TO G AT U S THE EARTH ISSUE
EXPERIMENTA LIFE FORMS | 11 A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN | 28 SOURCE REOPENING | 36 A GARDENER’S CANVAS | 40
Togatus is published by the TUSA State Council on behalf of the Tasmanian University Student Association (henceforth known as “the publishers”). It is understood that all submissions to Togatus are the intellectual property of the contributor. However, the publishers reserve the right to reproduce material on the Togatus website at togatus.com.au. Togatus Team: Editor-in-Chief: India Beecroft Deputy Editor: Sarah Davison Publication Director: Johanna Beitsch Creative Director: Zaniel Clark Key Contributors: Rachel Hay, Claire Vickers, Brittianie McCarthy, Sarah Davy General Contributors for this edition: Hannah Foley, Chessy J Smyth, Tim Boyle, Dalipinder Sandhu, Angelica Willis Togatus welcomes all your contributions. Please email your work and ideas to contribute@togatus.online The opinions expressed herein are not those of the editors, the publishers, the University of Tasmania, or the Tasmanian University Student Association. Reasonable care is taken to ensure that Togatus articles and other information are up-to-date and as accurate as possible at the time of publication, but no responsibility can be taken by Togatus for any errors or omissions. Contact Togatus: Website: togatus.com.au Facebook: @TogatusOnline Twitter & Instagram: @togatus_ Post: PO Box 5055, UTAS LPO, Sandy Bay 7005 Email: admin@togatus.online Contribute: contribute@togatus.online Advertise: marketing@togatus.online Togatus is printed by Monotone Art Printers.
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Today we are meeting across lutruwita (Tasmania) Aboriginal land, sea and waterways. We acknowledge, with deep respect, the traditional owners of this land, the palawa people. The palawa people belong to the oldest continuing culture in the world. They cared and protected Country for thousands of years. They knew this land, they lived on the land and they died on these lands. We honour them. We pay respect to elders past and present and to the many Aboriginal people that did not make elder status and to the Tasmanian Aboriginal community that continue to care for Country. We recognise a history of truth which acknowledges the impacts of invasion and colonisation upon Aboriginal people resulting in their forcible removal from their lands. Our Island is deeply unique, with spectacular landscapes with our cities and towns surrounded by bushland, wilderness, mountain ranges and beaches. We stand for a future that profoundly respects and acknowledges Aboriginal perspectives, culture, language and history. And a continued effort to fight for Aboriginal justice and rights paving the way for a strong future.
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Contents 6
Letter from the Editor
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Talk of the Town
Hannah Foley
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Life Forms: Through the Language of Emotion
Brittanie McCarthy
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A New Performing Arts Experience at the Hedberg
Sarah Davison
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Dāna Eating House is Paving the Way for More Compassionate Dining
Chessy J Smyth
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Medicine: A Call to Civil Disobedience
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Dispatch from Mt Arapiles
Rachel Hay
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A Room of One’s Own at UTAS
Anonymous
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Take over the House
Tim Boyle
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Planting Trees on Your Holiday
Sarah Davison
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Source Wholefoods Is Coming Out Of Hibernation!
UTAS Zero Waste Society
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Surviving the Plastic Apocalypse
Dalipinder Sandhu
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A Gardener’s Canvas
Angelica Willis
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Tassie Talent: Lasca Dry
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Letter from the Editor Well, here we are again. Welcome to the First Edition of Togatus for 2021! Everyone has been through a lot in the past few years. We have encountered fires and floods unlike any we have really seen before. These incidents act as a part of a trend toward more unpredictable and wild weather events that will only increase as we move further into Climate Change. At the same time, our natural environment offers up some wonders which cannot be ignored. So, in acknowledgement of the amazing dichotomy of horrors and marvels that nature gives us every day, the theme of this Edition of Togatus is Earth. To bring attention to sustainability, our natural environment and the changes that we have rort to it and their consequences, we have focused on these themes within this Edition. As always, we would like to thank everyone who helped make Togatus what it is! —India Beecroft
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Talk of the Town Sustainability Happenings: Semester One Respecting the traditional owners and their deep history with the lands and waters, the palawa peoples in lutruwita/Tasmania and the peoples from the Eora Nation in djubuguli and cadi regions/ Sydney, we strive to act in the best interests of the current generation and the generations to come. We aim to provide holistic opportunities for staff and students to collaborate and practice sustainability in our everyday lives, and to celebrate the initiatives you take. As part of this ongoing commitment, the Sustainability Team at the University recently launched the Green Impact Program for Students! Making a Green Impact for Students Green Impact is an education program run around the world, which encourages social and environmental change by supporting staff and students at universities to engage in sustainable and socially responsible actions. The program was first developed in the United Kingdom by the National Union of Students (NUS) and is regionally delivered in Australasia by Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS), UTAS is a member of ACTS in Australia. For the first time in 2021, we are extending the program for students! The Green Impact program is a fun and structured way for students to engage in simple sustainability actions, which are based on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. You can register for the program as an individual
(and we will put you in a team) or get together with a group of friends to form your own team. After registering, you will receive a weekly Green Impact Student Newsletter featuring a new sustainability action each week, along with advice for completing the actions. This usually involves taking a photo or writing a short description of the action you have taken. You can either do one action a week, or submit all at once at the end of the Semester. We have created 22 sustainable actions or behaviours for you, whilst allowing you to create 8 actions of your own! Every section completed earns points and the team that collects the most points will be eligible for a Green Impact award. The program ends in August, but if you are graduating mid year you are still welcome to participate. Take part in a friendly competition and learn more about sustainability and how you can participate in the movement towards a more sustainable lifestyle and mindset. Become responsible custodians of the environment, for ourselves and for future generations. If you have any queries about the program, please contact green.impact@utas.edu.au. Register yourself or your team for Green Impact: utas.edu.au/infrastructure-servicesdevelopment/sustainability/green-impactprogram —Kawinwit Kittipalawattanapol, Projects Officer
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Sustainability
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A New TUSA Postgraduate Initiative: Shut Up & Write! In the first semester of 2021 TUSA will be offering new weekly group writing sessions for postgraduate students: Shut Up & Write! The idea behind Shut Up and Write! is as simple as its title: bring a piece of writing or general work to the session and work on it in short, silent bursts. Following the Pomodoro timing technique, these 2-hour sessions will consist of twentyfive minutes of writing time followed by a fiveminute break. The 5-minute breaks ensure you stay focused for the entire 2-hour session as well as help make a solitary activity a bit more social! Additionally, they give you an opportunity to chat with other postgraduate students, grab a coffee, scroll Instagram or enjoy a free snack. There’s no pressure to share your work. Whether using the time to write, edit, read, or mark assessments, we only ask that it’s study or work related, and you’re able to do it silently and with minimal disturbance to others. For example, this isn’t the space for silent gaming! But if you have headphones and need to power through a thirty-minute lecture recording you’re welcome to join a session. Shut Up & Write! groups operate in universities and public spaces all over the world. After being a part of an informal Shut Up & Write! Group via Zoom during 2020’s lockdown, I found the sessions to be incredibly beneficial. My group stayed on task for the duration of the two-hour sessions, but the most rewarding aspect was the friendships that were formed. We all bought Paint-By-Numbers kits (so wholesome) and shared our painting progress with the rest of the group at the end of each session. The experience was comforting, demanded minimal social energy, and provided valuable structure to an otherwise vague and stressful time. When the Victorian COVID-19 restrictions lifted at the end of 2020 the group disbanded, I found myself missing the consistency of scheduled group writing time. I contacted Rohan Puri, the SRC Postgraduate Education President, to see if TUSA
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would support my starting up UTAS-based Shut Up & Write! sessions. Rohan was enthusiastic about the idea, and now we’re excited to offer the same experience at UTAS. Shut Up & Write! is starting in Semester 1, 2021, so sessions will be offered oncampus at Sandy Bay, and for all other campuses and distance students, you can join us via Zoom. As more people participate and interest grows, we hope new convenors step up to run their own Shut Up & Write! groups at their own campuses. When: Every Tuesday morning in Semester 1, 10am – 12pm Where: Sir Stanley Burbury Boardroom, back of the Union Building. Enter via TUSA Reception on Level 4 Sign up for our mailing list: https://tusa.org.au/ shut-up-and-write/ — Ariane Moore
Ride2Uni hits the streets Cycling from home to Uni is a great way to improve our wellbeing and increase the uptake of low-carbon modes of transportation. The Uni is partnering with Bicycle Network Tasmania to provide bike education sessions to encourage more people to ride to Uni. This is one of the University’s sustainable transport initiatives, contributing to our Sustainable Transport Strategy 2017-2021. The Ride2Uni program aims to help riders feel safe around major roads, understand how to plan the best route to ride to and from UTAS, and build confidence on a bike. In October 2020, Ride2Uni was piloted with great success, delivering bike safety workshops for staff and students at Hobart and Launceston campuses. Those participating provided feedback to say the program significantly helped improve their confidence on a bike. This year there have been four riding education sessions so far in Hobart and Launceston. During the two-hour training session,
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riders learn skills including advanced bike control and awareness, defined comfortable road conditions, and on-road training. On-road practical training allows participants to learn new bike skills in a safe and controlled space with experienced riders from Bicycle Network Tasmania. On-road skills include hand-signalling, going around round-abouts, riding on narrow streets, crossing major roads, holding the lane, giving way to pedestrians, and how to deal with blind spots behind large vehicles. Ride2Uni is a practical education program designed to build confidence and improve wellbeing through exercise. If you are interested in Ride2Uni, Bike Basics or any other transport initiatives, please contact the Sustainability Team at transport.utas@utas.edu.au. You can contribute to the University’s biannual Travel Behaviour Survey, opening between 19 April to 2 May 2021. Connect with Bicycle Network Tasmania as a member or volunteer to access more opportunities regarding biking adventures with a local community of cyclers!
