Future Canvas

Reforestation Project, Docklands

2009-09-06T05:49:00.000-07:00

Community garden a step closer
(article from Docklands Community News)

Docklands has come a step closer to achieving a community garden with the establishment of a demonstration urban agriculture project in Victoria Harbour.

A project of the Future Canvas organisation, the garden is a six-month experiment playfully called “reforestation” and is the brain-child of 25-year-old environmentalist Emily Ballantyne-Brodie.

Ms Ballantyne-Brodie said Docklanders could expect to see food grown in raised beds in a small plot on Victoria Harbour in front of Dock 5.

“It’s a demonstration in the art of being sustainable every day,” she said. “Sustainable living is about well being and it’s about being active. And gardening is part of that.”

“We aim to use this garden as both a wonderful source of organic food, to find out about the Docklands community opinion for a longer term garden and a community art project,” she said.

“We hope that it will become a hub for the community to gather, get to know each other, and learn a bit about how they can garden and recycle organic waste from inner-city homes.”

She said the site would be used to run programs such as composting, worm-farming, wise water use and to encourage people to think about how they acquire food.

Reforestation hopes to run environmental education programs with local businesses, primary schools and youth drop-in centres in the City of Melbourne, and work alongside existing sustainable lifestyle events such as Ride To Work Day on October 14.

“We have had amazing support from the City of Melbourne, Lend Lease and VicUrban, and we hope that we can really get to know the community while we’re here and find out what they would really love to see in a community garden,” Ms Ballantyne-Brodie said.

http://issuu.com/ellieschroeder/docs/reforestationproposal/6?zoomed=&zoomPercent=&zoomX=&zoomY=¬eText=¬eX=¬eY=&viewMode=magazine

Blitz Day Map

2009-05-14T12:19:00.001-07:00

Blitz Day Schedule

2009-05-14T12:16:00.001-07:00

Blitz Day and Party Rundown...

2009-05-10T07:12:00.000-07:00

Get down and Dirty! Docklands need some love...
Hot of the heels of the Future Canvas space opening launch, this week we begin the countdown to the first blitz day this Sunday, 17th May. The first in a series of co-design garden workshops, this one promises to present some fantastic demonstrations of sustainability in home, fashion, food and community.

We encourage future canvas volunteers and community to get down to the docklands and get dirty with us! From 10am onwards we have lots of interesting things on the programme.

Bring some amazing home cooked treats to sell to fellow blitzers, bring some of your disused green shopping bags. we’ll show you how to make a mini food garden that you can take home with you. Join gardeners who will work together to come up with creative ways of making planter boxes. Watch how easy it can be to create fashion all from your own creative hands!

For more information about the days agenda click on the link here.. http://www.futurecanvas.org/news-events/0045-future-canvas-blitz-day

Painting the Town Green! The space launch down at Shed 4.
For those of you that didn’t make it down last Friday night. You missed a spectacular night! For those of you that did, thanks so much for being part of such a momentus occasion. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. Pictures and FOCasts will be uploaded to the website this week!

Volunteers
A message to of the you out there that have volunteered to help out with Future Canvas. We know a lot of you have not yet been contacted by us. We wish to apologise, as we have been inundated by volunteer requests!! If you have received this email and are still keen to help out we have some areas that need filling. If you could email us at this address (volunteers@futurecanvas.org) with one of the following areas in the subject title. (Communications/PR/Media/Marketing/Project Management/Gardening/Landscaping/....)

Cate Blanchett Wants a Future Canvas Too!!

2009-04-21T07:08:00.000-07:00

Painting Canvas of the Future

By Cate Blanchett
April 15, 2008 12:00am
ANY review of a period or an era will be framed in cultural outcomes. Think back to the '50s and inevitably your mind goes to Elvis Presley, your grandmother's furniture and the rise of television. Back a little further to the Renaissance and it's Leonardo, Michaelangelo and the other artists characteristic of that time.

