EVERYONE- WE WON!!!! The community actually won! The residents of City of Port Phillip can now create street gardens! 

Holy moly and far out! It looks like we have set a precedent.

It has been a massive week: I sent my 13 amendments to all 9 Councillors and Cr Heather Cunsolo amazingly managed to turn them into an Alternative Motion that she presented at the Council meeting on Wednesday night which was seconded by Cr Louise Crawford. Then the Motion was voted through unanimously (despite Councillors last week wanting to vote the other regressive draft 3 through!).

Attached is a story on the decision written by Peter Quattrocelli from PS Media.

This change has taken incredible pressure from many many angles and massive, constant people power including:

• 10 months of my life (and my husband's!)
• all of you 5935 wonderful people (THANK YOU!)
• my 84-page evidence-based document with letters of support from 20 Subject Matter Experts 
• 578 individual submissions (in first round alone)
• at least 40 volunteers helping at various times 
• 2 letter drops around the municipality
• another 30 Subject Matter Experts helping behind the scenes 
• a long list of locals speaking at the council meeting 
• 2 amazing lawyers working pro bono
• 3 levels of government including support from our local federal MP Josh Burns
• a tonne of supportive positive letters and emails
• and so so so much more...AMAZING!

To quote Cr Cunsolo (from her wonderful non—councilly speech when she turned to us in the council meeting): “Now go get street gardening!”

I think we should do just that!

Because of these council shenanigans, I have missed the last three weeks of our crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to help build the Melbourne Pollinator Corridor - we have one week left finishing on August 12th! We have already raised over 21K (which is incredible!) and are hoping for 30K.  If you can help us create more gardens for our native pollinating insects (yes, including street gardens now because we can!!!!!) please go to  www.theheartgardeningproject.org.au .That would be amazing- thank you so much!

Thank you to you all. I could not have done this without you, that's absolutely for sure.

Emma