Localising Leanganook, established as a community initiative in 2016, emerged out of the Local Lives Global Matters conference held in Castlemaine in October 2015. Centred in Mt Alexander shire, Localising Leanganook brings community members together to further explore themes central to the conference: sustaining viable local economies; acting on social and ecological justice; reclaiming democracy; and revitalising spirituality.
 
Community conversations are held every six weeks. These include presentations which challenge existing paradigms, which showcase creative and sustainable local initiatives, and which incubate ideas and strategies to strengthen community connection and resilience.
 
 

July 2019 newsletter

This we know: The Earth does not belong to Man; Man belongs to the Earth. All things are connected like the blood which unites one’s family. Whatever befalls the Earth will befall the sons of Earth. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does...

May 2019 Newsletter

The view of evolution as a chronic bloody competition among individuals and species, a popular distortion of  Darwin’s notion of “survival of the fittest,” dissolves before a new view of continual cooperation, strong interaction, and mutual dependence among life forms. Life did not take over the globe by combat, but by networking. Life forms...

April 2019 newsletter

“Humanity is only beginning to awaken to the true magnitude of the crisis on hand….In all realms, from money to ecological healing to politics to technology to medicine, we need solutions that exceed the present bounds of the possible. Fortunately, as the old world falls apart, our knowledge of what is possible expands, and...

March 2019

Humanity is only beginning to awaken to the true magnitude of the crisis on hand…nothing less than a miracle is needed to heal our world…..The recent convergence of crises – in money, energy, education, health, water, soil, climate, politics, the environment and more – is a birth crisis, expelling us from the old world...

February 2019

“We need hope but the one thing we need more than hope is action. Once we start to act, hope is everywhere. The climate crisis has already been solved. We already have all the facts and solutions. All we have to do is to wake up and change. What we do or don’t do...

November 2018

We think the climate change strike is important because it’s a huge problem. The Earth is already too hot, with droughts in winter in NSW and the coral reef is dying. I would like our politicians to acknowledge climate change is an emergency and take the necessary steps in order to have a sustainable...

October 2018 newsletter

There was a sense of hope for the future and awareness that change is possible. We learned that by working together with courage, respect and with achievable goals, ordinary people could make a difference. The Voices 4 Indi process was inclusive, welcoming, respectful and empowering. It created a diverse community of differing ages, viewpoints and...

September 2018 Newsletter

“Many people planning ahead are already questioning the notion that the future will be a faster, shinier version of the present. And even if this future were possible, people are also questioning whether it would be what they want for themselves or their children. Some recognise the need for urgent changes to the way we live, and...

August newsletter 2018

Trying to explain the ideological contradictions of neoliberalism is a fools errand. The problem is that for 30 years those in favour of privatising hospitals and nationalising football stadiums, of regulating marriage and deregulating banks, and of subsidising coalmines and opposing renewable energy  have not needed to explain why their friends were treated differently...

June 2018 newsletter

At a point seemingly of collapse, not only of the systems that dominate how we cooperate but also of our response, I wanted to show that the personal is the political, and that infectious change can start by adopting sustainable practices as members of collective households and genuine communities in heartfelt neighbourhoods. What the...