The lasting value and evidence of a civilisation are artistic products and ingenuity. In fact, history makes little time for the other human endeavours. That is not because they are unimportant or irrelevant it is because the arts and creativity - the makings of culture - are in fact the central endeavour of our species.

Scientific enquiry flows out of and is inspired by them, wars are fought in their defence, cities, trade and complex economies are enabled and facilitated by them.

The 2020 summit is an opportunity to dream of a co-ordination between the many important strands of our densely packed society. I believe cultural vitality and real engagement are central to many of them.

For example, education - how do we teach our children to think creatively and innovatively? Economics, how do we create an innovative and competitive economy with cities that can attract and stimulate the world? Governance, how can we maintain a population that is engaged, educated and able to formulate its own opinions?

Generally, how can we encourage lateral, creative and fresh thinking? On the day, the creative stream will grapple with issues like evolutions in practice, our role in Asia, the relationship between access to the arts and pursuit of excellence, examination of youth arts, broadcasting and media reform and the ever-present issue of Australian content.

As this is a collaborative process, the participants' ideas will form the specific agenda which is still taking shape. This summit demands we imagine and then create the future. Creativity and the arts are as elemental to that future as they are to the past. They are a link between us all and an expression of our differences.

My driving question will always be how do we consolidate and deepen all Australians' cultural engagement so that regardless and in fact because of personal preferences we are contributing socially and rewardingly to a broad and sustainable future?

See article at: http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23538544-5016510,00.html

Future Canvas Thread!

2009-04-20T05:18:00.000-07:00

Tally ho!

Welcome to the Thread, a weekly newsflash on our plan to make melbourne a 'sustainable everyday' metropolis.

Breaking news...Future Canvas received confirmation last week that it has received a very substantial grant from the EPA to support the Reforestation project. Thank you to all of those who have worked with us so capably over the last few months and continue to believe in our vision of a city abloom.

Upcoming events

Website Meeting: Wednesday April 21st, 6:00-7:00 at Em's house, a discussion of how best to move the Future Canvas website to the next stage of ease of use and content management. Please e-mail Em and Steve if you are interested in helping out steven.mckinnon@futurecanvas.org, Emily.B.Brodie@futurecanvas.org.

Reforestation Meeting: Thursday April 24, 6:30 at the Shed.

Future Canvas Meeting: Friday April 21, 5:30-7:30 at the Shed to discuss key outcomes of Michael and Mel's review of Future Canvas and get views/consensus on these changes. There will also be an update on the FC Space Launch.

Future Canvas Space Launch: Friday 8 May: Join us for a night of celebration as we toast the opening of the FC space at the Docklands.

FC Space Blitz: Sunday May 17: Join us for an adventurous day fusing art, fashion, gardening, composting and sculpture creation at Shed 4.

How you can help out

We have a superb Reforestation sponsorship proposal which we are keen to circulate. If you have any contacts who may be interested in supporting Reforestation through financial or in-kind donation please contact Ash at Ashley.Chaleyer@futurecanvas.org.

Future Canvas Space Launch: 8 May 2009: We need door people, bar people, people interested in co-ordinating a fashion show/art show, catering people, sound technicians, artists, event organisers, publicity/promotions helpers, muscle power for set up and pack up...and of course we welcome any form of sponsorship for the event! Contact joel.carnegie@futurecanvas.org

FC Space Blitz: 17 May 2009: We need marketing people, events management people, promotion people, postering people, letter drop, furniture makers, carpenters, artists, gardeners, Bolsheviks or just about anyone, Contact melissa.schellekens@futurecanvas.org

Future Canvas: If you are a grant-writing guru, finance person, film person, artist, it or web person, marketing person or just about anyone contact melissa.schellekens@futurecanvas.org