Sustainability at UTAS As we emerged from COVID lockdown in Tasmania late last year you may be forgiven for missing two big announcements at the University. On 19 October, our Vice Chancellor Professor Rufus Black announced that the University is divesting from fossil fuel-exposed investment funds by the end of 2021. The commitment is to apply a negative investment screen to fossil fuels and a positive screen to companies and funds which contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). From October 2020, there would be no further new investment in companies or funds with exposure to fossil fuels. “Globally, our researchers have for 30 years been at the leading edge of contributing to an ever-greater understanding of the imminent threat we face from climate change and what we need to do about it… We have arrived at this juncture through the collective wisdom and effort of a great many people. Our staff and students expect us
to be sustainability leaders and we are intent on honouring that expectation. I also acknowledge today the ongoing efforts of our Sustainability Committee, our academic communities of interest and groups such as Fossil Free UTAS in guiding how we think about the threat we face and urgent need to create a more sustainable world.” — Professor Rufus Black. Due to COVID restrictions only a small number of students were invited to attend the announcement to represent the many more who have campaigned and supported divestment here at UTAS. In 2020, we also became the first Australasian university to measure our sustainability performance through STARS (the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System). STARS is a rating system that provides publicly available reporting from over 1,100 universities internationally. Each criteria is mapped to the UN SDGs, and captures many of the ways that universities can contribute to the UN SDGs. In 2020, we received a Silver rating for our submission and we are working to achieve a Gold rating for 2021. Criteria that are measured and reported on, include operational sustainability as well as how you learn about sustainability through your degrees and the student experience both on campus and online. The work that we do at UTAS is implemented through a new strategic and operational sustainability integration approach and guided by four goals outlined in our Strategic Framework for Sustainability: • A leader in sustainability governance and implementation. • A leader in sustainability education and research. • Partnerships and engagement activities deliver sustainability outcomes. • A University committed to sustainability in its facilities and operations management. If you would like to know more about sustainability at UTAS go online to utas.edu.au/sustainability — Corey Peterson, Associate Director, Sustainability
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UTAS Research To Support Tasmanian LGBTIQ+ Community Earlier this month the Australian LGBTQI+ community celebrated Mardi Gras, with a theme of “We Rise.” Conjuring up images of triumph over adversity, overcoming fear, love, and continuing to advocate for equality. Such sentiments are welcome after what was a difficult 2020 for all. But despite the message that “we are all in this together,” my research has shown that this was not quite the case. Tasmania’s lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ+) communities were particularly impacted by COVID-19, with many of the issues we face being exacerbated by the stresses of the pandemic. So, in what is a welcome development, this year the Tasmanian Government has partnered with UTAS researchers – myself and Associate Professor Angela Dwyer – to carry out the first ever major government-funded survey of LGBTIQ+ people’s experiences in Tasmania. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Not another survey!” But hear me out! If you are a queer Tasmanian, this one is incredibly important for our community. The Tasmanian Government will use the results from this survey to inform policy and service provision in our state. Lead researcher, Associate Professor Dwyer said “the aim of this survey is to gather information about what it’s like to be LGBTIQ+ in Tasmania, which will help those in government make decisions when it comes to this diverse community.” The survey covers a wide range of LGBTIQ+ experiences, including in Tasmanian workplaces, schools, healthcare services, and interactions with police and emergency management.
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“Having more insight into the needs and experiences of LGBTIQ+ Tasmanians will also contribute to developing equitable and inclusive policies and services for everyone,” Associate Professor Dwyer said. Long-time LGBTIQ+ community advocate and former Tasmanian of the Year, Rodney Croome, said he was very pleased the Tasmanian Government has taken this initiative, “it gives the LGBTIQ+ community an unprecedented opportunity to shape Government policies and programs”. “Despite the progress Tasmania has made, LGBTIQ+ Tasmanians still suffer higher levels of discrimination, abuse and stigma, and the poorer educational and mental health outcomes that arise from discrimination,” said Mr Croome. “I urge all LGBTIQ+ Tasmanians to take the survey and send a strong message to the Government that much more needs to be done before there is full equality, inclusion and acceptance for LGBTIQ+ people.” Want to be involved? We are now seeking survey participants. If you live in Tasmania, are aged 16 or over and describe yourself as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex or someone with an intersex variation, queer, questioning, non-binary, asexual or otherwise sexuality or gender diverse, you are invited to complete the survey online at: https://bit.ly/39N3aSY and go in the draw to win an iPad! “This is an important opportunity for LGBTIQ+ people from all walks of life to share their stories with us and to have their voices heard” Associate Professor Dwyer said. In the spirit of this year’s Mardi Gras theme, this is an opportunity for LGBTIQ+ Tasmanians to rise up, to share our stories, and to change the future of Tasmania for the better. —Ruby Grant
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Miranda Smitheram, Macro/Micro_Whakapapa (2019)
Life Forms: Through the Language of Emotion WORDS BY Hannah Foley IMAGES BY Gabrielle Eve
Social anthropologist Tim Ingold suggests that ‘to human is a verb’ — a laying down of lifelines, in an entangled meshwork of ever-becoming otherness. In conceiving this, I imagine humanity as a whole, hurtling at speed, without pause to consider the infinite encounters or the impact of our collisions. Experimenta Life Forms offers its audience a chance to slow down. A point of entanglement at which to pause, and to reflect. To question our own definitions of what constitutes life, as well as the implications of such understandings.
