sustainable e-news 6 sept 07
Posted on 6 September 2007 by e-news
MASG NEWS
MASG Social: this Friday 7th Sept at 5.15pm until 6.30pm. Castlemaine Community House, Lyttleton St. [opposite Togs]. UK feature showing a 15 minute DVD Ashton Hayes [a carbon neutral village] and Ian’s slides from visit to sustainability projects in the UK. Food and drink provided, and BYO surplus to share.
Local Food Production: Working bee to prepare the demonstration garden at MASG. This Saturday 8th Sept., anytime between 8.30 and 12 noon. Rear of 233 Barker St. We will clear away vegetation after tree removal and prepare to build raised garden beds; pruning saws, secateurs, rakes, trailers needed. Please contact Peter: bundara@netcon.net.au or 5474 2403. Food Production Group Details are on this website. And of course if you would like to make a tax deductible donation to the MASG Public Fund, that would be welcome too.
Challenge to Change – Students and Staff in all schools in the Shire have been entering data on their school energy use this week – results eagerly awaited!
Bendigo hosts renewables conference: Dean will speak at “Renewable Energy & Regional Australia” on Mon 17th September. Bookings 5434 6001 – Marlene Cream. There are Conference brochures at our office.
Federal Election Lead-Up: MASG member Joe Scoglio and Chair, Neil Barrett, set up a stall at Wesley Hill market last Saturday to take advantage of the bigger-than-usual crowd due to the visit of Julia Gillard. 10 people signed up for membership on the spot and another 40 or so people stopped for a chat and took a membership form with them. MASG’s leaflet called on Julia Gillard to advocate some changes in the ALP’s climate change policy. The main change we called for was the setting of interim targets (from 2015 onwards) instead of just the target for 2050 which, whilst better than no target at all, is so far out in time that there is a danger that it will lead to tardy and weak action for years ahead. Neil had a good 5 minutes ‘audience’ with Julia and managed to emphasise the main points we made in the leaflet. If you’re interested in helping run the stall each Saturday, please contact the office.
MASG wishes to make it clear that MASG is not endorsing any political party and that Ms Gillard’s visit was organised by the Castlemaine Branch of the ALP and Steve Gibbons, Federal MP for Bendigo. Ms Gillard’s visit was not aligned with the MASG presence at Wesley Hill and we apologise if our last enews did not make this clear.
Re-Lighting Maldon – front page news in Bendigo Advertiser on Tues 4th Sept. Well done!
Transport: Ride to work day – the Transport working group is meeting weekly to organise a cycling celebration on 17 October. If you are interested in helping make Ride to Work day a success please come to meetings at MASG every Thursday morning at 9.30. We will also need your help on the day from 6 to 9.30am – you’ll get free breakfast and have fun!
Opportunities:
1. Sustainable Building – see, and help, Jean Lucchesi – building mud brick home. Jean welcomes site visits and assistance in Campbells creek – 0448 58 91 63
2. Green Corps is looking for 17 – 20 year olds for on-ground environmental work and TAFE training in Castlemaine Maldon area $290 pw 6 month program; leading to partial qualification in Conservation and Land Management. Contact Peter 0401 068 440
OTHER NEWS AND EVENTS, not endorsed by MASG:
CERES will be at the Organic Expo, Come and say hello and learn more about our incredible food network. 7- 8 September, Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton
Climate-related:
* David Karoly, Prof of Earth Sciences at Melbourne University. An excellent speaker on climate change, Professor Karoly is in C’maine on Wed 19th Sept, 7.30pm. More next week.
* Joint Committee on Draft Climate Change Bill, arranged with most recently published document at top of each section.
* New paper from The Australia Institute: Carbon Offsets Critique.
* Fred Pearce, senior environmental reporter at New Scientist, maintains that measuring our ecological footprints as carbon-dioxide emissions is a far cry from our true ecological impacts and only represents the amount of land you would have to plant with trees to soak up those emissions. If strictly applied or complied with, carbon footprint analysis could therefore become an incentive not to be more eco-efficient. Read Fred’s interesting article.
Permaculture Design Course (PDC) – Bendigo and Castlemaine from 3rd until 17th November. The only Central Victorian (PDC) this year led by a wide range of experienced sustainability activists, including one of the permaculture founders, David Holmgren from Hepburn, and local permaculture author, Ian Lillington. Field trips to large and small gardens, a community garden, MASG, an eco-village and eco-homes. Course organisers say: “You will be challenged and inspired!”
Spray season is here: info and web links on glyphosate is available by email from MASG.
Energy giant backs more wind farms, solar – Wind, solar and other forms of renewable energy should make up 20% of power needs within 12 years if Australia wants to cut the carbon emissions causing climate change, according to Paul Anthony, head of energy giant AGL. Mr Anthony is calling on the Prime Minister, John Howard, and the Opposition Leader, Kevin Rudd, to set a renewable energy target of 20% by 2020, a far more ambitious goal than either side has agreed to so far. Questions were raised about AGL’s commitment to renewable energy recently, when it dropped its plans to build the Dollar Wind Farm in Victoria. Mr Anthony insisted this was because there were better sites elsewhere. “We’ve got a strong appetite for wind,” he said, pointing to plans to build a $600 million wind farm at Macarthur in Victoria. Mr Anthony said he believed Australia could economically make deep cuts in its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Sydney Morning Herald 30th Aug.
Tip of the week: On average each worker uses 50 sheets of A4 a day. So encourage your colleagues to print less by adding a message to your email signature, eg: Think before you print to save energy and paper. Do you really need to print this email? If you do, print it double sided. For more practical advice, competitions, quiz and discussion forums: www.foe.co.uk/living/
“In science, one tries to tell people, in such a way as to be understood by everyone, something that no one ever knew before. But in poetry, it’s the exact opposite.”
attrib: Dirac (1902 – 84)
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