Future Canvas

The last week has been bustling for Future Canvas. Some of the highlights include:
Future Canvas had a very successful presence at the Melbourne Social Forum: April 17, 18 and 19. The Melbourne Social Forum is "a movement, a process, an event and an organization that helps to facilitate social change and the exploration of social alternatives that are socially just and ecologically sustainable." (http://www.melbournesocialforum.org). Mel, Michael, Em, Steve and Ash spoke to a range of people and developed a considerable lisf of potential volunteers/supporters.
Future Canvas is developing a range of sub-Google Groups to streamline project management and target action and e-mail traffic.The groups will come on-line early next week.These sub-groups will be the nucleus for certain activities/projects and each group will have a moderators/leaders as set out below:
Future Canvas: (the main group that we already have)
Future Canvas Reforestation: (the garden, cafe, etc)
Future Canvas Media: (inc. video production, the website, 3D media)
Future Canvas Enterprise: (the Showcase can be a project of that group)
Future Canvas Arts: (the Shed 4 art space)
Future Canvas Events: (inc. the launch party, markets, fora)
Future Canvas Partners: (aka, the committee)
Stay tuned for these groups!

Melissa Shellkens and Michael Chew have been working with Ash, Em and Steve to further develop Future Canvas' processes, strategy and general efficiency. Michael and Melissa have spent the last few weeks developing a more streamlined governance model and review of FC's development since 2007. Michael's spreadsheet will be available on the FC google group very soon, please let us know what you think.

Joel Carnegie has been working extremely hard to organise the Future Canvas Space Launch in May. Stay tuned for this event, it promises to be golden.

Over the next month Steve is running a review of FC's accounting processes to ensure this aspect of FC is being run using best practice.

Future Canvas is now on Twitter...keep an eye on our 'tweets'

Reforestation

The last week has been busy for Future Canvas’ Reforestation Project. Some of the highlights include:

Serious planning and organisation has begun for Future Canvas' Blitz. Meg and Emily are working on a plan for the event. Stay posted for further developments.

Melissa, Dan and Ash have begun the process of forming the Docklands Reforestation Steering Committee, a key panel of stakeholders from the Docklands area who will help to guide the Reforestation Project. This is a key initiative which will further advance the Reforestation project.

The National Australia Bank's Tanya Watkins has kindly offered to prepare a communications strategy for the Reforestation Project. This will add great effectiveness to the Reforestation project and will enable us to convey our key messages clearly and strategically. Stay tuned for for more updates.

Finalisation of the Reforestation sponsorship proposal. This has been circulated to some key potential sponsors for the project. We will keep you posted on any further developments which flow from this.
Yours,

Future Canvas.

Future Canvas HQ - Artists Impression

2009-04-15T03:30:00.001-07:00

Future Canvas Thread

2009-04-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

Greetings !

Welcome to the Thread, a weekly heads-up on the mysterious goings on at Shed 4 in the Docklands.

Hot off the Press: See Tuesday's Age (Epicure Section, 14 April) for an article on the Reforestation Project. Also check out Steve McKinnon's update of the Future Canvas website.

Upcoming events

Reforestation Meeting: Thursday April 16, 6:30 at the Shed.

Future Canvas Meeting: Friday April 17, 5:30-7:30 at the Shed to discuss key outcomes of Michael and Mel's review of Future Canvas, gain views/consensus on these changes and start developing the art space proposal. There will also be an update on the FC Space Launch.

Future Canvas presence at the Melbourne Social Forum: April 17, 18 and 19. The Melbourne Social Forum is "a movement, a process, an event and an organization that helps to facilitate social change and the exploration of social alternatives that are socially just and ecologically sustainable." (http://www.melbournesocialforum.org)

Future Canvas Space Launch May 8th Join us for a night of celebration as we toast the opening of the FC space at the Docklands. Check out Ellie Schroeder's chic invitation on the FC homepage.

Future Canvas Space Blitz Sunday May 17th: Join us for an adventurous day fusing art, fashion, gardening, composting and sculpture creation at Shed 4.

How you can help out?

We have a superb Reforestation sponsorship proposal which we are keen to circulate. If you have any contacts who may be interested in supporting Reforestation through financial or in-kind donation please contact Ash at Ashley.Chaleyer@futurecanvas.org.

