Welcome to our new staff
Posted on 12 July 2012 by e-news
MASG News, 12 July 2012
This has been a busy time behind the scenes at MASG, with current staff Dean and Jarra being joined by these part time staff:
Coordinator – Janet Philips, who will fill the role for the next 6 weeks while the post is re-advertised as a long term position. Janet most recently worked at Sustainable Victoria and has a long involvement in Transition Towns and other social/environmental issues in Castlemaine.
Communications Officer – Local journalist Andrew McKenna will take on the e-news and website roles at MASG.
Finance Officer – Melissa Pollock will manage MASG’s finances. Melissa has long experience managing the accounts for local businesses.
Fundraising Officer – Alex Dixon will be working with members and supporters in her fundraising role for one day a week.
Long term Office Volunteers – we have two long-term volunteers: Keith Neaves and Kate Orr. Thanks to them for their continuity during this time of change.
Job info about the Co-ordinator position is here.
Thanks to Margaret Rasa and Natalie Moxham from the MASG Committee of Management for managing the recruitment process and to Tim Ford for helping with recruitment. And a big thank you to Ian Lillington for filling the role as Co-ordinator in a voluntary capacity for the past 10 weeks – we thank you for your efforts and contribution, particularly in managing the move to the new location, and wish you well in your travels in coming weeks. Pic: Committee members Kaz, Jaz, plus Rilke and Ian at the leaving party.
If you want a glimpse of new staff induction Monty Python style look here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f_p0CgPeyA
Youth Leading the World
Help MASG be involved in The International Youth Leading the World Conference (YLTW) which will happen in?Bendigo this November. YLTW is a bold initiative from OzGREEN that seeks to accelerate the shift to fair futures by building a movement of inspired leaders. Jay Smith (MASG volunteer), intends to attend facilitator training in Sydney to prepare for the conference, at a cost of $1,800. Can you help with Jay’s costs? If you would like to make a contribution, please email Jay for the bank details: youth@masg.org.au See YLTW 2012 video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRoK_GZUc_A&feature=youtu.be
Hub Plot Jottings
The Hub Plot garden group meets on Mondays from 9am to garden, share gardening tips, recipes, exchange produce and plan future workshops & field trips. We always stop for a cuppa at 11am. Anyone welcome to drop in and join in. 
This week we planted out our snow pea seedlings which we’d started in the solar hothouse. After planting out we made sure we protected them from blackbirds which play havoc with our delicious worm filled mulch. Other winter jobs keeping us busy include weeding, building a spiral garden, completing our large new wicking bed & painting our chook shed.
We are thrilled to have been donated money from the Angel Fund which we will be putting to good use in the garden.
For the diary: Healthy Soil Workshop, covering the basics of building a healthy soil for your vegetable garden and fruit trees: with Katie Finlay from the Mount Alexander Fruit Gardens. Sat. 15th September from 12.30pm at The Hub Plot, MASG’s demonstration food garden, rear 233 Barker St, Castlemaine, info: Heather 0409 327791
Other Local NEWS AND EVENTS
In Transition 2.0 (Transition Network, 2012), the new film from Transition Network, capturing inspiring stories of Transition initiatives around the world, responding to uncertain times with creativity, solutions and ‘engaged optimism’. Sunday 22 July, 4.30pm at the Ray Bradfield Room
BREAZE [Ballarat Sustainability Group] hoe-down (put down your garden tools, come celebrate!).
We’ll provide free drinks and local food. Find out what other members have been up to and meet all the new BREAZE Board members. We also want to share the new BREAZE structure, what we’re going to look like in the future and how we’re going to bring down Ballarat’s emissions. Friday, 20 July 6-8 pm. Over the next five years, BREAZE will be working on these priorities:
Solar for all – a community group initiative that gets solar onto the roofs of community buildings; CORE – Developing a localised, Community Owned Renewable Energy facility; BREAZE voice – advocacy on behalf of our community; Energy Smart Ballarat – boosting the local awareness, benefit and uptake of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures.
SUSTAINABILITY at the PUB – tips for everyday living. Friday 20 July 2012 – The Neuroscience of Change – how to promote sustainable changes in the people around you -presented by Ann Lansberry. Goldmines Hotel Cellar, 49-51 Marong Road Bendigo; 5.30 in the garden or bar for drinks, 6.00pm in the cellar for the talk. Join us for dinner in the courtyard afterwards. Info: www.greenchat.com.au Please join us and invite your friends and colleagues who share the same values. Children are welcome.
GLOBAL NEWS and INTEREST
The God particle – no longer just a theory.
Ex politician creating a healthy society: Geoff Gallop, Former Premier of WA, 
now Professor and Director of the Graduate School of Government at the University of Sydney, interview from Radio National.
Extraordinary bout of extreme weather events hitting the U.S.
Who’s connecting the dots? No, it’s not the “liberal” media. It’s Matt Drudge of the Drudge Report, the popular conservative news aggregation site.
How big an impact do you have?
Calculate your eco-footprint – http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/ecologicalfootprint/
Massive solar plans for China.
The total solar installed in Australia at the end of 2011 was 1.2 GW and China was 2.9GW but China will install 6 GW per annum of solar energy capacity for the next three years! In 2015 China will install the same amount of solar PV as the entire world did in 2011. Or put in the local context it’s equivalent to between 40% and 60% of all the stationary generation in Australia today.
Meanwhile Coal sees the hard light of day – here. For amounts installed in each country in 2011 see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_by_country
“I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles;
but today it means getting along with people.”
Mahatma Gandhi
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