Ben Neil: Cultivating Community’s Edible Classroom program
 Ben is the CEO of Cultivating Community and has been involved with the organisation for almost 8 years. Passionate about many areas of Urban Agriculture and Community Food systems he has supervised the growth of Cultivating Community’s schools programs from one school to eight. Ben will outline the Edible Classrooms program and highlight Cultivating Community view that diversity in school garden programs is to be celebrated.
He has qualifications in Horticulture, Permaculture and BioDynamics.

Sue Elliott: Creating connections with nature in the garden
Sue has worked in a variety of early childhood settings and lectured at the tertiary level in early childhood training courses. She shares a passion for environmental education and science education in her teaching. Sue is co-author of several books including  "Just Discover: Connecting Young Children with the Natural World" and "Early Childhood Environmental Education: Making It Mainstream" and is editing a new publication entitled "The Outdoor Playspace: Naturally". She conducted the first review of early childhood environmental education in Australia for the NSW EPA in 2003 and now convenes the Australian Association for Environmental Education Early Childhood Special Interest Group. Currently, she is undertaking doctoral studies at the University of New England, lectures at RMIT University and is an active committee member of the Playground and Recreation Association of Victoria

Eric Bottomley: CERES Sustainable Schools - Grounds and Greenhouse
Eric Bottomed has taught geography, economics and environmental science in schools for 20 years, and was coordinator of CERES Education for 13 years before transferring in 2003 to his new role of Team Leader- CERES Sustainability Projects. He has concurrently been a sessional lecturer and tutor at the Graduate School of Environmental Science, Monash, and has twice worked on secondment at the University of PNG. Formal qualifications include Master Environmental Science, Bachelor of Arts, Environmental Auditing Training Certificate, Teacher Training Certificate.
Eric has written a number of books on Development and Global Warming and has designed much of the CERES Educational programs over a 13 year period. He has also presented at a large number of environmental and educational conferences. He is particularly interested in globalisation and localisation as well as a whole range of resource use issues. Presently his major preoccupations are establishing a $0.8 million water project at CERES; designing and implementing the CERES-Gould League Sustainable Schools Program, which is a pilot for the whole of Australia; and encouraging CERES type developments in other locations.

Jan Carr & Murray Geddes: Finding funding for School Gardens, can we do it better?
Cultivating Community Classroom Team: Practical, hands-on classroom garden medley
King’s Park Primary School: Getting our teeth into it! Creative ways that we eat our garden
Jan Brown, Chris Holm, Christine Joy: Adventures in the Kitchen Garden at Vermont South Special School and at the Royal Botanical Gardens.  
Virginia Solomon, Eltham High: Teaching sustainability through certificate 1 in Permaculture
Leonie Shanahan: Setting up edible school gardens with minimal finances
Parkhill Primary School: A school community garden revolution
Landlearn: Landlearn in the Garden

Jackie French: 'Grove Magic'- how to create  a small wilderness for kids that will enchant them, feed them, teach them, and inspire them...  and survive tramping, climbing, droughts and complete neglect  with no maintenance at all once it is established. (ps yes, it really does work)
Jackie French's gardening journey began with a wombat, who inspired her to look at the way plants  fruit and survive naturally in Australia, without  weeding, spraying and endless watering.
Since then she has written 130 books for kids and adults,  been a presenter on Burke's Backyard for nearly a decade and a regular on ABC radio for more years than she feels like counting, and writes columns for Earthgarden and the Women's Weekly. Over the past 30 years she has established 4 ha of garden with about 270 different kinds of fruit as well as perennial vegetables and a multitude of herbs, all of which survives temperatures ranging from minus 9C to 52C,with no spraying, weeding or watering, and where wallabies and other wildlife are welcomed and birds lured with decoy crops instead of being excluded.  Even during months of heat when there is no rainfall whatsoever, there is never a time when you can't pick at least 20 different kinds of fruit.

Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation: More gardens in Schools
Bentleigh West Leonie Brown: Educating for Environmental Sustainability
Northlands Secondary College Secondary School Gardens:  Integrated VCAL Horticultural Program
Port Philip Eco centre: Building Community and School Gardens
Gould Group: The agony and ecstasy of school gardens: lessons learnt through Gould Group's Multicultural School Gardens and Schoolgrounds for Learning programs
More workshops TBA

9.00am-9:40am

Michel & Jude Fanton
Jude and Michel Fanton founded the Seed Savers' Network in Byron Bay Australia, in 1986 to preserve the diversity of our cultural plants. Their activities include educational programs for the preservation of open-pollinated (non-hybrid) seeds and the genetic diversity of plant varieties, non-profit seed exchange programs, agricultural and horticultural programs with particular emphasis on the propagation of open-pollinated plant varieties, preservation gardens for open-pollinated plant varieties, seed banks for non-hybrid plant varieties, and scientific research relating to the above matters, either alone or in conjunction with a public university or other institution. They produce a quarterly newsletter for members, hold seed exchanges & frequent events and workshops and have published a best selling handbook on the subject in Australia. A version of the handbook for cold climates is currently being published in the UK.

