Sowing the seeds of love with Landcare for Singles

So, do you plant here often?  That’s the question that will be on the lips of a new generation of environmental volunteers across the country as Landcare Australia launches Landcare for Singles and Coastcare for Singles campaigns this Valentine’s Day.

Landcare for Singles and Coastcare for Singles events provide the perfect opportunity for environmentally conscious people on the look-out for that special someone to try a new and unique form of speed dating, or in this case – speed planting.

The inaugural Landcare for Singles speed planting events were run by the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges Landcare Network in Victoria in 2011 to address recruitment issues for Landcare groups in the area.  The Network ran two hugely successful planting days, which attracted over 100 participants, 95% of whom were completely new to Landcare.  An after-party was also hosted, giving the opportunity for all singles from both planting events to come together and mingle.

Following on from the success of these events, Landcare Australia, in partnership with Kim Boswell of the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges Network, has developed a project kit and a suite of branded promotional collateral artwork which will enable local environmental groups across the country to run a Landcare for Singles or Coastcare for Singles event in their local area.  The kit and artwork for the promotional collateral is available for download from the Landcare for Singles page.

Long-time Landcarer, Ella Maesepp from Katanning in Western Australia, understands better than most that there is more to Landcare than protecting and repairing the natural environment.

“I first met my husband through a Young Farmers Landcare event back in 2005.  We’ve now been married for almost three years and have a beautiful baby son. The great thing about Landcare is that it is just as much a social network as it is an environmental movement, so you end up meeting a diverse range of people joined together by a common interest.  Landcare has given me many great friends, laughs and memorable moments - plus the unexpected bonus of my life partner too!” she explains.

Kim Boswell, who coordinated the original Landcare for Singles events, is delighted to see her idea being realised at a national level.

“It’s very exciting to be able to share the success of the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges Landcare Network.  It became clear when organising the events that singles were looking for a fun and interesting way to meet new people that didn’t focus on tried and tested methods of dating, and Landcare for Singles fitted that mould perfectly.

The events were so much fun to organise and it was great to see a group of friendly folks out meeting new people, having fun and doing fantastic things for their local environment,” she said.

Landcare for Singles events will take place in the Yarra Valley, the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Canberra and Darwin, while Coastcare for Singles events will take place in Perth and on Queensland’s Gold Coast later this year.

To celebrate the launch of Landcare for Singles and Coastcare for Singles, the lovely people at Taylors Wine have given us ten mixed packs of Taylors Promised Land Wines which we will be giving away through our Facebook and Twitter profiles.  Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to find out more.

Terms & Conditions

  • All entrants must be over 18 to enter and may be required to show proof of age and identification in order to claim the prize
  • Delivery is available to Australian addresses only
  • Facebook entries will only be accepted in the comments section of the competition post
  • Twitter entries will only be accepted if they include #landcareforsingles
  • The competition closes at 12pm(EST) on Friday, February 17th and no entries submitted after this time will be accepted
  • The winners will be chosen by a judging panel and all decisions of this panel are final

Landcare for Singles and Coastcare for Singles event information and contact details

Australian Capital Territory
Landcare for Singles: Uriarra Forest, outside Canberra, Sunday, 22nd April
Sally McIntosh, ACT Regional Landcare Facilitator, ACT Natural Resources Management Council
Tel: 02 62052913/0435 657 429
E-mail: Sally.McIntosh@act.gov.au
Anna van Dugteren, ACT Regional Natural Resource Facilitator, ACT Natural Resources Management Council
Tel:02 62052914/0434 564 089
E-mail: anna.vandugteren@act.gov.au

New South Wales
Landcare for Singles: Illawarra region, Saturday, 1st September
Megan Rowlatt, Illawarra Youth Landcare
For more information on the event, visit http://illawarrayouthlandcare.com.au/event/landcare_for_singles
Tel: 0412 532 817/E-mail:illawarraylandcare@hotmail.com

Northern Territory
Landcare for Singles: Darwin, Saturday, 31st March
Joanne Davies, Conservation Volunteers Australia
Tel: 08 8981 3206
Email: jdavies@conservationvolunteers.com.au

Queensland
Coastcare for Singles: Gold Coast, Sunday, 15th April
Naomi Edwards, BeachCare Coordinator, Griffith Centre for Coastal Management
Tel: 07 555 288 23/0414 762 374
E-mail: n.edwards@griffith.edu.au

Victoria
Landcare for Singles: Yarra Valley, Saturday, 8th September
Kath Kean, Media liaison officer, Yarra Valley & Dandenong Ranges Landcare Network
E-mail: yvdrl4s@gmail.com

Western Australia
Coastcare for Singles: South Beach, Fremantle, Saturday, 19th May
Kate Sputore, Coastal Projects, North Metro, Perth Region NRM
Tel: 9285 5099
E-mail:kate@cottesloe.wa.gov.au