Future Canvas Space Launch: May 8th:

We need door people, bar people, people interested in co-ordinating a fashion show/art show, catering people, sound technicians, artists, event organisers, publicity/promotions helpers, muscle power for set up and pack up...and of course we welcome any form of sponsorship for the event! Contact joel.carnegie@futurecanvas.org

FC Space Blitz: 17th May 2009:

We need marketing people, events management people, promotion people, postering people, letter drop, furniture makers, carpenters, artists, gardeners, Bolsheviks or just about anyone, Contact emily.b.brodie@futurecanvas.org

Future Canvas: If you are a grant-writing guru, finance person, film person, artist, it or web person, marketing person or just about anyone contact melissa.schellekens@futurecanvas.org

Future Canvas

The last week has been bustling for Future Canvas. Some of the highlights include:

Future Canvas is developing a range of sub-Google Groups to streamline project management and target action and e-mail traffic.The groups will come on-line early next week.These sub-groups will be the nucleus for certain activities/projects and each group will have a moderators/leaders as set out below:

Future Canvas: (the main group that we already have)
Future Canvas Reforestation: (the garden, cafe, etc)
Future Canvas Media: (inc. video production, the website, 3D media)
Future Canvas Enterprise: (the Showcase can be a project of that group)
Future Canvas Arts: (the Shed 4 art space)
Future Canvas Events: (inc. the launch party, markets, fora)
Future Canvas Partners: (aka, the committee)
Stay tuned for these groups!

Melissa Shellkens and Michael Chew have been working with Ash, Em and Steve to further develop Future Canvas' processes, strategy and general workings. Michael and Mellissa spent most of last Friday developing a governance model and review of FC's development since 2007.

Joel Carnegie has been working extremely hard to organise the Future Canvas Space Launch in May. Stay tuned for this event, it promises to be golden.

Steve McGrail and Dan Mullerworth, two key pillars of the Futurelab event visited the Shed and have shown an interest in working with FC in the coming weeks. We are delighted at the prospect of working with Dan and Steve again.

Over the next month Steve is running a review of FC's accounting processes to ensure this aspect of FC is being run using best practice.

Future Canvas is now on Twitter...keep an eye on our 'tweets'

Till next time,
FutureCanvas

Future Canvas Blitz Sunday 17 May 10am - 4pm

2009-04-09T05:06:00.000-07:00

Future Canvas Space and Garden Makeover

The Space & Garden Blitz at Future Canvas HQ is a full-day of activities, music, art, learning and sharing aimed at bringing people from diverse backgrounds together to connect, share and design ways to live sustainably everyday. The day will result in the creation of the initial stage of the creative hub for sustainability thinkers in Melbourne and an urban community garden based at Future Canvas HQ. Overtime this hub will become a nucleus for sustainable thought, art and change in Melbourne and internationally.

The underpinning message for the day is for people to experience the power of community and creativity in achieving a transition towards a sustainable society.

Activities for the day include;

- permaculture gardening
- making funky furniture from waste
- swapping our clothing (sharing our fashion!)
- composting
- planting

Organisations from around Melbourne will be participating such as;

Permablitz, Clothing Exchange and O2.

New York Streets Renaissance

2009-04-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

There are so many public design organisations doing amazing initiatives throughout the world to enliven their communities. Check out the New York Streets Renaissance http://www.nycsr.org/

We'll keep you up to date with other funky projects...

Future Canvas Thread - April

2009-04-07T01:42:00.000-07:00

Howdy,

Welcome to the Thread, a weekly heads-up on the flurry of activity taking place at Future Canvas’ home at the Docklands.

Upcoming events

Reforestation Meeting: Thursday April 9, 6:30 at the Shed.

Future Canvas Meeting: Friday April 17, 5:30-7:30 at the Shed to discuss key outcomes of Michael and Mel's review of Future Canvas and get views/consensus on these changes. There will also be an update on the FC Space Launch.

