Victopia

workshop the future

How to ensure we continue to live happily and healthily in
the Town of Victoria Park, and have fun while doing so!

‘Sustainability’* is one of several key words the Town of Victoria Park’s community has selected through the Evolve process for inclusion in the Town’s Vision Statement. Evolve is the Town of Victoria Park’s process for engaging with the community to actively contribute to planning and prioritising objectives (for more info, check out our blog post). It is clear that residents want the Town of Victoria Park to be a sustainable community and environment – both now and in the future. We want future generations to be able to live happy and healthy lives in the Town without destroying the resources that sustain them.

Victopia was a community workshop we ran on 31st July 2016, supported by the Town, which will begin to take the sustainability emphasis beyond a vision: it identified resident’s key concerns and point to initiatives that can move the Town towards greater sustainability.

The Town will consider the input from Victopia for action and inclusion in its Strategic Community Plan.

This was our chance to influence the direction in which the Town develops in the next 15 years. Victopia is part of a process that can change for the better - how we work, live, recreate and impact the environment in the Town of Victoria Park.

Victopia was a workshop with a difference. We used a unique workshop toolkit called Ketso, a hands-on method of capturing ideas. We will also have some amazing speakers on the day such as Mayor Brad Pettitt, who has implemented the One Planet Fremantle sustainability strategy in the City of Fremantle.

*let's define sustainability

Victopia has adopted the commonly-used definition of sustainability or sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland Commission, 1987).

With this definition in mind, Victopia will ask participants to think of sustainability concerns and initiatives along the ten One Planet Living principles, part of the One Planet Living program. These principles are:

Culture and community - Respecting and reviving local identity, wisdom and culture; encouraging the involvement of people in shaping their community and creating a new culture of sustainability.
Equity and local economy - Creating bioregional economies that support equity and diverse local employment and international fair trade.
Health and happiness - Encouraging active, sociable, meaningful lives to promote good health and well being.
Land use and wildlife - Protecting and restoring biodiversity and creating new natural habitats through good land use and integration into the built environment.
Sustainable food - Supporting sustainable and humane farming, promoting access to healthy, low impact, local, seasonal and organic diets and reducing food waste.
Sustainable materials - Using sustainable and healthy products, such as those with low embodied energy, sourced locally, made from renewable or waste resources.
Sustainable transport - Reducing the need to travel, and encouraging low and zero carbon modes of transport to reduce emissions.
Sustainable water - Using water efficiently in buildings, farming and manufacturing. Designing to avoid local issues such as flooding , drought and water course pollution.
Zero carbon -Making buildings energy efficient and delivering all energy with renewable technologies.
Zero waste - Reducing waste, reusing where possible, and ultimately sending zero waste to landfill.

The City of Fremantle is already participating in the One Planet Living program in Australia.

You can read more about One Planet Living Principles here: http://www.fremantle.wa.gov.au/OnePlanet or here: http://www.bioregional.com/

Proudly brought to you by community members from both the Vic Park Collective and The Vic Park Transition Network.