Sustainable practices inspired by domestic technology of the past.
The term ‘sustainability,’ as we understand it today, was coined in the late twentieth century. However, the need to weigh human consumption against natural resources is not new.
Over many generations, Australia’s First People established a balance in their management of the land and its resources. However, the agricultural, industrial and mining practices brought by Europeans upset this balance.
The growth in population, and therefore consumption, over the last two centuries has dramatically changed our environment. Individuals and companies are looking for ways to ‘future-proof’ and build resilience.
In the ninteenth and early twentieth centuries, domestic life was similarly centred around the local community. Economic hardships of the 1890s and 1930s depressions and wartime shortages fostered extraordinary resourcefulness.
During World War Two, food shortages began to impact the Australian home front. The agricultural industry was struggling from a reduced labour supply and prolonged drought. At the beginning of 1942, Prime Minister John Curtin launched the ‘dig for victory’ campaign, urging householders to grow their own fruit and vegetables. The key goals were to keep people fed, and raise community morale.
Prime Minister John Curtin urged Australians to ‘dig for victory’ during WWII.
Many Australians were already keen home gardeners and embraced the idea. Some turned over their whole gardens to vegetable production, selling excess produce to raise funds for the front. Others formed neighbourhood gardening collectives. North Sydney Rotary Club launched a Home Vegetable Gardening Scheme in 1942, offering £100 in prizes, for residents from Mosman to Chatswood.
Today, many people acknowledge the relationship between how we grow and distribute food, and the associated carbon emissions, are a major contributor to climate change. ‘Growing your own’ is therefore a popular solution at a local level. Some potential benefits of growing your own are lowering emissions reducing pesticide and fertilizer use, fostering a connection with nature, providing tastier and more nutritious food, and learning new skills. North Sydney Council now supports 10 innovative community gardens where people can come together to grow food and build a stronger community.
To find out more, visit the From Resourcefulness to Resilience exhibition. Stanton Library, North Sydney.
Historical Services, North Sydney Council.