Exhibiting artist and researcher Oron Catts speaks of the ‘acute poverty of language’ in describing what life is. This exhibition, for all its technological intricacies, suggests an alternative language; one that is not spoken but felt. Entering the gallery through blackened glass doors, there is a sense of being engulfed by Daniel Boyd’s video installation, History is Made at Night (p. 11). A mass of colourful dots shimmer and shift as stars in the sky, forming and reforming into unknown constellations. The impression is of
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an active, morphing and ever-expanding universe. As an entry-point to Life Forms, Boyd’s work evokes a sense of awe and humility, instructing us to leave our anthropocentric notions of life at the door, and to bask in the unknown. And yet, our own continued existence relies upon, if not a knowing, then a deeper understanding of the world around us. PULSE: The Life Force of Trees, by artist duo PluginHUMAN, suggests a visual and aural translation of the complex communication systems of flora. The impressive light sculpture and soundscape is directed by internationally collected data from significant trees and their surrounding environments. Stepping into the small room which houses the work, there is a sense of being let in on a secret. Configured as a cluster of trunks, patterned with enlarged, microscopic imagery and pulsating with coloured light, the work draws you inward; you feel your own pulse and breath align and syncopate with the rhythms of sound, a tangible interconnection of, and with, the trees. Where PULSE references new Western scientific discoveries, Suzanne Kite and Devin Ronneberg’s Itówapi Čík’ala (Little Picture), reveals that these findings are merely affirmations of old ideas. Drawing from a North American First Nations perspective, this immersive installation speaks to the intra-connection of everything, enacting a conversation between human and inhuman. The work is composed of a mass of hanging, hairlike braids, interconnected and entwined from a central ceiling fixture. The strands, woven through with electrical pulses and lights, are responsive to touch, allowing the audience to manipulate the accompanying soundscape. There is a resonance here with Karen Barad’s notion of ‘response-ability’ – an enabling of space for the ‘other’ to respond. The work asks for, and suggests, a deeper listening, from which a mutual respect between living and nonliving beings can emerge. This sense of respectful symbiosis is reaffirmed within Theresa Schubert’s interactive video installation, Sound for Fungi. Homage to Indeterminacy, which demonstrates intra-affect by inviting
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the audience into an interspecies experience; performing with the biological processes of fungi mycelium. Meanwhile, Rebecca Selleck’s Snow Rabbits and feeler by m0wson&MOwson each touch on the devastating implications of our prior (and current) lack of respect for ecological systems. Moving through the gallery, the audience is asked to shift their consideration from present, biological life, to future potential entities. Justine Emard’s video Soul Shift depicts the meeting of two generations of an anthropomorphic robot design. Captured at the point of data transference, we watch the second-gen robot learn to be ‘lifelike’ – voicelessly opening and closing its lips, stretching out its fingers. It appears to be reaching toward its now motionless forebear — trying and failing to connect. In witnessing this interaction, a deep empathy is stirred, as well as a pondering of the ethical implications of artificial intelligence. This feeling of compassion, carried into viewing Floris Kaayk’s video work The Modular Body, makes the unsettling possible future depicted all the more disturbing – a future where human-constructed organisms are commodity. Tying these, and the many other affective works together, is a single, hanging bell. Positioned centrally in the gallery’s largest room, Anton Hasell’s 3D Printed Difference Tone Bell (p. 12) references String Theory – the idea that minuscule vibrating strings make up the foundations of all life. Upon chiming the bell, sound resonates throughout the space and the bodies within it. The frequency carries with it a sense that life is not a thing, but a continual motion. In defining ‘life forms’, we might first question the noun-ness of it. Life, after all, forms. And if ‘life’ is a verb, perhaps it is one that cannot be defined, only felt. Here, it is described – vibrantly, affectively and openly – through the language of emotion. Experimenta Life Forms is a must-feel show. Experimenta Life Forms is showing at the Plimsoll Gallery, Hobart, from March 20th to May 9th, 2021.
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Daniel Boyd, History is Made at Night (2013)
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Anton Hasell, 3D Printed Difference-Tone Bell (2017) (left) Justine Ermard, Soul Shift (2018) (centre) Agat Sharma, Brachiation on the Phylogenetic Tree (2020) (right)
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A New Performing Arts Experience at the Hedberg Since its completion in September, the Hedberg provides music and arts students at the University of Tasmania (UTAS), with the ability to rehearse, create and collaborate in state-of-the-art facilities. Located in the heart of inner-city Hobart, the Hedberg is equipped with world-class recording studios, rehearsal spaces and recital halls that aim to bring community together to celebrate the creative efforts of local students. Named after the Hedberg Brothers Garage, originally built on the site in 1925, this AU$110 million initiative has provided lecturers and students with brand new facilities to maximise on their learning and performance. Third-year music student Naomi Dickers, has found the move from the Conservatorium to the Hedberg to be a challenging experience that has allowed her to spend more time focusing on her instrument. Whilst initially the winding corridors and six floors proved to be a challenge, she found that “it has been a lot of fun exploring all the new spaces and thinking about all the possibilities for creative projects at the Hedberg”. Complications from moving campuses during a global pandemic, mean that the Hedberg is still under some construction, with Naomi explaining that students were initially required to “switch classrooms and practice spaces in order to accommodate everyone. It was a juggling
WORDS BY Brittanie McCarthy IMAGES BY Sarah Davy
act to begin with, but as more spaces were completed things have run more smoothly.” A return to on-campus learning in 2021 has eased these disruptions, with a return to the creative collaboration and performance that the Hedberg was designed to encourage. A shared space within the Theatre Royal, hints at the possibility of future partnerships between these two spaces as performances begin to open to the wider public throughout the year. Encompassing the historic Theatre Royal, the Hedberg adds a contemporary contrast to this building, whilst still maintaining the site’s heritage and creative past. Endless rehearsal spaces line the hallways of the Hedberg, each catering to a variety of instruments and media, providing students with areas to come together to rehearse and master their art. The tall, timber ceilings provide the illusion of endless possibilities, with the sound of music and creativity drifting through each room. The Ian Potter Recital Hall is a space for both student and audience to come together to celebrate the work of students. With a world-class sound system and cutting-edge live streaming technology, this is the perfect space for audiences around Tasmania to share in the creative talents of our students. This space is a personal favourite for Naomi as “it’s always an enjoyable space to perform in. Many of
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the conservatorium ensembles use the recital hall to rehearse, I’m looking forward to seeing lots of concerts, recitals, and performances held there in the future”.
composition, commercial music creation, music technology, and performance” is something that she is looking forward to working on in her future at the Hedberg.
The rooftop balcony with sweeping views of the city below, is an idyllic place for students to mingle and relax between classes and provides a welcome reprieve to the hustle and bustle of the city below. Lined with seating, and a lavish red carpet, this space perfectly matches the creative energy of the Hedberg building and is sure to be the centre of many events in the future.
As students are beginning to learn at the Hedberg and take full advantage of the new facilities available, Naomi remarked that students would enjoy seeing the inclusion of more soundproof rooms for rehearsing, and wider student access hours to the building. But she reiterates that “the most important part of my degree is not the space in which I complete it, but the quality of my learning, the calibre and dedication of the teachers and staff, and the opportunities I have to grow along the way”.
Since commencing classes in the Hedberg, Naomi has enjoyed the added capacity for large creative projects, working with students across all disciplines to create major pieces that perfectly utilise the new facilities available. Widespread collaboration with “the skills of staff and students from several different streams, including
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The world-class facilities at the Hedberg, provide UTAS students across all disciplines with state-ofthe-art technology that will certainly be enjoyed by students and staff for many years to come.