Future Canvas Space Launch: Join us for a night of celebration as we toast the opening of the FC space at the Docklands.

FC Space Blitz: Join us for an adventurous day fusing art, fashion, gardening, composting and sculpture creation at Shed 4.

How you can help out

We have a superb Reforestation sponsorship proposal which we are keen to circulate. If you have any contacts who may be interested in supporting Reforestation through financial or in-kind donation please contact Ash at Ashley.Chaleyer@futurecanvas.org.

Future Canvas Space Launch: May 2009: We need door people, bar people, people interested in co-ordinating a fashion show/art show, catering people, sound technicians, artists, event organisers, publicity/promotions helpers, muscle power for set up and pack up...and of course we welcome any form of sponsorship for the event! Contact joel.carnegie@futurecanvas.org

FC Space Blitz: May 2009: We need marketing people, events management people, promotion people, postering people, letter drop, furniture makers, carpenters, artists, gardeners, Bolsheviks or just about anyone, Contact melissa.schellekens@futurecanvas.org

Future Canvas: If you are a grant-writing guru, finance person, film person, artist, it or web person, marketing person or just about anyone contact melissa.schellekens@futurecanvas.org

Future Canvas

The last week has been bustling for Future Canvas. Some of the highlights include:
Future Canvas is developing a range of sub-Google Groups to streamline project management and target action and e-mail traffic.The groups will come on-line early next week.These sub-groups will be the nucleus for certain activities/projects and each group will have a moderators/leaders as set out below:
Future Canvas: (the main group that we already have)
Future Canvas Reforestation: (the garden, cafe, etc)
Future Canvas Media: (inc. video production, the website, 3D media)
Future Canvas Enterprise: (the Showcase can be a project of that group)
Future Canvas Arts: (the Shed 4 art space)
Future Canvas Events: (inc. the launch party, markets, fora)
Future Canvas Partners: (aka, the committee)
Stay tuned for these groups!

Em spent a few days this week in Sydney meeting with the Greenpages team and other important Future Canvas partners and stakeholders.

Melissa Shellkens and Michael Chew have been working with Ash, Em and Steve to further develop Future Canvas' processes, strategy and general efficiency. Michael and Mellissa spent most of last Friday developing a more streamlined governance model and review of FC's development since 2007.

Joel Carnegie has been working extremely hard to organise the Future Canvas Space Launch in May. Stay tuned for this event, it promises to be golden.

Steve McGrail and Dan Mullerworth, two key pillars of the Futurelab event visited the Shed and have shown an interest in working with FC in the coming weeks. We are delighted at the prospect of working with Dan and Steve again.

Over the next month Steve is running a review of FC's accounting processes to ensure this aspect of FC is being run using best practice.

Future Canvas is now on Twitter...keep an eye on our 'tweets'
Reforestation

The last week has been busy for Future Canvas’ Reforestation Project. Some of the highlights include:
Serious planning and organisation has begun for Future Canvas' Blitz. Meg Argyriou and Emily Ballantyne-Brodie are working diligently on a plan for the event.

Thanks to the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, Future Canvas has been given an enormous array of mulch, wood and steel which would normally be thrown out by the show's exhibitors. Thank you Cat for organising this !

Representatives from SP Ausnet came to visit Shed 4 on Friday (despite the pouring rain) and were very impressed with the team's vision. We will keep you posted on any further developments.

Melissa Schellekens and Ash Chaleyer have begun the process of forming the Docklands Reforestation Steering Committee, a key panel of stakeholders from the Docklands area who will help to guide the Reforestation Project. This is a key initiative which will further advance the Reforestation project.

The National Australia Bank's Tanya Watkins has kindly offered to prepare a communications strategy for the Reforestation Project. This will add great effectiveness to the Reforestation project and will enable us to convey our key messages clearly and strategically. Stay tuned for for more updates.

Finalisation of the Reforestation sponsorship proposal. This has been circulated to some key potential sponsors for the project. We will keep you posted on any further developments which flow from this.

