Climate-KIC Australia orchestrates collaborative efforts to deliver connected and coordinated climate action. We work across multiple levers of change, including technology, business models, markets, finance and investment, policy and regulation, knowledge and skills, organisational culture and ways of working.

Across the city there are many actors and projects working to reorient power, materials, resources and knowledges in service to the regeneration of our city. Yet we still have a long way to go to shift extractive and accumulated capital and transition our policy and politics towards a more equitable and long term view. Our ways of collaborating, distributing resources and harnessing the collective intelligences of our place are not set up well to accelerate these pockets of potential.

Regen Melbourne’s wildly ambitious goals are our contribution to this transition. They seek to radically increase our ambition and to deepen our collective systemic impact.

CORE works with members and stakeholders on innovative solutions to challenging soil related issues. From enhancing agricultural soils to treating complex soil contamination issues, CORE develops solutions using methods and technologies involving bio-products tailor-made for the situation.

Melbourne’s waterways vary greatly in condition: the more natural areas upstream are generally healthier than those downstream, due to the impacts of urban development.

The good news is that compared to other major cities, our waterways are in good health overall. The Yarra River has greatly improved since the 1970s – when it was a dumping ground for industrial waste and sewage – and pollution levels have not significantly changed despite Melbourne’s rapid growth. This is a big achievement, as every new driveway and pavement increases the amount of stormwater that runs off into our rivers and creeks, carrying litter and pollutants with it.

Water quality an important condition that supports both environmental and social values. We sample water at over 100 monitoring sites to assess any changes over time, testing for a range of indicators including:

water temperature
dissolved oxygen
salinity (salt levels)
pH level (acidity or alkalinity)
nutrients (forms of nitrogen and phosphorus)
faecal contamination (E. coli)
metals (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel and zinc)
In summer we also test key recreational sites weekly for E. coli and blue-green algae, which can cause skin irritation or illnesses for people and pets that come into contact with the river. Our monitoring results are used to calculate the EPA’s Yarra Watch forecasts, with a summary also available in the EPA’s annual report cards.

Our data is also shared with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, who audits any changes to our monitoring network and sets policies and objectives for improving river health. It can be downloaded from their Water Measurement Information System.

Traditionally known as the Birrarung, meaning 'rivers of mist', the river was once rich with fish, eels and birds' eggs, making it a popular meeting point for Aboriginal people. Red gum trees on the banks of the Birrarung were used to build canoes, allowing men to fish and travel down the river.

Making the Birrarung swimmable again is so much more than just swimming. We need to reorient our city to recognise our main waterway, as a living entity, as a place inextricably linked to health and biodiversity.

Effective water infrastructure underpins the livelihoods of regional Australia and supports and sustains communities around the nation. It helps to grow the food, livestock and crops essential to our everyday living. It also generates jobs and injects billions of dollars into regions and the broader Australian economy each year.

Water is one of our most important resources and we must make sure it is sustainable, reliable, and resilient to drought and a changing climate.

Australia’s variable rainfall, streamflow and landscape conditions create water supply challenges. This, along with the demands of agriculture and growing urban populations, and climate change means we face frequent water challenges.

Our projects also help farmers access a more constant supply of water, which eases the pressure on our natural surface and ground water systems. This allows ecosystems that rely on these systems to flourish.