Come to the Green Skills Centre for Sustainable Living in Denmark Western Australia and get involved in courses and retreats, tertiary field trips and schools camps.
 Pay us a visit to be inspired by the many demonstrations of sustainability in action, including passive solar design, solar panels for space heating, hot water and electricity generation, night cooling, onsite wastewater management systems reticulated to on site revegetation with local native plants, constructed wetland, use of local timbers and much more. The centre features meeting and accommodation facilities, spaces for exhibitions, training, meetings and social functions.
Sustainability is about the relationship between our values, culture, society, industry, art, the natural environment, education and the economy. Through the centre we focus on ways to nurture interactions between these elements to enable us to improve the wellbeing of our society and the environment into the future.
Visitors to the centre are within easy reach of the natural beauty and unique biodiversity of the south coast region. The village of Denmark is a riverside stroll away with easy access to adventure, creative arts and fine food and wine. The Centre acts as a conduit to many in the Denmark and south coast community who are passionate about sharing the beauty of the region and ways of living more sustainably. The Centre is a vibrant gathering and residential space demonstrating sustainability in learning, sharing, celebrating and playing.
SAVE Denmark’s Centre for Sustainable Living!
Threatened by Closure
Earlier this year Denmark High School obtained $7M funding to redevelop and expand the school. On the 27th October 2011, the High School Principal presented a letter to the Denmark Education and Innovation Centre (DEIC) giving notice to vacate and close the CSL by 30 June 2012. The letter also states that in the Department’s view the 15 year DEIC lease of the CSL is no longer valid and that on short notice the CSL is available for their use to temporarily house staff and students.
We are shocked by this news, the lack of any consultation or consideration of the Denmark community and the attempt to avoid lease early termination costs.
We believe that the CSL is an essential educational facility that caters to a broad spectrum or our community and provides valuable environmental, social and economic benefits to the region. It has taken a decade of work and over $1,000,000 investment in site facilities alone to develop the CSL as it is today. The CSL represents Denmark’s vision for an interactive, engaged and sustainable community. It is irreplaceable and should not close.
Green Skills would prefer an amicable resolution to the matter of the proposed CSL closure and would be willing to assist the school in meeting its classroom needs.
Green Skills ask supporters of the CSL to make their opinions known and join in a campaign to save the CSL.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1. Urgently Write to the WA Minister for Education
The Honorable Dr Elizabeth Constable
Minister for Education
19th Floor, Governor Stirling Tower
197 St. Georges Terrace, PERTH WA 6000
Email: Minister.Constable@dpc.wa.gov.au (Written letters are better than emails).
2. Write to the Parliamentary member for Blackwood Stirling
Mr Terry Redman MLA
Member for Blackwood Stirling & Minister for Agriculture & Food; Forestry; Correctional Services
11th Floor, Dumas House
2 Havelock St, WEST PERTH WA 6005
Email: Minister.Redman@dpc.wa.gov.au (Written letters are better than emails).
3. Write letters to our local newspapers
Denmark Bulletin
PO Box 547 Denmark WA 6333
Email: info@denmarkbulletin.com.au
The Albany & Great Southern Weekender
107 Stead Rd, Albany WA 6330
Email: admin@albanyweekender.con.au
The Albany Advertiser
Editor, Albany Advertiser
PO Box 5168, Albany WA 6330
Email: mail@albanyad.com.au
4. Sign our petition & inform others:
CLICK HERE TO SIGN OUR PETITION
Want to help or need more info?
PH: 9848 3310 E: denmark@greenskills.org.au
Denmark Centre for Sustainable Living
Too Precious to Lose
From being ear-marked for demolition in 2000, the Centre building, previously the Denmark Agricultural College dormitory block, has been renovated, extended and restored by a team of dedicated local builders and craftsmen. The idea of the Centre came from the Denmark community with 14 groups lobbying for the retention of the building to create the Centre for Sustainable Living (CSL). In 2004 the newly refurbished CSL was leased from the Education Department for a period of 15 years by the Denmark Education and Innovation Centre (DEIC) with site management by Green Skills. Refurbishment and maintenance costs for the CSL over the last 10 years amount to over $1,000,000.
The CSL sits on a hectare of land adjacent to the Denmark High School, Denmark TAFE and Denmark Agricultural School to form a unique education precinct. It is near to the shores of the Denmark River and is linked by bicycle and walking paths to the Denmark township, local parks and the beautiful Wilsons Inlet. The site is ideal for an environmental education centre where local and international guests can learn about the environment and experience sustainable living immersed in a progressive community and a spectacular natural landscape.
The Centre for Sustainable Living is an inspirational training, education, conference and accommodation facility for children, youth and adults. It provides many demonstrations of sustainability in action, including: passive solar design; active solar space heating, hot water and electricity generation; onsite sewage and wastewater management systems; constructed wetlands; sensitive landscape design; organic food gardens; the use of low toxic materials; reuse and recycling.
Green Skills has been recognized for its environmental program excellence by winning the overall 2010 Western Australia Environment Award as well as the Community Achievement Regional Award. Under its management the CSL has become a National leader in environmental education and a regional focus for a wide range of educational activities including:
- Environmental Workshops & Conferences
- Field Study Programs for Schools and Universities
- Natural Resource Management Projects
- Gondwana Youth Arts programs
- Counselling Services & Workshops
- Employment & Volunteer Programs
- Environment Expos, Arts Exhibitions & Fund Raisers
- Sustainable Living Tours
- Accommodation for Education Visitors
- Meeting, Training Facilities and Commercial Kitchen Hire
- Base for many Community Groups (Funk Junk, Chanting, Children’s Gardening etc.)
CSL Average Annual Usage
- 5,000 Education Visitors
- 627 Accommodation Guests
- 315 Meeting Room Hires
- 20 Whole Centre Event Days
The CSL has obtained acclaim and extensive support from government, schools, universities, businesses and the community. Here’s what nature writer and retreat guest speaker Annamaria Weldon had to say recently:
“ I believe this nature retreat is a template for Denmark's future offering of a unique eco-education-tourism experience, and I can see CSL becoming even more widely recognised as a beacon to which people will want to travel from far and wide to learn and to enjoy the many blessings with which we were showered all weekend.”
Renovation Photos
Before After
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