Future Canvas Thread - March Update

2009-03-30T03:37:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Welcome to the Thread, a weekly heads-up on what what’s happenin' in Future Canvas’ home at the Docklands.

Upcoming events

Thursday April 2: Reforestation meeting.

Friday May 1: (note change in date): Future Canvas Space Launch: Join us for a night of celebration as we toast the opening of the FCspace at the Docklands.

Saturday May 10: FC Space Blitz: Join us for an adventurous day fusing art, fashion, gardening, composting and sculpture creation at Shed 4.

How you can help out

We have a superb Reforestation sponsorship proposal which we are keen to circulate. If you have any contacts who may be interested in supporting Reforestation through financial or in-kind donation please contact Ash at Ashley.Chaleyer@futurecanvas.org. Many thanks to Ellie Shroeder, Future Canvas' talented graphic designer, who framed our project in the proposal form and Steve McKinnon, Innovation and Creativity Director, who prepared the Powerpoint presentation.

Future Canvas Space Launch: May 1st 2009: We need door people, bar people, catering people, sound technicians, artists, event organisers, publicity/promotions helpers, muscle power for set up and pack up...and of course we welcome any form of sponsorship for the event! Contact joel.carnegie@futurecanvas.org

FC Space Blitz: May 10th 2009: We need marketing people, events management people, promotion people, postering people, letter drop, furniture makers, carpenters, artists, gardeners, Bolsheviks or just about anyone Contact melissa.schellekens@futurecanvas.org

Future Canvas: If you are a grant-writing guru, finance person, film person, artist, it or web person, marketing person or just about anyone contact melissa.schellekens@futurecanvas.org

Future Canvas

The last week has been bustling for Future Canvas. Some of the highlights include:
Future Canvas is developing a range of sub-Google Groups to streamline project management and target action and e-mail traffic.The groups will come on-line early next week.These sub-groups will be the nucleus for certain activities/projects and each group will have a moderators/leaders as set out below:

FC G-Group: Em/Steve/Ash
FC Social (e.g. Space Blitz) G-Group: Joel/Em
FC Media (e.g. FOC Casts) G-Group: Em/Ash
FC Board/Advisors G-Group: Mel/Ash
Shed 4 Art Space G-Group: Michael/Phil
Shed 4 Enterprise G-Group (e.g. nursery concept at the space/exhibition opportunities): Scott/Steve
Reforestation G-Group: Steve/Em/Ash
Future Canvas Services G-Group: Em/Steve/Ash

Stay tuned for these groups!

Future Canvas is now on Twitter...keep an eye on our 'tweets'
Joel Carnegie has been working extremely hard to organise the Future Canvas Space Launch on May 1st. Stay tuned for this event, it promises to be a cracker !
Future Canvas met with the iMap team to discuss potentially hosting some of the iMap team's work at the space. [ ]

Melissa Shellkens and Michael Chew have been working with Ash, Em and Steve to further develop Future Canvas' processes, strategy and general efficiency. This review has already been effective to streamline Future Canvas' M.O, so stay tuned for a leaner and even greener Future Canvas !

Over the next month Ash and Steve are running a review of FC's compliance and accounting processes to ensure FC is being run using best practice.

Future Canvas' Steve and Ash had a great chat with Future Canvas' Joel Carnegie on his radio show on 3MBS, the chat revolved around world music and sustainability projects in Melbourne, Portugal and Brazil !

Em and Steve are flying up to Sydney late next week to meet with key Future Canvas partners/potential partners.
Reforestation

The last week has been busy for Future Canvas’ Reforestation Project. Some of the highlights include:
Steve has developed an innovative plan to incorporate a nursery into the design of the Garden. Steve presented this concept (to much accaim) at last week's Reforestation meeing.

Phil Hall prepared a stunning drawing which captures the vision for Reforestation's home at Shed 4 (please see attached). It is an extraordinary piece of work and will be a key part of our pursuit of sponsorship and buiding stakeholder relations.
The Reforestation project team was photographed for an upcoming feature on Reforestation in the Age's Epicure section.

