Latest articles by Jacqui van Heerden
Kensington’s local food system … a celebration
Kensington has built a local food system with the help of individuals, groups, community organisations and volunteers working together with the City of Melbourne and Victorian Government.
Read More
Have we forgotten our role in cooperating with life?
As Vandana Shiva says in her book, The Gift of Food, “If we take care of all the beautiful beings in our ecosystems, in our soils, we will be nourished in return.”
Read More
Look down: what lies beneath our feet can help restore our climate health
History and research teach how nations have risen and fallen by the fertility of their soil as the human population has increased and, therefore, agriculture demands more of soil.
Read More
Permaculture: one of Australia’s noblest exports
Permaculture provides a positive way forward of how humanity can work with nature to deliver its needs of shelter, food, water, energy and life purpose
Read More
The right to repair
Repair saves people money, saves resources, creates jobs, prevents waste, and teaches people.
Read More
A poetic end to 2023
The holiday season is a good time to take a break, connect with the things and people that you love, reflect on the last and the New Year and connect with nature.
Read More
Stinging nettle
In nature plants offer unique and valuable attributes in maintaining health and wellbeing for ecosystems, humans, and other creatures.
Read More
Street trees
As we face increasingly high temperatures in the city, the role of street trees becomes more important as they can reduce daytime temperatures between five and 20 degrees Celsius.
Read More
Why compost at home?
Composting is one of the most powerful actions an individual can take to reduce food waste, address climate change, and build healthy soil.
Read More
Regenerate nature – a hopeful path forward
In the face of environmental challenges, our community is embracing the call to regenerate nature, breathing new life into our local ecosystems.
Read More
Touching the Earth
When last did you put your feet on the earth?
Read More
The Kensington Farm Collective
The Kensington Community Farm Collective was established in 2021 and is run by two local urban farmers who grow food across different sites in Kensington.
Read More
Concrete – the extensive dangers to the planet and human health
Apart from water, concrete due to its benefits of endurance and low cost of production is the most widely used building material on the planet. It provides foundations for modern cities, homes, offices, streets, and pavements.
Read More
A history of composting in Kensington
Kensington community has embraced composting since the establishment of the street composting bins founded by local, Michelle Twyford.
Read More
Investing in local waste programs
The Kensington Community has been successful in receiving a grant from the Victorian State Government’s Circular Economy Communities Fund for a waste program.
Read More
Managing pests using nature – part two
There are many causes for pests. Prevention, through planning and design, I recommend as the first step in managing pests naturally then observation and monitoring and then control.
Read More
Managing pests using nature – part one
Traditionally gardeners have been very active when it comes to pests, with all sorts of creative interventions being undertaken. Recently these methods have seen gardeners turning to applying chemicals in the form of pesticides and herbicides.
Read More
A story about the origins of the Kensington Community Bike Workshop
This is a story that began in 2019.
Read More
Our nature
According to the ancient science of Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, all the elements that are contained in nature are in us. In nature there is a rhythm, a pulse that keeps things in harmony. When this rhythm is broken, either through man’s intervention or a disturbance, there is discord – nature bounces back and always starts building again, if we allow her.
Read More