CERES Community Environment Park

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The CERES Community Environment Park, or Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies, is an award-winning 10 acre urban environmental centre located in urban Brunswick East, Victoria, Australia. CERES is pronounced series, and the name may be partially derived from Ceres the goddess of agriculture in Roman mythology.

CERES received the 1996 Banksia Environmental Award for Education and Training, and has also received many other awards[1].

Contents

[edit] Features

Organic farm at CERES - wind turbine, office and market in background

CERES' purpose is to "initiate and support environmental sustainability and social equity with an emphasis on cultural richness and community participation."

The 4 hectare park, adjacent to picturesque Merri Creek, includes:

  • An animal farm.
  • Community gardens.
  • A café open 7 days a week.
  • Organic foods and recycled/handmade crafts market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings
  • A training kitchen.
  • Educational walking trails.
  • Origin Energy Energy Park.
  • Multicultural exhibits.
  • Facilities for hire.
  • The East Brunswick Bicycle Users' Group - a group of volunteers who recycle and repair bicycles for the community.
  • The Urban Water Conservation, Demonstration and Research Facility - sustainable water projects.
  • A nursery specialising in permaculture, natives and bush foods.
  • The EcoHouse, showing sustainable living retrofit options.[2]

Many events are held at CERES including weekend guided tours and private functions. There are three regular festivals each year - Harvest, in March, Beautiful Darkness, at the winter solstice, and the Return of the Sacred Kingfisher festival in November. The latter celebrates the first time a Sacred Kingfisher was seen on the site after revegetation and the transformation from rubbish tip.

CERES is a popular site for school excursions and research students with around 80,000 students visiting each year.

The property is readily accessible from the Merri Creek Trail. Entry is free.

CERES also manages the Harding St Market Garden, a heritage market garden located on the Merri Creek, two kilometres north of the main site.

[edit] History

In 1981, a group of like-minded people dedicated to social awareness, community involvement and environmental issues secured a lease for a 4 hectare plot of neglected land in Brunswick East. Landscaping of the site began and the park was opened in 1982. Since then it has hosted many research projects, exhibitions and events, and seen hundreds of thousands of visitors.

The first tree was officially planted on the site by Dr Barbe Baker—founder of the men of the trees—on 16 September 1981.

[edit] Support

CERES is partially funded through its own programmes, café and events as well as project grants from a variety of Government and private sponsors. While the park is open to the public freely, donations and memberships are appreciated. A popular volunteer program is also available.

[edit] Gallery

Solar panel pumping reed-bed filtered waste water from the cafe into irrigation of gardens and lawn

Honey Lane Farm, in the middle of CERES under the transmission lines, just before a storm

Harding St Market Garden, an organic market garden run by CERES, supplying vegetables to farmers markets

Bobcat, during install of the 100,000 litre underground tank at the Harding St Market Garden

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ CERES awards
  2. ^ Ceres EcoHouse, Greenlivingpedia.org

[edit] External links

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