Finalisation of the Reforestation sponsorship proposal. This has been circulated to some key potential sponsors for theproject. We will keep you posted on this.

Future Canvas News

2009-03-15T04:56:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Welcome to the Thread, a weekly heads-up on what what’s going down in Future Canvas’ Docklands.

You might have heard on the grapevine that we have set up these blogs. Keep an eye on this space for details of the upcoming Future Canvas Party, Reforestation Space Blitz and other green hot stakeholder developments.

Upcoming events
Thursday March 19: Reforestation meeting.

Friday April 24: Future Canvas Space Launch: Join us for a night of celebration as we toast the opening of the FC space at the Docklands.

Saturday May 3: FC Space Blitz: Join us for an adventurous day of fusing art, gardening, composting and sculpture creation at Shed 4.

How you can help out
Friday April 24: Future Canvas Space Launch: We need door people, bar people, catering people, sound technicians, artists, event organisers, publicity/promotions helpers, muscle power for set up and pack up...and of course we welcome any form of sponsorship for the event! Contact joel.carnegie@futurecanvas.org

FC Space Blitz: FC Space Blitz: May 3 2009: We need marketing people, events management people, promotion people, postering people, letter drop, furniture makers, carpenters, artists, gardeners, Bolsheviks or just about anyone Contact melissa.schellekens@futurecanvas.org

Future Canvas: If you are a grant-writing guru, finance person, film person, artist, it or web person, marketing person or just about anyone Contact melissa.schellekens@futurecanvas.org

Future Canvas

The last couple of weeks has been busy for Future Canvas generally:

· Future Canvas has launched three videos on You-Tube...the first of many to come! These You-Tubes are about Re-designing the Home for sustainability, Natalie Portman’s new vegan fashion line and the Futurelab event in May 2007. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFLft_BdmU4
· We have begun the process of visioning the future of the Shed 4 internal space. The goal will be to enrich the cultural and community fabric of the Docklands and Melbourne more broadly through: providing artists, performers and designers with a forum through which to perform or exhibit their works, providing organisations with a space in which to conduct activities which have a connection to sustainability and housing a cafe/nursery for use by visitors to the Space and existing tenants of the Shed 4 precinct.
· We have formed a joint venture with Bicycles for Humanity which ships containers of used bikes to Namibia for a second life. This is conducting their first bicycle round up on 21st and 22nd of March at 170 Edward St East Brunswick. http://www.bicyclesforhumanity.com/
· Future Canvas gave an interview to 3CR on the Tuesday Hometime program, March 10, this will appear as a podcast, shortly at http://www.3cr.org.au/podcasts

Reforestation

The last couple of weeks has been busy for Future Canvas’ Reforestation Project. Some of the highlights include:

· Visits to the site by Melbourne City Councillors Cathy Oke and Kevin Louey
· Preparation of incredible, inspiring three dimensional images of the
garden by Karen at ARG Architects (to be posted soon)
· Submission of a grant to the EPA for funding of the space
· Meetings with Ecovantage, the Docklands Hub and Melbourne City Council
· Alongside the Garden site, the Victorian Eco Innovation Lab showcased
designs for the exciting and innovative E-Gate project
http://ecoinnovationlab.com/

Future Canvas Fashion

2009-03-15T04:05:00.000-07:00

Food

2009-03-15T03:33:00.000-07:00

Redesign your food: Check out the following links that will inspire you around the design element of food!

Vancouver City Farmer has inspiring stories about urban agriculture projects around the world.
http://www.cityfarmer.info/

London and New York have some active gorilla gardening sites...check these out:
http://www.guerrillagardening.org/

http://www.gardenbytes.com/2008/12/gorilla-gardening.html

Anyways you can think to redesign your food - please share below.

