The Sustainable Living Space Project is the initiative of the North Ringwood Community House and the Park Orchards Learning Centre to develop a learning partnership with Maroondah and Manningham City Councils and the Eastern Volunteer Resource Centre.

The Community Learning Partnership Program funded by Adult Community and Further Education (ACFE) promotes the development of stronger links between ACFE funded training providers and other community agencies through community based research.

This project aimed to discover how well equipped the communities in the Maroondah and Manningham were to respond to the environmental challenges of climate change, greenhouse, food and fuel insecurity.

This was undertaken employing a number of strategies in the first year of the project.

• A community survey of 384 residents revealed some degree of concern about the environment in 90% of respondents, with greenhouse and climate change, and water conservation the main concerns. While 96% felt informed about how to live more sustainably, only 24% of respondents were aware of local resources in the outer east that would assist them to be more sustainable. A significant 72% indicated that access to local environmental education combined with community based events and activities, and more access to local environment groups would encourage them to live more sustainably. When asked whether they would access an environmental education centre in the outer east, 70% of respondents responded in the affirmative.
• Focus groups provided participants to expand on the benefits of developing a Sustainable Living Space in the area. As well as providing a “one stop shop” to help people become more engaged with sustainability and make informed decisions about living sustainably, the space would also provide important community building benefits such as sharing, cooperation and building social connection by bringing different groups together.
• Key person interviews reinforced the findings that this project needs to be community driven, employ skills already extant in the community, and promote further interaction and cooperation between community groups and communities.
• A review of Council Strategies and Achievements identified policy directions, strategies to address various local environment management issues, and support to the community. Councils are implementing change to more sustainable practices in Council offices, buildings and management of facilities, as well as encouraging the community to become more environmentally aware and engaged.

These findings indicate a concern about the environmental challenges of our times, as well as a demand for further education and support to the community to make adjustments. Further funding in 2009 has enabled to project to continue to an implementation phase.