9.40am-10.20am

Jerry Coleby-Williams: Horticultural Reconciliation- how sustainable living can provide security for ordinary people.
Jerry Coleby-Williams is a botanical horticulturist, writer, director of the Seed Saver’s Foundation, Executive member of the Queensland Conservation Council and ABC Gardening Australia presenter. Inspired by his family of gardeners and farmers Jerry has been gardening since the age of four.
Initially trained with the Royal Horticultural Society, some years later he emerged from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the world’s foremost botanic garden, qualified in management, horticultural estate management, soft landscape design, horticultural and botanical sciences. For over eleven years Jerry managed the horticultural estate of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney.

10.20am-10.45am

Panel discussion

11.15am- 12.30pm

Jude Fanton: How to be seedy in the garden
Jerry Coleby-Williams: A family of gardeners- sustaining our cultural traditions
Tash Morton: Develop a seed saving plan for your garden
Karla Arroyo Rizo: Seed saving with the Bio-intensive Method and Seed Network in Mexico
Andy Carter: Urban beekeeping
Michael Woodruff: Basics of domestic worm farming – how to set-up the environment for successful worm farming at home
Elspeth Brock of Victorian Indigenous Nursery Cooperative (VINC):  Seed Collection and Propagation of Native Plants
Myfanwy Sun: Seed Music & mandala workshop

Dr. Vandana Shiva
Please note: Dr Shiva will not be presenting in person, but via “carbon emmission friendly” live voice-link from India.
Dr. Vandana Shiva is a recipient of the Right Livelihood Award  (often referred to as the alternative Nobel Peace Prize), physicist, ecologist, activist, editor, and author of many books. In India she has established Navdanya, a movement for biodiversity conservation and farmers' rights. She directs the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Natural Resource Policy. Her most recent books are Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge and Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply.

Clare White: Starting a Local Seed Network: Experiences from Seed Savers @ CERES
Michel Porcher: The Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database – a vital tool for the Seed Savers of this century
Megg Miller: Heritage breeds of poultry that are garden friendly
Louis Glowinski: Backyard food gardening
Bob Phelps: Genethics- seed heritage issues, terminator technology
Sue Lewis: 'Welldressing' workshop, the art of creating beautiful pictures from seeds and plat materials
Saverio Minutolo: Storytelling for children and young adults of the fictional story “Gagan’s Seeds” inspired by Vandana Shiva’s work
Graeme George: Conservation of Heritage Fruit trees

Helena Norberg-Hodge: The importance of ‘Going Local’ & re-localising our food systems in light of serious ecological and social devastation worldwide
Helena Norberg Hodge is the founder and director of the International Society for Ecology and Culture, a non-profit organisation concerned with the protection of both biological and cultural diversity, and education for action: moving beyond single issues to look at the more fundamental influences that shape our lives. ISEC runs programs on four continents aimed at strengthening ecological diversity and community, with a particular emphasis on local food and farming.
Helena is a co-founder of the International Forum on Globalization an alliance of sixty leading activists, scholars, economists, researchers and writers formed to stimulate new thinking, joint activity and public education in response to economic globalisation.

David Holmgren: Retrofitting the suburbs; how our suburbs can be sources of productivity, rather than just sinks for consumption
David Holmgren is best known as the co-originator with Bill Mollison of the permaculture concept, following the publication of 'Permaculture One' in 1978. Since then he has written several more books, developed three properties using permaculture principles, conducted workshops and courses in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Japan and North America. Within the growing and international permaculture movement, David is respected for his commitment to presenting permaculture ideas through practical projects, and teaching by personal example that a sustainable lifestyle is a realistic, attractive and powerful alternative to dependent consumerism. Most recently he toured Australia with Peak Oil expert Richard Heinberg to present permaculture solutions for an 'energy descent' future.

