CERES Community Environment Park

CERES Park
Gardens at CERES
General information
Type	4.5-acre Green land
Location	Brunswick East, Melbourne, Australia
Coordinates	37.766°S 144.984°E / -37.766; 144.984
Opened	1982

CERES Community Environment Park is a 4.5-hectare (11-acre) not-for-profit environmental education centre and social enterprise hub located in urban Brunswick East, Victoria, Australia.^[1][2]

Established in 1982^[3] on a former rubbish dump, CERES Park operates on land owned by Merri-Bek City Council.^[4] The CERES Park is one of four locations run by the governing body of CERES EARTH Ltd, trading as CERES.

CERES is registered as a company limited by guarantee and is governed by a voluntary Board. It provides a range of programs and services including environmental education programs and workshops, an urban farm and community gardens, cafe, grocery, plant nursery and various other social enterprises. Its charitable purpose is "protecting and enhancing the natural environment, including by providing information and education to increase understanding of human impacts on the natural environment".^[5]

CERES is run by about 160 employees^[6] and many volunteers.

CERES stands for "Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies", and is pronounced like the word "series." The name also connects with Ceres the goddess of agriculture in Roman mythology, as a large part of the Park is dedicated to urban farming.

History

CERES Park is located on Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung land, along the banks of the Merri Creek.

The site was used as a Chinese garden during the first half of the 20th century^[7] and became a quarry for bluestone from 1945.^[3]

The first tree on the current incarnation of the site was officially planted by Dr Barbe Baker, founder of the Men of the Trees, on 16 September 1981. In 1982, local residents suggested making use of the land to grow vegetables and make compost as part of a "Work for the Dole" program. Various community initiatives and experiments with alternative technology soon followed, beginning the site. Along with Merri Creek Management Committee and Friends of Merri Creek, CERES and volunteers planted hundreds of trees and shrubs and lobbied governments to clean up the creek. A significant moment occurred when the Sacred Kingfisher, thought to have abandoned the area, returned in 1994.^[8]

Today, CERES is a popular place for education, farming and sustainability awareness, as well as a location for markets and social gatherings.

Enterprises

Additionally to a large variety of workshops led at CERES about sustainability, gardening, cooking and sustainable practices,^[9][10] CERES provides different services:

• The Bakery & Grocery, selling a large range of local, organic and zero waste products and baked goods.^[11]
• The Merri Cafe, serving local, organic and ethical food and drinks.^[12]
• The Nursery & Bookstore, selling a variety of local bush food, edible plants, herbs and books.^[13]
• Joe's Market Garden, growing and selling fruit and veggies, situated in Coburg.^[14]
• Honey Lane, half an acre of land growing fruits and veggies sold at the Cafe and Grocery on site.
• The Bike shed, where volunteers repair donated bikes and sell them at a low price or donate them to those in need.^[15]
• The School of Nature and Climate, teaching children and the wider community about sustainability and climate change. ^[16][17]
• CERES Fair Food delivering organic and biodynamic groceries either grown at CERES or from Victorian farmers, situated in Preston.^[18][19]
• CERES Fair Wood providing sustainable timber and firewood from local and short supply chain, situated in Preston.^[20][21]

Studies conducted at CERES

• Energy studies at CERES Community Environment Park, 1970.^[22]
• Organic (dis)organization and transformation: Stories of resistance and return at CERES Community Environment Park, 2021.^[23]

Awards

• Victorian Premier's Sustainability Awards 2017 – Education: winner.^[24][25]
• Victorian Premier's Sustainability Awards 2016 – Education: finalist.^[26]

Gallery

• 
  CERES Entrance
• 
  Green house and vegetable patches at CERES
• 
  Gardens at CERES
• 
  Solar panel at CERES
• 
  Bicycle wheel dome at CERES
• 
  Cubby at CERES
• 
  Ndeutala Hishongwa, a Namibian writer and activist, at CERES in 1988 in front of African huts.
• 
  Hut at CERES

See also

• Collingwood Children's Farm
• Permaculture

References

1. ""Brunswick East: Where acclaimed cafes, bike paths and urban gardens meet" Domain.com.au".
2. "Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission page for CERES". Retrieved 25 July 2023.
3. "Moreland City Council Heritage Citation for CERES, 2020" (PDF).
4. keykey (16 September 2018). "CERES Community Environment Park". ToMelbourne.com.au. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
5. "CERES Rules and Purposes" (PDF). 14 October 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
6. Hudson, Sarah (2014). "A Ceres of fortunate events".
7. "Chinese Garden On a Brunswick Street". Brunswick and Coburg Star. 11 August 1916. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
8. "40 Years of CERES". CERES official site. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
9. Victoria, Generation. "CERES Community Environment Park - Brunswick East". Creative Spaces. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
10. "Braided Rag Rugs - Ceres, East Brunswick". ilka white. 18 November 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
11. "The best zero waste stores in Melbourne to help you ditch the plastic". Time Out Melbourne. 9 September 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
12. "Cafes That Are Killing It – The Merri Cafe @ CERES | Responsible Cafes". Retrieved 11 October 2023.
13. "CERES Permaculture & Bushfood Nursery". Concrete Playground. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
14. "Coburg's Beloved Joe's Market Garden Will Close to the Public This Weekend". Broadsheet. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
15. "Extending bikes' life cycle | Seniors online". www.seniorsonline.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
16. "Year 5's exploring climate change at CERES". Kew Primary School. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
17. "CERES School of Nature and Climate". School And College Listings. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
18. Ltd, Biogone Pty (15 June 2021). "CERES Fair Food leading the charge in ethical groceries and sustainable household products across Melbourne". Biogone. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
19. TechSupport (5 December 2019). "CERES Fair Food". SENVIC. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
20. "CERES Fair Wood provides highly ethically sourced timber". The Green List. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
21. Luckman, Donna. "CERES Fair Wood - Zero Carbon Merri-bek". Retrieved 18 October 2023.
22. Education, Employment And Training, Department Of (2000). Energy studies at CERES Community Environment Park. Libraries Australia ID 72550785.
23. Osborne, Natalie; Grant-Smith, Deanna (2021). Organic (dis)organization and transformation: Stories of resistance and return at CERES Community Environment Park. Bloomsbury Publishing.
24. "Premier's Sustainability Awards 2017 winners announced". Retrieved 13 February 2021.
25. "Premier's Sustainability Awards – 2017 winners and finalists". Sustainability Victoria. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
26. "Premier's Sustainability Awards – 2016 winners and finalists". Sustainability Victoria. Retrieved 25 July 2023.

External links

• CERES official website
• CERES Fair Food
• CERES School of Nature and Climate
• Worms work for unemployed