Grow me, declare for

THREE NEAT THINGS

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ISSUE 068 | 13 August 2024

Hi friends,

Next week, I’m heading to Uluru for a mini break. I’m craving warmth, culture, and some time away from my lonely desk and the grey Victorian skies. It’ll be my first time in the heart of Australia, and I couldn’t be more pumped to explore it. If you’ve been before and have any recommendations, I’d love to hear them - just shoot me an email!

I’m also on the lookout for ideas for meaningful holidays. I’m not great at holidaying without a purpose, so I’m keen to discover places where I can learn about conservation and be inspired by people doing incredible things.

 Marnie x

1

Grow Me Instead

Retail giant Bunnings, and other smaller nurseries, have recently been under fire for stocking invasive weeds that threaten Australian ecosystems. Escaped garden plants are the primary source of new weeds in Australia, costing the agriculture industry alone an estimated $4.3 billion annually. Some big culprits are English ivy, gazania, formosa lily, arum lily and cocos palm. 

I discovered a handy database called Grow Me Instead, which lists invasive plant species in each state, and gives several alternatives. I was just sold some English Ivy by a local nursery to cover a new fence - after finding this database I returned them and told them to do better!

2

Declare for the climate + biodiversity

The 'Declare Movement' in Australia is a collective effort by professionals across various industries, such as architecture, building, design, and communications, to commit to climate action and sustainable practices. It originated with Architects Declare and has since expanded to include groups like Builders Declare, Design Declares, Planners Declare, Suppliers Declare and Comms Declare. Each of these groups pledges to address the climate and biodiversity emergencies through their work, encouraging others to adopt sustainable practices. You can explore these initiatives by searching for the respective declarations.

The movement encourages industry-wide collaboration and accountability, driving systemic change to combat environmental challenges. For more details, you can google these specific declarations.

3

In the press

A great example of customising a blank slate - Certified B Corp designers Brave New Eco put their stamp on a apartment project. Out in the July issue of Inside Out.