Sustainability Research Institute
In the months following the reporting period until today’s date a great deal of progress has been made. Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) Director, Helen Eglington, brought on board one of Australia’s leading authorities in Sustainable Agriculture, Tim Marshall ( see his Bio page on the website) so that SRI could join forces with Tim to create a new focus on establishing an Organic Regenerative Agriculture Institute, as Australia does not currently have one. A new website was also organised for the purpose of demonstrating a new lease of life and energy into SRI. http://www.sustainabilityresearch.institute/ Password privatepreview On October 13th 2023, SRI delivered a 30 page document to ACNC, outlining the new regenerated SRI for the purpose of securing an agreement from ACNC that SRI s registration with ACNC continue SRI is starting 2024 with a great deal of energy and enthusiasm in promoting both their cause and in successfully securing philanthropic funding. Attaining funds sufficient to enable SRI to access suitable rural land is essential for undertaking its research program and its public education and training in sustainable living workshops and courses, which are at the core of SRI’s vision and purpose; The appointment of Ms. Eglington is seen as a unique opportunity for moving forward with the SRI agenda. Already, during the second half of 2022 these renewed efforts to land SRI’s first settlement project is showing promising results along with the commitment made by the Chairman of the SRI Board, who has sold his own property, with a settlement date early in February 2024, to enable him to significantly contribute to funding the essential land acquisition. A suitable property has been identified and negotiations regarding purchase is currently underway. At the same time, efforts have continued with publicising locally and further afield, the intentions of SRI, particularly at the local level, where there is already a pool of interested parties following many years of attempts at establishing rural landsharing settlements in this region. SRI has continued to give public presentations that explain SRI’s unique approach of working with Local Government’s in this region and the NSW State Government, towards addressing the crisis in the lack of affordable housing and land use conflicts regarding wildlife conservation and degradation of natural ecosystems, much of it due to urban expansion and inappropriate rural development.