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Dāna Eating House’s brothers-turned-owners Dan and Ollie, and manager Mikaela. 20
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Dāna Eating House is Paving the Way for More Compassionate Dining Opening a new restaurant during a global pandemic doesn’t sound like a good thing, but for restauranteur Mikaela Mulvaney, it has allowed for precious time to focus on community. Dāna Eating House is a new South East Asian restaurant and cocktail bar in the heart of Hobart’s CBD. Co-owned by brothers Dan and Ollie and managed by Mikaela, Dāna Eating House combines hospitality and philanthropy in an inspiring business model. Dāna is Sanskrit for “the practice of cultivating generosity.” Dāna Eating House is built around the ethos that doing something is 100 percent better than doing nothing. A portion of the profits from every meal is donated to charity, with an offer for customers to match it. For Mikaela, it is imperative that this aspect of the
WORDS BY Sarah Davison IMAGES BY EunJee Hyeon
business is also completely voluntary. There are no flyers, and images of the charity won’t be found in the restaurant to ensure that people don’t feel guilty or obligated to donate. This was a deliberate and firm choice said Mikaela, to show how small acts of giving can have a big impact. Over a rotational period, Dāna partners with local and nationwide charities and not-forprofit organisations, with a focus on effective altruism. Issues that are close to the heart of the Dāna team and local causes in need of a greater voice are key to the selection criteria. So far, Mara House, the Against Malaria Foundation, Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania and the Indigenous Literacy Foundation have all been beneficiaries of Dāna and the Hobart community’s generosity.
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Within three months of opening, nearly $7000 has been raised for charity. For Mikaela, this response from the community has been incredibly positive, with most diners choosing to match Dāna’s donation or better it. “To put it into perspective: initially, the charitable model was such that we aimed to support a charity or not-for-profit every three months, which would roughly work out to be four charities per year, as this is how long we expected it may take us to raise an amount of money that could make a meaningful impact,” Dāna told Togatus. “This idea tickles us now as we move into ourthird month of trading, supporting our fourth charity, as the reception has been so overwhelmingly positive.” Reflecting on COVID-19’s undeniable impact on her industry, Mikaela believes that the silver lining is a greater appreciation for the hospitality industry and its workers. Reminiscing about the end of
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lockdown and the return of patrons, the energy was described as electric. “There was a shift that really felt tangible; after weeks of lockdown and the privilege of dining out in a restaurant had been taken away from us — conversation was rich, waiters were excited, diners were grateful, forgiving and the experience was joyous — just how the giving and receiving of food should be. “This is a feeling I want to hold onto for a while, and I hope one that patrons too are not quick to forget.” Opening a new restaurant during one of the most challenging times for our hospitality industry sounds arduous. However, Dāna Eating House stands as a testament to Tasmanian ingenuity and the infallibility of friendship and community spirit. The lockdown of our island state has allowed for a heightened sense of community and the opportunity to build something special that will continue to give back.
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Medicine: A Call to Civil Disobedience My name is Chester. I’m a final year medical student, and I have some questions. It’s 2020, COVID-19 restrictions are easing, and it has been almost a year since the Australian Medical Association declared a climate emergency. Recently, the Australian government announced a task force to guide us forward. This task force is made up of fossil fuel industry heavyweights and has the Prime Minister calling for a gas-powered solution. Wacky stuff. What I want to know is, in the light of climate change inaction and other social injustices — government maltreatment of refugees, and aboriginal deaths in custody — should I join other doctors around Australia, and get arrested for a cause? What is civil disobedience? Is it a good idea? What does the evidence say? What does my training say?And finally, who’s going to stop me? First, a little background to this story. Growing up I was a very passive concerned citizen. I voted Greens, picked up rubbish and flew to many distant places. My concern for the world around me was definitely there, but the number of times I acted on this concern were few and far between. Now in my final year of medical school, I have spent quite a lot of time on the streets, in the boss’s office, battling bureaucracy and on one occasion challenging politicians. I have been in the paper, on the news, and on the radio. There have been three key catalysts on my journey thus far. The first
WORDS BY Chessy J Smyth
is Pete Donkersley, a medical student, activist, ‘epidemiologist in the making,’ and friend. The second, the ‘social determinant’s spectacles’ that I acquired in first year; I wear them daily. The third, medical ethics.
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. This was a quote the former Head of the Tasmanian School of Medicine, Ben Canny shared with us at the memorial service for Pete, who took his own life in 2018. So far, nothing has summed him up better. Pete’s legacy lives strong in the impact he had on those who knew him. He inspires me to think big and do more. Maureen Davy was not for everyone. Or maybe we should say Domain Three was not for everyone, but it’s funny how your memory of a subject takes the form of the lecturer. Dr Davy had buckets of passion for social determinants and she also had buckets of diagrams to go with them. As I studied D3, to prepare for the exam, I quickly came to realise how much of the world around me social
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of appreciation). Social determinants would be the target of any action and medical ethics, well that’s where it gets interesting. “I think I probably saved more lives with a spray can than I ever did with a scalpel”. These are the words of Dr Arthur Chesterfield-Evans, pictured above, who was an active participant of Billboard-Utilising Graffitists Against Unhealthy Promotions (BUGAUP) in the 1980s. This group of activists defaced billboards advertising tobacco around Australia, a campaign that “radically transformed the public understanding” and contributed to tobacco advertising reform in 1993. Doctors involved in this direct action broke the law and a number were subsequently arrested. From personal experience, these people are now described as medical heroes by the profession. You could say that the doctors of BUGA-UP went above and beyond. You could also say they were just doing their job.
determinants could explain. Not only did social determinants demonstrate the bigger picture, they also offered potent opportunities for change. I have never looked back. Nonmaleficence, beneficence, autonomy and justice. These four principles guide doctors through clinical practice and the sticky positions they may find themselves in. When to cut, when not to cut, who calls the cut and who gets cut first. In addition to these pillars, we have a document called the Code of Conduct that fills in some of the gaps. As future clinicians, we will be accountable to this Code and its principles. Health advocacy is an important concept in the Code, and we are told “good medical practice involves using your expertise and influence to protect and advance the health and wellbeing of individual patients, communities and populations”. Pete, social determinants and medical ethics inspire me to become involved in issues of social justice. They have carried me this far, but what do they say about civil disobedience? I’m sure Pete would offer a slightly too loud and very enthusiastic clap (for those who knew him it was his signature
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The examples continue. In 2016 doctors at a hospital in Brisbane refused to discharge a 12-month-old girl back to Nauru detention facility. They argued that it was against their medical obligations to the child. Public interest quickly developed and tension grew between the authorities and doctors around Australia. The Australian Medical Association became involved and then-president Brian Owler announced to the media that should border police try and forcibly remove the child, doctors should be prepared to hold their ground, “if [doctors] can resist they should”. In 2018, after sustained political pressure and advocacy by health professionals, parliament passed the Medevac bill allowing critically ill refugees to be treated in Australia. This bill was later repealed. The American Medical Association Code of Medical ethics acknowledges the potential conflict that can surface between medical ethics and the law. They suggest “ethical responsibilities usually exceed legal duties… [W] hen physicians believe a law violates ethical values or is unjust they should work to change the law. In exceptional circumstances of unjust laws, ethical responsibilities should supersede legal duties.” Often the law will coincide with ethical obligations and can offer guidance in clinical decisions, but this will not stand in every situation. Interestingly
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the Australian Code of Conduct says “this code is not a substitute for the provisions of legislation and case law. If there is any conflict between this code and the law, the law takes precedence.” This suggests a dilemma for Australian doctors, but in the right circumstances (as exampled above), Australian doctors appear to freely contest the law with professional support. It appears on occasion that the mutual standards of the profession back a higher moral obligation then those detailed in the Australian Code of Conduct. Civil disobedience can be defined in a number of ways. In a recent article in The Lancet by Bennet and others, Bedau’s definition is quoted. Bedau describes civil disobedience as “a public, nonviolent, conscientious yet political act contrary to law usually done with the aim of bringing about a change in the law or policies of the government”. The article also references Rawle and states “civil disobedience is a duty that arises when the duty to oppose an injustice becomes greater than the duty to comply with the law.” Importantly, as Bennet and others discuss, health professionals should accept the consequences of civil disobedience (penalty, arrest) as this conveys respect for the legal-political system. Communication is the key instrument of advocacy. Civil disobedience intends to draw attention to issues that the broader community should consider. The involvement of health professionals may add credibility and highlight severity of the issues and thus improve effectiveness. Research in in the book Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict suggests no government can survive sustained pressure by 3.5 per cent of their population. Importantly, it was found that all of the campaigns considered in this study that achieved the ‘3.5 per cent’ were nonviolent. Non-violent campaigns outperformed violent campaigns by two to one. The potential is volatile, and worthy causes are many and diverse. For me, a lot of attention is directed towards the warming planet and the health problems it entails.