People are the Artists, Communities are our Palette, The World is our Canvas

2009-01-21T19:01:00.000-08:00

Future Canvas is starting a global conversation about changing the world. Our lives are made up of many choices and actions that affect the world we live in. This conversation is about how we can change the world through our everyday choices and actions.

What do we mean by changing the world?

Future Canvas is starting a conversation about 6 themes; these everyday themes are design elements to help, enable and guide us to design in our everyday!

Food – what we eat?

Fashion – what we wear?

Wellbeing – how we feel?

Transport – how we move?

Housing – where/how we live?

Community – how we connect with others?

The actions and choices we make around these everyday elements create our world.

People all around the world are making conscious design choices and actions in their everyday, and Future Canvas is providing the platform and global network where we share this knowledge and ideas to change our world.

Stay tuned for Future Canvas inspiration on these design themes!

Reforestation

2009-01-13T20:21:00.000-08:00

Reforestation Update
Over the next few months there is going to be some exciting developments for Future Canvas' Reforestation Project. We will be designing and constructing an urban agriculture garden in the Docklands next to our shared waterfront warehouse in Shed 4, Docklands. This garden is going to be a very urban - urban agriculture garden. The garden space is 50metres x 6 metres; enough to fit a cafe, greenhouse and beautiful community garden allotments for Docklands residents.

We are also working towards Reforestation Day which will occur in the first week of Spring 2009. Reforestation Day is where people all around Metropolitan Melbourne design and create their own urban agriculture project where they plant their own food and create their own gardens in their community or at home.

Volunteers?
We would like as many people as possible to come and participate in the Reforestation Project. We will need assistance with designing and constructing the garden, furthering stakeholder relationships, communications, website, making short films etc. Hugo Leemhuis is the volunteer manager for Future Canvas. If you would like to volunteer for Reforestation please contact him via this email address: hugoleemhuis@hotmail.com

Meeting Times
Our meetings over the coming weeks will be important to attend if you wish to be involved in the Reforestation Project this year. We will be meeting at our new office space in the Docklands;

Shed 4, Dock 4 (basically the end of Collins Street!). Map 2E 7D.

Here are the Reforestation meeting dates for the coming few months:

Thursday 22nd January, 6pm - 8pm.
Thursday 5th February, 6pm - 8pm.
Thursday 19th February, 6pm - 8pm.
Thursday 5th March, 6pm - 8pm.
Thursday 19th March, 6pm - 8pm.

Attached is the agenda for the first meeting on the 22nd of January.

Look forward seeing you at our first meeting for the year!

Emily and Ash.
Convenors, Future Canvas

FutureCanvas-GlobalConversation

2009-01-13T20:07:00.000-08:00

Future Canvas is a global web of projects and ideas which spark people to live sustainably everyday. We would like to start a global conversation and action on living sustainably everyday.

We are based in Melbourne, Australia from a waterside warehouse in a central part of the city. In this warehouse we will be designing a space for creative people in Melbourne to vision and design a sustainable future.

We want to know how you are making a difference in your community and share this with other people around the world.

Is your contribution around the topic of 'food'; i.e. making an organic food garden, permaculture garden or making your own bread?

Is your contribution around the topic of 'housing'; installing solar panels, rainwater tanks or thinking feng shui in your home?

Is your contribution around the topic of 'transport'; riding your bike, car sharing or walking to work?

Is your contribution around the topic of 'wellbeing'; practicing yoga, meditation, playing music or participating actively in community life?

Is your contribution around the topic of 'fashion'; making your own clothes chemically free, alternative brand choices or buying vegan friendly clothing?

Or is your contribution around the topic of 'community'; looking after elderly, supporting mothers with children, caring for members in your family or groups of friends, helping the disadvantaged, being active in a community group or keeping an eye out for your fellow citizens?

Soon Future Canvas will be posting some inspiring stories on how we see people all around the world making creative choices to live sustainably everyday. We would like you to respond and start a global conversation on how we can act in an empowered and creative way for a sustainable future. Look forward to hearing from you!

Emily - Convener/Co-founder Future Canvas