Bathurst Community Climate Action Network

 At first glance – or maybe even after a long hard look - crochet, marine biology and hyperbolic geometry would appear to have little in common. But they've all been brought together in a quirky project in which women around the world are recreating, through crochet, the Great Barrier Reef. According to mathematician Margaret Wertheim, crochet is actually the best way to model hyperbolic geometry, which replicates the intricate "frilliness" of corals and other marine phenomena. Yes, you can do it on a computer, but at this point, amazingly enough, it's actually quicker to use crochet! The Artworks program on ABC radio national last Sunday explored how people have taken an interest in this project from many different angles: the meeting of science and art; placing new value on traditional women's handicrafts; and issues surrounding climate change and our interaction with the environment. Sadly, as the women's crochet constructions grow, the corals in the Great Barrier Reef continue to decline. Adding to the challenges of poor water quality from coastal development, coral bleaching is already evident from rising temperatures.
One reason why the crochet project is catching on is that it's a way to connect to both the threatened reef and the monumental issue of climate change in a very personal, absorbing and tactile way. Climate change can seem too large, depressing or confusing to grasp while crochet (if you've already got the knack!) is small, unthreatening and completely comprehensible. By doing it and sharing it with others, hundreds of women have deepened their interest in mathematics and the environment – areas they may not have strayed into before.
The crochet project has been going, without fanfare, since 2005. While the world's leaders failed to deliver at Copenhagen last December, the quiet click of crochet needles continues regardless. It's this sort of groundswell – people doing something different - that can help drive real change.
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Bathurst Community Climate Action Network will be staffing a stall down at Bicentennial Park from 3pm next Tuesday during the Australia Day celebrations. Drop by for a chat and find out how you can become more involved in climate change activities this year.