need to achieve 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide, currently we are at 408 parts per million of carbon dioxide (recorded at Cape Grim). In light of this, Bennet and others believe that “in the New Zealand context, insufficient climate action fulfils the criteria of being significantly unjust”. I wonder if in the Australian context, ‘significantly unjust’ is too kind? (ref ScoMo holding a lump of coal). I have reason for optimism. COVID-19 has shown us that rapid change is possible. If “only a crisis – actual or perceived – produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around”. We are in the midst of a global pandemic and climate emergency. Now is the time to bring attention to issues that influence social Determinants, ignite the conversation and generate change. If scientists are the most trusted profession globally, doctors are the most trusted in Australia. How many doctors under arrest would it take to draw attention to issues where lives are at stake? Non-violent civil disobedience is an effective medium for change. As doctors, we have ethical obligations to our patients and communities, and in the right circumstances “we should not shy away [from civil disobedience]”. With the presence of Pete at my side, a review of medical ethics and a consideration of social determinants I have answered a number of my questions. Unanswered however, is who is going to stop me?
Earlier this year, the Antarctic reached 20°C. Climate change is upon us. The conservative 2016 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report informed us that we have 10 years to prevent runaway climate change. Ultimately, we
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Dispatch from Mt Arapiles IMAGES BY Alex Lawson and Patrick Munnings
Over the Easter Break, the Tasmanian University Mountaineering Club completed their annual pilgrimage to the climbing paradise of Mt Arapiles, Victoria, to learn the “dark art” of “trad climbing.” According to the Club President Alex Lawson, this event is the closest thing climbers have to a festival, with 250 climbers making the journey from across Australia, and 15 Club members making the trip from Tasmania. This page: Patrick Munnings on his ascent of the route “Missing Link”
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Cassidy taking a step of faith onto the headwall of a climb called “Eskimo Nell”
Fraser Labine and Alex Lawson on the route “Judgement Day”
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A Room of One’s Own at UTAS WORDS BY Rachel Hay
In recent weeks, we’ve seen how sexual assault and harassment, as well as sexist, patriarchal and misogynist values, are rife within in the federal government. For the most part, the university campus is a place where I can feel and deal with these emotions. I talk to my friends, my classmates and my lecturers about everything that’s happening and feel supported by them. But for some women, the university campus is just another place where they experience or live under the shadow of the same gendered issues that they experience in all other areas of their life.
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Sexual Assault and Harassment Between 2016-7, 54% of students at UTAS experienced sexual harassment, and 6.5% experienced sexual assault. These experiences are something that are always present for those who have experienced them, and they don’t simply fall away when they walk into the boundaries of the university. For some students, this trauma is compounded where they have been assaulted and harassed on campus, or by people that they met at university.
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Some women sit in the same classes as people who have sexually assaulted and harassed them, unable to do anything about it. They pass people who have sexually assaulted and harassed them in the hallways. There are men who’ve held positions of power as students who’ve been accused of sexual assault. I’ve heard stories of men masturbating and groping women in the library. In the Activities Centre, scrawled on the back of the toilet door, there’s a note that says, ‘my best friend asked her boyfriend to rape me’. A few years ago, in the Morris Miller toilets there was a note that said, ‘I was raped’. Around the same time, there was a note in the Humanities building accusing another student of being a rapist. Another person had written underneath the accusation that they ‘could confirm’. In 2017, students from the UTAS Women’s Collective protested a man who had been convicted of sexually assaulting a child and making child exploitation material being allowed on campus. Whilst he was banned from attending a UTAS campus in 2018, he still graduated with his PhD in 2019. When I graduate, I won’t be proud to part of an alumnus that includes a person who has committed sexual assault against a child. Until last year, two pieces in UTAS’ art collection hung in the Law Faculty. One depicted a person
being groped. The other depicted a male lawyer standing over a naked, cowering woman to symbolise the awesome responsibility lawyers have in cross-examining witnesses, as they leave their witnesses vulnerable. To the Law Faculty’s credit, when students complained the pictures were removed, despite criticisms from some community members that it amounted to ‘censorship’. Each week while walking to classes, studying in the library and listening to lectures, female students have opened their phones laptops to a new allegation in an ever-growing list, or another woefully inadequate or downright harmful response from a federal politician. Each new addition to this story makes them feel the same emotions in a cycle as they relive the trauma that they have experienced. Disappointment. Distress. Anger. Fear. Exhaustion. If a woman has been sexually assaulted or harassed and needs an extension on an assignment so she has time to cope with the trauma she has experienced or pursue legal avenueslegal avenues she is pursuing, she can only do this through the generosity of her lecturer or by gaining a Learning Access Plan. In order to do this, she will need to get a doctor to provide a report with the nature of her health condition, the impact of this on her ability to study and give recommendations. This means that a woman needs to be experiencing symptoms of a mental or physical illness from the sexual assault or harassment in order to be granted a Learning Access Plan. Getting a doctor to verify this can also be more difficult for women, who are often dismissed and ignored by doctors.
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Sexual assault and harassment aren’t just a prevalent issue for students on campus, but staff as well. In a review last year of the former Vice Chancellor Peter Rathjen’s time at UTAS, there were 11 complaints made about sexual misconduct, discrimination and bullying. It leaves me wondering how women can be assured of UTAS’ commitment to end sexual assault and harassment on campus when just two years ago it was happening unabated, right at the top.
Gendered Environments and Teaching In some disciplines, such as maths, science and engineering, women can sit in a lecture theatre and be outnumbered many times over by men. In these same disciplines, their teachers are often men. In these spaces, women are more likely to feel unsafe, not respected and not listened to. I remember a friend once told me about the time that her male lecturer had asked her to put on makeup before attending a careers fair where she was there to try and encourage women to join her discipline, because he thought that would help her relate to women.
this history plays such an important part in what we learn today, women remain excluded.
Care Responsibilities Whilst women are studying at UTAS, they are likely to also be doing unpaid care and domestic responsibilities – twice as much as their male counterparts. This is especially burdensome for women who are caring for children or a sick family member whilst studying at university. Whilst there are Learning Access Plans for people who are sick, there is no such instrument for women caring for others. This means if a woman’s child unexpectedly comes down with an illness, they will have to rely on their lecturer’s kindness to obtain an extension on an assignment. Furthermore, whilst there is a childcare facility at UTAS, the university acknowledges that this facility is in high demand and the waitlistsweight lists are often long. This means that women with children often have to take care of their child and study at the same time – something that anyone who has spent any time at all around a child knows is nearly impossible.
Lecturers often teach students about the contents of a patriarchal system. For example, most of the law that law students learn about has been made by men, who still outnumber women in law-making positions. Just last week I learnt in my class on the law of evidence that, until recently, at a trial for rape, a women’s history of sexual experiences were admitted as evidence because if she had no sexual history then she was considered chaste, and therefore less likely to lie about the sexual experiences that were at the centre of the trial.
Juggling working with unpaid work at home is also a significant issue for UTAS staff, 58.2% of which are female.
