Local news – 228

Silent stand for refugees

A small band of locals gathered at the Petersham Bowling Club for a snap candlelight vigil on February 23rd (pictured above), joining thousands of others across the country who were doing the same in support of refugees and shining some light on what’s really happening in detention centres. GetUp coordinated the snap vigils in conjunction with groups including Amnesty International and the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. PBC president Mark Lucas organised the event at the bowlo and explained he did so in memory of Reza Berati, an Iranian asylum seeker who died recently on Manus Island, as well as all those who have suffered at the hands of our immigration system. “We’d like to have been at Town Hall but felt that an alternative for those less able to get there was the least we could do,” said Mark.

 

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Taste more, trash less

Many people would be shocked to learn that 300,000 tonnes of food waste is disposed of yearly in Sydney alone, which equates to bad news for our environment with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation estimating the carbon footprint of wasted food is equivalent to 3.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. In response to these scary numbers, Marrickville Council is inviting local businesses to take part in the Food $avers pilot program, which aims to reduce the amount of food being sent to landfill through various food waste management systems like on-site composting, food waste collection and food rescue. The program will test how suitable these methods are for small to medium sized businesses in the area.

To get on board the program, contact Chris Weston on 9335 2061 or email envof@marrickville.nsw.gov.au.

 

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Hall of fame for local business woman

Birchgrove business woman Lisa McGuigan has been inducted into the Australian Businesswomen’s Network 2014 Hall of Fame, which was officially launched on February 25th to celebrate inspiring Australian female business owners in the lead up to International Women’s Day. Following in the footsteps of her winemaking family, Lisa founded Tempus Two wine label in 1999 from her garage. By 2007 it had become a global brand, leading Lisa to open her first wine retail stores. She then went on to create her independently owned label, Lisa McGuigan Wines, and is now listed alongside fellow 2014 Hall of Fame inductees including Maggie Beer, Kristina Karlsson and Carol Schwartz. Safe to say this local is living up to her name as one of the ’21 Most Influential Liquor Identities of the Past 21 Years.’