Dr Beverly Wood: The Framework for Food Security in Victoria- an update
Ferne Edwards & Brad Shone: Food Rescue activities and Urban Gleaning
Cam Walker, Friends of the Earth: Global Food Security issues in a world of changing climate
More Workshops TBA

Makaika Edwards
Malaika Edwards is a co-founder of The People's Grocery that features a converted postal truck -- powered by solar energy and bio-diesel fuel -- that serves as a mobile- grocery store. The organization brings affordable organic foods and produce to 10 West Oakland locations, including schools and senior centres. The store has 130 member households that receive a discount when purchasing People's Grocery products. There are 10 staff members, the majority of them young people, who focus on educating their peers about alternatives to fast food, proper nutrition and cooking skills

Chris Ennis: The CERES Food System
Pam Morgan: Two international examples of City and Urban Agriculture supported by government: Havana, Cuba & Rosario, Argentina
Graeme George: Heritage Fruits and Food Security: techniques to maximise productivity in the home garden and neighbourhoods, selection, pruning, harvesting
Adam Fenderson: Edible weeds: take a walk along the Yarra and find out what tucker’s on offer
Bob Phelps, Genethics: GMO issues and Food Safety

Mick Marston: Community Gardens- A view from the UK
Please note: Mick Marston will not be presenting in person, but via live “carbon emmission friendly”  video-link from England.
Mick Marston is a trained teacher and community worker, & has worked in the City Farming movement since the `70s, being employed at a City Farm in Newcastle. He is now the Regional Development Manager for Northern England. He is also developing the Federation’s work in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and is a Founding Member of the European Federation of City Farms. At a local level, he is Chair of the Regional Voluntary Sector and Board Member of the Regional Round Table for Sustainable Development. For the past 5 years, as well as working for the Federation, he has been working for the Soil Association (a UK Charity and Organic Certification body) working on their producer/consumer partnership programme, in particular Community Supported Agriculture, and as a founding member of URGENCI (International CSA body). But most importantly, he gets his hands dirty and grows veggies.

Dr Elaine Ingham: The soil food web
President of Soil Food Web, Inc., Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Affiliate Professor at the Southern Cross University in Australia
Elaine Ingham has taught and consulted worldwide on the soil food web, including in citrus groves in Florida, avocado groves in Australia and working with strawberry growers in the Salinas Valley, California. She has been able to reduce chemical use and increase yields by testing and evaluating the soil food web on individual farms and making adjustments by applying compost and compost tea. Compost has long been understood to be an excellent soil amendment with its ability to inoculate the soil with beneficial microbes and add humus and nutrients. In addition to her academic work, Dr. Ingham established a soil testing service in 1991, offering researchers and commercial clients the ability to have soil samples analyzed for soil foodweb organisms. In 1996, she co-founded Soil Foodweb Inc., a commercial consulting business that analyses soil samples for farmers.
Dr. Ingham serves on the boards of a number of sustainable-oriented organizations and speaks to groups around the world about the soil foodweb and how to grow plants without the use of pesticides or inorganic fertilizers

Jan Carr: Writing better funding submissions
Morag Gamble: Community Gardens and Sustainable Settlement Design
Tom Duncan: Aquaponics & Intensive Food Production in a Water Scarce Future
Jacquie Phiddian, & Trish Graham: Establishing Laverton Community Garden – joining community and school forces
Elvira Griffith: Cities feeding people in the USA - report back from the American Community Gardeners Association Conference 2006
James Sprunt: Indian Community Gardens
Jo Anne Hoy: Creating positive team dynamics.

Discussion panel with Veg Out, Garden of Eden and Ringwood Community Garden

Phillip Brock and Carolyn Raine: Backyard Biodiesel – “Power your farm with recycled waste”
Lennox St Community Gardeners: Victoria St Vietnamese Veggie Adventures!
Su Dennett: Food Culture: Much more than just healthy eating
Pam Morgan: Two international examples of City and Urban Agriculture supported by government: Havana, Cuba & Rosario, Argentina
Glenda Lindsay: Luscious Lane Neighbourhood Food garden- an example of shared re-localised urban food growing possibilities
Maya Ward: Festivals in Community settings

Venue: Collingwood

This will be a facilitated session to develop our action plans for the year.

Followed by our AGM:

• election of new executive
• membership
• amendments to rules
• financial statement.

Depart from and return to Veg Out, Corner of Shakespeare Grove and Chaucer Street, St Kilda
(Melways Ref:) 2P, A 9

A light refreshment will be available, but please bring weather protection and your own drinks. Tour numbers are limited to 75  places, so be sure to book your spot early & specify which tour you will be taking.

City Farm & Comunity Garden Tours:

• Lennox Street Community Garden, Richmond
• Highett Street Community Garden, Richmond
• Collingwood Children’s Farm
• Sprout Community Garden, Thornbury
• Essendon Community Garden
  

School Garden Tours:

• St Peters Primary School
• Bentleigh West Primary School
• Nunawading Primary School