Women also learn about subject areas through a patriarchal lens. In international relations, for example, students are taught key theories which inform how they analyse international events. These theories are almost always based in the writings of men from hundreds, and even thousands, of years ago, when women were still locked out of key positions in society. But because
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Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic has forced lecturers to be more flexible in delivering course content online, there are still some classes which require attendance in person at a certain time. For the women who have to care for others or work to support others, this inflexibility can be detrimental to their working relationships, the people they care for and their grades.
Women are aware that in the careers which they are studying to obtain, they will be paid less than their male colleagues and finish them with half the superannuation that men have.
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They know that in these careers that will be less likely than the males that they work with to receive promotions or work in leadership roles. Even amongst UTAS staff, women do not progress in their careers equally to men, and there are less women than men who are in senior roles.
Spaces and Advocates for Women on Campus Because of the issues that women face in their lives and as a student at UTAS, there needs to be avenues for women to seek support and places where they can feel understood and safe. As a result of the restructure of the Tasmanian University Union – now the Tasmanian University Student Association (TUSA) – there is no longer a women’s officer on campus. However, there is an Equity President and there will be an Equity Committee. The Equity President, Sophie Crothers, is the main point of contact for women experiencing issues. She will listen to and support students and take their issues to the Equity Committee and UTAS administration and staff where necessary. Sophie also oversees equity concerns at TUSA, such as organising free menstrual products in the female and male bathrooms at UTAS. You can find Sophie’s contact on the TUSA website, or her office in the TUSA building.
There is a Women’s Room in the TUSA building, where women can feel safe and supported by other women. The UTAS Women’s Society, affiliated with TUSA, aims to be a point-of-contact for women, nonbinary and non-conforming people on campus, where they need help or connection. They also aim to create a safe space and community for women, non-binary, non-conforming people to meet, chat, learn and grow. They have a morning tea and an afternoon tea on alternating fortnights at Source Community Wholefoods. You can find these events on Facebook. UTAS has a Safe and Fair Community Unit which you can approach if you experience sexual assault or harassment. They aim to listen, provide information and advice regarding your options for pursuing the complaint and accessing the support you may need. You can find them online. UTAS has an Equity Committee, chaired by the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Culture, Wellbeing and Sustainability, Professor Margaret Otlowski. Each College also has an Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Committee. UTAS has committed to the Respect.Now.Always. Campaign and the #NeverOK to try to raise awareness that sexual assault and harassment are not tolerated at UTAS.
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TAKE OVER THE HOUSE 32
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How can the women of this nation have confidence in the law When the Attorney General, the highest representative of that law, Has been accused of transgressing it to such a high degree With no repercussion, no retribution but that in the Fourth Estate And a teary press conference about how hard this all is for him. When the leaders of our nation say that we have to listen to victims – Victims like us, bright young women who are happy Until they meet a boy or a man just like Christian Porter. You can imagine us as your daughter, your sister, your mother Whatever you need to do to get some basic human empathy – But in the next breath say that this is a matter for the legal system They are saying that they know that the judicial system Favours the rights of the perpetrator over the victim And that this case will likely be one of the nine in ten Of sexual assaults cases reported that do not result in conviction But that this is a fact that they’re willing to accept that To protect their mates that they first met in law school Who now sit beside them in the Cabinet Room, making the decisions About all laws, including the rules of evidence and criminality that says When a woman has accused a man of rape and has died, Taken her own life because of whatever trauma she faced, There can be no trial by law, no evidence on which to convict – And even if there had been a trial, no guaranteed verdict in her favour. In fact, after years of dragging herself through the justice system Through the questions of are you making this up, are you looking for attention What were you wearing that night, did you ask him to walk you home, Compounding the trauma which she had already faced, In this last resort in which she had to deal with that trauma, She still only had a ten percent chance of getting him convicted. But please, do not misunderstand me Christian Porter remaining Attorney General does not break my confidence In how women are treated in our justice system, in our society – For that had already been broken long ago – Instead he stands as a representative, no one more proper, Of the broken legal system in which women fear for their lives Looking over their shoulder at their boss, classmates, friends, partners. Adding their elected representatives to the list of men to be fearful of and to fight Is just another thing that we will do, until we take over the House. —Anonymous
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Planting Trees on Your Holiday The Beginnings of the Students for Sustainability Working Group
Recent years have highlighted the imperative to move towards sustainable practice. From Covid-19 bringing all levels of movement to a stand-still, to the Extinction Rebellion movement declaring a Climate Emergency, Bob Dylan’s lines “the times they are a-changin’” have a new and ringing truth. The speed at which these times are a-changing and the fresh delivery of anxiety inducing events into your palm has created new mental health conditions such as ‘news fatigue’. We are now having to manage our mental bandwidth to just be able to get through the week. We are constantly re-adjusting how we do relationships and work online. What was once an abstract idea, sustainability is now part of our everyday lives. Admittedly, sustainability is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot. Prominent indigenous scholar, Tyson Yunkaporta, is critical of the term as it can be employed to greenwash just about anything from ‘sustainable’ economic growth to ‘sustainable’ mining. Is it ‘sustainable’ to offset your flight’s carbon emissions by, at ticket purchase, ticking the box that sends $2 to a tree-planting company; or more so to simply not take the flight; or further still, to instead spend your holiday volunteering with an organisation to help plant trees yourself? As little as five years ago these questions would be ridiculed as those two most offensive of post-modern insults - naïve and idealistic.
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WORDS BY Tim Boyle
But these are a-changin’ times. In my job interview for the SIPS program at the start of 2020 I was asked something like ‘what does sustainability mean to you?’ or ‘what does the term sustainability mean?’ or maybe it was simply ‘what is sustainability?’. I don’t recall exactly how it went. I do recall, however, answering something sensible and individualistic, like, “while sustainability is commonly understood as replacing regular consumer habits with sustainable consumer habits (i.e., Keep Cups, metal straws, etc and the whole shebang of a new virtue signalling industry (I didn’t say this)) but the deeper and wider-reaching definition of sustainability to me is about a way of life. It’s about living intentionally and wholesomely in all areas of life, not just in consumption habits. It’s seeing the bounds of society and the system and the environment and continuously practicing and learning how to live within those bounds”. Like the donut analogy in Kate Raworth’s book Doughnut Economics, Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist, she argues that there is a lower boundary of keeping needs met (the inner line of a donut) and an upper boundary of planetary resource limitations (the outer line of a donut). Rather than the haveyour-cake-and-eat-it-too understanding of the past, sustainability is really about the ongoing process of living within the donut. (If this is too difficult to picture just go out and buy the book, it’s worth it).
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What that looks like in any moment, year, or region is up for definition. There have already been efforts underway at UTAS over the past decade and the Sustainability Team has been hard at work. Due to the persistent work of a dedicated few, last year the University pledged to divest from fossil fuels. A huge win for the cause. But as sustainability is a practice, not an objective, there is an ever-growing mountain of work to be done. This year, as part of my SIPS Fellowship, the Students for Sustainability Working Group was initiated. The group is a formal working group of the UTAS Sustainability Committee, is studentled and governed, and is set to be a gathering of student leaders from across the university to further the sustainability cause. I’m imaging a network of connections spreading across the university colleges and campuses. Much like a spider’s web, when a tremor occurs in one area of the web it is felt across the structure, creating a strong base from which new practices towards sustainability can be learned and integrated. The structure of this working group was founded on the learnings of other universities across the world who have similar groups, and so those connections span even further outwards across the globe. But sustainability isn’t just about connections, as a practice it’s also about change. The 10+ members and representatives of this working group have
their feet on the ground. Who better to be involved with the ever-unfolding processes of sustainable action than students? Students are passionate, motivated, and profoundly creative, especially when it comes to dreams and ideals. In fear of becoming the ‘modest dreamers’ lamented by Zadie Smith, let us students banish the naïve and idealistic pejoratives and become visionaries and leaders once again. The members of this working group are driven by a vision of change toward a more sustainable world and university and have put their hands up to help lead the way. The Students for Sustainability Working Group met for the first time in March 2021. What exactly this working group will be focussing on is yet to be decided. Whilst used in a completely different and unconscionable context (your author’s personal opinion), to quote U.S. Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld ’there are ‘known unknowns’ regarding student sustainability priorities at UTAS and probably some ‘unknown unknowns’ too. The first actions of the working group will be making connections around the university to find those ‘unknowns’ out - what would you like to see actioned at UTAS? Get in touch with the working group (details below), start a conversation with another student about sustainability, or just have a think about the world in crisis and how we can all plant trees on our holidays.
