionary, a fire is: “A process in which substances combine chemically with oxygen from the air and typically give out bright light, heat, and smoke”. Well, that’s one way of looking at it. However, for me, a [...]
In reference to being an environmentalist, I once heard David Holmgren say,* "No-one ever changed anyone's mind by arguing with them. The best approach is always to just live your life as ethically as you can... And try to have a damn good time doing it." The implication here is that if others see [...]
In Victoria, the memory of drought is never in the too distant past, so when it rains it's often cause for celebration and gratitude. Farmer Em from Joe's Garden came by as I sat down to write this, cheerfully catching up on her admin, as her rainbow chard and radishes drank up the lovely [...]
In Melbourne this week the turning of the season has properly arrived with cool nights, shorter days and the dreaded turning back of clocks. If you were lucky you might have escaped the city and seen a basking wombat, which is what this season is famous for according to the Kulin People. This little [...]
At CERES, we get asked the same questions over and over from first time visitors. Embedded in many of these questions is the possibility of hope for a better future for humanity and our planet. Often you can see how much the questioner is wide-eyed-optimistic that CERES might be achieving where they as individuals [...]
According to Roman Mythology, Ceres, sister of Jupiter, was in charge of the harvest. If Ceres was upset, the crops could die. Everyone, gods and mortals, worked hard to keep Ceres happy. Back in those days, Ceres had 12 minor gods to assist her with the grain cycle, from planting to harvest to storing... [...]
Many people in our community have been telling us recently they will be happy to see the back of 2016. With all the political turmoil, deaths of heroes and elders, increasing environmental devastation, astounding human rights abuses and more occurring globally, lots of people are looking towards the new year, hoping to start afresh [...]