Q: Could you outline the history of CERES and the overarching vision behind it?

A: CERES was established in 1982 on a former quarry and disused rubbish tip. Initially it was a place for unemployed people to grow veggies and set up income streams for themselves. Worm farming was one of the earliest initiatives. The community quickly realised the value of the place and the innovation happening there, and so local school groups were invited to come and learn about what they were doing. Some of the earliest solar panels in Victoria were installed, the state’s first recycling scheme, and probably the first “social enterprise” – the cafe was set up to feed the kids, with an oven saved from hard rubbish! CERES has always recognised that all areas of our lives are integrated and interact with each other: environmental, social, cultural, economic and spiritual. Our approach to learning and engagement tries to connect these areas of our lives, and starts with falling in love with the Earth again.

Q: Could you talk us through the ways CERES is encouraging people to ‘fall in love with the Earth again’?

A: It’s a practical as well as an intellectual and emotional approach. We want to engage heads, hearts and hands and there are different entry points for each person. Some people will come in and wander around the park, look at the chickens, gum trees and feel a sense of peace that is rare in an urban environment. Other people might do a course on organic gardening and fall in love with their own garden. Some might visit the grocery or nursery and find ways to live their own values by being able to access organic food, bulk items or seedlings for their gardens. We also have an extensive environmental education program for school students and teachers that involves groups of kids coming to CERES to learn about sustainability, as well as our educators heading out to schools and early learning centres across the state.

Q: Why is community engagement and connection so integral to the CERES mission?

A: The community is CERES, we are not separate from it! There is an unwritten aspect to our purpose related to “falling in love with the Earth again”, and that is we must also fall in love with each other. In order to challenge the multiple issues facing humanity, from bushfires to COVID-19 to poverty and beyond, we must learn how to be in the right relationship with each other as well as with the Earth.

Q: What are some of the workshops and courses offered at CERES?

A: Our adult learning programs are all part of the CERES School of Nature and Climate. We run single day workshops, short courses and longer immersive courses on many topics related to nature and climate. They include things like sustainable gardening, urban farming, cheese making, bread making, circular economy and permaculture. Some of these we’ve been able to offer online during social distancing requirements, and some we are putting into larger classrooms and outdoor spaces so we can meet in person. It’s a bit of a changing landscape at the moment and we are adapting as restrictions change.

Q: How do community gardens benefit both the community and local ecology?

A: Community gardens are a great way to grow healthy food, create food security, meet people and learn essential skills. If people are using organic gardening methods such as no pesticide use, making their own compost and saving seeds, then the soil fertility can be vastly improved over time. The gardens become a haven for beneficial insects like bees and other pollinators, worms and also increased water catchment. This can then attract birds, frogs and other species. Even if community gardens are small, they make a real difference to the soil and biodiversity in that piece of land, and obviously the surrounding land because it’s all connected.