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Source Wholefoods Is Coming Out Of Hibernation!
WORDS BY Sarah Davison IMAGE BY Sarah Davy
‘It’s very easy to feel that it [climate change] is all hopeless and overwhelming. Source has helped me find a love for small acts of sustainability and environmentalism and shown me how important these small practices and community really are.’ After a tough year of closures for Source Wholefoods in Sandy Bay, this much-loved hub of community spirit and sustainability is opening its doors once more! Source Wholefoods is a community garden and café situated just across the road from the UTAS Sandy Bay campus. Running as a co-operative, this means that Source is entirely run and owned by its members. Becoming a Source member gives you access to an immediate community of like-minded individuals and the opportunity to become an active Source volunteer. For Source Chairperson Lucy, becoming active within the Source community has been one of her greatest life experiences. Calling on her own personal experiences with climate change burnout, feeling helpless in a world that is facing very real environmental threat, Lucy says that
finding her own community of people at Source has been the perfect tonic. Community is at the centre of everything that Source does with community nights and events running regularly. The ever-popular Culture Club is back every first Tuesday of the month between 6-8pm. Perfect if you want to try your hand at pickling and preserving your own produce! However, Source is not only for students! As a community space, all members of the Hobart community are encouraged to visit and get involved with this community enterprise. So come along to the re-opening and bring a friend- it promises to be delightful! Source is reopening on May 12th— keep an eye on Facebook for further details!
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Surviving the Plastic Apocalypse It’s 2020. You’re in a room. You’re sprawled on the floor. Your hand is resting on something… smooth. You slowly raise your body, cracking open your eyes. You wince as light reflects from every angle. The smooth thing under your hand? It’s an empty Tim Tam packet. You look closer, it rests on a teetering pile of plastic takeaway containers. You leap up, spinning around, plastic piles are everywhere. They crunch under your feet as you stumble towards the door. The piles are filling the room, closing in, there’s no way out… Everyone’s woken up from this dream at some point, right? Right? Well, fear no more these plastic-fuelled nightmares. We’ve got the perfect recycling survival guide for you!
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WORDS BY UTAS Zero Waste Society
Kerbside Dos and Don’ts Keep a watchful eye, these items can be sneaky! • Do wash all recyclables out, but make sure any liquids or food scraps are removed • Do check for the triangular recycling symbol: 1, 2 and 5 are the most commonly recyclable • Do save up your foil until you can squash it into a fist sized ball, then chuck it in the recycling bin • Don’t remove labels from items • Don’t put in tangly items – ropes, wires, cords • Don’t bag or box things up, let that plastic run wild in the bin • Don’t put in plastic paper or waxed cardboard • Don’t recycle your compostable containers, (hot tip: these can go in your green FOGO bin)
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Mastering Soft Plastic This is all your ‘scrunchable’ plastics. You can even put your sticky tape in – just fold it over so the sticky part is covered! • Keep it dry • Brush it out, but no need to vacuum or lick out your chip packets, a few crumbs are fine • Stick everything in a bag, and when full, drop it off at your local Woolies or Coles
Specialised Recycling The recycling wall at the council, the TUU and other locations around the Uni are places where you can recycle a wide range of items that don’t belong in your yellow kerbside bin.
• You can recycle your old socks, worn out clothing, and even shoes through the organisation “Man Rags.” The H&M store in town will take your old textiles as well, regardless of their condition. You even get a discount at the store for every bag you drop off! • Even your glasses can be given new life. Your old frames can be dropped off at any Eyelines store, who send them to be used in the Lions Recycle for Sight Project With these tips, anyone can become a recycling whiz with a bit of effort. It’s good for the planet — and good for the soul.
If you’re stuck on an item and are unsure if you can recycle it, then put in the tiny extra bit of effort and check out one of these recycling joints (you can look up what they accept on the Hobart city website). Accepted items include batteries, phones, pens, toothbrushes/toothpaste, beauty products, DVDs, bread bag tags, etc. Survival tip: keep a box in your house where you can store these items and drop it off all in one go!
Think Outside the “Box” A big part of recycling survival is putting your creative hat on (or borrowing someone else’s). You can recycle things in your own home, the Zero Waste Solutions Facebook group (and a few people on the internet) have heaps of ideas you can steal. Or you can give it away – someone else may want your old stuff. • Pretend it’s 1797 and you urgently need to seal your envelope. But alas, you’re all out of wax! Melt down some of the wax from your cheese, now you can send that letter to Mr Darcy post-haste. • Scared of spiders and need to start a fire? Orange peels are both great fire starters and spider repellents
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A Gardener’s Canvas WORDS & IMAGES BY Dalipinder Sandhu
The sun of spring gleams on a fine Saturday morning. An old man dressed in humble clothing cycles down the driveway. He dismounts from his black bicycle with a frayed seat-cover. He proceeds towards a pit that he dug up a couple of weeks ago. Extending his hand, he checks whether the soil is ready for plantation. An expression of delight takes over his face. From his bicycle’s rusty carrier, he picks up a young Gulmohar (Royal Poinciana) and sets it in the soil. As he waters the plant, droplets coruscate from the leaves. This 57-year-old man can now claim with pride that he’s planted over 100 trees in the city of Chandigarh, India. Bidhi Singh Chaudhary, born in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India, recalls when he planted his first tree as a pre-teen in Chandigarh. Today, he has lost count of how many plants, shrubs, seasonal flowers, crops, and vines he has sown. He remains confident, though, that the number of trees he’s planted are in the three-digits. It’s especially significant in today’s eco-conscious age. Here is a man who has been supporting the ecofriendly movement for years, without the pomp of media coverage. His story becomes even more
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interesting when one realises that Chandigarh is a city. A modern planned city in fact, designed by Le Corbusier. Planting trees in a forest or a village is relatively straightforward. When it comes to a planned urban city that serves as the capital of two states, however, it is an entirely different scenario. Bidhi claims, correctly, that all one can see in Chandigarh is green. All concrete and brick buildings are shrouded by trees. He has contributed to this skyline by planting his favourite trees like Mango, Neem (Azadirachta Indica), and Gulmohar (Royal Poinciana) all around the city. It’s said, ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way.’ As Bidhi walks into the garden to weed the grass surrounding a nearby mango tree, he recalls a memory exemplifying the saying. After the turn of the millennium, on a hot summer afternoon, an officer was chewing a mango while attempting to beat the heat. After he was finished, he threw away the seed which became stuck in a water pipe. Coming across it later that day, Bidhi, out of a sense of public duty, removed the seed. Instead of throwing the seed away, he planted it. Today, it is a full-grown healthy tree. This is in part due to the
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Bidhi Singh Chaudhary, of Chandigarh, India, is known locally as Aamb Da Malik – The Tree Planter. ANNIVERSARY EARTH ISSUE ISSUE
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fertile soil of Chandigarh, a part of Punjab where the locals jokingly say that even a buried corpse would sprout in this land.
