Living sustainably in the desert requires that we live in ways that seek to conserve the resources of Central Australia and share the goal of creating a healthy future.
ALEC contributes to building thriving, resilient Outback communities and supports people, households and businesses to be more energy efficient, reduce waste, grow food locally and conserve water. We do this by sharing knowledge and driving innovation for living sustainably in the arid lands.
We engage government on opportunities for sustainability planning. It's critical to we have policy that enables governments, communities and private companies to collaborate on improving our quality of life without diminishing our future.
Central Australian communities can learn from Indigenous knowledge and skills to find opportunities to thrive in the arid lands. ALEC supports diverse local and regional partnerships to promote the role of traditional knowledge in strengthening environmental sustainability.
Our initiatives include:
Community gardens and sustainable food
Creating local, sustainable food systems in Alice Springs and surrounding desert communities is an opportunity. Through community gardens and Food for Alice, a weekly produce market and food-focused social enterprise, we're working to grow the demand for local produce. Find out how you can get involved in local garden and food initiatives.
Arid Edge Environmental Services
Arid Edge, the social enterprise arm of ALEC, deliver positive impacts for the environment through their on-the-ground work, returning profits that keep ALEC's engine running. Their project work includes a food security and nutrition program for Indigenous communities, bush regeneration and revegetation, climate adaptation planning for remote communities and commercial environmental consulting.
desertSMART EcoFair
The EcoFair is Central Australia’s peak desert science and sustainability festival and aims to educate, inspire and motivate people as part of National Science Week. Each year, more than 2000 people attend the three day event, enjoying high profile speakers, engaging panels and workshops, film festivals and eco-markets.
Roadmap to a desertSMART Town
Central Australians are intimately connected to their environment. Discover a range of practical resources to be more energy efficient, reduce waste, grow food locally and conserve water. The Roadmap to a desertSMART Town is a blueprint for increasing the resilience and sustainability of Alice Springs.