ErinEarth is a local community organisation active in caring for this beautiful planet. We are a registered not-for-profit charity with a mix of paid staff and volunteers. Located within a half hectare native garden at 1 Kildare Street Wagga Wagga, ErinEarth sits on Wiradjuri country. 

Twenty-five years ago, two asphalt tennis courts and a dumping ground for the nearby school, could be found on our site. It is now a thriving hub of biodiversity and a beautiful meeting place for many in our local community. 

ErinEarth was founded by the Presentation Sisters, Wagga Wagga.  It is now an independent company overseen by a Board of Directors from within our local community. 

Our garden is a model of what can be done and grown in our local area, with a particular emphasis on supporting biodiversity and helping life flourish. Our office building was designed and built with environmentally minded features including passive heating and cooling as well as solar hot water and power generation. A solar pump takes water from our onsite dam and sends it to an extensive drip irrigation system. 

Our goal is to demonstrate sustainable living to the local community. We acknowledge and respect the importance of the connections between people, land, water, sky, plants and animals. These parts make up the community of life that we are a part of. 

We do this by: 

  • Being mindful of the powerful connection Wiradjuri culture has to this place. We seek to respect this culture and act accordingly. 
  • Running a volunteer garden maintenance program every Thursday during school term. This program is an inclusive program, aiming to provide a welcoming and supportive place for all.
  • Opening our garden each Tuesday and Wednesday for the community to wander, kids to play in our play area and for quiet contemplation among the beautiful natural environment. 
  • Supporting a local environmental education network made up of early childhood centres, pre-school, primary and secondary schools, community education providers, and Charles Sturt University. ErinEarth staff help convene the network, visit schools and support teachers with lessons and facilitate visits to the ErinEarth garden. 
  • Engaging with our local community by holding information sessions at various locations and offering four family fun days each year to show the garden’s changing beauty through the seasons.
  • Maintaining a website, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram presence to keep our community up to date; demonstrating sustainable living in an online environment.
  • Using environmentally friendly approaches in our garden such as native plant selection, heavy mulching, drip irrigation, on site management of waste via compost, minimal use of pesticides and herbicides, natural fertilisers such as compost and manure, among many others. The garden is mostly made up of native plants with a few hardy introduced species, a vegetable garden, small orchard and chook run, plus areas for kids to explore and play. We aim to give ideas for developing your own garden.