It’s also said that one who plants a tree while knowing he may not sit under its shade has understood the true meaning of life. It’s also said that one who plants a tree while knowing he may not sit under its shade has understood the true meaning of life. Though Bidhi has already planted many trees around the city, he has been fortunate enough to see each one of them grow. He says that today people remember him for his tree plantation. One tea seller in Sector 22, who puts up his stall under a mango tree which Bidhi planted, calls Bidhi by his nickname: ‘Aamb Da Malik’- The Tree Planter. Tree planting is often driven by the planter’s personal enthusiasm. Such behaviour along with religious myths about certain trees like Peepul (Sacred Fig) can lead to short-sighted planting. For example, planting trees near developed areas like roads, houses, shops, and other buildings can cause problems as they grow. “The issue is that these trees can knock down buildings, since their roots can spread dozens of meters. Thus, I suggest paying attention to the location of plantation in order to seed suitable trees. This way, they don’t have to be cut down after a couple of years”, Bidhi said. It may not always be that big of an issue if such trees are planted before construction. For example, one can opt for taproots and other trees which don’t grow large roots. Fruit trees like Mango, Guava, Mulberry, Mandarin Hybrid, and Lime are suitable in this regard. Flowering trees like Kusum (Schleichera), Moulmein Rosewood, Amaltas (Cassia Fistula), Palash (Sacred Tree), and Jacaranda seize the eyes with their flamboyance. On the other hand, Silver Oak, Palm, and Ashoka are best for narrow laneways and alleys.
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Bidhi believes that people often plant the wrong kind of tree in the wrong place. This results in arduous maintenance later down the track. Hence, he suggests planning before planting. Potential seeders should make sure to do a bit of research about what kind of tree they intend to use to decorate the garden or driveway.
Perhaps, their work is rewarded by nature itself. Uncredited milestones remain the foundation of their art. Gardeners are the artists of nature. They may mostly draw upon their urban canvas in green, but their work has in fact a multiplicity of colours and shades. It delights the senses, bolstered by fragrances. Like painters, gardeners often use water but their brushes are rakes and trowels. They make music with the help of their fellow freelance artists, the birds. Now, their motion graphics are a bit slow at first glance — yet, over time, they graciously animate sprouting leaves, flowers, branches, and fruit. The sun takes care of the lighting, and fireflies contribute at night. Perhaps, their work is rewarded by nature itself. Uncredited milestones remain the foundation of their art. There are many gardeners like Bidhi, who mediate nature and mankind. They remain underappreciated for their service to both. A gardener’s canvas is the garden itself — it affects our subconscious state of living. It is a blessing for us all that they do it out of their love for the nature, and not for credit or validation from humans. Their aim of planting trees is not motivated by the fact that its wood will be useful in years to come. Rather, that its fruit, shade, and oxygen help the environment light up in merriment. Perhaps, the next time we cherish a small patch of greenery we should remind ourselves of its artist. It is a work that may not carry a signature, but the birds, ladybugs, and butterflies appreciate it all the same.
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Tassie Talent: Lasca Dry WORDS BY Angelica Willis IMAGES BY Laura Tilley and Theo Batchelor Lasca Dry is a young singer/songwriter from Ulverstone, Tasmania. In this interview, we chat about her love for the ‘60s and ‘70s, her style inspiration and what it means to be a Tasmanian musician. ANNIVERSARY EARTH ISSUE ISSUE
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At the beginning of March 2020, I was standing at the front of the stage waiting to see Weyes Blood. To my surprise, a lady wearing a green Bardot top paired with a glittery singlet and matching flared pants walked on stage. I instantly loved her style. She looked like a groovy disco ball. She began to sing and strum her guitar. Her voice was dreamy and soft. She reminded me of a young Joni Mitchell, with the looks of Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval. On her guitar case was her name: Lasca Dry; three syllables, perfect for a musician. It’s also a name that is easy to remember, so I instantly connected with her for an interview. Sadly, due to coronavirus, I did not meet Lasca Dry in person as planned. We had to settle for a voice call. We kept ringing each other at exactly 1:15pm, so it took us a while to get through. Finally, I answered her call and I heard her say softly, “Hi.” I thought Lasca Dry sounded like a stage name, but it is in fact her real name. It is as though her parents set her up to become a musician. Lasca told me that the origin of her name stemmed from her father’s side. “It was a name that my great-grandma used to tell stories over the radio to the sailors. Then, when she had a daughter (my grandmother) she called Lasca.” Lasca explains that her grandma did not like the name, so she went by Sally. However, after Lasca’s mum found out Sally’s real name, she instantly loved it.
“I’m proud to say I’m from Ulverstone.” Lasca loves performing in her home state, since there is less competition and more opportunities than you would think. “I find Tassie really peaceful. If I am in Melbourne, there’s so much to see and so many musicians that you end up just looking at what other people are doing. That’s why I love Tasmania, because it’s kind of slow and I’m a bit of a slow person, so I can just chill about and play music.” Lasca has performed with national artists, international artists and at Falls Festival. However,
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her favourite gig so far was at MONA (the ‘Museum of Old and New Art’) in Berriedale, north of Hobart. “I was a bit nervous for it, but it ended up being one of my favourite gigs because I played in… I don’t even know what the room is called, but you know where all those A4 pictures… there are thousands of them on the wall and they are all colorful.” I chirped in, “the snake.” “Yes, the snake, I got to use this amazing microphone and I just felt like I was like a cave angel.” I could imagine Lasca’s voice echo through the art gallery and patrons stopping to listen. “I had freedom to do whatever I want. I just jammed for so much of it and it was awesome. I made stuff up on the spot. It was the best. I loved it.” Not just a talented singer, Lasca also writes her own songs. When she feels like writing a song, she just picks up her guitar and starts playing. “Whatever mood I’m in determines what chords I’m feeling in the moment, and then I will start coming up with melodies at the top.” Lasca also experiments with composition, because she likes to figure out new ways of songwriting in her ongoing evolution as a musician. “One thing I’ve been doing is writing down the lyrics first, and getting two songs that are already songs and basing a song around that.” Lasca gets inspired by whatever emotions she is feeling or random things, “like a tree,” she laughs. Lasca’s music has a calming and unique sound, which she describes as “very heavily inspired by the ‘60s and ‘70s with a hint of indie folk.” She channels Led Zeppelin in her music, her favourite band. “I think the reason why I sound so ‘60s and ‘70s is that all the music that I love is from that time.” Lasca adds that she can’t put her finger on what it is about music from this period that just resonates with her. She describes herself as a “big dresser-upperer.” and maintains a unique style.
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“I am inspired by my younger self, and what my younger self wanted to wear.” Her flamboyant style is part of her image, gives MONA’s Snake a run for its money. The creative stamina that Lasca possesses seems never-ending. A longtime multi-instrumentalist, she plays guitar, piano, autoharp and violin. She also has started teaching herself the drums. Lasca is also what the biz calls a ‘triple threat’ (she can sing, dance and act). Still, musicis her priority at the moment. “I love all of those things, but for so long so many people kept telling me ‘you need to do one thing’ or ‘you need to get really good at one thing,’ which I don’t really believe anymore.” The multi-hyphenate talent adds that she focuses on music more than anything, but her other interests are not ‘less important’.
With everything going on right now, Lasca’s music career has been affected by coronavirus. She has stopped busking and getting gigs. “Before the Coronavirus started, I would busk almost every day in Ulverstone, and that’s a huge part of my income.” However, Lasca remains optimistic and thinks of the pandemic restrictions as an advantage as well as a challenge. “It has been really helpful because you can’t leave your house. I’ve been writing more and learning more about my instruments, so it’s been a negative but also a positive.” You can follow Lasca’s music journey on Facebook and her Instagram @lascaleekallisterdry
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Published on lutruwita Aboriginal land. 48
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